Chris Brown’s promoter John Michael Pio Roda has denied claims he defrauded an influential religious sect in the Philippines.
John Michael Pio Roda denied receiving over $1 million from the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) for a December 31 concert hosted by the sect for which Chris Brown failed to show up.
The promoter has been held at the capital’s Bureau of Immigration detention facility for nearly two weeks.
His legal counsel described his arrest as “Gestapo-like”.
Photo Instagram
Chris Brown failed to attend the show in question due to a lost passport.
Iglesia-linked local concert producers Maligaya Development Corp. have asked the justice department to file criminal fraud charges against Chris Brown and John Michael Pio Roda, saying they had been advanced their million-dollar fee.
John Michael Pio Roda’s lawyers said in a statement: “To hold Mr. Pio Roda accountable for the entire one million dollars… is not only without legal or factual basis but is a travesty of justice and a continued violation of human rights.”
They said John Michael Pio Roda, in fact, received $45,000 and that he and Chris Brown received another $578,750 in advance from another company.
Chris Brown was stopped from leaving the Philippines by the immigration bureau for three days in July over the row, having returned to play another show.
Although Chris Brown was later allowed to the leave the country, the fraud complaint hearings against the singer will proceed.
Typhoon Soudelor has hit south-eastern China prompting the evacuation of thousands of people and leaving millions of homes without power.
The powerful typhoon struck Fujian province late on Saturday night, bringing rains and gale force winds, state media said.
It earlier swept across Taiwan, leaving at least five people dead.
Although it has weakened, typhoon Soudelor is expected to continue moving across the region in the coming hours.
Fujian raised its typhoon alert to the highest level in anticipation of the storm, with at least 163,000 people evacuated to higher ground. There are reports of more evacuations in neighboring Zhejiang.
Photo AP
Rail services and flights have been cancelled in the path of the storm, and schools and offices closed.
Taiwan earlier on Saturday saw winds of more than 142mph, when Soudelor made landfall.
It ripped up trees and tore down billboards, and triggered a landslide in at least one village.
Among the victims were an 8-year-old girl and her mother who were swept out to sea.
A firefighter was reportedly killed after being hit by a drunk driver as he tried to move a fallen tree.
Typhoon Soudelor gradually lost its strength as it crossed the island, but was still packing winds of up to 89mph over the strait between Taiwan and China.
Anti-thalidomide hero Frances Oldham Kelsey has died at the age of 101.
The Canadian doctor played a central role in preventing the drug being distributed in the US.
Frances Oldham Kelsey refused to approve thalidomide while working for the FDA in the 1960s.
It was later found that thalidomide – prescribed to pregnant women to ease morning sickness – was causing thousands of babies to be born with missing limbs or organs. Many died.
Photo Wikipedia
Dr. Kelsey was lauded by citizens’ groups and was awarded honorary degrees.
She passed away in London, Ontario, on August 7, Canada’s CBC reported.
Her daughter Christine Kelsey was by her side.
Frances Oldham Kelsey is seen as a hero by many across the US for raising concerns about the safety of thalidomide, which is also known as Kevadon.
She continued to press the manufacturer – who complained about her attitude – for information.
The side-effects of the drug then became apparent as the battle of wills dragged on.
Frances Oldham Kelsey was given the award for distinguished federal civilian service by President John F. Kennedy.
Last month Frances Oldham Kelsey was appointed to the Order of Canada.
Donald Trump has been disinvited from speaking at an activist conference hosted by conservative commentator Erick Erickson this weekend.
Erick Erickson cited disparaging remarks Donald Trump made hours earlier on CNN about Fox News Channel anchor Megyn Kelly.
In an interview with The Washington Post on August 7, Erick Erickson said Donald Trump had been scheduled to speak at his RedState gathering on August 8 at the College Football Hall of Fame.
However, Erick Erickson later told Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump’s campaign manager, about an hour before midnight that the GOP presidential candidate was no longer welcome.
Donald Trump’s campaign said in a statement that Erick Erickson’s decision was “another example of weakness through being politically correct. For all the people who were looking forward to Mr. Trump coming, we will miss you. Blame Erick Erickson, your weak and pathetic leader. We’ll now be doing another campaign stop at another location.”
His CNN interview Friday evening instantly drew controversy and criticism after he said Megyn Kelly, one of the moderators of Thursday’s Republican presidential debate in Cleveland, “had blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever”.
