Tuesday 21 November 2017

Rodney Bewes has died aged 79

The Likely Lads actor Rodney Bewes dies


Rodney Bewes

Rodney Bewes has died aged 79, his agent has confirmed.
The actor had a career spanning six decades and is best known for playing Bob Ferris in sitcom The Likely Lads.
His agent issued a statement saying: "It is with great sadness that we confirm that our dear client, the much-loved actor Rodney Bewes, passed away this morning."
The statement paid tribute to the actor, calling him a "true one-off" and a "brilliant storyteller".
"He had a funny anecdote for every occasion. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time. We will miss him terribly."
Bewes was originally from Bingley in Yorkshire but moved to Luton as a child.
Despite childhood asthma keeping him house-bound until the age of 12, he achieved his first role at the age of 14 and went on to study drama at RADA.
He gained fame in the 1960s and 1970s playing Bob Ferris in the BBC sitcom The Likely Lads, and in its sequel, Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads? - which drew audiences of up to 27m.
In 1984, he became a member of the Doctor Who cast during Peter Davison's run as the Time Lord, portraying a humanoid named Stien in Resurrection Of The Daleks.
He died six days before he would have celebrated his 80th birthday.
Bewes is survived by his four children - Billy, Joe, Tom and Daisy - and his two grandchildren, Oscar and Eliza.
Shane Allen, controller BBC Comedy, said Bewes was "beloved as one half of the great British sitcom partnerships of all time".
He added: "Audiences got to see him go from black and white to colour as the revival was a huge hit with audiences of all ages. It's one of the all-time great  sitcoms; timeless in its humour and will be enjoyed for decades to come."
Tributes have also been pouring in for the star on social media.
TV presenters Ant and Dec called Bewes a "fine comic actor".

YouTuber Jack Maynard has left I'm A Celebrity

Jack Maynard leaves I'm a Celebrity to defend himself


 Jack Maynard casually used the N-Word on his Twitter account before signing up for I'm A Celebrity

YouTuber Jack Maynard has left I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! due to "circumstances outside camp".

His exit comes after a series of his tweets - in which he used inappropriate language - were published in the Sun newspaper while he was in Australia.
His publicist confirmed he was leaving the ITV show so he could be made aware of any allegations against him and have the right to defend himself.
They said he agreed with the decision "made by his representatives and ITV".
A spokesperson for the show said: "Due to circumstances outside camp Jack has had to withdraw from the show."
The 22-year-old is one of 10 contestants taking part in the programme, which started on Sunday.
Maynard appeared on Tuesday night's show but presenters Ant and Dec confirmed his removal half-way through the programme, telling viewers they could not vote for him in Wednesday's bushtucker trial.

'Better to bring him out'

A statement from his publicist said: "In the last few days Jack Maynard has been the subject of a succession of media stories which, given his position as a contestant on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! - filmed in the Australian jungle, with no contact with the outside world, he has been unable to respond to.
"Since it is only fair that everyone should be aware of any allegations made against them and should also have the right to defend themselves, it was agreed that it would be better to bring him out of the show."
The 22-year-old has more than 1.2m subscribers to his YouTube channel and is the younger brother of singer Conor Maynard.
He has faced allegations of racism and homophobia in recent days after old tweets using insulting language emerged online - the majority of which were posted in 2012 and have since been removed.
His representative said Maynard was "ashamed" of those tweets and the star realises now that the language used was "completely unacceptable".

Uber has 57 million customers and 600,000 drivers in report

Uber concealed huge data breach


Mobile phone with Uber app

Uber concealed a hack that affected 57 million customers and drivers, the company has confirmed.

The 2016 breach was hidden by the ride-sharing firm which paid hackers $100,000 (£75,000) to delete the data.
The company's former chief executive Travis Kalanick knew about the breach over a year ago, according to Bloomberg, which first broke the news.
The hackers found 57 million names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers, Uber said.
Within that number, 600,000 drivers had their names and license details exposed. A resource page for those affected has been set up.
Drivers have been offered free credit monitoring protection, but per Uber's statement, affected customers will not be given the same.

'None of this should have happened'

"While we have not seen evidence of fraud or misuse tied to the incident, we are monitoring the affected accounts and have flagged them for additional fraud protection," Uber's chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi said.
"None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it," he added.
"While I can't erase the past, I can commit on behalf of every Uber employee that we will learn from our mistakes."
In the wake of the news, Uber's chief security officer Joe Sullivan has left the company.
Uber did not confirm precise details of the hack, but according to Bloomberg's report, two hackers were able to access a private area of Github, an online resource for developers.
From there it is understood they found Uber's log-in credentials to Amazon Web Services. AWS is a cloud computing service used by companies to store data.
As is of the case, it will likely be the cover up that proves more bothersome for Uber than the hack itself.
Companies are required to disclose significant data breaches to regulators, something it has by its own admission failed to do in this case.
Uber has form. In January it was fined $20,000 for failing to disclose a considerably less serious breach in 2014.

'Long and arduous' deal may get tougher


Managing Uber appears to be like a game of Whac-A-Mole - no sooner has one crisis been dealt with when another one rears its ugly head.
This latest scandal, however, threatens to tear apart an already fragile truce between Uber's former chief executive Travis Kalanick and Benchmark, the shareholder that trounced him from the top job then tried to kick him off the board.
These two managed to park their hostilities in order that an investment by Japanese conglomerate Softbank - thought to be worth up to $10bn - would go ahead.
But the fact that Uber concealed a massive data breach, which Mr Kalanick knew about a year ago, will do nothing to help matters.
Softbank's investment is significant for Uber because it will result in a significant reform of its board and help the business improve its corporate governance, something that desperately needs to be overhauled.
Uber's new chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi appears to be starting as he means to go on. In his statement regarding the data breach, he said the company needed to be open and honest if is to "repair our past mistakes".
Rajeev Misra, a board director at Softbank, described progress on a deal with Uber as "long and arduous".
With Uber's latest problems, it may become a whole lot tougher.

David Cassidy Has Passed Away Today

David Cassidy: Partridge Family star dies aged 67

David Cassidy walking down a road in London with an umbrella (30 April 1974)

US actor and singer David Cassidy, who found fame in The Partridge Family before going on to become a 1970s teen pop idol, has died aged 67.
"David died surrounded by those he loved, with joy in his heart and free from the pain that had gripped him for so long," a family statement said.
He was admitted to hospital last week after suffering multiple organ failure.
Earlier this year the singer said he had dementia and would stop touring in order to "enjoy life".
Cassidy was born in New York to a family familiar with the entertainment industry. His father was a singer and actor and his mother was an actress.
He became a star playing Keith Partridge in The Partridge Family - a 1970s sitcom about a mother and five children who formed a rock and roll band.
The show spawned several hit songs, such as I Think I Love You.
Following the sitcom he enjoyed a hugely successful career in music and acting. He received multiple Grammy nominations and sold more than 30 million records worldwide.
At the peak of his fame in the 1970s, his fan club had a bigger membership than that of The Beatles and Elvis Presley.
Hundreds were injured in a stampede at one of his shows in 1974, with a girl dying a few days later.
In recent years he has spoken about his struggles with alcohol.
In 2015 he filed for bankruptcy. Between 2010 and 2014, he was arrested three times for drink driving, and was ordered to rehab as part of his sentence in 2014.
He has divorced three times and has two children.

Meera prove she's unmarried

Meera: The actress in a legal row to prove she's unmarried

A Pakistani actress is embroiled in a seven-year-long court case over whether she is married or not.

Irtiza Rubab, who is known by her stage name Meera, has acted in commercially successful films, and won local awards for her work.
Now, she's making headlines for another reason - because of a court battle against a man who alleges he's her husband.

Who is Meera?

She's considered a well-known actress in Lollywood - that is, Pakistani's film industry in Lahore.
In addition to local films, the 40-year-old has also starred in Bollywood films and has previously expressed a desire to get involved in politics.
She is also known for her social media videos, and for her presentation style, which many find entertaining.
Pakistanis like teasing her about her accented English - something she tends to take sportingly - and a recent video of her singing the Titanic theme song, My Heart Will Go On, went viral, delighting and horrifying many.

How did she get embroiled in the controversy?


In 2009, Ateeq-ur-Rehman a businessman from Faisalabad, told journalists he had married Meera in a private ceremony in 2007.
He said he was unhappy Meera hadn't acknowledged him publicly as her husband, and was still telling her fans she was single.
He even produced a marriage certificate as "proof" of their marriage, and said he had filed several court petitions against Meera.
In the applications, he argued she should be medically examined to prove she is his wife, that she should not marry anyone else before divorcing him, that he should have possession of a house where she is living, and that she should be restrained from going abroad.
Speaking to the INTERNATIONAL NEWS1992, Meera's lawyer Balakh Sher Khosa said that a medical application seeking a "virginity test" for Meera had been filed by Mr Rehman, who claimed that the actress is not a virgin and that she was lying about being single.
"This particular application was later dismissed by the Lahore High Court. In Pakistan, such medical applications allow the virginity tests of women in rape and adultery cases where the woman has to establish that she has lost her virginity as a result of the committed crime.
"But in cases similar to that of Meera, calling someone their wife or husband, the virginity test can only be allowed with the consent of the involved woman. Ateeq's claim was baseless - that's why the court dismissed it."
Meera has denied all of Mr Rehman's claims, and insisted she is not married to anyone. She also filed a countersuit in 2010, challenging the marriage certificate.

Who should we believe?

The case made headlines across Pakistan when it first emerged. And public opinion is divided.
Meera has dismissed Mr Rehman as "disturbed and hungry for fame".
She told the BBC Mr Rehman was a promoter who she had met through a friend, and worked with on a few concerts and tours.
"One day out of nowhere he presented some fake photographs claiming that we are married... How can he be allowed to call me his wife?"
She argues that she would never have such a low-profile marriage in any case. "I am a celebrity, would I ever get married in a room so simply?"
Meanwhile, Mr Rehman's lawyer, Ali Bokhari, told the INTERNATIONAL NEWS1992: "He has married Meera in the presence of her mother and uncle. Meera should accept that she is Ateeq's wife."

Do people really go to court to prove they're 'married' to someone?

Yes - this has happened several times at family courts in Pakistan - although this is the first case involving a celebrity.
Typically, the cases have involved a man filing a court case, arguing that his alleged spouse should not be allowed to marry someone else.
Some men have produced fake marriage certificates in the past - in those cases, the woman can normally win the case after proving that there was never a marriage registered with the local council. But it can be a lengthy process.
Meera's case, which has lasted seven years, has brought attention to how slow Pakistan's family courts can be.
She has argued that the claims have hurt her reputation, and made it difficult for her to get married until the case is resolved.
"I want to get married and have children, time is running out. Indeed my work and mental well-being is affected by all this but I continue to work and travel, thankfully there are no restrictions on that," she said.

What happens now?

The marriage row has rumbled on for seven years - but may finally be reaching a conclusion.
Meera's lawyer accuses Ateeq-ur-Rehman of delaying tactics to prolong the case.
"Ateeq's lawyer has been changed so many times that I have lost count now. They hardly ever come to the court when the case is heard," Balakh Sher Khosa told the INTERNATIONAL NEWS1992.
"Of course there are some other minor hurdles also, like transfer and absentia of related judge. I am the third lawyer for Meera but the delay has never been from our side as Meera has already recorded her statement back in 2011."
Last week, a family court within the civil courts in Lahore finally dismissed Mr Rehman's application that Meera be prevented from marrying anyone else without a divorce.
Even that did not bring matters to a close, however.
Judge Babar Nadeem said the court had not yet decided whether the marriage certificate was genuine or fabricated - but that under the Family Court Act 1964, Meera could not be restrained from marrying anyone.
However, he added that if Mr Rehman is later able to prove that he and Meera are married, the actress will be responsible for any legal consequences.
Meera is still considering this a victory, saying: "Justice has finally been served."
Judge Nadeem has instructed both counsels to finish their arguments as soon as possible, and says a final court decision will be given before 30 December 2017.

Tuesday 24 October 2017

Marnie Simpson broke ad rules on Snapchat

Geordie Shore's Marnie Simpson broke ad rules on Snapchat


Adverts




Two images uploaded in June should have been identified as ads

Two Snapchat posts by the reality TV star Marnie Simpson have fallen foul of the UK's advertising rules.
The Geordie Shore and Celebrity Big Brother cast member uploaded images of products from two firms that she has business relationships with, without identifying them as adverts.
This was judged to be a breach of the rules against "hidden" advertising on social media.
It is the first case of its kind to have involved Snapchat.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) normally deals with such matters by ordering offending posts to be deleted or amended.
But since Snapchat Story posts automatically self-delete 24 hours after being added, Ms Simpson has not been ordered to take any action.
The two companies involved, however, have agreed to ensure the hashtag #ad appears alongside adverts they produce in the future.
Ms Simpson could not be reached for comment.
The 25-year-old has been a "brand ambassador" for tooth polish-maker Diamond Whites for nearly two years, while her management agency, Unleashed PR, began selling a range of coloured cosmetic contact lenses marketed as being "iSpyEyes by Marnie Simpson" earlier this year.
On 20 June, Ms Simpson uploaded two images.
The first showed her posing with a Diamond Whites case with the text "50% of [sic] everything" superimposed, and a link to the company's site.
The second featured the celebrity wearing a grey lens on one of her eyes, with the words "mrs grey coming soon" placed alongside her.
In both cases an unidentified individual contacted the ASA to complain the images had not been identified as ads.



