Sunday, February 15, 2026
Newsletter
Home Blog Page 228

Cash Lady Reveals The Salaries Of Reality Show Stars And More

Dana R
-
0
Cash Lady Reveals The Salaries Of Reality Show Stars And More

The past few months have been very exciting in the world of reality television, as BBC was made to reveal they pay an exuberant salary of £450,000+ to their onscreen stars. There was a lot of chatter about just how much money, £75m to be exact, channel 4 paid to poach the “Bake Off” from the BBC network.

Many were unhappy about the move, and while BBC conceded it could not match the offer from Channel 4, they will be buoyed up with the news that Mel, Sue, and Mary Berry have decided to remain loyal to their original employers. Channel 4 could soon be sweating over the money they’ve spent, after many fans vowed to switch off and never tune in again. £75m down the drain? Only time will tell.

With all of these juicy details in mind, leading credit broker Cash Lady has delved into the realms of reality TV, to reveal just how much BBC, ITV, and Channel 5 spend to get celebrities on their shows – Strictly Come Dancing, I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, and Celebrity Big Brother, and the results are staggering.

I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here

Starting with the show that sees celebrities flown out to a jungle, ITV was initially cagey about how much they spent on their superstars, but later revealed salary packages ranging from £70,000 – £300,000 per annum!

Not only that the celebrities were allowed to make large donations to a charity of their choice, had their tickets to and from the jungle paid for, and received bonuses.

Here’s the breakdown per contestant:

Spencer Matthews (Made in Chelsea) – £300,000

Susannah Constantine (Fashion Journalist) – £200,000

Chris Eubank (Boxer) – £200,000

Kieron Dyer (Footballer) – £200,000

Lady Colin Campbell (Writer) – £70,000

While the total costs remain unknown, what is certain is that Aunt Bessies was charged an incredible £6,000,000 for a three year sponsorship deal!

Celebrity Big Brother

While the show sees 14 celebrities and a whole host of other staff involved, Channel 5’s spending is markedly more reserved than that of ITV. The total sponsorship deal comes out to roughly £2,500,000.

The salary packages range from £12,000 to £150,000, the latter of which was controversially offered to Christopher Biggins, who was later kicked out of the show for inflammatory comments.

The revealed packages are:

Christopher Biggins (actor) – £150,000

Samantha Fox (glamour model) – £110,000

Grant Bovey (Anthea Turner’s ex spouse) – £100,000

Lewis Bloor (Reality TV) – £50,000

Heavy D (Reality TV) – £15,000

Stephen Bear (Reality TV) – £12,000

Strictly Come Dancing

The BBC was the only broadcaster of the three to disclose the entire pay structure for their programme, and have the lowest bill at £800,000.

All celebrities start out with a basic pay of £25,000, that increases to £40,000 for the next round, £60,000 for reaching the quarterfinals, £75,000 for the semifinals, and a grand £100,000 (plus the trophy) for the winner!

The breakdown for the show and the other two is given in the infographic below. What are your thoughts on the jaw dropping packages being paid to the reality stars? Read up more on the reveal here.

infographic-bellenews

Elizabeth Wettlaufer: Canadian Nurse Charged with 8 Murders

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Elizabeth Wettlaufer: Canadian Nurse Charged with 8 Murders

Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer, a 49-year-old nursing home worker in Ontario, has been charged with eight counts of first-degree murder spanning several years.

She appeared in court on October 25.

The victims, five women and three men, were residents in two long-term care facilities where Elizabrth Wettlaufer worked and were between 75 and 96 years old.

Police said seven of the victims were given a fatal dose of a drug.

The victims were all residents of Caressant Care in Woodstock and Meadow Park in London, Ontario.

Woodstock Police Chief William Renton said at a news conference: “The victims were administered a drug… there are obviously a number of drugs that are stored and are available in long-term care facilities.”

Image source Facebook
Image source Facebook

He declined to comment on a possible motive, but did add that investigators are confident that they have identified all victims.

Caressant spokesman Lee Griffi said Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer was a registered nurse and left their employment approximately two and a half years ago.

“We deeply regret the additional grief and stress this is imposing on the families involved,” Lee Griffi said in a written statement.

The deaths took place between 2007 and 2014.

Police revealed little details about the motive or circumstances surrounding the deaths, but said that the investigation into all eight deaths started on September 29 after police in Woodstock received certain information.

The criminal case is the largest in Ontario province since 2006, when five men were charged for murdering eight members of the Bandidos biker gang.

All five of the accused men were convicted in 2009.

The investigation was a joint effort between Woodstock Police Service, London Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police.

Police said they do not know if there are other victims, but that Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer worked in other facilities.

They are urging the public to come forward if they have any information.

Police have identified the victims as:

  • James Silcox, 84
  • Maurice Granat, 84
  • Gladys Millard, 87
  • Helen Matheson, 95
  • Mary Zurawinski, 96
  • Helen Young, 90,
  • Maureen Pickering, 79

CAF World Giving Index 2016: Myanmar Has the World’s Most Generous People

James J. Williams
-
0
CAF World Giving Index 2016: Myanmar Has the World’s Most Generous People

According to a recent research, Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has the world’s most generous people.

The CAF World Giving Index 2016 found that people in Iraq are the kindest to strangers, while Myanmar’s residents give the most away.

In the last month, eight in 10 Iraqis have helped someone they don’t know, with Libyans helping almost as many.

During the same period, 91% of those in Myanmar have given money to charity.

Image source Charities Aid Foundation
Image source Charities Aid Foundation

In comparison, 63% of Americans – the second most generous overall – have donated money, with 73% helping a stranger.

The annual ranking places Myanmar at the top of the list for the third year in a row, with more than half the population donating time and 63% helping a stranger.

The report said the generous giving reflected the practice of “Sangha Dana”, where Myanmar’s Theravada Buddhist majority donate to support those living a monastic lifestyle.

