Wyvern Media News: December 2011

Friday, 23 December 2011

Wyvern media news: Brain Implant Cures Woman's Tourette's Tics

She is one of the first sufferers to be implanted with electrodes in her brain that fire tiny electric pulses into the region believed to cause the muscle tics.

Sky News exclusively filmed the extraordinary operation, and then - six weeks later - the moment the electrodes were switched on.

Over a period of about 40 minutes the tics almost completely disappeared.

She said: "It is absolutely amazing. I do not feel I am the same person. I have had three years of getting worse. Now I have got my life back."

Read more: SKY News

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Wyvern media news: Illegal Toxic Skin-Bleaching Trade Exposed

In Peckham, southeast London, we purchased a tube of Fashion Fair Cream from two shops.

This product is unlicensed in the UK and contains Clobetasol Propionate, a prescription-only steroid used to treat conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.

Due to the risk of harmful side-effects, its use should be controlled by a doctor, and it should not be sold over the counter to the general public.

Read more: SKY News

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Tuesday, 20 December 2011

Wyvern media News: Extreme weather baffles British butterflies

Butterflies and moths have been baffled by this year's extreme weather, with many species appearing at unusual times, Butterfly Conservation said today.

But while the hot, dry spring and one of the warmest autumns on record saw butterflies on the wing from early March all the way through to December, the cold damp summer saw many species struggle.

The charity's Big Butterfly Count this year revealed numbers of common species were down 11% in the face of a miserable summer.

The poor results followed the unusually hot spring, in which species such as the pearl bordered fritillary and the grizzled skipper emerged weeks ahead of normal.

The black hairstreak, which normally appears in June, was seen in May and the Lulworth skipper, a Dorset species, was on the wing seven weeks early.

The warm weather returned in autumn, prompting the arrival of a number of migrant moths from as far as southern Europe.

Humming-bird hawk-moths had their best year on record in the UK, with Butterfly Conservation receiving 9,000 reports of sightings, outstripping the previous record of 6,500.

The UK also saw the highest number of rare flame brocade moths in 130 years, with a colony discovered in Sussex, while exotic species such as the crimson speckled moth and vestal moth were also seen this autumn.

Read more: guardian

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Wyvern Media News: Media regulator spells out TV rules on 'occult-related practices'

The media regulator has set down rules on psychic TV services that ban the casting of spells and other "occult-related practices" including satanism, and offer guidance on the correct use of chicken bones and crystal balls.

Ofcom, more used to handing down rulings relating to gaffes by Jeremy Clarkson or issues with Frankie Cocozza's behaviour on the X Factor, on Tuesday published guidance to deal with a new wave of personalised live TV adverts offering viewers psychic television services.

Rule 15.4 relates to "explicit prohibitions" on certain psychic practices.

"Television advertisements must not promote psychic practices or practices related to the occult," said Ofcom. "Psychic and occult-related practices include ouija, satanism, casting of spells, palmistry, attempts to contact the dead, divination, clairvoyance, clairaudience, the invocation of spirits or demons and exorcism".

Read more: Guardian

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Wyvern Media News: UK consumers stay gloomy over jobs

Rising unemployment and the high cost of living left consumer confidence close to an all-time low in November, according to research released on Tuesday.

The Nationwide consumer confidence index crept up to 40 from its record low of 36 in October, but was still about half its long-term average of 77.

Its findings suggest that households remain under pressure and were concerned about future prospects for themselves and the wider economy amid rising unemployment and the higher cost of living.

There was only a marginal improvement in its spending index, which indicated that shoppers remained reluctant to make major purchases and retailers faced tough trading conditions in the run up to Christmas.

In November's survey twice as many people judged it to be a bad time rather than a good time to make a major purchase.

To add to the gloom, people were also expecting house prices to fall by an average of 1.1% over the next six months, despite recent resilience.

Read more: Guardian

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Wyvern Media News: Bordeaux Father Christmas pulls gun on tree seller

Father Christmas has been taken into police custody after pulling a gun on a Christmas-tree seller beside his grotto in Bordeaux.

A 53-year-old man employed to pose as Santa Claus at Bordeaux's picturesque Christmas market was arrested after brandishing a hunting rifle at his nephew, who was also his boss.

Reports in the local press suggested Santa was angry over unpaid hours. "He felt swindled," reported the paper Sud Ouest.

At around 7.30am on Sunday, Santa arrived brandishing the rifle – which was not loaded – from his car window. The Christmas-tree seller filed a complaint with police who arrested Santa and held him in a police cell for several hours before releasing him.

Officials at the Christmas market in the Allées de Tourny suggested it was a "family altercation".

The police inquiry meant both stalls had to be closed, leaving the market without Christmas trees or a Father Christmas. The market confirmed that a replacement Santa would start work on Tuesday until Christmas Eve.

The Bordeaux market Father Christmas had worked at his chalet for the past three years. His alleged violent score-settling over pay issues with his family did not go down well with other local Santas.

One Father Christmas in another Bordeaux square called it "a bad remake" of the classic French play and film, Le Père Noël est une Ordure, or Santa Claus is a Bastard.

Source: Guardian

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Wyvern Media News: Twitter sells stake to Murdoch-linked Saudi prince

The Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the Arab world's richest man and News Corporation's second largest shareholder after Rupert Murdoch, has taken a $300m (£193m) stake in Twitter.

Alwaleed, a nephew of Saudi Arabia's king estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of about $20bn, has secured a stake estimated at about 3.75% in the micro-blogging site after "months of negotiations".

The timing of his investment has raised eyebrows given the key role Twitter has played as a tool for Arab activists across the Middle East to organise protests and voice their opposition to oppressive regimes. Several Arabs tweeted that they were worried Alwaleed's purchase could influence Twitter's strategy negatively

While Arabic accounts for just 1.2% of all public tweets, the volume of messages has grown by a factor of 22 over the year due in large part to the Arab Spring uprisings, according to French research firm Semiocast.

The micro-blogging site has more than 100 million active users.

