Macaulay Culkin’s band, The Pizza Underground, has cancelled the rest of their UK shows after they were booed offstage in two cities, Nottingham and Manchester.
The band, which performs pizza-themed covers of Velvet Underground tunes, was also pelted with beer by disgruntled fans, and now the band has axed the rest of its live shows.
Macaulay Culkin’s The Pizza Underground has cancelled the rest of their UK shows after they were booed offstage in Nottingham and Manchester
Announcing the cancellation, The Pizza Underground tweeted: “Sad that we had to cancel UK shows. Believe it or not we had fun! But all good things must end, and sometimes suddenly and w/o explanation.”
The Pizza Underground also pulled out of a performance at Spain’s Primavera Sound festival on Saturday, but insisted the cancellations “had nothing to do with the beer tossers” and claimed they had to “deal with a cheesemergency (sic)”.
Macaulay Culkin, who plays kazoo in The Pizza Underground, and his bandmates were forced offstage just 15 minutes into their set at the Rock City in Nottingham after fans began hurling abuse and beer at them.
Iowa-based Quality Egg LLC has agreed to pay $6.8 million in fines for selling old eggs with false labels and the tainted products that caused a nationwide salmonella outbreak in 2010, according to a plea agreement released on June 2.
Quality Egg, once one of the US’s largest egg producers, is expected to plead guilty Tuesday to charges of bribing a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspector to approve sales of poor quality eggs, selling misbranded eggs and introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce. The company’s owner, Austin “Jack” DeCoster, and its chief operating officer, Peter DeCoster, are expected to plead guilty to introducing adulterated food into interstate commerce, a misdemeanor.
They face sentences ranging from probation to one year in jail, according to plea agreements filed Monday by federal prosecutors. Jack DeCoster, 79, of Turner, Maine, and his 50-year-old son Peter, of Clarion, Iowa, have agreed to pay $100,000 fines each.
US District Judge Mark Bennett must approve the plea agreements and sentence the DeCosters who, along with Quality Egg, could also be ordered to pay restitution to victims. The agreements allow the DeCosters to appeal any jail terms.
Quality Egg LLC has agreed to pay $6.8 million in fines for selling old eggs with false labels and the tainted products that caused a nationwide salmonella outbreak in 2010
Bill Marler, an attorney who represents dozens of the salmonella victims, said the $6.8 million fine is the largest he’s heard of in 20 years of practicing food safety law. The fines and potential jail time send “a very strong message to companies that food safety is paramount,” he said.
The documents add new details to the unethical and unsafe business practices at Quality Egg, which operated a network of businesses in rural northern Iowa that produced more than 1 million eggs daily. The government blamed its tainted shell eggs for a 2010 salmonella outbreak that sickened thousands and led to the unprecedented recall of 550 million eggs. The DeCosters have since left the egg industry.
Investigators found no evidence that the DeCosters knew they were selling tainted products in 2010. But as corporate officers, they were in position to “detect, prevent and correct the sale of the contaminated eggs” had they known, the plea agreements say.
The investigation also found no evidence that the DeCosters knew that Quality Egg deliberately mislabeled eggs from 2006 to 2010 to fool regulators and consumers about their age to circumvent laws in California, Arizona and elsewhere that require eggs to be sold within a month or less of their processing dates.
In that scheme, company manager Tony Wasmund directed and approved a practice of putting false processing and expiration dates on eggs that had been in storage for several days or weeks to make them appear far fresher. In some cases, eggs were shipped without labels so that wholesalers could add inaccurate processing and expiration dates when they arrived. Many of the eggs had been in storage for 14 to 40 days or longer.
The practice allowed Quality Egg to avoid having to sell surplus eggs for half price to a breaker facility, where they are sanitized and turned into a liquid product. Instead, the “distressed eggs” were sold to wholesalers at a higher price. Only eggs that were moldy went to a breaker, Tony Wasmund told investigators. Investigators failed to identify anyone who was sickened by the practice.
Tony Wasmund and another employee also bribed a USDA inspector at least twice to approve pallets of shell eggs that did not meet minimum quality standards.
In particular, the pallets had too high a percentage of eggs that were cracked, leaking, dirty or inedible. The inspector, who has since died of natural causes, accepted a cash bribe of $300 in April 2010 and at least one more of an unspecified amount for releasing those eggs without reprocessing, the plea agreement says.
Tony Wasmund is expected to be sentenced in September on a charge of conspiracy to bribe a public official under a plea agreement in which he cooperated with prosecutors.
Seattle council has voted unanimously to raise the city’s minimum wage to the highest level of any major US city – $15 per hour, twice the national minimum.
Wages would begin to rise next year, ultimately reaching $15 from Washington state’s minimum of $9.32 over three to seven years, depending on the business.
