The Kingsmen lead singer Jack Ely, who was best known for 1960s hit Louie Louie, has died aged 71.
His son, Sean Ely said the singer died at home in Redmond, Oregon after a long battle with an illness.
Jack Ely’s incoherent singing on Louie Louie led the FBI to investigate the famous track.
He had a falling out with the band shortly after the song was recorded and later trained horses in Oregon.
Louie Louie was recorded in 1957 by Richard Berry, who had written it two years earlier.
The song is written from the perspective of a man who wants to sail to Jamaica to return to a girl he loves.
It was Jack Ely’s rendition that popularized the song, which became a huge hit.
After the investigation, FBI agents reportedly concluded, in a lengthy investigative report, that the song was “unintelligible at any speed”.
Despite hundreds of covers by artists including Otis Redding, the Beach Boys, and the Sonics, the Kingsmens’ version of Louie Louie remains the definitive recording.
King Salman of Saudi Arabia has announced a major cabinet reshuffle that puts in place a new generation to succeed him as head of the kingdom.
The new king has appointed his nephew, Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, as Crown Prince, replacing Prince Moqrin bin Abdul Aziz.
His son, Mohammed bin Salman, believed to be in his early 30s, has been made deputy crown prince.
King Salman, 78, came to the throne in January 2015 after the death of his half-brother Abdullah.
Photo Getty Images
King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, who was thought to be aged about 90, had been on the throne since 2005 and Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader for the 10 years before that.
King Salman has pushed aside allies of the late monarch such as his half-brother Moqrin bin Abdul Aziz, who was Crown Prince.
The rise of Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, and Mohammed bin Salman means a new generation is now in line to lead the kingdom for the first time.
The appointment of Prince Mohammed bin Nayef is likely to be welcomed by the United States, with whom he has a close relationship.
The kingdom’s veteran security chief, he is known for his strong stance against Islamist militants and narrowly survived an assassination attempt by al-Qaeda in 2009.
The new deputy Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has enjoyed a meteoric rise within the Saudi leadership.
He was appointed defense minister in January, and in the last month has been overseeing the Saudi-led operation in Yemen.
In other appointments, the world’s longest-serving Foreign Minister Saud el Faysal – who has been in his job since 1975 – has been replaced by the Saudi ambassador to the US Adel Jubeir, who is not a member of the royal family.
King Salman has been pushing a more assertive, muscular foreign policy to push back against Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran with the new appointments reinforcing that trend.
It has been found by a UK based online travel agency that there are certain things that really annoy holiday makers, particularly during couples’ holidays. Trying to, and failing to, speak a native language was one of these annoyance, particularly if people were over the top about it. Women in particular found this very annoying. Men were mainly irritated by exhibitionism and by finding their partners to strict in terms of how they could and couldn’t spend their holiday money.
An online UK travel agency has recently performed a piece of research to determine what UK holiday makers were most annoyed with when they were on holiday. Men and women alike were annoyed by their partners “being an embarrassing drunk”. However, there were other things that annoyed people about their partners as well.
The poll is a part of the Sunshine.co.uk study that aims to find out what people’s habits and preferences are when they are on holiday. Some 1,578 people, divided equally between men and women, from all over the United Kingdom were surveyed. Each of these were over the age of 18, in a current relationship and had vacationed with their current partner in the past 12 months.
The first element of the survey was to determine whether their partner actually engaged in any type of behaviour that caused them some sort of annoyance while being on holiday. A whopping 75% answered yes to this particular question. Those who did answer positively would then be asked what type of behaviour annoyed them. There were marked differences between the answers of men and women, however.
Men’s Top 5 Peeves
Going topless while sunbathing was mentioned in 67% of all cases.
Being too strict, or overly frugal, when it comes to how the holiday budget was spent was mentioned in 51% of all cases.
Taking too much time in order to get ready was mentioned in 46% of all cases.
Spending too long working on a suntan was mentioned in 32% of cases.
Being embarrassing while drunk was mentioned in 21% of cases.
Women’s Top 5 Peeves
Trying, and failing, to speak the native language was mentioned in 47% of cases.
