Sequels to The Incredibles and Cars 2 are on the way, Disney Pixar has announced.
Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed the news while speaking at the company’s shareholder’s meeting in Portland, Oregon.
No details of storyline or release dates have been revealed for the upcoming films.
The studio is also working on a Finding Nemo sequel, Finding Dory, as well as The Good Dinosaur and Inside Out.
However, with Finding Dory and The Good Dinosaur both being pushed back, 2014 will be Pixar’s first year without releasing a feature film since 2005.
Sequels to The Incredibles and Cars 2 are on the way
The delays mean the gap between Pixar’s most recent release, Monsters University, and Inside Out is the longest period they’ve gone without a new movie since the original Incredibles (2004) was followed by Cars in June 2006.
The most recent film in the Cars franchise, Cars 2, was released in 2011.
Pixar has also announced that a 3D version of 2007’s Ratatouille is planned.
Toy Story and Toy Story 2 have previously been re-released in 3D, as well as Finding Nemo and Monsters Inc.
Meanwhile, Disney and Lucasfilm have confirmed filming for Star Wars: Episode VII will start shooting at Pinewood Studios near London in May.
An online statement added that the latest installment in the series would be set about 30 years after the events of Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, directed by JJ Abrams, is set to be released in cinemas on December 18, 2015.
President Jacob Zuma has “benefited unduly” from using state money to improve his rural residence in Nkandla, South Africa’s top corruption fighter Thuli Madonsela has said.
The changes to Jacob Zuma’s private home, including a pool and cattle enclosure, cost taxpayers about $23 million.
In a more than 400-page report, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela accused Jacob Zuma of unethical conduct.
Thuli Madonsela said that Jacob Zuma, who faces re-election in May, should repay costs for some of the unnecessary renovations.
The refurbishment of the residence in Nkandla, in Jacob Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal, has turned into a major political controversy in South Africa.
A government probe in December cleared Jacob Zuma, who came to office in May 2009, of any wrongdoing, saying the improvements were needed for security reasons.
Correspondents say it was one of the reasons why Jacob Zuma was booed in December at the memorial service for Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president.
Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla private home upgrades, including a pool and cattle enclosure, cost taxpayers about $23 million
At a press conference in the capital, Pretoria, Thuli Madonsela, South Africa’s ombudsman, said the cost of the Nkandla upgrades were now estimated at 246 million rand ($23 million).
The original estimate for the work in 2009 was about 27 million rand and the public protector launched her investigation in 2012 after it was reported that about 206 million rand had been spent.
“The president tacitly accepted the implementation of all measures at his residence and has unduly benefited from the enormous capital investment in the non-security installations at his private residence,” the report said.
The report said that while it could be “legitimately construed” that Jacob Zuma had misled parliament over the renovations, it said it was a “bona fide mistake”.
“Some of these measures can be legitimately classified as unlawful and the acts involved constitute improper conduct and maladministration,” the AFP news agency quotes the report as saying.
Thuli Madonsela said Jacob Zuma had 14 days to respond to her report before parliament.
Taiwan’s parliament has been occupied by hundreds of students and activists protesting against a trade deal with China and defying police efforts to evict them.
The protesters, who burst into the chamber late on Tuesday, say the agreement with China would hurt Taiwan’s economy and leave it vulnerable to pressure from Beijing.
The deal was signed in June 2013 but has not yet been ratified by lawmakers.
It would allow the two to invest more freely in each other’s services market.
The protesters moved in after ruling party lawmakers said a review of the pact by a joint committee was concluded.
Taiwan’s parliament has been occupied by hundreds of students and activists protesting against a trade deal with China and defying police efforts to evict them
“The trade pact must not be approved without careful deliberation and scrutiny in parliament,” a student leader was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.
The opposition had accused the government of going back on a pledge to review the agreement on a clause-by-clause basis.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng on Wednesday called for “calm, reason and self-restraint” and said he hoped the confrontation would be resolved peacefully, Taiwan’s Central News Agency said.
China is Taiwan’s biggest trading partner and in recent years ties between the two have improved.
The two sides split at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, and China regards Taiwan as part of its territory.
Earlier this year, however, they held their first direct government-to-government talks. In the past, all talks have gone via quasi-official organizations.
They have also signed several trade and investment agreements in recent years – but some fear greater economic integration with China could threaten Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Central News Agency described the occupation of the legislature as “without precedent” and said that crowds had gathered outside the complex.
When you run a company and want to save money on your electric bills, you should think of ways to conserve. Not only that, when running an office, it is wise to think of the environment in other ways. When doing so, you can protect the planet and save money. Simply put, with these six ideas, you can enjoy saving money and protecting the planet.
Temperature: Without a doubt, if you run an office, you will spend a lot of money keeping people at a comfortable temperature. In the summer, you will probably have to run the air conditioner all the time. In the winter, if you live in a cold place, you will have to run the heater all the time. To save money and keep your appliances in order, you should use an automated machine and remotely monitor the climate. With this, an office manager can make the right decisions and anticipate how much to use the air conditioner or heater. Since this is a major cost, you should find a local service company who can help you figure out the right path. At the same time, you will use fewer resources; this will help you protect the planet.
Casual: In some businesses, a worker can dress casually. If you run an office in one of these industries, you must allow people to dress for comfort and not style. When doing so, a person can dress for the weather. Think about it, when an employee comes in with a full suit, he or she will get hot quickly. On the other hand, if you allow people to wear shirts and shorts, they will not need you to run the air conditioner as often.
