Pro-ISIS hackers seize US military's Central Command social media accounts

The US military's Central Command suspended its Twitter page on Monday after a group declaring sympathy for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) extremists hacked its social media accounts and posted internal documents.

In an embarrassing propaganda jab at the American military, a black-and-white banner with the image of a hooded fighter and the words "CyberCaliphate" and "I love you ISIS" replaced Central Command's standard Twitter banner.

"We can confirm that the US Central Command Twitter and YouTube accounts were compromised earlier today. We are taking appropriate measures to address the matter," a defence official said.

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Paris shooting: United States says it should have sent higher-ranking envoy to Paris march

The White House admitted Monday it should have sent a higher-ranking representative to the massive weekend march against terrorism in Paris, which was attended by many world leaders.

"We should have sent someone with a higher profile to be there," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said. Washington was represented at the event by the US ambassador to France, Jane Hartley.

Earnest said President Barack Obama would have liked to have gone himself, but suggested that the security requirements and short planning time had prevented it.

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Airbus to equip long-haul jets with floatable black boxes

Long-haul Airbus A350 and A380 passengers jets will soon come equipped with ejectable black boxes that can float, making them easier to find in an air crash at sea, aviation sources said Monday.

"At the end of last year Airbus got the green light from EASA (European Air Security Agency) to work on the necessary modifications to its planes in order to install these new black boxes in the rear of the planes," one of the sources said.

An EASA spokesman confirmed that the agency was working on changing the necessary certification to allow Airbus to equip its planes with the new flight data and cockpit voice recorders.

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Football: Cristiano Ronaldo wins Ballon d'Or award again

Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA Ballon d'Or award for the second year running and the third overall on Monday after a prolific, trophy-filled year with Real Madrid.

The Portuguese forward won 37.66 per cent of the vote to finish well ahead of Lionel Messi, his bitter rival, who won 15.76 per cent.

Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was marginally behind in third, polling 15.72 per cent in the annual poll run jointly by soccer's governing body and France Football magazine.

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'Delicious' Ford GT supercar wows Detroit

Ford attempted to land a knock-out blow to its rivals at the Detroit auto show in revealing a dazzling new GT supercar on Monday.

The glitzy presentation at the cavernous arena named after the boxer Joe Louis was an attempt to grab the headlines at the United States' premier auto show, where power and luxury have roared back to the fore.

The new GT, an update to the legendary sports car last produced a decade ago before the US industry plunged into crisis, boasts 600 horsepower and twin-turbocharged V6 eco-boost engines and is expected to be priced at more than US$150,000 (S$200,000) in the American market.

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