A councilor who supported the push said the vote “sends a message heard around the world”.
US minimum wage is $7.25, although 38 states have set higher levels.
The states of California, Connecticut and Maryland have recently passed laws increasing their respective wages to $10 or more in coming years.
Seattle council has voted unanimously to raise the city’s minimum wage to $15
Nationally, President Barack Obama has called for a $10.10 federally-mandated minimum wage, which would require action by the divided Congress.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray had run for election to the city’s top office on the issue, and the election of a socialist councilor also provided pressure.
The proposal came out of an advisory group of labor, business and non-profit representatives organized by Ed Murray.
Under the plan, companies with more than 500 employees nationally will be given at least three years to phase in the increase, those who provide health insurance subsidies would get four years and smaller businesses would be given seven years.
Some local businesses have come out in support of the measure, but a group of restaurant owners oppose it, saying it would force them to cut back on new recruits and service hours.
A lobbying group said shortly after the measure passed it would sue because the varied phase-in time was unfair.
“The suit will seek to overturn the unfair and discriminatory minimum wage plan that was approved by the City Council,” the International Franchise Association (IFA) said in a statement.
Last year, the nearby tiny town of SeaTac, which holds Seattle’s airport, passed a $15 minimum wage. As a result, some 6,300 workers at SeaTac’s airport, would be paid the highest minimum wage in the nation.
San Francisco was previously the highest hourly wage for a large US city at $10.74.
Spain’s cabinet will discuss today the next steps in the process of King Juan Carlos’s abdication and the accession of his son, Crown Prince Felipe.
King Juan Carlos announced on Monday his intention to abdicate after nearly 40 years on the throne.
Ministers will discuss the steps needed to approve Crown Prince Felipe’s accession to the throne.
King Juan Carlos was seen as popular for much of his reign, but recently many Spaniards have lost confidence in him.
PM Mariano Rajoy said the cabinet meeting would aim at carrying out the “constitutional measures” needed to clear the way for the succession.
King Juan Carlos announced on Monday his intention to abdicate after nearly 40 years on the throne (photo Spain’s Royal Palace)
The Spanish constitution does not have a precise law regulating abdication and royal succession, and ministers will discuss the special legislation that will be necessary for the process.
The two main parties in parliament remain loyal to the monarchy.
Prince Felipe will become King Felipe VI and will inherit an institution whose reputation has been tarnished by scandals in recent years.
King Juan Carlos, 76, said his son Prince Felipe would “open a new era of hope”
The king announced his decision on Monday in a televised address.
“A new generation must be at the forefront… younger people with new energies,” he said.
Prince Felipe will have to contend with the damage done to the standing of the monarchy by a long-running corruption investigation into the business dealings of his sister and her husband.
Support fell further when it was discovered King Juan Carlos had been on a lavish elephant hunting trip to Botswana in April 2012, in the middle of Spain’s financial crisis.
On Monday evening, thousands of protesters took to the squares of several Spanish towns and cities demanding a referendum on whether the monarchy should continue.
Juan Carlos took the throne in 1975, after the death of General Francisco Franco, the military dictator who had ruled for 36 years.
He became Spain’s first crowned head of state for 44 years.
But he soon ignored Franco’s supporters, who wanted an extension to autocratic rule, and ushered in a new system of parliamentary monarchy.
In later years King Juan Carlos became more of a figurehead.
He has been credited as a stabilizing force for independence-minded areas such as Catalonia and the Basque region.
Prince Felipe and his wife Princess Letizia – a former television presenter – have recently taken on more important roles in ceremonial events.
Syrians are voting in the country’s presidential elections amid heightened security.
The poll takes place three years into a civil war in which tens of thousands of people have died and millions more are displaced.
President Bashar al-Assad is widely expected to win a third seven-year term in office.
However, critics of the Syrian government have denounced the election as a sham.
Analysts say Syrian officials have gone to great lengths to present the vote as a way to resolve the crisis.
It is the first time in decades that more than one name has appeared on the ballot paper.
Hassan al-Nouri and Maher Hajjar are not widely known and have been unable to campaign on an equal footing with President Bashar al-Assad
Correspondents say the other two candidates – Maher Hajjar and Hassan al-Nouri – are not widely known and have been unable to campaign on an equal footing with President Bashar al-Assad.
Previous presidential terms have been called through a referendum with just one member of the Assad family on the ballot paper.
Campaigning officially ended on Monday and workers across central Damascus removed banners, posters and pictures of the candidates.
PM Wael al-Halqi said the election was a “historic day” for Syria and that a large turnout would “prove to the entire world that the Syrian people have decided and are determined to make the electoral process a success”.
He urged Syrians to elect a president who would “achieve security and stability in the country… and step up the achievement of national reconciliation”.