Bike rack: If you have an office in the city or near a lot of houses, you should install a bike rack. By encouraging workers to bike to work, an office manager can go a long way in helping the environment. When workers do not drive to the office, they will not use fuel and pollute the air. Therefore, you should encourage people to bike to work.
Windows: If possible, you should try to get free light into the building. Of course, in the summer this may not work very well. On the other hand, in the winter, if you can bring your blinds down, you can let light into the building and save money on electric bills as you will not need to have the lights on all day.
Dishes: It is easy for an office manager to run out and buy Styrofoam and paper cups for workers to use. This is a costly mistake, and you must make the switch to regular dishes. With this, you can offer a safe way for people to eat and drink. At the same time, people will not waste plastic cups and other items.
Work from home: If possible, you should set it up so people can work from their houses. Remember, if they do not jump in their car and come to work, they will use fewer resources. At the same time, the business owner will save money when he or she does not have to pay for their electricity.
With these six tips, you can run a green business. It is not hard as long as you take a proactive and smart approach.
Armed pro-Russian activists have stormed the headquarters of Ukraine’s navy in the Crimean city of Sevastopol.
Several Ukrainian servicemen have left, the Russia flag is flying and there are reports that Ukrainian navy chief Serhiy Hayduk has been detained.
It comes a day after Crimean leaders signed a treaty with Russia absorbing the peninsula into Russia.
Sunday’s disputed referendum, which officials say backed splitting from Ukraine, has been widely condemned.
Crimean and Russian officials say the vote showed overwhelming public support for joining Russia, with 97% of voters in favor.
But the West and the Ukrainian government in Kiev say the referendum – organized in two weeks and boycotted by many of Crimea’s Ukrainian and Tatar minorities – was illegal, and the results will not be recognized.
Activists put Russian flag at the Sevastapol navy base
On Wednesday, Russia’s constitutional court approved the treaty as legal.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Ihor Tenyukh has reportedly been ordered to head to Crimea amid the rising tensions.
Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Crimea’s Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov, who is in Moscow, as saying: “Nobody will let them into Crimea, they will be sent back.”
Later, there were reports that Ukrainian navy chief Serhiy Hayduk had been detained and taken away from the base by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
A number of Ukrainian servicemen were seen leaving the base. There have been no reports of clashes or shots being fired.
Ukrainian navy spokesman Sergiy Bogdanov told AFP news agency: “There are about 200 of them, some wearing balaclavas.”
“They are unarmed and no shots have been fired from our side. The officers have barricaded themselves inside the building,” he said.
He said even though Kiev had authorized the military to use force in Crimea in self-defense “we are not doing so and will not do so”.
Reports are also emerging of a similar incident at a Ukrainian navy base in Novo-Ozyorne, western Crimea.
Ukrainian defense ministry spokesman Vladyslav Seleznev said a tractor had rammed the gates of the compound and pro-Russians had entered the base.
Israel has attacked several Syrian military sites in retaliation for a bombing that wounded four of its troops in the occupied Golan Heights.
Among the targets were a headquarters, a training facility and artillery batteries, the Israeli military said.
The Syrian army had “aided and abetted” the attack on a patrol near the ceasefire line on Tuesday, it added.
There has been no comment yet on the air strikes from Syria and it is not clear if there were any casualties.
The Israeli air force has conducted several aerial attacks on Syria since the uprising began three years ago.
Those air strikes are believed to have prevented the transfer of stockpiles of rockets from the Syrian government to Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia Islamist movement that supports President Bashar al-Assad.
Israel has attacked several Syrian military sites in retaliation for a bombing that wounded four of its troops in the occupied Golan Heights
The choice of targets demonstrates that Israel is clearly blaming Syrian government forces, and not rebel fighters or units of Hezbollah for the attack on its patrol.
Israel has used artillery against Syrian targets on the Golan to respond in previous incidents, but its use of military aircraft on this occasion raises the incident to a more significant level.
At the start of a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu warned that his country would act “forcefully” to defend itself against any attack.
The Golan Heights, a rocky plateau in south-western Syria, has a political and strategic significance that belies its size.
Israel seized the region from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Middle East War, and thwarted a Syrian attempt to retake it in 1973.
The two countries remain technically in a state of war, and UN observers are deployed to monitor a 44-mile-long demilitarized zone.
On Tuesday, the four Israeli soldiers were wounded, one of them seriously, when an explosive device was detonated as they approached the fence demarcating the demilitarized zone.
A new research suggests that sleep loss may be more serious than previously thought, causing a permanent loss of brain cells.
In mice, prolonged lack of sleep led to 25% of certain brain cells dying, according to a study in The Journal of Neuroscience.
If the same is true in humans, it may be futile to try to catch up on missed sleep, say scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
They think it may one day be possible to develop a drug to protect the brain from the side-effects of lost sleep.
Sleep loss may be more serious than previously thought, causing a permanent loss of brain cells
The study looked at lab mice that were kept awake to replicate the kind of sleep loss common in modern life, through night shifts or long hours in the office.
The research team studied certain brain cells which are involved in keeping the brain alert.
After several days of sleep patterns similar to those followed by night workers – three days of night shifts with only four to five hours sleep in 24 hours – the mice lost 25% of the brain cells, in part of the brain stem.
The researchers say this is the first evidence that sleep loss can lead to a loss of brain cells.
But they add that more work needs to be done to find out if people who miss out on sleep might also be at risk of permanent damage.
In the long-term, they think it might be possible to develop a medicine that protects brain cells, by boosting a natural chemical involved in sleep recovery.
