New Amy Winehouse album to be released in December
A collection of 12 previously unreleased songs by Amy Winehouse are to be made available as an album on 5 December.
Lioness: Hidden Treasures mixes unreleased tracks, alternative versions of existing songs and "a couple of brand new Amy compositions".
Winehouse's collaborators Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson revisited recordings made by the singer for the release.
Amy's father Mitch has said the album is "a fitting tribute" to his daughter.
'New songs'
The singer's record label Island said the tracks were recorded at various points during her career with some songs made after the release of her second album Back To Black.
It has been officially billed as her "third" album after her 2003 debut Frank and 2006's Back To Black.
It will feature Between The Cheats, a brand new song, recorded in May 2008 with producer Salaam Remi.
In a statement Amy's father Mitch Winehouse said listening to the album "really took my breath away".
"Halftime, I'd never heard before, is just incredibly beautiful," he said.
"If the family had felt that this album wasn't up to the standard of Frank and Back To Black we would never have agreed to release it."
A donation of £1 from every album sold will go towards the Amy Winehouse foundation, a charity set up her father and officially launched in September on what would have been Amy's 28th birthday.
Last week a verdict of misadventure was recorded into the singer's death after an inquest heard she was more than five times the drink-drive limit.
The 27-year-old was found dead at her home in Camden, north London, on 23 July following years of alcohol and drug addiction.
Puss in Boots tops US film chart
Shrek spin-off film Puss in Boots has topped the North American box office chart, early figures have revealed.
The 3D movie, featuring the popular sword-fighting feline voiced by Antonio Banderas, took $34m (£21.2m) in its opening weekend.
The story tells of Puss's adventures with sidekicks Humpty Dumpty and Kitty Softpaws before meeting Shrek.
Low-budget horror film Paranormal Activity 3 was nudged into second place with $18.5m (£11.6m).
Puss in Boots scored highly with family audiences and also drew a large Hispanic crowd, which made up 35% of its audience, research revealed.
The film also features the voices of Salma Hayek, Billy Bob Thornton and The Hangover star Zach Galifianakis.
Justin Timberlake sci-fi thriller In Time opened at three with $12m (£7.5m).
The movie is set in a future where people stop aging at 25 but are engineered to die one year after, while wealthier citizens are able to buy more time.
The remake of 1984 film Footloose was at four, bringing its three-week total to $38.4m (£24m).
Johnny Depp's latest film, the Hunter S Thompson adaption The Rum Diary, opened in fifth place with $5m (£3.1m) - a relatively low figure for a film starring the actor.
Hilary Swank 'sacks manager' after Chechen appearance
Actress Hilary Swank has sacked her manager after appearing at a birthday event for Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov earlier this month, reports say.
The Oscar winner fired her manager of eight years, Jason Weinberg, and her management team, Deadline said.
It comes after human rights groups criticised the star for being paid to attend the event.
Swank later apologised, saying she was unaware Kadyrov has been accused of abusing his opponents.
The actress, 37, also promised to distribute her reported six-figure attendance fee to "various charitable organisations".
In addition to axing Weinberg - who also manages Madonna and Demi Moore - Swank has also severed ties with her talent managers Amie Yavor and Josh Lieberman at Creative Artists Agency (CAA) who reportedly made the Chechen booking.
Swank's representatives were contacted for further comment but have yet to reply.
Action star Jean-Claude Van Damme, violinist Vanessa Mae and singer Seal also attended the celebrations, which was to mark the leader's 35th birthday on 5 October.
Celebrities have been criticised for attending the event, with Human Rights Watch saying: "Ramzan Kadyrov is linked to a litany of horrific human rights abuses. It's inappropriate for stars to get paid to party with him.
"It bolsters his image and legitimises a brutal leader and his regime," they added.
After footage of Swank at the event appeared online - in which she appeared on stage giving birthday wishes to Kadyrov - the actress issued an apology saying: "I deeply regret attending".
Human Rights Watch urged all the celebrities to return any money or gifts they received.
So far none of the others have apologised or offered to return their fees.
Seal hit back at critics on Twitter writing: "I played music for the Chechen people. I'm a musician and would appreciate if you leave me out of your politics.