Being embarrassing while drunk was mentioned in 38% of cases.
Ogling other women was mentioned in 32% of cases.
Making a mess in the accommodation was mentioned in 27% of cases.
Sweating excessively was mentioned in 16% of cases.
Respondents were also asked whether they had confronted their partner. This received a 46% yes vote. Of these, 77% also said that this then led to an argument. At the same time, however, 71% of all respondents said that they felt happier with their partner while on holiday.
“I suppose for some people it can be a bit of a shock going from only spending evenings and weekends with your partner, due to busy work schedules, to spending 24/7 with them on holiday”, says Chris Clarkson, Sunshine‘s Managing Director. “This extra time together and the relaxed holiday environment often bring things to the fore which you hadn’t noticed about your partner previously, or which seem to irritate you.
“Our advice would be to just kick back and enjoy your holiday and the time you have to spend together. So what if your other half is having a go at speaking the language? Good on them! If there are certain behaviours that start to bug you, like them checking out other people, just let them know how you feel to try and nip it in the bud.”
President Barack Obama said those who looted and started fires in Baltimore “should be treated like criminals”.
He also said police violence against African-Americans is a “slow-rolling crisis” after a night of violence in Baltimore.
The Baltimore rioting came after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a black man fatally injured in police custody in the city.
A week-long curfew has been announced and thousands of troops have been deployed to Baltimore.
The National Guard has been sent to Baltimore to stop unrest for the first time since 1968, when some of the city’s neighborhoods went up in flames after the assassination of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
About 200 people were arrested on April 27, when more than 100 cars were set alight and 15 buildings destroyed.
Photo AP
Barack Obama harshly criticized “a handful of people” for “senseless violence and destruction”.
“That is not a protest, that is not a statement, they are stealing.”
However, Barack Obama said the rioting had distracted from the frustration over Freddie Gray’s death.
“This has been a slow-rolling crisis. This has been going on for a long time. This is not new. And we shouldn’t pretend that it’s new,” Barack Obama said.
The president added such problems would not be solved just by changes to policing.
“It would require everybody saying this is important, this is significant, and that we don’t just pay attention to these communities when a CVS burns and we don’t just pay attention when a young man gets shot or has his spine snapped.”
At an afternoon briefing, Baltimore Captain Eric Kowalczyk was asked why the police had not responded with more resources to prevent fires and rioting.
Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said police had originally deployed for a “high school event”, expecting young students.
“I don’t think there’s anyone in the country that would expect us to deploy automatic weapons and armored vehicles to an event with 13, 14 and 15 year olds,” but saw it turned into an incident that drew in older troublemakers and escalated in violence.
Out of 235 arrests, 201 were adults, Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said.
He also noted there was a large group at a major intersection in Baltimore on April 28 who were protesting peacefully.
“That’s what we’re used to seeing in Baltimore.”
Volunteers and city workers began cleaning up affected areas on Tuesday morning. Smoke still rose from buildings set alight the night before.
Freddie Gray, 25, died on April 19 after suffering unexplained injuries to his spinal cord and spending a week in a coma.
Officials have suspended six police officers who were involved in the case.
Greece’s PM Alexis Tsipras has said his country is in the final, critical stretch of talks with its international creditors and that he believes an interim deal will be in place by May 9.
Greece’s objective was to find an agreement this week or next week at the latest, Alexis Tsipras said in a marathon TV interview on April 27.
Alexis Tsipras defended Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, who was sidelined from Greece’s negotiating team on April 27.
However, the prime minister admitted mistakes had been made in talks with EU partners.
Since Greece’s left-wing Syriza party came to power on January 25, it has sought to renegotiate the terms of the country’s €240 billion ($260 billion) bailout from the IMF and EU.
Greece’s negotiators have so far failed to satisfy the country’s international creditors with the scope of economic reforms required before the EU hands over the latest €7.2 billion tranche of the bailout, which the government needs to pay its bills.
Yanis Varoufakis was left isolated at an EU finance ministers meeting in Latvia on April 24, skipping a state dinner and tweeting a line from late US President Franklin Roosevelt.
