India Demands Apology After Top Gear India Special – Jeremy Clarkson, the Top Gear presenter, may have been described by the chairman of the BBC Trust as a “leading cultural export”, but his latest foray abroad risks causing a diplomatic incident. The complaint follows a string of controversies involving Mr Clarkson. [telegraph]
Zola Bud Wants To Break 8 Hours For Comrades – Nearly three decades after she was entangled in a controversial women’s 3000m final at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, Zola Budd has set herself a modest goal in South Africa’s most popular road race. Will she be bare-foot? [mail&guardian]
The Aga Khan, The Air Hostess And The $75 million Divorce Settlement – When a French court ordered the Aga Khan to pay £50 million ($74.4 million) to his second wife, it was generally thought the jet-setting spiritual leader had got off lightly. Yet the 75-year-old Prince Karim, the fourth Aga Khan, yesterday posted a challenge to September’s ruling, prompting lawyers for his estranged wife to accuse him of cutting and running. [smh]
Eight Rhino Killed In Kruger Park – Eight rhino carcasses have been found in the Kruger National Park. “Yesterday on patrol, eight rhino carcasses were found. Three carcasses were found in Lower Sabie and five in the Pretoriuskop section of the park,” said spokesman Reynold Thakhuli. All the carcasses were of adults which had been shot and de-horned. [newage]
Pentagon Investigating Video Of Marines Allegedly Urinating On Dead Taliban Fighters [Video] – The Marine Corps said on Wednesday it would investigate a video showing what appear to be American forces in Afghanistan urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters. Not ideal. [reuters]
Halle Berry Engaged To Kylie’s Ex – Halle Berry is set to marry for a third time after her French actor boyfriend Olivier Martinez popped the question, People magazine reported. Martinez, who met 45-year-old Berry on the film “Dark Tide” in 2010, gave her a diamond-and-emerald engagement ring, the celebrity bible reported, citing a jeweler’s publicist. [afp]
Bryan Ferry Marries Son’s Ex – Roxy Music pioneer and all around awesome guy Bryan Ferry got married last week to the young and beautiful Amanda Sheppard. There’s nothing odd about a 66-year-old rock star marrying someone 37 years younger than him. What’s crazy is that they met when Sheppard dated one of Ferry’s sons. [gawker]
Wireless Power – The Final Frontier? On Show At CES [Video] – One of the most head-turning items we saw among the booths at CES 2012 was this demonstration of wireless power by Fulton. Using conductive inks embedded in box itself, a package for the Droid Incredible lights up when put on a special stand. [mashable]
Samsung Unveils ‘Future Proof’ TV – A “smart” internet-connected television that has the ability to have its hardware upgraded every year has been unveiled by Samsung. It has an expansion slot allowing new kit to be added to boost processing performance and introduce new features. [bbc]
How Johan Kotze Was Cornered – Suspected Limpopo murderer and gang-rape fugitive Johan Kotze was arrested yesterday after a week-long manhunt. Police spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said Kotze, 51, – on the run since the murder of his stepson, and the gang-rape and mutilation of his estranged wife last week – was caught in Modimolle, Limpopo. [timeslive]
Apple’s Steve Jobs Immortalised In Comic – A comic book documenting the life of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has gone on sale in the US. It depicts the life of the technology mogul from his adoption as a baby to his unveiling of products such as the iPhone and iPad. [skynews]
North Korea Is Open For Tourism Again – On Tuesday, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (the North’s official name) re-opened to tourists after its annual month-long winter hiatus. It’s the first time foreigners can access the country since the death of its leader Kim Jong Il last month. And as it turns out, that grim event sparked a bit of traveler interest in the isolated nation. [cnn]
Kim Jong Il’s Body To Be On Permanent Display – North Korea says late leader Kim Jong Il’s body will be permanently laid in state in a memorial palace in the capital. Kim’s body will be displayed at Pyongyang’s Kumsusan Memorial Palace, where his father and North Korea founder Kim Il Sung’s embalmed body has been lying since his death in 1994. [time]
Iran Nuclear Scientist Killed In Car Bombing – A scientist working at Iran’s main uranium enrichment facility and his driver were killed Wednesday in Tehran when a bomb blast ripped through their car, Iranian news reports said. It was the fifth time in two years that scientists connected to Iran’s nuclear research program were targeted in what Tehran believes is a covert Western campaign to halt its nuclear ambitions. [latimes]
Brad And Angelina Visit The White House – Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt made a pit stop at Washington’s most famous residence on Wednesday, as they visited the White House and even chatted with President Obama. The pair was in town for the Tuesday night D.C. premiere of Jolie’s directorial debut, “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” at the Holocaust Memorial Museum. [washscene]
“Disgusting” Video Emerges Of Andaman Tribe Dancing For Food [Video] – A video showing women of the Jarawa, an endangered tribe in the Andaman islands, dancing half-naked as tourists threw biscuits and bananas, created a media furore in India on Wednesday. [reuters + video]
Facebook’s Share Of UK Social Networking In Decline – Facebook usage in the UK has fallen by more than seven percentage points in the last year, fuelling concerns that it may have hit saturation point. The decline has raised concerns that Facebook is running out of steam in the markets where it is best established, whilst its competitors gain ground. [telegraph]
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