The interior ministry says there are 15.8 million eligible voters, both inside and outside Syria, and about 9,600 polling stations have been set up around the country.
However, voting will only take place in government-held territory, with many parts of the country either under rebel control or in areas being fought over.
Opposition fighters have warned they will try to disrupt the vote and the Syrian National Coalition – the main Western-backed opposition group – is boycotting it.
Coalition leader Ahmad al-Jarba described the election as “theatre written with the blood of Syrians”.
He accused President Bashar al-Assad of planning to bomb and shell polling stations in order to blame the opposition.
Polling stations opened at 07:00 local time and close 12 hours later, although officials said voting could be extended for five hours if there is a big turnout.
Romania has won this year’s Art-football championship held in Moscow, Russia, after defeating the Israeli team on penalties, 0:0 (4:3).
The international football and music festival Art-football which was invented and organized for the first time in Russia became one of the most remarkable world sports and music event in support of the ideas of Kindness and Humanity.
Art-football festival is held in the frame of the “Under the Flag of Kindness” campaign with the aim to raise funds guaranteeing treatment of seriously ill children.
Romania has won this year’s Art-football championship held in Moscow after defeating the Israeli team on penalties (photo art-football.ru)
The teams including film, TV and music celebrities from 16 countries, participated in football competition with a format similar to the FIFA championships.
The charity Campaign “Under a flag of Kindness!” organized similar matches in Sochi in 2007. The second championship was also held in the south of Russia – in the city of Novorossiisk on the Black Sea.
The list of the countries included: Britain, Brazil, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Estonia and Japan.
Every team was allowed to have not more than two professional football players (football veterans) in their ranks. Other members were obliged to confirm that they belong to the artistic world.
The 16 teams were divided into 4 groups.
The music part of the Art-football festival was also part of the competition. Every night in Gorky Park the two teams who were free from the games that day presented national gala concerts, backed by performances of Guests of Honor — the world class pop stars.
Among the Guests of Honor performing in the Gorky Park as part of the Art-football festival were the legendary Uriah Heep, renowned Serbian film maker and musician Emir Kusturitsa and his No-Smoking Orchestra and Russian famous outstanding pianist and passionate football fan Denis Matsuev.
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US shares closed at record levels, helped by strong data on the manufacturing sector.
The Dow Jones rose 26 points to close at 16,743, its second consecutive record close.
The broader S&P 500 added just a point, but that was enough to secure its third consecutive record session.
US factories remained busy in May, according to the manufacturing activity index compiled by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM).
US shares closed at record levels, helped by strong data on the manufacturing sector (photo AP)
The ISM had to correct its original release which showed slowing activity, but had been calculated incorrectly.
“The market has lately been focused more on the weak economic news and the bond market, but we saw a reversal of that today with the revised [ISM] numbers,” said Rick Meckler, president of hedge fund LibertyView Capital Management in Jersey City, New Jersey.
“But it’s hard to move the market higher, considering we are fairly fully valued at this point,” he said.
The technology focused NASDAQ fell 10 points to close at 4,237.
Shares in Botox-maker Allergan soared 9% after Valeant Pharmaceuticals said it would go hostile with its bid for the company.
Activist investor, Bill Ackman, who is partnering with Valeant in the bid, said he would move to replace almost the entire board of Allergan.
Equipment maker Caterpillar was the biggest winner among the Dow Industrials, rising 1.5%.
Technology giant Intel also had a strong session, adding 1.1%.
On the NASDAQ, Broadcom shares rose over 10% after the company said it would look for a buyer for its division that makes chips used in mobile devices.
Nigerian authorities have banned public protests in the capital Abuja for the release of more than 200 schoolgirls seized by Islamist militants in April.
Abuja police commissioner Joseph Mbu said the rallies were “now posing a serious security threat”.
Nigeria has seen almost daily rallies calling for the government to take firmer action to rescue the girls.
Boko Haram militants snatched the girls from the remote Chibok village near the Cameroon border on April 14.
Nigerian authorities have banned public protests in the capital Abuja for the release of more than 200 schoolgirls seized by Islamist militants (photo AP)
In a statement, Joseph Mbu said that public protests had “degenerated” and were now a security threat.
He was also quoted by the state-run Agency of Nigeria as saying that “dangerous elements” could join the demonstrations.
Nigeria’s government has been facing growing pressure both at home and abroad to do more to tackle the group and bring about the girls’ release.
A deal for the release of some of the abducted schoolgirls in Nigeria was close to being secured when the Nigerian government called it off late last month.
Some of the girls were set to be freed in exchange for imprisoned Islamist militants.
Thousands of people have died since Boko Haram began a violent campaign against the Nigerian government in 2009 and in the subsequent security crackdown.
