Carmaker Ford shares have fallen 3.9% in early Wall Street trading on the rising cost of fixing its European business.
Ford cautioned that 2013 losses in Europe would be $2 billion, greater than its previous $1.5 billion estimate.
The stock market reacted negatively, despite Ford reporting profits for the last three months of 2012 that beat expectations thanks to strong US sales.
Earnings after tax for the quarter were $1.6 billion, with underlying profits up 55% from the same period in 2011.
Revenues rose 5% overall, driven by a 13% rise in North America.
Ford boasted that its North American unit had enjoyed its most profitable fourth quarter and year since it first began recording the region’s performance in 2000.
The contrasting fortunes of the number two US carmaker on either side of the Atlantic reflect the broader market trends. While total US car sales hit a post-financial-crisis high last year, 2012 sales in Europe fell more than 8% from the previous year.
Ford shares have fallen 3.9 percent in early Wall Street trading on the rising cost of fixing its European business
Ford, like many rivals, is in the process of downsizing its European business to reflect the shrinking market, with resulting losses due to redundancy payments and the write-off of the value of factories and other assets it owns in the region.
The company said these costs were turning out to be more than expected, thanks to the strength of the euro and the higher valuation of employee pension claims. It has also marginally cut its forecast for total European sales in 2013.
To add to the firm’s woes on the continent, chief financial officer Bob Shanks admitted to investors that the delayed launch of the new Mondeo in Europe would cost Ford several hundred million dollars in missed revenues.
South Korean tech company Pantech has unveiled Vega No 6, the biggest smartphone to date with a screen capable of showing 1080p HD video at full resolution.
Pantech’s Android-powered Vega No 6 features a 5.9 in (15 cm) display, which packs in 373 pixels per inch.
China’s Huawei recently unveiled a 6.1 in handset, but it was only a 720p display.
They add to the so-called “phablet” category, as manufacturers test how big customers are willing to go.
When Samsung pioneered the format with its 5.3 in Galaxy Note in 2011, many analysts suggested its size was too large to find favor.
But it proved a success for the firm, leading Samsung to announce a larger successor last August.
Pantech has unveiled Vega No 6, the biggest smartphone to date with a screen capable of showing 1080p HD video at full resolution
In recent months other firms, including Sony, LG, HTC and ZTE, have unveiled smartphones with 5 in and larger screens. More super-sized handsets are expected to be announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona which begins on February 25.
Technology consultancy Ovum suggested that demand for the format was proving particularly strong in emerging markets where most customers could not afford both a phone and a tablet.
“The Galaxy Note has been a proof-point that consumers will adopt the larger phone,” said the firm’s researcher Adam Leach.
“It’s an artificial barrier that a phone has to be below 5 in and a tablet above 7 in.
“There is a limit on what can be used with one hand, but there’s an economic point that if a device can be used like a tablet and a phone then it’s got more value, especially to people who can only afford to buy one device.”
The popularity of phablets is taking some manufacturers in unexpected directions.
Taiwan’s HTC recently announced it would bundle a bluetooth remote control with its 5in-screened Butterfly handset in China.
The add-on HTC Mini has its own screen and can be used to make calls or send messages when paired with the larger phone.
Messaging app WhatsApp has been criticized over privacy policies following a joint investigation by Dutch and Canadian regulators.
Investigators said that when smartphone owners installed the app it asked to access their address books.
They said the problem was that it then transmitted all the contained phone numbers to its servers, and failed to delete those belonging to people who had not signed up to the service.
WhatsApp has not commented on the report at this time.
The Dutch Data Protection Authority has said that it could take punitive action if the Silicon Valley firm behind the product does not change it.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada added that it would also continue to monitor the company, but said it did not have the power to issue sanctions despite its belief that the firm was breaking local laws.
Messaging app WhatsApp has been criticized over privacy policies following a joint investigation by Dutch and Canadian regulators
WhatsApp was launched in 2009 and allows users to send each other text, image, video and audio messages.
It works across Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Phone and Symbian platforms and does not charge a fee per message.
Instead some users pay its developer an annual $0.99 subscription, while others face a one-off cost to download the app. This has helped make it a popular alternative to SMS and MMS message services.
On installation users are asked permission to share their contacts so that the software can identify which of their friends are also on the service.
The regulators noted that only iPhone users running the latest version of Apple’s iOS operating system were given the option of manually adding contacts rather than allowing their address book to be scanned.
They noted that although it was not illegal for the firm to have copied over data belonging to non-users, the problem was that it did not delete the information after running the friend-identification check.
Instead, the investigators said, the data was kept in a hashed form – in other words the telephone numbers were transformed into a short code and stored.
“This practice contravenes Canadian and Dutch privacy law, which holds that information may only be retained for so long as it is required for the fulfillment of an identified purpose,” said the regulators.
The agencies added that the app’s developer had taken steps to address some of their other concerns.
These included the introduction of encryption to prevent third-parties eavesdropping on messages sent via unprotected Wi-Fi networks, and the adoption of a stronger authentication process to make it harder for scammers to hack accounts in order to send messages from them.
