Top Stories – Not a bad gardening leave payoff –
NBC reaches a $45m (£28m) agreement with Conan O’Brien over his late-night US talk show, so his predecessor Jay Leno can make a return. O’Brien will be allowed to return to TV in eight months. Conan O’Brien
Wolf in wolf’s clothing –
The winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award has been disqualified after judges ruled that the featured wolf was probably a “model”. The 2009 winning image, dubbed the storybook wolf, was taken by photographer Jose Luis Rodriguez.
The car in front… won’t slow down –
Toyota is recalling 2.3 million cars in the US to correct sticking accelerator pedals. In August of last year, Toyota recalled 690,000 cars in China due to faulty electrical window switches.
Top Video – Videotape – A Pixilation Sci-Fi Short Film about an old man’s haunted VCR.
Super Bowl gets super viewing figures –
Yesterday’s Super Bowl saw America’s highest-ever overnight ratings with New England Patriots late win over Seattle. The Nielsen ratings company said that 49.7 percent of the homes in the nation’s largest media markets were watching the game, up four percent over last year’s game which was seen by 111.5 million. Later information revealed viewing figures of 114.4 million on NBC, the largest audience for a U.S. television program in history.
Apple feeling a bit broke –
Apple is issuing bonds today which are expected to raise at least $5bn (£3.3bn) mainly to be used to help the company return more than $130bn to shareholders by the end of this year. Despite the company sitting on a cash pile of $142bn almost 90% of the cash is held outside the US, and it would have to pay a corporate tax rate of 35% if it returned the money from abroad, so it is borrowing the money instead.
The there’s muck there’s… gold –
Staff cleaning unused dirty lockers at a school in the city of Ahmedabad, western India, uncover 2kg in gold bars and 10m rupees in cash ($160,000; £108,000). The clean up was part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Clean India” campaign. Two unused lockers in the staff room had no keys, so staff broke into them and made the discovery. According to police, the solid gold is worth nearly 6m rupees. No-one has claimed ownership.
My BMW has a virus –
BMW patches a security flaw that meant 2.2 million cars fitted with BMW’s ConnectedDrive software, including Rolls Royces and Minis, were open to hackers. The software operated door locks, air conditioning and traffic updates and although no cars have actually been hacked, the flaw was identified by German motorist association ADAC.
Canadian MP suffers from reduced smalls –
A Canadian MP Pat Martin had to leave parliament urgently due to ill fitting underpants. The opposition MP found it impossible to sit through the voting process while wearing knickers bought in a half-price sale. After a swift re-adjustment he made it back in time to cast his ballot. True commando. Pat Martin MP
Rihanna hits 27 –
Robyn Rihanna Fenty hits late thirties. She has sold over 30 million albums and 120 million singles worldwide,making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time Rihanna
Prince Harry does the Haka in New Zealand –
Prince Harry has taken part in a traditional Maori Haka during his tour of New Zealand. It was part of a day of activities at Linton Military Camp, the largest army base in the country. [BBC] In December 2013 Prince Harry led his Sandringham workers team to a 7-2 victory in a football (soccer) match against local villagers in Scotland. Prince Harry
China imposes smartwatch and wearable tech army ban –
China has forbidden its armed forces from wearing internet-connected wearable tech, according to reports. The People’s Liberation Army Daily, the Chinese military’s official newspaper, said security concerns had been raised after one recruit had received a smartwatch as a birthday gift. News site NBC said its sources had confirmed a ban was now in place. [BBC]
Prince Charles’s private letters published –
Private letters sent by the Prince of Wales to Labour ministers a decade ago have been published after a lengthy legal battle. Clarence House said the move would “only inhibit” the prince’s ability to express concerns. In one letter to the prime minister, the prince said the armed forces were being asked to do a challenging job “without the necessary resources”. Release of the letters follows a decade-long campaign by the Guardian. [BBC] See Top Twitter Trends Prince Charles
International conglomerate Danaher announces plans to acquire water filtration company Pall for US$13.8 billion and to split off its industrial businesses into a new company. (Bloomberg)
Disasters and accidents
Rescue efforts resume in Nepal after yesterday’s earthquake which killed at least 63 in Nepal and 17 in northern India. (BBC), (CNN)
Report that train believed to have been traveling in excess of 100 mph, about twice the speed limit for the curve.(CNN)
Thirty-one people die and dozens of people are missing and feared dead after a fire engulfs a rubber sandal factory in Manila, capital of the Philippines. (Al-Jazeera)(Reuters via News24)
Major General Godefroid Niyombare has declared a coup in Burundi and the establishment of a “national salvation committee”. PresidentPierre Nkurunziza is attempting to return home from Tanzania. (BBC)
A marriage proposal at the Olympics medal ceremony –
Chinese diver He Zi had just received a silver medal for the women’s three-metre springboard at the Rio Olympics on Sunday. But she ended up with another prize when her boyfriend Qin Kai, in front of a global TV audience, went down on one knee. Luckily for Qin, who himself won bronze in the men’s three-metre synchronised springboard last week, He Zi said yes. “We’ve been dating for six years, but I didn’t expect him to propose today,” she said. “He said a lot of things, made a lot of promises, but I think the thing that touched me the most is I think this is the guy I can trust for the rest of my life.” [BBC]
Rio Olympics: Seven injured when aerial camera, cables fall in Olympic Park –
Seven people suffered minor injuries when an aerial camera and its cables fell about 65 feet in the Olympic Park on Monday afternoon. Flavio Oliveira was just getting out of a handball match with his nephew when he heard the wires come crashing to the ground. He said the cable whipped against two girls, hitting one of them in the neck. A statement from the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), which provides TV feeds for countries around the world outside NBC, said, “According to local medical authorities, there were seven minor injuries that have received medical attention. A full investigation has been launched.” [USA Today]
An air strike by the Saudi-led coalition which hit a hospital in northern Yemen run by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) kills at least 11 people. (BBC)
Without alluding to a possible motive, New York authorities charge a man with second-degree murder in the deaths of a New York Muslim imam and his assistant. (Reuters)
Anchor Megyn Kelly to join NBC after 12 years with Fox News –
Fox News presenter Megyn Kelly, who has worked at the channel for 12 years, is leaving the network to join NBC, her publicist has confirmed. Ms Kelly will host her own daytime news and discussion program at NBC, as well as presenting an in-depth Sunday night news show. The move deprives Fox News of its second most-popular host after Bill O’Reilly. Ms Kelly’s contract with Fox was due to end later this year.
She was pushed into the international spotlight in 2015 when she accused Donald Trump of misogyny during a Republican presidential debate. She later said that she would “not apologise for doing good journalism”, following criticism from Mr Trump’s supporters. [BBC] Megyn Kelly
Other News Stories –
Business and economy
Ford announces that it has cancelled plans to build a $1.6 billion plant in Mexico, long criticized by U.S. President-electDonald Trump, and will invest $700 million in its Michigan plant in Flat Rock, potentially creating 700 new jobs from the investment and expansion of the plant. (CNN), (Fox News)
The U.S. Commerce Department announces that construction spending increased 0.9 percent to $1.18 trillion in November 2016, the highest level since April 2006. (CNBC)
Conan O’Brien