Alwaleed has made the acquisition in conjunction with Kingdom Holding Company, his investment vehicle, which has an array of ventures. Earlier this year, the company announced a £736m deal to build the world's tallest tower in the Red Sea city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Read more: Guardian

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Wyvern Media News: Indonesian punks undergo military drills to bring them into line

Mohawks shaved and noses free of piercings, dozens of youths march in military style for hours beneath Indonesia's tropical sun – part of efforts by the authorities to restore moral values and bring the "deviants" back into the mainstream.

But the young men and women have shown no signs of bending. When commanders turn their backs, the shouts ring out: "Punk will never die!" Fists are thrown in the air and peace signs flashed. A few have managed briefly to escape, heads held high as they are dragged back.

Sixty-five young punk rockers arrived at the police detention centre last week after baton-wielding police raided a concert in Aceh – the only province in the predominantly Muslim nation of 240 million to have imposed Islamic laws.

They will be released on Friday, after completing 10 days of "rehabilitation" – from classes on good behaviour and religion to military-style drills aimed at instilling discipline.

Nineteen-year-old Yudi, who goes by only one name, said it was not working.

Read more: Guardian

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Wyvern Media News: AT&T pull out of bid for T-Mobile USA

AT&T have said that it is ending its $39 billion bid to buy T-Mobile USA after facing fierce government objections.

The cellphone giant said that the actions of the US government to block the deal do not change the challenges of the wireless phone industry, which it says requires more airwaves, known as spectrum, to expand.

The deal would have solved that problem for a time, and without it, "customers will be harmed and needed investment will be stifled," AT&T said in a statement.

It called on the government to quickly approve its purchase of unused spectrum from Qualcomm Inc and come up with legislation to meet the nation's long-term needs.

AT&T, the second-largest US wireless carrier behind Verizon Wireless, faces paying Deutsche Telekom $3 billion in cash and may have to enter into a roaming agreement with Deutsche Telekom, while transferring it the rights to spectrum it doesn't need for the rollout of its planned, next-generation "4G" network.

AT&T's purchase of T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom of Germany would have made it the largest cellphone company in the US T-Mobile is currently the fourth-largest.

Read more: Guardian

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Wyvern Media News: Image of unknown woman beaten by Egypt's military echoes around world

The woman is young, and slim, and fair. She lies on her back surrounded by four soldiers, two of whom are dragging her by the arms raised above her head. She's unresisting – maybe she's fainted; we can't tell because we can't see her face. She's wearing blue jeans and trainers. But her top half is bare: we can see her torso, her tummy, her blue bra, her bare delicate arms. Surrounding this top half, forming a kind of black halo around it, is the abaya, the robe she was wearing that has been ripped off and that tells us that she was wearing a hijab.

Read more: Guardian

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Wyvern Media News: Turkey threatens France over stance on killing of Armenians by Ottomans

Turkey has threatened to denounce France's colonial past at international meetings in retaliation for French plans to prosecute people who deny that the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks was genocide.

Turkey rejects the term genocide to describe the killings of Armenians more than 90 years ago. Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed and experts say it was the first genocide of the 20th century.

France considers the killings a genocide. The lower house of the French parliament is to debate a proposal that would punish anyone denying that the slaughter was genocide with one year in prison and a €45,000 (£37,700) fine.

The issue threatens to further harm Turkish-French relations already tense over French president Nicolas Sarkozy's opposition to Turkey's bid to join the EU.

Turkey has threatened to withdraw its ambassador to France if the bill is passed, while prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the country should investigate alleged French abuses in Algeria and Rwanda instead.

France had troops in Rwanda in 1994, and Rwandan president Paul Kagame has accused the country of doing little to stop the country's genocide.

Turkey's foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Sunday that Ankara would bring up the issue of "French colonialism" and "start talking about truths everywhere in the world". His words were carried by the state-run Anadolu agency.

Wyvern Media News: Philippines declares state of calamity as storm toll nears 1,000

The president of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino, has declared a state of national calamity after flash floods and landslides caused by a typhoon swept through a southern region last weekend, killing about 1,000 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

Nine hundred and 57 people were killed and 49 still missing, according to the national disaster agency, with most of the casualties in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in the Mindanao region.

Aquino held meetings with officials in the two cities worst hit by water, mud and logs that swept down mountains as residents in riverside and coastal villages slept in the early hours of Saturday.

"First priority is to relocate to areas that no longer pose a danger to them," Aquino said at a meeting with officials in Cagayan de Oro, as he vowed action to prevent another tragedy of the same magnitude.

The disaster agency said more than 338,000 people in 13 provinces were affected by the disaster, with nearly 43,000 still in evacuation centres.

Read more: Guardian

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Wyvern Media News: Government close to pensions deal with millions of public sector workers as unions resolve to bring Britain to its knees collapses

Union resistance over vital Government pension reforms was crumbling last night – just three weeks after a ‘national strike’ failed to bring the country to a standstill.
Health service union Unison and civil service union Prospect said they had agreed in principle to a deal they condemned as unacceptable only last month.

Local government unions also indicated they have lost enthusiasm for causing a new ‘Winter of Discontent’.And the major teaching unions drew back from their position of outright hostility to the reforms – although they stopped short of signing a deal last night.
Emerging from talks, Christine Blower, general-secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said negotiators had ‘reserved our position’ and would resume negotiations next month.

Read more: Dailymail

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Wyvern media News: Strict new mortgage rules will make it harder for thousands to free up cash from their homes

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners may be barred from using their home as a piggy bank to pay off debts under tough new rules.
Strict tests will ensure that they can afford such schemes to take out equity, which have been a popular way for many to raise extra funds.
Crucially, homeowners will no longer be able to bank on rising house prices to pay off the bill.

Read more: Dailymail

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Wyvern Media News: Now Germany woos Britain over EU rift: PM's defiance rewarded as Merkel's man snubs Sarko

Germany launched an extraordinary charm offensive to try to get Britain back to the EU negotiating table last night despite George Osborne’s refusal to contribute billions to a Brussels begging bowl.
Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister, used a visit to London to extend an olive branch, lavishing praise on the UK as an ‘indispensable partner’ and promising a ‘hands-off’ approach to our financial services industry.
There are increasing signs Germany is prepared to go behind France’s back and contemplate giving David Cameron the special protections for the City of London that were refused at a crunch summit this month, prompting the Prime Minister to veto an EU-wide power-sharing treaty.
Mr Westerwelle, speaking alongside Foreign Secretary William Hague, promised a prosperous future for the City. He said Germany wanted the EU’s next steps to involve all 27 member states, adding: ‘My main message is for the British people – you can count on us, and we can count on you.

Read more: Dailymail

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Wyvern Media news: New mother left in bloodied sheets for three days and given no food for 24 hours as hospital staff 'just could not cope'

A new mother says she was left in blood-stained sheets for three days and given no food for 24 hours after having a caesarean section.
Elspeth Kirk, 29, said the birth of her first child Ava turned into a nightmare as desperately overstretched hospital staff struggled to cope.
Mrs Kirk, a teacher from Westcliff, Essex, was admitted to Southend Hospital in Essex on December 7 and had a caesarean section the following day.
It was when she was then moved to the recovery ward that her troubles began.

Read more: Dailey mail

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Wyvern Media News: Rail fares to rise faster than inflation

Train fares will rise by an average of 5.9% in January, the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc) has said.

The increase is higher than the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation, which was 5.2% in November.

Michael Roberts, chief executive of Atoc, said: "Money raised through fares helps pay for new trains, faster services and better stations.

"The longstanding government approach to sustaining rail investment is to cut the contribution from taxpayers and increase the share paid for by passengers.

"The industry is working together to continue cutting costs as a way to help limit future fare rises and offer better value for money for taxpayers over the longer term."

The shadow transport secretary, Maria Eagle, said: "Ministers have shown how completely out of touch they are with the rising costs of commuting by failing to stick to the tough rules Labour established in government to prevent train companies from increasing some ticket prices by more than the fare cap.

Read more: Guardian

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Wyvern Media News: UK Refuses To Give To IMF's EU Bailout Fund

Wyvern Media News: UK Refuses To Give To IMF's EU Bailout Fund

Chancellor George Osborne has refused to contribute to the IMF's bailout fund for the EU, Sky News has learned.

Mr Osborne told his EU colleagues he will not provide any cash to boost the 200bn euro fund, which is specifically aimed at the troubled eurozone.
The conference call with 26 other EU finance ministers lasted three hours but ended without Britain's agreement to put in up to 50bn euros.
Mr Osborne insisted that while Britain was ready to take part in global efforts to bolster the IMF's coffers, it would not participate in a fund only aimed at the beleaguered eurozone region.

Read more - Sky News

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Wyvern media News: Top Brass Set For Axe In Latest MoD Cuts

Wyvern media News: Top Brass Set For Axe In Latest MoD Cuts

Hundreds of senior officers and civil servants at the Ministry of Defence are to be axed as part of widespread redundancies next year.

The move corrects an imbalance that had attracted ridicule and criticism that the department was bloated with top brass.
Critics had pointed out that the UK funds as many as three or four times as many officers as the US Marine Corps despite the British armed forces now being about the same size.
The MoD will cut some 700 senior officers above the rank of colonel next year and another 335 before 2020, according to a report in the Guardian.

The latest cuts will be announced on January 17.
Plans to cut up to 60,000 posts from the military and MoD civil servants over the next seven years have already been unveiled.
The regular army is expected to come down to 82,000 men and women, with another 40,000 serving in the territorial reserves.

The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force will cut at least 7,000.
But it is the cuts to the top brass which will have a dramatic effect on major generals, rear admirals and air vice marshals - not least because those who have jobs that cannot be abolished will be replaced by much cheaper civil servants if there is no reason to suggest that a military officer can do the job.

Read more: Sky News

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Wyvern media News: Big firms let off £25BILLION in taxes: As families are chased for every penny, corporate giants dodge their massive bills

Britain's biggest firms owe the taxman up to £25.5billion, but are regularly let off the hook, MPs say today.
The sum is equivalent to £1,000 for every British family - or the equivalent of 6p being cut from the basic rate of income tax.
While families, shopkeepers and small businesses are forced to pay their bills in full, big businesses are striking favourable deals and have an 'far too cosy' relationship with HM Revenue and Customs.

Read more: Dailymail

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Wyvern media News:The Dear Dead Leader: Body of Kim Jong Il placed in glass coffin as weeping mourners gather to honour North Korean dictator

The body of North Korean ruler Kim Jong Il has been laid in state in a glass coffin as weeping mourners filled public squares in the country.
State television showed still images of the 'dear leader's' body in its open coffin, surrounded by wreaths and covered with a red blanket.
Kim Jong Un - his third son and successor - paid his respects to his father along with top military and Workers' Party officials during a 'solemn ceremony'.

Read more: Dailymail

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Monday, 19 December 2011

Wyvern Media News: Chancellor Poised To Back Banking Shake-Up

Wyvern Media News: Chancellor Poised To Back Banking Shake-Up

Chancellor George Osborne is expected to back plans to shake up the banking industry despite warnings that the move could harm the economy.

The Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) has proposed lenders should be forced to split their retail and investment banking arms to help prevent future bailouts.
The reforms could cost the sector up to £7bn, prompting fears they will slow lending at a time when the economy is in danger of sliding into recession.
The move will also heighten speculation that some banks will move their head offices away from London, depriving the UK of jobs and tax revenues.
But the proposals are expected to be supported by Mr Osborne in Parliament today.
The news saw shares in Britain's leading banks fall in early morning trade on Monday.
HSBC was down by 1% and Lloyds dropped 1.8%, while Barclays and the part-nationalised lenders Royal Bank of Scotland both fell 1.9%.

Read more - Sky News

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Wyvern Media: Worrying Times For North Korea's Neighbours

Wyvern Media: Worrying Times For North Korea's Neighbours

North Korea is not known for its transparency at the best of times, and the coming weeks will not be the best of times.
Although the indications are that the son will follow the father, no-one knows what the son will do to make his mark, nor how much the generals will allow him to really be in charge.
The leaders of South Korea and Japan held a joint telephone discussion with US President Barack Obama.
The United States has great concerns about North Korea, not just because of its historical memory of the Korean War, but because the latest generation of North Korean ballistic missiles can reach Alaska, and, because North Korea is thought to have nuclear weapons.
South Korea, still technically at war with the North, convened its National Security Council and put its military on alert.