The girls, who were mainly Christian, were taken from their school in Chibok, in north-eastern Borno state and are thought to be held in a remote forested area of the state, close to the border with Chad and Cameroon.
Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef’s show, al-Bernameg (The Program), has come to an end, its creator has announced.
Bassem Youssef said he was “tired of struggling” and worried about the safety of his family.
Al-Bernameg show came under pressure after poking fun at Egypt’s military establishment.
The show has been sued dozens of times since it began in the wake of ex-President Hosni Mubarak’s downfall in 2011.
Bassem Youssef, a former heart surgeon, told a news conference on Monday that the channel that carried the show had been pressured to drop it.
“The present climate in Egypt is not suitable for a political satire program,” he added.
Bassem Youssef’s al-Bernameg show came under pressure after poking fun at Egypt’s military establishment
Bassem Youssef denied that he was capitulating to pressure, saying: “Stopping the program sends a much stronger message than if it continued.”
At its height, al-Bernameg was watched by an estimated 8 million viewers inside Egypt and many millions more abroad.
The show began as a series of amateur YouTube clips filmed in Bassem Youssef’s Cairo flat in the days following Egypt’s 2011 revolution.
Inspired by Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, Bassem Youssef went on to develop al-Bernameg, a satirical show filmed in front of a studio audience.
Its success made Bassem Youssef a household name throughout the Arab world and he was named as one of the world’s top 100 most influential people by Time Magazine in 2013.
However, al-Bernameg ‘s sharp satire repeatedly angered the authorities, who tried to close it down.
Under the presidency of Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi, Bassem Youssef faced charges of insulting Islam.
The charges were later thrown out of court, shortly after which Mohamed Morsi was too thrown out of office by Egypt’s military.
In November the private Egyptian CBC channel refused to broadcast one episode because it had “violated editorial policy”.
The decision came days after Bassem Youssef had lampooned the then head of the army, General Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi, over chocolates that bore his name.
In February, prosecutors filed fresh complaints, accusing Bassem Youssef of insulting the armed forces, the will of the Egyptian people and the “symbols” of Egypt.
Al-Bernameg had been on temporary hiatus during Egypt’s presidential election, which Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi won by an overwhelming margin.
Before its cancellation, the show had been due to return later this week.
Lupita Nyong’o has joined the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII, it has been announced on the film’s website.
Gwendoline Christie, who currently stars in Game of Thrones as warrior Brienne of Tarth, has also been cast in the production.
The news was announced on the Star Wars website, although it did not say what roles the actresses would play.
Lupita Nyong’o and Gwendoline Christie have joined the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII
Star Wars: Episode VII is due in cinemas on December 18 2015.
“I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII,” Lucasfilm president and producer Kathleen Kennedy said.
“It’s thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape.”
Lupita Nyong’o and Gwendoline Christie join the already announced cast of John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow.
They will join original stars Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.
Meanwhile, gossip website TMZ has posted a series of leaked pictures from the set of Episode VII, which began filming in Abu Dhabi last month.
The pictures appear to show a Tatooine-like marketplace and a new alien creature.
Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent has debuted at the top of the North American box office, taking $70 million.
Maleficent, based on the villain from Sleeping Beauty, has given Angelina Jolie her biggest box office debut to date.
Last weekend’s number one, X-Men: Days of Future Past, dropped to second.
The movie took $32.6 million.
Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent has debuted at the top of the North American box office, taking $70 million
The weekend’s second highest new entry was Seth MacFarlane’s Western comedy, A Million Ways to Die in the West, starring Liam Neeson, Charlize Theron and Amanda Seyfried.
But it was a weak opening – $17.1 million – when compared with Seth McFarlane’s Ted, which opened with $54.4 million in 2012.
Despite its success, Maleficent could not match the financial power of Disney’s other recent re-imagined fairytales, Alice in Wonderland – which opened with $116m in 2010 – and Oz the Great and Powerful, which took $79 million in its debut weekend last year.
Maleficent, directed by Robert Stromber – the production designer on Alice in Wonderland and Oz the Great and Powerful, received mixed reviews from critics.
Justin Bieber has apologized for using the n-word while telling a racist joke.
A video of Justin Bieber making the comments while sat with friends was published on the Sun on Sunday website on June 1st.
It was originally filmed as part of his Never Say Never documentary in 2011.
The 20-year-old has released a statement saying: “I apologize for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable mistake.”
The British newspaper claims people around Justin Bieber have known about the clip for some time and have spent money keeping it out of the public eye.
In the video, Justin Bieber asks: “Why are black people afraid of chainsaws?”
Justin Bieber then finished his joke by making the noise of the chainsaw and repeating the phrase “Run n*****” five times.
Justin Bieber has apologized for using the n-word while telling a racist joke
Someone who cannot be seen on camera says: “Don’t even say it. Don’t say it.”
