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Moaz al-Kasasbeh: Jordan executes two Iraqi jihadists after ISIS killed its pilot

Roy Siemens
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Moaz al-Kasasbeh: Jordan executes two Iraqi jihadists after ISIS killed its pilot

Two jihadists, including a woman, have been executed in Jordan following the killing of one of its air force pilots by Islamic State (ISIS) militants.

The woman, failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, and al-Qaeda operative Ziyad Karboli – both Iraqi nationals – were hanged at dawn, officials said.

The executions came hours after ISIS posted a video appearing to show pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh being burned alive.

Moaz al-Kasasbeh was seized after crashing during an anti-ISIS mission over Syria in December.

Jordan had attempted to secure Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh’s release in a swap involving Sajida al-Rishawi.

Sajida al-Rishawi had been on death row for her role in attacks in Jordan’s capital, Amman, which killed 60 people in 2005.Sajida al-Rishawi and pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh

Ziyad Karboli was convicted in 2008 for killing a Jordanian national.

The two prisoners were executed at 04:00AM local time, government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said on February 4.

Jordan earlier vowed an “earth-shattering” response after ISIS posted a video online showing what militants say is the pilot standing in a cage engulfed in flames.

Mamdouh al-Ameri, a spokesman for the Jordanian armed forces, said on February 3 that Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh had “fallen as a martyr”.

“His blood will not be shed in vain. Our punishment and revenge will be as huge as the loss of the Jordanians.”

Jordanian state TV reported that Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh was killed a month ago.

Jordan, which is part of the US-led coalition against ISIS, had tried to secure Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh’s release as part of a prisoner swap, offering to free Sajida al-Rishawi in exchange.

But ISIS had sought her release as part of a deal to free captive Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. A video that appeared to show Kenji Goto’s dead body was posted online four days ago.

Jordan’s King Abdullah hailed Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh as a hero, saying Jordan must “stand united” in the face of hardship.

The king decided to cut short a visit to the US after news of the pilot’s death, but he met President Barack Obama on Tuesday evening before flying home.

Many in Jordan have questioned its role in the air strikes against ISIS but the two leaders sought to reaffirm their joint resolve to destroy the group.

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TransAsia plane crashes into Taiwan river killing at least 12 people

Diane A. Wade
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TransAsia plane crashes into Taiwan river killing at least 12 people

A TransAsia Airways plane with 58 people onboard clipped a bridge and crashed into Taiwan’s Keelung River near the capital of Taipei, killing at least 12 people.

The fuselage of flight GE235 is now half-submerged in the Keelung River and lying on its side.

Rescuers on boats have cut it open to gain access to people trapped inside.TransAsia plane crash Taiwan river

Officials say 16 people have suffered injuries, with some taken to hospital. Thirty people remain unaccounted for.

The ATR-72 turbo-prop plane had just taken off from Taipei Songshan Airport and was heading to the outlying Kinmen islands, just off the coast of the south-eastern Chinese city of Xiamen, CNA said.

Flight controllers lost contact with the plane at 10:55 local time.

Footage of the plane filmed from inside passing cars showed it banking sharply, hitting a taxi and clipping the bridge before crashing into the river.

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New York commuter train hits SUV on tracks killing 7 people

Nancy Clayson
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New York commuter train hits SUV on tracks killing 7 people

At least 7 people have been killed and twelve others injured after a packed commuter train hit a SUV at a level crossing north of New York City, officials say.

The train, with about 800 passengers on board, hit the Jeep Cherokee near Valhalla – about 20 miles from New York – on February 3 in the evening.

The SUV’s female driver was killed, along with six people on the train, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

The car and front carriage of the train caught fire following the crash.

The packed commuter train had left Grand Central Station in New York City and was heading to Wassaic in south-east New York State.

The crossing gates at the railroad had come down on top of the vehicle, which had stopped on the tracks, Metro-North Railroad spokesman Aaron Donovan said.

Photo AP
Photo AP

The driver got out to look at the damage, and then got back into the car to drive forward before it was hit by the train. It pushed the vehicle more than 400ft.

It is not yet clear why the vehicle stalled on the tracks.

As a result of the collision the electrified third rail of the track came through the front carriage of the train.

Passengers had to escape from the rear of the train.

Andrew Cuomo, who visited the site of the crash, said he witnessed “a truly ugly and brutal sight”.

He added: “When you look at the damage done, it’s actually amazing that not more people were hurt.”