The overall table, which takes into account financial donations, help offered to strangers and volunteering, ranks the UK as the most generous place in Europe, the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East, Kenya in Africa and Guatemala in Latin America.

China is named as the least generous country.

However, the poll only takes into account the responses of 1,000 people on average in each of the 140 countries, and the Charities Aid Foundation acknowledges there is margin for error.

However, it is the kindness of Iraqis and Libyans to complete strangers in the face of years of conflict and terrible violence which stands out in the list.

Venezuela Opposition to Hold Talks with Government After Pope Francis Intervention

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Venezuela Opposition to Hold Talks with Government After Pope Francis Intervention

In a surprise move, Venezuela opposition and the government are to meet for crisis talks, the Vatican says, after an intervention from Pope Francis.

Protests have been held in recent days over the suspension of a referendum process seeking to remove President Nicolas Maduro.

The move came after Nicolas Maduro met Pope Francis in an unannounced visit.

The Vatican and regional bloc Unasur will mediate in the talks.

Pope Francis “urged [the parties] to show courage in pursuing the path of sincere and constructive dialogue”, the Vatican said in a statement.Leopoldo Lopez jailed in Venezuela

After meeting representatives from both sides, the Vatican’s envoy to Argentina, Emil Paul Tscherrig, said “a national dialogue” had already started.

He said they had agreed to formal talks on Sunday on Margarita island in the Caribbean.

Nicolas Maduro said “at last” dialogue could begin.

The head of the opposition coalition, Jesus Torrealba, who met Emil Paul Tscherrig, said while talks were important “it can’t continue to be a strategy for the government to win time”.

Another top opposition figure, Henrique Capriles, dismissed the announcement as a diversionary ploy.

“No dialogue has begun in Venezuela,” he said.

Nicolas Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader, is blamed by the opposition for Venezuela’s dire economic situation. The oil-rich country is facing widespread food shortages and spiraling inflation.

The opposition is trying to hold a recall referendum that would allow Nicolas Maduro to be removed from office but electoral authorities suspended the process last week.

The official reason was allegations of fraud during the gathering of signatures for the first petition required to enable the referendum.

However, opposition lawmakers have long accused the National Electoral Council of being under the government’s control.

In an emergency session of the National Assembly on October 23, they approved a resolution accusing Nicolas Maduro’s Socialist government of engaging in “an ongoing coup d’etat”.

The Organization of American States also said it was “profoundly worried” by the electoral authorities’ decision.

Hundreds of students protested on October 24 in San Cristobal, a city near the Colombian border. Nationwide protests are planned for October 26.

Nicolas Maduro has accused the opposition of having links to foreign states, the US in particular, and of seeking to overthrow him to “lay their hands on Venezuela’s oil riches”.

Kim Kardashian Drops Court Case Against Media TakeOut

Lisa.Felice
-
0
Kim Kardashian Drops Court Case Against Media TakeOut

Kim Kardashian has decided to drop a court case against celebrity gossip website Media TakeOut that claimed she staged an armed robbery in Paris.

The reality star’s lawyer said the two sides had resolved the issue.

Kim Kardashian, 35, said she would take MediaTakeOut to court but has dropped the case after it issued an apology.

Photo Twitter
Photo Twitter

Media TakeOut reported Kim Kardashian had faked being robbed at gunpoint at a luxury apartment in Paris earlier this month.

The site also accused the reality star of making a fraudulent insurance claim for millions of dollars of jewellery.

According to French police, Kim Kardashian West was robbed at gunpoint by at least two men dressed as police officers who stole a box containing jewellery worth up to $6.7 million.

Her husband, Kanye West, was on stage at the Meadows Music and Arts Festival in New York at the time of the robbery.

Kanye West ended his set as soon as he heard the news, telling fans: “I’m sorry, family emergency. I have to stop the show.”

A spokeswoman for Kim Kardashian said she was “badly shaken but physically unharmed”.

Some have suggested she had made herself vulnerable by revealing her location and posting photos of jewellery in the days before the attack.

Kim Kardashian has since been virtually silent on social media with her only appearance coming on her birthday when Caitlyn Jenner posted a picture with her on Instagram.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw8m3E7COjU

How to Properly Evaluate Fully Hosted eCommerce Platforms

James J. Williams
-
1
How to Properly Evaluate Fully Hosted eCommerce Platforms

You’ve decided to sell online. Congratulations. Ecommerce offers opportunities that were previously not available to entrepreneurs. However, competition for online customers is as fierce with more options available to consumers than ever before.

Ensuring that you’re able to meet your customers’ needs and requirements is paramount to standing out from your many competitors and growing your online presence. The platform you choose will play a major role in this, thus the enterprise ecommerce platform-comparison process should not be taken lightly.

Ecommerce has come a long way to meet consumer needs. As consumer needs have changed so have functionality and features of ecommerce websites. For example, you won’t find any successful ecommerce website today that’s not optimized for mobile.

So consider the following when choosing the right platform for your online business.

hosted-ecommerce-platforms

1. The costs

As a business owner, money will always play an important role in the decisions you make. Make sure you not only go for a platform that you can afford, but one that offers the features you need to grow. What does the pricing structure look like? What are the hosting fees, transaction fees and payment card fees? These small fees may seem inconsequential, but they add up. Shop around and compare what each platform is offering in their pricing structure and then align that to your specific website needs.

2. Setup speed

How long will it take you to go live and start making money? Some ecommerce platforms will have your store up and running in a matter of a few hours. Others may require several months to deploy your website. Development time should be considered as it determines how soon you can begin making money.

3. Level of skill required to administer website

What level of skill do you have and what level is required to administer and manage the website once it is live? If you’re not familiar with web development, choose a platform that is straightforward and easy to use. You will want to spend as little time as possible learning about features and functions in order to manage your website.

4. Speed and scalability

Speed is vital for conversions. Estimations by Fast Company show that a decrease in Amazon’s page-loading speed of one second would result in a $1.6 billion annual loss.