Marnie Simpson was a Miss Newcastle finalist before joining MTV's Geordie Shore

Diamond Whites tried to defend the promotion featuring its product on the grounds that Ms Simpson's followers would already be aware of her commercial relationship with the firm. But the watchdog did not accept that this would be known by everyone who saw the image.
Unleashed PR suggested that in its case the wording featured was so vague that consumers would not know what product was being advertised or where to buy it. But the ASA said its code still required marketing promotions to be flagged as such.
"These might be our first Snapchat rulings, but the principle behind them is as old as the hills - ads, wherever they appear, must be obviously identifiable as ads," the authority's chief executive Guy Parker told the BBC.
"It's just not fair to expect people to play the detective, to work out the status of a tweet, post or story."



Presentational grey line

Other recent cases where the advertising watchdog has intervened:
  • a post by the make-up blogger Sheikhbeauty on Instagram promoting Flat Tummy Tea that did not make clear she was being paid by the drinks company
  • a tweet by the TV presenter AJ Odudu that featured a photo of an Alpro dessert with text describing it as one of her favourite snacks, but without any acknowledgement that she was being paid to promote it on social media
  • a video uploaded by Made In Chelsea TV star Millie Mackintosh advertising a Britvic drink that used #sp - referring to "sponsored post" - to identify its nature. The ASA said it did not think consumers would realise what the hashtag referred to



Presentational grey line

The ASA does not have the power to impose fines itself, but can refer repeat offenders - whether they are brands or the celebrities endorsing them - to Trading Standards to take further action.
However, it hopes that the negative publicity that arises from its interventions acts as deterrent enough.
Even so, the ASA acknowledged earlier this month that an increasing amount of its time was being taken up policing "influencer marketing". And it urged marketers to put monitoring systems in place so that they themselves could spot and fix instances where celebrities had failed to use the #ad label.

Monday 23 October 2017

Jio Phone Explodes

Jio Phone Allegedly Explodes While Charging, Company Claims Damage Caused Intentionally





Jio Phone unit has reportedly exploded while charging, marking the first such instance since deliveries began roughly a month ago. In a statement to internatinal news1992 on the matter, a Reliance Retail spokesperson said the company is aware of the incident, and found in its initial investigation that the damage has been caused by intentional sabotage. The Twitter account that first posted the image has deleted the tweet. Jio Phone bookings touched 6 million in its first round of pre-orders, and the second round is expected to start in the last week of October or first week of November.

According to a report by technology blog Phone Radar, the Jio Phone explosion happened in Kashmir. The now-deleted image on Twitter shows the back panel of the phone has been melted but the battery underneath the casing seems to be intact. The front panel also doesn’t have any bearings of an explosion. The blog claims to have access to a photo of the phone’s charger, and its wire is supposedly also melted. Citing a Lyf distributor who checked the device, the report says the battery is remains operational.


In a statement, a Reliance Retail spokesperson said, “Jio Phones are designed and manufactured with global standards, and each phone goes through stringent quality control process. The said incident has been reported to us. Our initial investigation suggests that this is a case of intentional sabotage. The damage to the device seems to have been intentionally caused. The incident, as well as its timing, has been designed by vested interests to malign the brand. We will take appropriate action based on further investigations.”
Jio Phone is expected to slow down the switch from feature phones to smartphones courtesy its smartphone-like features at zero ‘effective price’; buyers need to pay Rs. 1,500 as deposit at the time of delivery. Its highlight is the access to 4G Internet and availability of movie, music and video streaming apps. In fact, since the launch of Jio Phone, other telecom operators have partnered with handset makers to bring phones bundled with freebies. These include Airtel and Karbonn’s A40 Indian Android smartphone and BSNL and Micromax’s Bharat-1 4G feature phone.

Rodney Bewes has died aged 79

The Likely Lads actor Rodney Bewes dies Rodney Bewes has died aged 79, his agent has confirmed. The actor had a career spanning...