Erick Erickson, a Fox News regular and face of the popular RedState blog, has long been a foe congressional GOP leaders and an ally of conservative grass-roots organizers. He has also drawn criticism for saying impolitic things, once calling retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter an “[expletive] child molester” and First Lady Michelle Obama a “Marxist harpy”. He has since apologized for both comments.
Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux, who got married in a private ceremony at their home in Los Angeles on August 5, have jetted off to Bora Bora for their honeymoon.
The newlyweds were spotted boarding a private jet at Van Nuys airport on August 6.
Jennifer Aniston and her groom brought a number of their famous friends to their honeymoon destination, clearly wanting to keep the party going after their star-studded nuptials.
According to TMZ, the couple seated on a boat with pals Jason Bateman and his wife Amanda Anka as well as Jennifer Aniston’s BFF Courteney Cox.
Both Courteney Cox and Jason Bateman brought their kids along, and People magazine reports that Chelsea Handler is also present on the trip.
Their vacation also seems to be a celebration for Justin Theroux’s birthday, reports say.
Bobbi Kristina Brown’s conservator Bedelia Hargrove has filed an amended lawsuit alleging that Nick Gordon gave Whitney Houston’s daughter a “toxic cocktail” and then put her face down in a tub of cold water.
The original suit was filed on June 24 in Fulton County Superior Court. It accused Nick Gordon of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and transferring money from her account into his own without authorization.
Bobbi Kristina Brown died on July 26 months after being found unresponsive in the tub of her Roswell home on January 31. She was 22.
She never regained consciousness and was moved to hospice care in June.
The amended complaint, filed on August 7, adds a wrongful death count. It alleges that around 6AM on January 31, Nick Gordon returned after “being out all-night on a cocaine and drinking binge”. It also says that Nick Gordon watched camera footage of Bobbi Kristina Brown and listened to her conversations.
Nick Gordon and Bobbi Kristina Brown allegedly began arguing in the kitchen. The dispute moved to the living and then upstairs to the master bedroom. Nick Gordon accused Bobbi Kristina Brown of cheating and called her a number of names, the lawsuit alleges. The argument lasted about 30 minutes and then “everything abruptly became quiet.”
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The lawsuit then says that Nick Gordon “gave Bobbi Kristina a toxic cocktail rendering her unconscious and then put her face down in a tub of cold water causing her to suffer brain damage”.
According to the suit, Nick Gordon then came out of the bedroom wearing different clothes than he was wearing in his argument with Bobbi Kristina, got into bed, laid his head on a female guest’s ankle and said: “Now I want a pretty little white girl like you.”
About 15 minutes later, a guest at the home went in to check on Bobbi Kristina Brown and found her face down in a tub. A dust pan was at the bottom of the tub, the lawsuit states.
Bobbi Kristina Brown was unresponsive, unconscious with a swollen mouth and a tooth hanging loosely from her mouth.
Nick Gordon allegedly then came into the bathroom, let the water out of the tub and shouted: “Clean up, clean up.”
Others, including Nick Gordon, began efforts to resuscitate Bobbi Kristina Brown and called for medical personnel.
Bobbi Kristina Brown was transported to North Fulton Hospital, where she was revived. She was later placed in a medically-induced coma.
Later, Bobbi Kristina Brown was diagnosed with “global and irreversible brain damage” and the lawsuit says “as a result of [Nick Gordon’s] actions.”
On August 7, Bedelia Hargrove amended the complaint, saying: “I am deeply saddened by the recent death of Bobbi Kristina Brown. I extend my sincerest condolences to all of her family. Consistent with and to the letter of the civil action I initially filed on behalf of Bobbi Kristina, we will continue to pursue justice for her. I have filed today an amended complaint against Nicholas Gordon adding a count for wrongful death and for pain and suffering. We will leave no stone unturned in seeking justice for Bobbi Kristina Brown.”
The amended suit also goes into more details on an incident where Nick Gordon allegedly knocked out a tooth of Bobbi Kristina Brown. According to the lawsuit, days before January 31, several witnesses saw Nick Gordon punch Bobbi Kristina Brown as she sat on a couch. The lawsuit said that the impact was so great that the couch broke, knocking Bobbi Kristina to the floor. Nick Gordon continued to attack Bobbi Kristina on the floor, “hitting her in the face until she was bloody,” the suit said. It goes on to say that Nick Gordon then began kicking her in the side “to the point that she was on the floor screaming and curled up in a fetal position.”
Bobbi Kristina Brown’s tooth was knocked out in the attack, the lawsuit states.