"You sit there under the umbrella of democracy and never once stop to think how it keeps you dry."
Australia lowers rate to 4.5% in a bid to boost growth
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has cut interest rates in a bid to boost growth amid fears of a slowdown in the global economy.
The central bank lowered its key rate to 4.5% from 4.75%, the first cut since April 2009.
The move comes amid fears that the debt crisis in Europe and slowdown in the US may hurt global economic growth.
RBA said it was concerned about the impact of global uncertainty on its economy,
"Information about the Australian economy suggests moderate growth overall," the bank said in a statement.
"The terms of trade have now peaked and will decline somewhat in the near term," it added.
Domestic Factors
Apart from the global pressures, the central bank has also had to deal with a slowing domestic demand.
While Australia's resources and mining sector have been booming, other areas of the economy such as retail sales have witnessed a slowdown in recent times.
"In other sectors, cautious behaviour by households and the high exchange rate have had a noticeable dampening effect." the bank said.
According to the latest data by the Housing Industry Association, new home sales in Australia fell to their lowest level in 11 years in September.
Analysts said that as fears of a global slowdown gather pace, the central bank is worried that demand may fall further.
"The RBA's decision to cut rates by 0.25% is an admission that domestic demand is feeling the pressure," said Peter Escho of City Index.
"Clearly, the RBA is using its toolbox to cushion the impact," he added.
China manufacturing activity slows amid growth concerns
China has reported an unexpected drop in manufacturing activity raising fresh concerns about the impact of a global slowdown on its economy.
China's Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell to 50.4 in October from 51.2 in the previous month, the first drop in three months.
The data comes amid fears that a slowdown in the global economy may dent demand for Chinese goods.
Authorities warned that growth may slow even further.
"Future export and investment growth is expected to continue to decline," said Zhang Liqun of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.
Slowing momentum
China's economic growth has been powered by the success of its manufacturing and export sector.
However, fears of a slowdown in the US and Europe, two of the biggest markets for Chinese exports, have raised concerns on whether the sector can sustain its growth.
The fears have been deepened further by today's data, which showed that the new orders index fell to 50.5 in October from 51.3 the month before.
Analysts said that as those regions grapple with economic problems, the effect was being felt by the Chinese manufacturers.
"The biggest concern is that the manufacturing sector's momentum is slowing," Rajeev Biswas of the IHS Global Insight told the BBC.
"The new export orders index is actually contracting and that is worrying as it highlights that the slowing demand from the US and Europe is starting to feed through to the Chinese export sector," he added.
Stock markets fall as eurozone debt fears persist
Bank shares and the euro fell on Monday as fears over the eurozone persisted.
European stock markets slumped about 3%, as the value of the big banks retraced much of the gains they had made since a new rescue deal was agreed by eurozone leaders last Wednesday.
The euro fell 1.5% against both the dollar and the pound.
Worry over the Italian government's ability to finance itself remains at the heart of the crisis, as Rome's cost of borrowing rose to new highs.
Sentiment towards financial stocks was further hurt by the failure of US brokerage firm MF Global, due to its exposure to eurozone government debts.
Banks drop back
Continental banks remain heavily exposed to the debts of troubled European governments, as well as a general flight of cash from the European banking system that emerged over the summer.
France was worst hit, with Societe Generale down 9.8% and BNP Paribas 9.6%, while in Germany Deutsche Bank dropped 8.6% and Commerzbank 8.5%.
The UK did not escape, with Royal Bank of Scotland down 7.8% and Lloyds 7.6%.
However, Europe's banks still remain well above the lowest levels seen in the last two months.
As part of the new rescue deal, European Union leaders agreed that their banks must increase their capital - their buffer against future losses - by 106.5bn euros ($150bn: £92bn).
This will likely be done by issuing new shares, either to private buyers or to the governments themselves, something that is likely to dilute the value of existing shares.
Banks were also asked by European leaders to accept a 50% write-off of the debts owed to them by Greece.
However, the Greek Prime Minister, George Papandreou, announced after share trading had closed in Europe that he would put this agreement to a referendum, raising a question mark over whether it will go ahead.