Describing Yanis Varoufakis as an important asset for Greece, Alexis Tsipras argued that he had annoyed his European colleagues because he spoke their language better than they did.
From now on, Greece’s negotiations will be led by another economist in the government, Euclid Tsakalotos.
In his three-hour appearance on Greece’s Star TV, Alexis Tsipras acknowledged there was a “negative atmosphere” surrounding the talks but he suggested it was all a standard part of negotiations.
Alexis Tsipras was also critical of the government’s European negotiating partners, accusing them of reneging on a verbal commitment in February to allow Greek banks to finance the government.
“I believe we are close. I believe that if no-one wants to undermine or torpedo [the talks] we are close to an accepted package,” he said.
There would be concessions, the prime minister said, such as the part privatization of Piraeus port and the leasing of 14 regional airports.
Greece is facing a €200 million debt interest payment to the IMF on May 1st and has appealed to various public bodies to provide money from their cash reserves.
The big debt interest payment to the IMF is due on May 12, when the Greek government will have to find another €750 million.
Almost half the international investors surveyed by German research group Sentix believe Greece will leave the euro in the next 12 months.
Sentix’s break-up index for Greece rose from 35.5% in March to 48.8% in April, based on a survey of around 1,000 investors.
Alexis Tsipras rejected the idea of snap elections if EU talks failed but he did say that a referendum could be held on a final deal.
Baltimore has declared a state of emergency amid violent protests linked to Freddie Gray’s death.
The African American man was fatally injured in police custody.
A week-long curfew has been announced and as many as 5,000 National Guard troops could be deployed.
After dark, a community building that was under construction was engulfed in flames.
On April 27, dozens of people were seen confronting police, and 15 officers were injured.
Freddie Gray, 25, died on April 19 after a week in a coma. The justice department is investigating exactly where and when his spinal injuries were sustained.
Officials have suspended six police officers who were involved in the case.
Monday’s clashes began hours after Freddie Gray’s funeral.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said it was very clear there was a difference between the “peaceful protests of those who seek justice” and the “thugs who want to incite violence”.
Authorities were “deploying every resource possible to regain control of the situation”, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said.
Later, following violence, looting and fires in various spots across the city of more than 620,000 people, she said: “This destruction we’ve seen this evening is heart-breaking.”
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has ordered a week-long curfew from 22:00 to 05:00 starting on April 28. Public schools are to be closed on Tuesday.
National Guard commander Linda Singh said that up to 5,000 troops could be put on the streets.
“We will be out in massive force,” she said, adding that armored vehicles would be used, but Baltimore would not be under martial law.
Extra police officers are also being drafted in from the Mid-Atlantic region.
Earlier, President Barack Obama said his administration would provide whatever assistance was needed.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued an executive order to “protect the lives and property of citizens being impacted by this public emergency”.
Larry Hogan said calling in the National Guard was a “last resort” and that he had “not made this decision lightly”.
Capt. Eric Kowalczyk of Baltimore Police said the 15 injured officers were wounded by thrown objects including bricks and bottles. Two remain in hospital.
Police made at least 27 arrests.
On April 27, fire broke out at a newly constructed community building near a church in eastern Baltimore.
Kevin Harris, a spokesman for the mayor, said the fire was at the Mary Harvin Transformation Centre, described online as a community-based organization that supports young people and families.
Before nightfall, scenes included a blaze at a CVS chemist, stores being looted and police vehicles being burned and vandalized.
Baltimore’s Major League Baseball team the Orioles cancelled Monday night’s game against Chicago’s White Sox as a result of the violence.
Freddie Gray’s death is the latest in a string of high-profile cases where black men have died after contact with the police.
According to a new report, Khloe Kardashian and her estranged husband Lamar Odom are actually secretly talking,
Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom “are not romantic and are not talking reconciliation, but they don’t want to close the door on the marriage either,” TMZ reported, adding that that’s why the former couple’s divorce case still remains unresolved for more than a year.
Photo Instagram
It’s believed that if neither side acts quickly, a judge will throw out the divorce case.
