Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - MSN Review

Jack's back. But can a crew of new shipmates and a fresh commitment to proper storytelling turn the Pirates
franchise around? There's a new director at the helm, it's in 3D and Orlando and Keira have walked the gangplank. Depressingly, alas, everything else in Pirates 4 is business as usual, a mix of convoluted plotting, slack pacing and familiar-looking action leaving you with the sneaking suspicion At World's End really should have marked the end of this bloated fantasy franchise.

At 136 minutes, On Stranger Tides actually clocks in as the shortest entry so far in the blockbuster series that kicked off back in 2003 with The Curse of the Black Pearl. But it sure doesn't seem like it, incoming director Rob Marshall showing the same lack of restraint that made the latter instalments in Gore Verbinski's initial trilogy such heavy going.

The rot sets in early with an extended sequence in Georgian London that sees cheeky pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) save his trusty crewmate Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin R McNally) from a date with the hangman, only to be clapped in irons himself and be dragged before King George (Richard Griffiths). Find the mythical Fountain of Youth before the Spanish do, he is told, and he'll earn his liberty. Jack, though, would rather do it the hard way, making the first in what soon becomes an increasingly wearisome succession of elaborate escapes.

It's not long, however, before Sparrow's on the trail of the Fountain anyway, a chance meeting with old flame Angelica (Penelope Cruz) leading to him becoming a reluctant accomplice of fearsome pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane). Turns out the latter has just a short time to locate said elixir and needs Jack's assistance to do so, a quest that sees them head off to exotic climes with a half-man, half-zombie crew. The Spaniards are also on the case, though, as is Jack's old nemesis Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), missing a leg this time out but otherwise as devious and untrustworthy as ever.

Brad Pitt movie honoured at Cannes

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie left the Cannes International Film Festival to attend the Los Angeles premiere for the actress’ new movie Kung Fu Panda 2 yesterday.
Tree of Life starring Brad Pitt has won the top honour at the Cannes International Film Festival.
Despite receiving a mixed reaction at the prestigious event when it was screened, the movie – directed by Terrence Malick – was awarded the Palme D’Or yesterday. Robert De Niro, who is president of the jury, made the announcement. However, Terrence is famously publicity shy and was not available to accept the prize. The fantasy drama following the lives of a family with three boys in the 50s and also stars Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain.
Kirsten Dunst was named best actress for her appearance in Melancholia, made by the controversial director Lars Von Trier. The filmmaker was banned from the festival last week after claiming he sympathised with Hitler.
Kirsten admitted it had been an eventful stay in France when she accepted her award. 'What a week this has been,' she said.
Other members of the nine-member Cannes jury included Jude Law and Uma Thurman.
Meanwhile, Brad and his partner Angelina Jolie flew from France back to the US to attend the premiere of Angelina’s new movie Kung Fu Panda 2 in Los Angeles. The couple laughed and hugged each other on the red carpet and both looked every inch the Hollywood stars – with Angelina in a black top and skirt with a slit up to her thigh, while Brad was dashing in a beige shirt and trousers.
Jack Black, who voices the title character in the animated movie, was also in attendance for the premiere at the legendary Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has at least two more secret children

It emerged last week that the actor and former governor of California – who recently separated from wife Maria Shriver – has a 14-year-old son with his family's now-retired housekeeper Mildred Patricia Baena and his famous neighbour has predicted further revelations will emerge about his personal life.

British actress Jane Seymour – who lives close to Arnold in Malibu, California - said she was not shocked to hear Maria and Arnold, who have four children Katherine, 21, Christina, 19, Patrick, 17, and 13-year-old Christopher had split after 25 years together because she has been told there are other secrets set to be exposed.

She told CNN: "I was not even remotely surprised. The moment I heard it, that there was an announcement of their separation...He was obviously jumping the gun before everyone else told the world of the news.

"From what I gather, I think there will be lots of information coming people's way. I heard about two more [children] somebody else knows about. I even met someone who knows him well."

Meanwhile, Maria is said to have hired A-list divorce lawyer Laura Wasser and could pocket $100 million in a settlement, with their combined worth said to be between $200 million and $400 million.

Jennifer Aniston proud of perfume

Jennifer Aniston says developing her signature scent felt 'organic and right'.
The 42-year-old American actress was promoting her eponymous perfume at Sephora Lexington Avenue in US fashion capital New York. The star spent a long time developing the scent, which features notes of wood fire and evokes a Californian summer evening.
The star is offered numerous fashion and beauty ventures thanks to her good looks and impeccable dress sense, but it was the chance to create perfume which really appealed to her.
'Of all the things you get approached about, this one sort of felt organic and right,' she explained.
Jennifer took the creation of the fragrance very seriously, as she didn’t want to attach her name to something she didn’t feel proud of. A great deal of hard work was put in, although Jennifer had plenty of fun too.
'It was inspired by many things and it took quite a long time to sort of develop, which I really enjoyed the process,' she added to ET.

Nicole Kidman: Neighbours can touch my Oscar

Nicole Kidman has joked people are welcome to visit her parents’ house and touch her Oscar.
The Australian actress won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours and has described the experience as magical.
The Hollywood star was raised in Sydney, Australia, for much of her childhood, and it has a special place in her heart. For that reason she decided the iconic golden statue should remain at her parents’ home in the city.
'It’s on the mantle of my parents’ house in Sydney. People in the neighbourhood can come touch that gold Oscar,' she told the British edition of InStyle.
Remembering her childhood, the 43-year-old also explained that as a little girl, Hollywood seemed like a fairy-tale place to her.
Nicole recalled watching the Academy Awards on TV and likened the American movie industry to a magical, yet surreal, place.
Her childhood memories made winning an Oscar even more special.
'As a little girl in Australia, I watched the American film industry from afar. I remember being six or seven and watching the Oscars in my pyjamas, drinking hot chocolate, in this tiny little suburb of Sydney; it seemed like a faraway land, like Oz,' she said. 'There’s a bit of magic involved in winning an Academy Award.'

Salma Hayek has become a good housewife

The 44-year-old actress -  who has a three-year-old daughter Valentina with husband Francois-Henri Pinault – explained while she enjoys her “homey” lifestyle in Paris, her partner is a “spoilt brat” when it comes to his food.

She said: “I am a housewife. I cook every night for my husband. I am most definitely a housewife. And a good one, I must say.

“Our life is great and glamorous in many ways, and in many ways – the good ways – it’s very homey. He’s a spoilt brat, my husband, when it comes to food.”

Despite being content with her lifestyle now, the Mexican-born beauty admitted when she first met Francois she “panicked” about having to move to France and become a housewife.

