General Motors (GM) expects to spend nearly $300 million in Q1 2014 to repair vehicles affected by its recent recalls.
GM set aside the amount on Monday as it announced three separate recalls affecting nearly 1.5 million vehicles.
That follows the 1.6 million vehicles it called back last month over faulty ignition switches.
GM announced three separate recalls affecting nearly 1.5 million cars
GM is facing an investigation over its handling of the recall over the faulty switches which can disable airbags.
The recall announced on Monday affects the following models:
1.18 million vehicles, including 2008 – 2013 Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia, 2009 – 2013 Chevrolet Traverse and 2008 – 2010 Saturn Outlook, over problems with deployment of side airbags.
303,000 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana from the 2009 – 2014 model years with gross vehicle weights of 10,000 pounds or less as they do not comply with a head impact requirement for unrestrained occupants.
63,900 Cadillac XTS full-size sedan from the 2013 and 2014 model years to fix a problem that could lead to overheating, melting of plastic components and a possible engine compartment fire.
GM is under pressure over its handling of a recall earlier this year that involved faulty ignition switches which could turn off the engine and disable airbags.
Chris Brown has been ordered to stay in jail until a hearing on April 23 following his arrest at a California rehab centre on Saturday.
The stint behind bars will be Chris Brown’s longest and is more than five years after he attacked Rihanna.
Reasons for Chris Brown’s dismissal from the Malibu facility were detailed in court on Monday.
Superior Court Judge James R. Brandlin said he was troubled by a comment Chris Brown made during a group therapy session.
“I am good at using guns and knives,” the rehab centre reported Chris Brown had said in response to an exercise asking him to reflect on what he was good at or excelled at.
Rehab workers also said Chris Brown ignored a worker who was waiting to give him a drug test and that he rubbed elbows with a woman when he had signed an agreement to stay at least two feet away from all female clients.
Chris Brown has been ordered to stay in jail until a hearing on April 23 following his rehab arrest
Outside court, Chris Brown’s lawyer described the singer as having had a bad day at the facility and said he didn’t think his client should be forced to stay behind bars for another month.
He said he planned to petition to have Chris Brown released before the hearing in April.
Police officials in California said Chris Brown co-operated with officers when he was arrested at the Malibu treatment facility.
Chris Brown had been ordered to remain there for anger management treatment.
In November, the singer was sentenced to three months of in-patient rehab.
That was recommended by probation officers overseeing him after he was punished for the attack on then-girlfriend Rihanna before the 2009 Grammy Awards.
A letter from the facility in January stated that Chris Brown was also being treated for bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and past substance abuse.
The probation for the Rihanna assault had been scheduled to end this year, but a judge revoked it last year after he was arrested on an assault charge in Washington DC. That case is still pending.
China has started searching its territory for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, while Australia has narrowed its search area in the south.
Efforts to find the aircraft are focusing on two vast air corridors north and south of the plane’s last known location.
China said no evidence of terror links had been found in Chinese passengers.
The Malaysia Airlines plane went missing on March 8 with 239 people on board. Some 26 countries are involved in search efforts.
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.
Search efforts are focused on two corridors – one stretching from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, and another from Indonesia to the Indian Ocean.
Investigators are looking into the possibility that the aircraft’s crew – or other individuals on the plane – were involved in its disappearance.
A total of 153 Chinese nationals were on board the missing aircraft, which was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
China has started searching its territory for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370
Chinese Ambassador to Malaysia, Huang Huikang, said that search and rescue operations in the Chinese territories of the northern corridor had begun, Xinhua news agency reported.
Based on background checks, there was no evidence to suggest that the mainland Chinese passengers on the plane were involved in hijacking or launching a terror attack, Mr Huang added.
China said it had also deployed 21 satellites to help with the search.
Meanwhile, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it had narrowed down its search area in the southern Indian Ocean based on satellite data and analysis of the aircraft’s possible movements.
However, AMSA said the search area was still vast.
“A needle in a haystack remains a good analogy,” AMSA Emergency Response General Manager John Young said, adding that there was a “difficult” task ahead.
