Is This Banksy?

Is This Bansky? – His film Exit Through The Gift Shop was nominated for best documentary at the Oscars. But while those hoping to see Banksy at the ceremony would have been left disappointed, drivers in California this week caught a glimpse of a man believed to be the reclusive graffiti artist. Exactly who the man is remains a secret – but the evidence suggests that these photos taken in Santa Monica are of him. [dailymail]

Rupert Murdoch Gets Go Ahead To Buy Sky News – Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation has been given government approval for its controversial bid to take over BSkyB. Rival media groups dismissed News Corp’s offer as a “whitewash” and said they would “vigorously contest” it. News Corp, which owns the Sun, the News of the World and the Times and the Sunday Times, is looking to take over the 61% of BSkyB that it does not own. [bbc]

Gaddafi’s South African Real Estate – The Libyan government’s investment arm co-owns a prime slice of Sandton — Africa’s most expensive real estate — in the continent’s financial capital, Johannesburg, as well as a large chunk of property at the iconic V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. [mail&guardian]

Sean Penn And Scarlett Johansson: Oh It’s On! – It was a short getaway, but Sean Penn and Scarlett Johansson made the most of it. The pair left on a private jet from Van Nuys airport Tuesday morning, then were spotted having dinner in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, that night, according to sources. Early Wednesday morning, they returned to Los Angeles where Johansson is shooting the film We Bought a Zoo with Matt Damon. Lobsters were eaten and margaritas drunk. 50 and 25. Fine. [people]

iPad Allows Scientists To Drag, Pinch And Swipe Real Molecules – Using laser beams to control individual molecules is a precise, difficult operation rendered nearly impossible by the limitations of the computer mouse. Unless you have the right iPad app. New software called iTweezers lets scientists drag molecules around the screen as easily as shooting angry birds at pigs. [wired]

Obama Says Gaddafi Must Go – President Obama said today that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has lost legitimacy and “must step down from power and leave” immediately. Obama spoke at a news conference where he also said he had approved the use of U.S. military aircraft to help evacuate refugees fleeing the violence in Libya. At a brief news conference with visiting Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Obama said, “It’s time for Gaddafi to go.” [nationaljournal]

One In Five US Divorces Caused By Facebook – Facebook is cited in 1 out of every 5 divorces in the United States, according to the Loyola University Health System. Furthermore, 81 percent of the country’s top divorce attorneys say they have seen an increase in the number of cases using social networking evidence during the past five years, according to a recent survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). [zdnet]

Ashton Kutcher’s Twitter Account Hacked – TV star Ashton Kutcher may have more followers than all but 5 other people on Twitter (6,393,559) but he apparently has at least one snarky and politically minded adversary at the prestigious TED conference this week. Kutcher’s account on Twitter appears to have been compromised, having posted two messages purportedly from someone else nearby. [readwriteweb]

Londons School Of Economics Director Resigns Over Gaddafi Links – Sir Howard Davies said he recognised that LSE’s reputation had “suffered” over a £300,000 research grant from Col Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, meaning he must step down. He said the decision to accept the grant had “backfired” and expressed regret that he had visited Libya to advise the regime about how it could modernise its financial institutions. [telegraph]

The Most Typical Person In The World – In a world of seven billion people, the “most typical” person is male, right-handed and of Chinese descent, according to National Geographic. But not for long — as the report states, by 2030 the Indian population will outstrip that of China. As part of a year-long series on global population, the publication has just produced a stunning new video titled “Are You Typical?” [huffington]

Jaguar Unveils Most Powerful Car Ever – Jaguar has joined the 300 km/h club with the unveiling of its most powerful car yet, the XKR-S. Billed as the fastest and most powerful series production vehicle ever made by the brand, the XKR-S is expected to be available to order in September this year. Offering a 5.0 liter V8 engine, Jaguar’s latest cub has been designed around its speed qualities with a dramatically redesigned front and a separate rear spoiler. [luxuo]

Mariah Carey Responds To Calls For Gaddafi Money To Be Returned – Mariah Carey announced today she feels “horrible and embarrassed” for performing on behalf of Muatassim Qaddafi, son of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, who hired her to sing four songs on the Caribbean island of St. Bart’s during New Year’s Eve 2008. “I was naive and unaware of who I was booked to perform for,” the singer said in a statement. “Going forward, this is a lesson for all artists to learn from. [rollingstone]

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