Gloria Steinem Apologizes For Saying Young Women Support Bernie Sanders to Meet Boys

Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for AOLGloria Steinem presents The Changemaker Award at the 2016 MAKERS Conference Day 2 on Feb. 2, 2016 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

Feminist icon Gloria Steinem apologized Sunday for suggesting that young women are flocking to support Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to meet boys.

The activist and founder of Ms.Magazine, who supports Hillary Clinton, said Friday that women become more politically active as they get older, but “when you’re young, you’re thinking, ‘Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie,’” she said.

Steinem said she “misspoke” when she made the comment on Real Time with Bill Maher after being asked why she thought Clinton wasn’t doing better with young women. She apologized “for what’s been misinterpreted as implying young women aren’t serious in their politics.”

UN Security Council condemns N Korea rocket launch

Pyongyang said the launch carried a satellite but the US and others say it was a move to test a ballistic missile [Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo]

The UN Security Council strongly condemned North Korea's rocket launch and said it would speed up work on a sanctions resolution "in response to these dangerous and serious violations."

The statement on Sunday was adopted by China, Pyongyang's ally, and the 14 other council members during an emergency meeting called after Pyongyang said it had put a satellite into orbit with a rocket launch.

Sunday's launch followed Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test on January 6, which drew international condemnation and prompted China and the United States to open negotiations on new, tougher UN sanctions.

A draft resolution prepared by Japan, South Korea and the United States has been in negotiations for weeks.

But Beijing has been reluctant to back measures that would take aim at North Korea's already weak economy.

The 15-member council said it would "adopt expeditiously" a new sanctions resolution, but there was no indication that China would agree to US demands to include tougher measures.

Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi said the council should adopt "a new resolution that will do the work of reducing tensions, of working toward denuclearisation, of maintaining peace and stability, and of encouraging a negotiating solution."

China can use its veto power to block any resolution that would significantly scale up sanctions against Pyongyang by, for instance, barring North Korean ships from ports or restricting oil deliveries. 

US Ambassador Samantha Power stressed that the new set of sanctions should "break new ground" and appealed to China to recognise "the grave threat to international peace and security" posed by Pyongyang's actions.

"There cannot be business as usual after two successive acts," US Ambassador Samantha Power told reporters.

While the United States turned up the pressure to reach agreement on sanctions, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin warned: "We should not be looking at an economic collapse of DPRK."

US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the launch as a "violation of multiple UN Security Council Resolutions that threatened international peace and security" as he emphasised the importance of a united international response to North Korea's provocations.

The council has imposed four sets of sanctions on North Korea since it first tested an atomic device in 2006.

There are 20 North Korean entities and 12 individuals on the UN sanctions blacklist, which provides for an assets freeze and a global travel ban.

Alison Evans a senior analyst at IHS Jane's, told Al Jazeera: "This second launch is likely to only incrementally change the UN sanctions [on North Korea.

"It's important to keep up sanctions and communitcations with North Korea. The problem is there is not much left to sanction."

She added that China and the North were allies during the Korea War between 1950 and 1953.

"China's greatest fear is that North Korea would collapse and there would be a flood of refugees into China."

Family Of British IS Suspect Tell Of 'Distress'

Alexanda Kotey, a Londoner who has been named in reports as a key conspirator of Mohammed Emwazi, has not been seen for "a number of years" by his relatives.

Emwazi is better known as "Jihadi John" - the Briton seen murdering hostages in several Islamic State videos.

In a statement, Kotey's family said: "The Kotey family are deeply distressed about recent media reports involving Alexe. They have not seen Alexe for a number of years.

"They would ask the media to respect their privacy and to desist from attempting to contact them, and not to seek to take or publish any photographs of them."

Emwazi who was held responsible for the deaths of several Western captives - including Britons David Haines and Alan Henning - was killed in a drone strike in Syria late last year.

In November, Sky News named Aine Leslie Davis, who is also from London, as another associate of Emwazi's.

He was arrested by Turkish police on the day before terror attacks in Paris killed 130 people - and faces allegations that he was plotting an imminent attack on Europe similar to those seen in France.

According to reports, Kotey is a Muslim convert and an apparent father of two.

Kung Fu Panda 3 Wins Again at the Box Office

(NEW YORK) — “Kung Fu Panda 3” again led the box office over Super Bowl weekend, while the Coen brothers’ “Hail, Caesar!” and the Jane Austen-monster mashup “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” followed distantly behind.

DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda” sequel earned an estimated $21 million in its second weekend of release, according to studio estimates Sunday. Joel and Ethan Coen’s ’50s Hollywood satire “Hail, Caesar!” opened in second place with an estimated $11.4 million for Universal Pictures.

The two other major new releases struggled.

The Nicholas Sparks’ romance “The Choice” debuted with $6.1 million for Lionsgate. Despite expectations of a no. 2 opening, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” eked out a meager $5.2 million.

Somali jet suspect 'checked in on Turkish Airlines'

The suspected suicide bomber was killed in the incident and two other passengers were injured [AP]

The suspected suicide bomber who blew himself up aboard a Somali airliner on a flight from Mogadishu to Djibouti was meant to board a Turkish Airlines flight, the head of Daallo Airlines told Al Jazeera. 

The explosion ripped a one-metre-sized hole in the side of the Daallo Airlines jet on Tuesday, after which the suspect was reportedly sucked out of the decompressed cabin. 

The 74 passengers aboard the flight were originally checked in with Turkish Airlines, which flies to Somalia three times per week, Mohamed Ibrahim Yasin Olad, Daallo Airlines chief told Al Jazeera on Sunday.

"They were not our passengers. Turkish Airlines cancelled its flight from Mogadishu that morning because their incoming flight from Djibouti could not come to Mogadishu because of what they said was strong wind," Olad said.

"They requested we carry the passengers on their behalf to Djibouti where they would continue their journey on a Turkish Airlines flight," Olad added. 

"Turkish Airlines have not been in contact with us since the incident happened. You can say they are trying to distance themselves from the incident." Olad said.

Turkish Airlines suspended its flights to Somalia on Tuesday. 

Al Jazeera contacted Turkish Airlines for comment but so far did not get a response.

Olad said Daallo Airlines, Djibouti's national carrier, was working with the Somali government and security officials at the airport on steps needed to avoid similar incidents in the future.

"We are going to introduce extra security measures. Things will not be the same and security is our priority." Olad said.

'Deliberate terror attack'

Speaking at a press conference in Mogadishu on Saturday, Somali Minister for Transport Ali Ahmed Jama Jangeli said the explosion was not the result of a technical failure but a "deliberate terror attack". 

"After intensive investigation into this incident, it has been revealed by the investigation that a crude device caused the explosion. The intent was to harm the passengers on the plane. This was not a technical fault. But a deliberate terror act." Jangeli said.

"The security authorities have arrested a number of people who are suspected of taking part in this act," the minister added. 

Jangeli said his government has introduced additional security measures at the airport to strengthen security at the country's main aviation hub.

Suspects arrested

Somali state TV (SNTV) aired CCTV footage on Sunday showing what it said were the suspects behind the airplane blast. The footage showed three men exchanging what appeared to be a laptop at a coffee shop at the airport.

Abdullahi Abbdisalam Borleh, a Somali national, has been named by authorities as the man who was sucked out of Flight 3159. His badly burnt body was found some 30km outside the Somali capital.

Somali government spokesman Abdisalam Aato told Al Jazeera on Sunday that more than 20 suspects were in custody in connections with the explosion.

No one has claimed responsibility for the plane blast.

UN Security Council condemns N Korea's rocket launch

After an urgent meeting in New York, the council said it would soon adopt a new sanctions resolution in response.

Pyongyang said it fired the rocket to place a satellite in orbit - but critics believe the real purpose was to test a ballistic missile.

Sunday's launch comes weeks after North Korea held a fourth nuclear test - both acts violate UN resolutions.

Speaking after the closed-door talks, US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said Washington would "ensure that the Security Council imposes serious consequences" on Pyongyang.

There can be no business as usual," she added.

Her words were echoed by Japanese envoy Motohide Yoshikawa.