French Employment Minister Michel Sapin made it clear that his government’s tax-and-spend policies are just not working and admitted that France is bankrupt.
Just half a year since his party came to power, Michel Sapin told radio listeners: “There is a state but it is a totally bankrupt state.
“That is why we had to put a deficit reduction plan in place, and nothing should make us turn away from that objective.”
While the admission was unlikely to have been intentional, it highlighted huge concern at Socialist President Francois Hollande’s handling of the economy.
Since Francois Hollande came to power, unemployment and the cost of living have continued to spiral in France, while “anti-rich” measures have provoked entrepreneurs to leave the country.
Francois Hollande is currently trying to revive France’s economic fortunes by cutting spending by the equivalent of more than $80 billion.
The president has also pledged to increase taxes by $30 billion over the next five years.
Shrinking economies make it difficult for eurozone countries to get debt levels under control despite pushing through harsh spending cuts and reforms because shrinking output makes the value of a country’s debt as a proportion of the size of its economy worse.
Last week the IMF downgraded its growth forecast for the eurozone from 0.1% to a minus 0.2% contraction, warning that the eurozone “continues to pose a large downside risk to the global outlook”.
The Bank of France has already produced data showing that capital investment is leaving the country every day, along with the business people who helped to build it.
French Employment Minister Michel Sapin made it clear that his government’s tax-and-spend policies are just not working and admitted that France is bankrupt
Among those who have moved their vast wealth out of France is Bernard Arnault, the country’s richest man.
Bernard Arnault, the 63-year-old head of luxury goods group LVMH, insists that he moved the cash and assets to Belgium for “family inheritance reasons”.
But others are convinced that, like numerous other tycoons and celebrities, he simply wants to avoid taxes including a 75% top rate on income being introduced by President Francois Hollande.
Bernard Arnault, who owns numerous homes around the world including one in London, applied for a Belgian passport soon after Francois Hollande’s Socialists won presidential and parliamentary elections last year.
Earlier this year, actor Gerard Depardieu became another high-profile Frenchman moving his assets abroad.
Gerard Depardieu obtained a Russian passport, bought a house in Belgium, and put his multi-million dollars Paris town house on the market.
There have even been reports that Nicolas Sarkozy, the last President of France, is preparing to move to London with his third wife, Carla Bruni, to set up an equity fund.
Prime Minister David Cameron has already said that Britain will “roll out the red carpet” to attract wealthy French people.
Pierre Moscovici, France’s finance minister, immediately tried to play down Michel Sapin’s comments, saying they were “inappropriate”.
He said: “France is a really solvent country. France is a really credible country, France is a country that is starting to recover.”
France is Europe’s second-largest economy and is suffering from rising unemployment, with figures up 10% on last year.
Meanwhile Greek opposition leader Alexis Tsipras said Europe must abandon austerity policies and hold a summit to make Greece’s debt sustainable.
Alexis Tsipras said a conference similar to the one that brought debt relief to Germany in 1953 is the only way to solve their financial crisis.
Greek GDP fell 6% in 2012, the lowest in Europe, as the country struggled with the financial crisis. Portugal’s GDP fell 3%, while Italy declined by 2.3% and Spain’s GDP shrank by 1.4%.
The French GDP rose by 0.2% last year while Ireland grew up 0.4% and Germany increased by 0.8%.
Sleepbox Hotel, located in the centre of Moscow, Russia, is the first capsule hotel to open in the city.
The hotel features fifty cramped, windowless pods, some of which can sleep up to three people, and which can be booked for the night, or for a matter of hours.
A night’s accommodation is reported to cost around $50.
Each modular capsule is kitted out with a bed, shelf, lamp, small wardrobe and table, while shared bathrooms are fitted with a shower.
Already a hit in Japan, the capsule hotel features a number of identikit rooms measuring around 10 square metres intended to provide cheap and basic overnight accommodation for guests not requiring the services offered by more conventional hotels.
Space-saving hotels in Japan are often located near railway stations and cater for business people or commuters who have missed the last train home.
The absence of windows ensures the hotels can be erected in such unlikely sites as underground stations.
Sleepbox Hotel, located in the centre of Moscow, Russia, is the first capsule hotel to open in the city
One capsule hotel in central Tokyo boasts more than 600 pods.
Many are used primarily by men and some have separate male and female sleeping quarters.
In the UK, YO! Sushi founder Simon Woodroffe came up with the idea for the YO! hotel chain after seeing the capsule concept in Japan.
The first Yotel opened at Gatwick South Terminal in 2007, offering travellers a pay-as-you-go base.
Staffing is kept to a minimum: guests check themselves in, while the purple-colored pod rooms cover essential needs.
Simon Woodroffe boasted of the high quality of the rooms describing them as “luxury liner meets The Fifth Element”.
He added that they included flat screen TVs, rotating beds and broadband internet access.
Yotel managing director Gerard Greene said: “The rooms are very comfortable, highly fitted, with things like the leather you would get in an Aston Martin
“It is the look of a four or five-star hotel.”