“The sheer size of the search area poses a huge challenge – the search area is more than 600,000 square kilometres [230,000 sq miles],” he added.
Late on Monday, US officials said the US navy ship USS Kidd had been taken off the search because the enlarged search area meant that “long-range patrol aircraft” were “more suited” to the mission.
The move was made “in consultation with the Malaysian government”, officials said in a statement. USS Kidd had searched the Andaman Sea but found “no debris or wreckage associated with an aircraft”, they added.
The US says it is using patrol aircraft including the P-8A Poseidon and P-3C Orion to continue search efforts, with the P-8 taking part in search efforts in the south corridor.
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.
A transmission expected 30 minutes later did not come through, Malaysia Airlines Chief Executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahy told reporters. Officials believe the communications systems were deliberately disabled.
Several countries have already rejected the suggestion that their airspace might have been breached.
Air Canada has decided to suspend flights to and from Venezuela, citing concerns over security.
Air Canada said it would consider resuming operations once the situation in Venezuela had stabilized.
The airline operated three return flights between Toronto and Caracas per week.
Twenty-nine people – from both sides of the political divide – have been killed in six weeks of protests against high inflation, crime and the shortage of many staples in Venezuela.
“Due to ongoing civil unrest in Venezuela, Air Canada can no longer ensure the safety of its operation and has suspended flights to Caracas until further notice,” says the Canadian airline in a statement.
It says customers who have not begun their travel “may obtain refunds”. Others may be rebooked on other airlines.
Air Canada has decided to suspend flights to and from Venezuela
Several international airlines have reduced operations in recent weeks in Venezuela, but their main grievance has been the government’s tight currency controls.
International airlines say the government of Nicolas Maduro owes them more than $3 billion.
Tough foreign currency controls make it difficult for foreign airlines to repatriate money obtained from ticket sales in Venezuela.
In January, Ecuadorean airline Tame suspended flights to Venezuela, demanding $43 million – one third of the company’s yearly revenue – in overdue payments for tickets.
President Nicolas Maduro said that airlines that reduced their operations in Venezuela would face “severe measures”.
“The company that leaves the country will not return while we hold power,” he said.
The government says right-wing groups backed by the US have fomented the unrest as part of a coup plot.
Tight controls over foreign exchange were first imposed in 2003, following a troubled year which saw a coup against then-President Hugo Chavez.
The government expected to avoid capital flight, but the economic crisis of the past year has led to a shortage of foreign currency.
Two months ago, Venezuela introduced further exchange controls.
The Rolling Stones have cancelled a Perth concert – the first date of their On Fire tour in Australia- following the death of Mick Jagger’s girlfriend L’Wren Scott.
L’Wren Scott was found dead in her New York apartment on Monday, in an apparent suicide.
The Rolling Stones were due to play in Perth on Wednesday. Their promoter said no further information was available.
They are scheduled to play five more concerts in Australia. The next is due to take place on March 25 in Sydney.
Ticket holders for Wednesday’s gig were being asked to hold on to their tickets until a further update is available.
L’Wren Scott, 49, was found by her assistant at 10:00 a.m. on Monday.
Her long-term partner, Mick Jagger, was “completely shocked and devastated” by her death.
The Rolling Stones have cancelled the first date of their On Fire tour in Australia following the death of Mick Jagger’s girlfriend L’Wren Scott
The Rolling Stones are due to perform in Melbourne and Macedon later this month before playing two dates in Brisbane and Auckland, New Zealand, in April.
The On Fire tour is then scheduled to move to Europe in June, with concerts planned for the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Belgium.
Mick Jagger, 70, began dating L’Wren Scott in 2001.
On Monday night, a spokeswoman for Mick Jagger issued a statement to deny a report that he had recently ended his relationship with the designer.
“The story in the New York Post re a split between Mick Jagger and L’Wren Scott is 100% untrue,” said his spokeswoman, Victoria Scarfone.
“There is absolutely no basis in fact to this story. It is a horrible and inaccurate piece of gossip during this very tragic time for Mick.”
Naomi Campbell, Vogue editor Anna Wintour and singer Madonna were among those who were fans of the fashion designer.