Italy’s Court of Cassation has confirmed a two-year ban from public office imposed on Silvio Berlusconi after he was found guilty of tax fraud.
The ban means former PM Berlusconi will be unable to stand in elections for the European Parliament in May.
After last year’s verdict, he was also stripped of his senate seat and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.
The jail term is likely to be commuted to one year’s community service.
Italy’s Court of Cassation has confirmed a two-year ban from public office imposed on Silvio Berlusconi after he was found guilty of tax fraud
Silvio Berlusconi’s lawyer, Niccolo Ghedini, said he was “extremely disappointed” by Tuesday’s ruling of Italy’s Court of Cassation.
Mariastella Gelmini, a senior member of Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party, said the ruling was “abnormal and unjust”.
“There is an ideological prejudice against Berlusconi that annuls the rights of the defense,” said the former education minister.
Silvio Berlusconi, 77, has faced a string of court cases but the sentence for tax fraud, upheld last August, was the first definitive conviction.
He was convicted over deals his firm Mediaset made to purchase TV rights to US films.
The subsequent two-year ban on holding public office was imposed by a Milan court in October.
Correspondents say that, despite his court convictions and continuing legal battles, Silvio Berlusconi still remains an influential force in Italian politics.
According to new reports, the US government has built a system that can record every phone call made over a month in an undisclosed foreign country.
The National Security Agency (NSA) program was created in 2009, the Washington Post reported.
Fugitive Edward Snowden, who leaked details of the system, promised more revelations.
Civil liberties groups called the report “chilling”, but US officials would not comment.
An NSA cover slide used for an internal briefing on the system, known as Mystic, shows a cartoon wizard wielding a staff with a mobile phone at the top.
Mystic is the only known US surveillance program to capture every single call across a nation’s telephone network, according to the Washington Post.
The NSA has built a system that can record every phone call made over a month in an undisclosed foreign country
The newspaper said that, at the request of US authorities, it would not name the foreign country, or others where the system’s use was envisaged.
It reported that a classified summary of the system suggested billions of conversations were being captured in a 30-day rolling buffer that clears out the oldest calls as new ones are made.
When asked about the report at his daily briefing, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: “We don’t, as a general rule, comment on every specific allegation or report.”
But civil liberties activists said it was “a truly chilling revelation”.
“It’s one that underscores how high the stakes are in the debate we’re now having about bulk surveillance,” Jameel Jaffer, of the American Civil Liberties Union, told Reuters news agency.
Meanwhile, Edward Snowden appeared on Tuesday in the form of a remotely controlled robot at the influential TED conference in Vancouver, Canada.
“There are absolutely more revelations to come,” said Edward Snowden, who fled to Russia last year.
“Some of the most important reporting to be done is yet to come.”
Duck Dynasty’s Willie and Korie Robertson guest star in the forthcoming film God’s Not Dead, which tells the story of a college student who accepts his professor’s challenge to provide a defense for the existence of God and the Christian faith.
Willie and Korie Robertson play the roles of two movie stars interviewed about their faith in God by a reporter also covering the outspoken student’s debate with his professor.
Willie and Korie Robertson guest star in the forthcoming film God’s Not Dead
The Duck Commander CEO revealed the film inspired him and strengthened his own faith.
God’s Not Dead encourages watchers to evaluate what is most important in their lives, Willie Robertson said. The film prompts audiences to consider “our own death,” and how they make decisions about “careers and money,” in a way that values the most important things.
Pure Flix Entertainment’s God’s Not Dead opens in 600 theaters nationwide on March 21.
When you go to watch the movies you want on Netflix, you want to be able to watch them uninterrupted by technical errors. The speed and sound are extremely important to the experience.
One of the problems that can come from watching Netflix is you end up dealing with streaming issues which cause the movie to stop loading or stutter or distort. It’s not a frequent problem. However, Comcast and Netflix have come up with a plan which makes the movie streaming experience much better for Netflix users with better cable TV deals.
Netflix now has a direct connection to dedicated Comcast servers. What this means for viewers is they won’t have to go through third party providers which means fighting a lot of heavy Internet traffic; this is where the freeze-ups and streaming troubles come from. Users will have direct access to Netflix through Comcast servers and this translates directly into faster streaming speeds and an even better movie watching experience in general. Looking ahead, this could lead to other broadband providers striking up similar agreements.
Multi-Year Agreement Reached The deal between the companies is one which had been in the works for months. The agreement has been said to be for the long-term. Both companies have said that Netflix will not be receiving preferential network treatment. Netflix users who have been struggling to watch movies only to become frustrated will be especially interested in this deal and will reap most of the benefits.
Streaming movies from Netflix has become extremely popular and there are now more than 44 million Netflix subscribers worldwide. The company has been making efforts to connect directly to broadband Internet providers in order to offer its subscribers the best possible viewing. Netflix has also already made similar arrangements with both Cox and Cablevision.
The problems Netflix users had been suffering through had become publicly known. Forums and social media sites had opinions all over them from upset viewers who were starting to get fed up with trying to watch movies and videos only to have them interrupted by slow streaming times. The fact that these two companies have come to an agreement is very good news for anyone wanting to make use of Netflix. Comcast is a very big provider and allowing Netflix to have direct connection to its servers is big news, more than users may realize until they see the results for themselves.
The Growth of Netflix Netflix has grown by leaps and bounds. What this means is there are even more people logging in to watch the movies and videos they want. When they are dealing with this amount of traffic on the same bandwidth – along with general Internet traffic – it can lead to increased irritation and problems. That’s especially true as Netflix grows.
Netflix was founded back in 1997 and began by offering users a subscription based digital distribution service in 1999. Since this time, it has maintained its reputation as one of the best services of its kind. With more than 44 million subscribers, it’s easy to see why it is so important for Netflix to do all it can to continue offering its users a hassle free and high quality experience. This deal is a great way for them to continue doing so.
Duck Dynasty ’s Jase and Missy Robertson will serve as the keynote speakers and entertainers at the next month’s Children’s Home of Lubbock 60th anniversary celebration gala in Texas.
United President Robert Taylor said the partnership between the organizations is based on a mutual faith-based founding and desire to serve others. As a result, United will be the title sponsor of The Children’s Home “Foster Our Future” gala on April 11.
Tom Spoonts, vice president for development at The Children’s Home, said he used family ties to entice Jase and Missy Robertson to visit Lubbock.
Jase and Missy Robertson will serve as the keynote speakers and entertainers at the next month’s Children’s Home of Lubbock 60th anniversary celebration gala
Gala attendees will hear Jase and Missy Robertsons talk about their story and parenting experiences as well as some singing and other forms of entertainment. The couple’s children may also make an appearance.
The Children’s Home of Lubbock opened April 18, 1954, and has touched an estimated 6,000 children in Lubbock.
The organization also works with about 50 foster families to provide care for all children who come to them in need. On any given day, The Children’s Home has an average of 145 children in its care.
Tickets for the gala are in short supply already but can be purchased by calling The Children’s Home at (806) 762-0481(806) 762-0481, ext. 213. Tables of 10 are $1,500, and individual seats cost $125. The event will take place at the Overton Hotel and Conference Center in Lubbock at 7 p.m. Friday, April 11.
Though money raised at the gala will go toward operating The Children’s Home campus, the event will kick off the Foster Our Future Capital Campaign, which will go toward improvement of infrastructure and increasing the organization’s endowment.
During the 12th day of Oscar Pistorius’ trial in Pretoria his defense team accused police photographer Bennie Van Staden of mishandling the crime scene.
Oscar Pistorius’ lawyer Barry Roux said some images showed “great disturbance” was caused to the evidence but the police officer insisted he had followed procedure.
The Paralympic champion denies murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year, saying he thought she was an intruder.
The prosecution says Oscar Pistorius intentionally shot Reeva Steenkamp after an argument.
The court also heard from a police ballistics expert on Tuesday, but the trial was adjourned before he explained the key points of his investigation into the trajectory of the bullets from Oscar Pistorius’ gun.
Captain Christian Mangena said he had measured Oscar Pistorius with his prosthetic legs on and off to try to determine whether he was wearing them or not. He is expected to disclose the results of his inquiries on Wednesday.
Correspondents say whether or not Oscar Pistorius was on his prosthetic limbs is important because it could match parts of his story that he accidentally shot Reeva Steenkamp at his house on Valentine’s Day 2013.
Photographs of the bloody scene at Oscar Pistorius’ house were shown to court as police photographer Bennie Van Staden was cross-examined by defense lawyer Barry Roux for a second day.
The prosecution says Oscar Pistorius intentionally shot Reeva Steenkamp after an argument
Barry Roux painstakingly examined pictures taken by Bennie Van Staden and another police officer, and said evidence had been moved around in violation of police procedure.
The lawyer challenged Bennie Van Staden over two images of Oscar Pistorius’ bedroom, which showed tissues, a CD and a remote control in different positions.
Bennie Van Staden admitted that he had moved bloodied towels and a duvet to check for further evidence, but said that he had taken pictures of the original scene before doing so.
Barry Roux also used metadata on each photo to suggest that the two policemen were taking pictures in the same room at the same point, despite Bennie Van Staden testifying that he had worked alone.
According to times on the photographs, both Bennie Van Staden and the other police officer, identified as Colonel Motha, were in the bathroom at the same time.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel questioned Barry Roux’s assertion that the two policemen had been working together, asking why it was that the other officer had not been captured in any of Bennie Van Staden’s pictures.
The prosecutor also said that debating whether the cricket bat that Oscar Pistorius used to smash open the bathroom door had been moved “millimetres” for a photograph did not change the fact that is was covered in blood.
Bennie Van Staden took hundreds of images at the scene, including several of the bloodied cricket bat as well as bullet casings and a gun.
He was called to the scene at around 04:50 a.m. local time and took pictures of the accused and the deceased, as well as pictures of the rooms of the house.
The photographer described nine images that he took of Oscar Pistorius soon after the shooting, with the athlete wearing blood-soaked shorts in the garage of his home.
Barry Roux has challenged previous police witnesses over details of their movements in a bid to uncover contradictions that support his argument that the investigation was bungled.
So far, Oscar Pistoius’ defense team has pointed out several errors by police investigators, including an officer handling the suspected murder weapon without gloves and another stealing from the house.
A Ukraine’s army junior officer has been killed in an attack on a military base in Crimea.
This is the first such death since pro-Russia forces took control in February.
Ukraine has now authorized its troops to fire in self-defense.
The attack came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Crimea signed a bill to absorb the peninsula into Russia.
Western powers condemned the treaty and a G7 and EU crisis meeting has been called for next week in The Hague.
The Ukrainian crisis began in November last year after pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych abandoned an EU deal in favour of stronger ties with Russia. He fled Ukraine on February 22 after protests in which more than 80 people were killed.
According to new reports, armed men arrived in two unmarked vehicles, storming the base in Simferopol and firing automatic weapons.
A Ukraine’s army junior officer has been killed in an attack on a military base in Crimea
The Ukrainian government said a junior officer who was on duty in a park inside the base had been killed and another officer injured. A third serviceman had leg and head injuries after being beaten with iron bars, it said.
The government said the commander of the unit was captured by men wearing Russian uniforms.
Defense ministry spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov told Reuters the attack was by “unknown forces, fully equipped and their faces covered”.
The Ukrainians had had their IDs, weapons and money confiscated, he said.
Ukraine’s interim PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk told an emergency government meeting: “The conflict is shifting from a political to a military stage.
“Russian soldiers have started shooting at Ukrainian military servicemen and that is a war crime.”
Reports from the Crimean news agency, Kryminform, said a pro-Russia defense force member had been shot dead.
Crimean police later said both Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces had been fired on from a single location and that one Ukrainian was killed and one injured, and one pro-Russian was killed and one injured.
None of the accounts can be independently confirmed.
Until now only warning shots have been fired amid a truce – but it appears the tension has boiled over and there are fears that further clashes could follow.
Earlier, President Vladimir Putin told Russia’s parliament that Crimea had “always been part of Russia” and in signing the treaty he was righting a “historical injustice”.
According to a statement on his website, Mick Jagger is “struggling” to understand the death of his girlfriend L’Wren Scott.
Fashion designer L’Wren Scott, 49, was found dead in her New York flat on Monday, in an apparent suicide.
In a statement on his website, Mick Jagger, 70, said he still failed “to understand how my lover and best friend could end her life in this tragic way”.
The Rolling Stones’ frontman added: “We spent many wonderful years together and had made a great life for ourselves.”
Mick Jagger described L’Wren Scott as having “had great presence and her talent was much admired, not least by me”.
“I have been touched by the tributes that people have paid to her, and also the personal messages of support that I have received. I will never forget her,” he said.
The Rolling Stones have now have cancelled their Australian and New Zealand tour following the news.
Mick Jagger is “struggling” to understand the death of his girlfriend L’Wren Scott
L’Wren Scott was found by her assistant at 10:00 a.m. on Monday.
Mick Jagger, 70, began dating L’Wren Scott in 2001.
On Monday night, a spokesman for Mick Jagger issued a statement to deny a report that he had recently ended his relationship with L’Wren Scott.
L’Wren Scott was found dead by her assistant 90 minutes after sending her a text message asking to come to her Manhattan apartment without specifying why, the Associated Press news agency reported.
Police said there was no sign of foul play and no note was found.
According to its last UK filing, L’Wren Scott’s company – LS Fashion Limited – owed creditors about $7.6 million, as of December 31, 2012. It had assets of $1.7 million.
L’Wren Scott’s death comes a month after she cancelled a show at London Fashion Week, saying production delays had left key pieces unready for the show.
The Rolling Stones have decided to call off their Australia and New Zealand tour after the death of Mick Jagger’s girlfriend L’Wren Scott.
L’Wren Scott, 49, was found dead in her New York flat on Monday in an apparent suicide.
Mick Jagger earlier said he failed “to understand how my lover and best friend could end her life in this tragic way”.
In a statement on their website, The Rolling Stones thanked fans for their support.
They said: “The Rolling Stones are deeply sorry and disappointed to announce the postponement of the rest of their 14 On Fire tour of Australia and New Zealand following the death of L’Wren Scott.
The Rolling Stones have decided to call off their Australia and New Zealand tour after the death of Mick Jagger’s girlfriend L’Wren Scott
“Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood wish to thank all of their fans for their support at this difficult time and hope that they will fully understand the reason for this announcement.
“The Rolling Stones are planning to reschedule these postponed shows at a later date.”
The Rolling Stones had been due to begin the tour in Perth on Wednesday, having flown in to the Western Australian city on Sunday.
On his website, Mick Jagger, who started dating Scott in 2001, said they had spent “many wonderful years together”.
L’Wren Scott was found by her assistant at 10:00 a.m. local time on Monday.
Ninety minutes earlier, L’Wren Scott had sent her assistant a text message asking her to come to her Manhattan apartment, without specifying the reason why, the Associated Press news agency reported.
Police said there was no sign of foul play and no note has been found.
The Rolling Stones had planned to perform five concerts in Sydney, Melbourne, Macedon and Brisbane before flying to Auckland, New Zealand, for the final show on April 5.
Ticket holders for the affected shows have been advised to keep hold of their tickets and await further information.
The Rolling Stones’ On Fire tour is scheduled to move to Europe in June, with concerts planned for the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Belgium.
Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller, who have been fighting for custody of their twin sons – Bob and Max – for months, celebrated the boys’ fifth birthdays at the actor’s home on Saturday.
It was all one big happy family on Saturday as Charlie Sheen’s exes partied with all his kids and new fiancée Brett Rossi.
Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller celebrated the boys’ fifth birthdays at the actor’s home
Charlie Sheen’s ex-wife Denise Richards took over guardianship of Bob and Max last year when Brooke Mueller checked into rehab for substance abuse issues, but she had to relinquish her role months later, claiming the brothers were too unruly. She even suggested they needed counseling before handing temporary guardianship to their uncle, Brooke Mueller’s brother.
Families of the Chinese passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have threatened a hunger strike if the Malaysian authorities fail to provide more accurate information.
Relatives vented their anger at a meeting with the airline in Beijing.
Officials in Malaysia say they are trying to narrow the search area, which now covers about 2.24 million square nautical miles (7.68 million sq km).
Flight MH370 went missing on March 8 with 239 people on board.
Some 25 countries are involved in looking for the plane.
A total of 153 Chinese nationals were on board the missing aircraft, which was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
China’s state media has been criticizing the Malaysian operation.
Some Chinese relatives have said they believe the Malaysian authorities are holding information back and have demanded more clarity.
After a meeting with officials from Malaysia Airlines on Tuesday, families held a vote on organizing a hunger strike.
Families of the Chinese passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have threatened a hunger strike if the Malaysian authorities fail to provide more accurate information
Ahmad Jauhari Yahy, chief executive of Malaysia Airlines, told a news conference on Monday that the airline was doing everything it could for the families.
Meanwhile, following speculation about the pilot’s links to Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein has said: “The search for flight MH370 is bigger than politics.”
Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was a supporter of the jailed politician.
Hishammuddin Hussein praised the international response to the search efforts and said teams were continuing to search two vast air corridors north and south of the plane’s last known location.
He added that the Malaysian authorities still believed the disappearance was a result of “deliberate action” on the plane.
Malaysia says the plane was intentionally diverted and could have flown on either a northern or southern arc from its last known position in the Malacca Straits.
China said earlier it had started searching its territory for the aircraft.
The Chinese ambassador to Malaysia, Huang Huikang, also said background checks had shown no evidence to suggest any of the Chinese passengers had terror links, Xinhua news agency reported.
China said it had also deployed 21 satellites to help with the search.
Thailand’s air force said on Tuesday a re-examination of its radar data found what may have been the plane travelling west towards the Straits of Malacca shortly after it lost contact with air traffic controllers.
The Thai military had previously said it had not detected any sign of the aircraft.
The Malaysia Airlines plane left Kuala Lumpur at 00:40 local time on March 8. The last transmission from the plane’s Aircraft and Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was received at 01:07.
“You can’t fully protect yourself from DDoS attacks”.
1 on 1 with website security specialist, Igal Zeifman, from Incapsula.
DDoS attacks are constantly staring in the tech news world. For those of you who have been living on a different planet – Distributed Denial of Service Attack, or DDoS attacks are malicious attempts to make a server or a network resource unavailable to users, usually by temporarily interrupting or suspending the services of a host connected to the Internet.
We sat down with website security expert, Igal Zeifman, to learn a bit more on this rapidly growing phenomenon and how and if you can protect yourself from it.
Q: We are hearing a lot about DDoS attacks recently. Can you explain why they’re becoming so common?
Zeifman: There are several reasons that come to mind. Most prominently, DDoS attacks are becoming more common due to the simple reason that they became much easier to carry out. As strange as it may sound, today you can actually rent a medium-sized DDoS botnet for as low as $30-50. With the availability of such services, some of which are openly advertised on YouTube and appear in Google search, anyone can become an attacker.
Unlike a few years ago when you needed some kind of technological expertise and a pretty substantial budget to execute a significant DDoS attack, today the bar of entry has been lowered to the point where just about anyone can potentially execute a mid-scale DDoS attack, almost on a whim. So it should come as no surprise that DDoS is turning into the “weapon of choice” for attackers out to do some cyber-mischief. This is exactly what we recently saw with the recent DerpTrolling DDoS campaign.
On the high end, we also see that large-scale DDoS events are becoming more common, due to the constant growth and evolution of network resources. As servers and personal computers become more powerful, so does the scale of network DDoS attacks. This trend will only continue to grow and we are likely to see more and more large-scale events in the foreseeable future.
Q: What recent DDoS attacks has Incapsula stopped?
Zeifman: That’s a loaded question. The simple reality is that there is always some kind of attack going on, so our network is blocking DDoS 24/7. Having said that, most of these events are not noteworthy, peaking at 20-30Gbps, which means that we hardly even notice them.
However, we do find ourselves surprised by the increasing sophistication of today’s attackers from time to time. For example, a few months ago we blocked a 100Gbps DDoS attack on the world’s largest bitcoin exchange. A few weeks later we saw an extremely complex Layer 7 DDoS attack, which employed 180,000 different machines to generate over 690 million hits a day for over a week. Most alarmingly, the attackers were using a new technology, employing headless browsers to try and bypass our defenses.
Q: What’s the best way to prepare a site against DDoS attacks?
Zeifman: Honestly, you can’t. Granted, you can take some steps to protect yourself from low-level network attacks, but what can you do against 690 million human-like bot visitors? To mitigate such an attack, you would need a robust Bot Classification solution and an on-premises security team. We had those in place, but I can’t think of many private sites that have access to such capabilities. The target, in that case, was a very large financial site and they had all types of IT resources that most website owners could only dream of… Still, when the attack hit, they knew they were outclassed and sought professional help.
You see, DDoS mitigation is not a hobby. It’s not a “do-it-yourself” type of thing. If you are running a serious business-oriented website, you can’t afford to do a poor job and risk downtime, loss of revenue and – most importantly – your users’ trust.
Q: Do you see DDoS as a temporary phenomenon? Will it soon be replaced by the next cyber-threat or will we see such attacks increasing over time?
Zeifman: Unfortunately, it’s hard to see any short-term scenario in which DDoS attacks will stop being an issue and services for DDoS protection like Incapsulas will be in demand. Hopefully, somewhere down the road, we will see some ISP level solutions that will be able to block many of the attacks on the backbone level. At that point, Layer 7 DDoS will continue to be an issue but at least part of the problem will be solved. But until that day comes, DDoS is here to stay.
Q: Where can we learn about Incapsula’s DDoS Protection?
Zeifman: You can always visit our DDos Protection section, where we explain more about our solution architecture, our SLA and other aspects of our anti-DDoS services.