Further Yotels have since opened at Heathrow Terminal 4 and Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, and near Times Square in New York.
Kris Jenner was noticeably missing her wedding ring when she stepped out to do some shopping with youngest daughter Kylie on Sunday.
Kris and Bruce Jenner have denied time and time again that their marriage is on the rocks.
Ironically, Kris Jenner was wearing a purple two-piece tracksuit with the word “Love” written all over it.
The mother and daughter duo hit the Topanga mall in Canoga Park to get in some retail therapy at Neiman Marcus.
Kris and Bruce Jenner have denied time and time again that their marriage is on the rocks
Kris Jenner, 57, was also sporting a pair of trainers and sunglasses covering her face despite the wet weather.
She also toted an expensive-looking crocodile skin bag which looked out of place against her casual outfit.
Kylie Jenner, 15, was dressed down for the lazy Sunday outing too.
The reality star sported an oversized grey knitted jumper along with black leggings tucked into matching motorcycle boots, and her stripy socks were poking out.
Rihanna uploaded an image of herself taken from her tourism campaign for the island of Barbados.
Standing in a rust red laced up swimsuit, Rihanna, 24, commands the attention in the sizzling shot.
With her raven locks partially covering her face, Rihanna, real name Robyn Rihanna Fenty, stares dead into the camera lens as she puts her svelte frame on display in the all-in-one.
A pair of hooped earrings, several rings, a necklace and body chain completes her look.
Another frame sees the fresh faced chart-topper bending forward as she gets a feel for the water.
Backed by the stunning view of rocky mountains and the ocean, Rihanna proves that she was the perfect choice to be the face of the 431 square kilometres haven.
Rihanna uploaded an image of herself taken from her tourism campaign for the island of Barbados
Rihanna flashes her pearly whites as she guides a horse across the waterfront in another shot.
With her long curly hair tucked under a blue and white patterned cap, Rihanna slips into a white bikini top and a pair of Daisy Dukes.
The campaign – which includes a promotional video – is the second part of an advertising drive, launched by the Barbados Tourism Authority, seeking to capitalise on the global fame of the Caribbean island’s most celebrated figure.
The scheduled 3D release of two episodes of the Star Wars franchise has been postponed to enable filmmakers to concentrate on the next installment in the series.
Lucasfilm confirmed that Star Wars: Episode II – Attack Of The Clones and Episode III – Revenge of the Sith would be delayed.
Last week Disney announced that Star Trek director JJ Abrams would direct the forthcoming movie, Episode VII.
The film is set for a 2015 release.
Disney bought Lucasfilm, the company behind Star Wars, from creator George Lucas last month for $4.06 billion.
The scheduled 3D release of two episodes of the Star Wars franchise has been postponed to enable filmmakers to concentrate on the next installment in the series
Episode I – The Phantom Menace was released in 3D last February and earned $22.4 million in the US in its opening weekend.
The original prequels were released between 1999 an 2005.
JJ Abrams directed the Star Trek reboot in 2009 and its upcoming sequel, Star Trek into Darkness, to be released May.
Lucas said he was the “ideal choice” to direct the seventh movie in the series – due out in 2015 – adding “the legacy couldn’t be in better hands”.
It will be scripted by Oscar-winning writer Michael Arndt.
Malaysian officials say ten endangered Borneo pygmy elephants have been found dead in a reserve and they may have been poisoned.
The animals, which had all suffered internal bleeding, were found near each other over the space of three weeks.
In one instance, a three-month-old calf was found alongside the body of its mother, apparently trying to wake her.
Sabah Environmental Minister Masidi Manjun said it was “a sad day for conservation and Sabah”.
Sen Nathan, head veterinarian at the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve in Malaysia’s Sabah state on the island of Borneo, said the elephants were all thought to be part of the same family group, and were aged between four and 20.
The bodies of four were found last week but then officials found another four animals dead or dying two days later.
Malaysian officials say ten endangered Borneo pygmy elephants have been found dead in a reserve and they may have been poisoned
Laurentius Ambu, Sabah’s wildlife department director, said two “highly decomposed elephant carcasses” had been found earlier in the year.
“We believe that all the deaths of these elephants are related,” he said.
The animals still had their tusks, indicating that they had not been killed by poachers, and none had gunshot wounds.
Samples have been sent for testing, but Sen Nathan said the damage evident in the elephants’ digestive systems had led officials to “highly suspect” acute poisoning. Tests will confirm whether they could have been deliberately poisoned.
“It was actually a very sad sight to see all those dead elephants, especially one of the dead females who had a very young calf of about three months old. The calf was trying to wake the dead mother up,” he said.
The WWF estimates that there are fewer than 1,500 Borneo pygmy elephants in the wild, most of them in Sabah state.
They are the smallest elephant subspecies, with babyish faces, long tails and straight tusks. They are threatened by logging, hunting and increasing contact with humans.
Masidi Manjun said the death of “these majestic and severely endangered Bornean elephants is a great loss to the state”.