Nick Gordon then allegedly dragged Bobbi Kristina up the stairs by her hair to the master bedroom, later telling witnesses: “I don’t do this often.”
The lawsuit asks for damages of at least $10 million each for the assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and conversion. It asks for an amount to be determined later for counts of quantum meruit/unjust enrichment and attorneys’ fees.
At this time, no criminal charges have been filed against Nick Gordon.
Bobbi Kristina Brown was buried in New Jersey next to her mother on August 3.
Kevin Ward Jr.’s family has filed a wrongful death suit on August 7 against NASCAR champion Tony Stewart over the killing of the 20-year-old driver during a race at an upstate New York dirt track.
Kevin Ward, 20, died after he got out of his car in the middle of a road race in New York in August 2014 and was hit by Tony Stewart’s car.
The Ward family has accused Tony Stewart of acting with “reckless and malicious intent and negligence” and is suing for unspecified damages.
Tony Stewart was not criminally charged.
In a statement, Kevin Ward’s parents Kevin and Pamela said: “Our hope is that this lawsuit will hold Tony Stewart responsible for killing our son and show him there are real consequences when someone recklessly takes another person’s life.”
A court hearing in September 2014 heard that Kevin Ward was under the influence of marijuana on the night of the accident.
Kevin Ward had “enough to impair judgment”, according to Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo.
Tony Stewart, 43, a three-time NASCAR champion, had previously described the collision as “the toughest and most emotional experience” of his life.
They were racing alongside each other at Canandaigua Motorsports Park on August 9, when Kevin Ward’s car spun out of control.
He exited the vehicle and walked down the track, waving his arms at Tony Stewart in an apparent attempt to confront him.
The lawsuit claims Tony Stewart then revved his car’s engine, causing it to slide and strike the victim, throwing him into the air.
Kevin Ward’s father later told a local newspaper there was “no reason” for the death, given Tony Stewart’s experience and skills.
Police spent four weeks examining evidence in the case, including two videos, which they said “did not demonstrate aberrational driving by Tony Stewart”.
A New York grand jury declined to charge Tony Stewart on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide.
Aurora gunman James Holmes will serve life in jail without the possibility of parole for killing 12 people at a screening of a Batman film in 2012, a Colorado jury has ruled.
James Holmes’ defense team had argued that the former neuroscience graduate student, now 27, was insane at the time.
The jury agreed with prosecutors that James Holmes, though mentally ill, was responsible for his actions. But the jury was not unanimous on the death penalty.
That lack of agreement meant the jury accepted James Holmes would receive an automatic life sentence without parole.
One juror later told NBC News that two members of the jury were “on the fence” about the death penalty but that another was adamantly opposed on the grounds of mental illness.
“We ended our deliberations when one absolutely would not move,” the juror said.
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The decision of the jury – a panel of nine women and three men – was revealed by Judge Carlos Samour in a courtroom in the city of Centennial on August 7.
As the verdict was read out, James Holmes’ mother Arlene leaned her head against her husband’s shoulder and began sobbing, the AP news agency reported.
Ashley Moser, whose 6-year-old daughter died in the attack and who was herself paralyzed, shook her head and then slowly leaned it against the wheelchair of another paralyzed victim.
District Attorney George Brauchler said: “I still think death is justice for what that guy did, but the system said otherwise. I honor that, and I’ll respect that outcome.”
During his three-month trial, James Holmes declined to testify in his own defense or to make a statement expressing his remorse.
The sentence is expected to be imposed formally at a later hearing.
In July, James Holmes was convicted on 165 counts of murder, attempted murder and an explosives charge over the shootings in Aurora, Colorado.
Families of victims had appeared to be conflicted over whether he should get the death penalty. Some were worried about the long appeal process that often follows a death sentence.
On July 20, 2012, James Holmes slipped into a midnight screening of Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises armed with an assault rifle, a shotgun and a pistol.
He threw smoke canisters and shot at people trying to escape.
Prosecutors argued the attack was clearly premeditated, with James Holmes planning and amassing weapons for months, as well as booby-trapping his apartment to kill anyone who tried to enter.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a brain-training game that could improve the daily lives of people with schizophrenia.
They tested the computer-based game on a small number of patients who played the game over four weeks found improvements in memory and learning.
This could help people to get back to work or studying after a diagnosis.
Schizophrenia is a mental health condition that causes a range of psychological symptoms, from behavior changes to hallucinations.
Many patients also experience cognition problems, which affect their memory and ability to function independently.
The memory game has a wizard theme with various levels of difficulty.
It asks players to enter rooms, find items in boxes and remember where they put them, testing their so-called episodic memory.
Prof. Barbara Sahakian, from the department of psychiatry at the University of Cambridge and who researched the impact of the game, said patients who played it made significantly fewer errors in tests afterwards on their memory and brain functioning.
She said this was an indication that they were better prepared to function in the real world.
Prof. Barbara Sahakian said treating the cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia was important, but slow progress was being made towards developing a drug treatment.
She added that the memory game could help where drugs had so far failed – with no side-effects.
The game is available as an app that anyone can play.
Although the results are promising, the research team said more research was needed on larger groups of patients to confirm the findings.
The researchers added that any memory training games had to be used in conjunction with medication and psychological therapies.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Spritam, the world’s first 3D-printed prescription drug.
The agency has previously approved medical devices – including prosthetics – that have been 3D printed.
Spritam was developed by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals to control seizures brought on by epilepsy.
Aprecia said that it planned to develop other medications using its 3D platform.
Printing the drugs allows layers of medication to be packaged more tightly in precise dosages.
A separate technology developed by the pharmaceutical company, known as ZipDose, makes high-dose medications easier to swallow.
Printing the drug meant it could package up to 1,000 milligrams into individual tablets.
The 3D-printed pill dissolves in the same manner as other oral medicines.
Photo Aprecia Pharmaceuticals
Being able to 3D print a tablet offers the potential to create bespoke drugs based on the specific needs of patients, rather than having a one product fits all approach, according to experts.
Medical institutions could adjust the dose for individual patients with just a simple tweak to the software before printing. Previously, such personalized medicine would have been extremely expensive to produce.
3D printing works by creating an object layer by layer. In the case of medicines, printers are adapted to produce pharmaceutical compounds rather than polymers which are more usually used.
Such methods are already proving very useful in healthcare with doctors using the system to create customized implants for patients with injuries or other conditions.
Dentists use 3D printers to create replica jaws and teeth as well as other dental implants.
Spritam will launch in Q1 2016, according to Aprecia.
Bangladeshi secularist blogger Niloy Neel has been killed by a gang armed with machetes in the capital Dhaka, police say.
Niloy Neel was attacked at his home in Dhaka’s Goran area.
He is the fourth secularist blogger to have been killed this year by suspected Islamist militants in Bangladesh.
Police said about six attackers had tricked their way into Niloy Neel’s home by saying they were looking to rent a flat.
“Two of them then took him to a room and then slaughtered him there,” deputy police commissioner Muntashirul Islam said.
“His wife was in the flat but she was confined to another room.”
In May, secular blogger Ananta Bijoy Das was killed by masked men with machetes in Sylhet. He was said to have received death threats from Islamist extremists.
In March, Washiqur Rahman was hacked to death in Dhaka. Blogger Avijit Roy was also killed in Dhaka in February.
Bangladesh is officially secular but critics say the government is indifferent to attacks on bloggers by Islamist militants.
Two people have been arrested, but no-one charged, in connection with this year’s killings.
Donald Trump has taken to Twitter to slam the three moderators of the GOP’s first debate in Cleveland.
The Republican presidential candidate tweeted that Megyn Kelly and the other moderators were “not very good or professional”, and re-tweeted similar viewpoints from other Twitter users.
Megyn Kelly had challenged Donald trump about his views on women.
Donald Trump was one of ten candidates who took part in the first debate.
They had been selected from a crowded field of 17 candidates by Fox News on the basis of recent national polls.
Donald Trump stumbled on his past support for a national healthcare system but his most uncomfortable moment came when Megyn Kelly challenged him on his views about women.
“You’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals,” she said.
The tycoon answered by joking that he only said that about actress Rosie O’Donnell and stating that political correctness was one of the country’s biggest problems.
“I don’t have time for total political correctness,” he said.
In the hours after the debate, Donald Trump took to Twitter to criticize the moderators.
He also took aim at Republican pollster Frank Luntz, whose focus group in a live broadcast after the debate gave an overwhelming thumbs-down to Donald Trump’s performance.
It was when Donald Trump said, during the debate, that he would not rule out running as an independent that the audience and other candidates became hostile.
An enraged Rand Paul said: “He buys and sells politicians of all stripes.”
One of the loudest rounds of applause of the evening was for Florida senator Marco Rubio when he mocked Hillary Clinton, who leads the Democratic field.
“First let me say, I think God has blessed us. He’s blessed the Republican Party with some very good candidates. The Democrats can’t even find one.”
There is no doubt that nobody understands the fashion better than the French girls. It will not be wrong to say that where fashion is involved, the French excel. There is something about French style that is desirable, chic and effortless. French stylists are known for their outside the box thinking. There will to mix the prints, play with the silhouettes, texture and color gives rise to a newer fashion trend.
If you want to look stylish and glamorous like French girls, here are your French fashion cues to rely on:
Get the chic look by mixing the patterns. The secret is to pick the dominant color in the outfit and team it up with the purse in the same color.
Combine the petite black dress with unfussy and wavy beach hair. Get the black dress with either a mesh or lace that covers the low-cut bodice. It is a great way to look scintillating without showing too much skin. The beach hair offsets the sexy quotient and balances the outfit well.
If you like the style of a fuss-free French woman or look like an Oxford woman then there is nothing better than a classic cape. You can get this look by pairing an oversized top with an ankle length tailored black pants. Don’t forget to complete your look with the formal men-inspired shoes. Your androgynous vibe will surely attract a lot of attention.
There is nothing like a trench coat. The cream white trench is a classic French fashion that never out of trend. To look your best pair the coat with a single-sole and pointed heel in colors like raspberry or navy blue or orange. One style tip: If you are able to hide what is underneath, it adds to the inherent sexiness.
It is very important to know how to pair the extremes. Believe it or not, a well-fitted pencil skirt will look awesome with an oversized cropped sweater. To complement the look add the strappy heels in neutral hues.
To get the classic French girl look wear the tweed jacket with a matching skirt or worn out jeans. Don’t forget to complete the look with loafers. This is a perfect look for your casual dinner dates.
French women are often known for their feminine look. If you also want to look elegant and stylish, wear a maxi dress in solid hues and a bib necklace. If possible add the matching cuffs to create an illusion that the dress is adorned with jewels.
The latest trend that is making round is shouldering. The classic faux or real fur in nice colors is a great pick in fun colors. Team it with a pencil skirt or cami in contrasting colors. Prefer the shoulder fur and color blocking to look your best.
With these French style tips, you can never go wrong. Adding it up with coupons from Frugaa, you could stop worrying about breaking the bank and get the glamorous and stylish looks in a budget.
Emma Bunton has denied Spice Girls are set to reunite for a tour in 2016 – without Victoria Beckham.
Before the former Spice Girl’s statement, the Sun reported four of the five band members would be getting back together in 2016 for an international tour, to mark their 20th anniversary.
However, on her radio show, Emma Bunton insisted “nothing’s happening at the moment”.
“If anything happens and it’s concrete, and we decide on something, I will let you know,” she said on Heart FM.
Geri Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm and Emma Bunton were reported to be planning a reunion tour, 20 years after their first hit Wannabe in 1996.
However, tweets on August 7 suggested otherwise.
Photo Getty Images
Mel C tweeted: “Woke up this morning wondering whether I need to start practising my backflips???!!!”
To which Emma Bunton replied: “Do I need to put my pigtails in?!?!?”
Last week, Mel B told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that “it’s about time” for the group to get back together.
Mel B followed up her comments on Today Show on August 4: “When you say it’s our 20th anniversary coming up, it does make you think, <<Oh, my gosh, it really has been that long>>.
“Hopefully, we’ll gather the troops around, and we’ll get to do something to celebrate it next year. It’s in my plan, I don’t know about anybody else’s.”
The Spice Girls – dubbed Ginger, Posh, Baby, Scary and Sporty – sold more than 75 million records and had nine number one singles, becoming a cultural phenomenon when they emerged on to the pop scene in the 1990s.
Their debut album, Spice, made them the fastest-selling British act since the Beatles.
Geri Halliwell left the group in 1998, amid rumors of a division among the five women. The remaining four continued to perform, but the group eventually split in 2001.
After much speculation they reformed for a 47-date tour in 2007. They performed together again at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.
All five embarked on solo careers with mixed results, and have forged careers in TV and radio.
Mel B, a former UK X Factor judge, is currently a judge on America’s Got Talent, while Emma Bunton co-hosts Heart London’s daily breakfast show with Jamie Theakston.
Jon Stewart has hosted his final broadcast of The Daily Show on August 6.
A host of stars joined Jon Stewart for the final show, including Bruce Springsteen.
There were also video messages from Secretary of State John Kerry and Republican Senator John McCain.
Jon Stewart took over the show in 1999 and established himself as one of the most influential satirists in the US and the voice of liberal America.
He is being replaced by the South African comedian Trevor Noah.
The Daily Show, broadcast on Comedy Central, has often been cited as a leading news source for young people, with an average audience of one million viewers.
In his final monologue, Jon Stewart thanked colleagues, fans and family.
“Nothing ends. It’s just a continuation. It’s a pause in the conversation,” he said.
“So rather than saying goodbye or good night, I’m just going to say I’m gonna go get a drink,” he said.
The Daily Show has also helped to launch several well-known comic performers, including Steve Carell and John Oliver, as well as Stephen Colbert who is to be David Letterman’s replacement on CBS’s Late Show.
The hashtag #JonVoyage was trending on Twitter as Jon Stewart bid farewell to the Daily Show, with famous fans paying tribute, including President Barack Obama.
However, for John McCain, it was a chance for a spot of gentle revenge. Jon Stewart had once mocked him using a puppet resembling the Republican senator.
Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux got married in a secret ceremony in Los Angeles.
According to reports, Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux got hitched at their Bel Air mansion.
The couple had been engaged for nearly three years with Jennifer Aniston hinting in April she was hoping for a secret wedding.
In an April interview with In Style magazine Jennifer Aniston said: “If we could do it without all the buzzing and noise… It can be done.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Photo Getty Images
Unconfirmed reports and leaked pictures online suggest they were married on August 5.
In order to avoid being discovered by paparazzi and the public it looks like they put up a marquee so the ceremony could be remain hidden from view.
Justin Theroux, an actor, writer and director, has collaborated with Ben Stiller on writing the script for Zoolander 2 which is out next year and has recently starred in HBO’s The Leftovers.
This is Jennifer Aniston’s second marriage. She was married to Brad Pitt for five years until they divorced in 2005.
French investigators will conduct air, land and sea searches in and around the island of Reunion in the hope of finding more debris which could be linked to MH370.
A wing section found on the French Indian Ocean island definitely came from the doomed Malaysia Airline flight, Malaysia said on August 6.
However investigators in France are yet to confirm the link, causing frustration among the families of victims.
France has also dismissed Malaysian claims that more debris has been found.
The Boeing 777 was travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, when it vanished from radar. It had 239 people on board, most of them Chinese.
For a third day, relatives angered by mixed messages from the authorities and distrusting official announcements are staging a small protest outside Malaysia Airlines’ offices in Beijing.
The French government said in a statement that a military Casa aircraft would begin surveying the area around Reunion on August 7, along with helicopter and boat patrols and search teams on foot.
Saying it recognized the pain for the families, the statement said France would play its full part in international efforts to “shed light on this tragedy”.
The wing section found on Reunion, known as a flaperon, is being examined in the French city of Toulouse by international aviation experts.
Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said paint and “many other technical details” on the flaperon tallied with MH370’s maintenance records.
Window panes and seat cushions had also been found near Reunion which were yet to be identified, he said.
French officials, however, have said no other debris has been recovered, and have only said there is a strong possibility that the flaperon came from MH370.
Liow Tiong Lai said he understood why the French team had been less categorical in their conclusions over the flaperon, saying: “We respect their decision to continue with their verification.”
China’s foreign ministry said Malaysia must keep investigating the crash and “safeguard the legitimate rights and interests” of relatives.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has been co-ordinating the deep-sea hunt in the southern Indian Ocean, where the plane is believed to have gone down, thousands of miles east of Reunion.
Australia’s PM Tony Abbott said that search would continue as “we owe it to the hundreds of millions of people who use our skies”.
Donald Trump is still leading the Republican race for the White House after causing further controversies in the first debate in Cleveland.
His refusal to rule out a third-party run drew boos from the audience on Thursday night.
Donald Trump stood by offensive comments he has made in the past about women.
The ten candidates in Cleveland, selected by Fox News on the basis of recent national polls, provided a frank and bruising exchange of views.
Facing some tough questions from the debate moderators, the candidates tried to stand out in a crowded Republican field.
Donald Trump stumbled on his past support for a national healthcare system but his most uncomfortable moment came when moderator Megyn Kelly challenged him on his views about women.
Photo Getty Images
“You’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals,” Megyn Kelly said.
The tycoon answered by joking that he only said that about actress Rosie O’Donnell and stating that political correctness was one of the country’s biggest problems.
The crowd became hostile when Donald Trump said he would run as an independent, an admission that enraged Rand Paul.
“He buys and sells politicians of all stripes,” said the senator.
One of the loudest rounds of applause was for Marco Rubio when he mocked Hillary Clinton, who leads the Democratic field.
“First let me say, I think God has blessed us. He’s blessed the Republican Party with some very good candidates. The Democrats can’t even find one.”
On August 6, the Democratic Party announced it would hold its first debate in Nevada in October, hosted by CNN.
By next summer, each party will have a presidential nominee who will do battle in the race for the White House. Votes will finally be cast in November 2016.
The Republican field is one of the largest in recent years. Seven other candidates took part in an earlier debate that featured several attacks on Donald Trump.
Former Texas Governor Rick Perry said Donald Trump was running a campaign based on celebrity, while former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina mocked him over his Clinton ties.
While the debates were going on, Hillary Clinton was in Los Angeles for a campaign fundraising event attended by several celebrities, including reality TV star Kim Kardashian and her husband, Kanye West.
North Korea has created its own time zone to mark its liberation from the Japanese at the end of World War Two, says state media.
The communist country is currently in the same time zone as South Korea and Japan, which are nine hours ahead of GMT.
Now, Pyongyang Time will see the clocks put back by 30 minutes on August 15.
According to North Korea’s state news agency KCNA, “wicked Japanese imperialists” had “deprived Korea of even its standard time” by changing the clocks during occupation.
The entire Korean peninsula – then one country – was 8.5 hours ahead of GMT until Japan colonized it in 1910.
KCNA quoted officials as saying the decision to adopt Pyongyang Time reflected “the unshakeable faith and will of the service personnel and people on the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation”.
South Korea said the move could cause some short-term inconvenience at the Kaesong industrial plant in North Korea, jointly run by the two Koreas.
“And in the longer term, there may be some fallout for efforts to unify standards and reduce differences between the two sides,” Unification Ministry official Jeong Joon-Hee said.
There is no international body that approves a country’s change of time zone as countries decide for themselves.
In 2011, Samoa changed its time zone to the other side of the international dateline, losing one day, so as to make communication easier with neighbors Australia and New Zealand.
North Korea is not the only country that has created its own unique time zone.
In 2007, Venezuela decided to turn its clocks back by half an hour as President Hugo Chavez wanted to have a “more fair distribution of the sunrise” to residents.
Venezuela is now the only country with a time zone 4.5 hours behind GMT.
President George W. Bush has been called for jury duty at a Dallas court on August 5.
The former president appeared at the George L Allen Sr Courts Building in downtown Dallas, prompting excitement amongst fellow jurors.
As it turned out, George W. Bush was not actually selected for duty but he spent time talking to the other jurors and took photos and spoke with everyone before he was spirited away from the building by secret service agents.
This is not the first time a former president has been called for duty – in 2003 Bill Clinton was a prospective juror in a gang shooting case in New York.
However, he was excluded by the judge, who said his secret service retinue could “undermine our efforts to keep the case focused quietly on the evidence”.
Judge Eric Moye insisted George Bush’s profile was not the reason he was not called for duty, the Dallas Morning News reported.
“He was number 27 of a 35 member panel and we only got through number 23,” the judge said.
Even actors have to turn up when summoned.
Often those who appear for jury duty in the first instance are not actually selected to serve on a trial.
Scientists from the UK and Spain have developed a simple urine test that could detect pancreatic cancer much earlier than at present.
They found a protein “signature” only present in people with the disease.
Pancreatic cancer is often very advanced by the time it is diagnosed – and only 3% of patients are alive five years after diagnosis.
The disease has the lowest five-year survival rate of any common cancer and one that has barely improved in 40 years.
More than 80% of people with the disease are diagnosed when it has already spread, so they are not eligible for surgery to remove the tumor – currently the only potential cure.
Those at higher risk include people with a family history of the cancer, heavy smokers, obese people and people over 50 who are newly diagnosed with diabetes.
The scientists who developed the test hope that if its early promise is realized then it could be possible to diagnose patients much earlier and offer them treatment.
The study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, looked at almost 500 urine samples. Just under 200 were from patients with pancreatic cancer, 92 from patients with chronic pancreatitis and 87 from healthy volunteers.
The rest of the samples were from patients with benign and cancerous liver and gall bladder conditions.
Out of 1,500 proteins found in the urine samples, three – LYVE1, REG1A and TFF1 – were seen to be at much higher levels in the pancreatic cancer patients, providing a “protein signature” that could identify the most common form of the disease.
The signature was found to be 90% accurate.
Patients with chronic pancreatitis were found to have lower levels of the same three proteins.
