New York City has dropped its plans to limit the number of Uber cars operating in the city.
Instead of the cap, the taxi hailing app has agreed to take part in a four-month study looking at the impact of its cars on traffic and pollution in the city.
In return, New York said it would not impose a car limit for this period.
The move comes the day before a city council vote, which could have seen the cap imposed.
The deal NYC has struck with Uber appears weaker than the legislation in the vote, which called for a 1% cap on the company’s growth in the city and a year-long study.
In a statement, Uber said it welcomed the agreement.
“We are pleased new drivers will continue to be free to join the for-hire industry and partner with Uber. Together, we can build an even better, more reliable transportation system,” said Josh Mohrer, Uber NYC’s general manager.
Since being founded in San Francisco in 2009, Uber has grown into a huge ridesharing enterprise – with services now offered in more than 200 cities.
However, in many cities, local cab companies and drivers have staged protests against the service.
In New York, complaints have centered around the idea that Uber has become too dominant, overtaking the city’s iconic yellow taxis.
Reality star and defense lawyer Loredana Nesci has died in Los Angeles in what is being reported as a homicide.
Loredana Nesci, star of the Sundance Channel’s Loredana, Esq., was found dead in her Los Angeles home on July 22.
Her partner, Robert Reagan, reportedly called police at 7:20 a.m. PT. Officers from the Redondo Beach Police Department responded and found a deceased woman in the Redondo Beach residence. The police suspect foul play and have arrested Robert Reagan, 51, on suspicion of murder.
A neighbor said his wife, who was home at the time of the incident, didn’t hear any loud noises or fighting coming from Loredana Nesci and Robert Reagan’s home, and he had never noticed anything “wrong or weird” with the couple in the past.
Loredana Nesci started her career as a Los Angeles police officer – at one point, she was involved in a shoot-out at a bank in North Hollywood – before leaving the LAPD to attend law school at Quinnnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.
She later joined two Connecticut practices, Spinella & Associates and Cadden, Ivers & Ivers, and was dubbed “The Legal Diva” by the Connecticut Law Tribune, a name that stuck when she moved back to California in 2004.
In 2008, Loredana Nesci began hosting her own radio show on KCAA 1050 AM. Her Sundance show kicked off in 2013, and she had also contributed on The View. At the time of her death, her website noted that Loredana, Esq. was still airing, and she was slated to make more TV appearances in 2015.
Loredana Nesci leaves behind one son with Robert Reagan, Rocco Nesci-Reagan.
A former fitness competitor, Loredana Nesci’s social media was filled with posts of her frequent workouts, love of the New York Yankees and devotion to her family, including son Rocco and their pets, dogs Louie and Toukie and two cats.
Loredana Nesci’s last Instagram post, just 24 hours ago, was of her giving Louie a sweet kiss and included the hashtags “luckydiva,” “dogkisses” and “girlsbestfriend”.
Officials have denied editing Texas police dash cam footage showing the arrest of Sandra Bland who died three days later in custody.
Footage of the July 10 arrest shows 28-year-old Sandra Bland’s car being pulled over for failing to signal and then an ensuing confrontation with the officer.
There are several jumps during the 52-minute film, which has had more than one million views on YouTube.
However, Texas authorities say it was not edited and that it will be re-uploaded.
The coroner said Sandra Bland hanged herself in her cell but her family has demanded an independent post-mortem examination.
State officials and the FBI are both investigating her death.
In the video, released by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Brian Encinia, a white police officer, is seen issuing a ticket and then asking her to stub out her cigarette, which she refuses.
When Sandra Bland refuses to step out of the car, Officer Brian Encinia tries unsuccessfully to pull her out.
He then appears to threaten her with a Taser and says the words: “I will light you up.”
Sandra Bland gets out of the car and they move out of vision, but the audio suggests the confrontation becomes physical before more officers arrive.
Several breaks in the video were highlighted on social media shortly after the film was released with many using the broken footage to question the entire film’s authenticity:
25:01 – A man walks away from a pick-up truck and out of shot, before reappearing at the door of the vehicle a few seconds later
32:37 – A white car comes into shot then disappears before reappearing a couple of seconds later. The audio doesn’t appear to break during this time, with the officer heard discussing the incident
33:04 – The same footage of the white car is looped, again with no noticeable break in the audio
In a statement released on July 22, DPS spokesman Tom Vinger said the video “has not been edited”.
“Some of the video… was affected in the upload and is being addressed. We are working to repost the dash cam video,” he added.
Officer Brian Encinia, who has been on the force for just over a year, said he was kicked during the arrest. He has been put on administrative leave.
Texas DPS director Steven McCraw said his officers have “an obligation to exhibit professionalism and be courteous” but that “wasn’t the case in this situation”.
Authorities also released surveillance video from the jail showing officers responding to Sandra Bland’s death but it does not show the cell.
Jail Sheriff Glen Smith said his staff checked on Sandra Bland less than an hour before she was found dead.
In March, Sandra Bland said she was suffering from “a little bit of depression” and post-traumatic stress disorder in a video posted on her Facebook page.