L’Wren Scott was found dead by her assistant 90 minutes after sending her a text message asking her 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.
Miley Cyrus causes a stir with what appears to be a fake lip tattoo.
Miley Cyrus showed off her new sad cat Emoji lip tattoo on Instagram. She posted the pictures of her seemingly latest tattoo, a small yellow cat with a single tear inked on to her lower lip, on Friday.
The singer appears to have celebrated her night in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by going under the needle and having a tattoo inked on to her lip.
Miley Cyrus showed off her new sad cat Emoji lip tattoo (photo Instagram)
Miley Cyrus, 21, gave no indication as to whether the tattoo was permanent or simply temporary on the picture’s captions. She included the hastags “#sadkitty” and “#lovemoneyparty”, the latter of which appears to have become her motto for her Bangerz tour.
However, one of Miley Cyrus’ friends, Katy Weaver, posted a picture on Instagram of her and Cyrus showing off their new tattoos.
The response from fans and media outlets does appear to have been disproportionate to the images as Miley Cyrus already has a number of tattoos. These include one of her ear and a number on her torso and back.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree recognizing Crimea as a sovereign and independent country.
The new decree is paving the way for Crimea to be absorbed into Russia.
It said it had taken into account Sunday’s referendum in Crimea, in which officials said 97% of voters backed breaking away from Ukraine.
The EU and the US said the referendum was illegal and imposed sanctions on 21 officials from Russia and Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree recognizing Crimea as a sovereign and independent country
Crimea was taken over by pro-Russian gunmen in late February.
The incursion came after Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia following months of street protests.
The Kremlin officially denies the gunmen are Russian soldiers, but concedes that lawmakers authorized President Vladimir Putin to use force after a formal plea for help from Viktor Yanukovych.
Crimea has been part of Ukraine since 1954, but much of its population is ethnic Russian.
The EU and the US have imposed travel bans and asset freezes against a number of Russian and Ukrainian officials following the controversial referendum in Crimea.
The moves follow Sunday’s referendum in Crimea, in which officials say 97% of voters backed breaking away from Ukraine and joining Russia.
The individuals targeted by the sanctions are seen as having played a key role in the referendum, which Kiev, the US and EU deem illegal.
Pro-Russian forces have been in control of Crimea since late February.
Moscow says the troops are pro-Russian self-defense forces and not under its direct control.
The EU and the US have imposed travel bans and asset freezes against a number of Russian and Ukrainian officials following the controversial referendum in Crimea
President Barack Obama said in a press conference that Washington stood “ready to impose further sanctions” depending on whether Russia escalated or de-escalated the situation in Ukraine.
If Moscow continued to intervene in Ukraine, Barack Obama warned, it would “achieve nothing except to further isolate Russia and diminish its place in the world”.
The EU published a list of sanctions against 21 Russian and Ukrainian officials after a meeting of foreign ministers in Brussels. The list includes the acting prime minister of Crimea, the speaker of Crimea’s parliament, three senior Russian commanders and several senior Russian parliamentary officials.
Selection of officials targeted:
Dmitry Rogozin – Russian deputy PM (US)
Valentina Matviyenko – head of Russia’s upper house (US)
Sergei Aksyonov – acting PM of Crimea (US and EU)
Vladimir Konstantinov – speaker of Crimean parliament (US and EU)
Viktor Yanukovych – former Ukrainian president (US)
Andrei Klishas – member of Russia’s upper house (US and EU)
Leonid Slutsky – head of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) parliamentary committee in Russia (US and EU)
Sergei Zheleznyak – deputy speaker of Russia’s state Duma (EU)
Alexsandr Vitko – commander of Black Sea Fleet (EU) [youtube HRY6OyI5F0k 650]
[youtube Gteq8Nq-J18 650]
A 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck 5.6 miles from the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westwood at 06:25 a.m. local time, US officials said.
The quake has been strongly felt near Los Angeles rattling nerves but so far causing no major damage or injury or deaths
It was the strongest earthquake in Los Angeles since the last aftershocks from the 1994 Northridge quake, a government scientist said.