Share prices on Wall Street - including shares in European banks that are traded there, such as Deutsche Bank - did not noticeably react to the news.
However, US shares did broadly continue to slide after the close in Europe, with the Dow Jones finishing 2.3% lower. US banks Morgan Stanley and Bank of America were among the worst performers.
Market Data Last Updated at 05:41 GMT
| Market index | Current value | Trend | Variation | % variation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dow Jones | 11955.01 | Down | -276.10 | -2.26% |
| Nasdaq | 2684.41 | Down | -52.74 | -1.93% |
| FTSE 100 | 5544.22 | Down | -158.02 | -2.77% |
| Dax | 6141.34 | Down | -204.85 | -3.23% |
| Cac 40 | 3242.84 | Down | -105.79 | -3.16% |
| BBC Global 30 | 5519.85 | Up | 7.80 | 0.14% |
Self-fulfilling fear
Meanwhile, Italy's 10-year cost of borrowing in bond markets has risen to 6.1%.
That is still slightly short of the highest level since Italy joined the euro, which was seen in early August, and prompted the European Central Bank (ECB) to start buying up Italian debt.
However, markets are rattled by the fact that Italy's borrowing costs have crept up again despite the ECB's intervention, and despite a revamp of the eurozone's bailout fund, intended to assist Italy.
Moreover, Italy's shorter-term borrowing costs have risen even more sharply, to their highest euro-era levels.
Rome now has to pay 4.5% interest to borrow money for just one year, even though the German government must pay only 0.4% over the same period.
The difference reflects the potentially self-fulfilling fear of lenders that Italy may not be able to repay its large existing debtload unless it is able to reborrow the money from markets as the debts come due for repayment.
There are also fears that Europe may be sliding back into recession, which would make Italy's debts even harder to repay.
On Monday, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development became the latest international body to warn of a possible global economic downturn.
Source-BBC
World economy on verge of new jobs recession
The global economy is on the verge of a new and deeper jobs recession that may ignite social unrest, the International Labour Organization (ILO) has warned.
It will take at least five years for employment in advanced economies to return to pre-crisis levels, it said.
The ILO also noted that in 45 of the 118 countries it examined, the risk of social unrest was rising.
Separately, the OECD research body said G20 leaders meeting in Cannes this week need to take "bold decisions".
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said the rescue plan announced by EU leaders on 26 October had been an important first step, but the measures must be implemented "promptly and forcefully".
The OECD's message to world leaders came as it predicted a sharp slowdown in growth in the eurozone and warned that some countries in the 17-nation bloc were likely to face negative growth.
OECD's forecasts on GDP growth |
||
|---|---|---|
| Country | 2011 | 2012 |
|
US |
1.7% |
1.8% |
|
Euro area |
1.6% |
0.3% |
|
Japan |
-0.5% |
2.1% |
|
China |
9.3% |
8.6% |
'Moment of truth'
In its World of Work Report 2011, the ILO said a stalled global economic recovery had begun to "dramatically affect" labour markets.
It said approximately 80 million net new jobs would be needed over the next two years to get back to pre-crisis employment levels.
But it said the recent slowdown in growth suggested that only half the jobs needed would be created.
"We have reached the moment of truth. We have a brief window of opportunity to avoid a major double-dip in employment," said Raymond Torres from the ILO.
The group also measured levels of discontent over the lack of jobs and anger over perceptions that the burden of the crisis was not being fairly shared.
It said scores of countries faced the possibility of social unrest, particularly those in the EU and the Arab region.
Loss of confidence
Meanwhile, in its latest projections for G20 economies, the OECD forecast growth in the eurozone of 1.6% this year, slowing to 0.3% next year.
In May, it had forecast growth of 2% per year in both 2011 and 2012.
It also cut its growth forecasts for the US to 1.7% in 2011 and 1.8% in 2012. It had previously expected growth of 2.6% and 3.1% respectively.
The organisation called for G20 leaders, who meet on Thursday and Friday, to act quickly.
"Much of the current weakness is due to a generalised loss of confidence in the ability of policymakers to put in place appropriate responses," the OECD said.