“If indeed these poor elephants were maliciously poisoned, I would personally make sure that the culprits would be brought to justice and pay for their crime,” he said.
Philips is to sell off its home entertainment business, including hi-fis and DVD players, to Japan’s Funai Electric.
Funai will pay 150 million euros ($200 million) and a regular brand licensing fee to take on the product lines.
Dutch electronics giant Philips wants to focus on its healthcare, light bulbs and home appliances businesses as part of its “Accelerate!” restructuring plan.
Philips also reported a 355 million-euro loss for the last three months of 2012.
The loss was in line with expectations and was largely due to a 509 million-euro fine imposed on the company last year by the European Commission for participating in a cartel to fix prices in the television business.
Philips is to sell off its home entertainment business, including hi-fis and DVD players, to Japan’s Funai Electric
Philips announced last year that it was transferring its loss-making television unit to a new joint venture arrangement with Hong Kong’s TPV.
Its latest divestments will not happen immediately – its audio business will pass to Funai in the latter half of this year, while the transfer of its video business will not take place until 2017.
Philips’ underlying profitability in the last quarter – net of the fine and various restructuring costs – improved to 875 million euros, beating the expectations of most market analysts.
However, chief executive Frans van Houten said he expected sales to remain subdued in the first half of this year, because of the “challenging market” in the US and Europe, which account for well over half of Philips’ revenues.
Kaela Humphries, Kim Kardashian’s sister- in-law, is making a name for herself in the world of fashion, modelling the new Spring/Summer 2013 line for plus-size brand Evans.
Kaela Humphries, 29, who lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a former competitive swimmer who signed to New York modelling agency Ford+ after hanging up her goggles.
She was a bridesmaid at Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries’ wedding in August 2011.
Kaela Humphries has spoken previously about how she had to give her diet a complete overhaul in order to lose the 40 lbs she gained after quitting swimming.
Kaela Humphries, Kim Kardashian’s sister- in-law, is making a name for herself in the world of fashion, modelling for plus-size brand Evans
The blue-eyed brunette beauty – who stands at 5’11” tall, has a 38DD chest and wears an American size 16 – appears in a number of glamorous campaign shots for the retailer, wearing elegant, brightly colored dresses, sparkly sleeveless tops and dark, slimming trousers.
Kaela Humphries relocated back to her hometown of Minnesota from New York in march last year, just as she was announced as was the face of Limited’s Eloquii line in April. She quit a job in medical sales to pursue plus-size modelling.
She revealed that her weight fluctuated from a US size 10 to 12 in high school, and went as far as an 18 after college.
Google has published for the first time mapping information on North Korea, a country that has so far been mostly blank on the popular website Google Maps.
The data was compiled on Google’s Map Maker tool which allows ordinary people to contribute information mainly using satellite images or local knowledge.
Map data is not widely available for the reclusive nation.
Launched in 2008, Map Maker data has been migrated to Google Maps for many countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This effort has been active in Map Maker for a few years and today the new map of North Korea is ready and now available on Google Maps,” said Jayanth Mysore, senior product manager at Google Map Maker.
“As a result, the world can access maps of North Korea that offer much more information and detail than before.”
The move comes after a private humanitarian visit to North Korea by Google’s Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt.
Google has published for the first time mapping information on North Korea, a country that has so far been mostly blank on the popular website Google Maps
In the case of North Korea, satellite images, not local knowledge, were the main source of data. North Koreans cannot access Google.
Google said a large number of South Koreans contributed information to create usable maps for the North.
“While many people around the globe are fascinated with North Korea, these maps are especially important for the citizens of South Korea who have ancestral connections or still have family living there,” said Jayanth Mysore.
However, at least one contributor is from Australia, and doesn’t speak Korean.
“I wanted to go to North Korea and because it was not yet mapped I decided to start mapping so I could at least see how easy it would be to travel within the country,” said Sebastiaan van Oyen who works as a risk manager for a financial trading firm in Sydney.
Sebastiaan van Oyen explained that he used satellite images to get his data saying they “are good enough to cover the whole country, although the quality and date of the data varies”.
“For a basic map you will be fine, but it will take time to get reliable street level navigation.”
However, he said that the biggest obstacle towards creating a more detailed map was to get enough local knowledge to name all the features.
“Keep in the back of your mind that there are restricted areas and not much (readily available) local knowledge outside of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”
Security researchers have found that data captured by smartphone sensors could help criminals guess codes used to lock the gadgets.
By analyzing data gathered by accelerometers they were able to get a good idea of the PIN or pattern used to protect a phone.
The data was useable because sensors can gather information with more freedom than apps loaded on the device.
Researchers said several different smartphone sensors could be subverted.
Dr. Adam J. Aviv, a visiting professor at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, carried out the attacks by using data gathered by an accelerometer on a smartphone. Typically this sensor logs phone movements in three dimensions: side-to-side, forward-and-back and up-and-down.
The data gathered as the phone is moved is often used in games to steer or guide an onscreen entity such as a car or a ball.
Working with Matt Blaze, Benjamin Sapp and Jonathan Smith from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Adam J. Aviv realized that the data gathered by the accelerometer could also be used to work out where someone tapped on a screen when unlocking a gadget with a PIN or pattern.
Security researchers have found that data captured by smartphone sensors could help criminals guess codes used to lock the gadgets.
In controlled tests, data from accelerometers was captured, exported and analyzed to see if it matched a bigger “dictionary” of taps and swipes that had been previously gathered.
“It worked surprisingly well,” said Dr. Adam J. Aviv of the attack. In tests, the software developed by the team got more accurate the more guesses it was allowed.
After five guesses it could spot PINs about 43% of the time and patterns about 73% of the time. However, said Dr. Adam J. Aviv, these results were produced when PINs and patterns were picked from a 50-strong set of numbers and shapes.
The PIN and pattern spotting system did less well when it was applied to data gathered when users were walking around with gadgets. Using a phone while on the move introduced lots more “noise”, said Dr. Adam J. Aviv which made it harder to pick out the unlock patterns.
However, he said, many security researchers were getting interested in the sensors that came as standard in smartphones largely because the data they gathered was not subject to the same controls that governs other phone functions.
“More sensors on smartphones equals a lot more data flowing through these devices, which means protecting them is even more critical,” said Kevin Mahaffey, chief technology officer at mobile security firm Lookout.
“One kink or hole in the system could lead to data being exposed and utilized,” he said.
“As the physical and digital worlds merge, and we become more reliant on the interconnections forged, we need to collaborate across them to ensure the integrity of data.”
Dr. Adam J. Aviv said that typically users did not have to give permission for a sensor to gather data even if the information it grabbed had nothing to do with the application they were using.
Other researchers had looked into ways to subvert data gathered by gyroscopes, accelerometers and other orientation sensors to work out passwords, said Dr Aviv. One group even analyzed smears on touchscreens to get clues about Pins and patterns.
“We are starting to realize that the way we interact with these devices affects the security of these devices,” he said.
“The fact that we hold them in our hands is different to the way we use traditional computers and that actually can leak information to sensors in the device.”
While Here Comes Honey Boo Boo has been criticized for exploiting the “redneck” family, June Shannon matriarch recently revealed that it is building her daughters a financially secure future.
June Shannon has sensibly divided the estimated $15,000 to $20,000 episode fee into equal trust funds for her four daughters and granddaughter.
When Honey Boo Boo and her sisters Lauryn, 12, Jessica, 15, Anna, 18, and Anna’s daughter Kaitlyn turn 21 they will receive a sizeable amount of money.
Only if they need money for their education, or healthcare, can the girls access the money before then.
Full time mother Mama June, explained that she and her partner, Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson, live off his salary as a contractor.
Honey Boo Boo’s family has made one large purchase since their new found fame – a second hand, seven-year-old Ford Expedition.
Honey Boo Boo’s mother, June Shannon, explained that she and her partner, Mike Sugar Bear Thompson, live off his salary as a contractor
Police have arrested four people in connection with a fire at Kiss nightclub that killed 231 people in Brazilian city of Santa Maria on Sunday.
A co-owner of the Kiss nightclub handed himself in to police on Monday afternoon for questioning.
Earlier, police held another owner of the club, a member of the band Gurizada Fandangueira, and its security chief.
More than 50 of the victims are being buried on Monday. Brazil has declared three days of national mourning.
The country’s deadliest fire in five decades reportedly started after a member of Gurizada Fandangueira, which was performing at the venue, lit a flare on stage.
Officials are also investigating claims that many of those who died were unable to escape as only one emergency exit was available.
The government postponed a ceremony scheduled for Monday in the capital, Brasilia, to mark 500 days to the 2014 football World Cup. In Santa Maria, 30 days of mourning were declared.
President Dilma Rousseff, who cut short a visit to Chile, has been visiting survivors at the city’s Caridade hospital along with government ministers.
“It is a tragedy for all of us,” she said.
Police have arrested four people in connection with a fire at Kiss nightclub that killed 231 people in Brazilian city of Santa Maria on Sunday
Authorities released the names of the victims, after revising down the death toll from 245.
More than 100 people were being treated in hospital, mostly for smoke inhalation.
The fire broke out as students from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) were holding a freshers’ ball, the Diario de Santa Maria, a local newspaper, reported.
A local journalist, Marcelo Gonzatto, said the flare had “started a huge and fast fire that grew quickly and made a very dark and heavy smoke”.
“Lots of people couldn’t get out and died mainly because of the smoke not the fire,” he said.
Witnesses spoke of scenes of panic after the fire started, and a stampede as people tried to escape.
One, Mattheus Bortolotto, told local television: “It was sheer horror. The emergency exits did not work, and then I lost my friend in the confusion. Then a girl died in my arms. I felt her heart stop beating.”
A large number of victims were trapped in the club’s toilets, they said, possibly after mistaking them for an exit.
Survivors and police inspector Marcelo Arigony said security guards briefly tried to block people from leaving the club, the Associated Press reported. Bars in Brazil commonly make customers pay their whole tab at the end of an evening before they are allowed to leave.
One of the owners of the club is reported to have confirmed that they were in the process of renewing its licence to operate, and that its fire safety certificate had expired last year.
He is said to have received threats on the internet – as have surviving members of Gurizada Fandangueira.
Its guitarist, Rodrigo Martins, told local radio: “It might have happened because of the Sputnik, the machine we use to create a luminous effect with sparks.
“It’s harmless; we never had any trouble with it. When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher. The singer tried to use it but it wasn’t working.”
He said the band’s accordion player had died in the fire.
Brazilian broadcaster Globo said most of the victims were aged between 16 and 20.
A temporary mortuary was set up in a local gym as the city’s main mortuary was unable to cope.
Family members who came to identify the dead were led in one-by-one to see the bodies, Diario de Santa Maria reported.
Christian Dior Couture confirms that Jennifer Lawrence’s dress didn’t rip as she collected Best Actress statue at SAG Awards ceremony and therefore, no wardrobe malfunction.
“The dress is made with different levels of tulle and satin and that is what the viewers saw when Jennifer lifted her dress slightly. It was not ripped and there was no malfunction…it was the design of the gown,” a statement from the fashion design house said.
No need for any more drama about whether or not Jennifer Lawrence’s Christian Dior Couture dress ripped at Sunday night’s SAG Awards ceremony. Your eyes saw something else.
Internet reports were in overdrive overnight and this morning as suggestions were made that Jennifer Lawrence ripped her gown when she appeared to show some leg as she made her way to the stage to pick up the SAG award for outstanding performance by a female actor in Silver Linings Playbook.
Christian Dior Couture confirms that Jennifer Lawrence’s dress didn’t rip as she collected Best Actress statue at SAG Awards ceremony and therefore, no wardrobe malfunction
Rick Ross narrowly saved his life after his Rolls Royce was sprayed with bullets and crashed into an apartment building as he celebrated his 37th birthday.
Rapper Rick Ross staggered from his car along with a female companion after the attack in the early hours of Monday morning.
His silver Rolls Royce was apparently targeted in the drive-by shooting as he headed home after celebrating his birthday with stars including Diddy, Christina Milian and Fabolous Quincy Combs.
Police said the two occupants of the car were not injured when it slammed into the building on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.
Local news images showed crime scene investigators marked out on the road where the spent shell casings had fallen.
Earlier in the evening Rick Ross was pictured wearing a white suit and gold chains as he smoked a cigar, tucked into a huge cake, clutched a bottle of champagne, and partied with the star-studded guest list at his birthday bash.
Rick Ross narrowly saved his life after his Rolls Royce was sprayed with bullets and crashed into an apartment building as he celebrated his 37th birthday
Beth Balk, a waitress at the nearby Floridian Restaurant, whose was woken by the sound of the car crashing into her building, identified Rick Ross as one of two people in the luxury car.
She said she was asleep on the couch when she heard the crash.
Beth Balk said she saw a silver Rolls Royce up against her building and looked outside to see a man and a woman who appeared to be stunned.
She was shown a picture of Rick Ross and said: “Yes, that’s definitely the guy.”
The incident began about 5:00 a.m. with reports of shots being fired along Las Olas Boulevard, according to Detective DeAnna Garcia.
Investigators later learned that shots from another vehicle had been fired at a the Rolls Royce that was traveling eastbound on Las Olas, DeAnna Garcia said.
The Rolls Royce drier attempted to escape the gunfire but lost control of the vehicle and ran into the wall of the apartment building next to the Floridian Restaurant.
The two people inside the Rolls Royce were not hit by gunfire, police said.
Rick Ross, 36, whose real name is William Roberts, has seen his albums Port of Miami and Trilla top the Billboard charts.
He has had several run ins with police and was arrested in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 2011 for marijuana possession.
Rick Ross is also said to have a long running feud with 50Cent after the pair exchanged words at an awards ceremony.
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has announced she is abdicating in favor of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander.
In a pre-recorded address broadcast on TV, the Queen said she would formally stand down on April 30.
Queen Beatrix, who is approaching her 75th birthday, said she had been thinking about this moment for several years and that now was “the moment to lay down my crown”.
She has been head of state since 1980, when her mother abdicated.
In the short televised statement, Queen Beatrix said it was time for the throne to be held by “a new generation”, adding that her son was ready to be king.
Prince Willem-Alexander, 45, is married to Maxima Zorreguieta, a former investment banker from Argentina, and has three young children.
He is a trained pilot and an expert in water management.
Prince Willem-Alexander will become the Netherlands’ first king since Willem III, who died in 1890.
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands has announced she is abdicating in favor of her son, Prince Willem-Alexander
Speaking on television immediately after the abdication announcement, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte paid tribute to the queen.
“Since her coronation… she has applied herself heart and soul for Dutch society,” he said.
Queen Beatrix is the sixth monarch from the House of Orange-Nassau, which has ruled the Netherlands since the early 19th Century.
Correspondents say she is extremely popular with most Dutch people, but her abdication was widely expected and will not provoke a constitutional crisis.
Under Dutch law, the monarch has few powers and the role is considered ceremonial.
In recent decades it has become the tradition for the monarch to abdicate.
Queen Beatrix’s mother Juliana resigned the throne in 1980 on her 70th birthday, and her grandmother Wilhelmina abdicated in 1948 at the age of 68.
Queen Beatrix will be 75 on Thursday.
She has remained active in recent years, but her reign has also seen traumatic events.
In 2009 a would-be attacker killed eight people when he drove his car into crowds watching the queen and other members of the royal family in a national holiday parade.
In March last year her second son, Prince Friso, was struck by an avalanche in Austria and remains in a coma.
Chris Brown and Frank Ocean are alleged to have got involved in a fight on Sunday night.
Police were called after the singers were involved in an altercation over a parking space, it has been reported by TMZ.
The incident is reported to have happened when the controversial R & B star left the Westlake Recording studio in the Los Angeles area where he had been listening to one of the artists he represents.
According to TMZ, Chris Brown went to leave the studio but “was blocked by Frank Ocean and his crew”.
Sources told the website that Frank Ocean said: “This is my studio, this is my parking spot,” adding that Chris Brown “went to shake Ocean’s hand when he was ‘attacked by one of Frank’s people”.
An insider connected with Chris Brown claimed one of the singer’s friends “jumped in front and hit Frank’s head”.
Frank Ocean then “came at Chris and Chris pushed him away and they started brawling”, sources added.
Chris Brown and Frank Ocean are alleged to have got involved in a fight on Sunday night
However, Frank Ocean has a different version of the story, writing on Twitter: “Got jumped by Chris and a couple guys lol.”
“I only wish everest was there.”
He then added: “Cut my hand now I can’t play with two hands at the grammys.”
This is not the first time the two singers have been involved in conflict.
Last July, Chris Brown was forced to deny aiming a homophobic slur towards Frank Ocean when asked his opinion on the star.
He denied making the comments on his Twitter page, posting: “My Opinion on the whole Frank Ocean subject is ……… Love who u wanna love. It’s ur decision. People stop searching for BS.”
Frank Ocean came out as gay in a post on his blog last year.
Triumph is to launch bottom-moisturizing control pants, part of the new Light Sensation collection in which each of the pieces in the range is infused with tiny aloe vera micromoisture capsules.
The capsules, which last for 100 washes, start to release moisturizer when they come into contact with skin.
The Light Sensation collection is part of a new trend for clothes that promise to do more than just keep you warm.
Earlier this month, Wrangler launched its Denim Spa collection, which included pairs of jeans to get rid of cellulite as well as keep your legs soft and smooth.
Triumph is to launch bottom-moisturizing control pants, part of the new Light Sensation collection in which each of the pieces in the range is infused with tiny aloe vera micromoisture capsules
Although Triumph’s new range won’t see off the dreaded orange peel, it will help to keep your nether regions in silky smooth condition – all while sucking you in and keeping stray flab hidden away.
Available in a choice of pale pink, fuchsia or dusty lavender purple, the range includes tummy sculpting shorts, skirts, high-waisted knickers and vests.
Made from sheer microfibre fabric, the pieces are designed to disappear completely beneath your clothes and can be layered for an extra sleek silhouette.
Jennifer Lawrence narrowly escaped being completely exposed as her dress came close to tearing in half as she headed on stage to collect her statue for Best Female Actor in a Leading Role at SAG Awards 2013.
In front of a glittering audience of stars, Jennifer Lawrence, 22, revealed a little too much of her body in a Christian Dior tiered dress.
Disaster struck as her name was read out to recognize her role in Silver Linings Playbook.
Shooting up from her chair and hugging people around her, Jennifer Lawrence failed to notice someone had planted the leg of their chair on her navy Dior gown.
Keen to get on stage, Jennifer Lawrence attempted to run off tearing her skirt of her dress at the point where the skirt meets the underskirt with sheer lining.
The sheer lining and skirt, which was fresh from the Paris Haute Couture runway, is hidden under the top tier of the gown.
Jennifer Lawrence dress rips at SAG Awards 2013 as she walks to collect Best Female Actor statue
As she headed to the stage, Jennifer Lawrence further exposed herself as she hitched up the dress to negotiate the stairs revealing her thighs.
The cast members of Breaking Bad turned around shocked as the stricken star realized at their table she was in trouble.
Fellow actresses Nicole Kidman and Marion Cotillard certainly felt the young woman’s pain, and were caught on camera reacting to the dress’ tearing.
Like a professional, Jennifer Lawrence quickly pushed the ripped section of dress under the gown’s existing tuck and strode towards the stage.
Once there, Jennifer Lawrence once again narrowly missed showing off more than she planned to as the dress slipped apart.
Holding the frock together a breathless – either from her pneumonia or shock – Jennifer Lawrence accepted her best actress award.
Jennifer Lawrence thanked her co-stars, her family and mega producer Harvey Weinstein.
Airline safety inspectors have found no faults with the battery used on Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, Japan’s transport ministry has announced.
Dreamliner’s battery was initially considered the likely source of problems on 787s owned by two Japanese airlines.
The world’s entire fleet of 50 787s has been grounded while inspections are carried out.
Attention has now shifted to the electrical system that monitors battery voltage, charging and temperature.
Transport ministry official Shigeru Takano said “we have found no major quality or technical problem” with the lithium-ion batteries. Shares in GS Yuasa, which makes the batteries, jumped 5% on the news.
“We are looking into affiliated parts makers,” he said.
“We are looking into possibilities.”
Airline safety inspectors have found no faults with the battery used on Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner
The safety investigation started after one of the 787s operated by All Nippon Airways made an emergency landing in Japan when its main battery overheated. Earlier, a battery in a Japan Airlines 787 caught fire while parked at Boston’s Logan International Airport.
Two weeks ago the US Federal Aviation Administration said both batteries had leaked electrolyte fluid, and there had been smoke damage to parts of the aircraft.
The FAA said airlines must demonstrate battery safety before flights could resume, a statement that effectively meant airlines had to ground their 787s.
Boeing, which competes against Europe’s Airbus, has halted 787 deliveries. Boeing has orders for more than 800 Dreamliners.
The 787 is the first airliner made mostly from lightweight composite materials that boost fuel efficiency. It also relies on electronic systems rather than hydraulic or mechanical systems to a greater degree than any other airliner.
When Pope Benedict XVI tried to release a dove as a symbolic appeal for peace on Holocaust Day, it led to quite a flap.
A resident seagull swooped in and attacked the bird of peace as soon as the Pope released the dove from a balcony at the Vatican.
Watched by thousands of pilgrims below the fearsome gull, leading with its beak, chased and harried the terrified dove as it tried to escape among the ancient pillars and porticos.
Some 2,000 youngsters from Rome had marched to St Peter’s Square for the annual Caravan of Peace which takes place on the last Sunday of January and finishes with the release of two white doves by the Pope shortly after the Angelus prayer.
A seagull swooped in and attacked the dove released by Pope Benedict XVI from a balcony at the Vatican on Holocaust Day
It is not the first time the Pope’s prayers have not protected his birds of peace. Last year the two doves he released turned tail and flew straight back in through the open window.
“They want to stay in the Pope’s home,” Pope Benedict had said.
What he had to say about yesterday’s kerfuffle was not known. But someone must have said a quick little prayer, as the dove eventually made good its escape.
An American attempt to bore down into Lake Whillans, a body of water buried almost 1 kilometer under the Antarctic ice, has achieved its aim.
Scientists reported on Sunday that sensors on their drill system had noted a change in pressure, indicating contact had been made with the lake.
A camera was then sent down to verify the breakthrough.
The Whillans project is one of a number of such ventures trying to investigate Antarctica’s buried lakes.
In December, a British team abandoned its efforts to get into Lake Ellsworth after encountering technical difficulties.
The Russians have taken water samples from Lake Vostok, although they have yet to report any big discoveries.
Lake Whillans is sited in the west of Antarctica, on the southeastern edge of the Ross Sea.
It is less of a lake and more or a dense system of streams, almost like a delta, that covers some 60 square km. The liquid body is quite shallow – just a few metres in depth.
The Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (Wissard) team has been using a hot-water drill to melt a 30-cm-diameter hole through the overlying ice.
An American attempt to bore down into Lake Whillans, a body of water buried almost 1 kilometer under the Antarctic ice, has achieved its aim
Breakthrough to the lake surface was reported on the project’s website.
The intention, now that the hole is secure, is to lower various sampling tools and sensors into the lake to study its properties and environment.
Some of the samples will be assessed onsite at the ice surface in temporary labs, and others will be returned to partner universities for more extensive analysis.
The Wissard blog said the thickness of the overlying ice was measured to be 801m, which agreed well with the estimates from seismic imaging.
More than 300 large bodies of water have now been identified under the White Continent.
They are kept liquid by geothermal heat and pressure, and are part of a vast and dynamic hydrological network at play under the ice sheet.
Some of the lakes are connected, and will exchange water. But some may be completely cut off, in which case their water could have been resident in one place for thousands of years, and that means they probably play host to microorganisms unknown to modern science.
The Whillans area is not as deep as either Vostok (4 km) or Ellsworth (3 km), and its water is exchanged frequently by the under-ice streams over months and years.
Indeed, satellite measurements have revealed the lake rapidly filling and draining. This was evident from measurements of the height of the overlying ice surface, which raised itself in response to an increase in water volume, and then slumped down as the water spread to a new location.
Scientists are keen to study Antarctica’s subglacial hydrological systems because liquid water beneath the ice sheet will influence its movement (the ice above Lake Whillans is moving at about 300m per year). Modeling the sheet’s long-term stability in a warming world has to take this into account.
These under-ice environments may also provide fascinating insights into the potential habitability of some moons in the Solar System.
Europa, a satellite of Jupiter, and Enceladus, which orbits Saturn, both have large volumes of liquid water buried beneath their icy crusts.