However, family and friends say Sandra Bland was in good spirits in recent months and had just started a new job. She was also said to be in good health when she arrived at the jail.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has suspended the execution of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy.
Asia Bibi, who has been on death row for nearly five years, was given leave to appeal. No hearing date was set.
She denies insulting the Prophet Mohammed, saying her Muslim accusers were acting on a personal grudge.
Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan – critics argue laws are frequently misused to settle personal scores, often targeting minorities.
This is the first time in the case that there has been a glimmer of hope for Asia Bibi.
She was the first woman to be sentenced to death under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and her case is one of the most controversial in Pakistan.
Thousands have protested against her and said they would kill her if she were ever released – including the imam in her own village. Her husband and four daughters live in hiding and say they have received many death threats.
Asia Bibi’s death sentence had been confirmed by the High Court in Punjab province in October, although no date was set.
However, on July 22, the Supreme Court suspended the sentence until the end of the appeal process.
“The execution of Asia Bibi has been suspended and will remain suspended until the decision of this appeal,” her lawyer told reporters outside the court.
He said key witnesses had failed to turn up during hearings by the High Court.
Pakistan has never executed anyone for blasphemy but some people accused of the offence in the past have been lynched by crowds. Lawyers, judges and those seeking to reform the blasphemy laws have also been threatened, attacked or even killed.
Since the 1990s, scores of Christians have been convicted for desecrating the Koran or for blasphemy.
While most of them have been sentenced to death by the lower courts, many sentences have been overturned due to lack of evidence.
Muslims constitute a majority of those prosecuted, followed by minority Ahmadis.
The first details of how Eli Lilly’s solanezumab drug could slow the pace of brain decline for patients with early stage Alzheimer’s disease have emerged.
Data from pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly suggests its drug can cut the rate of the dementia’s progression by about a third.
The results, presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in the US, are being met with cautious optimism.
A new trial is due to report next year and should provide definitive evidence.
The death of brain cells in Alzheimer’s is currently unstoppable. Solanezumab may be able to keep them alive.
Current medication, such as Aricept (Donepezil), can manage only the symptoms of dementia by helping the dying brain cells function.
But solanezumab attacks the deformed proteins, called amyloid, that build up in the brain during Alzheimer’s.
It is thought the formation of sticky plaques of amyloid between nerve cells leads to damage and eventually brain cell death.
Solanezumab has long been the great hope of dementia research, yet an 18-month trial of the drug seemingly ended in failure in 2012.
However, when Eli Lilly looked more closely at the data, there were hints it could be working for patients in the earliest stages of the disease.
It appeared to slow progression by around 34% during the study.
So the company asked just over 1,000 of the patients in the original trial with mild Alzheimer’s to take the drug for another two years.
Positive results from this extension of the original trial have now been presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.
They show those taking the drugs the longest had the most benefit.
Eli Lilly also started a completely separate trial in mild patients in 2012, and these results could prove to be the definitive moment for the drug.
In the first stage of the original trial, which ended in failure, half of the patients with Alzheimer’s were given solanezumab and half were not.
A reanalysis of the cognition scores of the patients with mild Alzheimer’s suggested taking the drug had cut the rate of the disease’s progression by about 34%.
The implication is that the amount of cognitive decline normally seen in 18 months would take 24 months with the drug.
In the extension of the original trial, all of the 1,000-plus mild Alzheimer’s patients participating were given solanezumab.
At the end of the extension, half of them had been taking the drug for three and a half years while the other half had been taking it for two years.
The latest data shows those taking solanezumab for the longest time still had better scores of cognitive function.
This suggests the course of the disease was being slowed.
If the patients’ brains had continued to decline at the normal pace and the drug had been merely helping with symptoms, then all of the patients participating in the extension of the original trial – whether they had been taking solanezumab for three and a half or two years – would have had similar scores of cognitive function.
Apple has posted a record jump in profits in Q2 2015 as demand for iPhones soared.
However, Apple’s shares fell in after-hours trading after revenue forecasts disappointed analysts.
Apple sold 47.5 million iPhones in the quarter to June 27, up 35% on a year ago, with Mac computer sales up 9% to 4.8 million.
CEO Tim Cook called it “an amazing quarter”.
Profits rose 38% to $10.7 billion, while revenue was up 33% to $49.6 billion.
The third quarter is typically the slowest for iPhone sales because many customers put off buying new phones, on the expectation of a new model.
Despite the strong results, shares fell 6.7%, or $8.85, to $121.89 in after-market trading in New York.
Analysts blamed the fall on disappointment about Apple’s revenue forecasts for the fourth quarter, which were slightly lower than expected, as well as the firm’s profits being too heavily dependent on the iPhone.
Apple is forecasting revenue to be between $49 billion and $51 billion in the fourth quarter.
Demand for iPad tablets remained weak, with Apple selling 10.9 million, down 18% from a year earlier.
However, Tim Cook also said the Apple Watch had had a “great start”, in the first indication of how well the company’s first piece of wearable technology was selling.
Apple’s chief executive said last autumn that he did not want to reveal detailed figures for the watch, which went on sale on April 24, to avoid giving competitors inside information.