A female voice then says: “You could say motorcycle too right?”
Earlier on Monday, Floyd Mayweather posted a picture of himself with Justin Bieber on his Instagram account along with a statement of support.
“Justin has been nothing but kind to me, my daughters and sons over the years,” he wrote.
“We all make mistakes when we are young, it’s part of growing up. I am proud of what he’s doing as a 20 year old musician and business man.”
The 37-year-old boxer has been friends with Justin Bieber for a few years.
A statement from Justin Bieber said: “As a kid, I didn’t understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt.
“I thought it was ok to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but didn’t realize at the time that it wasn’t funny and that in fact my actions were continuing the ignorance.
“Thanks to friends and family I learned from my mistakes and grew up and apologized for those wrongs.
“Now that these mistakes from the past have become public I need to apologize again to all those I have offended.
“I’m very sorry. I take my friendships with people of all cultures very seriously and I apologize for offending or hurting anyone with my childish and inexcusable mistake.
“I was a kid then and I am a man now who knows my responsibility to the world and to not make that mistake again.
“Ignorance has no place in our society and I hope the sharing of my faults can prevent others from making the same mistake in the future. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say but telling the truth is always what’s right.
“Five years ago I made a reckless and immature mistake and I’m grateful to those close to me who helped me learn those lessons as a young man. Once again….I’m sorry.”
King Juan Carlos of Spain has announced his abdication after almost 40 years of ruling.
Spain’s PM Mariano Rajoy has announced the abdication in the morning but did not mention the reasons behind it in his speech.
A government source, however, has said King Juan Carlos was stepping down for “personal reasons”.
King Juan Carlos of Spain has announced his abdication after almost 40 years of ruling
The king had been on the throne for almost 40 years. He took over after fascism in Spain came to an end with the death of General Franco in November 1975.
King Juan Carlos’ son Prince Felipe – who is 45 – will succeed him.
In his televised address, King Juan Carlos said his abdication was motivated by “a drive for renewal, to overcome and correct mistakes and open the way to a decidedly better future”.
King Juan Carlos said he made the decision to abdicate in January, when he turned 76.
Juan Carlos expressed gratitude to the Spanish people, and said the country had enjoyed a long period of peace, stability and progress.
The king said he made his decision “with great emotion”.
At the end of the relatively short speech, King Juan Carlos thanked his wife, Queen Sofia.
French authorities have arrested four people have in the Paris region and southern France on suspicion of recruiting militants to fight in Syria.
The raids came a day after it emerged a Frenchman was being held by police investigating the murder of three people at the Brussels Jewish Museum.
Mehdi Nemmouche, 29, was arrested at a station in Marseille on Friday.
Prosecutors say he has claimed responsibility for the attack and spent more than a year in Syria.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazaneuve told Europe 1 radio on Monday: “There are people who recruit jihadists. There are as I’m speaking arrests being made.”
Mehdi Nemmouche was arrested at a station in Marseille on Friday
“We are acting everywhere. There will be no respite in the fight against terrorists.”
There is no suggestion of a link between the four arrests on Monday and the detention of Mehdi Nemmouche during a random check on a coach arriving from Amsterdam in southern France on Friday.
However, Mehdi Nemmouche is said to have had links with radical Islamists and served five years in jail in France for robbery before being released in December 2012.
When he was arrested, he had with him a Kalashnikov rifle and a handgun believed to have been used in the attack, the Paris prosecutor said.
Mehdi Nemmouche was also said to have had a white sheet emblazoned with the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a jihadist group fighting in Syria, and a camera with a 40-second video showing the two guns and a voice recording, claiming responsibility for the killings.
Speaking on French radio station RTL on Monday, the head of French Jewish association CRIF, Roger Cukierman, called for more resources to be given to the foreign intelligence service, the DGSE, to track militants returning to France from Syria.
He feared “they would become 700 time bombs when they return”, referring to the estimated number of French-born jihadists in Syria.
Belgium has requested Mehdi Nemmouche’s extradition from France and police have to decide whether to extend his detention until Thursday.
Three people died when a gunman opened fire at the museum in the busy Sablon area of the Belgian capital on May 24. They were an Israeli couple in their 50s, and a French female volunteer.
A Belgian man, believed to be an employee of the museum, was critically injured.
Samsung Electronics has launched Samsung Z, the world’s first smartphone powered by the Tizen operating system.
The Samsung Z will go on sale in Russia in the July-to-September quarter.
Most Samsung phones currently use the Android platform, but the South Korean firm has been working with chipmaker Intel to develop Tizen as an alternative operating system.
It is seen as a way to make Samsung less dependent on Android’s developer, Google.
Samsung will show off the phone at the Tizen Developer Conference, being held this week in San Francisco.
