IHT Rendezvous: 17th-Century Masterpiece Discovered at the Ritz

PARIS – The Hôtel Ritz Paris, famous for its bar, its swimming pool and its assignations, had a treasure hiding in plain sight, an exceptional painting that had been hanging on a wall for decades without anyone paying it the least attention.

With the hotel shut for renovation, the auction house Christie’s announced this week that art experts had decided that the long-ignored canvas was by Charles Le Brun, one of the masters of 17th-century French painting, and that it would be put it up for auction.

The painting, called “Le Sacrifice de Polyxène” (“The sacrifice of Polyxena”), dates from 1647. It hung above a desk in the hotel suite where Coco Chanel lived for more than 30 years, and was only discovered to be important last summer, when the hotel shut for a 27-month renovation in the face of stiff competition from newer hotels.

“It is a magical discovery,” said Cécile Bernard, a Christie’s expert. “The painting must have been there for at least 50 years.”

The painting depicts the killing of Polyxena, the youngest daughter of King Priam of Troy, who according to myth revealed the weakness of Achilles’ heel and thus led to his death. It will be shown at Christie’s in New York from Jan. 26 to 29 and auctioned on April 15.

Christie’s said it authenticated the painting after it was discovered by two art experts hired by the hotel, and estimates that it will sell for up to 500,000 euros ($665,000).

“Le Sacrifice de Polyxene” is an early work of Le Brun (1619-1690), whose monumental paintings adorn the gallery of Apollo in the Louvre and the Great Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. Experts say that the painting, which bears the painter’s initials, was done for a private collector before Le Brun was made “first painter to the king” by Louis XIV, who called him “the greatest French painter of all time.’’

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SAG Awards: Watch Live with PEOPLE

01/24/2013 at 06:30 PM EST

Happy Screen Actors Guild Awards!

On a night when the biggest stars of TV and film honor each other, we will be covering every inch of the red carpet beginning at 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT) on our live pre-show, hosted by PEOPLE's Deputy Managing Editor Peter Castro and PEOPLE StyleWatch Managing Editor Susan Kaufman, right here on PEOPLE.com.

Join our @StyleWatchMag and @peoplemag Twitter party on Sunday to discuss the best dresses, the hottest hair and makeup and the most eye-popping jewels that nominees like Claire Danes, Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence will be wearing. Just use hashtag #PeopleSAG and your comments could appear on PEOPLE.com.

Once the show starts at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT), the fun continues as we track the winners, losers and best speeches of the night. PEOPLE editors and the stars, including Busy Phillips, will be Tweeting commentary, exclusive photos, behind-the-scenes tidbits and more on one of Hollywood's most heartfelt nights.

The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will air live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 27, at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Be sure to join us!

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CDC: Flu seems to level off except in the West

New government figures show that flu cases seem to be leveling off nationwide. Flu activity is declining in most regions although still rising in the West.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hospitalizations and deaths spiked again last week, especially among the elderly. The CDC says quick treatment with antiviral medicines is important, in particular for the very young or old. The season's first flu case resistant to treatment with Tamiflu was reported Friday.

Eight more children have died from the flu, bringing this season's total pediatric deaths to 37. About 100 children die in an average flu season.

There is still vaccine available although it may be hard to find. The CDC has a website that can help.

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CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/

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For the record

Bratz verdict: An article in the Jan. 25 Business section about litigation between Mattel Inc. and MGA Entertainment Inc. over rights to the Bratz doll franchise said that a federal appeals court for the second time reversed a verdict that had been in favor of MGA. In fact, a previous overturning involved a verdict that had favored Mattel, not MGA. Also, the latest action was only a partial reversal.

Proposition A: An article in the Jan. 26 LATExtra section about the campaign to approve a half-cent sales tax increase in Los Angeles identified one of the contributors to the Proposition A campaign as Excel Paving. The donor was Excel Property Management Services.

Teacher evaluations: The caption for a photo that accompanied an article in the Jan. 20 California section about members of United Teachers Los Angeles approving the use of student test scores in teacher evaluations misspelled Lisa Karahalios' name as Karahahlios.

1977 slaying: An article in the Jan. 20 California section about the 1977 slaying of Pamela Lambson, a possible victim of serial killer Rodney Alcala, misspelled the name of the San Francisco restaurant Scoma's as Skoma's.

Arts district: An article in the Jan. 20 Business section about the transformation of downtown Los Angeles' arts district misspelled the last name of real estate entrepreneur Tyler Stonebreaker as Stonebraker.

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India Ink: Jeet Thayil's Novel of Opium and Bombay Takes DSC Prize

Jeet Thayil, an Indian poet and author, won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature at the Jaipur Literature Festival on Friday for his debut novel “Narcopolis.”

“Finally!” Mr. Thayil exclaimed when he was presented the award. His book, about the narcotic underbelly of Bombay 30 years ago, had been short-listed for four awards, but never won any.

The award is special because it is an Indian prize, he said. “How you are perceived at home does matter,” he said.

The Kerala-born author will take home a $50,000 prize purse. Mr. Thayil noted that it was a substantial amount of money, and part of the reason that the award was taken seriously.

“Writers like money,” he said. “We don’t have a job, but we have bills to pay.”

Mr. Thayil is the first Indian to win the award since its introduction by the infrastructure company DSC Limited in 2010. The first winner was a Pakistani writer, H.M. Naqvi, for his debut novel the “Home Boy.” Last year the Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilake’ s novel “Chinaman” won the prize.

A five-member jury received more than 80 entries for the prize, including translations of non-English writing. The contest is open to any writing about South Asia, not just to South Asian writers. The Indian poet and literary critic K. Satchidanandan, who led the jury, said, the award is significant because it is the first award that honors literary works about South Asia.

Other finalists included two Indians, two Pakistanis and a Bangladeshi writer.

Jamil Ahmed, a Pakistani author whose book, “The Wandering Falcon,” was a finalist, said that it took 40 years to publish the book. The retired bureaucrat wrote about the tribal population living along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He was born in pre-partition India and during his childhood he traveled across India with his family. That was when he said he first came in contact with tribes, which led him to “romanticize the tribes.”

“I want people to understand that tribes are not savage,” he said.

A work by the Indian author Uday Prakash, “The Walls of Delhi,” was also a finalist. The book, actually three novellas, was originally written in Hindi. The stories highlight the flaws of the state, including bureaucracy and the deep entrenchment of corruption, and it is narrated by three characters, a weaver, sweeper and a baby in a slum suffering from an undiagnosed disease. Mr. Prakash said these narratives symbolized the lives led by 70 percent Indians.

Other finalists included the Indian writer Amitav Ghosh for his book “River of Smoke,” the Pakistani writer Mohammed Hanif, for “Our Lady of Alice Bhatti” and Tahmima Anam, the author of “The Good Muslim,” from Bangladesh.

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Huawei is now the world’s third largest smartphone vendor, but still far behind Samsung and Apple

Research firm IDC released the latest numbers from its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker this week and found that a total of 482.5 million mobile phones were shipped in the fourth quarter of 2012, an increase from 473.4 million in 2011. Smartphones accounted for nearly half, or 45.5%, of all mobile phone shipments, the highest percentage ever. Samsung (005930) and Apple (AAPL) remained the two top vendors with market shares of 29% and 21.8% respectively. The report did include some surprises, however.

[More from BGR: Sony’s PS Vita: Dead again]

“The high-growth smartphone market, though dominated by Samsung and Apple, still presents ample opportunities for challengers,” said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC. “Vendors with unique market advantages, such as lower-cost devices, can rapidly gain market share, especially in emerging markets”

[More from BGR: Unlocking your smartphone will be illegal starting next week]

The remaining top five smartphone vendors are very different now, however — they no longer include LG (006570), HTC (2498) or Motorola, all of which have been replaced by Huawei (002502), Sony (SNE) and ZTE (0763).

Huawei, a company previously known for its telecom equipment, spying scandals and low-end smartphones, is in the midst of a major transition. Rather than focusing on cheap and carrier-branded phones, the Chinese company has begun to compete with high-end manufacturers such as Samsung and Apple with its new flagship devices.

Huawei experienced unprecedented growth in the fourth quarter of 2012 with shipments increasing 89.5% year-over-year for a 4.9% market share. Close on the company’s heels are both Sony and Chinese rival ZTE with 4.5% and 4.3% shares of the market respectively.

“The fact that Huawei and ZTE now find themselves among the Top 5 smartphone vendors marks a significant shift for the global market,” noted Ramon Llamas, research manager with IDC’s Mobile Phone team. “Both companies have grown volumes by focusing on the mass market, but in recent quarters they have turned their attention toward higher-end devices. In addition, both companies have pushed the envelope in terms of industrial design with larger displays and smaller form factors, as well as innovative applications and experiences.”

This article was originally published on BGR.com

Wireless News Headlines – Yahoo! News

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Liberty Ross Files for Divorce from Rupert Sanders

By Dahvi Shira

01/25/2013 at 08:20 PM EST

Liberty Ross

Michael Buckner/Wireimage

It's over for Rupert Sanders and Liberty Ross.

The Snow White and the Huntsman actress, 34, filed for divorce Friday from her director-husband Sanders, 41, in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday, PEOPLE confirms.

News of the filing comes about six months after Sanders's highly publicized cheating scandal with Huntsman's star, Kristen Stewart.

Stewart has since patched things up with boyfriend Robert Pattinson, who she was dating during the fling.

In the court documents, Ross seeks joint custody of the couple's two kids, 5 and 7, TMZ reports. She also asks for spousal support and attorney's fees.