The website claims that Khloe Kardashian “still has feelings for [Lamar Odom]” and wants him to make a “grand gesture,” which he apparently isn’t willing to do.
It was also reported that Khloe Kardashian simply doesn’t want to hurt Lamar Odom by sealing the deal on the divorce.
Artificial sweetener aspartame has sparked controversy since it was first approved for use in the 1980s, despite being one of the most thoroughly tested and studied food additives.
Aspartame, also known as E951 or NutraSweet, is about 200 times sweeter than sugar but contains very few calories.
Foods and drinks around the world use aspartame as a sugar substitute, including breakfast cereals and sugar-free chewing gum.
Food safety experts have been keeping aspartame’s use under close scrutiny since a number of anecdotal reports pointed to potential side-effects.
A study published by the Ramazzini Foundation in Bologna, Italy, in July 2005 claimed to have shown that rats given dosages of aspartame equivalent to those in humans may develop tumors.
However, European regulators who assessed this research were not convinced by it and concluded that aspartame could still be used as a food additive.
The FDA says there are more than 100 studies that support aspartame’s safety.
Regulators also agree that there should be a limit to how much of the sweetener people consume.
An adult would have to consume 14 cans of a sugar-free drink every day to reach this limit.
There are some people who cannot safely consume aspartame. These are people with an inherited disease called phenylketonuria (PKU).
People with PKU are unable to metabolize a component of aspartame.
PepsiCo has decided to remove controversial artificial sweetener aspartame from its Diet Pepsi in the US amid consumer concerns about its safety.
Aspartame-free Pepsi cans will go on sale from August in the US.
However, regulators insist aspartame is still safe to use in soft drinks.
PepsiCo says its decision is a commercial one – responding to consumer preferences.
In 2014, sales in Diet Pepsi fell by more than 5% in the US, according to latest figures.
Similarly, sales of Diet Coke, which also contains aspartame, decreased by more than 6%.
PepsiCo says it will replace aspartame with sucralose (commercial name Splenda) mixed with acesulfame potassium (Ace-K).
Pepsi VP Seth Kaufman said: “Aspartame is the number one reason consumers are dropping diet soda.”
In tests, Seth Kaufman said, people still recognized the reformulated drink to be Diet Pepsi but it might have a “slightly different mouth-feel”.
The change only applies to the US market and will affect all varieties of Diet Pepsi, such as Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi and Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi. It will not apply to other PepsiCo drinks, such as Diet Mountain Dew.
Oil prices have reached a four-and-a-half month high on April 27 amid concerns over disruption to supplies from the Middle East.
Brent crude oil is at $65.37 per barrel and has gained around $9 since last month.
A slowdown in US shale oil production and the conflict in Yemen have been cited as the main reasons for the rise in the oil price in recent weeks.
It comes as BP, Shell and Exxon Mobil are expected to report sharp falls in Q1 2015 earnings this week.
Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets, said: “Overall we are in an upwards trend and we do appear to have found a short-term base. There’s a good chance we could see $70 a barrel [for Brent] over the course of the next month or so.”
While Yemen itself is not among the biggest oil producers in the Middle East, Gulf producers ship oil along the Gulf of Aden on Yemen’s southern coast and through the narrow straits of Bab el-Mandeb, between Yemen and Djibouti.
As a result fighting in the region could create log jams in delivery.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s baby No 2’s birth announcement will be made via Twitter, People magazine reported.
Once the second royal baby is born at St. Mary’s hospital in London, the news will be announced via an official email and Kensington Palace will update its social media accounts, including Twitter and Instagram.
The royal baby tweets and Instagram posts will announce the baby’s gender, time of birth, and weight.
In January 2015, Kate Middleton, Prince William, and Prince Harry officially joined Twitter and Instagram under the handle @KensingtonRoyal.
As with Prince George’s birth in 2013, a birth notice will be placed on an easel outside of Buckingham Palace that will include the baby’s gender, weight and time of birth.
For the first time, a royal announcement will be a mix of tradition and technology.
Prince William and Kate Middleton will make the traditional appearance on the steps of the hospital when they leave.