The Los Angeles Times was the first publication to report the story of Monday’s earthquake thanks to a robot writer.
Journalist and programmer Ken Schwencke created an algorithm that automatically generates a short article when an earthquake occurs.
Ken Schwencke told Slate magazine that it took around three minutes for the story to appear online.
The Los Angeles Times was the first publication to report the story of Monday’s earthquake thanks to a robot writer
“Robo-journalism” is increasingly being used in newsrooms worldwide.
The LA Times is a pioneer in the technology which draws on trusted sources – such as the US Geological Survey (USGS) – and places data into a pre-written template.
As well as the earthquake report, it also uses another algorithm to generate stories about crime in the city – with human editors deciding which ones need greater attention.
Other news organizations have experimented with algorithm-based reporting methods in other areas, particularly sports.
The generated story does not replace the journalist, Ken Schwencke argued, but instead allows available data to be quickly gathered and disseminated.
Two people died after a KOMO news helicopter crashed in central Seattle at the foot of the landmark Space Needle, fire officials have said.
The helicopter belonging to broadcaster KOMO went down about 07:52 local time.
A man in a car destroyed in the crash suffered severe burns and is hospital in critical condition, while two others escaped without serious injury.
KOMO said the helicopter was trying to take off when it crashed.
“There was a huge plume of thick black smoke” when fire fighters arrived, said fire department spokesman Kyle Moore.
Two people died after a KOMO news helicopter crashed in central Seattle at the foot of the landmark Space Needle
Three vehicles on the street below the broadcaster’s building caught on fire. But fire fighters prevented a fuel spill from the crash from entering the sewer system.
The man brought to hospital was in one of the vehicles but managed to pull himself out despite having burns over 50% of his body, Kyle Moore said.
He said investigators had no indication the helicopter struck a building.
A witness told KOMO the engine of the helicopter “sounded extra heavy” as it started up and he heard an explosion seconds later.
Police have told Seattle drivers to stay out of the city centre. The National Safety Transportation Board has launched an investigation into the crash.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Crimea have signed a bill to incorporate the peninsula into Russia.
Vladimir Putin told parliament that Crimea had “always been part of Russia”.
Kiev said it would never accept the treaty and the US has called a G7-EU crisis meeting next week in The Hague.
After the signing, Kiev said a Ukrainian serviceman had been killed in an attack on a base in Crimea.
The defense ministry said the attack took place in the capital, Simferopol.
US Vice-President Joe Biden, speaking earlier in Poland, said Russia’s involvement in Crimea was “a brazen military incursion” and its annexation of the territory was “nothing more than a land grab” by Moscow.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry said: “We do not recognize and never will recognize the so-called independence or the so-called agreement on Crimea joining the Russian Federation.”
Ukraine’s interim PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the Crimea crisis had moved from the political to the military stage.
Germany and France quickly condemned the Russia-Crimea treaty.
Vladimir Putin later appeared before crowds in Moscow’s Red Square, telling them: “Crimea and Sevastopol are returning to… their home shores, to their home port, to Russia!”
He shouted “Glory to Russia” as the crowds chanted “Putin!”
Vladimir Putin and Crimean leaders signs treaty to incorporate the peninsula into Russia
Crimean officials say that, in a referendum held in the predominantly ethnic-Russian region on Sunday, 97% of voters backed splitting from Ukraine.
The EU and the US have declared the vote illegal. Travel bans and asset freezes have been imposed on government officials and other figures in Russia, Crimea and Ukraine, but these have been largely dismissed as ineffectual in Russia.
In a televised address in front of both houses of parliament and Crimea’s new leaders, Vladimir Putin said: “In the hearts and minds of people, Crimea has always been and remains an inseparable part of Russia.”
The referendum had been legal and its results were “more than convincing”, he said.
“The people of Crimea clearly and convincingly expressed their will – they want to be with Russia,” he said, and were no longer prepared to put up with the “historical injustice” of being part of Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin criticized Ukraine’s post-uprising leaders and those behind the unrest, saying they were “extremists” who had brought chaos.
He also praised the “courage, bearing and dignity” of Crimeans, and thanked all Russians for their “patriotic feeling”.
The West, Vladimir Putin said, had behaved “irresponsibly” in backing the uprising, and he denied Russia was interested in annexing more territory.
“Don’t trust those who frighten you with Russia… we do not need a divided Ukraine” he said.
Russia “will of course be facing foreign confrontation,” he said, adding: “We have to decide for ourselves, are we to protect our national interest or just carry on giving them away forever?”
The audience frequently applauded Vladimir Putin at length during his emotionally charged speech, and gave him a standing ovation.
President Vladimir Putin, Crimea’s PM Sergei Aksyonov, the region’s Speaker Vladimir Konstantinov and the mayor of Sevastopol, Alexei Chaliy, then signed a treaty on making the Black Sea peninsula a part of Russia.
Earlier, Vladimir Putin had recognized Crimea as a sovereign state and approved a draft bill on its accession to the Russian Federation.
The bill must now be approved by the constitutional court and then ratified by parliament.
South Korea has granted approval to Caesars Entertainment to open a “foreigner-only” casino with Indonesian conglomerate Lippo.
The first phase of the project also includes two hotels and will be built near Incheon airport outside Seoul.
Shares in Lippo surged more than 35% after the preliminary approval was announced.
In total the firms expect to invest 2.3 trillion won ($2.1 billion) in further projects over the next nine years.