"It is therefore imperative to act decisively to restore confidence and to implement appropriate policies to restore longer-term fiscal sustainability."
It also called for the eurozone to cut interest rates.
About 1.7 million still without power as Northeast recovers from storm
Widespread power outages and transit delays marked the start of a challenging week for millions of residents of the Northeastern United States, where a freak October snowstorm dropped more than 2 feet of snow in some places.
Close to 1.7 million customers in five states remained without power Monday evening, and officials warned it could be Friday before power is back on everywhere.
Utilities throughout the region reported significant progress in restoring power, but the cold, snowy conditions and house-by-house nature of the damage was slowing work, officials said.
At least 13 deaths have been blamed on the weekend storm, which prompted emergency declarations from the governors of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts, and also put Halloween trick-or-treating plans in jeopardy.
President Barack Obama signed an emergency declaration for Connecticut on Monday, ordering federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts.
About a dozen Massachusetts cities have postponed Halloween celebrations, according to CNN affiliate WGGB.
At least 20 Connecticut cities and towns, including the capital city of Hartford, canceled events or asked parents to wait until later to take their kids trick-or-treating, according to CNN affiliate WFSB-TV. Even Gov. Dannel Malloy and his wife, Cathy, said they will be leaving the lights off.
"No amount of candy is worth a potentially serious or even fatal accident," the governor said in a statement.
In Worcester, Massachusetts, officials asked residents to postpone celebrations until Thursday, when temperatures are expected to climb to 60 degrees. Trick-or-treating, the city said, would "put families and our youth in harm's way as they negotiate piles of snow and downed limbs."
In Springfield, Massachusetts, school officials announced classes would be canceled for the week.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said some roads in the state are expected to ice up again after dark, and he warned that downed power lines continue to pose a threat.
"It was a particular challenge not just because it comes unseasonably soon, but because there are leaves on many of the trees, which caused a number of limbs to come down on power lines," he said.
Some of the heaviest snow fell in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York, but snowfall amounts of at least a foot were recorded from West Virginia to Maine. The Berkshire County community of Peru, Massachusetts, received 32 inches of snow during the storm.
"I never have seen this, and I've lived here all my life, and that's more than 90 years," 92-year-old Genevieve Murphy of Westfield, Massachusetts, said in an interview with CNN affiliate WWLP-TV.
Aaron Kershaw in Mahopac, New York, about 50 miles north of Manhattan, told CNN he was using a 4,000-watt generator to provide power for his family of five.
The wet, heavy snow brought down a number of trees while coating the area in a thick blanket of white.
"Thank God no homes, cars, people, etc. were harmed," he said. "But Mother Nature left us beautiful scenery."
About 1,300 people were staying in Massachusetts shelters, state officials said. In Connecticut, 50 shelters were open, Malloy said.
With no electricity and no heat at home, Jessica Taylor took her six children and spent the night in a shelter in the Hartford area.
"We've been eating meals here," she told CNN affiliate WTIC-TV. "They've been serving us, taking good care of us."
Connecticut power officials said Monday that about 748,000 people were still without power, down from a peak of more than 900,000.
"It's all hands on deck," said Mitch Gross, a spokesman Connecticut Light and Power, the state's largest utility. "We have a lot of work to do."
Power crews from across the country are converging on the state to help restore power, according to Gross, who said every town that Connecticut Light and Power serves was adversely affected in some way by the storm.
In Massachusetts, state officials said utility crews had come from as far as Louisiana and Texas to help. Patrick said utility crews had made a 23% dent in the number of buildings without power as of Monday morning.
"A 23% reduction overnight is pretty great, but we have a whole lot more to do and a few days yet before power will be restored to everyone," Patrick said.
About 478,000 people remained without power Monday evening, according to officials.
Elsewhere, about 202,000 customers were without power in Pennsylvania; 116,000 in New Jersey and 127,000 in New York, according to figures from emergency managers and power companies in those states. Thousands also lost power in New Hampshire, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
Kimberly Lindner of Chappaqua, New York, said the family whiled away the hours by building a "jack-snow-lantern."