Salma added to Style magazine: “The first thing I panicked about was moving. I got scared. I said, ‘I’m not moving to Paris to be a housewife’. And he said, ‘Fine, we’ll be different’. It’s sort of exciting to have a different kind of marriage.

“He knew I was going to end up here but he said the right thing. Before I knew it, I was spending most of my time here, and I love it.”

Sony Ericsson's Canada site hacked: company

Hackers have attacked Sony Ericsson's Canadian eShop website, affecting 2,000 users, the latest online strike against the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant, a Sony spokesman said Wednesday.
The new security breach follows a massive theft of personal data from Sony's PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment services, including names, passwords and addresses from more than 100 million accounts.
And on Tuesday Sony said its websites in three countries had been hacked with 8,500 Greek user accounts compromised, while sites in Thailand and Indonesia were also affected.
The most recent attack -- targeting the mobile phone joint venture between Sony and Sweden's Ericsson -- was discovered on Tuesday local time, and the affected website was shut down, a Sony spokesman told AFP.
"Sony Ericsson's website in Canada, which advertises its products, has been hacked, affecting 2,000 people," he told AFP.
"Their personal information was posted on a website called 'The Hacker News'. The information includes registered names, email addresses and encrypted passwords. But it does not include credit card information."
The link to the Sony Ericsson eShop site featured a message that said "D'oh! The page you are looking for has gone walkabout. Sorry."
The series of breaches has damaged Sony's brand image and undermined its efforts to link its gadgets to an online "cloud-based" network of games, movies and music that relies on consumer confidence in their security.
The Japanese entertainment and technology giant said data taken from Greek accounts included email addresses, telephone numbers, names and passwords but that credit card data had not been stolen in the latest attacks.
Sony said it also discovered on Saturday that a page on its Indonesian Music Entertainment website had been "altered" but did not believe this involved the leak of information.
On Monday Sony said it expected to post a $3.2 billion dollar net loss for the fiscal year ended March as it tries to recover from the impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which ravaged production and damaged facilities.
It said the data breach will result in at least a $170 million hit in "currently known costs" to operating profit this financial year in terms of insurance and damages, but that it anticipated further costs.
Sony has said it plans to fully restore PlayStation Network and Qriocity services by the end of the month.

Obama, Cameron hold talks on Arab Spring

US President Barack Obama held talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday, focusing on the turmoil raging across the Arab world and the NATO effort to dislodge Libya's Moamer Kadhafi.
Obama, on the third day of a European tour, swapped the glitter of a royal state banquet and the tradition-soaked ceremony of a British visit for testing diplomatic questions facing the transatlantic alliance.
The president and prime minister were holding 90 minutes of talks at Downing Street and were to drop by a barbecue hosted by their wives in honour of military veterans, in a nod to the two nations' decade of common war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
They also had a press conference on their schedule, and then Obama was set to deliver what aides have described as the anchor speech of his tour of Ireland, Britain, France and Poland, on renewing ties with Europe.
The talks come as European powers like France and Britain step up the pace of attacks on Libya, in which Washington is playing a support role, as the White House and Downing Street insist the effort has not hit a stalemate.
"We believe that the trends show that time is very much working against Kadhafi," said Ben Rhodes, a US deputy national security advisor. "We believe that Kadhafi and his forces are under tremendous strain."
Washington has given no sign however that it is willing to return to the lead firepower role it adopted at the start of the Libya operation before handing over to NATO in March.
Britain seems to accept that position, with Foreign Secretary William Hague saying Washington was not taking a "back seat" in the combat mission, even as Britain and France prepare to send in ground attack helicopters.
British media reports also suggested the two leaders would discuss the idea of seeking to open some kind of dialogue with the Taliban, as Washington seeks to transfer security to the Afghan government by the end of 2014.
The two leaders were also set to announce a joint national security task force to formalize cooperation between the two capitals.
Later, Obama was set to deliver a rare speech by a foreign leader to the two houses of parliament in Westminster Hall, focusing on Europe, a continent where some players have been disappointed with his engagement so far amid a growing US focus on Asia.
"Our focus is on maintaining the role that the US and Europe play together as a catalyst for action," said Rhodes.
"We believe that in the emerging context of the 21st century, not only is that as relevant as ever, but it's going to demand contributions from all nations."
US hopes for more burden-sharing on security from Europe face the reality that European defence budgets are being shaved, while the continent battles a debt crisis, calling into question the scope of future military operations.
Obama is seeking European support for a new initiative to nurture democratic transitions in Egypt and Tunisia, and to spur other autocratic nations in the Middle East to embrace reform.
The Arab Spring is also set to be a key issue at the G8 summit, which Obama and Cameron are due to attend from Thursday in Deauville, France.
On Tuesday, Obama basked in the pageantry of a white tie state dinner at Buckingham Palace, designed to reaffirm enduring bonds between Britain and America.
The queen said in her dinner toast that Obama's visit recalled "our shared history, our common language and our strong intellectual and cultural links."
Obama concluded his toast with a quote from Shakespeare's Richard III.
"To her Majesty the Queen, to the vitality of the special relationship between our peoples and in the words of Shakespeare, 'to this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.'"
Breaking free from starchy convention, he also drew a regal smile as he told the queen his daughters Malia and Sasha "adored" her.
Obama will repay the Queen's hospitality by hosting a dinner in her honour later Wednesday at the US ambassador's residence.

