Home Blog Page 457

Brent crude oil price falls to lowest level since March 2009

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
Brent crude oil price falls to lowest level since March 2009

Brent crude oil price has fallen to $51.12 per barrel, its lowest level since March 2009.

It follows yesterday’s 6% plunge in prices.

The fall appeared to have been prompted by Saudi Arabia cutting prices to Europe.

At the same time, the kingdom, OPEC’s largest oil-producing nation, raised them for Asian customers.

Some analysts said the price cuts reflected Saudi Arabia’s deepening desire to defend its market share in Europe.Brent crude oil price at new low

US oil fell further on January 6 to $48.01, having fallen below the symbolic threshold of $50 a barrel for the first time since April 2009 on January 5.

The prices of both Brent crude and US oil, known as West Texas Intermediate crude, have now fallen by more than 50% since mid-2014.

Investors are worried that a combination of global oversupply and weak oil demand could cause prices to tumble further.

However, the increase in production has come just as demand for oil in economies across the world from Europe to China – the world’s second-largest consumer of oil – has slowed.

Recent data also showed that Russia’s 2014 oil output hit a post-Soviet era high and exports from Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest producer, reached their highest since 1980.

[youtube uU26mqP6gIg 650]

Bob McDonnell sentenced to two years in jail for public corruption

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Bob McDonnell sentenced to two years in jail for public corruption

Bob McDonnell has been sentenced to two years in jail for public corruption.

The 60-year-old ex-Virginia governor was convicted on 11 charges in September 2014, including wire fraud and receiving property based on his official duties.

Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 10 years while Bob McDonnell’s defense asked the judge for community service.

The six-week trial exposed the McDonnell family’s strained marriage and shaky finances.

Bob McDonnell’s wife, Maureen, was also found guilty in September of eight charges. She will be sentenced in February.

The couple accepted $165,000 in gifts and loans, including a Rolex watch, designer clothing and vacations in exchange for promoting Star Scientific, a vitamin company, and doing favors for its chief executive, Jonnie Williams.

Jonnie Williams testified under immunity as the prosecution’s star witness.

On January 6, Bob McDonnell, once a rising star of the Republican party, told the judge ahead of sentencing he was “a heartbroken and humbled man”.

“I allowed my life to get way out of balance,” he said.

However, outside of court, Bob McDonnell said he still disagreed with the verdict and his defense would be appealing his conviction.

The former governor did not react when the judge handed down the sentence.

Bob McDonnell must report to prison by February 9.

[youtube 2Tw3clQUyzU 650]

John Boehner re-elected as House speaker as Republicans take control of Congress

Diane A. Wade
-
0
John Boehner re-elected as House speaker as Republicans take control of Congress

John Boehner has survived a House rebellion by winning a third term as House speaker after Republicans took control of both chambers for the first time in eight years.

Twenty five Republicans voted against him.

At the top of the Republican agenda is approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, which was the first bill introduced.

Republicans won a majority in the Senate during November’s mid-term election.

They already controlled the House of Representatives.

They have been angered by recent unilateral actions by President Barack Obama including an executive action on immigration policy and a major shift in US policy on Cuba.

Photo AFP/Getty Images
Photo AFP/Getty Images

Both chambers convened at midday, as required by the US constitution, after an early morning storm that left the capital city covered in snow.

“Hard work awaits,” said the new Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell.

“I’m really optimistic about what we can accomplish.”

During prepared remarks on January 6, John Boehner said he wanted Barack Obama to work with Republicans on bills that have stalled in recent years.

He also criticized unnamed fellow representatives for “shadow boxing and show business”.

The first bill to be introduced was the approval for Keystone XL, a controversial oil pipeline extension on hold for years.

It may have enough support to pass a procedural hurdle in the Senate but on Tuesday, the White House has said Barack Obama would veto the legislation if it came to his desk.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the legislation undermined a “well-established” review process and did not take into account a lawsuit still pending in the state of Nebraska over the pipeline’s route.

President Barack Obama has used his power of veto twice in his six years as president, but has said he expects to use it more now that both chambers are controlled by Republicans.

Republicans are also set to take on Barack Obama’s immigration policy changes through a funding fight, legislation to repeal or defund the health law often referred to as “ObamaCare”, and fast-track a Pacific trade deal.

[youtube qXQxYiSVi_U 650]

Istanbul: Female suicide bomber attacks Sultanahmet police station killing one officer

Roy Siemens
-
0
Istanbul: Female suicide bomber attacks Sultanahmet police station killing one officer

A female suicide bomber has attacked a police station in the tourist hub of Sultanahmet in Istanbul, Turkey, injuring two officers, the city governor says.

Reports say one of the officers has died of his injuries.

Governor Vasip Sahin told Turkish TV that the woman spoke English with “a thick accent”, but her nationality and identity remained unknown.

No group has yet said it was behind the attack, the second on police in a week.Istanbul Sultanahmet police station attack

Police arrested a man who threw grenades and fired a weapon at officers near the prime minister’s office on January 1, but no-one was injured in the attack.

The bomber in the latest incident was reported to have died in the attack.

Police have sealed off an area in the historic district, where the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia museum are located.

Vasip Sahin said the woman entered the station and told police she had lost her wallet before detonating the bomb.

“Right now one police officer is in hospital in a critical condition and another is lightly injured… The female bomber lost her life.”

The banned Marxist DHKP-C group said it was behind the earlier attack in the city on January 1, which took place outside Dolmabahce Palace.

[youtube r2Yw3F1bM6Q 650]

Sunanda Pushkar death: Shashi Tharoor’s wife was killed by poisoning

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Sunanda Pushkar death: Shashi Tharoor’s wife was killed by poisoning

Indian police are treating the death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of former minister Shashi Tharoor, as murder, nearly a year after her body was found in a hotel room.

Sunanda Pushkar’s death was “not natural and was due to poisoning,” Delhi police chief BS Bassi said.

Initially, doctors said she might have died from an overdose of drugs.

Shashi Tharoor, an Indian lawmaker who married the former Dubai-based businesswoman in 2010, said he was stunned by the news.

“Needless to say I am anxious to see this case is investigated thoroughly and continue to assure the police of my full co-operation,” he said in a statement.

“Although we never thought of any foul play in the death of my wife, we all want that a comprehensive investigation be conducted and that the unvarnished truth should come out.”

BS Bassi said the police had received a “final report” from the doctors saying that Sunanda Pushkar had been poisoned.

“The poison could have been administered orally or it could have been injected. To proceed further in this matter, we have decided to register a case of murder,” he said.Sunanda Pushkar and her husband, Shashi Tharoor, in July 2012

Medical samples would be sent to foreign laboratories to find out the “quantity of poison” found in Sunanda Pushkar’s body.

It is, however, still not clear what poison is believed to have been given to Sunanda Pushkar, and how she could have taken it.

There is also no clarity over the motive of the alleged murder.

Asked why it had taken the police nearly a year to treat the death as murder, BS Bassi said the doctors examining the evidence had sought “additional information” on more than one occasion, and police had provided that.

Sunanda Pushkar was found dead in a five-star hotel in Delhi on January 17, 2014.

Shashi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar had became embroiled in controversy over a series of Twitter messages before the woman’s death that appeared to reveal he was having an affair with a Pakistani journalist.

Sunanda Pushkar and Shashi Tharoor later insisted they were happily married and blamed “unauthorized tweets” for causing confusion.

Shashi Tharoor has repeatedly called for a swift investigation into the case.

In his statement on January 6, Shashi Tharoor added: “I join all members of Sunanda’s family in asking for full information about the basis on which the police have come to this conclusion.

“We have not been provided with copies of the post-mortem report and other reports of the inquiry… We repeat our request for a copy of these reports to be provided to us immediately.”

A former UN diplomat, Shashi Tharoor was forced to resign from his first ministerial position in 2010 amid controversy over his involvement in bidding for a cricket team.

Sunanda Pushkar had allegedly received a free stake in the Indian Premier League franchise Shashi Tharoor was bidding for.

[youtube 4Pr75kbXt_k 650]

Ebola vaccine tested on healthy volunteers at Oxford University

Kathryn R. Bown
-
0
Ebola vaccine tested on healthy volunteers at Oxford University

A new Ebola vaccine is being tested on healthy volunteers at Oxford University.

In September 2014, a separate trial of another Ebola vaccine got under way in Oxford.

This latest trial involves 72 volunteers aged 18-50.

Initial tests in monkeys showed the vaccine, developed by Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson, gave complete protection against Ebola.

The volunteers in Oxford are the first humans to receive the vaccine.

Dr. Matthew Snape, from the Oxford Vaccine Group, part of the University of Oxford Department of Paediatrics, said: “We aim to immunize all participants within a month.

“The main aim is to understand the safety profile of the vaccines.”

The trial involves volunteers receiving an additional booster dose one or two months after the initial injection.

Similar small trials will also get under way in the US and three African countries unaffected by Ebola.

The first dose is designed to prime the immune system with the second booster dose to enhance the immune response.Ebola vaccine teste on humans

The two doses contain different components, but both include genes for a protein from the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus.

The trial organizers stress the vaccine cannot cause anyone to be infected with Ebola.

The immune response the vaccine generates – both antibodies and T cells – will be measured over the course of a year.

Johnson and Johnson said it hoped to begin a larger Phase II trial in Africa and Europe within three months and then to have the vaccine available for use in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone by the middle of 2015.

The pharmaceutical company says it could have 2 million doses of the vaccine available in 2015.

The health crisis triggered by the Ebola outbreak has led to a huge acceleration in the pace of vaccine research.

In September a separate team at the Jenner Institute in Oxford began a trial of an Ebola vaccine.

GSK and the National Institutes of Health in the US developed the vaccine.

Results of that trial are due shortly and there are plans for the vaccine to be offered to health workers in Ebola affected countries of West Africa later this month.

The study led by the Jenner Institute has now been modified to include a booster dose.

Merck has recently bought the rights to a third Ebola vaccine being developed by the biotech company NewLink Genetics.

That vaccine is being tested in Switzerland.

The trial, in Geneva, was halted in December 2014 after some volunteers complained of joint pain.

It resumed this week, with participants being given a lower dose.

Ebola vaccines are also being developed in Russia.

Dr. Matthew Snape said: “The fact that there are at least three Ebola vaccines entering these early safety trials is good news.

“We are not playing first past the post here. Having multiple vaccines progressing through clinical trials increases the likelihood of vaccine manufacturers having the capacity to meet production demands should mass immunization be required.

“The more vaccines and more manufacturers there are working on this, the better.”

[youtube IEZKMnD8AOw 650]

North Korea makes progress in creating deliverable nuclear weapons

Roy Siemens
-
0
North Korea makes progress in creating deliverable nuclear weapons

North Korea has made progress in creating deliverable nuclear weapons, South Korea’s defense ministry has speculated.

In a white paper, the ministry said enough time had passed since North Korea’s first nuclear test for it to have acquired the technology.

A ministry official, however, told the Yonhap News agency that there was no intelligence to support the assessment.

Meanwhile North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he was open to talks with South Korea.

“North Korea’s capabilities of miniaturizing nuclear weapons appear to have reached a significant level,” the paper said.

Miniaturizing a nuclear device would allow it to be fitted on the tip of a long-range missile which could, in theory, reach South Korea or even the US.

An unnamed defense ministry official told Yonhap: “We don’t have any intelligence that North Korea completed the miniaturization.”North Korea nuclear weapons

The official said acquiring such technology took between two and seven years, and it had been eight years since North Korea conducted its first nuclear test.

Pyongyang has conducted three nuclear tests with the most recent in February 2013.

Expert opinion is split on how much progress North Korea’s ballistic missile development program has made.

The white paper also said that North Korea was “presumed to have [missiles] capabilities that could threaten the US mainland, having fired off long-range missiles five times”.

However, the official said no signs had been seen yet that Pyongyang had put long range missiles into service.

[youtube yQ322p41Jg0 650]

Dustin Diamond ordered to go on trial over Christmas Day stabbing

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Dustin Diamond ordered to go on trial over Christmas Day stabbing

Saved by the Bell actor Dustin Diamond has been ordered to go on trial over the stabbing of a man at a bar on Christmas Day.

Dustin Diamond, 37, is charged with felony reckless endangerment and two misdemeanors.

His lawyer, Thomas Alberti, said there were no witnesses who said they saw Dustin Diamond stab the man but a judge ruled there was enough evidence for a trial.

The stabbing is said to have happened in a bar in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

The man was not seriously hurt during the fight at The Grand Avenue Saloon.

Dustin Diamond’s fiancée Amanda Schutz, who appeared in court with him on January 5, told police she shoved a woman who was making rude remarks to them.

Dustin Diamond, who played Screech in Saved by the Bell show, claimed the women then became physically aggressive and that two men held his 27-year-old fiancée by her hair.Dustin Diamond and Amanda Schutz in court

Port Washington police officer Ryan Hurda, who testified during the hearing, said that a man pushed Dustin Diamond as he moved towards the fight.

The man’s brother “intervened when he heard the snap of a knife”, said Ryan Hurda.

The brother did not see Dustin Diamond stab anyone, Ryan Hurda added, and there was nothing in the bar’s video surveillance that showed the actor stabbing the man.

“No, it’s not distinct, but you see he’s holding some type of object in his right hand,” Ryan Hurda said.

Thomas Alberti asked for his client to be allowed to leave Wisconsin, Dustin Diamond’s home state, for a short time.

Dustin Diamond was granted permission to perform at comedy shows which he had already scheduled in other states. He remains free on $10,000 bond.

Saved by the Bell aired during the 1990s and followed the lives of a group of high school students.

Since the show ended, Dustin Diamond has been sued a number of times for failure to pay taxes and in foreclosure proceedings following missed mortgage payments.

[youtube GIZl-uvsxHo 650]

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch aborted

James J. Williams
-
0
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch aborted

SpaceX has postponed an experiment to bring part of its Falcon 9 rocket down to a soft landing on a floating sea platform.

The space company has now rescheduled the Cape Canaveral demonstration for January 9.

Once the first stage of the rocket launches, and has finished its work, it will head back to Earth to try to touch down on a sea barge in the Atlantic.

If this kind of capability can be proven, it promises dramatically lower launch costs in the future.

All segments of a rocket are usually discarded after use and are destroyed as they fall back down.

SpaceX, however, has been practicing the controlled return of the first stage of its Falcon 9 vehicle.

The problem responsible for today’s scrub decision related to a technical issue detected in the steering mechanism of the rocket’s upper stage.

The next chance to send up the vehicle will be on January 9 at 05:09AM local Florida time.SpaceX Falcon 9 launch aborted

SpaceX itself has been playing down expectations, rating the chances of success at no more than 50-50.

“I’m pretty sure this will be very exciting, but, as I said, it’s an experiment,” cautioned Hans Koenigsmann, vice president for mission assurance at SpaceX.

“There’s a certain likelihood that this will not work out all right, that something will go wrong. It’s the first time we have tried this – nobody has ever tried it as far as we know.”

The primary purpose of the flight is to send the Dragon cargo ship on a path to rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS).

It will be the first American re-supply mission to the orbiting platform since October’s spectacular explosion of a freighter system operated by competitor Orbital Sciences Corporation.

However, it is the outcome of the SpaceX experiment that is likely to make the headlines.

SpaceX believes it can return, refurbish and re-use key elements of its rockets.

To this end, it has been testing first-stage boosters that relight their engines to try to slow their fall through the atmosphere, attaching fins to help guide them downwards, and legs to make a stable touchdown.

So far, there have only been mock landings, in which the stage is brought to a hovering position at the surface of the ocean, where, without a solid platform to set down, every booster has subsequently been lost in the water.

The experiment at the end of this week will be different in that SpaceX has sent a floating barge to the targeted return site some 200 miles northeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

[youtube dkFLFLUXCNg 650]

Joey Bada$$ charged with assault after punching security guard in Australia

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Joey Bada$$ charged with assault after punching security guard in Australia

An Australian court has charged Brooklyn rapper Joey Badass with assault after allegedly punching a security guard before a show near Byron Bay on January 2.

According to a police statement, Joey Badass, 19, was walking towards the stage at The Falls Music and Arts Festival when he was asked to prove his identity.

Joey Badass, real name Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott, allegedly punched the 20-year-old guard, breaking his nose, before going on stage to perform his set.

The rapper was later charged with assault causing bodily harm and spent the night in police custody, the statement added.Joey Badass charged with assault in Australia

Joey Bada$$ could be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison if convicted.

He appeared in Lismore Local Court on January 3 and was released on unconditional bail, court official Melissa Everson said.

She added that Joey Bada$$ would not be required to appear when the charge is next listed in Byron Bay Local Court on March 19. He is free to fly back to the US and will be represented in court by a lawyer.

Melissa Everson would not say whether Joey Badass had entered a plea at this stage.

Joey Bada$$, who is the co-founder of the hip-hop collective Pro Era, is set to play four shows in Australia and New Zealand over the next week.

[youtube QapiUvpW4ss 650]

Stephen Fry and Elliot Spencer to marry in Norfolk

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Stephen Fry and Elliot Spencer to marry in Norfolk

The Hobbit’s Stephen Fry has confirmed he is to marry his partner, Elliott Spencer.

The 57-year-old comedian and writer Stephen Fry has given formal notice to wed Elliott Spencer, 27, at a register office in Norfolk, the UK, near where he grew up.

Writing on Twitter after The Sun newspaper revealed the marriage plans, Stephen Fry said: “Oh. It looks as though a certain cat is out of a certain bag.

“I’m very very happy of course but had hoped for a private wedding. Fat chance!”Stephen Fry to marry Elliott Spencer

Stephen Fry and Elliott Spencer are thought to have started their relationship last year.

Director of Norwich City Football Club Stephen Fry has been a familiar face on television since the 1980s and is most recently known for presenting the comedy quiz show QI, as well as for acting roles in The Hobbit and the latest series of 24.

Stephen Fry’s personal assistant said: “Stephen Fry is very happy and proud to say that he has set the wheels in motion for a wedding sometime in the future but no date has been set due to a busy work schedule.”

Serbia: 18,000 cakes stolen from Kragujevac landfill site and resold on black market

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Serbia: 18,000 cakes stolen from Kragujevac landfill site and resold on black market

18,000 cakes were stolen from a landfill site in the town of Kragujevac in central Serbia ahead of the New Year’s holiday and resold on the black market, authorities say.

The cakes were taken to be destroyed at the dump after the refrigerator storing them broke down.

They were instead stolen on December 24, local media reported. City Mayor Radomir Nikolic accused “an organized group” of stealing the cakes.Serbian cakes stolen from landfill site and resold

There have been no reports of illness, but investigations are underway.

Several employees at the landfill site are reported to have been suspended.

The cakes emerged “in suspicious places and at suspicious prices,” said the mayor, quoted by the B92 website.

A Serbian consumer group has posted a picture of the cakes to warn consumers against buying them.

Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan to run for FIFA presidency

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan to run for FIFA presidency

Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan will challenge incumbent Sepp Blatter for FIFA presidency.

The 39-year-old FIFA vice-president will stand as a candidate at the presidential election on May 29, where Sepp Blatter, 78, will seek a fifth term of office.

Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein said: “It is time to shift the focus away from administrative controversy and back to sport.

“The headlines should be about football, not about FIFA.” Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein to run for FIFA presidency

Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein became president of Jordanian football in 1999 before being elected as the Asian Football Confederation’s FIFA vice-president in 2011. He has successfully championed the lifting of FIFA’s ban on the hijab in women’s football and was also one of a number of officials who called for the publication of Michael Garcia’s report into allegations of corruption surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids.

Prince Ali said he had been encouraged to stand by colleagues.

UEFA president Michel Platini is said to be “pleased” that Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein has decided to enter the race and will attempt to get the Jordanian as many votes as possible in Europe.

CES 2015: Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai condemns vicious cyber attack

Nancy Clayson
-
0
CES 2015: Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai condemns vicious cyber attack

In his speech at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai has condemned the “vicious” cyber attack that led to it suspending the release of its film The Interview.

The Guardians of Peace hacker group attacked Sony in a bid to stop the release of the movie.

Kazuo Hirai said he was proud of those who stood up against the “extortionist” tactics of the hackers.

“Both Sony, former employees and current employees were the victim of one of the most vicious and malicious cyber attacks in recent history,” said Kazuo Hirai in off-the-cuff remarks made just before Sony’s press conference at CES began.

Speaking to the press, Kazuo Hirai said it would be “remiss” of him if he did not talk about the events of the last few weeks.

Sony has suffered a series of revelations orchestrated by the Guardians of Peace which gained access to the company’s network and stole huge amounts of internal information.

Photo AFP
Photo AFP

This led to movies being pirated, personal information being shared and millions of private emails published.

The attacks were carried out to convince Sony to halt the release of The Interview – a comedy about journalists recruited to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The movie’s subject matter led US authorities to blame North Korea for the cyber assault, but many security experts have expressed doubt about this theory.

Sony did withdraw The Interview before its planned release, but it is now available to view online and is on show at some cinemas. It made about $15 million through downloads alone over its first three days of distribution.

“I have to say that I’m very proud of all the employees, and certainly the partners who stood up against the extortionist efforts of criminals, and worked tirelessly, sometimes for days on end to bring you The Interview,” said Kazuo Hirai.

[youtube kQqW_GHx_KA 650]

US oil price drops below $50 a barrel

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
US oil price drops below $50 a barrel

The US oil price has dropped below $50 a barrel for the first time since April 2009.

The price of Brent crude also fell on January 5, dipping more than 6% to trade at below $53 a barrel.

The price of both Brent crude and US oil, known as West Texas Intermediate crude, have now lost more than half of their value since mid-2014.

Investors are worried that combination of a global supply glut and weak demand could cause prices to tumble further.US oil price

US oil production has soared recently, as fracking – or the process of extracting oil from shale rock by injecting fluids into the ground – has revolutionized oil production in the country, transforming states such as North Dakota and Pennsylvania in the process.

However, the increase in production has come just as economies across the world – from Europe to China – have slowed their once voracious demand for oil.

This, combined with OPEC’s decision to continue extracting oil at its current pace, has left many investors worried.

That has in turn led shares of many of the world’s leading energy firms, from BP to Exxon Mobil, to decline sharply over the past few months.

[youtube eTrPRQrMaxg 650]

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial: Jury selection begins in Boston Marathon bombings case

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial: Jury selection begins in Boston Marathon bombings case

Jury selection has begun in the Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is accused of killing three people and injuring more than 260 in April 2013.

He faces the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted of detonating a pair of homemade bombs.

The attack near the marathon’s finish line was the largest on American soil since 9/11.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to all 30 charges against him.

His trial is expected to last at least three months.

Jury selection alone is expected to take several weeks as Judge George O’Toole selects 12 jurors and six alternates from about 1,200 prospective jurors who have been summoned to the court in Boston.Boston Marathon bombings 2013

The process could be made more complicated if potential jurors express objections to the death penalty.

Testimony is unlikely to begin until February, the Boston Globe reported, and a verdict may not be announced until late spring or early summer.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s lawyers say they have not had sufficient time to prepare for the trial.

They also argue that appointing impartial jurors in the same city where the bombs were detonated is impossible.

Correspondents say the prosecution will be one of the most important for the government since Timothy McVeigh was sentenced to death in 1997 for detonating a truck bomb in Oklahoma City two years earlier.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan lived in the Massachusetts town of Cambridge, home to Harvard University, after emigrating to the US in 2002 from the Caucasus region of southern Russia.

The prosecution will argue that the brothers set off the bombs as an act of retaliation against the US for its military action in Muslim countries.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during a shootout with police days after the bombing.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was wounded and eventually found by police hiding inside a boat in a residential neighborhood.

He will be defended by a team of five lawyers, including Judy Clarke, an expert in capital punishment cases.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is due in court on January 5, has made two other brief court appearances since his arrest.

[youtube EvwL2JQMFX4 650]

China box office made $4.8 billion in 2014

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
China box office made $4.8 billion in 2014

The Chinese box office made a total of 29.9 billion yuan ($4.8 billion) in 2014, a 36% increase vs. 2013.

For the second year in a row, domestic productions beat Hollywood offerings, taking a 55% share of the market.

That was despite the fact import quotas were expanded in 2012 to allow more Hollywood imports, Variety reported.

China is the world’s second largest box office territory after the US, with just under 50% of North America’s take, which slipped 5% to $10.3 billion.

Transformers: Age of Extinction was the 2014’s top film in China.China box office 2014

Hollywood has woken up to the Chinese market in recent years, with some movies catering specifically to the Chinese audience. Iron Man 3 included a special scene with Chinese A-list actors that was only seen in China.

Universal Studios is building a theme park in Beijing and a Disneyland – four times larger than the one in Hong Kong – is planned for Shanghai.

The biggest Chinese hits of 2014 were Breakup Buddies, The Breakup Guru, The Continent, Dad, Where Are We Going? and The Monkey King.

Other big hitters included The Taking of Tiger Mountain, a 3D war adventure film, which opened in late December.

Just over 1,015 cinema complexes were opened in China in 2014, delivering 5,397 new screens, an average of 15 new screens per day.

The total number of cinema screens in China now stands at 23,600.

[youtube 6o1S2drcrf8 650]

Libya: Greek oil tanker bombed in Derna, two dead

Roy Siemens
-
0
Libya: Greek oil tanker bombed in Derna, two dead

A Greek-operated oil tanker has been attacked by military jets in the Libyan port of Derna, killing two crew members, the Greek authorities have said.

The attack, on January 4, was carried out by the Libyan air force after the ship’s movements aroused suspicion, a Libyan military spokesman has said.

Derna has been controlled by Islamist militants for the past two years.

The Libyan military attacked the port several times last year in an attempt to weaken militant groups there.

The military spokesman, Colonel Ahmed Mesmari, said the tanker had been targeted because it had failed to submit to an inspection before entering the port.

He said the vessel was supposed to dock at a power plant in Derna but instead “took a different route”, entering a “military zone”.

“We asked the ship to stop, but instead it turned off all its lights and would not respond so we were obliged to strike it.

“We bombed it twice,” he said.

There were 26 crew members on board the ship, Araevo, including nationals from the Philippines, Greece and Romania.

Two were injured in the attack, in addition to those killed.Greek oil tanker bombed in Derna

The Liberian-flagged tanker is operated by an Athens-based shipping company, Aegean Shipping Enterprises Company, and was carrying 12,600 tonnes of crude oil.

The Greek authorities said the ship was at anchor in the port when it came under attack.

Aegean Shipping said there was no leakage of oil and it was assessing the damage.

There has been no confirmation about the purpose of the ship’s visit to the militia-held area.

One report suggested the tanker was delivering fuel for power generators. Col. Ahmed Mesmari told Reuters the vessel had been bringing Islamist fighters to Derna.

“We had warned any ship not to dock at the port without prior permission,” he was quoted as saying.

Libya has been in chaos since its long-time leader, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, was overthrown with Western military help in 2011.

Numerous militias govern their own patches of territory, with successive governments struggling to exercise control.

The competition for power and resources has led to frequent fighting and battles to control facilities, including ports, linked to Libya’s oil industry.

The internationally recognized government is based in Tobruk, near the Egyptian border, having been expelled from the capital, Tripoli, by militias in 2014.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies tops North American box office for third week

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies tops North American box office for third week

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies has topped the North American box office for a third week in a row.

The final film in Peter Jackson’s series took $21.9 million according to early studio estimates.

Disney’s new release, the musical Into the Woods, was at number two with $19.1 million in its second week of release.

The fairytale drama stars Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp and Emily Blunt.

Angelina Jolie’s World War II tale Unbroken, took third spot with $18.4 million.The Hobbit The Battle of the Five Armies

The weekend’s only major new release, horror sequel The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death, landed in fourth place with $15.1 million.

Sony’s controversial film The Interview, about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, took an estimated $1.1 million in its second week of limited release.

Last week, Sony announced the film had taken $15 million in its first four days of online streaming.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb rounded out the top five with takings of $14.5 million.

[youtube iVAgTiBrrDA 650]

Lebanon restricts entry for Syrian refugees

Roy Siemens
-
0
Lebanon restricts entry for Syrian refugees

Lebanon has imposed stricter conditions for Syrians entering the country in a bid to slow the flow of asylum seekers trying to escape the war.

Previously, travel between Syria and Lebanon was largely unrestricted, but now Syrians will have to obtain a visa.

Lebanon hosts more than a million Syrian refugees and this is the latest step to try to stem the influx.

Millions of Syrians have been displaced by the civil war as rebel forces try to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

The uprising began with protests against Bashar al-Assad’s rule in 2011 and degenerated into civil war in 2012. The rise of Islamist groups has added to the refugee problem.

Lebanon, which shares a border with Syria, is one of the most affected country by the large numbers of refugees.

Before now, Syrians could stay in Lebanon for up to six months automatically. Under the new measure, Syrians wanting to enter Lebanon will have to fulfill certain criteria in order to be granted a visa at the border.

It is unclear what the rule will mean for the many Syrians already in the country and not registered as refugees.Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Every Syrian wanting to enter Lebanon will need to state a clear purpose for their visit, and, if approved, a visa will be issued for a certain duration.

Syrians coming to work in Lebanon will also have to be sponsored by a Lebanese individual or company.

A spokesman for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Lebanon, Ron Redmond, said that over the past 6 to 8 months a number of measures had already reduced the number of people seeking registration as refugees. But the UN had worked out a system with the government to enable the most vulnerable to still gain access.

Lebanon has long been struggling to cope with the number of refugees fleeing the war in Syria.

There are currently more than 1.1 million registered refugees in Lebanon putting a huge strain on the country’s infrastructure and resources.

The Lebanese government says the actual number of refugees in the country is about 1.6 million.

Clearly the Lebanese government wants to reduce the flow, says Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow at the Issam Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut.

Many refugees live in poor conditions.

In October, Lebanon’s social affairs minister announced that the country would stop accepting all refugees except emergency cases, but would still allow Syrians to enter for other purposes, such as work and tourism.

The latest UNHCR figures show a total of 3.2 million Syrians registered as refugees in Lebanon and elsewhere.

[youtube hk2f52bpc0k 650]

Australia bushfires: Soaring temperatures and high winds fuel blaze

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Australia bushfires: Soaring temperatures and high winds fuel blaze

Australian firefighters are racing to contain a major bushfire before soaring temperatures and high winds fuel the blaze.

More than 30 homes are already feared destroyed in the hills behind South Australia’s city of Adelaide.

More than 500 firefighters are tackling the fires, which have been burning since January 2.

Officials say the blaze is the worst in the area since the Ash Wednesday bushfires in 1983, which left 75 dead.

Temperatures are forecast to hit 34C in Adelaide on January 5 before rising to as high as 38C on January 6 and 7, according to Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology.

However, the region is not yet out of danger, South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said.

“We’re really racing against time to try to make sure that we get as much of this contained before the hotter weather and the stronger winds are expected later in the week,” he told a press conference.

“The objective of this is obviously to ensure that the fire does not spread under the worsening conditions, but also to open up as many areas as possible,” Jay Weatherill said.

He said South Australians should prepare for more severe bushfires.South Australia bushfires 2015

A number of towns remained at risk from uncontrolled fire burning in scrub and grass, and some roads into the fire zone remained closed, said the state’s Country Fire Service (CFS).

Chief Officer for the CFS, Greg Nettleton, told local media the number one priority for firefighters was to prepare for possible catastrophic weather conditions expected to hit on Wednesday.

“The winds will swing around to the north. At the moment I think they’re predicting somewhere like about 35kph [22mph],” said Greg Nettleton.

“That’s enough given the dryness of the country for the fire to spread, so our number one priority is to secure the outer perimeter of that large fire so it doesn’t impact on further communities.”

An estimated 12,500 hectares of land have been burnt since January 2, according to local media, and firefighters from South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales are battling the fires’ 150 miles perimeter.

Large air tankers are dumping water on the fire front and back-burning operations are underway, where new fires are started in order to burn in the opposite direction to the line of advancing fire.

Of the estimated 1100 properties in the Adelaide Hills, 12 are confirmed destroyed with another 20 believed to have been burnt down. Twenty-two people, mostly firefighters, are reported to have suffered minor injuries.

The Insurance Council of Australia has declared the blaze a “catastrophe”, which means insurers can escalate their response, and claims arising from the bushfires should be given priority by insurers.

[youtube yfOrjtiK9ck 650]

Euro reaches 9-year low against US dollar

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
Euro reaches 9-year low against US dollar

The euro has reached a nine-year low against the US dollar as investors predicted the European Central Bank (ECB) may act to stimulate the economy.

The European currency fell by 1.2% against the dollar to $1.1864, marking its weakest level since March 2006, before recovering slightly to $1.19370.

The drop follows ECB president Mario Draghi’s comments indicating the bank could soon start quantitative easing (QE).

Greek political turmoil also weighed on the currency.

Although the ECB has already cut interest rates to a record low level, and also bought some bonds issued by private companies, a full-scale program of QE has not yet been launched.

On January 2, Mario Draghi hinted in a newspaper interview that the ECB might soon start a policy of QE by buying government bonds, thus copying its counterparts in the UK and US.

The purpose would be to inject cash into the banking system, stimulate the economy and push prices higher.Euro reaches nine year low vs US dollar

In an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt, Mario Draghi said: “We are making technical preparations to alter the size, pace and composition of our measures in early 2015.”

Political turmoil in Greece also weighed on the euro, with fears that the general election on January 25, could see the anti-austerity, left-wing Syriza party take control of the country.

The possibility has sparked fears about whether Greece will stick to the terms of its international bailout and stay in the eurozone.

On January 3, German magazine Der Spiegel magazine said Germany believes the eurozone would be able to cope with a Greek “exit” from the euro, if the Syriza party wins the Greek election.

Reacting to the Der Speigel report, a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there was no change in German policy and the government expects Greece to fulfill its obligations under the EU, ECB and IMF bailout.

France’s President Francois Hollande also commented, saying it was now “up to the Greeks” to decide whether to remain a part of the single currency.

“Europe cannot continue to be identified by austerity,” Francois Hollande added, suggesting that the eurozone needs to focus more on growth than reducing its deficit.

Analysts said the euro was likely to remain volatile for the next few weeks.

Thomas Gilbert Sr. shot dead by son in Manhattan apartment

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Thomas Gilbert Sr. shot dead by son in Manhattan apartment

Thomas Gilbert Sr., creator and chief investment officer of $200 million hedge fund Wainscott Capital Partners, has been shot dead in his flat in New York’s Manhattan, police say.

Thomas Gilbert, 70, had been involved in a domestic argument, media reported.

Police have arrested his son, a Princeton graduate, who allegedly executed the multimillionaire at the family’s Manhattan apartment on Sunday afternoon.

Thomas Gilbert Jr.. 30, barricaded himself in his luxurious Chelsea home for seven hours after Thomas Gilbert Sr. was killed with a single bullet.Thomas Gilbert Sr shot dead by son

At 10.30 PM, officers chopped down the door and arrested Thomas Gilbert Jr. without incident.

Thomas Gilbert Sr. was the founder and president of Wainscott Capital Partners, having started the fund in 2011.

His body was found at about 15:30 local time in a bedroom in the flat in Beekman Place, and that a gun had been recovered from the room.

“Right now, we’re looking to speak to his son, who was the last person to see him alive,” police spokesman Lt John Grimpel said, without identifying the son.

Wainscott Capital fund focuses on the biotech and health care industries.

[youtube q3uZ8_Q3wPs 650]

Christodoulos Xiros: Greek extremist planned armed assault on maximum security prison in Athens

Roy Siemens
-
0
Christodoulos Xiros: Greek extremist planned armed assault on maximum security prison in Athens

Greek left-wing extremist Christodoulos Xiros recaptured after a year on the run had been planning an armed assault to free inmates from a maximum security prison in Athens, police say.

Christodoulos Xiros, 56, of the Marxist militant group November 17, was arrested on January 3 in Anavyssos.

He went missing after being allowed out of jail in January to visit his family.

Police found a cache of arms and ammunition in his house in Anavyssos, including a grenade launcher.

The cache also had eight Kalashnikov rifles, three handguns, a silencer and explosives.

Police said they also found drawings of the planned attack.

Police chief Dimitris Tsaknakis said: “The findings point to a big hit on the Korydallos prison, aiming to free prisoners. Based on notes we found, the attack would have taken place in the next days.”Christodoulos Xiros

Public Safety Minister Vassilis Kikilias said: “Greek police prevented a major attack against the heart of the Greek prison system.”

Christodoulos Xiros, who was sentenced in 2003 to multiple life terms for his role in November 17, appeared in court on January 4 to face charges of running a terrorist group and possessing weapons.

While on the loose, Christodoulos Xiros had appeared in a video threatening armed action over austerity measures undertaken under Greece’s international bailout.

Photos released by Greek police show Christodoulos Xiros with a beard and his hair grown long and dyed blonde.

The now defunct November 17 emerged in the mid-1970s and claimed a series of deadly attacks against foreign diplomats and Greek politicians and businessmen over nearly three decades, killing at least 23 people.

Greece, which has a huge foreign debt, has gone through years of austerity programs mandated by the IMF-EU bailout.

Greece is due to hold a snap election on January 25.

The left-wing Syriza party – which wants the terms of the EU-IMF bailout renegotiated – is leading in opinion polls.

[youtube SgUSzDmis8c 650]

How to calculate your dog years in human years

Nancy Clayson
-
0
How to calculate your dog years in human years

It’s often said that the age of dogs can be calculated by multiplying their age, in human years, by seven.

However, it’s more complicated than that, and here’s a handy calculator to do it for you.

  • Different breeds of dog age at varying speeds
  • Dogs age at varying speeds at different stages of their lives

Alternatively, you can find out how old you would be if you were a dog. You can choose to be a labrador, a spaniel, a whippet, or any one of 20 breeds.

The calculator uses these multipliers for the first two years of a dog’s life:

  • 12.5 for small dogs
  • 10.5 for medium-sized dogs
  • 9 for large dogs

Then, for the third and subsequent years of the dog’s life, each human year has to be multiplied by between 4.3 and 13.4 years, depending on the breed:Dog years calculator

Small: Dachshund (Miniature) 4.32, Border Terrier 4.47, Lhasa Apso 4.49, Shih Tzu 4.78, Whippet Medium 5.30, Chihuahua 4.87, West Highland White Terrier 4.96, Beagle 5.20, Miniature Schnauzer 5.46, Spaniel (Cocker) 5.55, Cavalier King Charles 5.77, Pug 5.95, French Bulldog 7.65

Medium: Spaniel 5.46, Retriever (Labrador) 5.74, Golden Retriever 5.74, Staffordshire Bull Terrier 5.33, Bulldog 13.42

Large: German Shepherd 7.84, Boxer 8.90

The calculator does not work for cross breeds, sadly, but on average these live 1.22 years longer than pure breeds.

Nor does the calculator work for cats. What we can say is that the average life expectancy of a cat is 12.1 years, which equates to 64 human years.

Guidelines issued by the American Association of Feline Practitioners say that cats reach 10 human years in their first six months and are approximately 24 at the age of two years. After this their age increases by four “cat years” every year.

[youtube iopIOssbiFA 650]

1...456457458...1,245Page 457 of 1,245