South Korea has granted approval to Caesars Entertainment to open a “foreigner-only” casino with Indonesian conglomerate Lippo
South Korea currently has more than 16 “foreigner-only” casinos, meant to appeal primarily to northern Chinese.
Most of them are clustered near Seoul’s airport or on the island of Jeju, which is just over an hour away by plane from northern cities such as Shanghai and Beijing – making them a convenient alternative to Macau.
Last month, Genting Singapore – Southeast Asia’s largest casino operator by market value – announced it would build a casino on Jeju with Chinese development firm Landing International to target northern and eastern Chinese gamblers.
The project, which is expected to cost $2.2 billion, will include a theme park, shopping malls, apartments and hotels as well as the casino.
On the 12th day of Oscar Pistorius trial in Pretoria, police photographer showed the images of the bloody scene at the athlete’s house.
Oscar Pistorius’ defense team says the police crime scene photographer failed to label his pictures correctly.
The Paralympic champion denies murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year, saying he thought she was an intruder.
The prosecution says Oscar Pistorius intentionally shot Reeva Steenkamp after an argument at his house on Valentine’s Day 2013.
Photographer Bennie Van Staden was being cross-examined for the second day by defense lawyer Barry Roux on details of when and where he took some photos and what he moved at the home of Oscar Pistorius.
Bennie Van Staden’s testimony continued after the start of Tuesday’s proceedings was delayed by more than an hour after the defense team asked him to produce discs containing master copies of photographs.
His images included the bloodied cricket bat Oscar Pistorius used to smash open the bathroom door as well as blood-soaked towels and two mobile phones.
Oscar Pistorius’ defense team says the police crime scene photographer failed to label his pictures correctly (photo AP)
Bennie Van Staden was called to the scene at around 04:50 local time and took pictures of the accused and the deceased, as well as pictures of the rooms of the house.
The police photographer rejected claims that his picture timeline was jumbled or unclear, saying that each of the photographs had the date and time it was taken on the picture.
Bennie Van Staden also described nine photographs that he took of Oscar Pistorius soon after the shooting, with the athlete wearing blood-soaked shorts in the garage of his home.
On Monday, the trial heard from a firearm specialist who said Oscar Pistorius had good knowledge of the rules on gun use and dealing with intruders.
Oscar Pistorius had bought a gun from Sean Patrick Rens, a firearms assessor, in 2012 and ordered six more guns from him – but the order was cancelled a month after Reeva Steenkamp was killed.
Sean Patrick Rens read out a competency questionnaire that Oscar Pistorius had completed before he could be issued with a firearm.
Oscar Pistorius scored top marks in these tests, which included questions on the legal issues around shooting intruders.
One of the questions in the test was: “There is no security gate between you and the burglars. They are armed and they advance towards you. Can you discharge your firearm because you fear for your life?”
To which Oscar Pistorius replied: “Yes.”
Another question was: “Explain the legal requirements when using a firearm for private use”, to which Oscar Pistorius answered: “Attack must be against you, it must be unlawful, it must be against persons.”
Answering the final question on the importance of target identification, Oscar Pistorius said: “Always know your target and what lies behind.”
President Vladimir Putin has formally informed the Russian parliament of Crimea’s request to join the Russian Federation.
This is the first legislative step towards absorbing the peninsula.
Vladimir Putin, who signed a decree on Monday recognizing Crimea’s independence, also approved a draft bill on the accession.
The move comes after a referendum on Sunday in which Crimean officials say 97% of voters backed splitting from Ukraine.
The EU and the US have declared the vote illegal and imposed sanctions.
Travel bans and asset freezes have been imposed on government officials and other figures in Russia, Crimea and Ukraine.
Kiev has appealed to the international community not to recognise the result of the vote, which interim PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk described as a “circus” carried out at gunpoint.
On Tuesday, Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that “for the sake of preserving Ukraine’s unity and sovereignty”, Kiev was prepared to grant “the broadest range of powers” to Ukraine’s other mainly Russian-speaking regions in the south and east, which have seen pro-Moscow protests in recent weeks.
In a pre-recorded address on Ukraine’s 5 Kanal TV – delivered in Russian – Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the reforms would give cities the right to run their own police forces and make decisions about education and culture.
Vladimir Putin has formally informed the Russian parliament of Crimea’s request to join the Russian Federation
Crimea was taken over by pro-Russian forces in late February after Ukraine’s pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia following months of protests.
However, Russia has always insisted the troops are not under its direct control.
Kiev is also concerned about a build-up of Russian troops on its eastern borders, and has authorized the partial mobilization of 40,000 troops.
President Vladimir Putin is due to address both houses of the Russian parliament in a special session at 15:00 local time. A delegation of Crimea’s new leaders is also expected to attend.
Russian news website Gazeta.ru, quoting sources, says that after the speech, President Vladimir Putin and the speaker of the Crimean parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, are expected to sign an agreement on Crimea’s “entry into the Russian Federation”.
Having approved the draft bill, Vladimir Putin has told lawmakers “to consider it practical to sign the agreement at the highest level,” Russia’s Interfax news agency reports.
Once signed, the bill must be approved by the constitutional court and then ratified by parliament.
The process is likely to be completed this week, after which Crimea is expected to be considered a new part of the Russian Federation, with the status of a republic.
In a sign of the wider impact of the Crimean referendum, parliament in the breakaway Moldovan region of Trans-Dniester announced on Tuesday that it too had appealed to Moscow for the right to join Russia, reports said.
Crimea was transferred from Russia to Ukraine while under Soviet rule in 1954 and much of its population is ethnic Russian.