The earthquake struck 5.6 miles from the Los Angeles neighborhood of Westwood
Dr. Lucy Jones of the US Geological Survey (USGS) told the local CBS broadcaster there was a 5% chance another strong quake would strike within the next three days.
USGS seismologist Robert Graves said it was unusual for a quake of that magnitude to strike a large population centre.
“This is reminder we live in earthquake country,” he said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, though many Los Angeles area residents said the quake had frightened them out of bed.
The San Andreas fault, on the edge of the Pacific tectonic plate, runs directly through California, and the western US state has long braced for a devastating quake.
An extraordinary new evidence to support a Big Bang Theory for the origin of the Universe has been discovered by American scientists.
The first evidence for the primordial B-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) has been detected by astronomers working on the Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization (BICEP2) telescope at the South Pole. The polarization signal is the first direct evidence for cosmic inflation and has been measured to a statistical certainty of 3σ. The primordial B-mode polarization is related to primordial gravitational waves that are thought to have abounded in the early universe.
Researchers believe the signal left in the sky by the super-rapid expansion of space that must have occurred just fractions of a second after everything came into being.
It takes the form of a distinctive twist in the oldest light detectable with telescopes.
The work will be scrutinized carefully, but already there is talk of a Nobel.
“This is spectacular,” commented Prof. Marc Kamionkowski, from Johns Hopkins University.
BICEP2 has been using a telescope at the South Pole to make detailed observations of a small patch of sky.
The aim has been to try to find a residual marker for “inflation” – the idea that the cosmos experienced an exponential growth spurt in its first trillionth, of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second.
BICEP2 scientists have discovered an extraordinary new evidence to support a Big Bang Theory for the origin of the Universe (photo SPL)
Theory holds that this would have taken the infant Universe from something unimaginably small to something about the size of a marble. Space has continued to expand for the nearly 14 billion years since.
Inflation was first proposed in the early 1980s to explain some aspects of Big Bang Theory that appeared to not quite add up, such as why deep space looks broadly the same on all sides of the sky. The contention was that a very rapid expansion early on could have smoothed out any unevenness.
But inflation came with a very specific prediction – that it would be associated with waves of gravitational energy, and that these ripples in the fabric of space would leave an indelible mark on the oldest light in the sky – the famous Cosmic Microwave Background.
The BICEP2 team says it has now identified that signal. Scientists call it B-mode polarization. It is a characteristic twist in the directional properties of the CMB. Only the gravitational waves moving through the Universe in its inflationary phase could have produced such a marker. It is a true “smoking gun”.
“Detecting this signal is one of the most important goals in cosmology today. A lot of work by a lot of people has led up to this point,” said Prof. John Kovac of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and a leader of the BICEP2 collaboration.
The signal is reported to be quite a bit stronger than many scientists had dared hope. This simplifies matters, say experts. It means the more exotic models for how inflation worked are no longer tenable.
The results also constrain the energies involved – at 10,000 trillion gigaelectronvolts. This is consistent with ideas for what is termed Grand Unified Theory, the realm where particle physicists believe three of the four fundamental forces in nature can be tied together.
But by associating gravitational waves with an epoch when quantum effects were so dominant, scientists are improving their prospects of one day pulling the fourth force – gravity itself – into a Theory of Everything.
The sensational nature of the discovery means the BICEP2 data will be subjected to intense peer review.
It is possible for the interaction of CMB light with dust in our galaxy to produce a similar effect, but the BICEP2 group says it has carefully checked its data over the past three years to rule out such a possibility.
Other experiments will now race to try to replicate the findings. If they can, a Nobel Prize seems assured for this field of research.
Mick Jagger’s long-term partner L’Wren Scott has been found dead by her assistant in her Manhattan apartment.
L’Wren Scott – born Luann Bambrough on April 28, 1964 – was a model and fashion and costume designer.
New reports claim that the fashion designer committed suicide.
L’Wren Scott at 6ft 3″ was 5 inches taller than Mick Jagger, 5ft 10″ (photo PA)
L’Wren Scott, 47, was found hanging from a scarf on a doorknob by her assistant at 200 11th Avenue in Chelsea, Manhattan around 10 a.m., according to New York Daily News.