UEFA's new financial rules won't close soccer's wealth gap

Michel Platini calls it "one of the most important projects of my tenure." UEFA's all-new "Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations (FFP)" will start coming into effect in June, and the UEFA president says they will make European soccer "fairer and more moral."
"If a club doesn't fall in line and follow the same rules as everyone else then it will be time to face the music," Platini said as the finalized plans were presented in January. This June, FFP will start being phased in, though it won't come into force fully until July 2014.
Over the three-year interim period, clubs will be allowed to record maximum losses of €45 million ($64 million). After that, UEFA expects them to break even. It is, as Platini put it, "a simple but demanding rule: a club should not spend more than it earns."
A Herculean accounting task
That motto sums up UEFA's 85-page financial fair play handbook, but for many it also encapsulates the main problem with modern football, especially when it comes to the inequalities between the English Premier League and other less affluent European leagues.
In mid-May, the Guardian newspaper reported that the Premiership's 20 clubs collectively lost well over half a billion euros in the 2009-2010 financial year, even though they generated a record income of 2.4 billion euros.
On top of that, an impending UEFA report is expected to show that Premier League clubs owe a collective debt that tops that of all the other clubs in Europe's top divisions put together.
So It's hardly surprising that some German club chairmen are looking across the channel and openly doubting that Manchester City and Chelsea, especially, will be able to stick to the rules without some special accounting tricks.
Parsimonious Germans, splurging English
Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has been expressing concerns: "I do wonder about some clubs in England, Italy or Spain," he told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper last Sunday. "Are they ignoring it (over-spending) or are they just not taking this seriously?"
Rummenigge, a long-time critic of over-spending in football, is under no illusions that some clubs will find a way round these rules. "Since man is man, he is creative. We'll see if UEFA has the will to control and prevent this creativity," he warned.
The head of the German football league, Christian Seifert, echoed Rummenigge's concerns to the financial daily Handelsblatt. "I'm sure there will come a time when UEFA will have to deal with attempts to get round or to deceive them," he said.
It's for this reason that Rummenigge is putting pressure on UEFA to declare a clear and heavy punishment if the new rules are breached: in other words, he wants teams who over-spend to be excluded from European competition.
But whether it will come to that is another matter. Stefan Szymanski, a British economics professor at the City University in London, has his doubts. "It does seem quite hard to believe that the very big clubs will be significantly sanctioned," he told Deutsche Welle.
Bundesliga should dominate
Szymanski also thinks that FFP will do little to even out the fundamental imbalance in the game. "The issue is simply that the English Premier League generates vastly more income than the German league does. The financial fair play rules won't do anything about that," he said. "Even if they spend strictly within their football limits, then the English clubs will still dominate."
But Stefan Ludwig, director of financial services company Deloitte Germany, says the basic wealth gaps can be addressed by financial means. He says last year's Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan offers a good example. Bayern were underdogs in the game because their squad boasted fewer stars.
"Even though Inter generated less income in that season than Bayern Munich, they spent more money on players," he told Deutsche Welle. "If FFP had existed then, the club's management would have had to work very differently, which would have had an effect on the squad."
Making Europe more German
But Szymanski has little sympathy with German complaints. He believes the problem lies in the way that German football has been set up. "When my rules don't work as well as your rules, then the answer is not to say 'well, let's have some more rules that make it fairer,' " he said. "The answer is if my rules don't work, I should change my rules."
Financial analysts agree that a lot of the new regulations have been adopted from the Bundesliga, though UEFA has extended and adapted them. But Szymanski argues that German clubs should free themselves of their soccer institutions and go commercial.
"Frankly the German league could easily be the dominant league in Europe if it were run commercially," he said. "Ultimately it's about spending power, and surely Germans have more spending power than the English. The problem is that the German clubs are not willing to spend and the institutions they have set up have prevented them."
Ludwig disagrees. "Commercialization has developed just as far in Germany as it has in other countries," he said. "The Bundesliga earns the largest sponsoring revenue of all the leagues."
Big clubs, big banks
But Szymanski does admit that limiting spending is in the clubs' collective interest. "The problem with football is the same as with banks. They consider themselves too big to fail," he said. "Big clubs will never, ever be shut down, because there will be such political pressure at the local, cultural level to bail them out. Obviously that affects the behaviour of those that run them."
Ultimately, it comes down to the question of what UEFA is trying to do: does Platini want to keep clubs financially stable or make the competitions fairer? FFP will certainly help struggling clubs remain financially stable, but it seems that UEFA can do little to stop super-rich clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City from spending what they like – partly because of European law.
It's true FFP stipulates that an owner can't bail out his club if it is running at a loss – in effect, this rule is meant to stop the likes of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan from simply pumping money into the clubs until they succeed.
But Szymanski argues there is really little UEFA can do. "If UEFA attempted to withdraw the licenses of either of these clubs and prevent them from playing in the Champions League, it could very well go to the European Court of Justice, and UEFA would be likely to lose," he said. "It's a fundamental principle of European law that if you own a business, you can put your money into it."
Szymanski's conclusion is withering: "If UEFA is saying that it doesn't want people like Abramovich and Mansour in football, it has to come out and say it. It can't hide behind regulations."

Without talks, Palestinians to head to UN: Abbas

Without a renewal of peace talks, the Palestinians will seek UN recognition, president Mahmud Abbas said on Wednesday a day after a major speech by Israel's prime minister.
"Our first choice is negotiations, but if there is no progress before September we will go to the United Nations," Abbas said, slamming Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the US Congress on Tuesday which was devoid of any new incentive to restart peace talks.
The Palestinian leader said Netanyahu's speech only served to add obstacles on the road to peace and contained "errors and distortions."

'House of Tolerance' takes Paris brothel to Cannes

A gritty yet luxuriant film about life in a Parisian brothel circa 1900 premiered at Cannes on Monday, promising for once to tell the story from the women's perspective.
"House of Tolerance", directed by Bertrand Bonello, recounts the day-to-day life of a so-called "maison close" (closed house) where 12 women struggle hopelessly to pay off their debts to their madame, who herself faces eviction.
One of the "women" is 16-year-old Pauline, played by Iliana Zabeth, who arrives from the provinces to work in the Apollonide bordello at her own request, complete with a letter from her parents vouching for her age.
She is introduced to the daily grind, told not to lose weight and is the only woman in the film who manages to escape what is effectively bonded labour before the Apollonide is closed down at the dawn of the 20th century.
After trying to make a film 10 years ago on the reopening of brothels, Frenchman Bonello's partner Josee Deshaies, who is also the film's director of photography, suggested doing a bordello film from an historical standpoint.
Bonello, who made the 2001 sexually explicit Cannes entry "The Pornographer", told journalists that previously representations of the prostitute have always been made by their male patrons.
"We have images of 'maisons closes' from paintings, ideas that come from texts... but they're all from men's perspective: painters who went home and painted, writers who went home and wrote.
"What I wanted to do was to have the women's view on the men who are looking at them."
The women have no control of their destiny, they face arrest for soliciting if they leave the brothel alone. Some hope for a client to fall in love with them, others end up mutilated by customers who will never be prosecuted.
The clients are all wealthy, representing the European world of aristocratic privilege and decadence that existed before the socialisation of World War I.
"It's about the disappearance of a place, of an era, the 19th century is ending and the 20th century arrives. But the 19th century ends with ideas that are completely false about the 20th century," says Bonello.
The men in the film discuss the culture of the time, from the alien attack of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds" to a purportedly scientific work that find similarities between the sizes of prostitutes' and criminals' brains.
A client recommends that Hafsia Herzi's Samira read the book, and when she does, she weeps at its conclusions.
The women are terrified by the doctor's regular public health inspections: before penicillin, syphilis is a death sentence, while pregnancy would leave them without a job.
Few scenes do not feature at least partial nudity, but it is more often the casual nakedness of a large household than explicit eroticism.
"We were like in a family... there was no prudishness, we laughed a lot and besides, we were all in the same frame," said Herzi, who stars in "The Source", also in competition at Cannes.
The film is interspersed with anachronistic soul tracks, which Bonello says "touch on black slavery", and classical music.
But the director insists the film is not trying to open up a debate on prostitution, on the relative values of brothels and street walking, despite its closing video footage of roadside sex workers in Paris today.

Silent movie, Dardennes' 'Kid' lead Cannes race

A light-hearted tribute to Hollywood's golden age and a bid by Belgium's Dardenne brothers to win a record third Palme d'Or emerged as favourites as the Cannes competition hit the half-way mark.
After a lacklustre start to the race at the world's biggest film festival, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's uplifting portrait of an abandoned boy and the woman bent on saving him, "The Kid With a Bike", delighted critics.
"There isn't a single unearned emotion in this tremendously moving drama," industry magazine The Hollywood Reporter said.
New York Times critic Manohla Dargis highlighted the film, which stars Cecile de France (Hereafter) and the remarkable child actor Thomas Doret, as a favourite with "a story about the triumph of grace in a fallen world".
Guessing the taste of the jury, led this year by actor Robert De Niro, is an inexact science. but two separate polls of international critics had the Dardennes out in front after 10 of the 20 films in competition had screened.
It would be their third Cannes win after "Rosetta" in 1999 and "The Child" in 2005.
Another crowd-pleaser was French silent film "The Artist" set in 1920s Los Angeles at the dawn of the talkies, with a fading Douglas Fairbanks-type falling for an up-and-coming starlet played by the stunning Berenice Bejo.
Film trade journal Screen called the black-and-white picture "one of the most joyously enjoyable films" vying for the top prize while Britain's The Guardian hailed it as "glorious... formally daring and sublimely funny".
Cannes, however, thrives on controversy and much of the talk in this sun-kissed French Riviera resort has revolved around disturbing dramas that sharply divided audiences.
French critics loved "Poliss" by homegrown actress Maiwenn about a closely knit Child Protection Unit in Paris based on true stories from police blotters, but foreign reviewers gave it fair-to-middling marks.
"Sleeping Beauty", Australian novelist Julia Leigh's first-time feature about a passive young woman who fulfils the sexual fantasies of rich elderly men while drugged and unconscious, scandalised many viewers and impressed few.
"Soporific in every sense," declared the Hollywood Reporter.
One of the hottest tickets in town was for reclusive US director Terrence Malick's first film in six years, "The Tree of Life" uniting Brad Pitt on screen with Sean Penn for the first time.
Pitt plays a domineering father in 1950s Texas with Penn featured as his adult son in the epic, visually arresting picture, which met with both boos and defiant applause at a packed press screening.
British director Lynne Ramsay, one of an unprecedented four female film-makers in competition, fared better with "We Need To Talk About Kevin" starring Tilda Swinton as the mother of a teenager who goes on a killing spree.
The Oscar-winning Scottish star was seen as a favourite to claim acting honours at the gala awards ceremony Sunday, while 85-year-old Michel Piccoli's turn as a reluctant pontiff in the Italian entry "We Have a Pope" was a front-runner for the male prize.
Another Cannes contender about children in danger, Austrian first-time film-maker Markus Schleinzer's chilling portrait of a paedophile, "Michael", attracted attention with its subject but left audiences split on its merits.
Art-house cinema goes hand-in-hand with high glamour at Cannes, and 2011 has proved a banner year for the red carpet.
The premiere of the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel brought out Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz, while opening night with Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams made for ecstatic crowds.
Meanwhile wheeler-dealers at the sprawling market where film rights are bought and sold for distribution around the world were also pumped up following a recession-tainted 2010.

War crimes prosecutor seeks Kadhafi arrest warrant

An international war crimes court's chief prosecutor has sought an arrest warrant for Moamer Kadhafi, accusing the Libyan leader of having ordered his forces to gun down civilians in their homes, at funerals and outside mosques.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo also asked for arrest warrants for Kadhafi's second-oldest son Seif al-Islam and his brother-in-law Abdullah al-Senussi -- for crimes against humanity in Libya.
"Today, the office of the prosecutor requested the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants," Moreno-Ocampo said at a press conference in The Hague where the ICC, the world's first permanent war crimes court, is based.
"Therein it will show that Kadhafi personally ordered attacks on unarmed civilians," he said.
"He (Kadhafi) ordered attacks on Libyan civilians in their homes and in public spaces," the prosecutor continued, adding that "he shot at demonstrators using live ammunition, using heavy weaponry against ... funeral processions and placed snipers to kill those leaving mosques after prayers."
Kadhafi's forces prepared lists with names of alleged dissidents, who were "being arrested, put into prisons in Tripoli, tortured and made to disappear."
"The crimes are crimes against humanity," said the prosecutor, whose office prepared a 74-page file to back his case.
Kadhafi used family and his inner circle to enforce his rule -- including his son Seif al-Islam, 38, which Moreno-Ocampo dubbed his "de-facto prime minister".
Al-Islam has often been named as his father's successor and has appeared on public television several times since the protests erupted.
Intelligence chief and brother-in-law Abdullah Al Senussi was Kadhafi's "right-hand man" who ensured his orders were carried out.
"The evidence showed that Kadhafi relied on his inner circle to implement a systematic policy of surpressing any challenge to his authority," the prosecutor told journalists.
"Moamer Kadhafi committed a crime with the goal of preserving his authority, his absolute authority," Moreno-Ocampo said.
A panel of ICC judges will now have to decide whether to accept or reject the prosecutor's application, based on his case file.
Moreno-Ocampo announced on March 3, when the revolt against Kadhafi's regime was less than three weeks old, that he was opening an investigation into human rights abuses in Libya.
His investigation initially targeted eight people, including Kadhafi and three of his sons.
Thousands of people have been killed in the Libyan violence and around 750,000 people forced to flee, according to UN figures.
Monday's application was the second time the ICC prosecutor has asked for a head of state to be arrested. In July 2008 he applied for an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, which was granted but has not been executed.
More than 1,200 documents including video and pictures were reviewed in the investigation against Kadhafi and more than 50 interviews conducted or individuals screened to be interviewed.
The probe took staff of the prosecutor's office on 30 missions to 11 states, but its spokeswoman Florence Olara said last week Libya itself was not visited because it did not want to endanger witnesses there.
Moreno-Ocampo said another charge of war crimes, which included rapes and attacks since the end of February, would be the subject of a separate investigation.
Established in 2002, the ICC is the world's first permanent, treaty-based court set up to try those accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide if the accused's own country cannot or will not do so.

Manchester City's Roberto Mancini: I never said that Carlos Tevez wanted to go to Italy

Roberto Mancini hopes that Carlos Tevez will remain at Manchester City, but is willing to let the striker leave if he is not happy at Eastlands.

Earlier in the season, the Argentine submitted a transfer request as he sought a move away from the club, but he later withdrew it, declaring that he remained committed to the ongoing project at City.

However, the former West Ham and Manchester United striker has been linked with a move to Serie A in the past, and Mancini has hit back at reports claiming Tevez now favours switching to Italian football.

'I never said that Carlos wanted to go to Italy. He has a fabulous contract with us. He's our captain and is an important player for us,' he said, according to The Mirror.

'I don't know if he was saying goodbye after the game on Saturday, you'd have to ask him.

'It's important to work with a team if you believe in the project. If I'm not happy, I leave. This is true for everyone in every job.

'For me, he stays here. He wants to stay. I've spoken with him and he said to me 'why you say I want to leave?'

'I told him I never said that. Never! I believe he wants to stay.'

It had been widely thought that Mancini could lose his job if he did not guide City to a top four finish to achieve Champions League football.

But the former Inter boss has not only managed to take the club into the top four, but could potentially finish third and avoid playing in the qualification round of the European competition.

To add to his achievements, Mancini has also guided City to an FA Cup triumph, ending the club's 35-year wait for silverware.

'I do this job because I like football. I like to work on the pitch and only in this way can you beat important teams,' said Mancini.

'If you don't believe in yourself and your job, it's difficult. This victory will help me and the players improve.

'It's difficult to win a championship in the first year, unless you are Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid or Barcelona.

'If you take another team you need time to do it. After winning this cup next year maybe we can play for the top with United.

'I believe in this project because we have the chance to buy big players like United, Chelsea and Arsenal in the past.

'I don't know if we can win the title next year because it will be hard, but it is possible to arrive at this target.

'For me we have a good team because we have a young team. I believe this team can stay together for a long time.'
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Nintendo 3DS Update

When, oh when, will it come! Nintendo is behaving like a recalcitrant boyfriend who promises a proposal but just doesn't deliver it! We have waited patiently for months for a 3DS system update and now we hear that it will finally come on 6th June. Users in Japan and Europe will get it on 7th June.

This means we will get an Internet-enabled browser along with many other exciting features. However, the much anticipated Nintendo eShop for purchasing DLC (downloadable content) will not be available until much later. Hmm, it almost feels like a proposal without the ring, doesn't it?..YC/ATC-TCL.com

The world's 20 most beautiful women

1. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

 

 

2. Olivia Munn

 

 

3. Katy Perry

 

 

4. Cameron Diaz

 

 

 

5. Mila Kunis

 

 

6. Bar Rafaeli

 

 

 

7. Anne Hathaway

 

 

8. Natalie Portman

 

 

 

9. Cobie Smulders

 

 

10. Jennifer Lawrence

 

 

11. Jordana Brewster

 

 

12. January Jones

 

 

13. Kaley Cuoco

 

 

 14. Scarlett Johansson

 

 

 15. Olivia Wilde

 

 

 16. Leighton Meester

 

 

 17. Megan Fox

 

 

 18. Eva Mendes

 

 

19. Anna Kournikova

 

 

20. Taylor Swift

 

 

 

 

Beyoncé honored at Billboard Awards

After winning 16 Grammys, American singer Beyoncé will receive the 2011 Billboard Millennium Award.

The award, which was announced on May 9, 2011 on "Billboard.com" will be presented at the Billboard Music Awards on May 22, 2011.

The pop culture icon will be honored for her achievements throughout her career, starting from its launch as a member of Destiny's Child up to the release of her most recent single "Run The World (Girls)" and the release of her newest album in June 2011.

The awards are being hosted live by Ken Jeong and will feature other performing artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj, Cee Lo Green, Rihanna, Lady Antebellum, Pitbull and Taio Cruz...YC/ATC-TCL.com

50 Cent: I am not a myth

50 Cent says he is 'not a myth' to people outside of the US.
The rapper has established himself as a global star beyond the confines of his homeland, and says he owes that to the fact he has travelled to a host of countries.
The American star, real name Curtis James Jackson III, claims he is recognised because he puts extra work into establishing his worldwide appeal.
'I did the groundwork. I travelled. To them I’m not a myth. I’m a real person. They’ve seen me live in Croatia, Kosovo, India... The same way they feel about me in New York, they feel about me in Africa and they feel about me in India,' he said in an interview with Vibe magazine.
The 35-year-old is confident about his popularity. The artist says his credibility as an established musician means more to him than any award trophy.
'You can spin the globe and stop it wherever you want and say 50 Cent, and they know exactly what you’re talking about and they know the material. It is what it is. I don’t have the trophy case to reflect that, but I can’t eat trophies,' he added.

Selena Gomez: I’m a huge Britney fan

Selena Gomez has revealed that working with her idol Britney Spears was 'a dream come true'.
The singer, who is releasing her third album this summer, explained that she is a big fan of the pop star and feels lucky that Britney contributed to her new record.
However, the 18-year-old Disney star said she was disappointed that she didn’t get to meet the Till The World Ends singer.
'Working with Britney was a dream come true. I didn’t get to meet her, sadly, but having her contribute to the album is incredible,' she told British magazine Look. 'I feel very lucky because I’m a huge fan of Britney.'
Selena also said she admires fellow singer/songwriter Taylor Swift’s honesty when it comes to putting her romantic past into lyrics.
While Taylor has confirmed that some of her songs are about ex-boyfriends, Selena, who is currently dating teen sensation Justin Bieber, explained she likes to keep her personal life to herself.
'I love how open she is but I wouldn’t be brave enough to do that. There needs to be a little bit of mystery,' she said. 'My songs are about my own experiences but I’ve been inspired by other people’s too.'

Mubarak wife in intensive care 'after heart attack'

Ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's wife, Suzanne, was in intensive care Saturday after state television reported she had suffered a heart attack following her remand in custody in a corruption probe.
"Suzanne Thabet has been moved to the intensive care unit at Sharm el-Sheikh hospital after suffering a heart attack," the television reported, referring to the Red Sea resort where she and and her husband moved after being forced from power in February.
Mohammed Fathallah, who heads the hospital, said in a statement handed to reporters that Mrs Mubarak had suffered a "suspected heart attack and a sharp increase in blood pressure ... She will be kept under observation."
He later told the state-run MENA news agency that the former first lady had briefly lost consciousness on hearing she had been detained and that preliminary tests show that "her condition is stable."
The news came hours after the Illicit Gains Authority ordered Suzanne Mubarak's detention for 15 days on charges of illegal acquisition of wealth.
Preparations had been underway to move her from Sharm el-Sheikh hospital, where she was staying with her husband, to Qanater women's prison outside Cairo, the provincial security director for sotu Sinai province, Mohamed al-Khatib, told MENA.
She will be taken to Cairo by plane "due to the danger of transporting her by road," he said.
The state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper reported on Saturday that the former first lady has been placed under medical observation for 24 hours before any decision is made to move her.
She was interrogated in a hospital waiting room, close to where her husband has been in custody since April 13 when he also reportedly suffered a heart attack during questioning.
It was the first detention order for Mrs Mubarak, who had been questioned with her husband on Thursday night by the illicit gains department.
The former first couple are accused of having abused their position to enrich themselves illegally.
Crowds of people in Cairo's Tahrir Square broke out into cheers and women ululated when news of the first lady's detention broke.
The half-Welsh Suzanne was seen as the driving force behind plans to have her son Gamal take over the presidency from his father, a highly unpopular prospect in Egypt.
The authority also remanded Mubarak in custody for a further 15 days on Friday, after the three-hour interrogation.
He has also been questioned by the state prosecutor on several other charges, including ordering the shooting of anti-regime protesters. His detention has been repeatedly extended.
During the questioning, Mubarak and his wife agreed to reveal details of their bank accounts both inside and outside Egypt, MENA said.
The former president was quizzed about a villa he owns in Sharm el-Sheikh worth 36 million Egyptian pounds (about $6 million) "without counting the cost of the swimming pool," MENA said.
He was also asked about having personal control of the $145-million bank account of the Alexandria Library.
The former first lady was interrogated about a luxury villa she owns in Cairo, as well as 20 million pounds (about $3.3 million) held in a bank account, MENA said.
Mubarak, his wife, his two sons Alaa and Gamal and their wives were banned from travel and their assets ordered frozen by general prosecutor Abdel Magid Mahmud shortly after the former strongman was overthrown in February.
The two sons, along with dozens of officials and businessmen associated with the former regime, are being held in Cairo's notorious Tora prison which housed political dissidents during the Mubarak era.
Before the popular uprising which ousted Mubarak, Gamal, who was close to business executives and held a top post in Egypt's ruling party, was regarded as the political heir to Mubarak, while Alaa concentrated on business.
The wives of Alaa and Gamal, Heidi Rasekh and Khadiga al-Gammal, have also been questioned over Mubarak's wealth.
Earlier this month, Switzerland said it had frozen 410 million francs ($463 million) in funds linked to Mubarak and his associates.
Mubarak's 30-year grip on power was brought to an end on February 11 following 18 straight days of mass protests.
The military council which then took power has vowed to bring to justice all those accused of abuses and launched a sweeping probe into corruption.

Chelsea captain John Terry full of support for boss Carlo Ancelotti

Chelsea captain John Terry has pleaded with owner Roman Abramovich to keep Carlo Ancelotti at the club.

As the Blues' season draws to a close with only Champions League football to show for their efforts, rumours on the Italian’s future have been quick to emerge.

But Terry was quoted as saying by The Sun: 'He's got my full support.

'I love Carlo. He won the double in his first year and this season the injuries and releasing players has been tough for him.'

Defeat at Manchester United at the weekend all but destroyed the only remaining hope of a trophy this term for the west London club after they managed to haul themselves back into the title race with a surge of form late in the season.

The January acquisitions of Fernando Torres and David Luiz helped Ancelotti to garner a strong finish to the season, and his captain believes adding more depth to the squad is ultimately what the former AC Milan boss should be allowed to do if he is to get the same opportunity as previous boss Jose Mourinho.

'When Mourinho was here we had a big squad but we miss that. Somewhere in between where we are and what we had would be ideal,' added 30-year-old Terry.

Chelsea entertain Newcastle over the weekend before a trip to Everton on the final day of the season, but know that if Manchester United pick up a single point in either of their remaining two games, the Red Devils will regain the title.
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IBM Launches New Cloud Analytics Software To Boost Online Marketing Results

IBM announced new cloud analytics software, Coremetrics Lifecycle, to help customers capitalize on every marketing milestone. From customer acquisition to retention, marketers can make the most of their interactions with prospects across all online marketing channels, including email, display advertising, search marketing and social media, based on real customer behavior.

The software removes the guesswork in determining which campaigns and content are most effective with customers by providing analytics-based insight into how customer lifecycles speed up or slow down over time.

Businesses can easily determine what marketing programs and content most efficiently yield high-value customers, and can select the most effective strategies and marketing budgets for every stage of the customer development cycle.

Lifecycle is designed to deliver actionable business insights to enhance every online customer experience with targeted interactions, and to deliver better business outcomes through more intelligent marketing investments.

The solution includes:

- Prebuilt and customizable lifecycle templates, designed to meet the needs of a range of industries
- Actionable insights into online marketing program effectiveness, content viewed and products purchased at every milestone of the customer lifecycle
- Seamless integration with other Coremetrics solutions for rapid re-targeting of customer segments

"IBM's comprehensive approach to automating online marketing is so much more than a single method or tool. The company's solutions deliver a new level of insight into our target audience, revealing not only the marketing investments we should research, test and optimize, but how those efforts affect the overall flow and development of customer relationships," said Rob Brosnan, senior director of marketing strategy, Seton Hall University. "We can move away from the analysis of individual touch points and toward a holistic program of business enhancement."

Today's news follows IBM's recent announcement of new software and the creation of a new consulting practice dedicated to the emerging category of "Smarter Commerce," which is focused on helping companies swiftly adapt to rising customer demands in today's digitally transformed marketplace.

"IBM is driving the transformation of online marketing into a useful, consumer-facing service that drives business results," said John Squire, chief strategy officer, IBM Coremetrics. "We are dedicated to delivering capabilities that equip marketers with analytics-based insight into how customer lifecycles speed up or slow down over time, benchmarking current results against previous ones, and laying the foundation for consistently smarter marketing."

Bin Laden raid 'not assassination': US law chief

The US commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden was "not an assassination", US Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday after the Al-Qaeda leader's sons denounced the operation.

Holder told the BBC the raid on bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan on May 2 was a "kill or capture mission" and that his surrender would have been accepted if offered, but that the safety of US Navy commandos was paramount.
"What happened to bin Laden was not an assassination," Holder said.
"I think the action that we took against him can be seen as an act of national self-defence. You have to remember it is lawful to target an enemy commander," he said.
The top US legal official said there was no indication that bin Laden was going to surrender and it was believed he could be wearing a suicide vest.
"It was a kill or capture mission. If there was a possibility of a feasible surrender that would have occurred, but their protection, that is the protection of the force that went into the compound, was uppermost in their minds," said Holder.
"This is a man who swore he would never be taken alive. There were some indications that perhaps he wore a suicide vest, there's indications that perhaps there were weapons in the room."
Bin Laden's body was buried at sea hours after the operation in which US special forces in helicopters flew under Pakistani radar cover and raided a house in the northwestern garrison town of Abbottabad.
Bin Laden's sons on Tuesday denounced his "arbitrary killing" and burial at sea.
In a statement given to the New York Times, the sons asked why their father "was not arrested and tried in a court of law so that the truth is revealed to the people of the world."

Jodie Foster: Gibson is natural comic

Jodie Foster says Mel Gibson had to stifle his comedy instincts whilst filming for The Beaver.
The Hollywood actor plays a depressed CEO of a toy company who dons a beaver hand puppet to communicate better with his wife and two sons in the dark comedy movie.
Jodie, who directed the drama, had to remind Mel that he was portraying a down-beat man at times, as he was sometimes a little too eager to play a comedy part.
'Yeah and I pulled him back,' she said, when asked if Mel wanted to take parts of the movie to comedic levels. 'His original instinct for the character was always a little bit darker than other people had anticipated, so I wasn’t worried he was going to go off into some incredibly broad way.'
However, there were moments in the film where Mel could unleash his comedy skills. The 48-year-old actress, who also appeared in the picture, was impressed with his ability to combine both tragedy and humour in the same vein.
'There definitely were moments where he didn’t want to have to resist the temptation because there were amazingly funny situations. Him having to fight and punch himself, it’s hard not to find comedy there,' she explained in an interview with Screencave. 'In the screenplay, there was a note [from the screenwriters] saying, ‘This scene must be played as seriously as a heart attack.’'

Penélope Cruz: Almod?var call was life-changing

Penélope Cruz says speaking to Pedro Almod?var for the first time was the best moment of her career.
The 37-year-old Oscar-winner decided she wanted to become an actress after watching the director’s movie Tie Me Up!Tie Me Down!. Penélope was a huge fan of the filmmaker and set her heart on working with him. After landing an agent and some acting roles, the beauty caught Pedro’s attention and he offered her a job – much to her delight.
'I was in the bathroom, in my parents’ house and I heard the words, ‘Almod?var is on the phone.’ Nothing, no-thing has topped that phone call yet in terms of work, in terms of excitement,' she revealed in an interview with GQ. 'That phone call was life-changing. And I didn’t believe it was him – of course. I had been dreaming about that specific moment for so, so long and then I heard the words, ‘Almod?var is on the phone.’ It was too perfect to be true. He wanted me to audition for a part.'
Penélope went on to confess she had done everything possible to secure a meeting with Pedro. The pair lived near each other in Spain and she soon discovered where he spent his spare time and visited those locations as often as she could.
'I used to go to bars where I knew he went. Or the cinema where he went to watch films. I saw him many times – from a distance – but I was always too shy to talk to him,' she explained. 'I told him I had been following him around town. Maybe he noticed; it didn’t matter. I was his.
'We had such a strong connection. Being with Almod?var is like being in Disneyland for an actress. He’s provocative. He keeps you on your toes.'

Rachel Weisz considers Oz role

Rachel Weisz is in talks to play a villain in Oz: The Great and Powerful.
The movie is a prequel to classic film The Wizard of Oz, and focuses on the wizard. He explains how he came to live in the mystical land of Oz, where Dorothy and her dog Toto are transported to via a tornado in the original picture.
Rachel is apparently interested in securing a role in the release, and is in talks to play witch Evanora who is the oldest of a trio of sisters. Evanora is intent on becoming ruler of Oz and tries to convince her sibling Theodora, played by Mila Kunis, to help with her evil plan.
James Franco is already lined up to appear, taking the role of Oz. The character sells snake oil, and accidentally travels to the magical land via hot air balloon. He finds himself pitted against the three witches and their dastardly plan.
Further details of the cast aren’t known at the moment, although Blake Lively is rumoured to be playing Glinda. It’s a much sought-after role, with Lindsay Lohan recently announcing she was hoping to try out for it.
Sam Raimi is directing the production, while the script was penned by Mitchell Kapner.
At the moment the picture doesn’t have a release date.

Water For Elephants

Beautiful people? Check. Beautiful-looking movie? Check. But it'll take more than looks to get Water For Elephants past the MSN review.

Based on the book by Sara Gruen, Water For Elephants is an easy-on-the eye romance, offering up the dreamy prospect of Robert Pattinson at the circus. Set in America during the grip of the Great Depression, it tells the story of a young would-be vet Jacob Jankowski (Pattinson) who loses his parents suddenly and ends up joining The Benzini Brothers circus troupe.

The circus isn't a friendly place; it truly is a world of its own and nobody wants to welcome young Jacob into the family apart from a few, the main pal of his being an older man called Camel. Jacob soon meets August (Christoph Waltz), the head trainer who allows him to stay with them in exchange for his veterinary skills.

Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) is the wife of August and the star of his show. Unfortunately, one of the horses for her act passes and August is left without a lead piece; something that can kill a circus, especially in depression-era conditions.

When things are about to go bust for the circus August purchases Rosie, a 9-foot-tall elephant that instantly becomes one of the most loveable movie characters of 2011. Jacob is put in charge of training her. And it is here that his growing illicit romance with Marlena takes root.


We follow this ménage a trois (or quatre, if you include Rosie) through the movie, which is interspersed with awkward moments and mild brutality as well as an adequate look at 1930s America. It's a bit depressing (pun intended) and gloomy, but the glitz and glamour of the circus prevents the film from dragging.

While Pattinson, playing a tanned and smiling young intellectual (we're used to seeing him play an anaemic misery in Twilight) is the draw for the movie, he is not the reason you should see it. He's not a bad actor by any stretch of the imagination, but the role of the kindly, handsome vet is overshadowed by others. R-Pattz fangirls will love it because, well, they adore him and every move he makes - but don't let this put you off seeing it; this is really not his film at all.

Despite the glossy Pattinson and Witherspoon poster, the real reason for watching Water For Elephants is Waltz, who plays the corrupt August with such aptitude, he'll leave you trembling in your seat. He has the knack for being both charismatic and terrifying simultaneously; a flair that won him a well-deserved Oscar for Inglourious Basterds. He makes traditional villains look like puppies with his disarming mixture of friendliness and tyranny.

Witherspoon is a tough, believable Marlena, dazzling in a 1930s circus guise and looking stunning atop an elephant. The strength and fragility of her character are well balanced and, despite the chemistry between her and Pattinson falling a bit flat, she has a moving bond with the animals and a believable fear of August.

It's heart-warming as well as horrifying (one rather violent man versus pachyderm exchange in particular will leave you reeling). The smart visuals and the subtle nuances of the characters are the strengths of Water For Elephants. But Pattinson and Witherspoon's forgettable romance leaves it a centerpiece short of a circus.