Hundreds of passengers were taken to a local rock climbing gym following the crash.

Parts of the railroad remain closed on February 4.

Metro-North is the second-busiest railroad in the US after Long Island Rail Road, serving about 280,000 passengers a day in New York and Connecticut. It was formed in 1983 and serves about 280,000 riders a day in New York and Connecticut. Service on its Harlem Line was suspended between Pleasantville and North White Plains after the crash.

Last year, the National Transportation Safety Board issued rulings on five accidents that occurred on the railroad in 2013 and 2014, criticizing Metro-North while also finding conditions had improved.

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Alberto Nisman planned arrest warrant for President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

Diane A. Wade
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Alberto Nisman planned arrest warrant for President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

Prosecutor Alberto Nisman had planned an arrest warrant for Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, according to the woman investigating the prosecutor’s mysterious death.

Lead investigator Viviana Fein said the draft warrant was found in a rubbish bin in Alberto Nisman’s apartment complex.

Alberto Nisman was found dead in his Buenos Aires apartment last month, with a single bullet wound to the head.

Investigators have yet to establish if he killed himself, or was murdered.

Alberto Nisman had been investigating the 1994 bombing of a Jewish centre in Buenos Aires which killed 85 people.Alberto Nisman arrest warrant Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner

He died hours before he was due to testify in Congress against President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, whom he had accused of covering up alleged Iranian involvement in the 1994 attack.

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has denied the allegation. Iran has also denied involvement in the attack.

Viviana Fein told a local radio station on February 3 that the draft warrant was “in the file”.

However, the document had not been included in a 300-page report submitted by Alberto Nisman to a federal court, days before his death.

The government dismissed as “garbage” a local newspaper report earlier this week that referred to the existence of the draft warrant.

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner had also originally described Alberto Nisman’s death as suicide. However, in a televised speech last week, the president suggested that rogue elements in Argentina’s intelligence service had fed Alberto Nisman false information and manipulated him.

The president announced plans to dismantle the Intelligence Secretariat (SI) and called for a special session of Congress to discuss a draft bill to that effect.

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Why Fly Private Charter?

Nancy Clayson
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Why Fly Private Charter?

            For those of you who do not regularly fly on a chartered flight, we think you should reconsider. Flying via a private jet is one of the best ways to travel, and it may actually be cheaper than you think, especially if you like to travel a lot. It is so convenient and accessible that many people are choosing this method whenever they can. If you are on the fence about whether or not flying a private charter is worth the money, here are just a few of the benefits you can look forward to.

Why Fly Private Charter
Why Fly Private Charter
  1. Fits Your Schedule – Unlike when you fly commercially, taking a private jet fits around your schedule. You can book a plane at any time, to any location. No longer will you have to search the internet to see what flights are leaving your nearest airport, and getting up before the sun just to make a flight. You get to pick when the plane leaves, so you can fit it to your busy schedule.
  2. Less Waiting – The convenience doesn’t stop in just scheduling the flight however. Once you get to the airport, getting to your flight is a breeze. There’s no waiting in line, no going through the TSA shakedowns, and no sitting around in lobby areas, waiting for your flight to board. Your plane is waiting for you when you arrive, and you can just walk right onto it.
  3. Comfort – This may be the best aspect of private flights. When you’re sitting on a plane for several hours, you want to be comfortable. With a private charter you get comfortable seating, catering, in flight entertainment, and much more. It is the most luxurious way to travel, and once you choose it, you won’t want to go any other way. Traveling can be stressful enough, so you might as well get to relax and enjoy the ride while you’re on the go.
  4. Costs – Most people think of chartering a private jet as something they can’t afford. If you actually look into it however, the prices may be better than you think. For example, Jets.com is currently offering some great deals for their private charter services. They have thousands of planes all over the country, at hundreds of airports. When you compare it to all of the benefits you are getting, it is a pretty great deal. If you have thought that private jets were above your budget, take another look and see what is out there. You may end up pleasantly surprised.
  5. Safety – Last but not least is your safety. When you fly private, there’s no chance that you end up missing in Indonesia Your plane flies where and when you want it to, and they all meet the highest of safety standards. We’ve all seen the news lately with those commercial flights having some troubles. You won’t have to worry about things like that when you take a private jet.

With all of these great benefits in store, you owe it to yourself to check out private charters. If you are a constant traveler, you might as well do it in style. Take a look around for some private jet companies and see what the prices are. Especially for those of you who like to travel a lot, the costs may well be worth it. In our opinion, this time-saving, hassle-free way of travel is the only way to go.

Suge Knight hospitalized after pleading not guilty to murder charges

Sonia Pantiss
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Suge Knight hospitalized after pleading not guilty to murder charges

Music producer Suge Knight has been taken to hospital shortly after pleading not guilty to murder and attempted murder in court.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Marion “Suge” Knight was seen by doctors after complaining of chest pains.

His court appearance came five days after he was involved a hit-and-run incident in which one man died.

Prosecutors claim Suge Knight, 49, intended to run over two men after an argument, but his lawyer has said it was an accident.

He faces a total of four charges under his real name Marion Hugh Knight and faces life in prison if convicted.

Photo Getty Images
Photo Getty Images

A truck Suge Knight was driving hit and killed his friend Terry Carter, 55, in the incident in the suburb of Compton last week. Another man, Cle “Bone” Sloan, 51, was injured.

Suge Knight’s lawyer said his client was trying to escape an attack at the time.

At a brief court hearing in Compton, the judge set a bail hearing for February 2 and Suge Knight was remanded in custody.

On February 2, a court commissioner revoked the $2 million bail after police said the defendant had a violent past and could intimidate witnesses.

The music producer has previously been convicted of armed robbery and assault with a gun.

Suge Knight, who founded Death Row Records in the 1990s, helped launch the careers of artists including Dr Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.

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Oscar Nominees Luncheon 2015: Stars gather at Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles

Sonia Pantiss
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Oscar Nominees Luncheon 2015: Stars gather at Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles

The annual Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon ran nearly three hours on February 2 at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

The Oscar Nominees Luncheon is a chance for all honorees to lunch and take a class picture as a memento of the February 22 ceremony.

Nominees including Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Oprah Winfrey (Selma), Reese Witherspoon (Wild) and Steve Carell (Foxcatcher) attended the afternoon event at the Beverly Hilton.Oscar Nominees Luncheon 2015

Show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron told the room that acceptance speeches are a key part of the Oscar ceremony, which is broadcast to 1 billion people in 225 countries.

Oscar host Neil Patrick Harris flew in from New York to lunch with the nominees, and gave a special hug to actress nominee Rosamund Pike – despite the fact that she killed him brutally in Gone Girl.

Neil PatrickHarris attempted to hypnotize the crowd by repeating: “We’re going to spend Oscar night together where everything will be hilarious.”

During the gathering for a group photo, Oscar watchers noted which nominees received the most applause when their name was called.

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Jackrabbits invade Fargo, North Dakota

Nancy Clayson
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Jackrabbits invade Fargo, North Dakota

Dog-sized jackrabbits have invaded a neighborhood of Fargo, North Dakota.

The rabbits are not harmful and at first neighbors found them charming. But they have multiplied and are now leaving their droppings everywhere and devouring trees and shrubs. They leave messes everywhere.

Residents were advised by animal control to poison the jackrabbits, though folks are loathe to do so.Jackrabbit invasion Fargo, North Dakota

One resident said the city pest control department told her that they couldn’t do anything about the jackrabbits, technically wild hares, because they were wild animals.

There is no city ordinance that deals with depopulating rabbits in the area, Fargo Police Lt. Joel Vettel told ABC News.

Female jackrabbits can bear two to four litters each year with one to nine offspring in each litter.

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Standard & Poor’s to pay $1.4 billion settlement over mortgage crisis claims

Clyde K. Valle
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0
Standard & Poor’s to pay $1.4 billion settlement over mortgage crisis claims

Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has agreed to pay a $1.38 billion settlement to US regulators over allegations it knowingly inflated its ratings of risky mortgage bonds.

The deal with the Department of Justice also resolves 19 other lawsuits.

McGraw Hill – the parent company of S&P – said in a statement the “settlement contains no findings of violations of law”.

S&P is the first credit agency fined over financial crisis-era violations.

The settlement covers mortgage bond ratings between 2004 and 2007.S&P mortgage crisis claims settlement

The bonds, which included sub-prime mortgages, were blamed for the collapse of the US property market and subsequent global financial crisis.

The DoJ filed civil fraud charges against S&P two years ago.

It accused the credit rating firm of giving top recommendations – known as triple-A ratings – to mortgage bonds that it knew contained sub-prime mortgage debt and were therefore not as safe an investment as the rating suggested.

The US government said that S&P’s ratings encouraged financial institutions around the world to buy and sell what proved to be “toxic” financial products in their trillions.

It also accused S&P of failing to warn investors that the housing market was collapsing in 2006 because doing so would have hurt its business.

At the time, S&P said the US government’s case was entirely without factual or legal merit.

“On more than one occasion, the company’s leadership ignored senior analysts who warned that the company had given top ratings to financial products that were failing to perform as advertised,” said Attorney General Eric Holder in a statement announcing the settlement.

“As S&P admits under this settlement, company executives complained that the company declined to downgrade underperforming assets, because it was worried that doing so would hurt the company’s business.

“While this strategy may have helped S&P avoid disappointing its clients, it did major harm to the larger economy, contributing to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.”

S&P will pay $687.5 million to the DoJ and a further $678.5 million to the 19 states that had brought lawsuits against it.

The ratings agency will also pay $125 million in a separate settlement with the California Public Employees’ Retirement System.

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Balkan genocide: International Court of Justice rejects Croatia and Serbia claims

James J. Williams
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Balkan genocide: International Court of Justice rejects Croatia and Serbia claims

The International Court of Justice has ruled that neither Croatia nor Serbia committed genocide against each other’s populations during the Balkan wars that followed the collapse of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

The Croatian government had alleged that Serbia committed genocide in the town of Vukovar and elsewhere in 1991.

Serbia later filed a counter-claim over the expulsion of more than 200,000 Serbs from Croatia.

About 20,000 people died during the 1991-1995 war, mostly Croatians.

Photo EPA
Photo EPA

The Croatian town of Vukovar was devastated when it was occupied by Serbs for three months in 1991. Tens of thousands of ethnic Croats were displaced, and about 260 Croat men were detained and killed.

Four years later, the Croatian military’s Operation Storm bombarded the majority ethnic-Serb Krajina area, forcing about 200,000 people from their homes.

Speaking in UN’s highest court on February 3, Judge Peter Tomka dismissed both the Croatian claim and the Serbian counter-claim.

Forces on both sides had carried out violent acts during the war, Judge Tomka said. However, neither side had provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate the “specific intent required for acts of genocide”.

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Go Set a Watchman: Harper Lee to publish To Kill a Mockingbird sequel after 60 years

Sonia Pantiss
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Go Set a Watchman: Harper Lee to publish To Kill a Mockingbird sequel after 60 years

Harper Lee’s unpublished novel Go Set a Watchman is to be released 60 years after the author put it aside to write To Kill a Mockingbird.

Go Set a Watchman, which features the character of Scout as an adult, will be released on July 14.

Harper Lee wrote the novel in the mid-1950s but put it aside on the advice of her editor.

“I thought it a pretty decent effort.” said the author in a statement.

Photo AP
Photo AP

“I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years.”

Set in the fictional southern town of Maycomb during the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman sees Scout return from New York to visit her father, the lawyer Atticus Finch.

According to the publisher’s announcement: “She is forced to grapple with issues both personal and political as she tries to understand her father’s attitude toward society, and her own feelings about the place where she was born and spent her childhood.”

US imposes new visa restrictions on Venezuela officials

Diane A. Wade
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US imposes new visa restrictions on Venezuela officials

The US has expanded visa restrictions on unnamed Venezuelan officials it accuses of human rights violations and corruption.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro said the measures were an attempt to violate Venezuelan sovereignty.

They build on sanctions imposed last year on officials alleged to have violated the rights of protesters.

The list of officials banned from entering the US has been extended, and now includes family members.

“We are sending a clear message that human rights abusers, those who profit from public corruption, and their families are not welcome in the United States,” said US state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

Nicolas Maduro reacted angrily and said he would write a letter to President Barack Obama.

“We can’t let an empire that has been eyeing all of us pretend or think it has the right to sanction the country of [Simon] Bolivar,” Nicolas Maduro said, making reference to the Venezuela-born hero of Latin American liberation.Nicolas Maduro and Joe Biden in Brazil

The sanctions imposed in December were aimed at officials accused over their role in suppressing anti-government protests that shook Venezuela in the first six months of 2014.

The new visa restrictions were announced a day after Nicolas Maduro accused Vice-President Joe Biden of plotting a coup against his Socialist government during an energy summit of Caribbean leaders in Washington.

Joe Biden’s office called the allegation “baseless and patently false”.

“President Maduro’s accusations are clearly part of an effort to distract from the concerning situation in Venezuela, which includes repeated violations of freedom of speech, assembly, and due process,” read a statement.

Joe Biden and Nicolas Maduro had shaken hands in Brazil during Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s inauguration ceremony on January 1.

“Vice-President Biden: Look me in the eyes. I saw you in Brazil, I gave you my hand,” said Nicolas Maduro in a televised address on February 1.

“You, who said this is a new era for relations in Latin America, were going to conspire against Venezuela,” he added.

Relations between the US and Venezuela have been tense for many years. They last had ambassadors in each other’s capitals in 2010.

Robin Williams’ widow and children fight over comedian’s estate

Lisa.Felice
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Robin Williams’ widow and children fight over comedian’s estate

Nearly six months after the death of Robin Williams, his widow, Susan Schneider, and children have gone to court in a dispute over the late comedian’s estate.

In papers filed in December in San Francisco Superior Court, Susan Schneider accused his children of taking items without her permission.

Robin Williams’ children – Zachary, Zelda and Cody – argued that Susan Schneider was “adding insult to a terrible injury” by trying to change their trust agreement.Robin Williams and wife Susan Schneider

The dispute involves items Robin Williams kept at two homes and in storage.

Susan Schneider Williams has requested that the contents of the home she shared with her husband be excluded from the jewellery, memorabilia and other items her husband said his children should have.

Robin Williams’ children have taken issue with this suggestion, saying there should be no limits placed on the items to which they are entitled.

Items in dispute include the actor’s collection of watches and the Oscar statuette he won in 1998 for Good Will Hunting.

Robin Williams, who married his third wife Susan Schneider in 2011, died from hanging at his home in Tiburon, California, in August 2014.

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News Corp investigation dropped in US

Diane A. Wade
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News Corp investigation dropped in US

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp will not be prosecuted in the US over the phone-hacking scandal in the UK.

US officials were looking into whether alleged payments to British police by journalists meant that News Corp, a US company, broke anti-corruption laws.

The US Department of Justice said on February 2 it was not pursuing charges and was closing its investigation.

The tabloid newspaper at the centre of the scandal was closed down in 2011.

Several News of the World journalists have been prosecuted in the UK, after being accused of hacking phones and paying public officials in return for exclusive stories.

Reporters gained access to the phone of missing British schoolgirl Milly Dowler, who had been murdered.

Photo Getty Images
Photo Getty Images

The FBI had trawled through thousands of emails on News Corp servers, looking for evidence of any possible violations of US law.

The DOJ said in a statement on February 2 that it was ending its “investigation into News Corp regarding possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act concerning bribes allegedly paid for news leads”.

It reserved the right to reopen the inquiry if new information came to light, it said.

News Corp said it had been notified and welcomed the news.

“We are grateful that this matter has been concluded and acknowledge the fairness and professionalism of the justice department throughout this investigation,” said Gerson Zweifach, general counsel of News Corp.

A lawyer acting on behalf of a group of relatives of victims of the 9/11 attacks, who suspect that their phones were hacked, said that it was “very disappointing” that the investigation had ended.

Rupert Murdoch controls both News Corp and its sister company Twenty-First Century Fox, which split into separate businesses in 2013.

Super Bowl 2015: Katy Perry’s halftime show seen by record 118.5 million people

Lisa.Felice
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Super Bowl 2015: Katy Perry’s halftime show seen by record 118.5 million people

Katy Perry’s Super Bowl performance was seen by 118.5 million people, the biggest audience ever for the halftime show since modern ratings began in 1991.

Photo Getty Images
Photo Getty Images

An estimated 114.4 million people watched the New England Patriots narrowly beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-24, rising to 120 million during the nailbiting finale.

Ratings company Nielsen said that made it the most-watched event in US TV history.

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Suge Knight charged with murder and attempted murder following hit-and-run incident

Lisa.Felice
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0
Suge Knight charged with murder and attempted murder following hit-and-run incident

Music mogul Marion “Suge” Knight has been charged with murder and attempted murder following a fatal hit-and-run incident.

Suge Knight’s lawyer says it was an accident which happened as his client tried to escape an attack last week.

Prosecutors allege that the record producer intended to run over a friend and another man after an argument.

One of the men was killed. Suge Knight, who turned himself in, faces life in prison if convicted.Suge Knight charged with murder

On February 2, a court commissioner revoked the $2 million bail after police said the defendant had a violent past and could intimidate witnesses.

Suge Knight is scheduled to appear in court in Compton, Los Angeles, on February 3, facing four charges under his real name Marion Hugh Knight.

His friend, Terry Carter, 55, was killed and Cle “Bone” Sloan, 51, injured in the incident in Compton, in Los Angeles County.

Suge Knight founded Death Row Records in the 1990s, but later declared bankruptcy and the company was sold at auction.

He helped launch the careers of artists including Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.

Suge Knight has previously been convicted of armed robbery and assault with a gun.

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Groundhog Day 2015: Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter

Nancy Clayson
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Groundhog Day 2015: Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter as 11,000 gathered at Gobbler’s Knob on Groundhog Day, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on February 2, 2015.Groundhog Day 2015 Punxsutawney Phil

Phil’s prognostication coincides with the calendar date of the first day of spring: March 20.

In 2014, Punxsutawney Phil also predicted there would be six more weeks of winter.

In 2013, Phil had forecasted an early spring, which led to one lawyer issuing an indictment for the marmot when cold weather lingered.

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Bobbi Kristina Brown remains in hospital fighting for her life

Lisa.Felice
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Bobbi Kristina Brown remains in hospital fighting for her life

Bobbi Kristina Brown is “fighting for her life” and surrounded by loved ones in Georgia hospital on February 2, her family said.

Two days ago, Whitney Houston’s daughter was found face down and unresponsive in a bathtub at her Atlanta home.

There were conflicting reports about Bobbi Kristina Brown’s condition, and hospital officials would not comment.

Her father, Bobby Brown, asked for privacy in a statement released on February 1, and the Houston family reiterated that request in a statement on February 2.Bobbi Kristina Brown hospitalized

Nick Gordon and a friend found Bobbi Kristina Brown in the tub before 10:20 a.m. on January 31 and started CPR, but it’s unclear how long she spent without oxygen.

After Bobbi Kristina Brown was found, the Roswell Fire Department told emergency responders that she may have experienced cardiac arrest, according to phone call recordings.

Bobbi Kristina Brown’s scare comes less than two weeks before the third anniversary of Whitney Houston’s death.

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Barack Obama seeks tax rises in $4 trillion budget proposal

Clyde K. Valle
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Barack Obama seeks tax rises in $4 trillion budget proposal

President Barack Obama has sent a $4 trillion budget proposal to Congress with significant tax rises, primarily on companies and the wealthy.

Barack Obama’s plan would use new taxes to remove current budget caps and fund infrastructure projects.

The president spoke at the US homeland security department, which faces a funding shortage at the end of February.

However, analysts say it is unlikely the Republican-controlled Congress will approve the proposals.

Barack Obama’s spending plan is considered the opening gambit in an expected negotiation with Congress.

Republican budget officials are expected to put forward their own proposals in a few weeks time.

GOP representatives accuse Barack Obama of reverting to tax-and-spend policies without changing the biggest areas of government spending – social security and health programs.

Paul Ryan, the Republican’s top budget official, said Barack Obama was exploiting “envy economics” in his proposal.

“This top down redistribution doesn’t work,” Paul Ryan told NBC.

Photo Reuters
Photo Reuters

Among the new tax rises is a one-off 14% tax on US profits made overseas, as well as a 19% tax on any future profits as they are earned.

No tax is currently due on foreign profits as long as they are not brought into the US.

The $238 billion raised would be used to fund infrastructure projects across the country.

According to Audit Analytics, US companies made $2.1 trillion-worth of profits abroad at April 2014.

Among Barack Obama’s proposals are:

  • tax credits for child care and “second earners”
  • earners taxed at the top rate would only be able to take tax deductions at a lower rate
  • an increase in capital gains tax from 20% to 28%
  • a tax rise on cigarettes over 10 years from $1.01 per pack to $1.95

Barack Obama also called for an end to spending caps on the military and most domestic agencies first put in place in 2011.

Calling the caps “mindless austerity”, Barack Obama’s budget eliminates such limits for the six years they are scheduled to remain in place, representing a spending increase of $362 billion.

Barack Obama warned congressional Republicans on February 2 that he would not accept lifting caps on national security spending without doing the same for domestic programs.

“I will not accept a budget that severs the vital links between our national security and our economic security,” he said.

“Those two things go hand in hand.”

The spending plan also includes proposals Barack Obama promised in his State of the Union speech last month, including free community college tuition.

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Oil prices rally continue as investors pile in

Clyde K. Valle
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Oil prices rally continue as investors pile in

Oil prices rallied on February 2 as investors speculated that the falling cost of crude may have ended.

Brent crude was up 1.3% at $53.65 a barrel, having reached $55, while US oil rose 1.7% to $48.52.

It followed the release of data showing that US demand for leasing oil rigs was slowing, suggesting that producers might be preparing to cut output.

Meanwhile, ExxonMobil reported a 21% fall in quarterly earnings on lower oil and gas production.Oil prices rally February 2015

On January 30, data showed that more than 90 US oil rigs were idled, the largest number to be wound down in a single day since the mid-1980s.

Today’s price rise extended the gains made last week, and boosted oil and gas share prices. Tullow Oil rose almost 7%, while BG Group climbed 5%.

Since last summer, the prices of Brent and UK West Texas Intermediate Crude have fallen from above $100 a barrel.

Meanwhile, Exxon, the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, saw profit in the fourth quarter fall to $6.57 billion, from $8.35 billion for the same three months the year before.

Oil and natural gas production fell 3.8%, Exxon said.

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Fifty Shades Of Grey to hit UK theaters uncut

Sonia Pantiss
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Fifty Shades Of Grey to hit UK theaters uncut

Fifty Shades Of Grey will be hitting UK’s theaters in full glory after censors approved the film without any cuts.

Based on E.L. James’s best-selling books, Fifty Shades Of Grey stars Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as his lover Anastasia Steele.Fifty Shades of Grey movie

Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, it is due for release on February 13 ahead of Valentine’s Day.

E.L. James’s trilogy of Fifty Shades books have reportedly sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 50 languages.

In the US the film has been given an R rating, meaning those under 17 years old can watch it if accompanied by an adult.

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Miss Amazonas 2015: Runner-up Sheislane Hayalla snatches crown from winner

Lisa.Felice
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Miss Amazonas 2015: Runner-up Sheislane Hayalla snatches crown from winner

Beauty pageant finalist Sheislane Hayalla refused to be second best at this year’s Miss Amazonas contest in Brazil.

At the coronation ceremony, on January 30, runner-up Sheislane Hayalla hugged winner Carol Toledo when she was first announced as queen, but a few seconds after the crown was gracefully placed on her rival’s head, Hayalla snatched it, threw it to the stage floor and left in a rage.

Sheislane Hayalla accused Carol Toledo of having bought the title.

Images of the incident spread quickly on social media over the weekend. Users created all kinds of memes mocking the unexpected grand finale.Miss Amazonas 2015 Sheislane Hayalla

The winner of Miss Amazonas represents the state in the national Miss Brazil contest. It was not immediately known if Sheislane Hayalla would retain its position as “first princess”. Event organizers did not comment.

“I wanted to express my disapproval of the actions in the preparations for Miss Amazonas 2015. I do not regret having protested,” Sheislane Hayalla said on her Facebook page on January 31.

“I wanted something clean and honest.”

Sheislane Hayalla represented Brazil in Miss Globe International, held in September in Baku, Azerbaijan, where she was first princess and seemed to accept the title gladly.

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Mariah Carey messes up lyrics while lip synching Fantasy at Jamaica’s Jazz and Blues Festival 2015

Sonia Pantiss
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Mariah Carey messes up lyrics while lip synching Fantasy at Jamaica’s Jazz and Blues Festival 2015

Mariah Carey messed up lyrics and forgot to sing while lip synching Fantasy and other tracks during her performance at the 2015 Jazz and Blues Festival in Jamaica on January 30.

Mariah Carey made a big show of pretending to sing, holding up the microphone and mouthing words. They were often the wrong words, or she simply missed the cues all together and her backing track did the singing for her.Mariah Carey lip synching Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival 2015

However, the singer kept smiling, made emotional singing faces, and played with her ear pieces.

After the show, fans took to the Jamaica Observer website, where they voiced complaints on an article that claimed Mariah Carey had “conquered” the festival and “wooed” the audience with her hit songs.

Mariah Carey also came under fire in December 2014, when she performed live at NBC’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center, but visibly struggled to hit the high notes.

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Annie Awards 2015: Full list of winners

Sonia Pantiss
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Annie Awards 2015: Full list of winners

The 42nd annual Annie Awards winners in full:

Best Animated Feature
How to Train Your Dragon 2, DreamWorks Animation

Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Dean DeBlois, How to Train Your Dragon 2; DreamWorks Animation

Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Aaron Springer, Disney Mickey Mouse; Disney Television Animation

Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production
The Simpsons, Gracie Films in association with 20th Century Fox Television

Best Animated Television/Broadcast Production For a Childrens Audience
Gravity Falls, Disney Television Animation

Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children
Tumble Leaf, Amazon Studios

Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, The Lego Movie; Warner Bros. Pictures

Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Darrick Bachman, Disney Mickey Mouse; Disney Television Animation

Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
Sir Ben Kingsley as the voice of Archibald Snatcher, The Boxtrolls; Focus Features/Laika

Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Bill Farmer as the voice of Goofy and Grandma, Disney Mickey Mouse; Disney Television Animation

Best Animated Television/Broadcast Commercial
Flight of the Stories, Aardman Animations

Best Animated Special Production|
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Voyager Pictures LLC

Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
Paul Lasaine, Tom McClure, August Hall, The Boxtrolls; Focus Features/Laika

Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Narina Sokolova, Mickey Shorts; Disney

Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production
Fabio Lignini, How to Train Your Dragon 2; DreamWorks Animation

Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Justin Nichols, Wander Over Yonder; Disney Television AnimationAnnie Awards 2015

Character Animation in a Video Game
Mike Mennillo, Assassins Creed Unity; Ubisoft

Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Daniel Barrett, Paul Story, Eteuati Tema, Alessandro Bonora, Dejan Momcilovic, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes; Weta Digital

Best Animated Short Subject
Feast, Walt Disney Animation Studios

Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
Steve Avoujageli, Atsushi Ikarashi, Pawel Grochola, Paul Waggoner, Viktor Lundqvist, Edge of Tomorrow; Sony Pictures Imageworks

Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Michael Kaschalk, Peter DeMund, David Hutchins, Henrik Falt, John Kosnik, Big Hero 6; Walt Disney Animation Studios

Music in an Animated Feature Production
John Powell, Jónsi, How to Train Your Dragon 2; DreamWorks Animation

Music in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Christopher Willis, Disney Mickey Mouse; Disney Television Animation

Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
Paul Sullivan, Sandra Equihua, Jorge R. Gutierrez, The Book of Life; Reel FX

Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Benjamin Balistreri, Wander Over Yonder; Disney Television Animation

Best Video Game
Valiant Hearts: The Great War, Ubisoft

Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
John K. Carr, How to Train Your Dragon 2; DreamWorks Animation

Editorial in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Illya Owens, Disney Mickey Mouse; Disney Television Animation

Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
Truong “Tron” Son Mai, How to Train Your Dragon 2; DreamWorks Animation

Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Joaquim Dos Santos, Legend of Korra, Venom of the Red Lotus; Nickelodeon Animation Studio

Best Student Film
Jason Rayner, My Big Brother; Savannah College of Art and Design

Winsor McCay Award
Didier Brunner
Lee Mendelson
Don Lusk

June Foray Award
Charles Solomon

Ub Iwerks Award
DreamWorks Animation’s Apollo Software

Special Achievement Award
The Walt Disney Family Museum

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Annie Awards 2015: How To Train Your Dragon 2 wins best animation prize

Sonia Pantiss
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Annie Awards 2015: How To Train Your Dragon 2 wins best animation prize

How to Train Your Dragon 2 has secured its claim to this year’s best animated feature Oscar by taking top honors at the 42nd Annie Awards at the University of California, Los Angeles’ Royce Hall.

The DreamWorks sequel was named best feature at the event, which honored 2014’s best achievements in animation.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 also took home awards for Dean DeBlois’s direction, feature character design, storyboarding and music.

The Lego Movie won a writing award, while Ben Kingsley was recognised for his voice work in The Boxtrolls.

Feast, the short film that precedes Disney’s Big Hero 6 in cinemas, was named best animated short subject.How To Train Your Dragon 2 Annie Awards 2015

Based on the book series by Britain’s Cressida Cowell, How to Train Your Dragon 2 follows the adventures of a young Viking called Hiccup and his pert dragon Toothless.

It won the Golden Globe for best animated feature and is up for the same awards at the Oscars and the BAFTAs.

The original How to Train Your Dragon was named best animated feature at the 2011 Annies but lost out at the Oscars to Toy Story 3.

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