The Medical Examiner is yet to determine an official cause of death.
The fashion designer became a highly influential celebrity stylist. In 2009, she contributed designs for Madonna to wear in her photo shoot with model Jesus Luz for W Magazine and in 2011, Scott styled actress Julia Roberts for a W Magazine shoot, alongside Tom Hanks.
L’Wren Scott at 6ft 3″ (1.93 m) was 5 inches taller than Mick Jagger, 5ft 10″ (1.78 m).
L’Wren Scott designed costumes for such films as Diabolique (1996 remake), Ocean’s Thirteen, Eyes Wide Shut, as well as Shine a Light, a documentary by Martin Scorsese about The Rolling Stones, with Mick Jagger, with whom she had been romantically linked since 2001.
Mick Jagger’s girlfriend L’Wren Scott has been found dead in her New York City apartment.
L’Wren Scott was found hanging from a scarf on a doorknob by her assistant at 200 11th Avenue in Chelsea, Manhattan (photo PA Images)
New reports claim that the fashion designer committed suicide.
L’Wren Scott was found hanging from a scarf on a doorknob by her assistant at 200 11th Avenue in Chelsea, Manhattan around 10 a.m., according to New York Daily News.
The Medical Examiner is yet to determine an official cause of death.
On the eleventh day of Oscar Pistorius trial, the court has heard from a firearm specialist that the athlete had good knowledge of the rules on gun use and dealing with intruders.
Oscar Pistorius said one could discharge a firearm if one feared for one’s life.
The Paralympic champion denies murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year, saying he mistook her for an intruder.
The prosecution says Oscar Pistorius intentionally shot Reeva Steenkamp after an argument at his house on Valentine’s Day 2013.
Sean Patrick Rens is involved in firearms assessment for licenses and met Oscar Pistorius in 2012 through a mutual friend.
Oscar Pistorius had bought a gun from Sean Patrick Rens, a Smith and Wesson 500, day 11 of the trial heard. He then ordered six more guns from him.
The order was cancelled a month after Reeva Steenkamp was killed.
Sean Patrick Rens read out a competency questionnaire and examination that Oscar Pistorius had completed before he could be issued with a firearm.
He scored top marks in these tests, which included questions about the rules on when you are legally allowed to shoot intruders.
One question 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?”
Oscar Pistorius replied: “Yes.”
The next 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.”
Oscar Pistorius had good knowledge of the rules on gun use and dealing with intruders
The final question on the importance of target identification elicited this answer from Oscar Pistorius: “Always know your target and what lies behind.”
Sean Patrick Rens also relates an incident when Oscar Pistorius told him about going into “code red”, or “combat mode”, after hearing a noise in the house and thinking there was an intruder.
Oscar Pistorius, 27, got his gun and cleared the house by drawing his gun and checking rooms, Sean Patrick Rens said, and when he got to the source, he found it was a tumble drier.
Oscar Pistorius had tweeted about the incident in November 2012: “Nothing like getting home to hear the washing machine on and thinking it’s an intruder to go into full combat recon mode into the pantry!”
The questioning of Sean Patrick Rens at the end of his testimony was the briefest cross-examination of the trial by Barry Roux.
The next witness was police crime scene photographer Bennie Van Staden, whom Barry Roux accuses of failing to label his pictures correctly.
Bennie Van Staden was called to the scene at around 04:50 and took pictures of the accused and the deceased, as well as pictures in the different rooms of the house.
His photographs show the bloodied bat Oscar Pistorius used to smash open the bathroom door, the damaged door itself, blood-soaked towels, two mobile phones, blood puddles on the bathroom tiles, as well as the toilet bowl covered in blood, with streaks on the inside.
Bennie Van Staden says that you can see the date and time of the photo in his pictures, rejecting defense claims that his picture timeline was jumbled or unclear.
He explained how he set out cones to highlight certain objects in the bathroom, e.g. cartridge cases, and moved some objects for visibility.
The trial has now been adjourned until Tuesday.
Oscar Pistorius trial is expected to call on more than 100 witnesses. It had been set to last for three weeks, but looks likely to be extended.
According to Malaysian officials, the co-pilot of missing flight MH370 spoke the last words to ground controllers before it vanished.
Investigators are looking into the possibility that Malaysia Airlines jet’s crew were involved in its disappearance.
The search for the plane has extended into two vast air corridors.
Twenty-six countries have been asked to help find the jet, which went missing over a week ago with 239 people on board.
Malaysia says the plane was intentionally diverted and could have flown on either a northern or southern arc from its last known position.
Ahmad Jauhari Yahy, chief executive of Malaysia Airlines, told a press conference on Monday that initial investigations had indicated that co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid had calmly said: “All right, good night” shortly before the plane disappeared.
However, it is not clear whether the last words came before or after one of the plane’s tracking devices was switched off. Officials believe the communications systems were deliberately disabled.
Missing flight MH370’s co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid spoke the last words to ground controllers before the plane vanished
Police have searched the homes of Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, and Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27.
A flight simulator taken from Zaharie Ahmad Shah’s home was being reassembled and examined at police headquarters, officials said.
Investigators are also looking at passengers, engineers and other ground staff who may have had contact with the aircraft before take-off.
The plane left Kuala Lumpur for Beijing at 00:40 local time on March 8.
Officials say the sign-off to air traffic controllers came at 01:19 as it left Malaysian airspace.
The last transmission from the plane’s Aircraft and Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was received at 01:07.
“We don’t know when the ACARS was switched off after that,” Ahmad Jauhari Yahy said.
“It was supposed to transmit 30 minutes from there, but that transmission did not come through.”
The plane disappeared off air traffic controllers’ screens at 01:21, when it was over the South China Sea.
Searches have started in two air corridors – one stretching from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, and another from Indonesia to the Indian Ocean.
Two-thirds of flight MH370 passengers were from China and the country’s state media has been criticizing the Malaysian operation.
Chinese PM Li Keqiang in a phone call asked the Malaysian PM Najib Razak to provide more detailed information about the missing flight “in a timely, accurate and comprehensive manner”, state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday.
The US Navy SEALs have taken control of Morning Glory tanker full of oil loaded from a rebel-held port in Libya, the Pentagon says.
The raid by Navy SEALs took place in international waters south of Cyprus, said Rear Admiral John Kirby.
The Morning Glory’s evasion of a naval blockade at the eastern port of Sidra prompted Libya’s parliament to sack PM Ali Zeidan last week.
The oil terminal has been under the control of militia wanting autonomy for eastern Libya since July 2013.
The US Navy SEALs have taken control of Morning Glory tanker full of oil loaded from a rebel-held port in Libya
This was their first attempt to export oil from rebel-held areas. It is not clear where the tanker was headed.
Admiral John Kirby said the operation had been authorized by President Barack Obama and that no-one had been hurt.
“The Morning Glory is carrying a cargo of oil owned by the Libyan government National Oil Company. The ship and its cargo were illicitly obtained,” he said, adding that it would now be returned to a Libyan port.
Morning Glory was flagged in North Korea but officials in Pyongyang said it had been deregistered because of the incident.
The oil tanker was said to have been operated by an Egyptian company.
Animated adventure Mr. Peabody and Sherman has beaten high-octane action movie Need For Speed at the US box office this weekend.
Need For Speed, starring Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul, was largely tipped for pole position, but it entered at number three with takings of $17.8 million.
Mr. Peabody and Sherman 3D cartoon rose to top spot with $21.2 million after making its debut in second place last week.
However, at the global box office, Need For Speed came first.
Mr. Peabody and Sherman finished in third spot in countries outside of the US and Canada.
Need For Speed is based on the popular video game featuring the street-racing character Tobey Marshall.
In North America, 300: Rise of an Empire took second place after a hefty $45.1 million number one opening last week.
Mr. Peabody and Sherman has beaten high-octane action movie Need For Speed at the US box office
But the film failed to match the debut of its predecessor 300, which starred Gerard Butler.
Other new entries included Tyler Perry’s latest offering, The Single Moms Club, at number five, seen as a relatively poor performance for the US hit film-maker and actor.