Johnny Depp happy to ‘hold off’ new Pirates movie

Johnny Depp wants to 'hold off' from shooting the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
The American actor stars as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fantasy-adventure film series.
The movie’s screenwriter Terry Rossio has just delivered his script for a planned fifth installment for the popular Disney franchise.
Johnny, 47, says he hasn't seen the new screenplay yet, but is hoping that the production team will delay shooting.
'It boils down to story, script and filmmaker,' he told The Hollywood Reporter. 'It's not something where I would say, 'Let's shoot it next month to get it out by Christmas 2012.’ We should hold off for a bit. They should be special, just like they are special to me.'
The movies started with their first release on the big screen in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest was released three years later. The third film in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End was released the following year.
Johnny can soon be seen in the fourth film in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which is due to be released later this month.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has said he is involved in the fifth Pirates film.
According to sources, Disney is in negotiations with Rob Marshall, who took over directing on Pirates 4 from Gore Verbinski, who helmed the first three films, to return.

Flood waters set sights on Louisiana oil refineries

Record flooding along the Mississippi River threatens to inundate at least two Louisiana refineries and hundreds of oil and gas wells, officials warned.
"This is a very serious flood," Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal told reporters.
"We haven't seen this kind of flooding since 1927."
Army engineers plan to open a major spillway by Saturday in order to divert water away from New Orleans and ease pressure on the Mississippi as it approaches the Gulf of Mexico.
Floodwaters as deep as 20 feet will inundate areas west of the river which house about 24,000 people and 13,000 structures. Jindal urged residents to begin evacuations now.
The state's fuel team has identified two refineries, over 1,750 oil and gas wells and 135 operators in the affected areas.
"Safety is a top concern on these structures as the Spillway is opened," Jindal's office said in a press release.
Oil prices pushed slightly higher on concerns that US supplies would be hit by the flooding.
"Flooding in the lower Mississippi valley, where 11 refineries process up to 2.5 million barrels a day, is causing problems for the US oil and oil product markets," analyst Nic Brown of Natixis said in a note.
"Some refineries may need to be closed temporarily, while the transportation of both crude and oil products may also be impacted."
JP Morgan noted that while "the situation still remains uncertain, refineries, terminals, and other oil infrastructure are expected to take proactive measures to ensure safety, potentially reducing runs or shutting facilities if necessary."
The governor did not specify which refineries were at risk, but one is thought to be the Krotz Springs Refinery of Alon USA, a subsidiary of Israel's ALON Israel Oil Co. Ltd., which sits near the Atchafalaya River, a major tributary of the Mississippi.
An Alon spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
"We're already seeing the threat priced in somewhat," Phil Flynn, an oil analyst at PFGBest Research in Chicago, told AFP.
"But if we get into a situation where these refineries are shut down for weeks, this could be very serious."
The worst floods to hit the central United States in more than 70 years have swallowed up homes, farms and roads in Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi.
Heavy rains last month filled rivers and creeks already swollen from the melting of a thick winter snow pack, which are now backing up because the Mississippi is so swollen.
The Mississippi River has swelled to six times its normal width and was three miles (4.8 kilometers) wide when it crested Monday in Memphis, where it is typically half a mile wide.
Portions of the river have also been closed to shipping.

Madonna ‘plans musical career for Lourdes’

Madonna has reportedly been acting as the 'perfect mentor' to daughter Lourdes, who is set to continue her mother’s pop legacy.
The 52-year-old music icon has teamed up with 14-year-old daughter Lourdes on a track called It's So Cool, which was first recorded eight years ago, but the version featuring the teen’s vocals was never released. The song was reworked at a New York studio in February so apparently the star is now considering whether to feature it on her next album, or use it on the soundtrack to her film about US socialite Wallis Simpson.
'Madonna hopes Lourdes will step into her shoes and become one of the biggest female artists in the world,' a source told British newspaper The Sun.
'She's the perfect mentor for her daughter and is keen to assist her first steps into the industry.'
Many record companies are eager to sign Lourdes, and it is believed she has inherited her mother’s musical gift. Those close to the teen say she also shares her mother’s trademark charisma and feisty attitude.
'Lourdes has a great voice and plenty of character - like her mom,' added the source.

A Paper Phone!

Phones are not only getting smarter, but thinner. Much, much thinner. As thin as paper, in fact!

The PaperPhone is going to debut soon and if you were able to fast-forward five years into the future you would see that all devices will soon be like this.

The PaperPhone is as flexible as paper, you can bend, fold or flex the sides and edges of the e-paper to issue commands and use it like any other phone, or you can just write on it! And yes, it can do everything a current smartphone can: make and receive calls and texts, play music, display e-books and so on.

The inventor of this little nifty gadget is Canada-based Dr. Roel Vertegaal and the PaperPhone was the result of a joint undertaking between the Human Media Lab (Queen's University) and the Motivational Environments Research group (Arizona State University). If you want to see it, then a prototype will be on display at the Computer Human Interaction conference, in Vancouver from 10 May...YC/ATC-TCL.com

Economic Zones World, One Of The First In The Region, To Implement Innovative New Project Management System

Adoption of sophisticated system demonstrates commitment to investment in technology and processes to enhance business agility

Economic Zones World (EZW) recently became one of the first companies in the region to successfully implement an advanced, best-in-class project management system expected to enhance the company’s operations and efficiencies, in keeping with its commitment to enhancing technology, people and process as part of its customer centric approach to doing business.

The system was first introduced at EZW in June 2009 and is now in its third and most developed phase. It focuses on creating a culture of organised project management within the company and will be employed and integrated in the company’s operations worldwide.

The new system, Organizational Project Management Office (OPMO) follows global best practices and is compliant with standards and criteria laid out by the Project Management Institute, the world’s leading not-for-profit membership association for project management. The system will enhance methodology, enterprise project management and training which represents the human aspect of the project.

Salma Hareb, CEO of Economic Zones World commented on the development and organisation’s commitment to quality citing the recent Dubai Quality Award win for the company’s flagship operation, Jafza.  She said: “A strong focus on business excellence has always been central to our overall strategy and values. We have consistently sought to enhance operational processes adopting best global practices and systems to help us realize our strategic goals and overall vision. Organizational project management of this calibre gives us a competitive edge. We are the largest free zone operators in the region and this new system reflects our commitment to innovation to get the most out of our performance. All of our initiatives are designed to provide our stakeholders with the best of services at a higher level of efficiency.”

This new system will help departments within the organization execute corporate strategies effectively through better coordination and control of projects. It will ensure that all projects are linked to delivering results that are aligned to the company’s corporate goals.

Lotfy Sabry, CEO of Experts Project Management, the company responsible of the third phase, commended Economic Zones World for being one of the first companies in the region to adopt an advanced system such as the OPMO. He said: “Large corporations with global operations have complex project management systems and the newly installed OPMO will not only enhance efficiencies but will give EZW the flexibility and dexterity required to adapt to the ongoing changes in the business world.”