Sanders, who has filed his response to the divorce petition, also seeks joint custody of the kids, and wants to share legal fees with Ross, according to TMZ.

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CDC: Flu seems to level off except in the West

New government figures show that flu cases seem to be leveling off nationwide. Flu activity is declining in most regions although still rising in the West.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says hospitalizations and deaths spiked again last week, especially among the elderly. The CDC says quick treatment with antiviral medicines is important, in particular for the very young or old. The season's first flu case resistant to treatment with Tamiflu was reported Friday.

Eight more children have died from the flu, bringing this season's total pediatric deaths to 37. About 100 children die in an average flu season.

There is still vaccine available although it may be hard to find. The CDC has a website that can help.

___

CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/

Read More..

For the record

Sundance party: An article in the Jan. 25 Calendar section about a party thrown by Creative Artists Agency at the Sundance Film Festival said that CAA represents corporate clients Dell and the Sundance Institute. CAA does not work for those companies.

Dreamliner batteries: An article in the Jan. 19 Section A about lithium-ion battery safety and the grounding of Boeing 787s said that Toyota Motor Corp. had decided against using the technology. Although the automaker has abandoned plans to use lithium-ion batteries in its standard Prius hybrids, it does use them in the Prius plug-in hybrid as well as the all-electric RAV4 EV.

KB mortgage venture: An article in the Jan. 23 Business section about KB Home and Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. teaming to offer home loans to KB customers said that KB was also working with Citigroup Inc. to arrange credit lines of as much as $500 million. The credit limit proposed by the builder would have a maximum of $200 million in principal to start, with an option to increase the maximum principal to $300 million.

Student arrested: A label on a brief news item in the Jan. 24 LATExtra section about the arrest of a high school student on suspicion of having .40-caliber ammunition on campus indicated that the incident occurred in Baldwin Hills. It occurred in Baldwin Park.

Eminent domain: An article in the Jan. 25 Business section about San Bernardino County's rejection of a plan to use eminent domain to seize underwater mortgages identified Dustin Hobbs as a spokesman for the California Assn. of Bankers. The group's name is the California Mortgage Bankers Assn.

John Thomas: A caption with a photograph on the cover of the Jan. 25 LATExtra section referring to the obituary of Olympian John Thomas said that Thomas was the first high jumper to clear 7 feet. As the obituary noted, he was the first to clear 7 feet in indoor competition.

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U.S. Envoy Apologizes for Ship’s Grounding in Philippine Coral Reef

MANILA — The United States ambassador to the Philippines apologized Friday for the grounding of an American naval ship on a pristine coral reef, the latest in a string of embarrassing incidents for the United States military in the country.

“I wish to convey to the Philippine government and people my profound regret over the grounding of the U.S.S. Guardian on Tubbataha Reef,” U.S. Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr. said in a statement issued Friday.

The World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization calls the area struck by the ship “a pristine coral reef” that is home to more than 350 species of coral and almost 500 types of fish.

“This is the collateral damage from the U.S. military presence in our country,” said Bobby Tuazon, the director of policy studies of the Manila-based Center for People Empowerment in Governance. “What were they doing there in the first place? This is a World Heritage site.”

The grounding of the ship was preceded by other incidents that have led to renewed criticism of the U.S. military presence here. On Jan. 6, fishermen in the Philippines recovered an unmanned U.S. military drone that had been lost after it was used during American military exercises near the Pacific island of Guam.

Residents on the island of Masbate were initially alarmed by the discovery, fearing that it was an armed drone similar to those used in Afghanistan. But U.S. and Philippine military quickly clarified that it was an unarmed drone used as an aerial target.

The Philippine Senate is also investigating allegations that an American government contractor dumped 189,500 liters of untreated domestic waste from a Navy ship near Subic Bay after joint exercises in October. Subic Bay, a former U.S. naval facility that is frequently visited by American ships, is also a popular Filipino tourist destination for beachgoers.

In the latest incident, the US Navy minesweeper hit the Tubbataha Reef about 80 miles east of the Philippine island of Palawan on January 17 while using faulty digital navigation charts, according to a US Navy statement. An investigation into the cause of the grounding is underway.

The full extent of the damage done to the reef by the 224-footship cannot be determined until the vessel is removed, but aerial photos taken by the Philippine military indicate that ship has put a gash in the reef measuring more than half the ship’s length.

The United States military in recent years has increased its presence in the Philippines at the invitation of President Benigno S. Aquino III. Visits by American Navy ships to Manila and Subic Bay are common, as are U.S. aircraft at Philippine Air Force bases.

The increased presence has been welcomed by some in the Philippines as a counter-balance to what is viewed by many Filipinos as aggressive actions by China in the South China Sea. The Philippines and China have multiple overlapping territorial claims in the area and the two countries have engaged in tense maritime stand-offs while asserting their sovereignty over contested areas.

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