It did not disclose the device’s price.
Samsung Electronics has launched Samsung Z, the world’s first smartphone powered by the Tizen operating system
Samsung is currently the world’s best-selling Android device manufacturer.
However, many other rivals such as HTC, Sony, LG and Huawei also use the operating system to power some of their devices.
As the competition in the smartphone sector increases, and growth rates slow, Samsung has been looking at ways to maintain its lead over rivals.
One of the areas that Samsung has been working on is Tizen – a new open source operating system for its gadgets.
Samsung has taken steps to try to encourage software creators.
It said that in order to “encourage more developers to join, the Tizen Store would provide a special promotional program to all developers for one year”.
Having its own app store could help Samsung generate more revenue from app downloads.
That is because currently customers who purchase apps on Android-powered phones typically funnel revenue to Google rather than Samsung itself.
Tizen is also seen by some as being attractive to app developers as it has promised to run software written in the HTML5 web language smoothly.
Mozilla’s Firefox OS also relies on HTML5, offering developers the prospect of cross-platform compatibility in which they can write a single version of their app for multiple operating systems, helping cut costs and coding time.
HTML5-based apps can also be made to work on Android and iOS.
But last year developers, including Google and Facebook, faced performance issues when they released products using it, and later switched to native versions.
Samsung itself delayed the launch of the first smartphones using the operating system.
However, the firm has been looking to adapt the operating system in various gadgets of late.
The latest version of its smartwatch – Galaxy Gear 2 – uses Tizen, unlike its Android-powered predecessor.
On Sunday, Samsung announced that it would release a software development kit for TVs that allows developers to build applications for Tizen-based TVs.
According to a University of Edinburgh study, learning a second language can have a positive effect on the brain, even if it is taken up in adulthood.
Researchers found that reading, verbal fluency and intelligence were improved in a study of 262 people tested either aged 11 or in their seventies.
A previous study suggested that being bilingual could delay the onset of dementia by several years.
The study is published in Annals of Neurology.
The big question in this study was whether learning a new language improved cognitive functions or whether individuals with better cognitive abilities were more likely to become bilingual.
Dr. Thomas Bak, from the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, said he believed he had found the answer.
Learning a second language can have a positive effect on the brain, even if it is taken up in adulthood
Using data from intelligence tests on 262 Edinburgh-born individuals at the age of 11, the study looked at how their cognitive abilities had changed when they were tested again in their seventies.
The research was conducted between 2008 and 2010.
All participants said they were able to communicate in at least one language other than English.
Of that group, 195 learned the second language before the age of 18, and 65 learned it after that time.
The findings indicate that those who spoke two or more languages had significantly better cognitive abilities compared to what would have been expected from their baseline test.
The strongest effects were seen in general intelligence and reading.
The effects were present in those who learned their second language early, as well as later in life.
Dr. Thomas Bak said the pattern they found was “meaningful” and the improvements in attention, focus and fluency could not be explained by original intelligence.
“These findings are of considerable practical relevance. Millions of people around the world acquire their second language later in life. Our study shows that bilingualism, even when acquired in adulthood, may benefit the aging brain.”
However, Dr. Thomas Bak admitted that the study also raised many questions, such as whether learning more than one language could also have the same positive effect on cognitive ageing and whether actively speaking a second language is better than just knowing how to speak it.
Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, US, said: “The epidemiological study provides an important first step in understanding the impact of learning a second language and the ageing brain.
“This research paves the way for future causal studies of bilingualism and cognitive decline prevention.”
Spain’s PM Mariano Rajoy has announced the abdication of King Juan Carlos.
King Juan Carlos of Spain, who is 76, has ruled since 1975, taking over after the death of dictator Francisco Franco.
The king’s son, Crown Prince Felipe, 45, will take over the throne.
King Juan Carlos of Spain has ruled since 1975, taking over after the death of dictator Francisco Franco (photo Reuters)
For much of his reign, King Juan Carlos was seen as one of the world’s most popular monarchs, but recently many Spaniards have lost confidence in him.
His reputation has been tarnished by a long-running corruption investigation into his daughter and her husband.
Support for the king fell further when it was discovered he had been on a lavish elephant hunting trip to Botswana in the middle of Spain’s financial crisis.
Mariano Rajoy said the king was stepping down for personal reasons. His health is failing and he has had a number of hip operations in recent years.
The prime minister said King Juan Carlos had been a “tireless defender of our interests”.
“I’m convinced this is the best moment for change,” he added.
Mariano Rajoy said ministers would hold a special meeting on the issue.
Republicans and Democrats have clashed over the deal to swap five Guantanamo Bay detainees for a Taliban-held soldier, with Republicans warning it could put American lives at risk.
Senator John McCain said the detainees, who were transferred to Qatar, were some of the “highest high-risk people”.
Afghanistan also attacked the deal, saying handing prisoners to a third country was against international law.
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, 28, was handed to US forces in Afghanistan on Saturday.
In an emotional address on Sunday, his father, Robert Bergdahl, said he was proud how far his son was willing to go to help the Afghan people, but warned that his recovery would take a long time.
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was the only US soldier being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan
Robert Bergdahl said he and his wife had not yet spoken to their son, who is in a good condition and currently undergoing medical care at a US military hospital in Germany.
Several Republicans have spoken out against the deal, warning that it set a worrying precedent and amounted to negotiating with terrorists.
John McCain said the Taliban released were “possibly responsible for the deaths of thousands” and may have “the ability to re-enter the fight”, in comments to CBS TV.
Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee, Mike Rogers, told CNN that Washington had “now set a price” for al-Qaeda ransom threats.
Chuck Hagel: “No shots were fired – it went as well as it could have.”
Republican representative Adam Kinzinger said he would celebrate Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s return but called the release of the Taliban men “shocking”.
Questions were raised over the legality of the deal, after the Obama administration did not give Congress sufficient notice about the transfer of the Taliban detainees.
However, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who is currently in Afghanistan, dismissed allegations of wrongdoing, saying the military had to act quickly “to essentially save his life”.
“We didn’t negotiate with terrorists… As I said and explained before, Sergeant Bergdahl was a prisoner of war. That’s a normal process in getting your prisoners back,” he told NBC TV.
US National Security Adviser Susan Rice said that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s failing health had created an “acute urgency” to act and therefore made it “necessary and appropriate” not to adhere to the 30-day notification requirement.
The Afghan government, which was not informed of the deal until after the exchange had taken place, condemned it as a “breach of international law” and urged the US and Qatar to “let the men go free”.
The five detainees are thought to be the most senior Afghans held at the US detention facility in Cuba, having been captured during America’s military campaign in 2001.
In a rare public statement on Sunday, Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar described the exchange as a “big victory”.
President Barack Obama said that he had received security guarantees from Qatar – which mediated the deal – “that it will put in place measures to protect our national security”.
They have been banned from leaving Qatar for at least a year.
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, was the only US soldier being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan. He was serving with an infantry regiment in Paktika province, near the Pakistani border, when he went missing on June 30 2009.
The Solar Impulse 2 plane has made its inaugural flight.
The solar-powered plane will be taken on a round-the-world journey in 2015.
The Solar Impulse 2 vehicle lifted off from Payerne airfield in Switzerland at just after 03:35 GMT, returning two hours later.
It is a larger, upgraded version of the aircraft that flew across America last year with adventurers Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg at the controls.
For this maiden flight, test pilot Markus Scherdel was in the cockpit.
He climbed to just under 6,000ft, conducting a number of maneuvers to prove the handling of the aircraft.
The Solar Impulse 2 vehicle lifted off from Payerne airfield in Switzerland at just after 03.35 GMT, returning two hours later (photo Reuters)
Markus Scherdel reported some early vibrations, but overall the mission outcome appeared very positive.
“The initial results are in line with calculations and simulations,” read a later statement from the team.
Further flights will be conducted in the coming months in order for the experimental machine to attain certification.
The carbon-fiber aircraft has a huge wingspan, which at 72m is wider than a Boeing 747 jet. And yet, the vehicle weighs only 2.3 tonnes.
The tops of the wings are covered by 17,000 solar cells, which drive four brushless electric motors at speeds of up to 90mph.
During the day, the solar cells will recharge lithium batteries, which can then be used to keep the plane’s propellers turning through the night.
The first Solar Impulse plane set a number of world records, including the longest manned solar-powered flight at 26 hours, the first inter-continental flight in a solar-powered plane, and the greatest distance covered on a piloted solar-powered flight. (Autonomous solar-powered drones can stay aloft for weeks).
That last record was set during Bertrand Piccard’s and Andre Borschberg’s epic TransAmerica journey in May, June and July last year.
But as challenging as that effort was, it will be dwarfed by the difficulty and complexity of completing a global flight.
This is because it will have to include passage across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The latter could take all of five days and nights to complete.
Only one pilot can fit in the cockpit. It has a reclining seat to make room for exercising and to permit Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, whoever is at the controls, to take short catnaps.
Former El Salvador’s left-wing rebel leader Salvador Sanchez Ceren has been sworn in as the country’s president.
Salvador Sanchez Ceren, 69, of the FMLN party, becomes the first former guerrilla to lead the Central American country following his March victory.
In his inauguration speech, he promised to fight corruption and violence, and to govern “for everybody”.
El Salvador remains violent and deeply divided despite the end of a civil war in which some 75,000 people died.