In considering speed, you should note that your business will not always be what it is today. If you play your cards right, your business will grow. Your needs will grow in proportion to your business. You should therefore choose a platform that will allow you to scale up when the need arises.

5. Level and availability of support

One of the benefits of fully hosted ecommerce platforms is the availability of support. However, not all ecommerce platforms offer good support.

Amazon's Kindle tablet is rumored to cost a mere $250 - including “free” access to Amazon's Prime film-streaming service
Amazon’s Kindle tablet is rumored to cost a mere $250 – including “free” access to Amazon’s Prime film-streaming service

Poor support means that your website is likely to experience extended periods of downtime when there is a problem. This can be very costly. Amazon experienced a two-hour website crash in 2007, resulting in an estimated $3.48 million in losses.

You could lose a lot in revenue if you don’t have the right kind of support. The ecommerce platform you choose should have 24-hour support and monitoring. They should also provide assistance for scaling up to meet growth during seasonal peaks.

6. Integration and customization

What level of customization does the website allow? Can you integrate tools that you consider important for the functioning of your website? A good platform offers a high level of customization. This allows you to determine the image you present to your target audience.

The platform should also allow for integration with the following for greater flexibility: warehouse management systems, inventory, and various payment gateways.

Take your time in considering different ecommerce platforms. Ensure that the solution you choose will meet your specific requirements. Different platforms are available to meet the needs of different types of businesses. Be as thorough as possible up front and you’ll be glad once your business is growing through a platform that complements your offering.

 

Cyrus Mistry Removed as Tata Sons Chairman

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
Cyrus Mistry Removed as Tata Sons Chairman

Cyrus Pallonji Mistry has been sacked as chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group.

He was replaced by Ratan Tata, who has been named as interim chairman while a selection committee finds a permanent replacement.

Cyrus Mistry has led the company, which owns Tata Steel, since late December 2012.

He was the first chairman to be appointed from outside the family for 70 years.cyrus-mistry-sacked-by-tata-sons

No details were given by the company as to why the board had decided to make the change.

Cyrus Mistry was only the sixth chairman of the group, which is nearly 150 years old.

Ratan Tata was the previous chairman and was in charge of the company for more than two decades until he stepped down in 2012 at the age of 75.

Cyrus Mistry was appointed more than a year before Ratan Tata retired.

Tata Sons owns Jaguar Land Rover, as well as Tetley Tea. It is one of India’s oldest conglomerates and is made up of more than 100 companies, including Tata Motors, Tata Power and the IT giant, Tata Consultancy Services.

The members of the selection committee charged with finding the permanent replacement are Ratan Tata, Venu Srinivasan, Amit Chandra, Ronen Sen and Kumar Bhattacharyya.

The committee will complete the selection process in four months.

Cyrus Mistry is the youngest son of Pallonji Mistry, an Indian construction tycoon.

The Shapoorji Pallonji Group owns 18% of Tata Sons, making it the largest shareholder.

Malta Plane Crash: Five People Killed in Mediterranean Mission

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Malta Plane Crash: Five People Killed in Mediterranean Mission

Five people, three French defense officials and two others, died when a surveillance plane crashed shortly after take-off at Malta International Airport.

The small plane was setting off on a mission over the Mediterranean around 07:20 local time when it nose-dived and disintegrated in a ball of flames.

There was no explosion prior to the crash, according to eyewitnesses.

According to Maltese officials, the flight had been part of a French operation to track illicit trafficking of people and drugs.

Image source Sky News
Image source Sky News

An investigation into the causes of the crash is to be conducted by the French defense ministry.

The airport has re-opened with some disruption expected to the day’s scheduled flights.

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian confirmed that three of the victims were ministry staff while the other two were contractors.

Early reports that the victims had been officials from the EU’s border agency were quickly denied. Frontex said none of its staff had been involved.

Malta said the flight had been due to return to the island within hours without landing in third countries.

Eyewitnesses told the Times of Malta the plane had taken off before turning on its side and going “straight down into the ground”.

Video shot from another plane at the airport shows flames and thick black smoke billowing from the site of the crash, next to the runway.

All of the victims’ remains have been found, the Maltese government said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTpdWQYCk2Q

Donald Trump Admits He Lags Behind Hillary Clinton

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Donald Trump Admits He Lags Behind Hillary Clinton

Donald Trump’s campaign has admitted the Republican nominee lags behind rival Democratic Hillary Clinton with just over two weeks before Election Day.

Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said: “We are behind. She has some advantages.”

“We’re not giving up. We know we can win this.”

On October 21, Donald Trump made a rare admission that he could lose.

New polls suggest Hillary Clinton remains well ahead nationally and in several battleground states.

Her campaign has predicted this is going to be “the biggest election in American history”.

Image source Wikipedia
Image source Wikipedia

Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager Robbie Mook told Fox News on October 23: “More people are going to turn out than ever before.”

Polling in Republican strongholds like Utah and Arizona suggest these states could back a Democrat for the first time in decades.

The polls may be wrong in Arizona but if they are correct, it may be the start of a Democratic trend that doesn’t just put the state in play in a Clinton 2016 rout scenario, it makes Arizona a legitimate swing state in coming elections.

For Democrats, that’s a dream scenario, giving them new and plentiful paths to electoral success.

For Republicans, it could mean the start of a long-term political nightmare.

That apparent change to the electoral map has prompted a shift in strategy for the Clinton camp, which is spending money on helping Democrats running in close House or Senate races.

Hillary Clinton said she didn’t even bother responding to Donald Trump anymore and would instead spend time “emphasizing the importance of electing Democrats down the ballot”.

Donald Trump’s campaign manager said the Clinton team had a huge financial advantage in how much they could spend on negative ads against the Republican nominee, and high-profile campaigners.

“She has a former president, who happens to be her husband, campaigning for her. The current president and first lady, vice president, all much more popular than she can hope to be,” said Kellyanne Conway.

But this election does not feel over when you realize the depth of support Donald Trump has on the campaign trail, she said.

However, Donald Trump reflected on defeat for the first time on October 21 when he said that – win, lose or draw – he would be happy with himself.

A day later, the billionaire announced a raft of measures for his first 100 days in office, that include used curbs on lobbying and new trade and climate change negotiations.

With just 16 days until Election Day, much of the recent focus has been on controversies linked to Donald Trump’s campaign.

On October 22, he promised to sue every woman who had accused him of assault.

Donald Trump also repeated his claims that the election is rigged, because of voter fraud at polling booths and media bias.

On October 23, Eric Trump said his father would accept the outcome but only if it was a “fair” election.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNkixLEpl2s

Hillary Clinton No Longer Cares What Donald Trump Might Say

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Hillary Clinton No Longer Cares What Donald Trump Might Say

Hillary Clinton has said she no longer cares what Donald Trump might say and will focus on issues instead.

Recalling their acrimonious exchanges, Hillary Clinton said: “I debated him for four and a half hours.

“I don’t even think about responding to him anymore.”

The Democratic nominee was speaking to reporters aboard her campaign plane.Hillary Clinton on Brussels attacks

Donald Trump used a rally in Gettysburg to promise curbs on lobbying and new trade and climate change negotiations.

With just 16 days until Election Day, much of the recent focus has been on controversies linked to his campaign.

On October 22, Donald Trump again promised to sue every woman who had accused him of assault or inappropriate behavior as soon as his presidential campaign was over.

More polls on October 23 suggested Donald Trump lags behind Hillary Clinton in key battleground states.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign has predicted this is going to be “the biggest election in American history”.

Campaign manager Robbie Mook told Fox News on October 23: “More people are going to turn out than ever before.”

Speaking on stage in Pittsburgh, Hillary Clinton called for Americans to unite.

“I understand that they need a president who cares about them, will listen to them and I want to be their president,” she said.

Before his speech in Gettysburg, Donald Trump said the media were fabricating stories to make him “look as bad and dangerous as possible”.

Eleven women have come forward to accuse Donald Trump of inappropriate behavior, in the weeks since a video emerged of him boasting of groping women and kissing them.

“Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign,” Donald Trump told the audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADDaZW-4ads

AT&T Announces Time Warner Acquisition in $85.4 Billion Deal

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
AT&T Announces Time Warner Acquisition in $85.4 Billion Deal

AT&T has announced that it will buy Time Warner for $85.4 billion.

The deal was agreed at a meeting of the two boards on October 22 but will still need to be approved by regulators.

Correspondents say it is the biggest deal in the world this year.

The deal reflects the desire of the telecoms company to acquire content to stream over its high-speed network and attract more online viewers.

If the deal is approved by regulators, AT&T would gain control of CNN and the HBO TV network, in addition to the Warner Bros film studio and other prized media assets.

att-buys-time-warner
Image source Getty Images

AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson said he did not anticipate any regulatory obstacles to the merger, saying any concerns could be overcome if concessions were made.

“This is a perfect match of two companies with complementary strengths who can bring a fresh approach to how the media and communications industry works for customers, content creators, distributors and advertisers,” he said.

The deal is likely to be closely scrutinized by antitrust regulators, as AT&T is already the third largest cable TV provider in the US.

In a statement, AT&T said that aim of the deal is to give customers “unmatched choice, quality, value and experiences that will define the future of media and communications” and the new company will “lead the next wave of innovation in converging media and communications industry”.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump has said he will block the deal if he is elected.

“It’s too much concentration of power in the hands of too few,” the Republican nominee said on October 22, before the deal was confirmed.

AT&T will pay $107.50 for each Time Warner share, in a combination of cash and stock, worth $85.4 billion overall, according to a statement.

AT&T said it expected to close the deal to be completed by the end of 2017.

Other media company shares, including Discovery, AMC, Netflix and CBS, recently rose as investors speculated that a deal could spark a fresh wave of takeovers and mergers among media and technology companies.

AT&T, which has a market value of about $238 billion, has already made moves to turn itself into a media powerhouse, buying satellite TV provider DirecTV last year for $48.5 billion.

Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes has, however, resisted selling in the past. The company rejected an $80 billion offer from Twenty-First Century Fox Inc in 2014.

The deal gives AT&T access to a major producer of content as it seeks to diversify away from its core telecoms business. Rival Verizon is currently in negotiations to buy Yahoo and has already bought AOL, owner of Huffington Post.

Some analysts, however, question whether AT&T needs to mount a complete takeover of Time Warner.

Venezuela: Opposition March over Suspended Recall Vote for Nicolas Maduro

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Venezuela: Opposition March over Suspended Recall Vote for Nicolas Maduro

Opponents of the Venezuelan government marched through Caracas after election officials blocked their attempts to hold a recall referendum against President Nicolas Maduro.

The wives of two jailed opposition leaders headed the marchers who were dressed in white and waved national flags.

On October 20, election officials suspended a petition seeking a referendum on removing President Nicolas Maduro from office.

The move was criticized by the Organization of American States (OAS).

In a statement, 12 OAS member countries, including Brazil, Argentina and Colombia said they were “profoundly worried by the decision taken by the Venezuelan National Electoral Council”.Nicolas Maduro imposes visas for Americans

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro said: “Only dictators deny their citizens their rights, ignore the legislature and have political prisoners.”

The election commission said it had halted the recall vote process on the grounds of alleged irregularities during the gathering of signatures for the first petition required by the rules.

On October 18, the council also ordered a delay of about six months in regional elections due at the end of the year and which polls suggested the opposition would have won.

The march was led by two wives of jailed government opponents: Lilian Tintori, the wife of Leopoldo Lopez, and Patricia Gutierrez, the wife of the former mayor of San Cristobal, Daniel Ceballos.

Both have advocated hard-line tactics against the government.

