Moammar Gadaffi Has Not Fled Libya

Gadaffi Has Not Left Libya – Is Defiant In Face Of Rising Revolt – Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi appeared briefly on state television on Tuesday signalling his defiance in the face of a mounting revolt against his 41-year rule. In his first address since the protests started last week, he made a 22-second statement in front of his house to deny the reports he had fled to Venezuela, ruled by his friend President Hugo Chávez. [mail&guardian]

Flights Cancelled In Wake Of Massive New Zealand Earthquake – All international flights out of New Zealand were canceled Tuesday afternoon after a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit the South Island. Auckland Airport spokesman Richard Llewellyn told the New Zealand Herald that the nation’s entire airways system had been shut down shortly after the earthquake hit Christchurch, damaging downtown office buildings and trapping workers. TVNZ reports fatalities from two buses crushed by falling buildings. [csm]

Mayhem In Libya Takes Oil Price To Two-Year High – Violence in Libya yesterday sent the oil price soaring to a two- year high, as Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s crackdown on dissent left hundreds dead. Gold also rallied on investor jitters, rising for a sixth day to more than 1400 an ounce. Political uncertainty sent the price of silver to a 31-year high and palladium to its highest level in 10 years. Brent crude rose by more than 5,6% to a post-2008 high of 108. [businessday]

Duchess Of York Didn’t Crack The Nod – Sarah Ferguson will not be present when her nephew Prince William marries Kate Middleton. The Duchess of York’s daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie will attend, but their mother has been left off the guest list. “She will not be attending the wedding,” says a rep. “She never expected to be invited or to attend. She will be overseas at the time.” Of course she will be. [hellomagazine]

Bahrain Grand Prix Canceled Due To Unrest – The opening race of the Formula One season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, has been axed due to ongoing political unrest in the country. The Bahrain government confirmed the race, scheduled for March 13, had been called off on Monday afternoon after days of speculation. The Bahraini Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad al Khalifa, informed Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone of the decision by telephone after days of unrest in the Gulf kingdom. [cnn]

Berlusconi’s Teenager Also Had Sex With Ronaldo – The nightclub dancer at the centre of the under-age sex scandal involving Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is also claiming she slept with soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Karima el Mahroug (Ruby) told prosecutors that she had sex with the player after meeting him in a nightclub and that he knew she was only 17 when they had sex. When she woke up he was gone – leaving her 4,000 euros in cash. In Italy the age of consent is 14 but paying an under-18 for sex is illegal. [thestar]

News Corp (Murdoch) Buys Shine Group (Murdoch’s Daughter) For $663 Million – It’s official. A decade after decisively striking out on her own merits by setting up her own U.K.-based production company, Elisabeth Murdoch is selling her international production outfit Shine to News Corp. for $663 million and returning to the family fold. Elisabeth Murdoch owns 53 percent of the company outright, while Sony Pictures Television has 20 percent and BSkyB has 13 percent. [hollywoodreporter]

Brad Pitt’s Folks Are Moving In – Brad Pitt’s parents are moving in with him and Angelina Jolie. The Inglourious Basterds actor -– who raises children Maddox, nine, Pax, seven, Zahara, six, four-year-old Shiloh, and two-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne with the actress — is building an apartment on the grounds of his Chateau Miraval estate in France to accommodate Bill and Jane Pitt, who plan to help raise the couple’s large brood. Nice. [showbizspy]

Self-Harm Videos Trending On YouTube – YouTube videos on cutting and other self-injury methods are an alarming new trend, attract millions of hits and could serve as a how-to for troubled viewers, a study warns. Many videos show bloody live enactments or graphic photos of people cutting their arms or legs with razors or other sharp objects, the study found. Many also glamorize self-injury and few videos discourage it, the study authors said. Hmm, sounds like some kids need a big hug. [msnbc]

Rolls-Royce Develops Electric Car – Rolls-Royce used to boast that at 60mph in one of their cars, the loudest sound was the ticking of the clock. Now the world’s best known luxury car is about to become even quieter, with the launch of the first fully electric model to bear the famous Spirit of Ecstasy mascot. The one-off Phantom is being built to gather research data that could eventually lead to customers ordering their own all-electric Rolls-Royce. [telegraph]

Venice Launches Virtual Tour Of Canals – Internet users can now travel along the canals of Venice from the comfort of their own homes to prepare their trips, with a new website called veniceconnected.it. The website is made up of 360-degree HD photographs snapped by a camera mounted on a boat travelling the length and breadth of Venice’s famous canals. “It’s another part of a project that is well suited to the specificity and uniqueness of Venice,” Roberto Panciera, a tourism official at Venice city hall, said in a statement. [luxuo]

Justin Bieber Has Cut His Hair – Justin Bieber was tired looking like a 16-year-old lesbian so he went and got a haircut. A million pre-teens just stopped mid-shriek and thought to themselves “that’s not as bad as I thought.” Bieber got the cut while on the set of a music video for a song he did with Rascal Flatts. The do was done by his hairdresser Vanessa. Bieber says it’s more of a “mature look.” [theblemish]

Planet Will Be Unrecognizable By 2050 – A growing, more affluent population competing for ever scarcer resources could make for an “unrecognizable” world by 2050. The United Nations has predicted the global population will reach seven billion this year, and climb to nine billion by 2050, “with almost all of the growth occurring in poor countries, particularly Africa and South Asia,” said John Bongaarts of the non-profit Population Council. “We will need to produce as much food in the next 40 years as we have in the last 8,000.” [afp]

Tank turns to Aqua on The Piaza – Newly arrived Aqua Restaurant Lounge Bar has opened on The Piaza where Tank used to be. You have to try out their fine cuisine of mainly seafood and sushi with great value for money and special offers like half price Sushi (12pm – 5pm Mon – Fri), huge Sushi and Seafood platters, Kids lunch specials and 1/2 price cocktails. Bookings on 021 419 0007. [capequarter]

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