"It's October, and there are 12 inches of snow on the ground," she said in a submission to CNN's iReport. "But the kids think it's great. They've been playing outside all day and really don't care that there is no power. Why not make the best of things and have some family time in the snow? A snowman without a head, a jack-o'-lantern without a body ... enough said."
For others, however, the unexpected storm brought unexpected misery. Airline passengers left stranded by the storm spent a restless weekend night on cots or airport floors.
"Whatever kind of system they had, it completely and utterly broke down," said passenger Fatimah Dahandari, who spent a night in Hartford, Connecticut's, Bradley International Airport while trying to get to New York. "It looks like a refugee camp in here."
Passengers stuck on jet for hours
As of Monday, authorities reported at least 13 deaths attributed to the storm.
Three people died in Massachusetts, Patrick said, including a Lunenberg resident who died in a fire and a resident of Hatfield who succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning, apparently from an improperly vented generator.
The third death happened in Springfield when a man in his 20s ignored police barricades surrounding downed power lines and touched a metal guardrail, which was charged, city fire department spokesman Dennis Legere said.
At least four people died in Pennsylvania -- two of them in a crash Sunday on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, CNN affiliate KYW-TV reported. A third death happened in Temple, when an 84-year-old man was resting in his recliner Saturday and part of a large, snow-filled tree fell into his house and killed him, according to a state police report. The fourth death was blamed on carbon monoxide poisoning, after the victim in Lehigh County used a charcoal grill to heat a home, said Ruth Miller, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
Four people also died in New Jersey because of the storm, police said. Two were killed in motor vehicle accidents, one in Bergen County and one in Passaic County, while two others died after trees fell on their cars.
In Connecticut, two people died, including a motorist involved in a traffic accident in Hebron.
CNN
Chinese Shenzhou craft launches on key space mission
China has taken the next step in its quest to become a major space power with the launch of the unmanned Shenzhou 8 vehicle.
The spacecraft rode a Long March 2F rocket into orbit where it will attempt to rendezvous and dock with the Tiangong-1 lab, launched in September.
It would be the first time China has joined two space vehicles together.
The capability is required if the country is to carry through its plan to build a space station by about 2020.
The Long March carrier rocket lifted away from the Jiuquan spaceport in the Gobi Desert at 05:58, Tuesday (21:58 GMT Monday). TV cameras relayed the ascent to orbit.
Shenzhou separated from the rocket's upper-stage about nine minutes into the flight. Confirmation that its solar panels had been deployed was received a short while after.
It will be a couple of days before Shenzhou is in a position to attempt the docking, which will occur some 340km above the Earth.
The vehicles will be using radar and optical sensors to compute their proximity to each other and guide their final approach and contact.
The pair will then spend 12 days circling the globe together before moving apart and attempting a re-docking. Finally, Shenzhou 8 will detach and its return capsule will head back to Earth.
This will allow experiments carried into orbit to be recovered for analysis. The German space agency has supplied an experimental box containing fish, plants, worms, bacteria and even human cancer cells for a series of biological studies.
Chinese astronauts - yuhangyuans - are expected to live aboard the conjoined vehicles for up to two weeks. There is speculation in the Chinese media that one of these missions could also include the country's first female yuhangyuan.
The 10.5m-long Tiangong-1 module was launched on 29 September and has been operating well, according to Chinese officials.
Its orbit has been lowered slightly and the vehicle turned 180 degrees in preparation for its upcoming union with Shenzhou 8.
Beijing sees the Tiangong and Shenzhou dockings as the next phase in its step-by-step approach to acquiring the skills of human spaceflight operations.
It is a learning curve China hopes will eventually lead to the construction of a space station, starting at the end of the decade.
At about 60 tonnes in mass, this future station would be considerably smaller than the 400-tonne international platform operated by the US, Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan, but its mere presence in the sky would nonetheless represent a remarkable achievement.
Concept drawings describe a core module weighing some 20-22 tonnes, flanked by two slightly smaller laboratory vessels.
Officials say it would be supplied by freighters in exactly the same way that robotic cargo ships keep the International Space Station (ISS) today stocked with fuel, food, water, air, and spare parts.
China is investing billions of dollars in its space programme. It has a strong space science effort under way, with two orbiting satellites having already been launched to the Moon and a third mission expected to put a rover on the lunar surface.
Next week should see its first Mars orbiter - Yinghuo-1 - begin its journey to the Red Planet.
The Asian country is also deploying its own satellite-navigation system known as BeiDou-Compass.
Bigger rockets are coming, too. The Long March 5 will be capable of putting more than 20 tonnes in a low-Earth orbit. This lifting muscle, again, will be necessary for the construction of a space station.
UN Security Council concern over Libya arms stockpile
The United Nations Security Council has expressed "concern" over the fate of the massive weapons stockpile built up in Libya under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
The council called on Libya and its neighbours to stamp out the proliferation of looted arms.
It was worried they could fall into the hands of al-Qaeda and other militant groups.
Many weapons were destroyed in Nato operations, which ended at midnight on Monday.
However, officials said it was not clear how many were still in circulation.
The resolution, drafted by Russia and adopted unanimously, said that a huge stockpile of shoulder-fired missiles, which had been accumulated by Col Gaddafi, could still pose a threat to passenger aircraft.
It emphasised that the "proliferation of all arms... in particular, man-portable surface-to-air missiles, in the region, could fuel terrorist activities, including those of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb".
The resolution also called on the new Libyan government to destroy chemical weapons in co-ordination with international authorities.
The vote came as Nato formally ended its seven-month air campaign. The mission formally came to an end at one minute to midnight Libyan time (21:59 GMT) on Monday.
Operations began under a UN Security Council mandate to protect civilians on the evening of 19 March, as Col Gaddafi's forces moved to crush the uprising in the eastern rebel-held city of Benghazi.
Overall, Nato aircraft flew more than 26,000 sorties, including nearly 10,000 strike missions. More than 1,000 tanks, vehicles and guns were destroyed, along with Col Gaddafi's command and control network.
Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen - in Tripoli to mark the end of the mission - said Nato's military forces had prevented a massacre and saved countless lives.
He said Nato could help Libya's new rulers with security and the transition to democracy if requested.
Mr Rasmussen had talks with National Transitional Council (NTC) leaders about Libya's future and the roadmap for transition to democracy.
"You've acted to change your history and your destiny; we acted to protect you. Together we succeeded," he said at a news conference.
"The future of free Libya is finally firmly in your hands."
NTC chairman Mustafa Abdul Jalil expressed Libya's gratitude for the help received from Nato forces and other foreign forces, as well as the Libyan rebel forces.
'Pose a threat'
The UN resolution on preventing the proliferation of looted arms was drafted by Russia amid mounting fears they could fall into the hands of militants, including groups connected to al-Qaeda.
It expresses particular concern about Col Gaddafi's vast stockpile of shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles.
Many are old Soviet-style rockets, but they could still pose a threat to passenger aircraft. The resolution calls on Libya's government to take all necessary steps to stop the proliferation of arms, and says neighbouring states should draw up measures to prevent smuggling.
Many - but not all - of Col Gaddafi's weapons and storage facilities were destroyed by Nato air strikes, and there is no clear idea of how many may be now be in circulation, our correspondent adds.
Last week, the Security Council heard that international inspectors were working to identify storage areas, but that hundreds of suspected sites still needed to be visited.
Fifteen US explosives experts are on the ground, with numbers expected to rise to 100.
Rivalries
Coinciding with the official end of the Nato air campaign, the transitional authorities named a new prime minister - Tripoli academic Abdurrahim al-Keib.
This comes days after the NTC declared Libya "liberated" following Col Gaddafi's death.
The NTC wants a national congress to be elected within eight months, and for multi-party elections to be held in 2013.
Mr Keib, an academic specialising in electrical engineering and based in Tripoli, beat eight other candidates to receive 26 of the 51 votes from members of the NTC.
The BBC's Katya Adler in Tripoli say Mr Keib is seen as a consensus candidate and Libyans will be hoping he can help smooth out regional and other rivalries within the NTC.