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Aaron Hernandez verdict: Former Patriots tight end found guilty of first-degree murder

Clyde K. Valle
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Aaron Hernandez verdict: Former Patriots tight end found guilty of first-degree murder

Aaron Hernandez has been found guilty of the first-degree murder of his friend, Boston Bandits linebacker Odin Lloyd.

Odin Lloyd’s relatives wept in the Massachusetts courthouse as the verdict was announced on live TV.

Former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Aaron Hernandez arrested on June 26, 2013, 9 days after the murder of Odin Lloyd.

He was charged with killing Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro player who was dating the sister of Aaron Hernandez’s fiancée.

Odin Lloyd’s body was found with six bullet wounds less than a mile from Aaron Hernandez’s home.Aaron Hernandez guilty of first degree murder

At the time, Aaron Hernandez had a contract worth $40 million.

Within hours of his arrest, the Patriots sacked Aaron Hernandez, considered one of the top tight ends playing the game.

Aaron Hernandez is not an isolated case.

NFL players have been charged with any number of crimes over the years, from rape to dog-fighting.

Active NFL players are aged, in the main, between 21 and 34 and the arrest rate for that demographic is one in eight.

The arrest rate for people of Aaron Hernandez’s age – he was 23 – is a startling one in six.

During closing arguments, his defense team acknowledged that he was present during the murder but said others committed the crime.

Prosecutors say Aaron Hernandez planned the “orchestrated execution” because of an incident in a night club, and then helped to cover it up.

He was found guilty of murder and other weapons charges on the seventh day of jury deliberations.

In a tearful statement to the court, Odin Lloyd’s mother Ursula Ward called him the “backbone of the family”.

Rita Wilson undergoes double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer

Lisa.Felice
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Rita Wilson undergoes double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer

Rita Wilson has had a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Tom Hanks’ wife, 58, told People magazine that she had undergone the procedure – the same one that Angelina Jolie underwent in 2013 – and was “expected to make a full recovery”.Rita Wilson breast cancer double mastectomy

Rita Wilson, who took a break from her Broadway play Fish in the Dark last week to have surgery, said she had been diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma after seeking a second opinion from pathologists.

“I share this to educate others that a second opinion is critical to your health,” the actress wrote.

“You have nothing to lose if both opinions match up for the good, and everything to gain if something that was missed is found.”

Rita Wilson, who appeared with Tom Hanks in Sleepless in Seattle and has a recurring role in TV series The Good Wife, is expected to return to Fish in the Dark on May 5th.

Daniel Craig Becomes UN Global Mine Action Advocate

Sonia Pantiss
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Daniel Craig paid a visit to the United Nations in New York on Tuesday, April 14

Daniel Craig, 47, met up with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to accept a new role: as global advocate for the elimination of mines and explosive hazards.

“As 007, you have a license to kill,” said Ban Ki-moon.

“Today, we are giving you a license to save.”

“I’m honored to accept this role [and] humbled that I’ll get the chance to work next to people who are risking their lives every day to help ordinary people live ordinary lives,” said Daniel Craig.

Daniel Craig is heading back to the set of the latest James Bond film, Spectre, after his recent knee surgery.

Joss Whedon and Lionsgate sued for allegedly stealing idea for Cabin in the Woods

Sonia Pantiss
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Joss Whedon and Lionsgate sued for allegedly stealing idea for Cabin in the Woods

Avengers: Age of Ultron director Joss Whedon and Lionsgate Films have been sued by author Peter Gallagher, who claims 2012’s The Cabin in the Woods movie infringes his copyright.

Peter Gallagher, who says that the damages equal or exceed $10 million, claims that the movie was ripped straight from the pages of his book.

In the lawsuit, filed in California on April 13, Peter Gallagher claims that the horror film and his book are “virtually identical” in numerous respects.

The writer claims that he published The Little White Trip: A Night in the Pines in 2006 and registered the book with the Writers Guild of America in 2007. According to the lawsuit, Peter Gallagher published two runs of the book totaling 7,500 copies and hawked them in areas including Santa Monica, California, the Venice Beach boardwalk and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.Cabin in the Woods copyright infringement

The similarities between Peter Gallagher’s book and the film are myriad, the suit claims.

“Comparing the Book to the Film, the plots, stories, characters, sequence of events, themes, dialogue, and incidents portrayed in the two works are fictional and, in many respects, the elements in the two works are virtually identical,” the complaint claims.

The suit also claims: “Like the book, <<Cabin in the Woods>> tells the story of five friends (three guys and two girls) between the ages of 17 and 22 who take a trip to a remote cabin in the woods. The cabin’s previous inhabitants were murdered by the father of the family, who returns to terrorize the group of friends.

In the end, it is revealed that the friends are being filmed and manipulated by persons behind the scenes, thus becoming inadvertent characters in a real-life horror show for the enjoyment of others.”

Peter Gallagher even says that the two main female characters in his book are named Julie and Dura, whereas in the film they’re named Jules and Dana.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEqIy6NfTao

Robin Gibb’s lost solo album Sing Slowly Sisters to be released after 45 years

Sonia Pantiss
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Robin Gibb’s lost solo album Sing Slowly Sisters to be released after 45 years

Robin Gibb’s lost solo album Sing Slowly Sisters will be released 45 years after it was recorded.

The album forms part of a collection of albums capturing the late Bee Gee’s entire musical output at 19 years old, recorded over a 12-month period from 1969 to 1970.

Robin Gibb had planned to complete the album prior to his death from cancer in May 2012.Robin Gibb Sing Slowly Sisters

Saved by the Bell – The Collected Works of Robin Gibb: 1969-70 will be released on June 1st.

It features Robin Gibb’s first solo album, 1969’s Robin’s Reign, as well as Sing Slowly Sisters.  The set also contains a variety of alternate takes and versions, demos, unreleased tracks and other bonus material.

China’s economic growth slows to 7% in Q1 2015

Clyde K. Valle
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China’s economic growth slows to 7% in Q1 2015

China’s growth slowed further in Q1 2015, expanding 7% compared to a year earlier, its slowest pace since the global financial crisis in 2009.

The rate was lower than the 7.3% posted for Q4 2014.

In 2014, China’s economy, which is the world’s second largest, grew at its slowest pace since 1990.

It expanded by 7.4% in 2014, missing its annual growth target of 7.5% for the first time in 15 years.

Despite the slowdown, the Chinese economy was still one of the world’s fasting-growing and analysts have said it was proving to be more resilient than expected.

However, they have also said that slower growth, together with China’s cooling property market – a key economic driver – was likely to mean further easing by its central bank this year, including further rate cuts among other measures.China economy 2015

In February 2015, the People’s Bank of China unexpectedly cut interest rates for the second time since last November.

Interest rate cuts together with injections of liquidity are some of the tools Beijing uses to fine tune its economic growth.

The latest growth numbers were by no means a hard landing – which some had feared – and were in line with the latest government target, analysts said.

In Q1 2009, amid the financial crisis, China’s economy expanded 6.6% from a year earlier.

China also released industrial production (IP) figures on April 15 which fell to 5.9% month-on-month in March, down from forecasts for an expansion of 6.9% and the lowest since 2008.

Analysts said these figures were more glaring than the growth data.

Markets were lacklustre following the numbers however, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index up 0.7% and the benchmark Shanghai Composite flat, up just 0.01% at 4,135.91.

Nokia to buy Alcatel-Lucent for $17 billion

Clyde K. Valle
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0
Nokia to buy Alcatel-Lucent for $17 billion

Nokia is to buy France’s Alcatel-Lucent in a €15.6 billion ($17 billion) takeover deal.

Under the all-share deal, Alcatel-Lucent shareholders will own 33.5% of the new combined company, and Nokia shareholders 66.5%.

Both companies said their boards had agreed the takeover and they expected it to go through in the first half of 2016.

The merger will form a European telecoms equipment group worth more than €40 billion.

Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri said the companies’ complementary technologies would give them “the scale to lead in every area in which we choose to compete”.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

“I firmly believe that this is the right deal, with the right logic, at the right time,” Rajeev Suri said.

Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent are currently among the weakest players in the telecoms equipment industry. However, the combined company will have a market share of 35%, making it second only to Swedish rival Ericsson, which has 40%, according to Bernstein Research.

The companies expect the merger to cut operating costs by €900 million by 2019, but Nokia said it would not cut jobs beyond what Alcatel had already planned.

“No job cuts” in France was the condition under which the French government said on April 14 that it would back the deal.

Alcatel-Lucent’s shares fell 10% in early trading, with traders attributing the fall to shareholders’ disappointment that the deal did not have a cash element.

However, Nokia’s shares rose almost 5%, despite some analysts saying that the deal could take a long time to pay off.

5 Reasons to Choose Xamarin for Cross-Platform Development

Ricky Robinson
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5 Reasons to Choose Xamarin for Cross-Platform Development

Xamarin is one of the best tools for cross-platform mobile development. This powerful and easy-to-use framework brings .NET/C# to both iOS and Android. Mobile apps created with Xamarin meet the distribution requirements of Apple Store and Google Play. IT specialists, choosing Xamarin for cross-platform development, save much time and effort working on their apps.

Here are 5 basic reasons to choose Xamarin for cross-platform development:

1. Easy to Learn

To create decent mobile applications, developers need to learn lots of things, like the platform SDK, user interface norms, process life-cycle and so on. This list is pretty long, so adding several programming languages to it will be too much. With Xamarin you can develop apps for iOS and Android without learning two different programming languages (Objective-C and Java), as it allows building applications for multiple platforms using just one programming language – C#.

2. Faster application development

Xamarin, with its absolute code re-usability, allows saving much time on the application development. In other words, you create one application logic and then share it across multiple platforms. There is no need developing similar apps for different platforms, as mobile applications created with Xamarin are compliant with the native development requirements of all major platforms.

3. Absence of limits

One of the best features of Xamarin is that is does not hide uniqueness of each platform. In fact, it does the opposite – embraces specific features of every platform. Thus, applications written with Xamarin never feel foreign to the platforms on which they are run.

4. Fewer bugs

It is proven that applications created with Xamarin have fewer bugs. Moreover, it allows testing apps and detecting bugs right in the cloud. Consequently, there is no need testing the app’s performance, feel or look on multiple devices. Otherwise speaking, testing is also faster and easier with Xamarin.

5. Saves money

Faster application development requires fewer investments. Thus, when choosing Xamarin for application development, you save company’s money, which is especially beneficial for startups.

When entrusting Xamarin application development to FreeZe Pro Software, you get all the mentioned above advantages coupled with superior customer service. This premium software development company has a great experience in developing custom software solutions. When choosing FreeZe Pro Software, you choose 8 years of software development experience, exceptional customer services, high-quality software solutions and timely product delivery.

Cuba hails US decision to remove it from terror list

Diane A. Wade
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Cuba hails US decision to remove it from terror list

Cuba has welcomed US decision to remove it from the state department’s terror list, saying it should never have been on the list in the first place.

The move comes amid a normalization of ties between the US and Cuba.

Cuba’s presence on the list alongside Syria, Iran and Sudan was a sticking point for Cuba during talks to reopen embassies.

A US trade embargo against Cuba remains and can only be ended by Congress.

Barack Obama met Cuban President Raul Castro at the Summit of the Americas in Panama last week, four months after he announced a historic thaw in ties with the communist island nation.

He said on April 14 that the government of Cuba had “not provided any support for international terrorism” over the past six months.

Barack Obama added that it had “provided assurances that it will not support acts of international terrorism in the future”.Barack Obama Raul Castro Cuban thaw

A statement from Josefina Vidal, Cuba’s top diplomat responsible for dealing with the US, said: “The Cuban government recognized the fair decision made by the president of the United States to eliminate Cuba from a list that it never should have been included on, especially considering our country has been the victim of hundreds of acts of terrorism that have cost 3,478 lives and maimed 2,099 citizens.”

In Havana, ordinary Cubans welcomed the move.

Cuba was first placed on the state department list in 1982, for what the US called efforts “to promote armed revolution by organizations that used terrorism”.

The US believes Cuba had long provided a safe haven for members of the Basque separatist group ETA and Colombia’s FARC guerrilla group, according to its 2013 Report on Terrorism.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the US still had differences with Cuban policies and actions, but they were not “relevant” to the terror list.

Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a candidate for the US presidency, condemned the White House decision, saying Cuba remained a state sponsor of terrorism.

V. Stiviano must pay back $2.6 million to Shelly Sterling

Clyde K. Valle
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V. Stiviano must pay back $2.6 million to Shelly Sterling

Shelly Sterling, the wife of the former Clippers owner, is owed $2.6 million by V. Stiviano who was showered with gifts by Donald Sterling, a Los Angeles court has ruled on April 14.

Judge Richard Fruin Jr. awarded Shelly Sterling most of the nearly $3 million she had sought.

Shelly Sterling had claimed that money used to buy V. Stiviano a house, luxury cars and stocks was her community property.

V. Stiviano’s lawyer had argued the gifts were made when Donald and Shelly Sterling were separated and that Shelly Sterling couldn’t seek them from a third party.

The ruling comes nearly a year after V. Stiviano’s recording of Donald Sterling making racially offensive remarks bounced him from the NBA and cost him team ownership.V Stiviano Shelly and Donald Sterling

Shelly Sterling’s lawyers used other recordings to show Donald Sterling bought V. Stiviano a house, a Ferrari and other things.

In the recordings on V. Stiviano’s iPhone, she and the 80-year-old billionaire are heard discussing how to shield gifts from his wife.

“The truth is that everything that I have, you’ve given me from your heart without me begging or asking or throwing myself all over you,” V. Stiviano said in snippet played in court.

During the course of their 2 and a half years together, Donald Sterling gave her a Ferrari, a Bentley and a Range Rover, and paid the lion’s share of a $1.8 million duplex.

Donald Sterling testified that he paid for the entire house, though V. Stiviano said she had contributed an unknown amount of money given to her in small bills by family members that she saved in a bedroom drawer.

Shelly Sterling said V. Stiviano hadn’t contributed “50 cents” to the house and, noting that she is part black and Hispanic, said she illegally got her name inserted into escrow documents by befriending Hispanic bank and escrow employees.

Shelly Sterling filed the suit against V. Stiviano about a month before the recording of Donald Sterling telling Stiviano not to associate with black people created an uproar and led the NBA to ban him for life and fine him $2.5 million.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2ape1a7JCQ

Furious 7 tops North American box office for second weekend

Sonia Pantiss
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Furious 7 tops North American box office for second weekend

Furious 7 is still on the top of the North American box office, taking $60.6 million in its second weekend in theaters.

Fast and Furious 7 has already out-grossed all previous installments of the 14-year-old franchise and has now made more than $800 million internationally.

DreamWorks animation Home berthed at No 2, new release The Longest Ride could only muster a third place debut.

The rodeo-based romance made $13.5 million between Friday and Sunday.Furious 7 US box office

Starring Clint Eastwood’s son Scott, the film is the latest to be adapted from a best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks.

Further down this week’s Top 10, Woman in Gold appears at seven after expanding its release to more than 1,500 locations.

Starring Helen Mirren, this story of an attempt to recover art looted by the Nazis made $5.9 million in its second weekend in North American theaters.

US and Canada box office:

  1. Furious 7 – $60.6 million
  2. Home – $15.2 million
  3. The Longest Ride – $13.5 million
  4. Get Hard – $8.6 million
  5. Cinderella – $7.2 million

Frozen soundtrack becomes world’s biggest selling album in 2014

Sonia Pantiss
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Frozen soundtrack becomes world’s biggest selling album in 2014

The soundtrack for Disney’s movie Frozen has become the biggest-selling album in the world in 2014, shifting 10 million copies.

The sales figures have been revealed by the IFPI in another report published in addition to the one we mentioned earlier.

The Frozen soundtrack sold 4 million more copies than its nearest rival, Taylor Swift’s 1989, which sold 6 million.

Pharrell Williams’ Happy was the biggest-selling single of the year worldwide, shifting 13.9 million copies.Frozen biggest selling album 2014

Global top five albums 2014:

  1. Frozen – Various artists (10 million copies sold)
  2. 1989 – Taylor Swift (6 million copies)
  3. x – Ed Sheeran (4.4 million copies )
  4. Ghost Stories – Coldplay (3.7 million copies)
  5. In The Lonely Hour – Sam Smith (3.5 million copies)

Global top five singles 2014:

  1. Happy – Pharrell Williams (13.9 million copies sold)
  2. Dark Horse -Katy Perry featuring Juicy J (13.2 million copies)
  3. All Of Me – John Legend (12.3 million copies sold)
  4. All About That Bass – Meghan Trainor (11 million copies)
  5. Let It Go – Idina Menzel (10.9 million copies)

Percy Sledge dies from liver cancer aged 73

Sonia Pantiss
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Percy Sledge dies from liver cancer aged 73

Percy Sledge, famed for his song When a Man Loves a Woman, has died at the age of 73.

The soul singer had surgery for liver cancer in January 2014 but soon resumed touring.

Percy Sledge’s debut single When a Man Loves a Woman reached the top 10 twice in the UK and topped the Billboard chart for two weeks in 1966.

The track reached No 2 when it was re-released in the UK in 1987 after appearing in Oliver Stone’s film Platoon, and was featured in several other movies such as The Big Chill, The Crying Game and a 1994 Meg Ryan drama named after the song itself.

It was the first US No 1 recorded at Alabama’s Muscle Shoals studio, where Aretha Franklin and the Rolling Stones would later record.

When a Man Loves a Woman also scored a first gold disc for Atlantic Records, whose executive Jerry Wexler called the song “a transcendent moment” and “a holy love hymn”.Percy Sledge dead at 73

The song remained Percy Sledge’s biggest hit and helped sustain a long touring career in the US, Europe and South Africa, averaging 100 performances a year. His other chart successes included Warm and Tender Love, It Tears Me Up and Take Time to Know Her.

When a Man Loves a Woman found new life in 1991 when Michael Bolton’s cover of the song topped the Billboard chart.

Before his music career, Percy Sledge worked in the cotton fields around his hometown of Leighton in northwest Alabama, before taking a job as a hospital nurse in the early 1960s.

A patient heard him singing while he worked and recommended him to record producer Quin Ivy.

Percy Sledge was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005 and was a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

Eddie Raymond Tipton: Lottery security director charged with fixing draw

Nancy Clayson
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Eddie Raymond Tipton: Lottery security director charged with fixing draw

Multi-State Lottery Association security director Eddie Raymond Tipton has been charged with fraud after allegedly hacking the computer that picks the winning numbers.

Eddie Raymond Tipton was arrested in January by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations.

Prosecutors said he had been caught on CCTV buying the winning ticket. The $14.3 million prize was never claimed.

Eddie Raymond Tipton, 51, denies the charges.

Citing court papers filed by prosecutors in the case, the Des Moines Register said Eddie Raymond Tipton “may have inserted a thumb drive into a highly locked-down computer that’s supposed to generate the random numbers used to determine lottery winners”.

The offline computer is housed in a glass room and in theory can only be accessed by two people at the same time. It is also constantly monitored by a video camera.Eddie Raymond Tipton lottery fraud

 

It is alleged Eddie Raymond Tipton used his position as security director to change the video camera settings and record only one second in every minute. This would have given him enough time to enter the room and plug a thumb drive into the computer.

On that drive, according to the prosecution, was a rootkit: a stealthy computer program designed to do a specific task and, in this case, then erase itself.

That task was to predetermine the winning lottery numbers for the draw that Eddie Raymond Tipton was to later buy the winning ticket for.

As a member of staff, Eddie Raymond Tipton was not allowed to win the lottery himself.

The court filings suggest there was an attempt to claim the prize just hours before it was scheduled to expire by a company incorporated in Belize.

If found guilty of the two charges of fraud, Eddie Raymond Tipton faces up to 5 years in jail and a fine of up to $7,500.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW_rjVlN03k

Great Family Days Out in North Wales

Dana R
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Great Family Days Out in North Wales

Are you looking to plan a holiday for the summer but don’t know where to go? Or do you just fancy a day out with the family? If so, then you can certainly do worse than North Wales! North Wales has some great places for family days out that will keep everyone entertained, young and old.

Here are some of the best…

Llandudno

Llandudno has long been one of the most popular destinations for days out and holidays in North Wales, and its reputation continues to this day. It has a lovely long promenade and beach, perfect for walking along with an ice cream or fish and chips, whilst the fun fair is still hanging on in there too. It also features a great theatre if you’re after a bit of culture with your fish and chips.

Wooden Benches and Llandudno Pier in Background

Snowdonia

For those who like the great outdoors then Snowdonia is arguably one of the best places in the whole of the UK, not just Wales. The scenery is fantastic and there are loads of opportunities for outdoor activities such as walking and climbing. You can opt to camp if you want to fully experience the great outdoors or there are plenty of hotels and lodges in the area if you want a little more luxury.

Snowdonia National Park and mount Snowdon ,Wales

Prestatyn

Prestatyn might not immediately jump out at you as a place to visit on holiday but it might just surprise you. It has a great beach and is also home to a Pontins holiday park (see more details here), which is great if you’re looking for a family break on a budget as there’s plenty to do for the young and old. It’s also close to plenty of other places in North Wales so it’s not far if you want to see what else North Wales has to offer.

Famous Conwy Castle in Wales, United Kingdom, series of Walesh castles

Conwy

It’s only a small town but Conwy is a wonderful place to visit. Like many places in North Wales, the scenery is stunning and there’s a surprising amount to see and do. Aside from the obvious majesty of Conwy Castle, you can also enjoy Bodnant Gardens, Conwy Quay and even the smallest house in Britain!

Anglesey

If you’re after a trip to the beach then there are few better places in the UK than Anglesey. Most of its coast is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it’s also home to a number of wonderful restaurants if you like a bite to eat. There are a number of caravan parks on the island as well as hotels, but it’s also possible to just visit for a day.

There are plenty more great places in North Wales. Visit Wales has plenty of information if you’re interested in visiting.

Chibok girls: Worldwide ceremonies to mark first anniversary of mass kidnapping

Diane A. Wade
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Chibok girls: Worldwide ceremonies to mark first anniversary of mass kidnapping

Worldwide ceremonies are being hold to mark one year since more than 200 girls were abducted by militant Islamist group Boko Haram in Nigeria.

A procession is being held in the capital, Abuja, with 219 girls taking part to represent each missing girl.

The abduction of the girls in Chibok in north-eastern Nigeria sparked global outrage, with nations such as the US and China promising to help find them.

There have been sightings of the girls reported, but none has been found.

Boko Haram say the girls have converted to Islam and been married off.

Photo RT
Photo RT

High-profile figures such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and First Lady Michelle Obama were among those who drew attention to their plight on Twitter last year under the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag.

Since then, the activists who began that campaign have spoken of relatives’ anguish at still not knowing what happened to the girls, and have criticized the Nigerian government of outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan for not doing enough to find them.

Nigeria’s incoming president, Muhammadu Buhari, said his government would “do everything in its power to bring them home” but said he “cannot promise that we can find them”.

The six-year Boko Haram insurgency in the north has left thousands dead.

Amnesty International say the militants have abducted 2,000 girls and women since the start of last year, using them as cooks, slaves and fighters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuDD9VI6Znc

The Changing Landscape of IT Support

Dana R
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The Changing Landscape of IT Support

Several years ago the definition of IT support was a room on the top floor, full of experts who were on-site and ready to assist in any systems emergency. Now, those days are all but over.

While some companies do, and always will, employ their own internal IT support teams, a lot of start-ups and other small enterprises are turning to third parties. One such company is Nexus Open Systems, who provide a range of different IT solutions which are capable of helping businesses from both on-site and off-site locations.

it-support

Unsurprisingly, it’s the latter which has advanced so much over the years. In fact, remote IT support is now big business and it stands to reason. Businesses rarely require experts on-hand at every hour of the day, so just having access to a team who can log-in to their systems as they please is sufficient. Of course, this has only been made possible thanks to recent technologies, which could in practice allow screen sharing across the world. In other words, IT support teams don’t even have to be based in the same country – although it is rare that this occurs.

It’s not just remote assistance that has become popular though. Retained technical services are still in-demand and again, Nexus is one company who provides such an offering. In these instances the company will sell hours to businesses, who then use up their quota as appropriate. Some will do it instantaneously, in emergency situations, while others will do it in advance to be prepared for the worst case scenarios.

The complexity of IT support can probably be summarised through all of the optional packages which are now available from companies such as Nexus though. For example, some businesses may opt to purchase a 24/7 Critical Support option – which unsurprisingly functions outside of normal business hours in those emergency situations. The optional packages don’t end there, with some companies deciding to take advantage of a day of on-site facilities management every month, just to ensure that their systems are functioning properly.

The extras which have been discussed merely highlight why the in-house IT support team is becoming much less common. While some companies, mostly on the larger scale, will always find a need for experts on-site, most businesses require IT support as and when and it’s for this reason why companies such as Nexus have become so popular.

When one also considers the fact that Nexus provide training and online solutions to businesses, the reasons become even more obvious. In terms of the former, businesses are now able to have employees who can at least have some training in the IT systems and potentially fix a minor problem if it occurs. Then, in relation to the online solutions, small businesses can now manage everything under one roof which is ultimately a much more simplistic situation.

It now remains to be seen if such solutions will only remain popular for small businesses, or if more larger enterprises will start to reap the benefits.

Jodi Arias verdict: Travis Alexander murderer sentenced to life without parole

Nancy Clayson
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Jodi Arias verdict: Travis Alexander murderer sentenced to life without parole

Jodi Arias, who shot and stabbed boyfriend Travis Alexander in his Arizona home in 2008, has been sentenced to life without parole, in a long and highly publicized case.

The woman had faced the death penalty but that was removed as an option in March, when a jury failed to reach agreement on prison or execution.

Jodi Arias, 34, was convicted of premeditated murder in 2013.

She initially blamed the killing of boyfriend Travis Alexander, 30, on intruders, and later said she had killed him in self-defense.Jodi Arias sentenced to life without parole

Jodi Arias shot Travis Alexander and stabbed him nearly 30 times in his suburban Phoenix home.

Four family members of Travis Alexander spoke ahead of the sentence, criticizing Jodi Arias as they broke down in tears.

“Stop murdering my brother again and again by smearing his name,” Travis Alexander’s sister Tanisha Sorenson said, referring to Jodi Arias as “this evil that sits behind me”.

Jodi Arias also gave a statement in which stood by her testimony of self-defense and accused police and prosecutors of changing their story during the investigation.

“The most important thing I want to say is that I’m very sorry for the enormous pain I caused to the people who loved Travis,” Jodi Arias said.

“I’m truly disgusted and I’m repulsed with myself.”

Greece default 2015: Government denies accusations

Clyde K. Valle
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Greece default 2015: Government denies accusations

The Greek government has dismissed media reports that the country is preparing to default on its loans if it cannot reach agreement on its bailout terms with international creditors.

A government spokesman said negotiations were proceeding swiftly towards a solution.

Greece negotiated a three-month extension to its €240 billion ($272 billion) bailout at the end of February.

The Greek government is due to pay the IMF €203 million on May 1st and €770 million on May 12th.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

However, reports suggest the government is rapidly running out of money. It needs to find €2.4bn to pay civil service salaries and pensions this month.

The Greek government has also denied reports that it was considering calling early elections if it failed to negotiate a settlement with its international creditors.

Last week, eurozone officials said Greece only had six working days left to come up with a revised list of reforms to seal a deal on its next rescue bailout.

Eurozone deputy finance ministers want an agreement on the €7.2 billion loan in time for a Eurogroup meeting on April 24th.

PM Alexis Tsipras has said that Athens will not be able to service its debt without financial help from the European Union.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptmnzmWT5R4

Ex-Blackwater guards jailed over 2007 Iraq killings

Roy Siemens
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Ex-Blackwater guards jailed over 2007 Iraq killings

Four former Blackwater guards have been jailed for the killing of 14 Iraqi civilians in 2007.

Nicholas Slatten has been sentenced to life in prison and three others to 30 years.

They were convicted last year for the killings in Baghdad’s crowded Nisoor Square.

A further 17 Iraqis were injured as the private contractors opened fire to clear the way for a US convoy.

The shootings sparked international outrage and a debate over the role of defense contractors in warfare.

Nicholas Slatten faced a charge of murder, while the other men faced multiple counts of manslaughter, attempted manslaughter and using firearms while committing a felony.Ex-Blackwater guards jailed over 2007 Iraq killings

In a court in Washington DC, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard were all sentenced to 30 years in prison for their involvement in the killings.

The men had claimed that they were under fire from insurgents but prosecutors successfully argued what happened was an unprovoked ambush against civilians.

Dozens of victims and witness were flown from Iraq to the US for the trial.

Video monitors in the courtroom showed photos of the dead and wounded and images of cars shot at and blown up with grenade launchers fired by the guards.

Mohammad Kinani Al-Razzaq’s nine-year-old son Ali was killed in the attack.

A picture of the boy smiling was shown on court monitors as Kinani Al-Razzaq said: “What’s the difference between these criminals and terrorists?”

The sentences were announced following a day-long hearing in which the defendants reaffirmed their innocence and their lawyers unsuccessfully argued for leniency.

Prosecutors argued that the sentences be made even harsher because the ex-guards had never expressed any remorse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J2kfmXHqBc

White House 2016: Marco Rubio announces presidential campaign

Diane A. Wade
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White House 2016: Marco Rubio announces presidential campaign

Marco Rubio has announced he will run for the Republican nomination for the 2016 presidential election.

The 43-year-old Florida senator said on a conference call he was “uniquely qualified” to bring the party into the future.

Marco Rubio is the third Republican to officially announce a candidacy after Senators Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.

He is expected to make a formal announcement at a political rally in Miami on April 13.

It comes a day after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she would stand for the Democratic nomination.

Marco Rubio, a Cuban-American, has been a harsh critic of President Barack Obama’s policies, especially on immigration and the diplomatic thaw with Cuba.

“The Republican Party, for the first time in a long time, has a chance in this election to be the party of the future,” Marco Rubio said on the call, according to the Associated Press.Marco Rubio White House 2016

“Just yesterday, we heard from a leader from yesterday who wants to take us back to yesterday, but I feel that this country has always been about tomorrow,” Marco Rubio added, referring to Hillary Clinton.

Marco Rubio, who was first elected in 2010, holds conservative positions on government and military spending, abortion and negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.

He was previously criticized by some Republicans for initially supporting a bipartisan Senate immigration reform bill.

Marco Rubio has since said that border security must be strengthened before any change, criticizing President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration.

He is due to speak to supporters at the Freedom Tower in Miami at 18:00 local time.

Marco Rubio would be the first Hispanic president if he won, as would Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

The field for the Republican nomination is likely to be crowded, with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker also expected to run.

Hillary Clinton, the first major candidate on the Democratic side to declare, is travelling to Iowa and other states, seeking to meet voters before a more formal rally in May.

Nelly arrested on felony drug charges in Tennessee

Lisa.Felice
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Nelly arrested on felony drug charges in Tennessee

Nelly has been arrested on felony drug charges after police stopped the bus in which he was travelling in Tennessee.

The 40-year-old Grammy Award-winning rapper, real name Cornell Haynes, was pulled over on April 11 because the bus was allegedly not displaying legally-required stickers.

The bus was then searched after a state trooper smelled marijuana, authorities in Tennessee said.Nelly arrested on felony drug charges in Tennessee

Officers are alleged to have found drugs and handguns on board.

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security said Nelly was taken to Putnam County Jail after the bus, which had six people on board, was stopped on Interstate 40.

Nelly was charged with felony possession of drugs, simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia and was later released on bail.

One other man travelling on the coach was arrested and charged, authorities said.

A statement said two state troopers searched the bus and found “five colored crystal-type rocks that tested positive for methamphetamine, as well as a small amount of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia” as well as the guns.

According to CNN, Nelly’s lawyer Scott Rosenblum said “there had been 15-20 people that had access to the bus prior to the stop”.

Scott Rosenblum said he was “extremely confident that when the facts come out, Nelly will not be associated with the contraband that was allegedly discovered”.

Nelly, whose hits include Hot in Herre, Dilemma and Ride Wit Me, is currently starring in his own reality TV show, Nellyville.

The reality show centers around Nelly’s home and family life with his two children and his sister’s two children, who he adopted after his sibling died from leukaemia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvmzIMUj1O8

Kanye West jumps into lake during Armenia concert

Lisa.Felice
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Kanye West jumps into lake during Armenia concert

Kanye West was mobbed by dozens of fans after jumping into Swan Lake during a concert in Armenia.

Kim Kardashian’s husband had been giving a free concert in the capital, Yerevan.Kanye West jumps into lake during Armenia concert

Security and police plucked Kanye West out of the scrum as photographers waded into Swan Lake to capture the melee.

Kanye West has been in Armenia with Kim Kardashian on a high-profile trip to connect with her family’s heritage.

Kim Kardashian seemed impressed with her husband’s exploits, tweeting: “Thousands of people were there! Kanye jumped in swan lake to be closer to the crowd on the other side & so many people jumped in too!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EPuNpdxQuU

Günter Grass dead: German Nobel literature prize winner dies in Luebeck at 87

Sonia Pantiss
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Günter Grass dead: German Nobel literature prize winner dies in Luebeck at 87

German Nobel literature prize winner Günter Grass has died at the age of 87, his publisher announces.

The author of The Tin Drum has passed away in a hospital in the northern city of Luebeck, the Steidl publishing house said on Twitter.Gunter Grass dead at 87

Born in what was then Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland), Günter Grass served in the German military in World War Two and published his breakthrough anti-Nazi novel, The Tin Drum, in 1959.

Later in life Günter Grass became a vocal opponent of German reunification in 1990, and argued afterwards that it had been carried out too hastily.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD2sDFYG0FU

Jean-Marie Le Pen pulls out of France’s regional elections

Diane A. Wade
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0
Jean-Marie Le Pen pulls out of France’s regional elections

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of France’s National Front (FN), has announced he is pulling out of regional elections amid a row with his daughter Marine Le Pen.

Marine Le Pen, who now leads the far-right party, condemned her father for his recently repeated claims Nazi gas chambers were a “detail of history”.

Jean-Marie Le Pen told Le Figaro newspaper he would not be standing in the south-eastern Paca region.

But he said he thought he was “the best candidate for the National Front”.Jean Marie Le Pen pulls out of election

Jean-Marie Le Pen said his granddaughter Marion Marechal-Le Pen would be the best person to stand in his place.

“If she accepts, I think she would head a very good list [of candidates]. She is certainly the best, I am not going to say after me, but she is,” he told the publication.

Jean-Marie Le Pen, who is FN’s honorary president, did not make it clear whether he would seek a place as a candidate on the list of his granddaughter for the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur region.

Marine Le Pen has tried to rid the party of its racist image.

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