Wes Anderson’s latest film The Grand Budapest Hotel came in at number eight on the back of screenings in just 66 cinemas.
Comedian David Brenner died Saturday at the age of 78.
David Brenner, who had been fighting cancer, died peacefully at his home in New York City with his family at his side, according to Jeff Abraham, his friend and publicist.
The tall, thin and always sharply dressed david Brenner became one of the most frequent visitors to Johnny Carson’s Tonight show in the 1970s and ’80s.
His 150-plus appearances as guest and substitute host turned the former documentary filmmaker into a hot comedian, one who was ubiquitous on other talk shows and game shows.
David Brenner also briefly hosted his own syndicated talk show in 1987 and starred in four HBO specials.
David Brenner, who had been fighting cancer, died peacefully at his home in New York City with his family at his side
He moved with the times, trading routines about the humor of everyday life for jokes about social and political issues, and appearing on MSNBC and Fox News Channel cable programs.
Although his career faltered, David Brenner worked steadily through 2013 doing standup. A four-day gig last December included a New Year’s Eve show at a Pennsylvania casino-resort in which he showcased young comedians.
Although David Brenner took a brief stabs at TV fame, with the 1976 sitcom Snip and the talk show Nightlife he hosted in 1987, he didn’t achieve the success of Jerry Seinfeld’s self-titled NBC sitcom or Paul Reiser’s Mad About You, and he saw Jay Leno follow Johnny Carson as Tonight host.
Funeral plans for David Brenner were not immediately announced.
EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels are discussing the bloc’s response, including imposing a visa ban and an asset freeze against a number of Russian officials following Crimea’s controversial referendum on Sunday.
According to Crimean officials, Sunday’s referendum overwhelmingly backed leaving Ukraine.
Ukraine’s chief electoral official, Mikhail Malyshev, said the vote was nearly 97% in favor of joining the Russian Federation, with a turnout of 83%.
The EU has already suspended talks on an economic pact with Russia and an easing of visa restrictions.
The EU will impose a visa ban and an asset freeze against a number of Russian officials following Crimea’s controversial referendum
Speaking in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the “so-called referendum” was “illegal under the constitution of Ukraine and under international law”.
“I call upon Russia yet again to meet with Ukrainian leaders and to start a dialogue with them, and to try to move to de-escalation, please, as quickly as possible. We’ve seen no evidence of that,” Catherine Ashton told reporters.
The baroness said the EU “can’t simply sit back and say this situation can be allowed to happen”, but that ministers needed to think carefully about what their response should be.
The White House has also described Russia’s actions in Crimea as “dangerous and destabilizing”, and said the international community would not recognize the results of a poll “administered under threats of violence”.
President Barack Obama has warned Moscow that Washington is also ready to impose “costs” over its actions in Ukraine.
Crimean parliament has formally declared independence from Ukraine and asked to join the Russian Federation.
The move follows Sunday’s controversial referendum which officials say overwhelmingly backed joining Russia.
The government in Kiev has said it will not recognize the results. The US and EU say the vote was illegal and have vowed to impose sanctions on Moscow.
The Crimean peninsula has been under the control of pro-Russia forces since late February.
Moscow says the troops are pro-Russian self-defense forces and not under its direct control.
The crisis follows the ousting of Ukraine’s pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych on February 22, following months of street protests and deadly clashes.
Ukraine’s interim PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk has called the vote “a circus performance” which had been backed up by “21,000 Russian troops, who with their guns are trying to prove the legality of the referendum”.
Crimean parliament has formally declared independence from Ukraine and asked to join the Russian Federation
The vote was boycotted by many among Crimea’s minority Ukrainian and Tatar population, and the election process has been widely criticized.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian parliament in Kiev has formally approved the partial mobilization of 40,000 reservists, in response to what it called the “war-time situation”.
Interim President Oleksandr Turchynov described the referendum as a “great farce” which “will never be recognized either by Ukraine or by the civilized world”.
According to the vote in Crimea’s parliament on Monday, Ukrainian laws now no longer apply in the region and all state Ukrainian state property belongs to an independent Crimea.