Read more - Sky News

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Wyvern Media News: Kim Death - US Monitors 'Uncertain' North

Wyvern Media News: Kim Death - US Monitors 'Uncertain' North

The United States is scrambling to assess whether the death of Kim Jong-il will harm fledgling signs of improving relations between the two old enemies.

Officials in the Obama administration said the situation was "uncertain" and frantic late night meetings aimed at calibrating the US response have taken place in Washington.
In a brief holding statement, the White House said: "We remain committed to stability on the Korean peninsula, and to the freedom and security of our allies."

President Barack Obama made a midnight phone call to South Korean president Lee Myung-bak to discuss developments north of the border.

Read more -Sky News

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Wyvern media News: Police Response To Riots Was Flawed

Police were slow to react when riots broke out in August - putting too few officers on the streets and allowing the violence to spiral out of control, a new Government report has said.

The Home Affairs Select Committee's report found the operation to police the disorder in many towns and cities, and especially in London, was "flawed".
Forces were not quick enough in flooding the streets with officers, there was no system to give businesses in areas affected by the riots early and consistent advice on what to do, and the arrangements for loaning officers from one force to another need to be reviewed, it said.
"What ultimately worked in quelling the disorder was increasing the number of police officers on the street," the report said.

Read more: Sky News

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Wyvern media News: Police Response To Riots Was Flawed

Police were slow to react when riots broke out in August - putting too few officers on the streets and allowing the violence to spiral out of control, a new Government report has said.

The Home Affairs Select Committee's report found the operation to police the disorder in many towns and cities, and especially in London, was "flawed".
Forces were not quick enough in flooding the streets with officers, there was no system to give businesses in areas affected by the riots early and consistent advice on what to do, and the arrangements for loaning officers from one force to another need to be reviewed, it said.
"What ultimately worked in quelling the disorder was increasing the number of police officers on the street," the report said.

Read more: Sky News

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Tuesday, 13 December 2011

Wyvern Media Movie Releases: Recommended Links

Wyvern Media News: Recommended Links

Check out our recommended links.
Wyvern Media Information Group
Wyvern Media Movie Releases
Wyvern In Media
Wyvern Media Game Releases
Wyvern Media Information Group

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Monday, 12 December 2011

Wyvern Media News - RBS woes caused by poor decisions, says FSA

Wyvern Media News - RBS woes caused by poor decisions, says FSA

Royal Bank of Scotland nearly collapsed in 2008 because of poor management decisions, inadequate regulation and a flawed supervisory system, a Financial Services Authority report says.

The FSA admits that its own supervision was "flawed" and "provided insufficient challenge" to RBS.

And it says RBS had too weak a capital position to proceed with the takeover of parts of the Dutch bank ABN Amro.

The £49bn purchase took place at the height of the financial crisis in 2007.

Job losses

BBC business editor Robert Peston said: "The costs of the debacle have been enormous.

"Taxpayers had to rescue the bank by injecting £45.5bn into the bank - and are currently sitting on a loss of more than £25bn on this investment."

He added that "although the FSA concedes that the regulation and supervision of banks was 'deficient' and 'flawed', these shortcomings were not negligence".

Read more: BBC

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Wyvern Media news - Christmas will push third of UK into debt, says YouGov

Wyvern Media News - Christmas will push third of UK into debt, says YouGov

Almost one in three people in the UK will go into debt over the Christmas period, according to a YouGov survey.

The survey of 2,015 adults suggests 11% of Britons will lose track of spending, with 31% going into some form of debt to fund Christmas-related costs.

Of these, it suggests 58% will rely more heavily on their credit cards and most of the remainder will cover their costs by using overdraft facilities.

Banking software company Intelligent Environments commissioned the survey.

It found that Britons aged between 25 and 34 struggled the most with money, with 64% facing debts or arrears of some kind.

The survey also found more than a quarter of people - 26% - now go into overdraft at least once a month.

YouGov carried out the online survey between 22 and 24 November 2011. Its figures have been rated to reflect Britain's population aged 18 and over.

Source - BBC

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Wyvern Media News - Panasonic to launch smartphone in Europe

Wyvern Media News - Panasonic to launch smartphone in Europe

Panasonic smartphone is yet to be named.

The company announced that it will launch the smartphone in Europe in 2012. The Android phone will launch in March, and will head to the United States and Asia afterwards.

The company also has plans for its near future in the smartphone business, aiming to sell 16 million units in the year to March 2006, with 5 million of those sold abroad.

"We are well aware of our powerful competitors," said Toshinori Hoshi, head of the company's mobile communications unit. "However, market shares are changing dramatically and if we launch into this fast-changing market, we believe we have a chance of a hit."

Panasonic is aiming for a very small chunk of the market, which IDC predicts will grow to 472 million units in 2011, an increase of 55 percent. By 2015, IDC sees the growth at 982 million units.

Panasonic's new handset features a 4.3-inch OLED screen, and is aimed at business users aged 30 and up.

Source - Afterdawn

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Wyvern Media News - British MP wants discussion on violent games

Wyvern Media News - British MP wants discussion on violent games

Keith Vaz, Member of Parliament for Leicester East, has called on the House of Commons to debate over the effects of violent video games. Vaz cited a recently published study that demonstrated effects on the brain from playing video games.

"Could we have a debate next week about the harmful effects of violent video games?" he requested. "Last week, the university of Indiana published research that showed that regularly playing those games resulted in physical changes in the brain."

Unfortunately, the study that Vaz is referring to is already being heavily criticised. The funding for the study came from The Center for Successful Parenting, which has a stated goal to change, "our culture to protect children from unhealthy media in all formats."

Critics say that the study is broadly anti-video games, but that didn't stop Keith Vaz from citing it anyway, as others surely will.

"At a time when parents are thinking of purchasing video games for Christmas, does the right honest Gentleman not think that it is important to hold a debate on this matter?" asked Vaz. "This is not about censorship - it is about protecting our children."

Sourece - Afterdawn

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Wyvern Media News - Texting and driving becoming an epidemic

Wyvern Media News - Texting and driving becoming an epidemic

According to the latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting while driving keeps increasing, most notably among younger drivers.

50 percent of American drivers between 21-24 have admitted to emailing or texting while driving, even though it is illegal in 35 states.

The study says in 2010 there were 3092 deaths caused by driver distractions that included texting and eating meals.

Additionally, the agency stakes out intersections and manually tallies how many distracted drivers they see, and that number jumped to 1 in every 100 in 2010.

Overall, the study of 6000, showed that 20 percent of those who responded would answer a phone call or would send a text while driving.

55 percent said distracted driving made no difference to their driving, but 90 percent said when they were passengers they felt unsafe if the driver was distracted.

Despite doing so themselves, most of those surveyed were all for banning handheld electronics in the car or steep fines above $100

Source - Afterdawn

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Wyvern Media News - North Korean despot threatens to shoot down 100ft ‘Christmas tree’ erected near border by enemy South

Wyvern Media News - North Korean despot threatens to shoot down 100ft ‘Christmas tree’ erected near border by enemy South

Atheist North Korea has threatened to shoot out the lights of a giant Christmas tree-shaped tower that South Korea plans to illuminate near the tense border.
The Communist North warned its southern enemy of ‘unexpected consequences’ if it went ahead to turn on the lights, saying Seoul would bear the ‘entire responsibilities’.
South Korea plans to illuminate about 100,000 lights on the 100ft-tall steel tower in the shape of a Christmas tree at the top of Aegibong Hill, located some two miles from the border with North Korea.

It is thought that North Korea is concerned the lights will be regarded as a sign of the affluence of the South and will weaken the regime’s ideological control of its hungry people.
The North Korean website Uriminjokkiri has denounced the Christmas lights plan, saying it is aimed at provoking the North and stepping up anti-North Korea psychological warfare.
It is the second year in a row that the lights will be illuminated. The North threatened last year that it would fire artillery at the tower but nothing happened.
However this year the North has stepped up its warnings.

The Christmas tower used to be an annual event until 2003, after which it was suspended as part of a 2004 agreement not to spread propaganda near the demilitarised zone during a period of relative calm between the two nations.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

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Wyvern Media news - Questions over Skype security flaw

Wyvern Media news - Questions over Skype security flaw

The NYU-Poly website is reporting on an issue with how Skype calling works that can allow an attacker to retrieve the IP address of another user easily. Of course, callers using VoIP systems can obtain the IP address of another user when establishing a call with that person, but there are problems with how easily this can be done using Skype and any other user.

A malicious user could, for example, initiate a Skype call, block some packets and then quickly terminate the call. In that case, they could obtain the IP address of the target user with alerting them with any pop-up window or ringing sound.

To make it worse, the user does not have to be on a contact list, and the trick works even when a user has configured Skype to block calls from non-contacts. These days, IP addresses can be fed to a number of commercial geo-IP mapping services to determine location information, in cases.

Source - Afterdawn

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Wyvern media News - With Election Days Closing In, GOP Candidates Target Front-Runners

Wyvern media News - With Election Days Closing In, GOP Candidates Target Front-Runners

Newt Gingrich is the "king of K Street" and Mitt Romney is the "big-government candidate" in the Republican presidential primary race, says Michele Bachmann, whose pointed and laser-like attacks on the front-runners mark the latest effort by the primary candidates to take down their rivals.

With just over three weeks until the first nominating contest, Bachmann -- as well as other contenders, Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman -- are vying to get a leg up over Gingrich, who has taken the recent lead in polling, and Romney, who has cast himself as the de facto nominee to challenge President Obama when all is said and done.

And with the clock ticking before the early voting begins, the candidates have sharpened their tongues and targeted the top-tier in a way that has largely been avoided until recently.

"We know that (Gingrich) has taken over $100 million. His offices are on the Rodeo Drive of Washington called K Street. He's the king of K Street," the Minnesota congresswoman said.

"And so for a person who has been influence peddling for over 30 years in Washington, D.C., to think that Newt Gingrich is somehow an outsider, when he's the consummate establishment insider, he's the big government candidate just like Mitt Romney is the big government candidate, that's not what we want in our nominee. It doesn't even survive the falling off the chair laughing test," Bachmann continued.

Wyvern Media News - Taking the Kids to Pearl Harbor

Wyvern Media News - Taking the Kids to Pearl Harbor

Trash or Treasure? That might seem like a strange question to ask children visiting Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial, the final resting place for the majority of the ship's 1,177 crewman who died on Dec. 7, 1941.

But this month as we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the attack, the question is one of many in the updated and first-rate Junior Ranger Program for the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument that helps children make meaningful connections during a visit here. Many families coming to Hawaii skip Oahu entirely. They shouldn't. Maybe now with Disney's new Aulani Resort more families will be encouraged to linger here.

There is much to see and do on Oahu beyond Waikiki, starting of course, with a visit to Pearl Harbor, which is about a 45-minute drive west of Waikiki. More than 2,400 people, military personnel and civilian, died on that fateful day, another 1,178 were wounded in the horrific surprise attack and ensuing battle, which lasted less than two hours.

Kids who have grown up post-9/11 can relate to a sneak attack that wreaked such havoc and changed their world. Opt for the new self-guided audio tour narrated by actress Jamie Lee Curtis, which features the voices of many Pearl Harbor survivors (rentals are $7.50).

For those who can't visit, Pacific Historic Parks has a Witness to History program, a free distance-learning session using video conferencing. You can also order books for children from the online bookstore (or download the Remembering the Pacific podcast.).

Read more: foxnews

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Wyvern Media News - Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister to Meet at White House to Discuss Relations Post Troop Withdrawal

Wyvern Media News - Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister to Meet at White House to Discuss Relations Post Troop Withdrawal

WASHINGTON – With the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq in its final days, President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri-al Maliki will meet at the White House Monday to discuss the next phase of the relationship between their countries.

They will have plenty to discuss.

The withdrawal of all American troops on Dec. 31 marks the end of an eight year war that has been deeply divisive in both the U.S. and Iraq. While Obama and al-Maliki have pledged to maintain strong ties, the contours of the partnership between Washington and Baghdad remain murky, especially with Iran eager to assert influence over neighboring Iraq. And serious questions remain about Iraq's capacity to stabilize both its politics and security.

Yet the end of the war still marks a promise kept for Obama, one the White House is eager to promote. In addition to his meeting with al-Maliki, Obama will mark the milestone Wednesday when he speaks to troops at North Carolina's Fort Bragg. And he thanked service members and their families for their sacrifices on Saturday when he attended the annual Army-Navy football game.

As of late last week, the number of U.S. troops in Iraq had dwindled to about 8,000, down from 170,000 at the war's peak in 2007.

Monday's meeting between Obama and al-Maliki is expected to focus heavily on how the U.S. and Iraq will continue to cooperate on security issues without the presence of American troops. Iraqi leaders have said they want U.S. military training help for their security forces but have been unable to agree on what type of help they'd like or what protections they would be willing to give American trainers.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com

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Wyvern Media News - Beijing has finally approved the Apple smartphone

In China, before a device can be allowed onto Chinese networks, it must first be approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

With the new approval, China Unicom should begin selling the device soon, although the carrier has not provided a timeline except to say "this month."

The approved model is compatible with GSM, WCDMA, HSDPA / HSUPA, Bluetooth, and WAPI (WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure), says MIC.

China Unicom will sell the smartphone for 4999 yuan ($790 USD) without contract.

Source - After Dawn

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Wyvern Media News - Nick Clegg lashes out at PM and vows to rebuild ties with Europe

Wyvern Media News - Nick Clegg lashes out at PM and vows to rebuild ties with Europe

Wyvern Media News reports,

Nick Clegg promised to rebuild the government's shattered relationship with the rest of Europe and risked opening a coalition rift by going public with his "bitter disappointment" at David Cameron's decision to block a new EU agreement.

The deputy prime minister said Britain risked becoming "isolated and marginalised" from the European mainstream and, along with senior Liberal Democrats, spent the weekend contacting European leaders in a "strategy for re-engagement to recover lost ground", according to a senior government source.

Several high-profile figures, including the former leader Paddy Ashdown and the party president, Tim Farron, joined Clegg in a wide-ranging attack on Cameron's resort to a British veto.

Clegg will hold a meeting with business leaders this week to convince them "they had not completely had the door shut", according to an aide. There is growing concern that the 26 EU countries who agreed on greater fiscal integration last week will now be able to strike deals affecting British banks and businesses.

The business secretary, Vince Cable, who warned the prime minister in Cabinet last Monday against the strategy he went on to follow in Brussels, is concerned that global companies including banks and pension funds will now shun investments in the UK, having previously favoured it as a "gateway" to the continent.

Clegg was biting in his critique of developments in Brussels but spoke of correcting the path chosen by Cameron by getting "back into the saddle". "I'm bitterly disappointed by the outcome of last week's summit, precisely because I think now there is a danger that the UK will be isolated and marginalised within the European Union," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

Describing his reaction when Cameron phoned him at 4am on Friday with news of the veto, the Lib Dem leader said: "I said this was bad for Britain. I made it clear that it was untenable for me to welcome it."

Tense discussions took place within and between the coalition parties, focusing on the slim chance that Britain could be back "in the room", if not actually involved, in the continuing talks on the deal. Clegg indicated he would be working in this area, hardening his rhetoric from the conciliatory tone in the immediate aftermath of the deal. Echoing the former Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell, he said: "I will fight, fight and fight again for Britain's long-term interests to make sure they are enhanced and not undermined."

Clegg said he would do "everything I can to ensure this setback does not become a permanent divide".

"As more summits and meetings occur, there will be other opportunities ahead to seek to exercise some influence."

The foreign secretary, William Hague, took issue with Clegg's description, telling Sky News: "We are not marginalised, I don't agree. I don't use the terminology 'two-speed Europe' – that implies there is one group getting on with something more quickly than another group." Senior Conservatives say the Lib Dem obsession with being "in the room" is facile.

No 10 sources were more conciliatory, saying the Tories would give the Lib Dems a chance to express their dismay and allow Clegg some room to deal with backbench and activist anger. A spokesman for Cameron suggested Clegg's comments may have been addressed to the "Eurosceptic right of the Conservative party". He said: "His comments were a warning across the bows to them that this is not step one to withdrawal which also remains our position. However it's no secret there are differences of approach."

Clegg's aides say he spoke out because he had been alarmed by the language of Tories who believe the veto is a precursor to eventual withdrawal from Europe. The deputy prime minister said those welcoming the outcome of the summit were "spectacularly misguided".

"There's nothing bulldog about Britain hovering somewhere in the mid-Atlantic, not standing tall in Europe, not being taken seriously in Washington," he said, warning that the UK was "retreating further to the margins" of Europe.

Clegg said if he had been at the summit then "of course things would have been different". He added: "I'm not under the same constraints from my parliamentary party that clearly David Cameron is."

Lib Dems pleaded for the prime minister to avoid triumphalism in his statement to the Commons after a weekend of celebrations by Eurosceptic backbenchers. A Downing Street source said Cameron's address would be consistent with the calm tone of his comments so far.

According to one source, the pro-European justice minister Ken Clarke has discussed resigning over Cameron's stance. Clarke aides deny this. Another suggestion that Cable might also resign was also denied as "categorically untrue".

Speaking on Radio Nottingham, Clarke said: "I think it's a disappointing, very surprising, outcome. There will be a big statement made by the prime minister on Monday. I shall be sitting there listening, but I also will be discussing what we are going to do between now and then."

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Friday, 9 December 2011

Wyvern Media News: U.S. officials, analysts differ on whether drone in Iran TV video is real

Wyvern Media News: U.S. officials, analysts differ on whether drone in Iran TV video is real

Wyvern Media News reports that,

Iranian TV aired images Thursday of what it says is a U.S. stealth drone that went down in Iran last week, an apparently intact RQ-170 drone propped on a pedestal and triumphantly displayed.

"Military experts are well aware how precious the technological information of this drone is," said Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Aerospace Forces, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.

There was disagreement among Pentagon officials about whether the drone in the video is real. Military and intelligence officials were analyzing the Iran television footage.

One U.S. official said right now the U.S. can't be certain it's the real stealth drone, because U.S. personnel don't have access to it. But he added there's no reason to think it's a fake.

However, a second senior U.S. military official said that a big question is to how the drone could have remained virtually intact given the high altitude it is believed to have crashed from.

Earlier Thursday, a Pentagon spokesman said the video is being examined.

"We've seen the imagery. There are folks that are looking at it," Capt. John Kirby told a news conference.

He and his fellow spokesman, George Little, would not comment further on whether the drone is the one that the U.S. military said went missing. They did say that the missing U.S. drone had not been recovered.

Read more:
http://edition.cnn.com

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Wyvern Media News: Hundreds arrested in child-trafficking ring bust

Wyvern Media News: Hundreds arrested in child-trafficking ring bust

Chinese police have busted two child-trafficking rings after a six-month nationwide investigation, rescuing 178 children and arresting 608 suspects, the country's Ministry of Public Security announced this week.

Calling it "the biggest achievement since the launch of a national campaign against human trafficking," the ministry described in detail the joint effort of police forces in ten provinces in statement posted on its official website.

A traffic accident in May in southwestern Sichuan Province unexpectedly led the authorities to a network of child-traffickers headed by man named Cai Lianchao, the ministry said.

In August, police in southeastern Fujian Province uncovered another human trafficking ring led by a woman named Chen Xiumei, according to the statement.

After gathering initial evidence on the two rings that kidnapped and sold children across China, the ministry said 5,000 police officers conducted a highly coordinated nationwide investigation for several more months before finally arresting the suspects last week.

Officials placed rescued children in local orphanages while they tried to reunite them with their families, the ministry said. It added that female police officers were dispatched to take care of the children, some of whom were being treated for illnesses.

Read more:
http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com

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Wyvern Media News: Captive ex-FBI agent Robert Levinson pleads for help

Wyvern Media News: Captive ex-FBI agent Robert Levinson pleads for help

Wyvern Media News reports,

Reporters who have seen the video said Mr Levinson looked haggard and thin. He says has been treated well but is badly in need of on medicine for his diabetes.

"I am not in very good health," he says. "I am running very quickly out of diabetes medicine."

The footage shows Robert Levinson appealing to the United States government to “answer the requests of the group” holding him.

Taken in November 2010, it was seen soon afterwards by the Associated Press, which complied with official requests not to report its existence in case doing so threatened negotiations.

It has not yet been released publicly, but with relations between the US and Iran deteriorating, Mr Levinson’s wife is said to be about to distribute it soon in a bid to win his release.

Read More:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk

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Wyvern Media News:Eurozone countries go it alone with new treaty that excludes Britain

Wyvern Media News:Eurozone countries go it alone with new treaty that excludes Britain

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Britain is facing isolation in Europe after David Cameron vetoed a revision of the Lisbon treaty, prompting a majority of EU members to agree to draw up their own deal outside the architecture of the union.
In one of the most significant developments in Britain's 38-year membership of the EU, the British prime minister said early on Friday morning he could not allow a "treaty within a treaty" that would undermine the UK's position in the single market.
The move marked a victory for Nicolas Sarkozy, who had been pressing for an inter-governmental agreement among the 17 members of the eurozone to underpin tough new fiscal rules for the single currency. "We could not accept this," he said of Cameron's demands.
The French president, who has been pressing for the formalisation of a "two-speed Europe", was pleased on Friday when the number of EU member states indicating their support for a separate treaty reached 23. Britain was joined by Sweden, which rejected euro membership in a referendum, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, who had hoped to agree a revision of the Lisbon treaty, said she believed the accord would stabilise the euro. "I have always said, the 17 states of the eurogroup have to regain credibility," she said. "And I believe with today's decisions this can and will be achieved."

Wyvern Media News

Read More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk

Thursday, 8 December 2011

Wyvern Media News: David Cameron faces another revolt from the ranks as Tory rebels demand referendum on euro deal

Wyvern Media News: David Cameron faces another revolt from the ranks as Tory rebels demand referendum on euro deal

David Cameron is facing a further Conservative revolt over Europe after a Cabinet minister and the Mayor of London told him he must hold a referendum on the fiscal union being created to save the euro.

Growing Conservative anger over Europe will be further inflamed today by a German rejection of Britain’s demand that the eurozone rescue deal must include legal protections for the City of London.

Owen Paterson, the Northern Ireland Secretary, broke ranks by declaring that backing a more integrated eurozone would make it “inevitable” that the Prime Minister would have to give voters a say.

Boris Johnson, the London Mayor, said Mr Cameron would have “absolutely no choice” but to hold a referendum. EU leaders were “in danger of saving the cancer and not the patient”, he said.

Mr Cameron also suffered embarrassment in the Commons as his backbenchers repeatedly challenged his European strategy, telling him to fight harder to win back powers from Brussels. Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, mocked the Prime Minister for failing to deliver on promises.

Wyvern Media News: Grassley Calls for Top Justice Official's Resignation Over Gunrunning Operations

Wyvern Media News: Grassley Calls for Top Justice Official's Resignation Over Gunrunning Operations

Sen. Charles Grassley called Wednesday for one of Attorney General Eric Holder's top deputies to resign over controversial federal gunrunning probes, becoming the highest-ranking lawmaker to demand a Justice Department resignation over the scandal.

In a fiery speech on the Senate floor, Grassley called for Lanny Breuer, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Criminal Division, to step down.

Grassley, R-Iowa, who as ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee has been investigating the Fast and Furious case for nearly a year, said it is "past time for accountability" at the senior levels of the Justice Department.

He accused Breuer of withholding information about gunwalking operations inside the department.

"Mr. Breuer has lost my confidence in his ability to effectively serve the Justice Department," Grassley said.

Grassley cited two specific complaints about Breuer's involvement in two separate gunrunning probes.

First, he accused Breuer of withholding information from Congress and the attorney general after he learned in April 2010 about an earlier gunwalking operation during the latter years of the George W. Bush administration called Wide Receiver. He claimed that had Breuer spoken up, the subsequent operation known as Fast and Furious could have been stopped.