“There’s no obstacle that can defeat Venezuelan mothers, fighting for the future of their children,” said Lilian Tintori who has called for a campaign for civil disobedience.

The two women were accompanied by several thousand marchers, mainly women, dressed in white and carrying Venezuelan flags.

The march is the first of a series of protests the opposition say they intend to organize to try to put pressure on the Electoral Council to revoke its decision.

On October 19, they said they would “retake Venezuela from top to toe,” in a massive street protest on the day which would have been the start of a second petition.

President Nicolas Maduro, who is abroad, called for calm in a TV address.

“I call on everyone to remain peaceful, to engage in dialogue, respect law and order,” he said.

One of Nicolas Maduro’s most powerful allies, Diosdado Cabello, said top opposition leaders should be jailed for attempting election fraud.

Earlier this week, the government placed travel restrictions on eight opposition leaders.

Donald Trump Presents His Plan for First 100 Days in Office

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Donald Trump Presents His Plan for First 100 Days in Office

Donald Trump has outlined what he would do in his first 100 days at the White House.

With 17 days until Election Day, much of the recent focus has been on controversies linked to his campaign.

In a speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, The Republican nominee sought to highlight changes he would introduce.

Among them were restrictions on lobbyists and a renegotiation on trade and climate change deals.

Image source Wikipedia
Image source Wikipedia

Hillary Clinton and running mate Tim Kaine appeared at events on October 22 in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state in the race for the White House.

Donald Trump’s advisers indicated before his speech that the measures announced would serve as the focus for the remaining two weeks of his campaign.

The speech was one of the most detailed by Donald Trump during his candidacy, and also touched on matters of security, economy and trade.

He said the country was facing a “fork in the road” over its future.

While some polls have shown he has eaten into Hillary Clinton’s lead over the past week, after the third presidential debate, she is still leading him in a number of the key swing states.

Before his speech, Donald Trump again attacked leading media outlets and suggested they were biased against him.

The billionaire vowed to break up media conglomerates, saying he would scrap the rumored purchase of the Time Warner company, the owner of CNN, by AT&T. However, those comments were made outside of his main speech, and it was not clear if they were being put forward as policy.

Donald Trump also said he would sue every woman who has accused him of assault or inappropriate behavior as soon as his presidential campaign was over.

Ten women have come forward to accuse Donald Trump of inappropriate behavior, in the weeks after a video emerged of him boasting of groping women and kissing them.

“Every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign,” he told the audience in Gettysburg.

Donald Trump said the media was fabricating stories to make him “look as bad and dangerous as possible”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHfw6437dZM

Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize Snub Described as Arrogant

Sonia Pantiss
-
0
Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize Snub Described as Arrogant

Bob Dylan failed to respond to phone calls from the Swedish Academy after being awarded the Nobel literature prize.

A prominent member of the academy that awards the Nobel literature prize has described Bob Dylan as arrogant, citing his total silence since the award was announced last week.

The musician was named the shock winner of the prize last week.

On the evening of 13 October, the day the literature prize winner was announced, Bob Dylan played a concert in Las Vegas during which he made no comment at all to his fans.

Image source Wikipedia
Image source Wikipedia

Bob Dylan ended the concert with a version of the Frank Sinatra hit Why Try To Change Me Now?, taken to be a nod towards his longstanding aversion to the media.

But all efforts by the Swedish Academy to contact him have failed, and he has not acknowledged the win in public.

Academy member Per Wastberg told Swedish television: “He is who he is,” adding that there was little surprise Bob Dylan had ignored the news.

“We were aware that he can be difficult and that he does not like appearances when he stands alone on the stage,” Per Wastberg told Sweden’s Dagens Nyheter newspaper in a separate interview.

A reference to the prize was removed from Bob Dylan’s website last week.

It is still not known if the musician will travel to Stockholm to receive the prize on December 10. If he does not, a ceremony marking his career will go ahead as planned, Per Wastberg said.

Per Wastberg called the snub “unprecedented”, but one person has previously rejected the Nobel Prize in Literature – French author and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre in 1964.

And one other recipient was distinctly underwhelmed by the honor conferred upon her by the Swedish Academy.

On learning she had won the prize in 2007, having returned from doing her shopping, the author Doris Lessing responded: “Oh Christ.”

However, Doris Lessing did attend the ceremony later that year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbM7qbQOTqM

Donald Trump Launches Attack on Michelle Obama

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Donald Trump Launches Attack on Michelle Obama

Donald Trump has launched a rare attack on First Lady Michelle Obama, saying “all she wants to do is campaign” for Hillary Clinton.

The Republican nominee also accused Michelle Obama of attacking Hillary Clinton in 2007 by invoking a line she had said about fitness to run the White House.

The Obama campaign had denied the line referred to Hillary Clinton.

Image source Flickr
Image source Flickr

Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, accused Donald Trump of threatening democracy if he did not accept the election result.

“We know the difference between leadership and dictatorship, and the peaceful transition of power is one of the things that sets us apart,” the Democratic nominee told a crowd in Cleveland, Ohio.

“Donald Trump refused to say that he’d respect the results of this election. By doing that, he’s threatening our democracy.”

At his own rally in North Carolina, Donald Trump told supporters: “I see how much [Michelle Obama] likes Hillary.”

“But wasn’t she the one that originally started the statement, <<If you can’t take care of your home>>, right? <<You can’t take care of the White House or the country?>> Where’s that? I don’t hear that. I don’t hear that.”

Donald Trump was referring to a remark Michelle Obama made in 2007 while campaigning for her husband, who was running against Hillary Clinton.

Back in 2007, Michelle Obama said: “If you can’t run your own house, you certainly can’t run the White House.”

Some critics asked whether the comment had been aimed at Hillary Clinton’s relationship with her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

However, the Obama campaign maintained the line was not directed at the Clintons and instead referred to their own struggle with parenting during a campaign.

“So, we’ve adjusted our schedules to make sure that our girls are first, so while he’s traveling around, I do day trips,” Michelle Obama continued in her 2007 speech.

“That means I get up in the morning, I get the girls ready, I get them off, I go and do trips, I’m home before bedtime.”

Donald Trump was back on the campaign trail a day after he and Hillary Clinton appeared together at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation charity dinner in New York City.

The event, which takes place during election years, offers presidential candidates a chance to crack jokes about one another.

However, Alfred E. Smith V told CNN on October 21 that Donald Trump had “crossed the line and took it a little too far”.

Venezuela Government Accused of Coup After Blocking Recall Referendum

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Venezuela Government Accused of Coup After Blocking Recall Referendum

Leaders of the Venezuelan opposition have accused the government of staging a coup by blocking their drive to hold a referendum on removing President Nicolas Maduro from office.

Henrique Capriles called for nationwide protests next week.

Election officials had suspended a petition needed to organize the referendum.

The move stopped the recall vote that polls said the government would lose.

Henrique Capriles said the coup “had been carried out against all Venezuelans”.

Henrique Capriles has told a crowd of supporters not to feel intimidated and to vote in upcoming local elections

The opposition figurehead said in the protests, called for October 26: “We will take Venezuela from end to end. The whole people will be mobilized to restore constitutional order.”

Earlier the opposition said a court order had barred eight of them from leaving the country.

Reasons for the ban were not given but the council had said fraud had been reported in the referendum process.

The Venezuelan opposition had planned to secure the required signatures for the recall vote next week.

Another of the banned leaders, opposition coalition leader Jesus Torrealba, said: “It’s gratuitous aggression. We are the majority, in the street and in Congress.

“They cannot postpone the change that the country is demanding.”

The opposition controls Venezuela’s Congress but says Nicolas Maduro has power over key institutions such as the electoral authorities and the courts.

The government has accused the opposition of inventing names on the first of two petitions required to endorse the recall vote.

Nicolas Maduro said there had been “a gigantic fraud”, adding: “Their cheating is coming out.”

Diosdado Cabello, also of Nicolas Maduro’s Socialist Party, said: “We hope justice will be served and that those responsible for this swindle will be detained.”

The decision to suspend the referendum process came despite intense international pressure on President Nicolas Maduro from the US and other Latin American countries to allow it to go ahead.

Mexico’s Missing 43: Former Police Chief of Iguala Felipo Flores Arrested

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Mexico’s Missing 43: Former Police Chief of Iguala Felipo Flores Arrested

Felipe Flores, the former police chief of Iguala, where 43 students disappeared in 2014, has been detained after two years on the run, Mexican officials announce.

He was arrested in Iguala, in the southern state of Guerrero, where the incident happened.

Mexican government says the students were arrested by police before being handed over to a drugs cartel who killed them and incinerated their bodies.

Families and independent experts contest this claim.

A total of 43 students went missing after clashing with police on September 26 in the town of Iguala

The panel of experts, working for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, said the account that the students had been burnt beyond identification at a rubbish dump was physically impossible.

Felipe Flores was police chief of Iguala when the incident took place on September 26, 2014, and his arrest may offer new clues as to what exactly happened then.

Attorney General Arely Gomez welcomed Felipe Flores’ capture, tweeting that it would allow investigators to get “a fundamental statement to clear up the events”.

The case has tainted Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s image.

Exploding Galaxy Note 7: Samsung Files Copyright Claims Against YouTube

Nancy Clayson
-
0
Exploding Galaxy Note 7: Samsung Files Copyright Claims Against YouTube

According to new reports, Samsung have filed copyright claims against YouTube videos mocking its recalled Galaxy Note 7 handset.

Many gamers have showcased a modification to video game Grand Theft Auto V, in which sticky bombs were switched with exploding Galaxy Note 7 phones.

Some of them have reported that their videos have been blocked on YouTube following a copyright complaint.

Critics have warned that trying to remove gamers’ videos will only draw more attention to them.

Photo Samsung
Photo Samsung

The Galaxy Note 7 was recalled and discontinued in October after reports that some handsets were catching fire.

US gamer DoctorGTA  said restrictions had been put on his YouTube account as a result of Samsung’s complaint.

“It’s going to take three months to get the strike removed from my channel… I got my live stream taken away,” he said in a video.

“If I submit a counter-notification to say <<sue me>>, I wonder what they will do. Will they sue me, the kid that has cancer and just makes money off YouTube playing a video game?”

“It really sucks, because I really worked hard on this channel.”

Some viewers warned that Samsung was at risk of invoking the Streisand Effect – a term used to denotes increased publicity as a result of attempts to remove embarrassing online content.

It was first used in 2005 by Mike Masnick, founder of the website Techdirt, following a failed attempt by Barbra Streisand to sue a photographer who posted a picture of her seaside home.

The original download page for the Grand Theft Auto V modification, created by player HitmanNiko, has not been taken offline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrXpWY6UuuQ

ISIS Atacks Government Buildings in Iraqi City of Kirkuk

Roy Siemens
-
0
ISIS Atacks Government Buildings in Iraqi City of Kirkuk

ISIS has raided government buildings in and around the Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

According to Iraqi media, suicide bombers had attacked police stations and a power station, but that security forces had repelled the assaults.

A news agency affiliated to ISIS claimed its fighters had broken into Kirkuk’s town hall and seized a central hotel.

The attacks come as Iraqi pro-government forces continue an offensive to retake ISIS-held Mosul, to the north.US spendings against ISIS

ISIS militants were reported to have set fire to a chemical plant south of Mosul as they retreated on October 20.

Sources said they started the fire at the sulphur plant in al-Mishraq deliberately when they were being pushed out of the area by security forces.

There are conflicting reports about the scale and extent of the attack on Kirkuk.

A local TV channel broadcast footage of black smoke rising over the city, with automatic gunfire audible.

The Beirut-based newspaper al-Sumaria reported that during the dawn attack, three suicide bombers had blown themselves up.

Kirkuk police sources said three Iranian workers at the power station were killed, along with eight Iraqis.

The city’s governor, Najm al-Din Karim, told the Kurdish news agency, Rudaw, that Kurdish Peshmerga and counter-terrorism forces were completely in control of the situation, and said the attackers were from ISIS sleeper cells.

Security forces had killed six suicide bombers, Najm al-Din Karim added.

Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic city that is located about 180 miles north of the capital Baghdad and 105 miles south-east of Mosul. It is claimed both by Iraq’s central government and by the country’s Kurds.

Barack Obama: “Donald Trump’s Election Rhetoric Is Dangerous”

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Barack Obama: “Donald Trump’s Election Rhetoric Is Dangerous”

President Barack Obama has said Donald Trump’s insistence that he might not accept the election result is “dangerous”.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Miami for Hillary Clinton, President Obama said Donald Trump’s comments undermined American democracy.

During the third debate, the republican nominee refused to say he would accept the outcome of the election on November 8.

The billionaire later said he would accept a “clear” result but left a challenge open.

Speaking in Ohio on October 20, Donald Trump said, with a grin: “I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States, that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election – if I win.”Barack Obama blames media for Donald Trump coverage

In the same speech, the Republican said he would accept a clear election result but reserved the right to file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable one.

Hours later, Barack Obama said that sowing the seeds of doubt in people’s minds about the legitimacy of US elections provided a boost to the country’s enemies.

“You’re doing the work of our adversaries for them, because our democracy depends on people knowing that their vote matters,” the president said.

Donald Trump has been heavily criticized by many in his own party by suggesting he might not accept the election result.

For days, the Republican has claimed the election is rigged against him, due to media bias and voter fraud.

During October 19 debate with Hillary Clinton, when moderator Chris Wallace asked Donald Trump if he would accept losing to her, the Republican nominee said he would “keep you in suspense”.

Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, later insisted that the candidate had meant he would not concede until the “results are actually known”.

Republican Senator John McCain, who lost to Barack Obama in 2008, said: “A concession isn’t just an exercise in graciousness. It is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader’s first responsibility.”

First Lady Michelle Obama also joined the attack on October 20, saying “you do not keep American democracy in suspense”.

At the Ohio rally, Donald Trump also reiterated a claim he made during the debate, that Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama were responsible for inciting violence at a Chicago rally earlier this year.

The crowd erupted into cheers of: “Lock her up!”

During the debate, Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman”.

Donald Trump has trailed Hillary Clinton in the polls after facing damaging fallout over a video that emerged of him making inappropriate remarks about groping women.

Latest polls suggest Hillary Clinton is ahead nationally and in key battleground states.

Al Smith Dinner 2016: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Poke Fun at Each Other

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Al Smith Dinner 2016: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Poke Fun at Each Other

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have poked fun at each other at a charity dinner, just one day after their bitter final debate.

Hillary Clinton laughed as Donald Trump joked about her well-paid speeches and the FBI investigation into her private email.

However, the Republican nominee was booed when he joked that she hated Catholics.

The annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner in New York is a white-tie gala that every four years features the presidential candidates.

There is a tradition that the rivals stand up and make jokes about each other, but this year it comes after one of the most rancorous campaigns in memory.

Photo Getty Images
Photo Getty Images

At their final debate in Las Vegas, Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman” and they both interrupted each other throughout. They refused to shake hands before or after.

Donald Trump’s nickname for her is “Crooked Hillary” and he has threatened to appoint a special prosecutor to have her jailed if he becomes president.

Hillary Clinton has said Donald Trump is running a “hateful, divisive campaign” and is unfit to take the highest office.

However, at the New York event, they briefly put their differences aside and sat just one seat apart, with Cardinal Timothy Dolan between them.

When they entered and took their seats, they did not shake hands or make eye contact, but when Donald Trump stood up to speak, he gave Hillary Clinton a friendly double-pat on her shoulder.

The billionaire joked that this crowd – of about 1,500 people – was Hillary Clinton’s biggest audience yet, and in a dig at her Wall Street connections, he said it would be unusual for her to be with so many corporate leaders and not get paid.

However, when he said Hillary Clinton was so corrupt she got booted off the Watergate commission, boos rang out.

They resurfaced when, in a reference to emails hacked within Hillary Clinton’s campaign team, Donald Trump said she was “pretending not to hate Catholics”. It was one of the few occasions when the smile left Hillary Clinton’s face.

Perhaps Donald Trump’s best line was when he referred in jest to his wife Melania’s plagiarized speech in July, which borrowed from First Lady Michelle Obama.

Then Hillary Clinton stood up and said: “We’ll either have the first female president or the first president who started a Twitter war with Cher.”

Instead of seeing the Statue of Liberty being a beacon of hope, Donald Trump rates her looks as a “four” or “maybe a five” if she loses the torch and tablet, and changes her hair, Hillary Clinton joked.

Microsoft Shares Hit All-Time High Following Focus On Cloud Computing

Clyde K. Valle
-
0
Microsoft Shares Hit All-Time High Following Focus On Cloud Computing

Microsoft’s shares have hit an all-time high after the company posted better-than-expected quarterly profits.

Its focus on cloud computing helped the software giant to post a $4.7 billion profit for Q3 of 2016.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has focused on building the company’s expertise in cloud-based services amid slowing PC sales.

Shares rose 6% to $60.73 in after-hours trading.

Microsoft said its Nokia division lost $692 million

The previous high was $59.97 in December 1999, close to the peak of the dot-com boom, shortly before Steve Ballmer replaced Bill Gates as CEO.

When Satya Nadella succeeded Steve Ballmer in 2014, Microsoft’s shares were trading below $37.

Investor confidence in Microsoft has been restored by focusing on mobile and cloud computing rather than its traditional products such as the Windows operating system and Office software.

Individuals and businesses are increasingly accessing computing services such as servers, databases, software and storage that are provided over the internet (“the cloud”).

Satya Nadella said the changing business environment meant this was paying off.

“It’s not just the Silicon Valley startups anymore; it is the core enterprise that is also becoming a digital company. And we are well-positioned to serve them,” he said.

Revenue from Microsoft’s Office 365 cloud service increased 8% in the quarter while revenue from its Surface tablet – pitched as a rival to the iPad – rose 38%.

While revenue from its flagship Xbox – Microsoft’s games console – fell, the number of people playing online rose to 47 million from 39 million a year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trP93oU53FA

Donald Trump Will Accept Election Result If He Wins

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Donald Trump Will Accept Election Result If He Wins

Donald Trump has said he will accept the results of the election if he wins.

The Republican nominee added that he would accept a “clear” result – but reserved the right to challenge a “questionable” result.

Donald Trump appeared at a rally in Delaware, Ohio, speaking for the first time after the final debate with rival Hillary Clinton.

He has been heavily criticized for suggesting that he might not accept the election result.

Latest polls suggest Hillary Clinton is ahead nationally and in key battleground states.

Speaking in Ohio, Donald Trump said, grinning: “I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States, that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election – if I win.”

The billionaire also said: “I will accept a clear election result, but I will also reserve my right to contest and file a legal challenge in the case of a questionable result.”

Photo AP
Photo AP

During last night’s debate, when moderator Chris Wallace asked Donald Trump if he would accept losing to Hillary Clinton, the Republican nominee said he would “keep you in suspense”.

Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, later insisted that the candidate had meant he would not concede until the “results are actually known”.

However the remark, which drew anger from some Republicans, is part of Donald Trump’s repeated claim that the election is “rigged” against him.

Donald Trump told the Ohio audience that the election was posing questions about “the fairness of our country”.

Former Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain also released a statement implicitly criticizing Donald Trump’s debate comments.

John McCain, who lost to Barack Obama in 2008, said: “I didn’t like the outcome of the 2008 election. But I had a duty to concede, and I did so without reluctance.

“A concession isn’t just an exercise in graciousness. It is an act of respect for the will of the American people, a respect that is every American leader’s first responsibility.”

At the Ohio rally, Donald Trump also reiterated a claim he made during the debate against Hillary Clinton and President Obama, who he said were responsible for inciting violence at a Chicago rally earlier this year.

The crowd erupted into cheers of: “Lock her up!”

During the debate, Donald Trump called Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman”.

The Republican has trailed Hillary Clinton in the polls after facing damaging fallout over a video that emerged of him making inappropriate remarks about groping women.

When asked to address the allegations made against him by several women in the wake of the video, Donald Trump said the claims had been “largely debunked”.

Donald Trump’s comments come after a 10th woman came forward to accuse him of assault on October 20 at a news conference.

Karena Virginia said Donald Trump allegedly touched her breast at the US Open in 1998 and made offensive comments about her to a group of men.

Donald Trump and Hillary Trump are scheduled to appear at a charity dinner on October 20 in New York.

Schiaparelli Lander Did Not Behave as Expected during Mars Descent

James J. Williams
-
0
Schiaparelli Lander Did Not Behave as Expected during Mars Descent

ESA’s Schiaparelli mission did not behave as expected as it headed down to the surface of Mars on October 19.

According to telemetry data recovered from the probe during its descent, Schiaparelli’s parachute was jettisoned too early.

The rockets it was supposed to use to bring itself to a standstill just above the ground also appeared to fire for too short a time.schiaparelli-lander-mars-landing

The ESA has not yet conceded that the lander crashed but the mood is not positive.

Experts will continue to analyze the data and they may also try to call out to Schiaparelli in the blind hope that it is actually sitting on the Red Planet intact.

In addition, the Americans will use one of their satellites at Mars to image the targeted landing zone to see if they can detect any hardware. Although, the chances are slim because the probe is small.

For the moment, all ESA has to work with is the relatively large volume of engineering data Schiaparelli managed to transmit back to the “mothership” that dropped it off at Mars – the Trace Gas Orbiter.

This shows that everything was fine as the probe entered the atmosphere.

Schiaparelli’s heatshield appeared to do the job of slowing the craft, and the parachute opened as expected to further decelerate the robot.

But it is at the end of the parachute phase that the data indicates unusual behavior.

Super Typhoon Haima Hits Philippines Killing Four People

Diane A. Wade
-
0
Super Typhoon Haima Hits Philippines Killing Four People

Super Typhoon Haima hit the Philippines killing at least four people in the north of the country.

Haima, which brought sustained winds of up to 140mph, made landfall over the northern province of Cagayan on October 19.

Nearly 100,000 people were evacuated from threatened areas as Typhoon Haima approached.

Image source University of Colorado
Image source University of Colorado

There was widespread damage overnight, with homes destroyed and power lines brought down.

According to Filipino authorities, two of those killed were buried in a landslide, and two others buried in a shanty town in a mountainous region.

Experts had feared the storm could prove as destructive as the catastrophic super typhoon Haiyan, which claimed more than 7,350 lives in 2013.

The Philippines endures around 20 major storms every year, many of them deadly.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who was in Beijing on a state visit, had said he prayed the Philippines would be spared but that they were “ready”.

“We only pray we be spared the destruction such as previous times. Everything has been deployed.”

Haima was upgraded to a super typhoon just before it hit in Penablanca, a town in Cagayan province, around 23:00 local time on October 19.

On October 20, there were reports of damage across a wide area.

Haima, known as Lawin locally, had a weather band 500 miles wide, and authorities had warned the public to expect fierce winds and storm surges up to 16 feet or higher.

It is the second typhoon to hit the Philippines in a week, after Sarika struck on October 16. At least one person was killed in that storm, and three people are still missing.

Typhoon Haima is now moving out across the South China Sea towards Hong Kong and southern China.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-kM1JHMBRU

1...227228229...1,243Page 228 of 1,243