The region will adopt the Russian currency, the rouble, and will move to Moscow time – two hours ahead – by the end of March.
The document approved by Crimean lawmakers also appealed to “all countries of the world to recognise it as an independent state”.
The referendum on breaking from Ukraine and joining Russia was called in early March by the Crimean parliament, with voters asked to choose between joining Russia, or having greater autonomy within Ukraine.
There was no option for those who wanted the constitutional arrangements to remain unchanged.
Ukraine’s chief electoral official, Mikhail Malyshev, said the vote was 96.6% in favor of joining the Russian Federation, with a turnout of 83%.
Crimea’s Tatar population – about 12% of the population – said they would boycott the vote, fearing their lives would be worse under the Kremlin.
The Tatars were deported to Central Asia by Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in 1944. They were only able to return with the fall of the Soviet Union and many want to remain in Ukraine.
A new research suggests that doing at least two and a half hours of vigorous exercise each week cuts the chance of developing flu.
Around 4,800 people took part in this year’s online Flu Survey, run by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Moderate exercise did not appear to have a protective effect, the researchers said.
Overall, flu rates have been relatively low this winter.
Doing at least two and a half hours of vigorous exercise each week cuts the chance of developing flu
One of the questions people must answer when they register, as well as their age, if they are around children and if they have been vaccinated, is how many hours of “vigorous exercise” they do each week, such as running, fast cycling or competitive sports, ranging from none to more than five hours.
They are then asked to log in each week and note how they are feeling, and whether or not they have any flu-like symptoms.
The research findings suggest 100 cases of flu per 1,000 people could be prevented just by engaging in vigorous exercise.
Researchers also said this year’s survey found some of the lowest reports of flu-like illness in recent years.
Over the winter flu season, only 4.7% of reports were positive for flu-like symptoms compared with 6% last year.
Children also appear to have had lower levels of flu-like illness than last year with just 5% reporting symptoms this flu season compared with 7.9% last year.
Left-wing rebel Salvador Sanchez Ceren’s victory in a tight presidential run-off election has been confirmed by El Salvador’s electoral court.
The electoral court said Salvador Sanchez Ceren won 50.11% of the votes in the March 9 poll, defeating conservative candidate Norman Quijano, who polled 49.89%.
Norman Quijano had challenged the result, alleging fraud.
The court’s decision makes Salvador Sanchez Ceren the country’s first ex-rebel to serve as president.
Salvador Sanchez Ceren won 50.11 percent of the votes in the March 9 presidential poll (photo Reuters)
On Sunday, the court said that there was not enough evidence to back Norman Quijano’s claim.
“Based on the results, Salvador Sanchez Ceren and Oscar Samuel Ortiz are declared president and vice-president elect respectively, for the period from 1 June 2014 to 1 June 2019,” court president Eugenio Chicas was quoted as saying by Reuters.
El Salvador’s outgoing President Mauricio Funes said he would meet Salvador Sanchez Ceren later on Monday to begin the handover process.
Salvador Sanchez Ceren became vice-president of El Salvador in 2009, while Norman Quijano was the mayor of the capital, San Salvador.
Crimea referendum showed support for a split from Ukraine with election officials saying that 96.6% of voters backed joining Russia.
The government in Kiev described the vote as a “circus performance” and said it would not recognize the result.
The EU and US say the referendum was illegal, but Russia says it was consistent with international law.
President Barack Obama has warned Moscow that Washington is also ready to impose “costs” over its actions in Ukraine.
Crimea PM Sergei Aksyonov celebrated referendum results
As polls closed on Sunday night, the White House said the international community “will not recognize the results of a poll administered under threats of violence”, describing Russia’s actions as “dangerous and destabilizing”.
The new authorities in Kiev say Russian troops moved in to Crimea after Ukraine’s pro-Moscow president, Viktor Yanukovych, was ousted following months of street protests.
Crimean leaders are expected to formally apply to the Kremlin on Monday to join Russia.
The Russian parliament had been expected to wait until Friday to begin debating the relevant legislation. It is now believed the process of absorbing Crimea could take place under existing laws.