Weeks ago, parking restrictions were put in place outside of that legendary brown door where Prince Will and Kate Middleton will present their baby to the world, much like they did when Prince George was born.
A sign outside of the hospital says the restrictions are in place for a “special event”.
Kate Middleton’s pregnancy with the second royal baby is overdue, but according to a new report, a birth should be expected within days.
Kate Middleton’s pregnancy with the second royal baby is overdue, but according to a new report, a birth should be expected within days.
The Duchess of Cambridge will be induced this week, the Telegraph reported.
Once the second royal baby is born, it will be announced via email and Kensington Palace will update its social media accounts.
As with Prince George’s birth in 2013, a birth notice will be placed on an easel outside of Buckingham Palace that will include the baby’s gender, weight and time of birth.
For the first time, a royal announcement will be a mix of tradition and technology.
Weeks ago, parking restrictions were put in place outside of that legendary brown door where Prince Will and Kate Middleton will present their baby to the world, much like they did when Prince George was born.
A sign outside of the hospital says the restrictions are in place for a “special event”.
Palace officials are also ready for the media onslaught, but they are reportedly not allowing media to take their appropriate spots until it is confirmed that Kate Middleton has gone into labor.
Aurora shooting suspect James Holmes, who shot and killed 12 people in a theater in 2012, was found sane by two experts immediately following the attack, prosecutors say.
James Holmes, 27, has admitted the killings, but pleaded not guilty on grounds of insanity.
He opened fire during the midnight premiere of a Batman movie in Aurora, Colorado, in July 2012.
Officials say he was wearing body armor, threw smoke canisters and shot at people trying to escape.
If the jury finds him not guilty on grounds of insanity, James Holmes will spend the rest of his life in a mental institution for the criminally insane.
Otherwise James Holmes faces the death penalty.
During opening statements on April 27, District Attorney George Brauchler said both mental health evaluators agreed on James Holmes’ mental state at the time of the attack.
“Both of them said the same thing – that the guy was sane when he tried to murder all those people in the theatre,” he said.
Prosecutors have argued the attack was clearly premeditated, with James Holmes planning and amassing weapons for months, as well as elaborately booby-trapping his apartment to kill anyone who tried to enter.
His parents wrote a letter to the Denver Post in December calling for his life to the spared.
Robert and Arlene Holmes said their son was “not a monster”, but suffers from severe mental illness.
The trial comes after two and a half years of complicated legal questions related to the death penalty and the insanity plea, and after nearly three months of jury selection.
The mental health evaluations could be a key factor. Judge Carlos Samour ordered a second mental health exam after prosecutors said the first one was biased. Defense lawyers objected to a second test.
At the time of the shooting, James Holmes was a graduate student in neuroscience at the University of Colorado in Denver, but was withdrawing from his studies after failing a key exam.
When he was arrested, James Holmes’ hair had been dyed red in an apparent reference to the Joker, a Batman villain.
James Holmes appeared dazed in his first court appearance, and cameras were banned from further hearings.
At least 7 police officers have been injured after Baltimore protests over Freddie Gray’s death turned violent on April 27.
One of the officers is unresponsive.
Live video from helicopters shows dozens of people in the streets, confronting officers and smashing at least one police car.
Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said police are attempting to take control of the situation and will deploy tear gas and “pepper balls”.
Baltimore protests have taken place since the death of Freddie Gray on April 19.
Freddie Gray, 25, died after an encounter with police a week earlier during which he sustained serious and unexplained spinal injuries.
The protests and clashes come just hours after Freddie Gray’s funeral.
Baltimore Police have said that juveniles are taking part in the protests, and are calling on parents to find their children and return them home.
The violence “does not reflect the spirit of this movement,” said Pastor Jamal Bryant, an organizer of protests in previous days.
Pastor Jamal Bryant said members of his church are going in to the area to make appeals to the protestors to go home.
“These are not protestors these are lawless individuals,” Capt. Eric Kowalczyk told CNN.
Video feeds showed looters ransacking a neighborhood market, and, in a separate incident, burning a law enforcement vehicle.
Separately, protestors destroyed a police car by jumping on it and smashing the windows.
Officials said the protestors threw bricks, rocks and other items at police officers.
Earlier today, a statement released by police said that its Criminal Intelligence Unit learned “that members of various gangs including the Black Guerrilla Family, Bloods, and Crips have entered into a partnership” to target officers.
The violence is an escalation of earlier protests over the weekend that turned violent.
Ten Russian bikers from Vladimir Putin’s Night Wolves bike gang have been turned back at the Polish border with Belarus.
The Night Wolves had planned to cross Poland on their way to Berlin to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II on May 9.
The Polish government described their plans last week as “provocative”.
The Night Wolves back President Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine policy – something strongly opposed by Poland.
The bike gang is subject to US sanctions for alleged active involvement in Crimea – annexed by Russia from Ukraine last year – and for helping to recruit separatist fighters for Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Russia’s foreign ministry had already expressed “outrage” at Poland’s ban.
The border guards, who did not specify that the bikers were Night Wolves members, said the ten did not fulfill the conditions to enter and stay in Poland. Polish news agency PAP reported that the ten were members of the Night Wolves.
The bikers held in a Polish facility at Terespol after Belarus frontier guards let them pass.
On April 24, the Polish foreign ministry cited safety concerns, saying the bikers had informed the Polish authorities of their plans too late and had provided vague information.
However, Polish media reports suggested some 200 Night Wolves bikers had managed to cross into Poland from the Russian Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad after obtaining visas, though they were not part of the group heading from Moscow to Berlin.
However, some Polish bikers are reported to view the Night Wolves favorably, with one group offering to escort them on their trip through Poland.
On April 25, the Night Wolves stopped at the Khatyn memorial near Minsk in Belarus, to pay tribute to villagers massacred by Nazi troops.
The Night Wolves intend to cross several countries on a 3,720 mile trip following the path taken by the Red Army in World War Two, with the aim of arriving in Berlin in time to coincide with Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9.
Asked when she is expecting, Kate Middleton said her baby is not due until late April.
The Duchess of Cambridge said at a children’s center last month: “I’m due mid-April, to the end of April. Not long to go now.”
However, according to an unconfirmed report, Kate Middleton has been told her due date is April 25, The Telegraph reported.
Her final public engagements before she gives birth were carried out on March 27 in South London, suggesting late April is more likely than mid-April.
Other sources suggested that Kate Middleton’s due date was April 23, meaning she is already several days overdue and could be discussing the possibility of being induced with her doctors.
The royal baby could arrive on Prince William and Kate Middleton’s fourth wedding anniversary, on April 29.
Kate Middleton announced her second pregnancy on September 8, and there have been several clues that suggest a brother or sister for Prince George may not arrive until the end of April or even the beginning of May.
Kensington Palace announced the month of Kate Middleton’s due date on October 20, 2014, suggesting the Duchess had reached the 12-week stage of her pregnancy shortly before that date.
That would mean that Kate Middleton had been due to give birth around April 20.
Pauline McKee, a 90-year-old grandmother from Illinois, who thought she had won $41.8 million on a video penny slot machine, has been denied the bonus after losing a court case.
Pauline McKee was playing the Miss Kitty game at a casino when she won 185 credits, or $1.85.
But a message appeared on screen saying she had also won a bonus worth $41,797,550.16.
The casino refused to pay out, saying the award was a computer glitch.
Pauline McKee, who has 13 grandchildren, sued the casino but the Iowa Supreme Court eventually threw out her case.
“I had my doubts from the start, because that’s a lot of money for a penny machine,” Pauline McKee told the Chicago Tribune.
“I was hoping to help my children out financially, but it wasn’t meant to be.”
The casino argued that the on-screen rules clearly indicated that “malfunction voids all pays and plays”.
At the time of the dispute, the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) secured the machine and carried out an investigation, sending the hardware and software to an independent testing laboratory.
The investigators found that the software was programmed to allow a bonus of up to $10,000, but they couldn’t work how the multi-million bonus message had occurred.
The machine’s maker, