Playstation Network suspended 'for day or two'

Shear English - Millions of gamers are unable to play online as the Playstation Network remains unavailable. Users are seeing error messages stating the network is "undergoing maintenance" or is "suspended". In a blog post, makers Sony thanked users for their patience but warned the downtime - which has so far lasted more than 20 hours - could continue for "a day or two". In recent weeks, Playstation has been targeted by hackers group Anonymous. The group appeared to deny being responsible for the attack, releasing a message stating "for once we didn't do it". The network has more than 70 million users worldwide, but Sony were unable to clarify how many players had been affected. However, Twitter messages and blog posts have been posted...

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UK : Young Men Watch TWO HOURS of Porn Online Each Week

Shear English - Young men spend an average of two hours a week viewing pornography on the internet, a survey found. One in four men fear that they are watching too much X-rated content online. In contrast young women, aged between 18 and 24 watched an average of just 15 minutes of adult material each week. One in three light users, who spent less than an hour a week viewing porn, said they had missed a deadline or appointment as a result. But this figure rose to four out of five among the 4 per cent who were heavy users watching more than 10 hours a week - which is regarded as 'problematic and potentially compulsive' by doctors. The poll of more than 1,000 people aged 18 to 24 by BBC Radio One Newsbeat found that one in four men feared they were watching too much. It also showed...

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SBY Thanks Brunei Sultan for Patrol Vessels

Shear English - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has expressed gratitude to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam who has provided the Indonesian navy with two fast patrol vessels. At a meeting with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah at the Presidential Palace here on Thursday, President Yudhoyono said the Indonesian Navy would use the two light warships to help ensure maritime security. "The President expressed gratitude (to Sultan Bolkiah) for the Waspada class patrol vessels. He believes Brunei has granted them with the aim of enhancing bilateral cooperation," presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said. The two light warships renamed KRI Salawaku 642 and KRI Badau 643 have arrived in Indonesia. The warships are currently stationed at the navy port in Pontianak, West Kalimantan....

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Canada : School Secretary Outed as Porn Star Strips off Again

Shear English - A porn star school secretary who promised to give up her seedy secret double life has stripped off again after being sacked from her day job. Julie Gagnon, who goes by the stage name Samantha Ardente, made headlines around the world after being outed by a 14-year-old pupil from her school who recognised her in a porn film. The young mother was finally sacked from her job at Etchemins High School near Quebec City last week after news of her starring role in the film Serial Abusers 2 reached school management. Miss Gagnon, who has starred in five adult movies, had agreed to stop making them in a desperate bid to keep her job, but the school board claimed her film career 'was not compatible' with her position. Despite being hopeful of regaining her school job after launching...

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Apple iPhone Secretly Records Owners' Every Move

Shear English - Security researchers have discovered that Apple's iPhone keeps track of where you go - and saves every detail to a secret file on the device which is copied to the owner's computer when synchronised. The file contains the latitude and longitude of the phone's recorded coordinates along with a timestamp, meaning that anyone who stole the phone or the computer could discover details about the owner's movements using a simple program. For some phones, there could be almost a year's worth of data stored, as the recording of data seems to have started with Apple's iOS 4 update to the phone's operating system, released in June 2010. Pete Warden, one of the researchers, said: "Apple has made it possible for almost anybody ... with access to your phone or computer to get...

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Body of 'Dead Alien' Found in Frozen Wastes

Shear English - It just seems too strange to be true. But in the frozen wastes of Siberia two walkers claim to have found the body of an alien. On its side with its mouth slightly agape, the slender, badly-damage body lies half-buried in snow close to Irkutsk, Russia. The area is a known UFO hotspot and video of the alien's corpse has become a massive worldwide hit with hundreds of thousands of followers after being posted on the internet. The corpse of the badly-damaged creature which resembles ET is 2ft-high. Part of the right leg is missing and there are deep holes for eyes and a mouth in a skull-like head. UFO fans believe the body could have been left behind by ET visitors after an accident, or missed by Russian military alien experts clearing up after a crash. The area is a known...

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Subaru's New City SUV, the XV

Shear English - XV concept previews Japanese brand's latest soft-roader that's smaller than a Forester. Subaru will expand its range of SUVs with a city-sized soft-roader based on a new concept vehicle unveiled today at the 2011 Shanghai motor show. The XV concept is shorter and lower than the Japanese brand's most popular SUV, the Forester, and it will become its smallest SUV when it goes into production as expected. As the baby SUV in the Subaru family, the all-wheel-drive XV is powered by a 2.0-litre version of the company's horizontally opposed 'boxer' engine rather than the 2.5-litre unit employed in the Forester. It is linked to a step-less continuously variable transmission that started life in Subaru's Liberty/Outback models and is gradually replacing outdated four-speed...

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Volkswagen Reinvent The Beetle

Shear English - Volkswagen has reinvented its cult Beetle for the third time in 73 years. The ergonomic new design, which will be offered initially to U.S. customers, gives the car a flatter roof, a less bulbous shape, narrowed windows and a sharp crease along the side. It is the first overhaul of the Bug since 1998, when Volkswagen came up with the New Beetle, a curvaceous front-wheel drive version of the classic car. The new design is part of a drive by VW to increase sales Stateside. The car firm wants to triple U.S. sales of cars and trucks over the next decade. It said the changes to the Beetle - making it sportier and less 'cute' - will appeal to more buyers, and especially men. But there is speculation that VW's move could also anger devoted Beetle fans who love the four-seater...

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Peugeot’s SXC Luxury SUV Concept Could Point to Next-Generation BMW Rival

Shear English - Peugeot’s SXC luxury SUV concept could point to next-generation BMW rival. In text-talk, “SXC” is “sexy”. In Peugeot parley, however, “SXC” stands for the “Shanghai Cross Concept”. The French brand has unveiled its new SXC high-riding crossover model ahead of the Shanghai motor show this week, and it could be a big model for the company – in more ways than one. The SXC points the way to a new range-topping SUV for the French brand, a production version of which could go up against competitors such as BMW’s X5 and Audi’s Q7. The SXC soft-roader measures up about the same size as a BMW X5 for length at 4.87 metres (the X5 is 4.86m), but is noticeably more squat at 1.61m tall (the BMW is 1.78m). However, the SXC’s staggering 2.03m girth makes it broader-shouldered than...

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Indonesia Receives Two Warships from Brunei ("KRI Salawaku 642" and "KRI Badau 643")

Shear English - Indonesia has received two warships, "KRI Salawaku 642" and "KRI Badau 643" from Brunei Darussalam under a grant, which will join the West Fleet Command (ARMABAR). Brunei government officially handed over the two warships on April 15, 2011, (Navy) Maj Komaruddin, the commander of KRI Badau said here on Monday. Both ships were originally called "KDB (Kapal Perang Diraja Brunei) Waspada" and "KDB Pejuang" as part of the Royal Brunei Navy fleet, he said. In accordance with Decree of the Defense Forces (Military)Commander, "KDB Waspada" is now called "KRI Salawaku" with hull number 642 and "KDB Pejuang" is now "KRI Badau" with hull number 643. "The two ships are part of the rapid ship missile (KCR)," Maj Komaruddin said, adding that the ships were designed in...

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Balinese Dances to be Proposed as UNESCO's Best Practice

Shear English - Balinese dances and two other Indonesian cultural features have been proposed as UNESCO’s Best Practices in Indigenous Knowledge 2011 after Batik for that category in 2010. The proposal of Balinese dances, Papua’s Noken and the Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature Park (TMII) for inclusion in UNESCO’s Best Practices on Indigenous Knowledge 2011 was announced by TMII Director of Operation Ade Meliala during the Pesona Budaya Indonesia 2011 at TMII, East Jakarta, on Sunday. The Pesona Budaya Indonesia (Indonesian Fascinating Culture) 2011 was attended by Badung Regent Anak Agung Gde Agung, Badung Regency Secretary Kompyang R. Swandika and some other officials and members of Badung Regional Legislative Assembly (DPRD). Some Indonesian representatives of UNCESO also attended...

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Kate and William's First Baby Could be Queen

Shear English - Prince William and Kate Middleton's first child could take the throne regardless of their sex under changes being investigated by the Government. Nick Clegg is making inquiries into changing the rights of succession, which currently favour boys. The Deputy Prime Minister, who is responsible for constitutional reform, is looking into the possibility of removing 'male primogeniture'. Currently the first-born boy in a family takes precedence, even if he has an elder sister. Mr Clegg said today:'I think most people in this day and age would think it's worth considering whether we change the rules so that baby girl could become the future monarch. 'I think that would be in keeping with the changes that are happening with society as a whole.' However, Mr Clegg warned...

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Hopes Rise of New XR8

Shear English - Ford's hairy-chested XR8 Falcon is not dead yet, the company says. The model has been in limbo since last June, when production ceased after its 5.4-litre V8 fell victim to tougher emissions laws. But it could return early next year in more than one guise, aimed at swinging V8 voters who have switched allegiance to Holden. At the moment, Ford's performance arm, FPV, has the mortgage on V8 Falcons with its 5.0-litre supercharged GS, GT and GT-P sedans, which start from $56,990 plus on-road and dealer costs. But that leaves Holden's V8 SS Commodore unchallenged as the cheap entry point to a local V8 muscle car. It sells from $47,790. Ford Australia vice-president of marketing, sales and service, Beth Donovan, is adamant the project to revive the XR8 nameplate won't go...

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Bali Just Can't be Beaten (Fijis Beaches are Arguably Cleaner Than Balis, but the Indonesian Island Remains More Popular)

Shear English - No matter how hard it tries, Fiji can't overtake Bali as a destination for Australian holidaymakers. Fiji is cheaper than Bali - especially since Jetstar and Virgin's Pacific Blue started flying to Nadi in the past few years - and hours closer to Australia's big east-coast cities than its Indonesian rival but attracts only half the number of Australians to its shores. Fiji's beaches are arguably cleaner than Bali's and there are more surf breaks in more places but the bustle of the south of Bali island has proved a perennial magnet of greater overall appeal. The terrorist attacks of 2002 and 2005 aimed at foreigners in Bali fade in the memory as a record number of Australians head for the island. More than 600,000 of the 2.53 million travellers - about a quarter...

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Indonesia Cancels : As Indonesian Elite Force Apparoaches Somalia

Shear English - Indonesia has dispatched an elite military force to Somalia to rescue 20 Indonesian sailors who were hijacked by Somalian pirates together with their ship a month ago. Despite a media blitz in Jakarta, the Indonesian government had actually to cancel the hard option as the Kopassus and the Korp Marinir units were en route to the site where MV Sinar Kudus was held by Somali pirates. The force dispatched numbers to 401 personnel consisting of a combined unit of Kopassus and Korps Marinir (Marine Corps). The media had apparently been taken by surprise by what had been disclosed by Air Marshall (Rtd.) Djoko Suyanto, the Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security.  This story has not been made public by the government until Friday. There are two considerations...

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