More research is now planned, and scientists will focus particularly on people whose genes put them at particular risk of pancreatic cancer.
Working more efficiently and getting things done in the shortest amount of time possible is one of the best ways to drive your business towards success or become a more effective and desirable employee.
But how can you save time while at work when you have so many tasks on your to-do list and so many people to deal with, as well as so many potential distractions? Continue reading for three tried-and-true tips that will help you make the most of every minute.
Invest in the Latest and Greatest Software and Apps
Investing in the right software and apps can make a huge difference in your ability to save time while you work. For example, there are plenty of apps that can help you stay organized, and there are also a variety of programs that will help you perform myriad duties in minutes. Don’t be afraid to look for the latest and greatest products that have hit the market and are specifically geared towards making you a more efficient employee.
Depending upon your position, you may invest in software that helps you perform accounting tasks more quickly or convert a file from PDF to Excel in a matter of seconds so you can maintain a database with ease.
Plan Ahead
In addition to utilizing the right tools throughout your workday, you also want to plan your day in advance so that you know what you need to do and when you need to get certain things done. Figure out exactly what needs to be accomplished and what can wait so you can make the most of your time.
Setting up a schedule that has your most important tasks on the top of the to-do list is one way that you can manage your time and have extra time later in the day to do some odds and ends or get a little creative during a collaboration session with fellow workers.
Avoid Multitasking
A lot of people still think that multitasking is the way to go to get things done more quickly, but the truth is that you should avoid multitasking because you simply can’t be effective when you try to do too many things at once.
Your brain isn’t wired to accomplish multiple tasks at the same time, so focus on one thing at a time, whether that’s typing a message, thinking creatively, or talking with co-workers. If you try to do multiple things at the same time, you’ll only end up wasting time while losing your efficiency as your brain tries to jump from one focal point to the other, and you’ll probably be making mistakes along the way. Instead, complete one task before moving on to the next one on your list. Believe it or not, you’ll have time left over if you do this.
Now that you know a few new ways that you can save time while on the job, you can start showing off your ability to get things done more quickly than your co-workers, and this could lead to a promotion or a raise.
Cecil the lion may be commemorated by a bronze statue at the entrance to Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park in, where he lived, a Zimbabwe conservation group has announced.
The lion’s death prompted worldwide outrage after being killed by American dentist Walter Palmer.
Zimbabwe is now seeking Walter Palmer’s extradition.
Cecil’s death made headlines around the world, and sent Walter Palmer into hiding.
The famous lion was killed outside Hwange park using a bow and arrow. Walter Palmer says he thought the hunt was legal but two Zimbabwean men have been arrested over the killing.
Cheryl Rodrigues of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force said people had already offered donations for the sculpture – the cost of which has not yet been confirmed.
She said: “Cecil was such an icon and it’s created such a fuss everywhere we thought it would be nice to do it.”
The Conservation Task Force has commissioned John Binder of Birds for Africa to make the statue and said it would be an “excellent reminder to all who visit the park”.
John Binder, a metal sculptor for 24 years, said he was “a little bit thunderstruck” to be asked and when his wife Debbie found out she nearly fell over.
“There’s a hell of a lot of pressure,” he said.
John Binder called Cecil’s death “crazy, stupid” and down to “sheer greed”, but added: “We are going to have to be detached from the emotion and get on with the job.”
His previous work includes statues of a pride of lions at a private game lodge in South Africa.
Oxford University had been studying Cecil for lion conservation and John Binder said he was hoping researchers could tell him how much the lion weighed and his dimensions to make the sculpture as realistic as possible.
Cheryl Rodrigues said it was not clear whether a permit would be needed from the park for the statue to be placed at the entrance.
Some have criticized the plan, telling the organization on their Facebook page that it would be more beneficial to use the money to counter corruption and improve conservation.
This is not the only legacy project afoot for the 13-year-old animal renowned for being friendly towards visitors.
Earlier this week the conservation group’s chairman Johnny Rodrigues suggested Cecil’s head be mounted in a glass case.
Republican presidential candidate and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has revealed he lost 40 lbs since adopting the Paleo diet in December 2014.
“My motivation is what gives me joy,” Jeb Bush told a reporter in the all-important primary state of Iowa.
Photo Facebook
“I feel compelled to share that joy with people, not to strike fear or give them the sense that the world is coming to an end.”
Jeb Bush is to be commended for his commitment to personal fitness, especially as he is seeking the Republican nomination to run for a party whose constituents are statistically fatter than the other guys.
