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Estonia elections 2015: Vote begins amid Russia fears

Diane A. Wade
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Estonia elections 2015: Vote begins amid Russia fears

Estonia is voting in a general election overshadowed by security concerns sparked by Russia’s involvement in Ukraine.

The Centre Party, which has ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin, is expected to do well.

However, the Centre Party is seen as a pariah by other parties, who are likely to band together to renew the current governing coalition.

Estonia was once part of the former Soviet Union but is now a NATO member.

PM Taavi Roivas has voiced concerns that Russia could seek to destabilize other former Soviet states.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

He has called for an “Estonian-minded government”.

At 35, Taavi Roivas is the youngest prime minister in Europe.

Estonia has seen a number of airspace violations by Russia, and last year a security official was detained by Russia and accused of spying.

The Centre Party leader, Edgar Saavisar, favours a friendlier approach to Moscow, and has suggested that Russia’s annexation of Crimea could be legitimate.

About a quarter of Estonia’s 1.3 million population are ethnic Russians, many of whom are Centre Party supporters.

Estonia is a pioneer of electronic voting, with a reported one in five casting their vote online.

Voting is due to end at 20:00 local time.

Victor Arden Barnard: US sect leader held in Brazil

Diane A. Wade
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Victor Arden Barnard: US sect leader held in Brazil

American self-professed minister Victor Arden Barnard, who was put on a US most-wanted list for allegedly molesting two girls in a “Maidens Group” at his religious fellowship in rural Minnesota, has been arrested in Brazil on February 28.

A statement posted on the website of the Public Security Secretariat for the Rio Grande do Norte state government reported the arrest of 53-year-old Victor Arden Barnard.

The US Marshals Service also confirmed the arrest in a statement.

The Brazilian statement said police captured Victor Arden Barnard in an apartment near a paradisiacal white-sand beach in northeastern Brazil. He was being held in the city of Natal to await extradition.

According to a criminal complaint in the US, two women said they were among about 10 girls and young women who lived apart from their families in a camp that Victor Arden Barnard set up near Finlayson, Minnesota, about 90 miles north of Minneapolis.Victor Arden Barnard US sect leader held in Brazil

One woman alleged Victor Arden Barnard abused her beginning at age 13 and continuing until she was 22. The other said her abuse occurred between ages 12 and 20.

Victor Arden Barnard allegedly kept the girls isolated, and US authorities have said he used religious coercion and intimidation to maintain his control over them, calling it cult-like behavior.

Investigators believe Victor Arden Barnard abused other girls but have been unable to get others to come forward. Most of the criminal counts against him carry maximum sentences of 30 years in prison.

Brazilian authorities said Victor Arden Barnard had been living for at least six months at the apartment where he was arrested near Praia da Pipa beach, about 1,300 miles from Rio de Janeiro.

Taken into custody with him was a 33-year-old Brazilian woman. Police also confiscated computers, cellphones, pen drives and other objects.

Police inspector Paulo Henrique Oliveira told the news portal G1, the website of Brazil’s biggest TV network, that Victor Arden Barnard entered the country legally in 2012.

Valentina Maureira: Chilean girl asks President Michelle Bachelet to be allowed to die

Kathryn R. Bown
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Valentina Maureira: Chilean girl asks President Michelle Bachelet to be allowed to die

In a video posted online, Valentina Maureira, a 14-year-old Chilean girl, is asking President Michelle Bachelet to allow her to die.

The video has been viewed by thousands of people since the girl posted it.

Valentina Maureira suffers from cystic fibrosis, an incurable genetic disorder that attacks the lungs and other organs.

President Michelle Bachelet responded by visiting Valentina in hospital.

Her spokesman said Valentina Maureira could not be granted her wish but the government would pay for psychiatric treatment.Valentina Maureira President Michelle Bachelet

Valentina Maureira’s message has been viewed thousands of times on social networks, fuelling the debate in Chile over euthanasia, which is forbidden by law.

“I asked to speak urgently with the president, because I am tired of living with this disease,” the girl said.

She also said she had an older brother who died of the same illness when he was six years old so she knew what would happen to her.

Valentina Maureira’s father Fredy is supporting his daughter’s demand.

“This is so tough, but I have to respect her decision because she’s the one who’s suffering this illness,” AP quoted Fredy Maureira as saying.

Cystic fibrosis attacks the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe, among other symptoms.

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Ebola outbreak 2015: Sierra Leone VP Samuel Sam-Sumana in quarantine

Kathryn R. Bown
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Ebola outbreak 2015: Sierra Leone VP Samuel Sam-Sumana in quarantine

Sierra Leone Vice-President Samuel Sam-Sumana has put himself into quarantine after one of his bodyguards died from Ebola.

Samuel Sam-Sumana said he would stay out of contact with others for 21 days as a precaution.

There was optimism the Ebola virus was on the decline in Sierra Leone at the end of 2014 but there has been a recent increase in confirmed cases.

Nearly 10,000 people have died in the outbreak, the vast majority in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Samuel Sam-Sumana said on February 28 that he had chosen to be quarantined to “lead by example” after the death of his bodyguard, John Koroma, last week.

He told Reuters that he was “very well” and showing no signs of the illness, but said he did not want to “take chances”.

The vice-president’s staff has also been placed under observation.Sierra Leone VP Samuel Sam Sumana Ebola quarantine

Samuel Sam-Sumana is Sierra Leone’s first senior government figure to subject himself to a voluntary quarantine.

Officials in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia have pledged to achieve zero Ebola infections within the next two months.

But authorities in Sierra Leone have reinstated some restrictions in the country after a recent spate of news cases.

Of 99 cases recorded in the region in the week beginning February 16, 63 were in Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization.

The government in the capital, Freetown, said it was gravely concerned about the new cases.

It said many of them had been connected with maritime activities and checks on ferries and other vessels had been increased in response.

President Ernest Bai Koroma has also ordered public transport operators to reduce capacity by 25% to limit physical contact between passengers.

In all, more than 23,500 cases have been reported in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea since the world’s worst outbreak began in December 2013.

Honey Boo Boo is obese, say The Doctors specialists

Lisa.Felice
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Honey Boo Boo is obese, say The Doctors specialists

Nine-year-old Honey Boo Boo is obese, The Doctors specialists said during a recent appearance of the little reality star in the show.

During the show, the two doctors confronted Mama June about Alana Thompson’s terrible eating habits.

Alana Thompson started her young career in beauty pageants on Toddlers and Tiaras.

Then she moved on to Here Comes Honey Boo Boo fame, where we all learned that she loves not-so-great-for-you treats such as fried Oreos.

“My favorite food? Chicken nuggets, I would have to say,” Honey Boo Boo told Travis Stork, host of The Doctors who stages an “intervention” on the show.

“I like corn dogs.”

Honey Boo Boo also likes “KFC”.Honey Boo Boo The Doctors

But the focus of the show is to give her mother, June Shannon, a wake-up call, a reality check and to try to turn around Honey Boo Boo’s lifestyle.

“I do worry about her health,” said Mama June.

The doctors – Travis Stork and Jennifer Ashton – reveal that Honey Boo Boo’s height and weight (4-foot-6 and 125 pounds) is not good, especially for a 9-year-old.

“She is obese,” said Jennifer Ashton.

Mama June says that a lot of the weight is due to steroids Honey Boo Boo takes for her asthma.

“You’re trying to make a lot of excuses,” said Travis Stork, but he added that her diet of fried, salty and sugary foods is contributing to her health problems, including asthma, which is inflammation of the airways.

After checking out their home fridge, Travis Stork said: “June, I”m sorry, but I didn’t see anything in that fridge that’s either going to improve Alana’s weight or decrease inflammation in her body. And, I’m going to be honest, you need to take some responsibility here. … I want to see a bit of a light bulb, where you say, <<Maybe I can do better, maybe even a heck of a lot better>>.”

June Shannon didn’t like hearing her grocery shopping choices were the culprits and instead blamed Honey Boo Boo’s weight on asthma medication. But the doctor knows best, and he followed up with: “It’s not her steroids that are causing her to be obese. It’s the foods she’s eating.”

The two take a taste test of healthier foods and realize that maybe they can learn to love pizza made with cauliflower crust and oven-fried chicken made with rolled oats.

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Venezuela to limit American diplomatic staff in the country

Diane A. Wade
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Venezuela to limit American diplomatic staff in the country

Venezuela will limit the number of US diplomats working in the country, President Nicolas Maduro has announced.

Nicolas Maduro said he wanted a review and reduction of American diplomatic staff.

American citizens visiting Venezuela would also need visas and there would be a list of politicians who would be banned from entry.

Nicolas Maduro said US meddling had forced him to adopt the new measures.

The president said that the US government had 100 employees working in Venezuela whereas Venezuela had 17 based in the US.

Nicolas Maduro said Venezuela would be charging Americans the same rates for visa as those levied on Venezuelans wishing to visit the United States.Nicolas Maduro imposes visas for Americans

A list of banned politicians would include George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Bob Menendez and Marco Rubio.

Nicolas Maduro said these were all men who had violated human rights and encouraged terrorism, particularly in Iraq and Syria.

Earlier this month the US imposed visa restrictions on unnamed Venezuelan officials it accused of human rights violations and corruption.

The move builds on sanctions imposed last year on Venezuelan officials alleged to have violated the rights of protesters during demonstrations that shook the country in the first six months of 2014.

The list of officials banned from entering the US was extended to include family members.

Earlier this month President Nicolas Maduro accused the US of working with opposition groups to stage what he said was a coup that involved bombing the presidential palace.

Washington rejected the accusations as ludicrous.

Venezuela and the US have not exchanged ambassadors for the last five years.

Boris Nemtsov murder: Vladimir Putin vows to bring killers to justice

Diane A. Wade
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Boris Nemtsov murder: Vladimir Putin vows to bring killers to justice

Vladimir Putin has said he will do everything possible to bring to justice those who committed the “vile and cynical” murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

In a telegram to Boris Nemtsov’s mother, published on the Kremlin’s website, the Russian president offered condolences and praised Nemtsov’s openness and honesty.

Boris Nemtsov, 55, was shot four times in the back on a bridge near the Kremlin.

Western leaders demanded a transparent investigation into the killing.

In the telegram to Boris Nemtsov’s 86-year-old mother, Dina Eydman, Vladimir Putin said: “We will do everything to ensure that the perpetrators of this vile and cynical crime and those who stand behind them are properly punished.”Boris Nemtsov murder 2015

He said: “Please accept my deepest condolences in connection with this irreparable loss. I sincerely share your sorrow.

“Boris Nemtsov has left his mark in the history of Russia, in its political and public life. He occupied significant posts in a difficult time of transition in this country. He always openly and honestly voiced and upheld his views.”

Expressing shock at the “cruel and cynical murder”, PM Dmitry Medvedev said Boris Nemtsov was a “principled person” who “acted openly, consistently and never betrayed his views”.

On February 28 there was a steady stream of people leaving flowers at the site of the killing.

Boris Nemtsov served as first deputy prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s but fell out of favor with Vladimir Putin and became an outspoken opponent, particularly on the Ukraine conflict.

During an interview on February 10, Boris Nemtsov had said he feared Vladimir Putin would have him killed because of his opposition to the war.

Boris Nemtsov died hours after appealing for support for a march on March 1 in Moscow against the conflict.

The march, due to be held in a Moscow suburb, has now been cancelled, and the organizers have been given permission to hold a mourning procession in the centre of the city.

According to the Russian state media, the march will begin on Kitaigorodsky Proezd at 15:00 local time and pass the site of the killing. Analysts say it is rare for state media to announce the time and place of opposition rallies.

Amid widespread global outrage, President Barack Obama condemned the killing as a “brutal murder”.

The Russian government must conduct a “prompt, impartial and transparent investigation”, Barack Obama urged.

“I admired Nemtsov’s courageous dedication to the struggle against corruption in Russia and appreciated his willingness to share his candid views with me when we met in Moscow in 2009,” the president said in a statement.

A statement from the office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of Boris Nemtsov’s “courage” for his frequent criticism of Russian government policy.

Angela Merkel “calls on President Vladimir Putin to ensure that the murder is cleared up and the perpetrators brought to justice”, her spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

UK PM David Cameron echoed the calls for an inquiry, saying he was “shocked and sickened” by the news.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko described Boris Nemtsov as a friend of Ukraine.

He said: “Boris had declared he would provide clear evidence of Russian armed forces’ participation in [the war] in Ukraine. Somebody was afraid of this… They killed him.”

Amnesty International demanded a “prompt, impartial and effective” investigation into what it said was “a cold-blooded murder of one of those free voices whom the authorities have so actively sought to silence”.

Boris Nemtsov was shot at around 23:40 on Friday, February 27, while crossing Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge accompanied by a woman, Russia’s interior ministry said.

He was shot with a pistol from a white car which fled the scene, police said.

Russian investigative committee head Vladimir Markin said in a statement that several motives for the killing were being considered including “Islamic extremism” and the victim’s alleged links with Ukraine.

“Mr. Nemtsov may have been sacrificed by those who do not shun anything to reach their political gains,” the statement said.

The statement also said that the attack was meticulously planned and the killers had been tracking Boris Nemtsov’s movements around Moscow.

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Paris heists: Eight men jailed over double heist on Harry Winston jewelry store

Diane A. Wade
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Paris heists: Eight men jailed over double heist on Harry Winston jewelry store

Eight men have been sentenced to different jail terms over a double heist on the Harry Winston store in Paris that netted watches and jewels worth more than $100 million.

The sentences ranged from nine months to the 15-year term given to the man believed to be the mastermind, Douadi Yahiaoui, nicknamed “Doudou”.

Four robbers pretended to be builders in the first heist in October 2007.

In 2008, four thieves again gained access, with three of them this time wearing women’s clothing and wigs.

In March 2011, police found $19 million worth of jewelry from the 2008 heist stuffed in a drain in the Parisian suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, but much of the loot has never been recovered.

Photo Flickr
Photo Flickr

Prosecutor Sylvie Kachaner said Douadi Yahiaoui, 50, who has already served 23 years for theft and drug trafficking, was the brains behind the outfit.

Sylvie Kachaner said: “He is the one who organized everything, recruited the robbers, gave instructions and was in charge of selling the jewellery.”

One of those convicted was Mouloud Djennad, who provided insider information from his job as a security guard at the store.

He had told the court: “My thoughts are with my former colleagues at Harry Winston. I’m ashamed every day but I cannot undo what I’ve done.”

For the 2007 heist, Mouloud Djennad let in the robbers the evening before. They threatened employees and took items worth about $35 million.

The heist in December 2008 netted about $79 million.

A lawyer for one of the defendants, Eric Dupond-Moretti, told AFP: “It’s an exceptional case with unusual aspects. In television series about heists, they wear bulletproof vests. Here it’s fishnet stockings and high heels.”

The Harry Winston boutique is situated on the fashionable Avenue Montaigne in Paris and attracts a wealthy clientele from around the world, from royalty to movie stars.

Kim Jong-un urges North Korean army to prepare for war with US

Roy Siemens
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Kim Jong-un urges North Korean army to prepare for war with US

Kim Jong-un has urged the North Korean army to prepare for war with the US and its allies, state media said on February 28, ahead of US-South Korea military drills.

The North Korean leader’s comments came after South Korea and the US on February 27 conducted a joint naval drill involving 10 South Korean warships and a US Aegis destroyer, ahead of the launch of large-scale military exercises that have enraged the North.

“The prevailing situation where a great war for national reunification is at hand requires all the KPA (Korean People’s Army) units to become (elite) Guard Units fully prepared for war politically and ideologically, in military technique and materially,” Kim Jong-un was quoted by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as saying.

North Korea regularly ratchets up hostile rhetoric at times of joint US-South Korea military exercises that spark a sharp surge in tensions on the divided peninsula.Kim Jong un North Korean army

Kim Jong-un called on the military to train hard in order “to tear to pieces the Stars and Stripes”, in comments made while opening a new hall at the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang, KCNA said.

The drill on February 27 was a prelude to an eight-week exercise, Foal Eagle, involving air, ground and naval field training, with around 200,000 Korean and 3,700 US troops that begins on March 2.

A week-long, largely computer-simulated joint drill, Key Resolve, will also get under way.

Seoul and Washington insist the exercises are defense-based in nature, but they are condemned by Pyongyang as provocative rehearsals for invasion.

The communist country had offered a moratorium on carrying out nuclear tests if this year’s joint drills were cancelled – a proposal rejected by Washington as an “implicit threat” to carry out a fourth atomic drill.

North Korea claims it won the 1950-1953 Korean War, which ended in an armistice instead of a peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas still technically at war.

Missouri shootings: Joseph Jesse Aldridge identified as gunman

Nancy Clayson
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Missouri shootings: Joseph Jesse Aldridge identified as gunman

Joseph Jesse Aldridge has been identified as the gunman who killed seven people in a door-to-door shooting spree in Missouri on February 26 before killing himself, authorities said.

According to police, the rampage may have been triggered by finding his mother dead of apparent natural causes.

Four of the victims are family members of the suspect.

Joseph Jesse Aldridge, 36, was later found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a car in a neighboring county after the killings in the rural community of Tyrone, located in the southern part of Missouri, about 90 miles east of Springfield, authorities said.

The body of a woman identified by authorities as Joseph Jesse Aldridge’s mother, 74-year-old Alice Aldridge, had been dead for 24 hours before she was found by authorities on February 26, and she is thought to have died of natural causes.

Police first learned of the rampage — which spanned six crime scenes in a three-mile radius in Tyrone — just after 10 p.m. local time on Thursday, February 26, after a juvenile female called 911 and said there were gunshots in her home.

Four of the seven victims were identified as husband and wife Darrell and Julie Aldridge and husband and wife Harold and Janelle Aldridge, Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Jeff Kinder said at a news conference on February 27, adding that some were cousins of the suspect.

The other three victims were not members of the suspect’s family and have not yet been identified.

Texas County Sheriff James Sigman said during a news conference on February 27 that investigators “checked a wide area door-to-door” for additional victims. He added that investigators weren’t looking for any other suspects.

Joseph Jesse Aldridge pleaded guilty to federal charges of possessing a firearm, described as a .22-caliber pistol, while using marijuana in 2008, according to KSDK. Following his 21-month sentence, he was ordered to participate in counseling programs, the station reported. The gun Joseph Jesse Aldridge allegedly used on February 26 was a .45-caliber handgun, Sheriff James Sigman said.

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Anthony Mason died from congestive heart failure aged 48

Clyde K. Valle
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Anthony Mason died from congestive heart failure aged 48

Former NBA All-Star Anthony Mason died from congestive heart failure on February 28 at the age of 48, a Knicks spokesperson confirmed.

Anthony Mason, a 2001 All-Star with the Miami Heat, played for six NBA teams over 13 seasons including five years with the Knicks.

The sportsman was diagnosed with congestive heart failure earlier this month.

Anthony Mason had four surgeries following his heart attack.Anthony Mason dead at 48

His three sons, Anthony Jr., Antoine and Armon, were at his side.

Anthony Mason was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1995 while with the Knicks and was selected to the NBA’s All-Defensive team in 1997. The Tennessee State alum was drafted by Portland in 1988, but was cut before the season began.

He played a season in Turkey before joining the New Jersey Nets in 1989. After a year with the Savannah Spirits of the Continental Basketball Association, Anthony Mason played three games with the Denver Nuggets before going to the Knicks in 1991.

Anthony Mason spent his final two NBA seasons in Milwaukee.

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Kelly Osbourne leaves Fashion Police after four years

Lisa.Felice
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Kelly Osbourne leaves Fashion Police after four years

Kelly Osbourne has left Fashion Police on Friday, February 27, E! Entertainment Television has confirmed.

The TV channel said in a statement: “Kelly Osbourne is departing E!s <<Fashion Police>> to pursue other opportunities, and we would like to thank her for her many contributions to the series over the past five years, during which time the show became a hit with viewers.”

Kelly Osbourne has been very vocal about her displeasure with the situation regarding an ill-advised joke made by Fashion Police co-star Giuliana Rancic about Zendaya Coleman’s hairstyle. Ozzy Osbourne’s daughter even hinted on Twitter that she was considering leaving the show, but tweeted that she was contractually handcuffed from saying anything else.

Photo E! Entertainment
Photo E! Entertainment

Neither the joke about her friend Zendaya Coleman, nor the ensuing fallout, had anything to do with her decision, according to the Daily Mail.

According to TMZ, Kelly Osbourne was unhappy with how the show was produced this past season and that producers were “up to here” with her.

“Kelly stayed on the show after the beloved Joan Rivers passed away, but nothing has been the same since,” a source told the Daily Mail.

“The chemistry has not been the same between the hosts since the show came back on air and Kelly knows it’s time to move on.”

“This has nothing to do with Giuliana,” the source continued.

“Zendaya accepted Giuliana’s apology and she’s already moved on to a new hair style.”

Kelly Osbourne has been a fixture on Fashion Police since 2011.

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Rosie O’Donnell files for divorce from Michelle Rounds

Lisa.Felice
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Rosie O’Donnell files for divorce from Michelle Rounds

Rosie O’Donnell filed for divorce from Michelle Rounds on February 27, three weeks after confirming their separation.

The 52-year-old comedian cited an “irretrievably broken relationship” in her court papers, which were filed in New York’s State Supreme Court.

The document states that Rosie O’Donnell and Michelle Rounds have a prenuptial agreement.Rosie O'Donnell and Michelle Rounds divorce

Rosie O’Donnell and Michelle Rounds wed secretly at her Nyack, New York home in June 2012, shortly after Rounds was diagnosed with a desmoid tumor for which she immediately required surgery.

There’s no word yet whether they asked for a joint or sole custody agreement for their two-year-old daughter Dakota, who was adopted in January 2013.

Currently, the two share custody of the little girl.

Rosie O’Donnell separated from Michelle Rounds not long before she also quit The View.

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Hyperloop: Elon Musk’s ultra high-speed tube train to be built in California

James J. Williams
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Hyperloop: Elon Musk’s ultra high-speed tube train to be built in California

The first full-scale Hyperloop will be built in central California in 2016.

Hyperloop is a new transportation method imagined up by entrepreneur Elon Musk.

The 5-mile test track will be built halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The system uses depressurized tubes, as well as magnets and fans, to propel up to 28 people at a time at high speeds.

This model will be slower and shorter than the full-sized near-supersonic system envisioned by Elon Musk.

Hyperloop Transportation Technologies announced the agreement with the developers of Quay Valley, California, a planned community that emphasizes sustainability.Hyperloop to be built in California

The system will be built alongside the Interstate 5 freeway in central California, and the developers claim that it will be the first passenger-ready Hyperloop to be built in an urban area.

Elon Musk, who founded companies like Paypal, SpaceX, and Tesla Motors, first announced the idea of a Hyperloop in a 57-page white paper in August 2013.

In his original envisioning, Elon Musk imagined the system transporting people between Los Angeles and San Francisco- a distance of about 400 miles – in 30 minutes.

Shortly after the announcement Elon Musk handed the concept over to the public for anyone to develop, saying that he was too busy with other projects.

Since then hundreds of engineers have contributed ideas to the project during their spare time.

Elon Musk has described the design as a cross between Concorde, a railgun and an air hockey table.

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Indiana may introduce baby boxes for abandoned infants

Diane A. Wade
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Indiana may introduce baby boxes for abandoned infants

Indiana could become the first US state to introduce baby boxes – anonymous drop-off points designed to prevent the deaths of abandoned infants.

Many states allow parents to hand over infants at public facilities, but the boxes have not been used in the US.

The boxes offer people who will not give up a child in person an alternative to abandonment or infanticide, proponents say.

They have been criticized in Europe and Asia, where they are more common.

Elizabeth Throssell, a spokeswoman for United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child, urges countries to provide family planning and other support to address the root causes of abandonments, like poverty, instead.

Other concerns over baby boxes include the need for medical care provided at safe haven sites like hospitals or police stations. The involvement of a trained professional at the point of handover can also help assess whether the mother simply needs financial support or other help.

Since 1999, a number of US states have passed “safe haven” laws that allow parents to surrender newborns at hospitals, police stations and other facilities without fear of prosecution, so long as the child hasn’t been harmed.Indiana baby boxes 2015

Republican politician Casey Cox, who authored the bill, says baby boxes are a natural progression of such laws. The Indiana House overwhelmingly passed the bill this week. It is now being considered by the state senate.

Supporters of the bill hope that about one hundred boxes could be deployed by July 2015. According to Save the Abandoned Babies Foundation, nearly two-thirds of those illegally abandoned die.

Baby boxes, also known as baby hatches or angel cradles, originated in medieval times when convents were equipped with revolving doors known as “foundling wheels”.

Baby hatches are so popular in Asian countries in particular that they have even become the subject of a new documentary called The Drop Box, which follows the efforts of a pastor in Seoul, South Korea, to address child abandonment.

In China local authorities have been so overwhelmed by abandonments in recent years that they have restricted the use of the boxes or closed them entirely.

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Dress color debate: Why we see it differently?

Nancy Clayson
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Dress color debate: Why we see it differently?

A social media debate has sparked over the color of a dress which looks different to different people.

In a particular photo, it can appear to be white and gold or blue and black.

Since it hit Tumblr on February 25, the image has started an internet schism that may never be healed. Some people see the dress as gold and white, while others see it as blue and black.Dress color debate

The real color of the dress is royal blue with black lace.

According to specialists, light enters the eye through the lens – different wavelengths corresponding to different colors. The light hits the retina in the back of the eye where pigments fire up neural connections to the visual cortex, the part of the brain that processes those signals into an image.

Our retinas have specialized cells called rods, which are used for night vision, and cones, which deal with color. Cones come in three types: red, blue, and green, but each of us has very different ratios of these types.

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Turkish man fined for not loving wife

Nancy Clayson
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Turkish man fined for not loving wife

A Turkish husband has been fined for saying “I don’t love you” to his wife, the Daily Sabah website reports.

According to the website, the spouses, who are divorcing, both sought compensation from each other over insults apparently hurled during their marriage.

A lower court had ruled they were both as bad as one another, but the Supreme Court of Appeal said the man’s remark about not loving his wife amounted to “emotional violence”, and ordered him to pay her compensation.Turkish man fined for not loving wife

The woman said her husband’s comment had left her “emotionally wrecked”, and that he had often left the marital home. For his part, the man said his wife had repeatedly “cursed” him.

Turkey has been trying to crack down on all forms of violence against women, but the publication points out that emotional and psychological abuse can be difficult to prove.

A 2014 survey of university-educated women working in white-collar jobs found that 40% of respondents had experienced that type of abuse at least once, the Hurriyet Daily News reported in December.

Lupita Nyong’o stolen dress recovered after thief learns pearls are fake

Lisa.Felice
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Lupita Nyong’o stolen dress recovered after thief learns pearls are fake

According to LAPD, a dress “resembling” the $150,000 Calvin Klein dress worn by Lupita Nyong’o at this year’s Oscars that was stolen this week has been recovered.

The dress was found in a bathroom of the same Hollywood hotel where it was taken.

Police were tipped off by celebrity website TMZ, who said they were contacted by a man claiming to be the thief.

The man said he had returned the dress after learning the pearls studding the dress were fake.Lupita Nyong'o stolen dress

The custom Calvin Klein-designed gown is coated with 6,000 natural pearls, but the purported thief said he took two of them for testing and were told they were not real.

Detectives are working with the owners of the dress to confirm if it is the dress.

Michael White of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said he believed it was. No arrests have been made.

”Whether the jewels on the dress are fake or real… we still have a burglary and we still have a grand theft,” Michael White said.

Lupita Nyong’o won best supporting actress in 2014 for 12 Years a Slave and was a presenter at this year’s ceremony.

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Homeland Security avoids partial shutdown after House passes short-term funding bill

Diane A. Wade
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Homeland Security avoids partial shutdown after House passes short-term funding bill

The US Department of Homeland Security has avoided a partial shutdown as Congress passed a one-week funding extension, hours before a midnight deadline.

The House voted 357-60 in favor of the short-term bill after it had been passed in the Senate.

President Barack Obama, who said he would back a short-term deal to avert a shutdown, signed it shortly afterwards.

It ensures the department’s 250,000 employees will be paid while a longer-term funding agreement is discussed.

The two-thirds majority vote was reached about two hours before the midnight deadline.

Earlier, Republicans had rejected a similar three-week extension after provisions against President Barack Obama’s immigration plan were dropped.

The one-week deal was backed by a majority of Democrats despite many of them voting against the earlier bill in the hope that a longer-term deal could be agreed.Homeland Security avoids shutdown

The move came shortly after President Barack Obama had spoken by phone to Democratic leaders in a bid to avert the partial department closure.

The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for securing US borders, airports and coastal waters.

About 200,000 “essential” department employees would have continued to work without pay if the agency’s funding had not been secured.

Some Republicans had wanted to use the funding of the department, which includes immigration officials, as a bargaining chip to force President Barack Obama to end policies on immigration.

In November 2014, Barack Obama used his executive powers to protect about five million undocumented immigrants from deportation. Republicans say President Barack Obama overstepped his powers in doing so.

A separate ruling by a federal judge has blocked those policies from starting while a lawsuit by more than two dozen states goes forward.

Some Republicans senators had expressed a desire to fight the executive actions in the courts, rather than threaten the department’s funding.

On February 26, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson urged Congress to pass full funding.

“A short-term continuing resolution exacerbates the uncertainty for my workforce and puts us back in the same position, on the brink of a shutdown just days from now,” Jeh Johnson said.

Last week, the White House said President Barack Obama would prefer a full funding bill but would sign a short-term measure to prevent a shutdown.

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Boris Nemtsov shot dead in central Moscow

Diane A. Wade
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Boris Nemtsov shot dead in central Moscow

Vladimir Putin’s critic and former Deputy PM Boris Nemtsov has been shot dead in central Moscow, Russian officials say.

An unidentified gunman, in a car, shot Boris Nemtsov four times in the back as he crossed a bridge in view of the Kremlin, police say.

The Russian opposition leader died hours after appealing for support for a march on March 1 in Moscow against the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned the murder, the Kremlin says.

Vladimir Putin has assumed “personal control” of the investigation into the killing, said his spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

It “bears the hallmarks of a contract killing,” said Dmitry Peskov.

President Barack Obama condemned the “brutal murder” and called on the Russian government to conduct a “prompt, impartial and transparent investigation”.

Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary general of the Council of Europe, condemned the killing, saying in a tweet: “I am shocked and appalled key opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot. Killers must be brought to justice.”Boris Nemtsov killed in central Moscow

In a recent interview, Boris Nemtsov had said he feared Vladimir Putin would have him killed because of his opposition to the war in Ukraine.

Boris Nemtsov, 55, served as first deputy prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s.

He had earned a reputation as an economic reformer while governor of one of Russia’s biggest cities, Nizhny Novgorod.

Falling out of favor with Boris Yeltsin’s successor, Vladimir Putin, he became an outspoken opposition politician.

Boris Nemtsov was shot at around 23:40 on Friday, February 27, while crossing Moskvoretsky Bridge accompanied by a woman, Russia’s interior ministry said.

He was shot with a pistol from a white car which fled the scene, a police source told Russia’s Interfax news agency.

According to Russian-language news website Meduza, “several people” got out of a car and shot him.

One of the politician’s colleagues in his RPR-Parnassus party, Ilya Yashin, confirmed Boris Nemtsov’s death.

Flowers were left at the site of the shooting through the night.

In his last tweet, Boris Nemtsov sent out an appeal for Russia’s divided opposition to unite at an anti-war march he was planning for Sunday.

“If you support stopping Russia’s war with Ukraine, if you support stopping Putin’s aggression, come to the Spring March in Maryino on March 1,” he wrote.

Speaking earlier this month to Russia’s Sobesednik news website, Boris Nemtsov had spoken of his fears for his own life.

“I’m afraid Putin will kill me,” he said on February 10.

“I believe that he was the one who unleashed the war in the Ukraine,” Boris Nemtsov added.

“I couldn’t dislike him more.”

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ISIS destroys historic artefacts at Mosul museum

James J. Williams
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ISIS destroys historic artefacts at Mosul museum

Islamic State (ISIS) militants have destroyed historic artefacts at a Mosul museum in Iraq.

The head of the UN agency for culture, UNESCO, has said the artefacts’ destruction is a war crime.

Irina Bokova said she was appalled by an act of “cultural cleansing”, calling for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the issue.

ISIS posted a video on February 26 appearing to show militants with sledgehammers smashing statues in a museum in Mosul.

Some of the artefacts date back to the 9th Century BC.

ISIS militants said the statues were “false idols” that had to be smashed.

At a news conference in Paris, Irina Bokova described the video as “a real shock”, saying she was simply unable to finish watching the footage.

“I was filled with dismay by images of the attack on the Mosul Museum,” she said.

In a statement, UNESCO stressed that under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage is a war crime.ISIS destroys artefacts at Mosul museum

The statement added that Irina Bokova had already called on the ICC to launch an investigation.

She also announced the creation of a “global coalition against the illegal trafficking of cultural goods”, adding that it would meet in coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the Louvre Museum in Paris said in a statement: “This destruction marks a new stage in the violence and horror, because all of humanity’s memory is being targeted in this region that was the cradle of civilization, the written word, and history.”

In the video released via ISIS social media sites, black-clad men push over statues, smash them with sledgehammers and use a pneumatic drill to destroy the rubble.

The video shows one man drilling through and pulling apart what appears to be a stone winged-bull, an Assyrian protective deity dating to the 7th Century BC.

One of the militants in the video seeks to justify their destruction in religious terms.

Analysts say the artefacts are unique and priceless, although the museum does also house copies of some items.

ISIS has controlled Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, since June 2014. The US military have said that an assault on the city by the Iraqi army could happen within months.

The region under ISIS control in Iraq has nearly 1,800 of Iraq’s 12,000 registered archaeological sites.

The reported destruction of the statues follows recent reports that ISIS burnt down Mosul Library, which housed over 8,000 ancient manuscripts.

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Servando “La Tuta” Gomez: Mexico’s most wanted drug lord captured

Diane A. Wade
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Servando “La Tuta” Gomez: Mexico’s most wanted drug lord captured

Mexico’s most wanted drug lord, Servando “La Tuta” Gomez, has been captured, Mexican police announced.

Servando Gomez, leader of the Knights Templar drug cartel, was arrested in Morelia in Michoacan state without a shot fired, police officials said.

Previously a school teacher, he became one of Mexico’s most powerful drug lords and took control of Michoacan.

La Tuta Gomez’s capture is a coup for the government of Enrique Pena Nieto in its fight against the drug cartels.

A police spokesman told local media the arrest followed months of intelligence work in the region.

Police reportedly seized nearby properties in the weeks leading up Servando Gomez’s capture and arrested several of his associates.Servando La Tuta Gomez captured

Known by his nicknames “La Tuta” and “El Profe”, Servando Gomez ruled over much of Michoacan state as head of the Knights Templar cartel.

“El Profe” refers to his career as a teacher, while theories abound about the origins of “La Tuta”.

Servando Gomez evaded capture for years while other senior members of the gang and rival drug lords were captured or killed.

By the time of his arrest, he had a $2 million bounty on his head.

Knights Templar was primarily a drug cartel and it controlled a large part of the lucrative methamphetamine trade in western Mexico.

The cartel was also known for mixing in business and politics in the region and even took effective control over the state’s international port, Lazaro Cardenas, making millions of dollars from illegal mining of iron ore.

A federal government offensive in 2013 saw the Pena Nieto administration wrest back control of Michoacan state from the Knights Templar and rival gangs.

As leader of the biggest cartel in the region, Servando Gomez became the prime target of Enrique Pena Nieto’s crackdown.

The administration has been criticized for failing to tackle the drug gangs, with vigilante groups forming to take on the dealers illegally.

Servando Gomez’s arrest comes just over a year after the capture of Mexico’s most notorious drug lord, Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman, head of the Sinaloa Cartel.

Shortly after Joaquin Guzman’s capture, Mexican security forces killed two of Servando Gomez’s senior deputies, Enrique “Kike” Plancarte and Nazario Moreno, known as “The Craziest One”.

Unlike many rival gang leaders who carefully avoided the limelight, Servando Gomez regularly gave media interviews and railed against the government in Youtube videos.

He began life in the drug trade as an small-time marijuana dealer, before joining a Michoacan gang called La Familia and rising to a senior level. A split in La Familia led him to form Knights Templar.

A father of at least seven, Servando Gomez was also wanted by US authorities in connection with the 2009 murder of 12 Mexican federal police officers.

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Zephany Nurse: Stolen baby found after 17 years in South Africa

Nancy Clayson
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Zephany Nurse: Stolen baby found after 17 years in South Africa

An astonishing coincidence has led to the discovery of Zephany Nurse, who was stolen from her mother’s arms in Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital as a newborn 17 years ago.

A 50-year-old woman has appeared in court over the baby’s kidnapping.

Celeste and Morne Nurse, the girl’s biological parents, were reunited with her after she was enrolled in the same school as her sister. They lost their three-day-old daughter when she was snatched from her sleeping mother’s arms in her hospital bed in April 1997.

After seeing the pair’s likeness, the biological family invited the girl for coffee and then contacted police.

DNA tests have confirmed the identity of the girl, who has been placed in the care of social workers.

Morne Nurse said his daughter was receiving extensive counseling.

His wife said it was “like a dream” to see her daughter again.Zephany Nurse stolen baby South Africa

“When she met Cassidy [her sister], there was just an incredible connection and it started from there,” she told CapeTalk radio.

“Her birthday is on April 28. This year we can celebrate it with her. It will be her first birthday with us and we have to plan something very big.”

Celeste and Morné Nurse, who went on to have three more children, have celebrated Zephany’s birthday every year since she disappeared, never giving up hope that their first-born would come back to them someday.

Zephany grew up with a different name, and a different family, never knowing she was not their real daughter.

A relative of the alleged kidnapper told reporters outside the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court: “We grew up with the child, we took care of her.”

The arrested woman and her husband, who live in the Cape Flats, have no other children.

The woman is being charged with kidnapping, fraud and contravening the Children’s Act, in that she fraudulently pretended that she was the biological mother of a child, police said.

Her case was postponed to March 6.

Leonard Nimoy dead: Star Trek’s Mr. Spock dies of COPD aged 83

Sonia Pantiss
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Leonard Nimoy dead: Star Trek’s Mr. Spock dies of COPD aged 83

Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy has died at the age of 83 in Los Angeles, his family has announced.

Leonard Nimoy played Mr. Spock in the cult sci-fi series Star Trek.

The actor’s son, Adam, said he died of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on February 27.

Leonard Nimoy had a long career as both an actor and director.

He was best known for his portrayal of the half-human, half-Vulcan character in both the TV franchise and series of films.

In 2014, Leonard Nimoy revealed he was suffering chronic lung disease COPD, despite stopping smoking 30 years ago.

It was reported earlier this week he had been taken to hospital on February 19 after suffering from chest pains.Leonard Nimoy dead at 83

Leonard Nimoy later tweeted: “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.”

He signed off what was to be his final tweet with “LLAP” – a reference to his character’s famous catchphrase, “Live long and prosper”.

The same Twitter account was used by his granddaughter to confirm that the actor died at home on February 27 in Bel-Air, California.

Dani Nimoy said her grandfather was an “extraordinary man, husband, grandfather, brother, actor, author – the list goes on – and friend.”

She added that special merchandise was being added to Leonard Nimoy’s website, with all proceeds going to the COPD foundation.

George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek and was a friend of Nimoy’s, paid tribute to the actor.

Among the torrent of tributes on Twitter was a message from NASA crediting Leonard Nimoy and Star Trek as an inspiration.

Thousands took to Twitter to pay tribute after Leonard Nimoy’s death was announced, including Star Trek actors past and present.

William Shatner, who as Captain Kirk acted alongside Leonard Nimoy for years in Star Trek, said he loved the actor “like a brother”.

It was Leonard Nimoy’s casting as Spock in 1966 that made him in a star and, in many ways, defined his acting career.

He played the character in all three of the original series of the program and later in several big-screen spin offs.

Leonard Nimoy had an ambivalent relationship with Spock, seeming to both cherish and resent his close association with the role.

The actor’s two volumes of autobiography – I Am Not Spock in 1975 and I Am Spock twenty years later – seemed to epitomize his mixed feelings.

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Missouri shootings: Eight people shot dead at multiple sites in Tyrone

Nancy Clayson
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Missouri shootings: Eight people shot dead at multiple sites in Tyrone

A gunman has killed 8 people and injured one person in a series of shootings in south-central Missouri.

Police made the discoveries on February 26 at five different homes in or near the small town of Tyrone after an emergency call.

Officials found the suspect dead of a self-inflicted gun wound in a vehicle near one of the crime scenes.

The gunman’s motive is not known at this time, and police are continuing to investigate.

“We’re currently working six active scenes including the location in Shannon County where the suspect was found deceased, “ Sergeant Jeff Kinder of the Missouri State Highway Patrol told reporters on February 27.

Residents reported that police went door-to-door on February 27 warning them to secure their homes.

Photo CBS News
Photo CBS News

Around 22:15 local time on February 26, officers from the Texas County Sheriff’s Department responded to an emergency call from a girl claiming she heard gunshots in a home.

The girl fled to a neighbor’s house to alert the authorities. Police found two people dead in the house.

As they continued searching, they found six others dead and one injured across four other residences.

“This is a horrific tragedy, and our hearts go out to the victims of these senseless acts and their families,” Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said in a statement.

The body of the suspect, who has only been identified as a 36-year-old man from Tyrone, was discovered in vehicle in nearby Shannon County. He died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Officials have made multiple references to a woman found at one of the scenes “who appeared to have died from natural causes”. However, they have not made clear her connection to the victims or the suspect.

Texas County Coroner Tom Whittaker told The St Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper the suspect’s mother had been found dead at her home, apparently of natural causes.

She had been under a doctor’s care and appeared to have been dead for at least 24 hours, Tom Whittaker told the newspaper, adding all the victims were adults.

Authorities took the injured victim to a nearby hospital, but will not be identifying the victims until they notify next-of-kin.

Residents of the rural area were in shock.

“We’ve never had anything of this magnitude before,” said County Clerk Don Troutman, a resident of 36 years.

Scott Dill, superintendent of the school district that serves Tyrone, said the community was “holding our breath…to find out specifics”.

“We want to help people make sense of this tragedy,” Scott Dill said.

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