Apple said that revenue from “other products”, which includes the watch as well as products such as the iPod and its Beats headphones, came to $2.6 billion – about $952 million higher than the previous quarter.
Chief financial officer Luca Maestri said that revenue from the watch amounted to “well over'” that $952 million increase.
Sales of the watch in the first nine weeks had exceeded those of both the iPhone and iPad after they were first launched, he added.
Apple said its gross margin – the difference between the amount it spends on making the products versus how much consumers pay – was 39.7%, up slightly on a year ago.
The technology giant also continued to do well in the China market – defined by Apple as China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Sales doubled year-on-year and accounted for more than a quarter of Apple’s total third-quarter sales.
The jump should help to reassure investors that demand in China remains robust despite fears the market is close to saturation point.
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which smashed iPhone sales records when they were launched last year, are now 10 months old.
The suicide bomber who killed 32 youth activists in the Turkish town of Suruc has been identified, government officials say.
According to the DNA tests, the attacker was a 20-year-old Turkish student, named by local media as Seyh Abdurrahman Alagoz.
Seyh Abdurrahman Alagoz came from the south-eastern province of Adiyaman and was reportedly linked to ISIS militants.
Meanwhile, two Turkish police officers have been found dead in the town of Ceylanpinar near the Syrian border.
The officers were found with bullet wounds in the house they shared in the town, which is in the same province as Suruc.
The outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) has claimed responsibility for the killings, saying it was in revenge for the massacre in Suruc and accusing the police officers of collaborating with ISIS.
At least one of the officers worked for an anti-terrorism task force, the AA news agency said.
Regional governor Izzetin Kucuk earlier said it was not yet clear “if there is a terrorist link”.
The suicide bombing on July 20 claimed 32 lives and injured 100 others, making it one of the deadliest attacks in Turkey in recent years.
The activists were mainly university students, who were holding a news conference when an explosion ripped through the Amara Cultural Centre.
They had been planning to travel to Syria to help rebuild the town of Kobane. The youngest victim was Okan Pirinc, who was 18, according to the Turkish media.
Seyh Abdurrahman Alagoz’s mother told the newspaper Radikal, that her son had gone “abroad” six months ago and returned 10 days ago.
A senior Turkish official told Reuters that he believed the bomber, who he did not name, had travelled to Syria last year with the help of a group linked to ISIS militants.
There were rallies in cities across the country on July 21, with people condemning the attack and protesting at the government’s policies on Syria.
Many feel Ankara has not done enough to combat the threat of ISIS militants.
However, PM Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkish leaders were committed to beating the group.
In a tweet, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS, Ahmet Davutoglu said: “I declare it to our esteemed nation and the entire world once again: Daesh and similar terrorist organizations will never achieve their target.”
PM Ahmet Davutoglu is due to chair a cabinet meeting on July 22 aimed at improving security on Turkey’s border with Syria.
Nicki Minaj’s criticism of the MTV VMA 2015 nominations has descended into a Twitter row with Taylor Swift and other celebrities.
She told MTV that she was upset her videos for Anaconda and Feeling Myself hadn’t had more recognition.
In a stream of tweets Nicki Minaj suggests that white musicians were favored over her.
“If I was a different “kind” of artist, Anaconda would be nominated for best choreo and vid of the year as well,” the rapper tweeted.
MTV has nominated Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar (Bad Blood), Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (Uptown Funk), Beyonce (7/11), Ed Sheeran (Thinking Out Loud) and Kendrick Lamar (Alright) for best video.
Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda has been nominated in the best hip-hop video category, but Feeling Myself, which features Beyonce, has not been put forward for any awards.
“When the “other” girls drop a video that breaks records and impacts culture they get that nomination,” Nicki Minaj said on Twitter.
She put out a tweet which some people interpreted as being a jibe aimed at Taylor Swift, who featured models and other female celebrities in her Bad Blood video.
Nicki Minaj added: “If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year.”
Taylor Swift obviously took it that way too, tweeting: “@NICKIMINAJ I’ve done nothing but love & support you. It’s unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot.”
However, Nicki Minaj said Taylor Swift was missing the point.
“Huh? U must not be reading my tweets. Didn’t say a word about u. I love u just as much. But u should speak on this. @taylorswift13”
Then Nicki Minaj replied: “Oh but trust me. I’ll be on that stage to collect my awards for vid of the year. Feeling Myself & Anaconda.”
Later on, Taylor Swift made this offer: “@NICKIMINAJ If I win, please come up with me!! You’re invited to any stage I’m ever on.”
Nicki Minaj said the media’s focus on her disagreement with Taylor Swift was an attempt to “overshadow” the discussion she was trying to have about racial issues in the music industry.
Next in the firing line was Ryan Seacrest, who posted a headline on his website (which has now been removed) saying that Nicki Minaj had taken “jabs” at Taylor Swift.
Nicki Minaj reacted: “Ryan posted a headline of Taylor saying she loves & supports me. But not me saying the same to her. Lol. Their headline says I took a “jab”?”
Kim Kardashian also got caught up in the row, after sharing a photo of herself with the caption: “Imma let you finish.”
This phrase is reminiscent of what the reality star’s husband, Kanye West, said to Taylor Swift when he invaded the stage during her acceptance speech at the MTV VMAs in 2009.
“Wait wait I’m in Paris it’s the middle of the night & I’m posting my Vogue Spain pics not having a clue what’s going on in the music world,” she tweeted.
“I’m not trying to shade anyone! That’s not my style! I just thought that caption was perfect for that pic! Changing the caption now! #ironic,”Kim Kardashian added.
Other celebrities saw the chance for a joke and jumped on it.
University of Essex in the UK is in “exploratory discussions” to build the world’s deepest swimming pool for spaceflight and human endurance research.
The proposed 164ft deep pool at the university would be far deeper than NASA’s own 40ft deep training pool in Houston, Texas.
If it goes ahead, the project is expected to cost £40 million ($60 million).
The pool would simulate the microgravity of outer space and deep sea environments.
The university’s development partner Blue Abyss said the pool could be used, for human spaceflight research programs, environmental monitoring ,training in advanced commercial diving techniques, marine and human physiology research and aerospace development.
The world’s current deepest pool is the Y-40 diving pool in Montegrotto Terme, Italy, which is 137ft deep.
John Vickers, managing director of Blue Abyss, said: “All the ingredients are here; the location near to Stansted Airport and the North Sea offshore industry via Harwich; a superb campus site and an excellent research base within the University’s academic departments.”
University of Essex Registrar Bryn Morris said the pool idea fitted in “very well” with the university’s “strengths”.
Spectre’s first full-length trailer for has been released online.
The two-and-a-half minute clip – which sees Daniel Craig reprise his role as James Bond for a fourth time – gives a closer look at the movie after a teaser was released in March.
Featuring car chases, exploding planes and shady crime organizations, it bares all the hallmarks of classic James Bond.
Spectre will have its world premiere in London on October 26.
The new trailer for the 24th James Bond movie begins with a first look at Ralph Fiennes in his new role as MI6 boss M, questioning Bond about a rogue mission to Mexico City.
James Bond is then seen in Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra – played by Monica Bellucci – the widow of an infamous criminal.
After a suggested quick tryst with Lucia Sciarra, James Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the crime organization known as Spectre.
Having previously only seen him as a shadowy character in the teaser clip, Christoph Waltz is also finally revealed as James Bond villain Franz Oberhauser.
There is also a first glimpse of Andrew Scott, who stars as Max Denbigh, the new head of the Centre for National Security.
Fans on Twitter were quick to give their reaction to the new trailer and many noted it featured some of the theme to 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Texas officials have released a video recorded by a police dash cam showing the arrest of Sandra Bland, an African-American woman who died three days later in custody.
Footage of the July 10 arrest shows Sandra Bland’s car being pulled over for failing to signal and then an ensuing confrontation with the officer.
The coroner said the woman hanged herself in her cell but her family has demanded an independent autopsy.
State officials and the FBI are both investigating her death.
In the video, released by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the policeman is seen issuing a ticket and then asking Sandra Bland, 28, to stub out her cigarette, which she refuses.
When the woman refuses to step out of the car, he tries unsuccessfully to pull her out. He then appears to threaten her with a Taser and says the words: “I will light you up.”
Sandra Bland gets out of the car and the two of them move out of vision, but the audio suggests the confrontation becomes physical during the arrest before more officers arrive.
The arresting officer said he was kicked. He has been put on administrative leave.
Later the video appears to have abrupt breaks in its continuity and is looped in several places, suggesting it was edited prior to release.
At 25:01 a man is seen walking away from his pick-up truck and out of shot, before reappearing at the door of the vehicle a few seconds later.
Social media users, including award-winning film director Ava DuVernay, have questioned the video’s authenticity.
On July 21, local district attorney Elton Mathis said the case – like all deaths in a jail cell – would be investigated as a murder.
The death of Sandra Bland is one of several under national scrutiny in which a black person has died while in police custody.
Other high-profile cases, since the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson last summer, have sparked protests and sometimes unrest.
On July 21, prosecutors in Cincinnati, Ohio said they were probing the fatal shooting of a black motorist by a white police officer who had stopped him over a missing licence plate.
Samuel Dubose, 43, apparently refused to co-operate with Officer Ray Tensing, leading to a struggle.
He was then shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene.
The police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues.
Sandra Bland’s family has ordered an independent autopsy and called for an investigation by the Department of Justice.
Video footage did not show what happened inside Sandra Bland’s cell, but did suggest no-one entered or left it until someone found her unconscious.
Jail Sheriff Glen Smith said his staff checked on her less than an hour before she was found dead.
Sandra Bland’s sister, Shante Needham, said Sandra called her from jail, saying she did not know why she had been arrested and that an officer had possibly broken her arm.
Data on Solanezumab, the most promising drug in treating Alzheimer’s disease, is set to be unveiled on July 22.
Patients and scientists hope Solanezumab (Alzforum) could become the first medication to slow the pace of brain decline.
The decline in Alzheimer’s is unstoppable – drugs can help with symptoms, but nothing prevents the inexorable death of brain cells.
Hints at the drug’s effectiveness will be outlined, but Solanezumab has been the great hope of dementia research.
Eli Lilly’s drug targets deformed proteins called amyloid that build up in the brain during Alzheimer’s.
Solanezumab is thought the formation of sticky plaques of amyloid between nerve cells leads to damage and eventually brain cell death.
Trials of Solanezumab seemingly ended in failure in 2012.
When the company looked more closely at the data, there were hints it could be working for patients in the earliest stages of the disease.
Those people have continued to take the drugs and results on how they have progressed are due to be revealed later at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Washington.
It is known that these drugs are not stopping, halting or curing dementia.
The closer analysis of the 2012 data showed that all patients continued their cognitive decline – but seemingly at a slower pace in those taking the drugs.
Yet developing a drug that just slows the pace of dementia would be regarded by experts as a groundbreaking moment.
Estimates suggest that delaying the onset of dementia by five years would reduce the number of cases by a third.
Data being released on July 22 could represent a step closer to that breakthrough drug, but the critical moment will be a fresh clinical trial expected to report next year.
The idea that amyloid is the main culprit in Alzheimer’s is still hotly debated so promising drug trial data would also hint that scientists are at least on the right track.
World’s first bionic eye implant has been performed by Manchester surgeons in a patient with dry age-related macular degeneration.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of sight loss in the developed world.
The patient, 80-year-old Ray Flynn, has dry age-related macular degeneration which has led to the total loss of his central vision.
Ray Flynn is using a retinal implant which converts video images from a miniature video camera worn on his glasses.
He can now make out the direction of white lines on a computer screen using the retinal implant.
Ray Flynn said he was “delighted” with the implant and hoped in time it would improve his vision sufficiently to help him with day-to-day tasks like gardening and shopping.
The Argus II implant, manufactured by the US-based company Second Sight, has previously been used to restore some vision to patients who are blind as a result of a rare condition known as retinitis pigmentosa.
Photo PA
The operation, at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, is the first time it has been implanted in a patient with age-related macular degeneration.
Ray Flynn said he had to sit very close to the TV to see anything.
He had given up going to see Manchester United play football as he cannot make out what is happening.
The operation took four hours and was led by Paulo Stanga, consultant ophthalmologist and vitreo-retinal surgeon at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and professor of ophthalmology and retinal regeneration at the University of Manchester.
Prof. Paulo Stanga said: “Mr. Flynn’s progress is truly remarkable, he is seeing the outline of people and objects very effectively.
“I think this could be the beginning of a new era for patients with sight loss.”
The bionic eye implant receives its visual information from a miniature camera mounted on glasses worn by the patient.
The images are converted into electrical pulses and transmitted wirelessly to an array of electrodes attached to the retina.
The electrodes stimulate the remaining retina’s remaining cells which send the information to the brain.
In a test, two weeks after surgery, Ray Flynn was able to detect the pattern of horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines on a computer screen using the implant.
Ray Flynn kept his eyes closed during the test so that the medical team could be sure that the visual information was coming via the camera on his glasses and the implant.
He said: “It was wonderful to be able to see the bars on the screen with my eyes closed.”
The implant cannot provide any highly detailed vision – but previous studies have shown it can help patients to detect distinct patterns such as door frames and shapes.
Prof. Paulo Stanga said that in time, Ray Flynn should learn how to interpret the images from the implant more effectively.
Four more patients with dry AMD will receive the implant at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, as part of a clinical trial.
Prof. Paulo Stanga said: “We hope these patients will develop some central visual function which they can work in alongside and complement their peripheral vision.
“We are very excited by this trial and hope that this technology might help people, including children with other forms of sight loss.”
The Argus II costs about $240,000, including treatment costs, although all the patients on the trial will be treated free of charge.
Gregoire Cosendai of Second Sight Medical Products, described the AMD study as “totally groundbreaking research”.
According toTurkey’s PM Ahmet Davutoglu, a suspect has been identified in the suicide bomb attack that killed 32 young activists in Suruc.
PM Ahmet Davutoglu, who is due to visit the scene of the blast in Suruc near the Syrian border, said the suspect’s international and domestic links were being investigated.
There was a “high probability” that ISIS was to blame, he added.
The Turkish government has now vowed to increase security at the Syrian border.
“What’s necessary will be done against whomever responsible for [the attack],” said Ahmet Davutoglu.
“This is an attack that targeted Turkey,” he added.
Ahmet Davutoglu rejected claims that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) had not done enough to combat ISIS militants, saying the government had “never tolerated any terrorist group”.
A cabinet meeting on July 22 will examine additional security measures along the border with Syria.
Officials initially suggested the bomber may have been female, but local media outlets have named a man in connection with the attack.
All rallies and marches in the city of Sanliurfa, where Suruc is located, have now been banned.
The governor of the city said the measure was aimed at preventing “undesirable occurrences”.
The funerals of some of the victims have already taken place, but many relatives are still awaiting news of their loved ones.
The youth activists, who were mainly university students, were holding a news conference when the bomb ripped through the cultural centre. They had been planning to travel to Syria to help rebuild the town of Kobane.
Social media images showed the group, who were members of the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations, relaxing over breakfast a few hours before the noon blast.
Ahmet Davutoglu is expected to visit the scene of the massacre later on Tuesday.
Suruc is home to many refugees who have fled fierce fighting between ISIS and Kurdish fighters in nearby Kobane.
Australian surfer Mick Fanning has vowed to return to surfing despite fighting off a shark during this year’s J-Bay Open in South Africa.
Mick Fanning, 34, described his terrifying ordeal to reporters in Sydney on his return home.
He thanked his “warrior” mate and fellow competitor Julian Wilson who swam into the fray to help.
In one light moment, Mick Fanning was asked if he had a message for the shark.
He replied: “Thanks for not eating me.”
“I guess someone was looking out for me. To walk away from a shark attack with not a scratch on you, it’s a miracle really,” he said.
Mick Fanning was the defending champion at the tournament at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa’s Eastern Cape and a three-time world champion.
Dramatic footage of the encounter on July 19 showed the moment when the shark hit the back of his board.
“It sort of came up and went for the tail of my board,” Mick Fanning said.
“I don’t know why it didn’t bite. It just kept coming back.”
“I was on top of it, trying to put my board in between us,” he said.
“I don’t know if I punched it hard or if they were baby punches. I just went into fight or flight.”
After that, jet-skis and rescue boats arrived to pick Mick Fanning up.
Julian Wilson, also a competitor at the event, paddled towards Mick Fanning when he saw the shark.
“I came over the wave, praying he would be there and not … with blood everywhere,” he told reporter at the same press conference.
“The worst case scenario is in your head.”
Mick Fanning said he would return to surfing, and to the J-Bay event, but it may take some time.
“I’m sure I’ll go surfing [soon], surfing has given me so much, it’s something that gives me peace, I’m sure I’ll go back out … I’m quite anxious to get back home,” Mick Fanning said according to the Guardian.
Jules Bianchi’s funeral is being held in his hometown of Nice, France, as tributes to the Formula 1 driver continue to be paid.
Family, friends and fellow drivers are attending the service at Nice’s cathedral while his fans gathered outside.
Jules Bianchi, 25, died on July 17 from result of head injuries in a crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix.
His car number, 17, is being retired from F1 in his honor.
Jules Bianchi had been in a coma since crashing his Marussia car into a recovery vehicle at a rain-hit race last October.
He is the first F1 driver to die from injuries sustained in a grand prix since Brazilian triple world champion Ayrton Senna was killed at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.
Tributes are expected to be paid at Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend.
A number of Formula 1 colleagues travelled to Nice to pay their respects on July 21. Large posters of Jules Bianchi were draped outside the cathedral entrance.
Announcing his death on July 18, Jules Bianchi’s family said: “Jules fought right to the very end, as he always did, but today his battle came to an end.”
The Marussia team, now known as Manor, said Jules Bianchi had left an “indelible mark on all our lives”.
Toshiba CEO and President Hisao Tanaka has resigned after the company said it had overstated its profits for the past six years.
Hisao Tanaka will be succeeded by chairman Masashi Muromachi, with vice-chairman Norio Sasaki also stepping down.
On July 20, an independent panel appointed by Toshiba said the company had overstated its operating profit by a total of 151.8 billion yen ($1.22 billion).
The overstatement was roughly triple an initial Toshiba estimate.
“It has been revealed that there has been inappropriate accounting going on for a long time, and we deeply apologize for causing this serious trouble for shareholders and other stakeholders,” Toshiba said in a statement.
“Because of this Hisao Tanaka, our company president, and Norio Sasaki, our company’s vice chairman… will resign today.”
Hisao Tanaka, 64, and Norio Sasaki, 66, both joined Toshiba in the early 1970s.
Norio Sasaki served as Toshiba president between June 2009 and June 2013, covering most of the period during which the company inflated the profits.
Toshiba’s accounting scandal began when securities regulators uncovered problems as they probed the company’s balance sheet earlier this year.
The findings mean Toshiba will have to restate its profits for the period between April 2008 and March 2014. It is unclear whether it will affect the company’s results for the year ending March 2015.
Japan’s finance minister, Taro Aso, said the case could undermine confidence in corporate governance in the country.
Taro Aso added the accounting irregularities at Toshiba were “very regrettable”.
Japan’s government has been trying to regain global investors’ confidence with better corporate governance after Olympus, was found to have covered up $1.7 billion in losses in late 2011, in what was until now Japan’s worst corporate governance scandal.
The report’s findings are expected to lead to the restatement of earnings, a board overhaul and potentially hefty fines for Toshiba.
The inquiry found that the misreporting of profits began after the financial crash seven years ago, when senior managers began imposing unrealistic performance targets.
“Within Toshiba, there was a corporate culture in which one could not go against the wishes of superiors,” the report said.
“Therefore, when top management presented <<challenges>>, division presidents, line managers and employees below them continually carried out inappropriate accounting practices to meet targets in line with the wishes of their superiors.”
Hisao Tanaka and his predecessor Norio Sasaki are among eight high-level executives who have now resigned after the independent report found senior management complicit in a scheme to inflate profits over several years.
Regulators are believed to be starting their own review of Toshiba’s book-keeping, based on Monday’s report.
Shares in Toshiba rose 6% on the Nikkei stock exchange in Japan on relief that the report had few nasty surprises. But they are still down around 23% since Toshiba first disclosed cases of accounting irregularities in early April.
IBM’s sales dropped for the 13th consecutive quarter, the world’s largest technology services company has reported.
According to the company, revenue fell 13.5% to $20.8 billion, while net profit fell 17% to $3.5 billion.
The strong US dollar and IBM’s decision to move away from its hardware business to focus on higher-margin operations both hit its performance.
CEO Ginni Rometty said that the second-quarter results reflected the company’s ongoing transformation.
“We continue to transform our business to higher value and return value to shareholders,” she said.
US sales fell 8%, while European, Middle East and African sales dropped 17%.
However, its worst performance was in Brazil, Russia, India and China where sales fell 35%.
IBM said much of the fall was due to the impact of the strong US dollar and the sale of its System x business. Excluding that unit, sales were down by just 18%.
In contrast, IBM said revenues from its new areas of focus – cloud computing, analytics and engagement – had risen by more than 20% this year.
IBM shares fell 4.9% in after-hours trading in New York.
They closed at $173.25, valuing the company at almost $170 billion.
Greece has cleared overdue debt repayments of €2.05 billion to the IMF and is no longer in arrears, the creditor has confirmed.
The repayments, and another for €4.2 billion to the European Central Bank (ECB) due on Monday, came after the EU made Greece a short-term loan of €7 billion.
Greece missed one repayment to the IMF in June and another earlier this month.
Earlier on Monday, Greek banks reopened after being closed for three weeks.
However, many restrictions remain and Greeks are facing price rises with an increase in VAT.
IMF spokesman Gerry Rice confirmed in a statement that Greece had repaid the totality of its arrears.
“As we have said, the fund stands ready to continue assisting Greece in its efforts to return to financial stability and growth,” he said.
Greece missed its first repayment to the IMF on June 30 and another on July 13 during deadlock over negotiations for a third bailout.
The crisis brought Greece to the brink of economic collapse and an exit from the euro.
The Greek government has since reached a cash-for-reforms deal with its creditors and negotiations are due to begin on the proposed €86 billion rescue package.
For the past three weeks, Greeks have been waiting in line at cash machines to withdraw a maximum of €60 a day, a restriction imposed amid fear of a run on the banks.
From July 20, the daily limit becomes a weekly one capped at €420, meaning Greeks will not have to queue every day.
However, a block on transfers to foreign banks and a ban on cashing cheques remain in place.
VAT is rising from 13% to 23% meaning Greeks will pay more on a range of goods and services, including taxis and restaurants.
The rise was among a package of reforms demanded by Greece’s creditors.
PM Alexis Tsipras faced a rebellion from within his left-wing Syriza party over the tough austerity measures being demanded by other eurozone leaders, who are among Greece’s creditors.
He has since replaced his rebel ministers but analysts say his government has been weakened and fresh elections may be held in September or October.
The Greek parliament is due to hold a second vote on July 22 on measures including justice and banking reforms. The government is again likely to scrape through, supported by opposition parties.
Representatives from Greece’s creditors – known as the Troika – are due to arrive in the country soon and talks on the new bailout are expected to last about a month.
The eurozone is currently managed by the Eurogroup, made up of the finance ministers of each nation.
Josh Greenberg, the co-founder of recently-shut down music streaming website Grooveshark, has been found dead in his Florida home, local police have said.
Josh Greenberg, who was aged 28, created Grooveshark in 2006.
According to Gainesville police, there was “no evidence of foul play or suicide”.
Grooveshark closed in April this year following years of legal action from several record labels.
A US court had determined that the site could be liable for $736 million in damages after it was judged to have willfully breached copyright when building the service’s music library.
In closing the site, its owners posted a statement, which read: “Despite [the] best of intentions, we made very serious mistakes. We failed to secure licenses from rights holders for the vast amount of music on the service.
“That was wrong. We apologize. Without reservation.”
Josh Greenberg’s mother Lori told the Gainesville Sun newspaper that her son had been in good spirits.
“He was excited about potential new things that he was going to start,” Lori Greenberg said, adding that she did not believe he had any health concerns.
At the company’s peak, the newspaper said, Grooveshark employed 145 people.
Marvel’s Ant-Man has topped the North American box office, earning $58 million in its first weekend on release.
Ant-Man, which stars Paul Rudd as a thief who is recruited to become a shrinking action hero, bumped Minions off the top of the box office chart.
The movie’s first weekend takings were lower than for other major Marvel films like Captain America and Iron Man.
Photo IMDb
Ant-Man’s $130 million budget was also smaller than most Marvel blockbusters.
Minions made $50.2 million between Friday and Sunday, putting it in second place, according to studio estimates.
Romantic comedy Trainwreck, written by and starring Amy Schumer, exceeded expectations to earn $30.2 million and third place.
Pixar’s Inside Out was at No 4 with $11.6 million, closely followed by Jurassic World, with $11.4 million.
That made the dinosaur thriller only the fourth movie in history to have made more than $600 million at North American box offices, behind Avatar, Titanic and AvengersAssemble.
If you are married or are in a long term relationship, you have the potential to get your financial life in order like never before. Most of us don’t start out in the best of financial shape. But this doesn’t mean that you can’t improve with time – sometimes by many orders of magnitude! Some couples share financial responsibilities, but others do not. Traditionally, one member was an earner, the other the manager. Sometimes one person performed both of these roles. But if you want to maximize your long term financial potential as a couple, you’ve both got to be involved and invested. There are many financial incentives for married people. These aren’t reason enough to get hitched if you otherwise don’t want to. But if you are married, there’s no reason not to take advantage of these laws. For the rest of us, here’s how a long term relationship can be leveraged to improve both partners’ financial lives.
Housing. Housing is one of the biggest expenses you’ll pay over the course of your life. Wouldn’t it be great if you could reduce it? Well, you can. If you and your partner can manage to buy a home together, you’re likely to accrue wealth much faster than if you remained renters. Houses tend to increase in value by 4-5% per year. Also, through the equity process, you pay yourselves every month, not some landlord. Furthermore, your annual taxes may be written off and mortgage loan interest rates are subsidized to be lower than any other loan you could possibly get. Add to this the ability to secure cheap financing by borrowing against your home’s equity in the future, and you have a veritable wealth building machine, all made even more accessible through partnered finances.
Investment. If you clicked the link above, you understand marriage favors long term investment, even if one partner is not working. For short term investment, platforms like Forex allow you to see big returns in the shorter term. com provides many educational opportunities, in order to try your hand at this form of investment before you actually risk any real money. By planning your investment life together, in the short and long term, you can help ensure that you and your partner grow your wealth throughout your relationship.
Daily Spending. Through joint budgeting and general frugality, you and your partner can make sure you are living well beneath your means. This way, you won’t have to work endlessly to fund a lifestyle you have no time to enjoy. The average American couple wastes a lot of money. By organizing your spending behaviors, you’ll have a much better chance of achieving a sustainable and enjoyable lifestyle in the long term.
As you can see, relationships make it easier to get one’s finances in order. It just helps to have someone on your side, an extra hand to help figure some of this stuff out. It might take years to really see progress, but with steady work and good communication, you guys will figure it out.
Bandleader, conductor and author Van Alexander has died at the age of 100.
According to Variety, Van Alexander died of heart failure on July 19 in a Los Angeles hospital.
Van Alexander played an important role in Ella Fitzgerald’s career, co-writing her first big hit, the nursery rhyme-inspired A-Tisket, A-Tasket, in 1938.
He went on to write and arrange music for Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie and The Dean Martin Show.
Born Alexander Van Vliet Feldman in New York in May 1915, he was taught to play the piano by mother, a classical pianist.
Hired to write arrangements for Chick Webb’s big band orchestra, he went on to form his own band in the late 1930s.
After moving to California in 1943, Van Alexander found a new outlet in underscoring – the provision of background music for film and TV productions.
His work on Mickey Rooney’s TV show led him to compose music for a number of the actor’s movies, among them 1957’s Baby Face Nelson.
In the 1970s, Van Alexander was nominated for three Emmys for his work on such TV variety shows as Gene Kelly’s Wonderful World of Girls.
Van Alexander won a lifetime achievement award in 2002 from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
His 100th birthday was marked in May by a celebration attended by more than 200 family members and friends, at which he said his “wonderful life” had been “blessed”.
Van Alexander, whose wife Beth died in 2010, is survived by two daughters, four grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
At least 28 people have been killed and nearly 100 others wounded in a bomb attack in the Turkish town of Suruc, across the border from the Syrian town of Kobane.
The explosion may have been caused by a female suicide attacker, officials say.
The blast targeted a group of young people who planned to travel to Kobane to assist with rebuilding. Kobane has seen heavy fighting between ISIS militants and Kurdish fighters.
Turkish authorities believe ISIS may be responsible for the attack.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the bombing and described it as “an act of terror”.
Suruc houses many refugees who have fled the fighting in Kobane.
ISIS overran the Syrian town in September last year, but it was retaken by Kurdish forces in January.
The Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF) is reported to have had at least 300 members staying at the Amara Culture Centre in Suruc, where the explosion happened.
A photo taken earlier in the day showed members of the group relaxing in the garden.
A video released on social media apparently showed the moment of the blast.
In the video, a group of young people are chanting slogans while holding the federation’s flags and a large banner with the words: “We defended it together, we are building it together.”
Then an explosion rips through the assembled youngsters.
Images of the aftermath show bodies littering the ground, with the red flags being used to cover them.
A statement from the Turkish interior ministry said: “We call on everyone to stand together and remain calm in the face of this terrorist attack which targets the unity of our country.”
The hashtags #SuruçtaKatliamVar (There is a massacre in Suruç) and #SuruçMassacre started trending on Twitter soon after the explosion.
In business organization is key, to ensure you, your business, and your employees are working effectively. The idea that ‘A clean desk is a sign of a sick mind’ could not be further from the truth. Organisation shows structure, coordination, and good management. Below is an infographic which covers exactly how you can make sure your office is organized, and everything is in it’s correct place. There are also some helpful tips to help you along the way.
