Singer Taylor Swift has been named Billboard‘s Woman of the Year 2014.
Taylor Swift has become the first artist to receive the award twice.
The award goes to the female artist who “has shaped and inspired the music industry with her success, leadership and innovation” over the last year.
Previous winners include Pink, Beyonce and Katy Perry.
Taylor Swift has been named Billboard’s Woman of the Year 2014 (photo billboard.com)
Taylor Swift will receive the prize at the Billboard Women in Music award ceremony on December 12 in New York.
“As one of the most influential artists of her generation, Taylor Swift has seen incredible success on the Billboard charts,” said Janice Min, co-president and chief creative officer of Guggenheim Media’s Entertainment Group, which includes Billboard.
“Over the course of her career, she’s charted 60 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 – the most of any female artist since her debut in 2006.
“We are tremendously excited to be honoring her as the 2014 Billboard Woman of the Year for the second time.”
Taylor Swift is a seven-time Grammy winner and the best-selling digital music artist of all time.
New York’s JFK airport has started to implement the Ebola screening measures on Saturday, October 11.
The recent outbreak has killed more than 4,000 people.
Passengers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – the worst-hit countries – will have their temperatures taken and have to answer a series of questions.
Checks at O’Hare in Chicago, Newark, Washington’s Dulles and Atlanta’s airport will begin in the coming days.
This comes after the first person died of Ebola in Texas on Wednesday, October 8.
Thomas Eric Duncan had travelled to the US from Liberia, and was only diagnosed with the disease once he arrived in Dallas.
The latest figures released by the World Health Organization (WHO) show the number of deaths attributed to the haemorrhagic fever has risen to 4,033.
The vast majority of the fatalities – 4,024 – were in the West African nations of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
The screening measures at JFK are starting on Saturday, with border agents checking for signs of illness such as high temperatures.
New York’s JFK airport has started to implement the Ebola screening measures on Saturday, October 11 (photo Getty Images)
Passengers from the three African nations will also be asked about their travel details before leaving for the US and also if they have been in contact with anyone suffering from Ebola.
If they answer “Yes” to any questions or are running a fever, a representative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will intervene and provide a public health assessment.
Factsheets will be distributed to travelers with information on symptoms of Ebola and instructions to call a doctor if they become ill within three weeks.
There are currently no scheduled direct flights from the three countries to the US, with most passengers from Africa travelling via Europe.
All passengers travelling from airports in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia are already being screened for symptoms when they depart.
JFK and the four other airports account for 90% of air travelers arriving in the US. As many as 160 people enter the US from the worse-affected countries each day.
“There is no cause for alarm,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said earlier, adding that the city was “particularly well prepared”.
“Physicians, hospitals, emergency medical personnel are trained in how to identify this disease and how to quickly isolate anyone who may be afflicted.”
To test the readiness of New York, people pretending to display Ebola symptoms – the so-called “simulated patients” – have been walking into hospital emergency rooms to see if there were any weaknesses in the new system.
Standard and Poor’s has cut France’s credit outlook to “negative”, due to concerns about the country’s struggling economic recovery.
However, the credit rating agency affirmed France’s AA/A-1+ rating, the third-highest rating.
“We believe that…a recovery of the French economy could prove elusive,” said S&P in a statement.
France’s finance minister, Michel Sapin, said the country’s debt was “one of the surest in the world”.
“We will pursue the needed reforms, to boost our medium term growth prospects,” Michel Sapin said in a statement.
Standard and Poor’s has cut France’s credit outlook to negative, due to concerns about the country’s struggling economic recovery
“French debt is one of the surest and most liquid in the world, with debt levels very much contained,” he continued.
Official figures from the Bank of France showed that the French economy did not grow at all in the second quarter, and for the third quarter it is forecasting growth of 0.2%.
“We believe that…a recovery of the French economy could prove elusive and that France’s public finances might deteriorate beyond 2014,” S&P said.
S&P added that it expected France’s budget deficit will average 4.1% of GDP between 2014 and 2017, an increase from earlier projections of 3.2%.
The French government has also said it will reduce its budget deficit to below the EU threshold of 3% of GDP by 2017, two years later than promised.
S&P said the negative outlook indicated a one in three chance that certain events would occur which would push it to downgrade France’s actual credit rating within the next two years.
For now, S&P said France’s high income per capita and productivity, recovering competitiveness and profitability among French companies, and France’s stable financial sector justified the country keeping its current rating.
S&P last downgraded France in November 2013 when it cut its rating to AA.
A record 83 titles have been submitted for 2015’s foreign language film Oscar – seven more than 2014’s previous record number.
The new entries include four countries – Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania and Panama – that have not submitted a film before.
Notable titles include Turkish entrant Winter’s Sleep, Palme d’Or winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Another Turkish-language title, Little Happiness, is the UK’s official entry for the foreign language film category.
Ireland has put forward its own entry – The Gift, a crime thriller that features dialogue in English and Gaelic.
Australia, meanwhile, has submitted Charlie’s Country, a film about an ageing Aborigine in which some of the dialogue is spoken in the Yolngu language.
A record 83 titles have been submitted for 2015’s foreign language film Oscar
Belgian siblings Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are among the high-profile directors to have had their films submitted by their country’s national film body.
Others include former BAFTA winner Paweł Pawlikowski, whose latest drama Ida has been put forward on Poland’s behalf.
The Philippines’ submission – Norte, the End of History, an epic drama partly inspired by Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment – runs 250 minutes.
The 83 titles will be narrowed down in January to a shortlist of nine, from which five nominees will be selected for the 2015 award.
For the first time the award will have the winning director as well as the submitting country engraved upon it, following an amendment to the Academy’s rules confirmed last month.
Italy won 2014’s foreign language film with The Great Beauty, a portrait of an ageing social butterfly enjoying the high life in contemporary Rome.
Italy holds the record for the country with the most foreign language Oscar victories, having triumphed 14 times since the category was introduced in 1947.
The nominations for the 2015 Academy Awards will be announced on January 15, while the ceremony itself will take place on February 22.
Angelina Jolie has been made an honorary dame by Queen Elizabeth II for services to UK foreign policy and charity campaigns.
Angelina Jolie, 39, was presented with the insignia of an Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George on October 10.
The investiture took place during a private audience at Buckingham Palace.
Angelina Jolie was recognized in the Queen’s Birthday Honors earlier this year.
Angelina Jolie was presented with the insignia of an Honorary Dame Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George during a private audience at Buckingham Palace
The actress is a special envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and co-founded the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) in 2012.
The award was first announced in June during the week when Angelina Jolie was co-chairing the End Sexual Violence in Conflict (ESVC) global summit in London with then foreign secretary William Hague.
Angelina Jolie said at the time that it meant “a great deal… to receive an honor related to foreign policy”.
Lauren Bacall’s effects – jewellery, artworks and furniture – are to go under the hammer in New York, auction house Bonhams has announced.
Artworks including pieces by Picasso and Henry Moore are set to make $3 million at next year’s sale.
A number of sculptures by Henry Moore, greatly favored by Lauren Bacall, will be offered in separate art sales.
Lauren Bacall, famed for her on and off-screen partnership with Humphrey Bogart, died in August aged 89.
Lauren Bacall was famed for her on and off-screen partnership with Humphrey Bogart
Her collection of art decorated her homes around the US, in Los Angeles, New York and Long Island.
Some of the 700 items adorned the home Lauren Bacall shared with Humphrey Bogart, her first husband, who died in 1957.
Numerous pieces of furniture, tribal art and couture will also be among the lots.
According to Bonhams, Lauren Bacall’s interest in African art was cultivated when she was on the movie set of The African Queen, which starred Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepbu
A giant step forward has been taken in the hunt for a cure for type 1 diabetes, researchers have announced.
Type 1 diabetes is caused by the immune system destroying the cells that control blood sugar levels.
A team at Harvard University used stem cells to produce hundreds of millions of the cells in the laboratory.
Tests on mice showed the cells could treat the disease, which experts described as “potentially a major medical breakthrough”.
Beta cells in the pancreas pump out insulin to bring down blood sugar levels.
But the body’s own immune system can turn against the beta cells, destroying them and leaving people with a potentially fatal disease because they cannot regulate their blood sugar levels.
Type 1 diabetes is caused by the immune system destroying the cells that control blood sugar levels
Type 1 diabetes is different to the far more common type 2 diabetes which is largely due to poor lifestyle.
The team at Harvard was led by Prof. Doug Melton who began the search for a cure when his son was diagnosed 23 years ago. He then had a daughter who also developed type 1.
Prof. Doug Melton is attempting to replace the approximately 150 million missing beta cells, using stem cell technology.
He found the perfect cocktail of chemicals to transform embryonic stem cells into functioning beta cells.
Tests on mice with type 1 diabetes, published in the journal Cell, showed that the lab-made cells could produce insulin and control blood sugar levels for several months.
Dr. Doug Melton said: “It was gratifying to know that we could do something that we always thought was possible.
“We are now just one pre-clinical step away from the finish line.”
However, his children were not quite so impressed: “I think, like all kids, they always assumed that if I said I’d do this, I’d do it.”
If the beta cells were injected into a person they would still face an immune assault and ultimately would be destroyed.
However, more research is needed before this could become a cure.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the number of people killed in the Ebola outbreak has risen above 4,000.
The latest figures show there have been 8,376 cases and 4,024 deaths in the worst-affected West African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The news comes as Liberian lawmakers refused to grant the president additional powers to deal with the Ebola crisis.
Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has already declared a state of emergency that allows her to impose quarantines.
The number of people killed in the Ebola outbreak has risen above 4,000 (photo AFP)
One parliamentarian, Bhofal Chambers, warned that creeping extra powers could turn Liberia into a “police state”.
The total death toll of 4,033 includes the death of a Liberian man in the US, Thomas Eric Duncan, this week and the eight people who died in Nigeria, where health authorities say they have now contained the virus.
The UN says more than 233 health workers working in West Africa have now died in the outbreak, the world’s deadliest to date.
Spanish nurse Teresa Romero is being treated for the virus after becoming infected after an Ebola patient who had been repatriated from Liberia – the country most badly hit by the disease with 2,316 deaths.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has apologized for remarks he made advising women not to ask for a pay rise but to have “faith in the system”.
At a conference to celebrate women in technology, Satya Nadella suggested that women not asking for a rise were “good karma”.
The comments sparked outrage and Satya Nadella has now apologized.
In an email to Microsoft staff, Satya Nadella said he answered the question “completely wrong” and “wholeheartedly” supported programs to close the pay gap.
At the conference, called the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, the Microsoft boss said: “It’s not really about asking for the raise, but knowing and having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as you go along.
“Because that’s good karma. It’ll come back because somebody’s going to know that’s the kind of person that I want to trust.”
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has apologized for remarks he made advising women not to ask for a pay rise
The interviewer at the event, Maria Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd College and a Microsoft director, immediately disagreed with him. Instead, she suggested women do their homework on salary levels and then practice asking for pay rises.
The comments caused a furor on Twitter and Saty Nadella later tweeted that he was “inarticulate” in his answer about how women should ask for a pay increase.
That was then followed up with an email to staff in which he said: “Maria asked me what advice I would offer women who are not comfortable asking for pay raises. I answered that question completely wrong.
“Without a doubt, I wholeheartedly support programs at Microsoft and in the industry that bring more women into technology and close the pay gap. I believe men and women should get equal pay for equal work.
“And when it comes to career advice on getting a raise when you think it’s deserved, Maria’s advice was the right advice. If you think you deserve a raise, you should just ask.”
Indian-born Satya Nadella became Microsoft CEO earlier this year, taking over from Steve Ballmer.
Take That have announced III, their first album without Jason Orange.
The trio started work on new material earlier this year without Jason Orange but had his “blessing” to make the record.
The new album is due out on December 1st, 2014.
Take That also revealed that the first single off the new record will be called These Days and it will get its first radio play on October 10 before being released in November.
Gary Barlow shared an image promoting their new material on Twitter, adding: “Nice hey? #TTIII”
He later tweeted: “Thanks to our brilliant team who’ve turned this all around in record time! Phew! #ttIII”
Take That have announced III, their first album without Jason Orange
Members of that team include ELO frontman Jeff Lynne, who along with Take That, has also produced stars including Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson and Tom Petty.
They also worked with Stuart Price, who was involved with their 2010 album, Progressed.
That record featured both Jason Orange and Robbie Williams and sold more than a quarter of a millions copies in one day.
These Days is described as an “out-and-out feelgood pop” song and also gives “a nod to the sound that defined their early years”.
All three remaining members – Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen – share vocal duties.
Recently the trio have all faced accusations of tax avoidance and Gary Barlow has since apologiZed on Twitter for the “tax stories”.
Last month Jason Orange announced he had left Take That and would not be recording the new album with the band.
He said there had been “no fallings out” and he had “spent some of the best years” of his life with them.
However, Jason Orange did not want to commit to making and promoting a new record.
Take That formed in 1990, split up in 1996 and four of the five members reformed for a successful comeback in 2005. The fifth founder member, Robbie Williams, rejoined briefly in 2010.
Saturday Night Live star Jan Hooks has died aged 57.
The actress’ agent confirmed she died in New York though no cause of death has been given.
Jan Hooks also played Jenna Maroney’s mother Vera in two episodes of hit comedy 30 Rock.
Her SNL co-stars included Wayne’s World stars Mike Myers and Dana Carvey.
Seth Myers – former head writer at SNL and the host of this year’s Emmy awards – tweeted: “RIP Jan Hooks. One of the all time greats.”
Jan Hooks was born and grew up in Georgia and began her comedy career in the Los Angeles-based troupe The Groundlings
Jan Hooks was born and grew up in Georgia and began her comedy career in the Los Angeles-based troupe The Groundlings, whose alumni include Will Ferrell, Jack Black and Friends star Lisa Kudrow.
She was offered a contract with SNL in 1986 alongside Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman – who would go on to voice several characters in The Simpsons, including failed actor Troy McLure.
Her impersonations included Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan and Jodie Foster.
Jan Hooks’ other TV work included the CBS sitcom Designing Women and Futurama.
She voiced Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon in The Simpsons in six episodes between 1997 and 2002 before she was replaced by Tress MacNeille.
On film, Jan Hooks had roles in 1985’s Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and played the Penguin’s image consultant in 1992’s Batman Returns.
WHO Director of Strategy, Dr. Christopher Dye, has said in a recent interview that leading global health experts did not anticipate the scale of the Ebola outbreak.
He said the international response was helping but needed to continue.
Ebola is entrenched in the capitals of the worst-affected countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the WHO says.
The Ebola outbreak has killed more than 3,860 people in 2014, mainly in West Africa.
More than 200 health workers are among the victims.
Christopher Dye said that that although no-one was in a position to anticipate the scale of the current outbreak, the important thing was to look forward.
The Ebola outbreak has killed more than 3,860 people in 2014, mainly in West Africa
“We’ve asked for a response of about $1 billion; so far we have around $300 million with more being pledged, so a bit less than half of what we need but it’s climbing quickly all the time,” he told BBC.
In April 2014, the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned of the potential spread of the virus, but the WHO played down the claims, saying that Ebola was neither an epidemic, nor was it unprecedented.
On October 10, MSF reported a sharp increase of Ebola cases in the Guinean capital, Conakry, dashing hopes that the disease was being stabilized there.
Meanwhile in Mali, an experimental serum is being tested on volunteer health workers.
The trial spans several countries, and the results will be sent to experts to determine whether it is able to protect against Ebola.
Meanwhile in Spain, seven more people are being monitored in hospital for Ebola.
They include two hairdressers who came into contact with Teresa Romero, a Madrid nurse who looked after an Ebola patient who had been repatriated from West Africa.
Teresa Romero is now reported to be gravely ill but stable.
Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi have jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014.
At the age of just 17, Pakistani child education activist Malala Yousafzai is the youngest ever recipient of the prize.
Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen in October 2012 for campaigning for girls’ education. She now lives in Birmingham in the UK.
The Nobel committee praised the pair’s “struggle against the suppression of children and young people”.
Indian child rights campaigner Kailash Satyarthi, 60, has maintained the tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and headed various forms of peaceful protests, “focusing on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain,” the committee said at the Nobel Institute in Oslo.
Kailash Satyarthi founded Bachpan Bachao Andolan, or the Save the Childhood Movement, which campaigns for child rights and an end to human trafficking.
Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi have jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2014 (photo Reuters/AFP)
Malala Yousafzai was taken out of her classroom in her new home city of Birmingham to hear the news on October 10.
Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, told the Associated Press that the prize would “boost the courage of Malala and enhance her capability to work for the cause of girls’ education”.
Thorbjorn Jagland, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, paid tribute to Malala Yousafzai’s achievements.
“Despite her youth, Malala Yousafzai, has already fought for several years for the right of girls to education and has shown by example that children and young people too can contribute to improving their own situations,” he said.
“This she has done under the most dangerous circumstances. Through her heroic struggle she has become a leading spokesperson for girls’ rights to education.”
The committee said it was important that a Muslim and a Hindu, a Pakistani and an Indian, had joined in what it called a common struggle for education and against extremism.
Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi will now be invited to attend an award ceremony in Oslo in December to receive a medal and $1.4 million pounds in prize money.
This year’s record number of 278 Nobel Peace Prize nominees included Pope Francis and Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege, although the full list was kept a secret.
Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta had also been tipped as favorites for the award.
Oklahoma corrections officials have unveiled the state’s remodeled death chamber, where at least three men are scheduled to be executed before the end of the year.
The chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester was renovated at a cost of $71,000.
The new facility features more space for the executioners to work and new audio and video equipment.
It was rebuilt after an April execution went awry when executioners failed to inject the lethal drugs properly.
Convicted murderer Clayton Lockett writhed for nearly an hour as the execution team struggled to find suitable veins in his arms, legs, neck and feet.
Oklahoma corrections officials have unveiled the state’s remodeled death chamber (photo AP)
They ultimately attempted to inject the drugs into a vein in his groin but that failed, dispersing the powerful sedative into his tissue rather than directing it into his bloodstream.
The execution was halted when the error was discovered. Lockett died shortly after of a heart attack.
On October 9, Oklahoma corrections officials took news media on a tour of the new facility, showing the enlarged “chemical room” where the executioners administer the lethal drugs.
By expanding the “chemical room”, the state reduced the size of the witness chamber and the room where the condemned is strapped down. In future, five members of the news media will be allowed to witness executions, down from 12.
The chamber has cameras, video screens and a heartbeat monitor enabling the executioners to track the procedure’s progress. An ultrasound machine will enable the team to more easily locate the condemned’s veins.
Charles Fredrick Warner, who had initially been scheduled to die just hours after Clayton Lockett on April 20, will be next in the chamber, his execution scheduled for November 13.
Kim Jong-un missed a key political anniversary ceremony on October 10, the North Korean media said, amid speculation over his absence from public view.
The North Korean leader’s name was not on a list of those who visited a mausoleum to mark the ruling party’s anniversary.
Kim Jong-un has not been seen for more than a month, the longest hiatus since he came to power in 2011.
State television last month said Kim Jong-un had an “uncomfortable physical condition” and later showed him limping.
On October 10, South Korea said it believed Kim Jong-un remained in control of the communist state.
“It seems that Kim Jong-un’s rule is in normal operation,” Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying.
“With regard to his specific health conditions, our government has no information to confirm yet,” he said.
On October 10, North Korean officials visited Kumsusan Palace, a mausoleum for late leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, to mark the 69th anniversary of the Workers’ Party.
For the first time in three years, Kim Jong-un’s name was not included in the list.
Kim Jong-un, 31, who inherited power after his father Kim Jong-il died in 2011, has not been seen in public since September 3.
Kim Jong-un has not been seen in public for more than a month, the longest hiatus since he came to power in 2011
His absence has led to speculation over both his health and his grip on power.
South Korean media outlets, citing unidentified sources, suggest Kim Jong-un, who is overweight, has gout.
Adding to speculation about Kim Jong-un’s whereabouts, Reuters correspondent James Pearson tweeted an image of a North Korean newspaper on Friday featuring an image of Kim Jong-il, the now deceased former leader.
“Front page of today’s main North Korean paper shows leader Kims pics, but no Kim Jong-Un – to whom it pledges loyalty,” said James Pearson, who covers North and South Korea.
Appearances by Kim Jong-un’s number two, coupled with recent claims by a former North Korean official, have also led to suggestions that the young leader may have been toppled.
Hwang Pyong-so, a top military aide who is considered Kim Jong-un’s number two, has made high-profile appearances.
General Hwang Pyong-so, 65, led a delegation of North Korean officials to Seoul for the closing ceremony of the Asian Games, in a visit seen as a rare opportunity for high-level talks between the North and South.
None of the speculation can be confirmed.
Hwang Pyong-so’s visit, coupled with continued coverage in North Korean state media of Kim Jong-un’s leadership, were cited by the Seoul on October 10 as evidence that Kim Jong-un was still in power.
It is not the first time that Kim Jong-un has failed to appear in public for an extended period. He spent 21 days out of the public eye in March 2012 and then another 24 in June the same year.
In January 2013, Kim Jong-un was absent for 18 days.
An international arbitration tribunal has decided that Venezuela must pay Exxon Mobil $1.6 billion in compensation for expropriated assets.
Exxon had claimed up to $16.6 billion over the nationalization of its Cerro Negro Project and other losses in 2007.
Venezuela has not said whether it will appeal. But the foreign minister said the decision was “reasonable”.
The ruling was made by the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
It is a blow to Venezuela which is struggling with a shortage of foreign currency, inflation and a stagnating economy.
Venezuela must pay Exxon Mobil $1.6 billion in compensation for expropriated assets
Foreign minister Rafael Ramirez called it a victory for Venezuelan sovereignty over “exaggerated claims”, referring to the much higher amount indicated by the Exxon Mobil.
The Venezuelan government is currently battling more than 20 similar demands at the World Bank by other foreign companies over the state’s takeover of private assets under its former president, Hugo Chavez.
Exxon Mobil said in a statement: “The decision confirms that the Venezuelan government failed to provide fair compensation for expropriated assets.”
The company added that it “accepts Venezuela’s legal right to expropriate the assets of our affiliates subject to compensation at fair market value”.
A previous decision in 2012 ruled that PDVSA, the state oil company, should pay Exxon $908 million.
Venezuela has since paid a portion of that award, which will be taken into account in calculating the balance that Venezuela owes.
In a recent interview, Pink Floyd guitarist and singer David Gilmour has said he is “pretty certain” the band’s latest album, The Endless River, will be their final LP.
The Endless River is a tribute to Pink Floyd’s keyboard player Rick Wright, who died in 2008.
David Gilmour said Rick Wright was “underestimated by the public, by the media and by us at times I hate to say”.
The Endless River will be Pink Floyd’s final LP
The album will be released in November and will included material recorded by Rick Wright before his death at the age of 65.
Pink Floyd was formed in London in 1965 by Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright.
David Gilmour joined the band in 1967 and Syd Barrett, who suffered from mental health problems left a year later.
Pink Floyd’s albums, which include The Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall and Wish You Were Here are listed among the most influential rock albums of the 20th Century.
China overtakes the USA as the world’s largest economy, according to figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The figures are adjusted for Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).
According to the IMF, the combined purchasing power of China’s citizens now outstrips that of America’s. By the end of 2014, China should make up 16.48& of the world’s purchasing-power adjusted GDP for a total of $17.632 trillion.
The US economy, by contrast, will make up 16.28%, or $17.416 trillion.
China overtakes the USA as the world’s largest economy in 2014
Purchasing power parity seeks to address the fact that while wages tend to be lower in “developing” countries than in mature economies like the US, the price of goods and servicing is also typically much lower.
The Economist’s Big Mac Index, for example, quotes the price of the McDonalds staple in July at $4.80 in the US, but just $2.73 in China.
PPP, therefore, bases economic output on what a country’s citizens can purchase, as opposed to an unadjusted GDP figure using market exchange rate, which is more often quoted.
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However, the figure is controversial. It requires the comparison of a huge amount of goods and services, and is therefore a vast statistical undertaking that can only be conducted infrequently with estimates used during intervening periods. The methods used to collect the data have also led to controversy in the past.
When it comes the raw GDP data base on exchange rates, China will eventually also overtake the US if it carries on growing as it has, but that is still likely to take many years.
One of the 298 people killed in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine was found wearing an oxygen mask, Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans has said.
Frans Timmermans indicated that not everybody on board had died instantly when the plane was hit by a missile.
According to an initial report, flight MH17 broke up in mid-air after being pierced by objects at high velocity.
Frans Timmermans has now said he regrets the remark and upsetting families.
“The last thing I want is to add to their suffering in any way,” he said in a government statement released hours after he made the comment on the Pauw talk show on Dutch TV.
“I shouldn’t have said it.”
The Dutch public prosecutor has confirmed that an oxygen mask was found, although a spokesman said it was around the passenger’s neck rather than their mouth. It has been secured with elastic and tested for DNA and fingerprints.
One of the 298 people killed in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine was found wearing an oxygen mask (photo Getty Images)
The plane had been flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17 when it went down over rebel-held territory. Pro-Russian separatist leaders deny shooting it down with a missile.
Although 196 of the passengers were Dutch, the passenger with the oxygen mask was not, the prosecutor said on October 9. Dutch media said the victim in question was an Australian and the family had been informed about the development.
None of the other victims was wearing an oxygen mask, the public prosecutor added. The mask was from a Boeing 777 plane, but it was unknown how and when it had been put on.
Frans Timmermans is seen as one of the big hitters in the Dutch government.
He is due to leave his post shortly as foreign minister to take up a post as European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s right-hand man.
He mentioned the oxygen mask during an interview with Jeroen Pauw, in which he was taken to task for an emotive speech he gave to the UN four days after flight MH17 was downed on July 17.
In his address to the Security Council, Frans Timmermans imagined the horror felt by the passengers “when they knew the plane was going down” and wondered whether they had looked each other in the eyes “one final time, in an unarticulated goodbye”.
He acknowledged that those on board would not have seen the missile hit the plane.
“But do you know that someone was found with an oxygen mask on their mouth – and so they had the time to put it on?” Frans Timmermans said.
He went on to say that nothing could be ruled out about the 298 victims’ final moments.
The official inquiry into the MH17 disaster had not made any mention of an oxygen mask being found on one of the victims.
However, several experts concluded that the plane would have disintegrated too quickly for the passengers to have known anything about it.
Victims’ families, angry that they had not been told about the oxygen mask before, were told by prosecutors that an inquiry was still being carried out and no conclusions had been drawn.
Although investigators were unable to visit the crash site because of fighting in the area, their initial report pieced together photographic evidence of the wreckage as well as cockpit and air traffic control data.
They said it pointed to “an in-flight break up” and added there was “no evidence of technical or human error”.
Malaysia Airlines plane was hit while flying at 33,000ft (10,000m) and debris was found over a wide area of eastern Ukrainian territory held by pro-Russian rebels.
Another black teenager has been shot dead by an off-duty police officer in St Louis, Missouri, leading to angry demonstrations on the streets.
The white officer was on patrol for a private security company when he exchanged fire with an 18-year-old after a chase, say police.
The officer fired 17 shots at the teenager, police added.
Two months ago a fatal shooting in the nearby suburb of Ferguson sparked weeks of unrest and international headlines.
Michael Brown, 18, was unarmed when he was killed by a white officer, who could face criminal charges.
Angry crowds on Shaw streets after an off-duty police officer fatally shot a black teenager (photo AP)
The latest incident began when the officer, dressed in his city police uniform, spotted three men running away from him in Shaw neighborhood, says St Louis Police Chief Colonel Sam Dotson.
The 32-year-old officer thought one of the men was carrying a weapon so chased him and a confrontation followed.
During the altercation, the man fired at the officer, who returned fire and killed him, said Sam Dotson.
Ballistic evidence suggests the man fired three rounds at the officer before his weapon jammed, and a gun was recovered from the scene, he added.
The officer, who was not injured, fired 17 shots, said Sam Dotson.
“An investigation will decide if the officer’s behavior was appropriate,” he said at a news conference in the early hours of Thursday, October 9.
Neither man has been named.
Hours after the shooting, a crowd gathered at the scene, with some shouting “hands up, don’t shoot”, in reference to the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a white policeman on August 9.
Some police cars were damaged but there were no arrests.
French writer Patrick Modiano has won the Nobel Prize in literature for 2014.
The Nobel Academy described the historical author, whose work has often focused on the Nazi occupation of France, as “a Marcel Proust of our time”.
The award – presented to a living writer – is worth 8 million kronor ($1.1 million).
Previous winners include literary giants such as Rudyard Kipling, Toni Morrison and Ernest Hemingway.
Patrick Modiano, 69, beat bookies’ favorites Japanese writer Haruki Murakami and Kenyan novelist, poet and playwright Ngugi wa Thiong’o. The last French writer to win the prize was Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio in 2008.
The academy said the award was “for the art of memory with which he has evoked the most ungraspable human destinies and uncovered the life-world of the occupation”.
“This is someone who has written many books that echo off each other… that are about memory, identity and aspiration,” Peter Englund, the academy’s permanent secretary said.
French PM Manuel Valls, quoted by Reuters news agency, said Patrick Modiano was “undoubtedly one of the greatest writers” of recent years.
“This is well-deserved for a writer who is moreover discreet, as is much of his excellent work.”
Patrick Modiano was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of Paris, to a businessman father and an actress mother.
French writer Patrick Modiano has won the Nobel Prize in literature for 2014
He studied at Lycee Henri-IV in Paris, where his geometry teacher was Raymond Queneau, a writer who was to prove a major influence.
Much of Patrick Modiano’s work looked at the Vichy regime in occupied France during World War 2, particularly the part it played in the deportation of Jews to concentration camps.
Patrick Modiano’s debut novel, La Place de l’Etoile, was published in 1968 but, more than 40 years later, has yet to be translated into English.
His most recent novel is Pour que tu ne te perdes pas dans le quartier (2014).
Patrick Modiano also worked with film director Louis Malle on the screenplay of Lacombe Lucien (1974), a feature film about a teenage boy during the German occupation of France.
His sixth novel, Missing Person (French title: Rue des boutiques obscures), won the French literary accolade the Prix Goncourt in 1978.
Other prizes include Grand prix du roman de l’Academie francaise in 1972 and the 2010 prix mondial Cino Del Duca by the Institut de France for lifetime achievement.
In 2012, Patrick Modiano won the Austrian State Prize for European Literature.
Patrick Modiano, who lives in Paris, rarely give interviews. The Nobel Academy said it had been unable to tell the author the news before the announcement.
A total 111 individuals have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature between 1901 and 2014.
The Indian construction industry is one of the biggest industries in the country. According to the latest statistics, the industry contributed more than Rs 6708 billion to the Indian economy in 2011 to 2012. The industry also provides employment to more than 35 million people directly and indirectly all over the country. With a steadily improving economy and a richer middle-class, the industry is expected to double or triple as first time buyers start looking for their own dream homes, states StandardsBis.
The Issue: Building Safety Standards?
Although the industry is profitable, it is fragmented with large nationalized companies, mid-range builders, and small companies and contractors, all vying for a share of the market, according to AsiaConst. According to a recent census, there are about 200 large commercial construction companies, about 120,000 smaller Class A Companies, and several thousand more companies working independently in the construction and associated industries. Although this is good, it also gives rise to a haphazard industry that has no regulation regarding construction standards, pricing, sales procedures, legal disclosures, and the like. Ideally, The National Building Code of India, 1983 (NBC) is applicable all over India and has to be followed by all states. India does have the national building code to provide specifications for every part of a building. Before the building opened for occupation, a building inspector usually checks every part of the building and ensures that safety codes are followed. However, a problem arises here again states Asiaconst.
Apart from the building code, all construction projects are also subject to Central and State laws simultaneously. As a result, building bylaws tend to change with every city and each city has its own nodal agencies like the LDA, the GDA, the KDA, etc. to deal with building permits and verification of building codes. As a result, there is no uniform code applicable on all buildings in India to ensure safe homes built with high-quality materials. These variable construction standards frequently result in shoddy buildings that collapse under the least stress. In fact, according to the TOI, about seven people die in building collapses every year in India.
Builders also have to get individual permissions or building approvals from over 40 different state and Central agencies. These agencies will sanction the use of land, provide land conversion permission, environmental clearance, clearance from the Aviation Authorities, Archaeological Survey Of India, Plan Approval Authority, Pollution Control Board, local police authorities, legal clearance, Central Ground Water Authorities, etc. This may seem complicated but each agency will assess the land and the surrounding area for its feasibility for construction. Most builders spend more than 40 percent of their construction income on acquiring permits but these permits do ensure that the property is built on legally clear land that is safe and environmentally secure. Builders are legally required to follow the NBC, acquire the permits, gain NOCs from the relevant authorities, and then start construction on the project to ensure basic safety measures are meant.
All these permits, building safety requirements, land cost, quality construction materials, professional staff like civil construction staff, architects and engineers, equipment, labor, etc. raise the cost of the building and are transferred to the buyer. As the Indian economy improves, these factors turn more and more expensive resulting in properties that range anywhere from Rs 12, 00,000 to about Rs 5 crore in value, states EngineeringCivil.
For Buyers: Finding Economical and Safe Homes Is an Issue?
As a buyer, you have to be proactive enough to check the licenses and permits acquired by your builder. Ideally, the builder will provide a complete dossier of information on the permits and licenses they have acquired for their project. If you are not sure on how to check the permits, it is a good idea to refer to the IFC Doing Business website for a quick checklist of permits. Another quick way to verify safety standards is by inquiring about loans. Builders who tie up with banks are much more likely to acquire all the safety paperwork well in advance. This is because banks tie up with construction companies to provide mortgages on the property. Before they collaborate with the firm, the bank’s in-house verification team will carry out an intensive check of projects paperwork, licensing, legal and financial status and this is a simpler way to assure yourself of construction quality. Projects like economical homes by Unitech Group tied up with local banks are also likely to be much more affordable due to the automatic local approval process for buyers. If you find the property expensive, it would be a good idea to research other buildings and projects in the area in realtime and online to assure yourself of rates. You can also check with local real estate agents and brokers to ensure you are getting the most economical and safe houses in your favored project.
Forced prostitution in Asia during WWII was so commonplace that this author asked his grandfather about it and he said that he served with people who were stationed overseas talked about it in everyday life. This will delve into the facts and the statistics about these comfort women. Many of these women have since past without much impact on history or a voice to be heard. With this atrocity just being hushed throughout time and the numbers skewed, this will try to give the perspective that the governments that committed these crimes try to omit.
The Japanese first instituted comfort women as they are called now during WWII. These women were prostitutes that were used to keep the spirits of the soldiers up. The women were also there to keep the men more amicable to taking orders from their superiors. These was prevalent through much of Asia during the wars and Japanese occupancy in many of these countries. Korea implemented these US comfort women to keep the troops of the United States happy. The reasoning is highly contested about the comfort women in Korea. Some say it was to appease the troops that were stationed there although 2 lawmakers made it apparently clear that there were ulterior motives. They said at a Korean assembly that they should train a new wave of comfort women to keep the United States soldiers from going to Japan and spending their money there. So the reasoning was to keep allies and economic, appalling but very true.
Most of these women were from the occupied Japanese territories. The Japanese military procured the women through various tactics that were not only immoral but also deceptive. Many of the girls were very young and naïve not knowing what they were in for. Some of the girls were kidnapped from their native villages and taken to these comfort stations. Others were promised jobs and instead were forced to work in the comfort stations.
The treatment of these women was not only inhumane but appalling. The women endured physical and psychological torture on a daily basis. STD were rampant as well as the health of the women declined as the women were known to see between 20 and 40 male callers per day. If the women refused to work in the comfort station, they were executed without hesitation. These executions kept the other women who thought about refusing to keep doing the unimaginable just to stay alive. Many of these women had illegitimate children who faced discrimination throughout their lives. The offspring of the US soldiers who had since returned to the United States faced the largest amount of discrimination because of the way they looked and the fact their mothers served as prostitutes. The fact that their mothers did not willingly participate in these acts had no bearing on the public’s opinion.
These women faced years of physical and emotional torture. Mental illness runs rampant through the former comfort women community, post-traumatic stress disorder is the most common condition and it still impacts the women some 60 years later. We should not let these indiscretions of governments go silenced as we should make all aware of those who did not have a voice at the time.
Who hasn’t stepped back before and thought, I deserve a day off today? Of course we all have. Working hard, day in and day out, can take its toll, so it’s important to treat yourself every once in a while as a reminder that you deserve to enjoy the journey.
Here’s your guide to sitting back, relaxing, and taking a moment to enjoy life a little more.
Give it a Rest with the Diet
One of the most common ways we strain ourselves in our day to day routine is by restricting what we eat. By adhering to a strict diet, you’re maintaining a healthy emphasis on balanced nutrition, and that’s laudable. However, every once in a while, there’s nothing wrong with taking a day off and just ordering a pepperoni pizza after work. In the long run, taking one day off isn’t going to make much of a difference and you’ll be much happier if you aren’t going on three years without a slice of pizza. There’s no need to go overboard and eat the whole pizza yourself, but treating yourself in moderation is just as important to your mental health as balanced nutrition is to your physical health.
At the end of the day, you’ll probably be more motivated to stay on track with your diet plan knowing that you’re not going to feel deprived for an indefinite period. The author of 101 Foods That Can Save Your Life, David Grotto identifies the break as “structured cheating” saying, “There’s a difference between enjoying your favorite foods occasionally and eating everything you adore. The key to maintaining control is deciding what you want and how much you’ll have, and then to eat it with full consciousness … lick your lips, and then move on with your life.”
Pick up Some Designer Underwear
For a lot of men, the emphasis on buying luxury clothing just isn’t there. While you might not consider yourself highly interested in fashion, there’s still something to be said for the higher level of craftsmanship, material, and construction of luxury clothing. If you aren’t necessarily comfortable wearing designer clothes to the office, you might consider investing in designer underwear for men. Before you laugh, you’d be amazed how much of a difference wearing luxury underwear can make in your daily routine. With a brand like VK Nagrani, your level of comfort throughout the day is going to be like another world compared to whatever you were wearing before. And after your moment of “structured cheating” on your diet, it might be good to have that extra layer of comfort.
As far a designer apparel is concerned, investing in designer underwear is going to be significantly less pricey than upgrading an entire suit. However, if you do feel like splurging on luxury, the suits at VK Nagrani are worth it. In the words of Bryan Kreps from Dryden Kreps: “It is a suit that is not solely about tailoring and the sartorial expression. It is simply a suit that makes you feel like sexy.”
Schedule a Massage
For a classic relaxation activity, try booking a massage session. If you’re not in the practice of getting massages, they can actually make a huge difference in your muscle comfort and energy levels for the rest of the week. Is that knot in your back bothering you throughout the day at work? It might be time to go ahead and schedule an appointment to get it worked out. While they’re definitely a luxury experience, massages aren’t necessarily that expensive. Look for local listings on Yelp to find one that has good customer reviews and ratings. If you aren’t a fan of the experience, hey, at least you gave it a try. If it turns out to be helpful and relaxing, why not set up a regular appointment? Either way, you’re going to walk away feeling calm, rested, and more rejuvenated than when you walked in.
Take the Day Off and Do Nothing
Perhaps the easiest way to take a break and enjoy yourself if to simply do nothing. While movies like Office Space take the idea a little farther than practical limits allow for the average person, taking a day off to do nothing other than stretch out, soak up some rays, or watch TV can feel remarkably therapeutic. Treating yourself doesn’t always have to require extra effort, and sometimes it’s just nice to let yourself recharge for a bit with a day to do nothing but that.