The Ad That Changed Super Bowl Commercials Forever

In 2011, on the Wednesday before the Super Bowl, a new Volkswagen commercial popped up on YouTube. “The Force” featured a kid ambling about his house dressed as Star Wars’ Darth Vader while attempting to use the Dark Side on everything from the family dog to the new Passat sitting in the driveway.

From the early 1980s—when Super Bowl ads became as anticipated as the game itself—until that moment, advertisers generally kept their spots under wraps, careful not to jeopardize the big reveal. But for the 2011 Super Bowl, Volkswagen was in a bind. The company had bought two 30-second spots—one for “The Force,” advertising the new Passat, and another called “Black Beetle,” showing off the new Jetta, both created by the ad agency Deutsch. But everyone involved felt a 60-second version of “The Force” was their best work. It was just too long to play during the game.

VW’s marketing team also knew they were facing big obstacles on game day: the company hadn’t run a Super Bowl ad in over a decade, and the two commercials they planned to run would be competing against multiple spots from larger automakers with more ad dollars. So they decided that one possible way to stand out was to release “The Force” early, even though it defied what was widely accepted as smart advertising strategy around the biggest ad day of the year.

“It’s hard to think about now, but at the time, it was not the conventional wisdom to air or put online a commercial that was meant for the Super Bowl,” says Tim Ellis, who was the head of marketing for Volkswagen North America at the time and is now the chief marketing officer for video game maker Activision. “The wisdom was you hold it, because you would get the most value out of that impression by waiting.”

Ellis says it was a controversial decision to run it early, even among the ad agency and VW’s marketing team. “But I thought if everything goes right, this thing will catch fire and go viral,” he says.

By 8 a.m. Thursday, “The Force” had been viewed 1.8 million times on YouTube and had racked up 17 million views before kickoff, according to figures provided by Deutsch. Today, “The Force” has 61 million views on YouTube and is still the most shared Super Bowl ad of all-time and the second most shared TV commercial ever.

“It paid for itself before it ever ran,” says Mike Sheldon, CEO of Deutsch North America.

The ad’s runaway success changed how advertisers approach Super Bowl Sunday ever since. Instead of standalone spots, Super Bowl ads have become the anchors of extended marketing campaigns with vast social media presences often launched weeks before the game. This year, more than 20 brands have already released their full Super Bowl ads or special teasers for them.

“Super Bowl advertising has changed fundamentally,” says Tim Calkins, a Northwestern University marketing professor. “It’s gone from being a one-time event to a months-long marketing campaign.”

For years, the Super Bowl ad was a fleeting thing. 1984—the Apple ad still widely considered the greatest Super Bowl commercial—aired just twice, once in 10 local outlets on Dec. 31, 1983, and once more during the game the following month.

As the audience for the game grew, brands expanded their Super Bowl marketing budgets (think Budweiser’s talking frogs and Pepsi’s splashy productions with Ray Charles and Cindy Crawford). During the first Super Bowl, the average cost of a 30-second spot was $40,000 ($280,000 when adjusted for inflation). This year, NBC is charging $4.5 million, and at least one NBC executive claimsthat the exposure brands get during the Super Bowl is closer to $10 million in value. And as our media consumption habits have been transformed by social networks and mobile devices, a Super Bowl ad now needs to resonate on social media to be considered successful. Budweiser, for example, has launched the social media campaign #BestBudsurging people to help a rancher find his lost puppy in its latest spot, and Pepsi and ShopTV will send out tweets during Katy Perry’s halftime performance with links for viewers to buy related merchandise.

“What was just a bunch of 30-, 60-second TV commercials, everybody now has turned this into a full-on social media integrated play,” Deutsch’s Sheldon says. “I don’t look at Super Bowl ads as TV commercials. The Super Bowl is a social media and PR phenomenon that has a number of integrated components in which one is a TV commercial.”

More than any other ad agency, Deutsch appears to have been the first to recognize that new paradigm. Back in 2010, when the agency won a bid to develop the TV campaign for Volkswagen’s Jetta and Passat lines, employees in Deutsch’s Los Angeles offices had placed funny photos above their four-color copy machine, one of which was a kid in a Darth Vader costume sulking inside a Burger King. That inspired the company’s creative team to come up with a spot featuring a similar kid dressed as the Star Wars villain who keeps failing in his attempts to use the Force around his home until he succeeds in turning on his dad’s new Volkswagen (the assist from his dad, who actually turned on the car, was a clever way to tout the Passat’s new remote starter). It was a perfect combination: the enduring popularity of Star Wars, childhood nostalgia, touching moments between a father and son, a narrative arc that went tidily from conflict to resolution, and plenty of humor thanks to a 6-year-old dressed as a notorious movie villain.

“If you don’t have all of these ingredients, the spot really doesn’t work,” says Tom Else, Deutsch’s VW account director.

Deutsch executives say it was a rare spot where there were essentially no changes or edits coming from inside creative or from the client.

“Very early on we knew it was extraordinary, but you can never predict what the world thinks is fantastic,” Else says.

Soon after it launched, “The Force” became the most shared TV spot of all-time, according to Unruly, which tracks and analyzes viral videos. The ad held the top spot for three years, until July 2014, when it was knocked off by a music videosponsored by yogurt brand Activia and featuring the singer Shakira. But “The Force” is still considered the most shared Super Bowl ad of all time.

“Every decade or so, there’s lightning in a bottle,” says Matt Jarvis, chief strategy officer of ad agency 72andSunny, which produced a popular Super Bowl ad for Samsung in 2013 and created a spot for Carl’s Jr. this year. “And I think this is one of those cases.”

Jarvis says “The Force” successfully used a combination of both earned media—YouTube hits, for example—along with paid media, such as a 15-second teaser spot that aired on “Saturday Night Live” the night before the game, to create momentum that continued through the Super Bowl.

“It was about building that wave and then riding that wave,” Ellis says.

It helped that the ad contained all the components of a viral hit. Unruly recently group-tested “The Force” and found that it still resonated with viewers, discovering that it hit five of 10 “social motivators” that Unruly’s execs say trigger people to share something. They found that viewers sent the ad to others in part because it reflected a shared passion with someone else (love for Star Wars, for instance) and that sharers believed it could be useful (their friend might be looking for a new car). But Unruly also found that it resonated on a more gut level, eliciting feelings of joy and surprise when the kid “turns on” the car, which researchers says is a key component in motivating us to share.

t’s a great example of emotion,” says Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On, adding that the peaks and valleys of the kid failing and finally succeeding, as well as the nostalgia it can elicit, are the main triggers for why it went viral.

After “The Force’s” success, Deutsch sensed that other advertisers would start releasing their ads early as well. So in 2012, the agency released the first full-length ad for an ad when it launched The Bark Side, which included dogs bark-singing Star Wars’ Imperial March. For the game, it released The Dog Strikes Back as its official Super Bowl ad, which again included the Darth Vader Kid from the previous year’s commercial. Both ads have remained in Unruly’s top 20 viral Super Bowl ads of all-time.

Since “The Force,” advertisers have increasingly created teaser ads, alternate versions of their Super Bowl commercials, or have released the ad in its entirety early. Among this year’s efforts to gin up early buzz are a T-Mobile spotfeaturing Kim Kardashian, a teaser for a Nationwide ad with actress Mindy Kaling, and a Bud Light spot that debuted on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon.” Dove, meanwhile, posted a version of its ad almost two weeks before the game, while Lexus released its full ad more than two weeks before Super Bowl Sunday.

There are now essentially three groups of brands competing during the Super Bowl: those who release their ads early, those who tease their ads, and those who keep the ads a surprise. Northwestern’s Calkins says that for most advertisers, getting out early is often the best strategy.

“The Super Bowl builds over a matter of weeks, so if you’re a marketer, you have an opportunity to engage with customers for seven, 14, 21 days,” Calkins says. “You can really get some mileage from your creative.”

The challenge for Super Bowl advertisers, Calkins says, is twofold: breaking through the noise and saying something important about the product. “The hard thing is doing both of those things at the same time,” he says. “Ideally, you come up with an ad as charming as ‘The Force’ that also delivers a product benefit. But that is incredibly difficult to do.”

This year, Deutsch is working on two ads: one for mobile battery company mophie, and the other for Sprint. The company released the mophie spot on Thursday: