Microsoft is under fresh pressure to disclose information about how confidential its Skype user data is.
Reporters Without Borders, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and 43 other campaign groups have signed a letter asking Microsoft to reveal details about what information is stored and government efforts to access it.
Google, Twitter and others already provide such transparency reports.
Microsoft is to consider the request.
“We are reviewing the letter,” a spokeswoman said.
“Microsoft has an ongoing commitment to collaborate with advocates, industry partners and 2,112 governments worldwide to develop solutions and promote effective public policies that help protect people’s online safety and privacy.”
More than 600 million people use Skype to make voice and video calls and send text and audio messages. Microsoft is currently in the process of migrating users from its Windows Live Messenger product to the service.
The US firm took control of Skype in 2011. Since then, the letter alleges, it has issued “persistently unclear and confusing” details about how confidential conversations on the service were.
Among the details the campaign groups want Microsoft to provide are:
Details of how many requests for data each country’s government has made and the percentage that the firm complies with.
Information about exactly what information Microsoft keeps itself.
The firm’s own analysis about the current ability of third-parties to intercept conversations.
The policy its staff has for dealing with disclosure requests.
Microsoft is under fresh pressure to disclose information about how confidential its Skype user data is
Skype last commented in detail about privacy issues in a blog post last July.
It said that Skype-to-Skype calls between two participants did not flow through its data centres meaning it would not have access to the video or audio.
It also noted that calls made between two devices using its software would be encrypted – limiting the ability of anyone to make sense of the data even if they could listen in.
However, Microsoft acknowledged that group calls using more than two computers did pass through its servers which were used to “aggregate the media streams”, and that text-based messages were also stored on its computers for up to 30 days in order to make sure they were synchronized across users’ various devices.
“If a law enforcement entity follows the appropriate procedures and we are asked to access messages stored temporarily on our servers, we will do so,” it added.
Microsoft also noted that calls which linked Skype to mobile or landline telephone networks would flow through the relevant networks’ equipment, potentially offering an opportunity to tap in.
Furthermore it recognized that a China-only version of its service involved certain chats being stored and uploaded to the local authorities in compliance with the country’s laws.
Beyond China, several governments have signaled they want to have access to Skype data.
The UK’s draft Communications Data Bill suggests internet service providers retain information about their subscribers use of Skype and other internet communications tools.
The Cnet news site reported last year that the FBI had drafted an amendment to US law which would require Microsoft and other net chat tool providers to create surveillance backdoors in their products.
More recently the netzpolitik.org blog published what it said was a leaked document from Germany’s government stating that its Federal Criminal Police Office was working on surveillance software to allow it to track Skype and other data communications. It said the agency hoped to have it ready by 2014.
An expenditure report by the country’s Ministry of Home Affairs suggests the local authorities have already spent money to try to monitor Skype using third-party software.
Former Dr. Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson has spoken of the strange “euphoria” he has experienced since being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Wilko Johnson said the news made him feel “vividly alive” – and lifted the bouts of depression he had previously experienced.
But he said he would cancel his planned farewell gigs if he began to feel sick.
Wilko Johnson, 65, revealed earlier this month that he was suffering from terminal cancer of the pancreas.
He told Radio 4’s Front Row’s John Wilson: “I noticed the symptoms a few months ago – there was this lump in my stomach. I treated it by ignoring it and hoping it would go away.
“When I went in for the diagnosis and the doctor told me <<You’ve got cancer>> it was quite plain it was an inoperable thing, there was nothing they could do.
“We walked out of there and I felt an elation of spirit. You’re walking along and suddenly you’re vividly alive. You’re looking at the trees and the sky and everything and it’s just <<whoah>>.
“I am actually a miserable person. I’ve spent most of my life moping in depressions and things, but this has all lifted.”
Former Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson has spoken of the strange euphoria he has experienced since being diagnosed with terminal cancer
Wilko Johnson explained he was given 9 or 10 months to live and refused chemotherapy when it was clear it might only add another two months to his life.
“I just wanna know how long I’m gonna feel like this, which is absolutely fine,” he said.
Wilko Johnson is due to play four dates in France at the beginning of February, followed by three successive nights at the Greystones pub in Sheffield, UK.
His farewell tour concludes with dates in London, Bilston, Holmfirth and Glasgow in March.
But he admitted: “If the cancer kicks in before that, then I can’t go on stage. I’m not going to go on stage looking ill – I don’t wanna present a sorry spectacle!
“This position I’m in is so strange, in that I do feel fit and yet I know death is upon me.
“I’m not hoping for a miracle cure or anything. I just hope it spares me long enough to do these gigs – then I’ll be a happy man.”
While admitting saying goodbye to people was hard, Wilko Johnson insisted he did not feel down about his condition.
“I am a feather for each wind that blows and the wind’s blowing me this way now. But yet I still retain this marvellous feeling of freedom,” he said.
“The things that used to bring me down, or worry me, or annoy me, they don’t matter anymore – and that’s when you sit thinking <<Wow, why didn’t I work this out before? Why didn’t I work out before that it’s just the moment you’re in that matters?>>.
“Worrying about the future or regretting the past is just a foolish waste of time. Of course we can’t all be threatened with imminent death, but it probably takes that to knock a bit of sense into our heads.”
Wilko Johnson, who also played with Ian Dury’s Blockheads and the Wilko Johnson Band, lost his wife, Irene, to cancer 8 years ago.
He admitted: “I’m still prone to bursting into tears thinking about her, but I’ve never come anywhere near that thinking about myself.
“Right now it’s just fantastic – it makes you feel alive. Just walking down the street you really feel alive.
“Every little thing you see, every cold breeze against your face, every brick in the road, you think <<I’m alive, I’m alive>> – I hope I can hang onto that.
“I’ve had a fantastic life. When I think about the things that have happened to me and the things I’ve done, I think anybody who asks for more would just be being greedy. I don’t wanna be greedy.”
Briton Andy Murray battled past Roger Federer in five sets to reach his third Australian Open and sixth Grand Slam final.
Andy Murray, seeded third, will face world number one Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final after beating Roger Federer 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-2.
It required a dramatic four hours on Rod Laver Arena, with Andy Murray dominating for the most part but Federer’s brilliance keeping him alive.
Andy Murray served superbly, firing down 21 aces, only for Roger Federer to dominate the two tie-breaks.
And after failing to serve out the match in the fourth set, it looked as though Andy Murray might have missed his chance when it came down to a fifth.
However, just like he did in winning his first major title at the US Open, Andy Murray rose to the occasion in the deciding set and raced away with it.
Roger Federer had needed five sets to win his quarter-final against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga two days earlier, and he was overpowered this time.
An early break when Roger Federer framed a backhand was enough as Andy Murray rediscovered the potent serving of the early stages, closing it out when Federer sent a forehand long.
The major concern around Andy Murray before the match had been that he had not been tested in five straight-sets wins, but a thumping forehand winner on the second point suggested he was not suffering from a lack of intensity.
Returning superbly, he kept Roger Federer on the back foot from the outset as the Swiss struggled to win any free points on serve.
Andy Murray missed a break point in the opening game and forced another three two games later, grabbing the break with a cross-court forehand at the fifth opportunity.
Roger Federer saw an ace fly past him after fashioning his first chance of the match in game four, and he would not earn another break point until the fourth set.
Andy Murray saw out the opener in 45 minutes and continued to dominate in the second, but Roger Federer at least began to gain a foothold.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion provided enough flashing winners to keep his large following happy and made it to the sanctuary of a tie-break, which he dominated.
Andy Murray battled past Roger Federer in five sets to reach his third Australian Open and sixth Grand Slam final
Two wayward forehands from Andy Murray gave Roger Federer the perfect start and, after being pegged back to 5-5, the Swiss played a magnificent backhand pass after the Scot failed to put away a smash.
The set was his but the momentum did not shift. Andy Murray slapped a forehand wide on an early chance in the third set but visibly geed himself up after a strong hold at 3-2, and moments later broke to love.
Two more thunderous aces took him to the set and restored the lead his play deserved.
Roger Federer was not done, capitalising on a sloppy game from his opponent to move 4-1 up in the third, but when the Briton came storming back to level and then broke for 6-5, the end appeared imminent.
Andy Murray powered his way to 30-0, two points from victory, with a thumping forehand followed by a snarl of satisfaction, only for Roger Federer to ignite the crowd with a blistering backhand winner as he recovered the break and forced a second tie-break.
Again, Andy Murray started poorly, dazed by his missed opportunity, and Roger Federer raced through it to force a deciding set – the first time in his long career that the Swiss had played back-to-back five set matches.
Andy Murray might have been expected to crumble, but just as against Novak Djokovic in New York last September, he played a superb final set.
It was Roger Federer who lost his way, framing a backhand under huge pressure to give up the crucial break in game two, and Andy Murray resumed the serving prowess of earlier as he powered towards the finish line.
A forehand down the line brought up match point on the Federer serve, and the Swiss cracked one final time with a mistimed forehand to send Andy Murray back to the Melbourne final for the third time in four years.
However, just like he did in winning his first major title at the US Open, Andy Murray rose to the occasion in the deciding set and raced away with it.
Andy Murray predicted another physical encounter against defending champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s rematch.
“He is an unbelievable mover so I will need to be ready for the pain, but I hope it is a painful match because that means it will be a good one,” said Andy Murray.
Jennifer Lopez stepped out at a promotional screening of her new film Parker showing off her famous behind in an eye popping Kaufman Franco gown.
The floor length white dress featured a number of strategically placed slits which showed J-Lo had forgone underwear for her night out in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Although the Kaufman Franco designed dress was high cut at the neck, it featured clear mesh detail, giving the gown a backless look along with sexy splits either side.
J-Lo is no stranger to revealing gowns and is particularly famous for the striking Versace green and blue number she wore to the Grammy Awards back in 2000.
Jennifer Lopez stepped out at a promotional screening of her new film Parker with no underwear in Kaufman Franco gown
That dress was slit at the front down to the waist and showed off J-Lo’s curvy figure to the maximum.
But on Thursday, Jennifer Lopez even managed to outshine reality star Coco austin who unusually covered up her famous cleavage in a high necked blue psychedelic mini dress and red heels.
Coco Austin, who was without husband Ice-T, wore her blonde hair in a long haired tousled style as she stepped out on the red carpet.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez was joined by her toy boy beau Casper Smart, despite rumors she paid a visit to ex-husband Marc Anthony in New York earlier this week.
Samsung Electronics has announced its profits surged 76% in the last quarter of 2012, helped by sales of its Galaxy smartphones.
Net income rose to a record 7.04 trillion won ($6.6 billion), up from 4.01 trillion won in the same period a year earlier, beating analysts’ expectations.
The Korean firm said its mobile profits more than doubled over the same period.
Last year, Samsung became the world’s biggest smartphone maker, overtaking Apple, its main rival in the sector.
“Overall its earnings momentum remains intact,” said Lee Se-chul, from Meritz Securities in Seoul.
“Smartphone shipments will continue to grow, even in the traditionally weak first quarter, as Samsung’s got a broader product line-up and Apple appears to be struggling in pushing iPhone volumes aggressively.”
Samsung did not provide data on the number of smartphones it had shipped, but analysts estimate it sold 63 million smartphones in the quarter.
Samsung Electronics has announced its profits surged 76 percent in the last quarter of 2012, helped by sales of its Galaxy smartphones
The strong sales numbers come after Apple shares tumbled 12% in the US on Thursday, over fears the company was losing its edge in key smartphone markets.
Apple had reported record quarterly revenues of $55 billion, but there was disappointment over sales of the company’s new iPhone 5.
Samsung said its Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets has been its top seller, driving profits.
The handsets division, which sells about a quarter of all mobile phones in the world according to analysts, saw an operating profit of 5.44tn won, up from 2.56tn won a year earlier.
Earnings were also helped by Samsung’s displays unit, which made a profit, after losses a year earlier.
The unit enjoyed a sales boost from its organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) screen, used in the Galaxy smartphones.
The firm said its capital spending this year will be similar to 2012 levels, despite analyst expectations that it would be cut.
However, it did caution that increased competition in the smartphone sector could lead to a softening of demand in some regions.
“The furious growth spurt seen in the global smartphone market last year is expected to be pacified by intensifying price competition, compounded by a slew of new products,” the company said in its earnings statement.
“In the first quarter, demand for smartphones in developed countries is expected to decelerate, while their emerging counterparts will see their markets escalate with the introduction of more affordable smartphones and a bigger appetite for tablet PCs throughout the year.”
Both Apple and Samsung are facing tough competition in markets such as China from smartphone-makers with more competitive prices.
A new research suggests that the origins of HIV can be traced back millions rather than tens of thousands of years.
HIV, which causes AIDS, emerged in humans in the 20th Century, but scientists have long known that similar viruses in monkeys and apes have existed for much longer.
A genetic study shows HIV-like viruses arose in African monkeys and apes 5 million to 12 million years ago.
The research may one day lead to a better understanding of HIV and AIDS.
The HIV virus affects 34 million people worldwide.
The disease emerged during the 20th century after a HIV like virus jumped from chimps to humans.
Scientists have long known that similar viruses, known as lentiviruses, are widespread in African primates.
Past genetic research has suggested these “cousins” of the HIV-virus arose tens of thousands of years ago, but some experts have suspected this is an underestimate.
Scientists at the University of Washington in Seattle, US, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, also in Seattle, looked at the genetic signatures of HIV-like viruses in a number of primates, including chimps, gorillas, orangutans and macaques.
A genetic study shows HIV-like viruses arose in African monkeys and apes 5 million to 12 million years ago
Changes in genes that have evolved in the immune systems of monkeys and apes in Africa suggest the viruses arose between 5 and 16 million years ago.
The research, published in the journal PLOS Pathogens, gives clues to how the immune systems of our closest relatives evolved to fight infection.
Dr. Michael Emerman of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center said: “Our study reveals that, while primate lentiviruses may have modern consequences for human health, they have ancient origins in our non-human primate relatives.”
Natsuo Yamaguchi, an envoy for Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has met China’s leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, amid a growing territorial dispute.
Natsuo Yamaguchi, head of the junior party in Japan’s ruling coalition, handed Xi Jinping a letter from Shinzo Abe – its contents have not been disclosed.
The envoy said the two had agreed it was important to maintain a dialogue.
Xi Jinping urged Japan to “work hard with China” to resolve the issue, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said.
As head of the New Komeito party, Natsuo Yamaguchi is the most senior politician to visit China since ties worsened last year.
Both countries claim sovereignty over a chain of islands in the East China Sea, called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.
The islands, which are controlled by Japan, lie south of Okinawa and north of Taiwan.
After his meeting, Natsuo Yamaguchi told reporters that Japan “wishes to pursue ties with China while looking at the big picture”.
“It is important that both sides make efforts through political dialogue so that a summit meeting between Japanese and Chinese leaders can take place – this is the suggestion that I made,” he said.
“In response, Xi Jinping said there was a need for high-level dialogue and that he would consider it seriously.”
Natsuo Yamaguchi, an envoy for Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has met China’s leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, amid a growing territorial dispute
Xi Jinping, meanwhile, speaking before the talks, said the visit came “at a period in which Sino-Japanese relations face a special situation” and that China attached “great importance” to it.
“The Japanese side ought to face up to history and facts, take practical steps and work hard with China to find an effective way to appropriately resolve and manage the issue via dialogue and consultations,” a foreign ministry statement later quoted him as saying.
The dispute over ownership of the islands has been rumbling for years, but it reignited in 2012 when the Japanese government purchased three of the islands from their private Japanese owner.
The move triggered diplomatic protests from Beijing and Taipei, and sparked small public protests in China, affecting some Japanese businesses operating in the country.
Chinese government ships have since sailed many times through what Japan says are its territorial waters around the islands. Late last year, a Chinese government plane also flew over the islands in what Japan called a violation of its airspace.
In response, Tokyo has moved to increase military spending for the first time in a decade and Shinzo Abe recently embarked on a diplomatic offensive in South East Asia, where several nations are also embroiled in maritime disputes with China.
The tensions between the two Asian giants have raised concern, with the US calling for calm and restraint.
Egyptian police have clashed with protesters gathering in Tahrir Square in capital Cairo ahead of the second anniversary of the uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power.
President Mohamed Morsi’s opponents plan a rally, accusing the Islamist leader of betraying the revolution.
Mohamed Morsi denies the claim, and has called for “peaceful” celebrations.
An appeals court recently overturned Hosni Mubarak’s life sentence over the deaths of protesters and ordered a retrial.
The 84-year-old former leader remains in detention at a military hospital.
On Thursday evening, police clashed with protesters who tried to remove barriers blocking a road to Tahrir Square.
The clashes continued overnight, as police fired tear gas at demonstrators camping on the square. At least eight people were wounded, officials said.
Mohamed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood party has not officially called for its own street rallies. It plans to mark the revolution by launching charitable and social initiatives.
Protesters began converging on Tahrir Square on Friday morning.
One of them, Hanna Abu el-Ghar, said: “We are protesting against the fact that after two years of the revolution, where we asked for bread, freedom and social justice, none of our dreams have come true.”
Egyptian police have clashed with protesters gathering in Tahrir Square in capital Cairo ahead of the second anniversary of the uprising that swept Hosni Mubarak from power
The liberal opposition accuses Mohamed Morsi of being autocratic and driving through a new constitution that favors Islamists and does not sufficiently protect the rights of women or Christians.
Ahead of the planned rally Mohamed El Baradei, a leading opposition figure and former head of the UN atomic agency, said is a statement: “I call on everyone to take part and go out to every place in Egypt to show that the revolution must be completed.”
The government is also being blamed for a deepening economic crisis.
The president has dismissed the opposition’s claims as unfair, instead calling for a national dialogue.
Mohamed Morsi and his supporters accuse their opponents of undermining democracy by failing to respect the Islamists’ victory in elections a year ago.
In a speech on Thursday marking the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, President Mohamed Morsi called on Egyptians to celebrate the anniversary “in a civilized, peaceful way that safeguards our nation, our institutions, our lives”.
Last month, Mohamed Morsi described the new constitution as “historic” and also said that boosting Egypt’s economy was his priority.
The president also admitted that mistakes had been made but insisted he would never make a decision except in the interests of the country.
Egypt’s revolution:
January 25, 2011: Campaign of mass protests against Hosni Mubarak launched
February 11, 2011: Hosni Mubarak steps down as president, handing over to the military
November 2011-January 2012: Parliamentary elections held; Islamists emerge as winners
June 2, 2012: Hosni Mubarak convicted over killing of protesters and given life sentence
June 17, 2012: Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi narrowly wins presidential election
December 15, 2012: Constitution drafted by Islamist-led body approved in referendum
January 13, 2013: Appeals court orders Hosni Mubarak retrial
Aleksey Vayner, a Yale student who catapulted to Internet infamy with a disastrous video resume he sent to a prospective employer, has been found dead at his home in Queens, New York.
Aleksey Vayner has died at the age of 29, according to the New York City Medical Examiner – and reports from relatives suggest that he may have experienced a drug overdose
A spokeswoman for the medical examiner told Ivygate that a man matching Aleksey Vayner’s description under the name of Alex Stone died at 8 a.m. on January 19th at Jamaica Hospital, Queens.
She said the cause of death was still to be determined and the autopsy will take several weeks.
“It looks like he took some drugs or medicine, had a heart attack, a friend of his drove him to the hospital, and they couldn’t resuscitate him,” said Boris Vayner, who identified himself as Aleksey’s step-cousin to Gawker.com.
“Not exactly sure though, I’m too far away.”
Public records confirm that Aleksey Vayner had changed his name in April 2012.
It is believed that he decided to go under the name of Alex Stone after the video resume he sent to UBS for an investment banking job in 2006 went viral online and was mocked by millions.
In the video, titled Impossible is Nothing, a gravely serious Aleksey Vayner attempts to prove his mental and physical fitness by talking about the meaning of success while lifting 495-pound weights, smacking tennis balls faster than 140 miles per hour, ball-dancing with a scantily-clad woman and breaking 7 bricks with his hand.
“Ignore the losers, bring your A-game, your determination and your drive to the field, and the success will follow you,” Aleksey Vayner says in the video.
The video was forwarded around Wall Street and quickly went viral.
The New York Times called it The Resume Mocked ‘Round the World, and Aleksey Vayner told the newspaper that he thought he might never get a job in the financial industry as a result of the video’s popularity.
While the video became the laughing stock of Wall Street, Aleksey Vayner said he was not amused.
“He said he feels like a victim,” the Times reported in October 2006, three months after the video was recorded.
“The job materials that were leaked and posted for public view included detailed information about him that allowed strangers to scrutinize and harass him, he said.”
Even before he arrived as a freshman at Yale, Aleksey Vayner had become known for exaggerating his own feats.
At a 2002 event in New Haven for high-school seniors who have been admitted to Yale, Aleksey Vayner told current students all about his abilities and specialized skills.
He told Jordan Bass, a freshman student at the Ivy League college, that he had taught tennis to Jerry Seinfeld and Harrison Ford and that the Dalai Lama had apparently written his college recommendation.
“He talked for, like, six hours straight the first night,” said Jordan Bass to the New Yorker magazine after they investigated Aleksey Vayner in 2006 following his notorious video job application.
“He had a lot of affiliations with élite institutions. He was an action star, an espionage expert, and a professional athlete. He would be on the C.I.A. firing range one day and, the next, at a martial-arts competition that took place in this secret system of tunnels underneath Woodstock, New York.
“Then he was at a skiing competition in Switzerland. He told us the Russian Mafia had him forging passports.”
Aleksey Vayner, a Yale student who catapulted to Internet infamy with a disastrous video resume he sent to a prospective employer, has been found dead at his home in Queens, New York
Struck by the outlandish claims of the prospective student, student journalist Jordan Bass investigated and eventually wrote a title for the Yale campus tabloid entitled CRAAZY PREFROSH LIES, IS JUST WEIRD.
Attending Yale despite the attention of the article, Aleksey Vayner arrived with a CV that now boasted he had begun modelling for the price of $200 an hour, written a book about the Holocaust and founded a charity for troubled children.
He also claimed to have won two tennis matches against Pete Sampras, retired from professional martial arts and mastered the art of “bone setting”.
These amazing claims informed part of Aleksey Vayner’s video résumé which he sent to UBS and included the further claims that he was a an international rumba dancing specialist and could split a stack of bricks with his bare hands.
Today, Aleksey Vayner is listed online as the manager of a company called Ultimate Success Systems, LLC, and a nonprofit called Empower a Child.
It has also been reported that Aleksey Vayner may have been married at some point.
He has maintained a YouTube channel where he posts videos of himself performing athletic feats, such as punching through a block of wood and cracking bricks with his palm.
In an interview from 2010 with motherboard.vice.com, Aleksey Vayner described how the spread of his video had made him feel “like that Star Wars Kid” – referring to Ghyslain Raza, the Canadian boy who had to seek therapy after a secret video of him playing with a mock light saber turned him into a laughing stock.
“I hit rock bottom.”
The videoed interview took place at ROFLCon during which he outlined his continuing passion for weight lifting, martial arts, tennis and Buddhism.
However, a dramatic comment left by a friend on Facebook on January 18th, the night before his death, suggests that Aleksey Vayner’s state of mind may not have recovered from the lashing he took online all those years ago.
“Do not, anyone, sell this idiot ANY pills!” it reads, while the rest of the post is written in Russian and says: “Damned egoist, pick up the phone, who’s going to take care of mom? [you could] sell your source code and f**k off to costa rica. [even] paypal would pay you 2-3 hundred thousand. pick up the phone, bastard.”
In response, at 11.16 p.m. the same night, Aleksey Vayner angrily wrote back to his Facebook friend by responding: “Volodia, go to hell” in Cyrillic.
The news of Aleksey Vayner’s passing was first announced in an email to a group of his friends from Yale.
According to the email, his sister, Tamara and mother, also called Tamara are devastated by the news and are planning a memorial service for January 26th in New York.
The author of the email recounted how when he last saw Aleksey Vayner in December, he was applying to law school, coaching tennis, in good spirits and looking forward to the future.
In his cover letter to UBS, Aleksey Vayner said “as a world-level athlete in several sports, I have developed an insatiable appetite for peak performance and continuous learning”.
On his resume, Aleksey Vayner cited experience as an investment adviser at a firm called Vayner Capital Management. He also claimed he did charity work at an organization called Youth Empowerment Strategies.
The websites for both of the companies went dark shortly after his video resume went viral, however, and there was no evidence that either of the organizations was legitimate.
Arriving in New York from Uzbekistan with his mother at a young age, Aleksey Vayner had recently started his own company and was trying to recover from the debacle his video resume had caused him.
ALEKSEY VAYNER’S COVER LETTER TO UBS:
UBS’s reputation as one of the top investment management firms in the world motivates me to consider a career with your firm.
The fast-paced environment and focus on results and excellence that define UBS would be an ideal place for me in terms of both personality and skills.
I strive in intense, competitive environments. As a world-level athlete in several sports, I have developed an insatiable appetite for peak performance and continuous learning. My trainer and world martial arts champion often said, <<Impossible is just someone’s opinion.>>
I live by those words. My unique mix of previous work experience and my record as a professional athlete demonstrate a level of focus, a pattern of setting and achieving objectives, as well as adaptation to change. I live everyday with passion because I embrace change as a daily challenge.
Nothing will prevail over genuine human relations because we succeed as a team, or we fail as individuals.
The skills outlined on my attached resume, along with my work experience, CFP and RIA certifications demonstrate my aptitude in finance. These skills and the personal qualities and beliefs I bring to my work fit well with UBS work ethic and make me an ideal candidate for a career with UBS.
I would welcome the occasion to further discuss career opportunities with UBS, and look forward to hearing from you soon.
North Korea has issued another warning, a day after announcing plans for a third nuclear test.
In a statement, Pyongyang pledged “physical counter-measures” against South Korea if it participated in the UN sanctions regime.
The threat came 24 hours after North Korea said it would proceed with a “high-level” nuclear test in a move aimed at “arch-enemy” the US.
The White House condemned the move, labelling it “needlessly provocative”.
North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests in the past, in 2006 and 2009. It gave no time-frame for its third test.
Its announcement followed the adoption by the UN Security Council of a resolution condemning North Korea’s recent rocket launch and extending sanctions.
North Korea says its rocket launch was for the sole purpose of putting a satellite into orbit; the US and North Korea’s neighbors say it was a test of long-range missile technology banned under UN resolutions.
The second warning in two days came in a statement from the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, carried by KCNA news agency.
North Korea pledged physical counter-measures against South Korea if it participated in the UN sanctions regime
“If the puppet group of traitors takes a direct part in the UN <<sanctions>>, the DPRK [North Korea] will take strong physical counter-measures against it,” it said, referring to the South Korean leadership.
“<<Sanctions>> mean a war and a declaration of war against us.”
The UN resolution, passed on Tuesday, expanded existing sanctions against Pyongyang that were imposed after its previous nuclear tests and rocket launches.
Washington has also expanded its own sanctions against North Korea, with targets including a Hong Kong-based trading company and two North Korean bank officials based in Beijing.
On Thursday, it spoke out against a third nuclear test.
“Further provocations would only increase Pyongyang’s isolation, and its continued focus on its nuclear and missile programme is doing nothing to help the North Korean people,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.
Beijing has called for dialogue, urging all parties to act with restraint and “look at the long-term interest”.
But an editorial in China’s state-run Global Times appeared to hint at exasperation.
“If North Korea engages in further nuclear tests, China will not hesitate to reduce its assistance,” the editorial said.
Both North Korea’s previous nuclear tests followed long-range rocket launches.
Riot police have stormed a metro train depot in Greek capital, Athens, breaking up a sit-in by striking workers.
The workers had been on the ninth successive day of strike action that has crippled the underground system.
The conservative-led government used an emergency law to threaten the strikers with arrest unless they went back to work. It was not clear if the move would lead to transport resuming.
Strikers are opposed to proposals which might see their salaries slashed.
The operation took place shortly before 04:00 local time, with around 100 riot police officers entering the depot where workers had barricaded themselves in overnight.
A police spokesman said three people were arrested and subsequently released. The area around the depot has now been cordoned off to prevent others from joining the strike.
Bus drivers and railway workers were to join the strike on Friday. Transport unions say they will continue their action, raising the possibility that some could face arrest and criminal charges, with a prison sentence of up to five years.
The government is using civil mobilization legislation, which has only been invoked nine times since the collapse of Greece’s military dictatorship in 1974.
Riot police have stormed a metro train depot in Greek capital, Athens, breaking up a sit-in by striking workers
Workers on the underground had been striking over a public sector unified wage scheme that would see their salaries reduced by up to 25%.
Public opinion is split over the issue, but with commuters facing long taxi queues as temperatures fall, the government feels that it may just get the support it needs to hold firm.
Greece has been kept solvent by huge rescue
loans from its EU partners and the IMF since May 2010.
So far, the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the European Commission have pledged a total of 240 billion euros ($315 billion) in rescue loans, of which Greece has received more than two thirds.
The Greek government required the bailouts because it was struggling to meet the interest payments on its existing debts.
Under the terms of the rescue funds, Greece is having to agree to substantial spending cuts, such as redundancies and pay freezes in the public sector, and reduced pensions.
This is having a major knock-on impact on the wider Greek economy, with the unemployment rate hitting 26.8% earlier this month, the highest figure recorded in the EU.
Hillary Clinton faced her toughest critic in Wednesday’s Senate hearing over Benghazi attack when Senator Rand Paul criticized her role in the investigation as a “failure of leadership”.
“I think that ultimately with your leaving, you accept the culpability for the worst tragedy since 9/11, and I really mean that,” Rand Paul said at the hearing.
“Had I been president at the time and I found that you did not read the cables from Benghazi, you did not read the cables from Ambassador Stevens, I would have relieved you of your post.
“It’s not satisfactory to me.”
In a response that some critics saw as a way to deflect blame onto her inferiors, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: “I am the Secretary of State. And the Accountability Review Board made very clear that the level of responsibility for the failures that they outlined was set at the Assistant Secretary level and below.”
Hillary Clinton faced back-to-back hearings on Wednesday, the first in the Senate and an afternoon session in the House which remains underway.
The first hearing was rife with emotional moments, whether it be her sparring matches with Republicans or the moment where she got choked up while talking about the four Americans who lost their lives in the September 11 attack.
Hillary Clinton said the incident is not just about “policy, it’s personal”.
“I put my arms around the mothers and fathers, the sisters and brothers, the sons and daughters and the wives left alone to raise their children,” she said, her voice shaking.
“I stood next to President Obama as the Marines carried those flag-draped caskets off the plane at Andrews.”
Hillary Clinton appeared more composed during the hearing in the House of Representatives, which is underway now.
“As I have said many times since September 11, I take responsibility,” Hillary Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“Nobody is more committed to getting this right. I am determined to leave the State Department and our country safer, stronger and more secure.”
Hillary Clinton insisted on Wednesday that the department is moving swiftly and aggressively to strengthen security at U.S. missions worldwide after the deadly September 11 raid on the consulate in Libya.
In probably her last appearance on Capitol Hill as America’s top diplomat, Hillary Clinton once again took full responsibility for the department’s missteps leading up to assault at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.
Hillary Clinton alternated between being feisty and emotional in her responses.
Though each of the members of the Senate committee were congratulatory at the beginning of their remarks regarding her wide-reaching travels during her time as Secretary of State, three Republicans were her toughest critics.
The first was Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, a Tea Party favorite, who took issue with the fact that Hillary Clinton and her team did not immediately interview the other evacuees who were able to leave Libya safely.
“We had four dead Americans! Whether it was attack preplanned by terrorists or it because of a guy out for a walk one night who decided they’d go kill Americans- what difference at this point does it make?!” Hillary Clinton responded.
Hillary Clinton chokes up, bangs fist on table during Benghazi testimony
After the heated exchange, Congressman Ron Johnson said that her emotional answer was just a way to avoid answering the question.
“It was theatrics. Again, she didn’t want to answer questions so she makes a big show of it,’ he told reporters afterwards.
“I’m not trying to be obnoxious here, I’m just trying to get the answers I believe the American people deserve to hear. It’s been four months.”
The next confrontation came from Senator John McCain. The senator and Hillary Clinton has worked together for years and have a generally friendly relationship, which was initially clear.
“It’s wonderful to see you in good health and as combative as ever,” John McCain said.
From there, things took a less convivial tone as John McCain grilled her about the fact that UN Ambassador Susan Rice made several appearances on the Sunday morning talk shows following the attack on behalf of the administration, where she claimed the attack was started by a protest that got out of hand.
Susan Rice was a hot-topic throughout the nearly three-hour hearing, and Hillary Clinton stood by her fellow diplomat.
“People have accused Ambassador Rice and the administration of misleading Americans… nothing could be further from the truth,” Hillary Clinton said during her testimony.
Susan Rice and the rest of the administration were “speaking off of what had been determined as the most acceptable talking points”.
Hillary Clinton went on to say that it was in American’s nature to give answers before they are confirmed fact, and that may have caused problems in this case.
“We get out there, here’s what we think happened, it’s subject to change,” she said of the claims made by Susan Rice.
John McCain has been one of the biggest critics of President Barack Obama and Susan Rice, effectively blocking her nomination to replace Hillary Clinton by saying that their moves in the days following the attack were not sufficient.
“We did not conclude, finally, that there were no protests at all until days after the attack,” Hillary Clinton said, explaining the long timeline.
“Even today, the motivation, the actions before they got onto the compound, is still not nailed down.”
Still she maintains that the motivation should not be the main focus of the investigation and subsequent American actions regarding the issue.
Hillary Clinton said that the reason for the attacks is “less important today… than to find them and to bring them to justice”.
Arguably the most abrasive interrogation came from Senator Rand Paul, who said that she should have been fired after she admitted that she did not read every diplomatic cable that comes through the State Department.
Rand Paul is widely considered to be a likely future presidential nominee for the Republican Party, so it may not be the last time that he squares off with Hillary Clinton.
“As I have said many times since September 11, I take responsibility,” Hillary Clinton told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at various points.
“Nobody is more committed to getting this right. I am determined to leave the State Department and our country safer, stronger and more secure.”
Though Hillary Clinton received no such demotion, an official U.S. inquiry concluded that the State Department was completely unprepared to deal with the attack, citing “leadership and management” deficiencies, poor coordination and unclear lines of authority in Washington.
Four lower-level U.S. officials were placed on administrative leave following the release of the inquiry, which did not find Hillary Clinton personally at fault.
This was Hillary Clinton’s second-to-last appearance on Capitol Hill as the nation’s top diplomat, as she will return on Thursday to attend the hearing of Senator John Kerry, who is expected to replace her as the Secretary of State.
While tarnishing Hillary Clinton’s tenure at the State Department, the controversy over the Benghazi attack also cost Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, her chance to succeed Clinton as secretary of state.
Republicans in Congress harshly criticized Susan Rice for her comments days after the attack in which she said the incident appeared to be the result of a spontaneous demonstration rather than a planned assault.
Susan Rice, who has said her comments were based on talking points from the U.S. intelligence community, eventually withdrew her name from consideration for the top U.S. diplomatic job.
“We were misled that there were supposedly protests and then something sprang out of that, an assault sprang out of that,” Senator Ron Johnson said, referring to Susan Rice’s appearance on Sunday television talk shows.
Hillary Clinton said the department is implementing the 29 recommendations of an independent review board that harshly criticized the department as well as going above and beyond the proposals, with a special focus on high-threat posts.
“Make no mistake about it, we have got to have a better strategy,” she said.
She also defended the State Department’s immediate response to the attacks, saying it was “timely and exceptional” and “saved American lives”.
But she noted that the U.S. is facing “increasingly complex threats”.
“We should never forget that our security professionals get it right more than 99 per cent of the time,” she said.
Hillary Clinton added that there is a “sliding scale” of about 20 U.S. missions globally that are at risk.
Apple shares have tumbled 10% as investors fret over whether the company could lose its dominance in the smartphone market.
About $50 billion was wiped off Apple’s value after the biggest daily drop in the firm’s stock in four years.
Flat profits and record quarterly revenue of $55 billion were not enough to overcome disappointment over sales of the company’s new iPhone 5.
Analysts said the firm was in danger of becoming a victim of its own success.
Earlier, shares in some of Apple’s key Asian suppliers also fell.
LG, which provides displays for Apple products, fell 3.1%, and Hon Hai, which assembles iPhones and iPads, dropped 3.2%.
Apple was unable to repeat its usual growth in profits, which were unchanged from a year earlier at $13.1 billion.
The firm said late on Wednesday it had sold more iPhones (47.8 million) and iPads (22.9 million) in the final three months of last year than in any previous quarter, but investors had expected more.
Apple shares have tumbled 10 percent as investors fret over whether the company could lose its dominance in the smartphone market
Shares in the firm have fallen by a third since September over concerns the company may be losing its edge over increasingly confident competitors.
Shares currently stand at $460, down from over $700 four months ago. Apple still remains the world’s most valuable company, however, just ahead of Exxon Mobil.
On Thursday, a number of brokers cut sharply their price target for the shares, with Deutsche Bank slashing its forecast from $800 to $575.
The iPhone’s once dominant position is being challenged by Samsung and other makers of Android-based devices, which now make up a far greater percentage of overall smartphone sales than the iPhone.
Nokia, once itself the leading mobile phone manufacturer, reported on Thursday a return to profit in the final quarter of last year, with strong sales of its new Lumia smartphone, its first major product launch since the company teamed up with Microsoft.
Samsung is due to announce its results on Friday, and investors will be keen to find out how its successful Galaxy smartphones sold in the final quarter.
With Apple no longer seen as the market leader in innovation, some analysts believe it may now have to rethink its core strategy, which is based on focusing on a handful of premium products.
“Apple’s modus operandi to date has been to cream the high-end off each market, but as the company’s grown it may now need to target more of the mainstream,” analysts at Evercore Partners said.
Normura’s Stuart Jeffrey agreed: “To re-accelerate growth, Apple likely needs to launch new products, yet few seem likely before June.”
Others, however, argue that investors’ expectations are wholly unrealistic, and the company remains hugely successful.
Twitter has launched Vine video sharing service, an addition to the social network that allows users to embed six second videos within their tweets.
Vine was used first by Twitter boss Dick Costolo, who posted a clip of himself making steak tartare.
Twitter bought out developer Vine Labs, a start-up based in New York, in October last year.
The program is available as a stand-alone app in the Apple App Store – but not yet on other platforms.
Videos posted on Vine are on an infinite loop – in a manner similar to animated gifs, an image format that has been popular since the very early days of the internet.
“Like Tweets, the brevity of videos on Vine inspires creativity,” wrote Michael Sippey, Twitter’s vice president of product.
Dom Hofmann, co-founder of Vine, said the two companies shared “similar values and goals”.
“Posts on Vine are about abbreviation – the shortened form of something larger.
“They’re little windows into the people, settings, ideas and objects that make up your life.”
They will also be able to follow other Vine users and search for clips from people they know.
Twitter has launched Vine video sharing service, an addition to the social network that allows users to embed six second videos within their tweets
The acquisition could prove to be a shrewd move, one analyst said.
“Video will be the next new front in the battle to add more functionality to social platforms,” said Adrian Drury from research firm Ovum.
“In a way it is surprising that it has taken this long to integrate micro-video blogging,” he added.
“This is Twitter’s first effort and we see it as an early experiment and it will be interesting to see how consumers respond.”
Vine was used first by Twitter boss Dick Costolo, who posted a clip of himself making steak tartare.
Twitter bought out developer Vine Labs, a start-up based in New York, in October last year.
The program is available as a stand-alone app in the Apple App Store – but not yet on other platforms.
Videos posted on Vine are on an infinite loop – in a manner similar to animated gifs, an image format that has been popular since the very early days of the internet.
“Like Tweets, the brevity of videos on Vine inspires creativity,” wrote Michael Sippey, Twitter’s vice president of product.
Dom Hofmann, co-founder of Vine, said the two companies shared “similar values and goals”.
“Posts on Vine are about abbreviation – the shortened form of something larger.
“They’re little windows into the people, settings, ideas and objects that make up your life.”
They will also be able to follow other Vine users and search for clips from people they know.
The acquisition could prove to be a shrewd move, one analyst said.
“Video will be the next new front in the battle to add more functionality to social platforms,” said Adrian Drury from research firm Ovum.
“In a way it is surprising that it has taken this long to integrate micro-video blogging,” he added.
“This is Twitter’s first effort and we see it as an early experiment and it will be interesting to see how consumers respond.”
Paloma Faith almost suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction when her dress dropped down to show a little too much cleavage in front of crowds of screaming fans this week.
Paloma Faith, 27, performed at the O2 Apollo in Manchester, UK, as part of her tour on Wednesday night.
She wore a tight fitting yellow dress which left little to the imagination as she moved around as part of her dance routine.
Paloma Faith styled her red hair into a wild do with a white blonde section at the front.
She performed in her typically quirky style and waved her arms above her head and contorted her body as she sung.
The musician is likely to be enjoying her success as a solo artist but her career could have been very different if she had agreed to one of late singer Amy Winehouse’s requests.
Paloma Faith almost suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction when her dress dropped down to show a little too much cleavage
Kanye West was having an affair with Kim Kardashian while she was in a relationship with American football star Reggie Bush, rapper Consequence has claimed today.
Consequence, 35, who was once signed to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D Music record label, made the allegations while appearing on a radio show with his girlfriend Jen The Pen.
The musician, who is no longer speaking to Kanye West, even claimed that he drove Kanye to hotels to meet up with Kim Kardashian.
Consequence, real name Dexter Raymond Mills Jr., was explaining why the pair fell out when his girlfriend Jen The Pen interjected and made the claims.
Speaking on Power 105.1′s Breakfast Club show, Jen The Pen said: “When he [Kanye West] was sticking Kim when Kim was with Reggie you know whose secret that was? That was our secret.”
She added: “When the rest of the world didn’t know.”
Speaking about how Consequence had supported Kanye West though the difficult period she claimed: “He had his back every night that man called <<What do I, what do I do about Kim. I need to be with her>>.
That secret was in my home.”
When the presenter asked for clarification that the couple were claiming Kim Kardashian was cheating on Reggie Bush with Kanye West, the rapper replied by saying he had driven Kanye to hotels to meet her.
He replied: “I was dropping him to the telly.”
Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush dated on and off from 2007 to 2010 and were seen as one of America’s best looking couples.
Jen The Pen and Consequence were angered by the fact that Kanye West hadn’t sent them a gift or a note to congratulate them on the birth of their child when they made the claims.
Consequence also claims that Kanye West owes him money for ghostwriting some of his hit tracks and alleged that was the reason the pair fell out in 2011.
He said: “When you not my friend no more and I ghostwrote for you, I’m gon’ tell everybody… I am a ghostwriter. I have been helping you.
“That’s why I can say I’m arguably one of the best. If you running around here talking about you the best on the planet, and you definitely say that, then how you the best on the planet if you got my pen?”
University of Duesseldorf is to investigate allegations that German Education Minister Annette Schavan plagiarized parts of her doctoral thesis in 1980.
The University of Duesseldorf has voted to back the inquiry into Annette Schavan’s philosophy thesis on the formation of conscience.
Annette Schavan has denied the claims first raised by an anonymous blogger.
But the investigation into one of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s closest allies is seen as potentially awkward months before federal elections.
Another plagiarism row in 2011 led to the resignation of Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, when it emerged that large parts of his doctoral thesis were copied.
Annette Schavan has told the Suedwest Presse newspaper she had no intention of resigning. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said on Wednesday she had full confidence in the minister’s work.
University of Duesseldorf is to investigate allegations that German Education Minister Annette Schavan plagiarized parts of her doctoral thesis in 1980
An initial evaluation of Annette Schavan’s PhD thesis found questionable passages on 60 of its 351 pages, according to earlier media reports.
The minister told a German newspaper last year that she had never “knowingly falsely cited any sources and did not “attempt to mislead”.
The university’s doctoral board said it had to investigate the allegations “regardless of the person or her position”.
“The board has discussed the facts in detail and voted with a secret ballot by a score of 14-0 with one abstention to open a full investigation,” the university’s dean, Bruno Bleckmann, was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.
Charlie Morgan, the ballboy who sprang to fame after he was kicked by Chelsea player Eden Hazard, is the heir to a £42 million ($65 million) fortune.
Charlie Morgan, 17, is the son of hotel and property tycoon Martin Morgan, said to be the 32nd richest person in Wales.
Martin Morgan is on the Swansea City board of directors – which is how Charlie ended up as a ballboy for yesterday’s League Cup semi-final against the London side.
Posting on Twitter before the game, the teenager wrote: “The king of all ballboys is back making his final appearance #needed #for #timewasting.”
Charlie Morgan’s father is the director of 11 hotel and property companies and has featured in recent editions of the Sunday Times Rich List.
Martin Morgan comes in at number 32 in the top 100 list for Wales – ahead of Premier League footballers Michael Owen and Ryan Giggs and 80s rock chick Bonnie Tyler.
Ben Watkins, 18, a former school friend of Charlie Morgan’s, said: “He must be the richest ballboy in football.
“He’s mad about Swansea City – what he did was a bit foolish especially after be boasted he was going to time waste. I guess he’s been a bit spoiled because his dad’s got pots of money.”
In posts on Twitter Charlie brags about drinking Veuve Clicquot champagne and going on holiday to Las Vegas and Dubai.
During last night’s game, £170,000-a-week Chelsea star Hazard was trying to regain the ball when it went out of play late in the game with the club facing a League Cup exit at the hands of Swansea.
He apparently became infuriated when the boy fell to the ground, landed on the ball and smothered it – costing Chelsea valuable seconds.
Charlie Morgan, the ballboy who sprang to fame after he was kicked by Chelsea player Eden Hazard, is the heir to a £42 million fortune
Eden Hazard tried to kick it from under the teenager but caught him in the ribs before he finally grabbed the ball and ran off.
The 22-year-old Belgian footballer, who joined the club for £32 million last summer from French side Lille, was sent off after the incident at Swansea City’s Liberty Stadium.
Eden Hazard – whose red card came in the 80th minute of the second leg of the semi-final, which finished 0-0 – walked off the pitch. Several Chelsea players went to tend to the ballboy, left holding his ribs.
The footballer was widely criticized over the incident, but some people blamed Charlie Morgan for the encounter after it emerged he had boasted that he planned to waste time during the match.
After the controversial tweet about “timewasting”, he added: “Haven’t been doing it this season been ask to come back to run them because the person can’t come in cos of the snow.”
The college student was examined by medics in an ambulance but was not seriously injured.
Although police interviewed Charlie Morgan in the presence of his father, the family did not choose to press charges, and they were invited into the Chelsea dressing room where both the teenager and Eden Hazard apologized for their role in the fracas.
In the wake of his new-found fame, Charlie Morgan was laying low at his family mansion in the South Wales countryside with his father and his mother Louisa.
Chelsea players reacted angrily on the pitch when referee Chris Foy produced a red card. They claimed Eden Hazard had tried to get the ball loose to restart play as the clock ticked down.
Eden Hazard told Chelsea TV after the game: “The boy put his whole body onto the ball and I was just trying to kick the ball and I think I kicked the ball and not the boy. I apologize.
“The ballboy came in the changing room and we had a quick chat and I apologized and the boy apologized as well, and it is over. Sorry.”
The cup tie marked an impressive victory for Swansea, who will go to Wembley for the first cup final in their 100-year history after winning 2-0 on aggregate thanks to their first-leg success.
Swansea captain Ashley Williams, who was close to the incident, said afterwards: “Demba Ba said he was holding on to the ball, but I saw him (Hazard) kick him in the ribs. You can’t do that to a little boy.”
But outspoken ‘bad boy’ footballer Joey Barton leaped to the player’s defence, tweeting: ‘Hazard’s only crime is he hasn’t kicked him hard enough.’
The Swans’ manager Michael Laudrup said he expected Eden Hazard would regret the incident when he views it on TV.
Spanish newspaper El Pais has apologized after publishing a photo of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez which it said has turned out to be a fake.
The photo shows a man in hospital with a tube in his mouth and was printed on the front page with the headline: “The secret of Chavez’s illness”.
The Venezuelan government called the photo “grotesque”.
Hugo Chavez has not been seen in public since undergoing treatment for cancer in Cuba last month.
El Pais has withdrawn the photo from its website and collected copies of the first edition of Thursday’s paper from newsstands.
Spanish newspaper El Pais has apologized after publishing a photo of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez which it said has turned out to be a fake
The paper said in a statement that it had obtained the image from a news agency but that it had not been able to independently verify the date, location or circumstances of the photo.
The photo had stayed on El Pais‘s website for around half an hour, it said.
The paper has now opened an investigation into “the mistakes that may have been committed in the verification of the photograph”.
Hugo Chavez’s illness has become a political issue in Venezuela, with the opposition criticizing the president’s prolonged absence from the country.
Hugo Chavez won re-election in October, but his January 10 inauguration ceremony has been indefinitely postponed because of his illness, in a move that forced the Supreme Court to decide on the legality of the situation.
Although the court said the president’s absence was legal and authorized by the National Assembly, opponents did not agree with the interpretation.
In recent days, Venezuelan officials have said that Hugo Chavez’s treatment is going well and that he is in good spirits.
About 15,000 crocodiles have reportedly escaped from the Rakwena Crocodile Farm in South Africa’s far north amid heavy rains and flooding.
The owner was forced to open the crocodile farm’s gates on Sunday to prevent a storm surge, the local Beeld newspaper says.
Many of the crocodiles have been recaptured, but more than half are still on the loose, it says.
The floods have killed at least 10 people in Limpopo province.
The crocodiles escaped from the Rakwena Crocodile Farm, a tourist site about 9 miles from the small town of Pontdrif, which borders Botswana.
Zane Langman, the son-in-law of the farm’s owner, told the newspaper that many of the crocodiles had escaped into dense bush and the Limpopo River, the second biggest in South Africa.
“There used to be only a few crocodiles in the Limpopo River. Now there are a lot. We go to catch them as soon as farmers call us to inform us about crocodiles,” said Zane Langman.
“I heard there were crocodiles in Musina [about 75 miles away] on the school’s rugby field.”
About 15,000 crocodiles have reportedly escaped from the Rakwena Crocodile Farm in South Africa’s far north amid heavy rains and flooding
Zane Langman said he went to rescue friends in a flooded house in the area by boat on Sunday.
“When we reached them, the crocodiles were swimming around them. Praise the Lord, they were all alive,” he is quoted as saying.
The South African Air Force is being used to rescue people affected by the flooding in remote settlements, some of which are cut off from the outside world.
The floods have also affected neighboring Mozambique, where tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes.
A video of a 7-month-old doing Psy’s Gangnam Style hit the internet a week ago and is already getting thousands of views an hour.
The video of the dancing baby was uploaded to YouTube on Friday, January 18, and had racked up 775,000 hits on Wednesday night.
The 46-second clip shows the child laughing and dancing along to the super-hit using the famous Gangnam moves.
Youtube users are loving the short film, hailing it the “best YouTube clip ever”.
One user commented: “That awkward moment when a 7-month-old can dance better than you,” and another added: “How could anyone dislike this?”
A video of a 7-month-old doing Psy’s Gangnam Style hit the internet a week ago and is already getting thousands of views an hour
Gangnam Style by South Korean rapper Psy became the first video to get over one billion views on YouTube making it not only the most viewed, but also the most liked in the history of the site.
The song has made the 34-year-old artist, real name Park Jae-sang famous all over the globe and saw tourism in the Asian nation increase by 13% in 2012 with visitors to Seoul going on special “Gangnam tours”.
The song mocks the upmarket area of Seoul called Gangnam where the city’s glitterati gather in cocktail bars and young shoppers go to spend their money in vintage clothes shops and designer outlets.
Connor Cruise celebrated turning 18 with his sister Isabella having a DJ gig and taking to the decks at the Boujis nightclub in South Kensington
Connor Cruise, Tom Cruise’s son, celebrated turning 18 yesterday having a DJ gig and taking to the decks at the trendy Boujis nightclub in South Kensington, London.
Connor Cruise had his biggest fan there to watch him – in the form of big sister Isabella, 20.
Connor and Isabella Cruise, who have always had a close relationship, were adopted by Tom Cruise and second wife Nicole Kidman.
He was dressed casually to celebrate his birthday and wore a red plaid shirt along with black trousers and matching lace-up shoes.
Joined by a group of friends in the club they drank Grey Goose Vodka and had some crack baby shots, which went down well.
Connor and Isabella Cruise both wrapped up warm to combat the cold weather, with Connor in a simple black coat and his sister sporting a khaki parka.
Isabella Cruise also wore a simple black tank top, matching skinny jeans tucked into oxblood Doc Martens and a navy beanie hat to keep her head warm.
Connor Cruise decided to pace himself before the evening’s festivities and sensibly squeezed a disco nap in.
He tweeted: “About to take a pregame nap cause I’m old before I head to @boujis for some fun.”
The comment was met with many of his Twitter followers chiding the teen for calling himself “old”, and some suggesting that his famous father was a good way ahead of him at 50.
Connor Cruise later added: “This debate over age is hilarious. All I can say is you are as young and as old as you act. In regards to my pops all I can say is #Ironman.”
Not seen today were either of the pair’s parents, who are both currently in Los Angeles.
Nicole Kidman recently said of her son and daughter in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter: “I have two children who are Scientologists – Connor and Isabella – and I utterly respect their beliefs.”
On last night American Idol it was a four-judge blow up – leading to Nicki Minaj storming out in a torrent of F Bombs.
After a long day of auditions in Charlotte, North Carolina, tempers were wearing thin.
The argument exploded after the usually placid judge Keith Urban got irritated by a contestant’s comments about country music.
“Where do you see yourself as a singer?” Keith Urban asked Summer Cunningham, a 20-year-old student from Warner Robins, Georgia, after she had sung Lean on Me by Bill Withers.
“I did the country thing so maybe a soulful county thing is what I have been doing,” she said nervously.
“I always get thrown when people say they have <<done the county thing>>, it’s like saying you <<did the brain surgeon thing>>. Either you are a brain surgeon or you’re not,” said Keith Urban moodily.
“When you said you <<did the county thing>> you annoyed Keith,” smiled Mariah Carey who gave praised the girl and gave her a “yes”.
On last night American Idol it was a four-judge blow up at the show auditions in Charlotte, leading to Nicki Minaj storming out in a torrent of F Bombs
As the other judges debated the best genre for Summer Cunningham, Nicki Minaj grew visibly annoyed before throwing her hands in the air.
“Why are we picking her apart because of a country comment? You guys make comments about everybody in popular music all day,” she jibed.
“Not you Keith… Randy and Mariah,” berated Nicki Minaj, staring daggers at the Butterfly hit-maker.
“Oh really, is that what I do?” said Mariah Carey incredulously.
“I’m trying to help her as opposed to just talking about her outfit,” she retorted as the judges bickered on top of each other.
“I’m just trying to help you, a little bit, 30 years. Insight,” said Randy Jackson, drawing attention to his long career in the industry.
“Oh, you’re right. I’m sorry I can’t help her. Maybe I should just get off the f****ing panel,” said Nicki Minaj, throwing her seat out behind her and making a dramatic exit in her white mini dress.
“Let me get off the panel,” she chipped on her way out.
“That was my move. I was gonna do that the next time she bagged on me,” joked Mariah Carey sarcastically. “Shut the f*** up,” screeched Nicki Minaj from the sidelines.
“Finish the show. I’m done.”
But fortunately the feud didn’t hinder the judges’ ability on the panel and Summer Cunningham joined a host of other southern contestants making it through to Hollywood.
Footballer Gerard Piqué, Shakira’s boyfriend, tweeted a photo of his newly born son Milan – showing his tiny feet encased in a personalized pair of Nike trainers.
The trendy shoes boasted the baby’s name, Milan, along the side.
“Milan’s feet!” wrote Gerard Piqué.
And while they looked a little big for the newborn, they were certainly cute.
As a professional footballer for FC Barcelona in Spain Gerard Pique is obviously looking forward to introducing his son to the sport.
Gerard Piqué tweeted a photo of his newly born son Milan, showing his tiny feet encased in a personalized pair of Nike trainers
Colombian singer Shakira, 35, and her 25-year-old boyfriend confirmed the arrival of their little boy on her official website on Tuesday night.
“Just like his father, baby Milan became a member of FC Barcelona at birth,” they wrote.
The announcement stated: “We are happy to announce the birth of Milan Piqué Mebarak, son of Shakira Mebarak and Gerard Piqué, born January 22nd at 9:36 p.m., in Barcelona, Spain.
“The name Milan (pronounced MEE-lahn), means dear, loving and gracious in Slavic; in Ancient Roman, eager and laborious; and in Sanskrit, unification…”
“The hospital confirmed that the couple’s first child weighed approximately 6lbs. 6 ounces, and that both mother and child are in excellent health.”
Shakira took to Twitter just four hours earlier to ask her devotees to pray for her during the birth of her first child, revealing to them that she was about to go into labor.
Pentagon has announced that US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has decided to lift the military’s ban on women serving in combat.
The move could open hundreds of thousands of front-line positions and elite commando jobs to women.
It overturns a 1994 rule prohibiting women from being assigned to small ground-combat units.
But the military would have until 2016 to argue for any specific posts they think should remained closed to women.
The decision is expected to be formally announced on Thursday.
Military chiefs will be asked to report back to Leon Panetta by May 15 on their initial plans to implement the new policy.
Some jobs are expected to be opened to women this year, while others – including for special forces such as the Navy Seals and the Delta Force – could take longer.
Pentagon has announced that US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has decided to lift the military’s ban on women serving in combat
This decision could open more than 230,000 combat roles to women, many in infantry units.
Senate armed services committee chairman Carl Levin welcomed the decision.
“I support it,” he said.
“It reflects the reality of 21st Century military operations.”
Restrictions were first eased a year ago, when the Pentagon opened up 14,500 roles, closer to the front line, which had previously been off limits to female personnel.
In November, a group of four women in the military sued the defence department over the ban, arguing that it was unconstitutional.
One of the plaintiffs, Marine Corps Capt Zoe Bedell, said existing rules had blocked her advancement in the Marines.
During the Iraq and Afghan wars, US female military personnel have worked as medics, military police and intelligence officers, sometimes attached but not formally assigned to front-line units.
As of 2012, more than 800 women were wounded in those wars, and at least 130 have died.
Women comprise 14% of America’s 1.4 million active military personnel.