Salvador Sanchez Ceren has been sworn in as El Salvador’s president
Salvador Sanchez Ceren narrowly defeated the conservative candidate Norman Quijano by 0.2% in a run-off vote on March 9.
Speaking at his inauguration ceremony in the capital, San Salvador, he pledged “to serve as president of all Salvadorans”.
Salvador Sanchez Ceren added he would lead “with honesty, austerity, efficacy and transparency” in a country with high levels of corruption.
Last month, a Salvadoran judge issued an arrest warrant for a former President, Francisco Flores, who is accused of using $10 million of public money for personal use. He denies any wrongdoing.
Salvador Sanchez Ceren also promised that “security, employment and education” would be the priorities of his government.
El Salvador has one of the highest murder rates in the world, a problem largely blamed on gang violence.
As a rebel leader, Salvador Sanchez Ceren fought US-backed government forces during the civil conflict in which tens of thousands of people also disappeared.
Vitalii Sediuk, who accosted Brad Pitt at Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent premiere in Los Angeles, has been sentenced to 3 years probation and ordered to attend a year’s psychological counseling.
The 25-year-old Ukrainian TV presenter pleaded no contest to battery and unlawful activity charges after the incident on Wednesday.
Vitalii Sediuk has been sentenced to 3 years probation and ordered to attend a year’s psychological counseling
Vitalii Sediuk was ordered to stay 500 yards away from all celebrity events, including awards shows and premieres.
He must also stay away from Brad Pitt and his partner Angelina Jolie.
Vitalii Sediuk had been charged with four counts of battery, assault, unlawful activity and interference at a theatrical event, however two of the charges were dismissed as part of his plea deal.
The Ukrainian presenter, who is known for pulling pranks on celebrities, was also sentenced to 20 days of community service during his 36-month probation.
His lawyer Anthony Willoughby said he expected the restraining orders against his client to be lifted after a year if he behaved.
Vitalii Sediuk is due back in court for a hearing on July 8.
Winston Churchill’s last surviving child, Mary Soames, has died at the age of 91, her family have announced.
Mary Soames passed away on Saturday at her home after a short illness.
She was the youngest of the five children of the wartime prime minister and his wife Clementine.
Mary Soames was the youngest of the five children of Winston Churchill
One of her sons, former Conservative minister Nicholas Soames, said: “She was a truly remarkable and extraordinary woman, who led a very distinguished life.”
Born Mary Spencer-Churchill, she served in the auxiliary territorial service during World War Two, manning anti-aircraft batteries in London, Belgium and Germany.
She accompanied her father on several of his most important trips, including to the 1945 Potsdam Conference, where Winston Churchill, Stalin and President Harry Truman discussed the future of post-war Germany and Europe.
Mary Soames enjoyed a lifetime of public service and through both birth and marriage, had life long association with the Conservative Party.
Her late husband, Christopher Soames, was a prominent Conservative politician who served as a minister under Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home and Margaret Thatcher.
In later life, Lady Mary Soames became a patron of several leading charities and was a successful author. She published a biography of her mother and edited a collection of her parents’ letters.
President Barack Obama has announced that he received security guarantees from Qatar over five Guantanamo Bay prisoners who were transferred to secure the release of US soldier Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan.
Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, 28, was handed to US forces after being held for nearly five years by the Taliban.
He has left Afghanistan and is en route to a US military hospital in Germany.
Five Afghan detainees were released from the US prison in Cuba and handed to Qatar, which mediated the deal.
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who is said to be in good condition, was the only US soldier being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
His parents said they were “joyful and relieved” to hear of their son’s release.
Barack Obama was joined at the White House by Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s parents, Robert and Jani (photo AP)
Hours after the release, President Barack Obama told reporters the Qatari government had given the US assurances “that it will put in place measures to protect our national security”.
He also thanked the Qatari authorities for their role in acting as a go-between during indirect US-Taliban negotiations that led to the deal.
The exchanged prisoners are thought to be the most senior Afghans still held at Guantanamo. Under the deal, they will be banned from leaving Qatar for at least a year.
The Taliban said they welcomed their release with “great happiness”.
“While Sgt. Bergdahl was gone he was never forgotten,” Barack Obama said, adding that the US had an “ironclad commitment” to bringing home its prisoners of war.
He was joined by Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s parents, Robert and Jani, at the White House on Saturday. They offered thanks to those who took part in securing their son’s freedom.
In an emotional speech, Robert Bergdahl said his son was having trouble speaking English after his rescue.
Officials said the Taliban had handed Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl over on Saturday evening, local time, in eastern Afghanistan, in an exchange that involved several dozen US special forces.
Bowe Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, was captured on June 30 2009, about two months after arriving in eastern Afghanistan.
In January, the US military obtained a new video of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, giving his family renewed hope of his eventual return.