Wyvern Media News: Ditch Payroll Tax Cut, Bring Back Stimulus Credit

As Congress wrangles over how and whether to extend the payroll tax cut, a prominent budget analyst is urging Washington to scrap the plan altogether and return to the stimulus-era credit that the payroll tax cut replaced.

Roberton Williams, a senior fellow with the Tax Policy Center, this week called on lawmakers to revive the so-called Making Work Pay tax credit in lieu of continuing the payroll provision.

The credit was the tax benefit for working-class families included in the 2009 stimulus. Congress did not extend the credit at the end of 2010, voting instead to approve a 2-point reduction in the payroll tax.

Williams argued at the time that the tax-cut swap would end up hurting the working poor, claiming the stimulus credit was more valuable for them than the payroll provision. Now that the payroll tax cut is set to expire, Williams said Congress should seize the opportunity to reverse course and bring back Making Work Pay.

"It's got more bang for the buck because it directs more money to people who will spend it," he told FoxNews.com.

The logic behind Williams' argument is as follows:

The stimulus credit gave single workers up to $400 a year, and couples up to $800. Many workers got the full amount, provided they reported a nominal income over the course of the year.

Wyvern Media News: Russia's anti-Putin protests grow

Wyvern Media News: Russia's anti-Putin protests grow

Russia's anti-government protest movement has gathered momentum as tens of thousands of people said they were prepared to take to the streets this weekend in the biggest challenge to Vladimir Putin's rule.

With concern inside the Kremlin growing, Putin and Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's president, met their security council, including the interior and defence ministers, the head of the federal security service (FSB) and the country's foreign intelligence chief, to discuss the situation.

Helicopters hovered in the skies over Moscow, while the police presence on the streets of the Russian capital remained strong following two protests that led to hundreds of people arrested.

The movement was triggered by a disputed parliamentary election result that protesters say wildly overstated the popularity of Putin's United Russia party.

Mikhail Gorbachev, the former premier who oversaw the end of the Soviet Union, on Wednesday called on the Russian authorities to annul the election result and hold a new vote. "More and more people are starting to believe that the election results are not fair," he told the Interfax news agency. "I believe that ignoring public opinion discredits the authorities and destabilises the situation."

Wyvern Media News: The rise and fall of the euro

Wyvern Media News: The rise and fall of the Euro

Just one decade after the European single currency was launched amid fanfare and fireworks, its future is now in doubt as the debt crisis that has engulfed Greece, Ireland and Portugal threatens the entire bloc.

As European leaders prepare to meet in Brussels Friday for a summit aimed at hammering out a solution, Olli Rehn, Europe's commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, last week warned there were just 10 days left to solve the crisis.

And unless the politicians reach a consensus, many economists believe there is a serious risk the eurozone crisis could trigger a global slump. Some even go further -- Alain Juppe, ex-French prime minister, told French media last week that the crisis "raises the spectre of a return to violent conflict on our continent."

Many analysts saw it all coming of course, arguing that one fiscal system could never work for 17 countries and more than 330 million people.

Thursday, 1 December 2011

Wyvern Media News: David Cameron condemns Jeremy Clarkson's 'silly' execution rant over strike

Wyvern Media News:

David Cameron condemns Jeremy Clarkson's 'silly' execution rant over strike.

Jeremy Clarkson was "silly" to suggest that public sector workers should be executed for striking over reforms to their pensions, David Cameron has said.

The Prime Minister criticised his Top Gear presenter friend's remarks that civil servants should be shot "in front of their families" for taking part in Wednesday's mass walkout.

"That’s obviously a silly thing to say and I’m sure he didn’t mean that. I didn’t see the remark but I’m sure it’s a silly thing to say," Mr Cameron said.

The BBC was forced to apologise after the television presenter and newspaper columnist launched a withering attack on striking workers on the corporation's The One Show.

Asked during his interview, what he would do with strikers, Clarkson, 51, replied: "I would have them all shot".
He added: "I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families.

Read More:
www.telegraph.co.uk

Wyvern Media News: Mervyn King warns UK banks must build financial strength

Wyvern Media News:

Mervyn King warns UK banks must build financial strength

Bank of England governor calls for bonus and dividend restraint to help cope with 'exceptionally threatening environment' posed by the eurozone crisis.

Britain's banks need to restrain bonuses and dividends to build up their financial strength in the face of the "exceptionally threatening environment" posed by the eurozone crisis, according to the Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King.

In a stark acknowledgement that it was difficult to predict the outcome of the ongoing sovereign debt crisis, King admitted that he did not know how much capital banks would need to hold to build confidence and conceded that a credit crunch had already begun in the single currency area.

Presenting his half-yearly health check of the financial system, King stated that characteristics of a "systemic crisis" were already visible and that banks might even need to turn to their shareholders to raise more capital – even though they were already meeting all the regulatory requirements.

Citing continuing threats to the financial system, he conceded that he was calling on banks to bolster their financial strength – even though they were already much stronger than their rivals in mainland Europe.

Speaking the day after central banks around the world had stunned financial markets by pledging to make it easier for banks to be able to fund themselves, King stressed that the authorities were drawing up contingency plans for a breakup for the eurozone. But he refused to disclose what the plans might entail. "It's not a single event and none of us really know," King said.

Read more:
www.guardian.co.uk

Wyvern Media News: Second iPhone 'explodes'

Wyvern Media News:

Second iPhone 'explodes'

A second iPhone has reportedly exploded in Brazil on a bedside table.

Domestic airline Regional Express Airlines said the iPhone glowed red and emitted 'thick smoke' after the plane landed in Sydney Photo: ALAMY

The phone short circuited and started to burn 15 inches from a man's face as he slept, the online news website Mashable reported.

Ayla Mota said he woke up to see sparks and black smoke coming from the iPhone 4.

The room filled with an "unbearable" smell, Mr Mota said, and he quickly removed the iPhone from the plug, opened windows, and turned on a fan to get rid of the smoke.

The incident came a day after Australian aviation authorities launched an investigation after an iPhone caught fire aboard a flight to Sydney.

The domestic airline Regional Express Airlines said the phone glowed red and emitted "thick smoke" after the plane landed in Sydney.

Read More: telegraph.co.uk

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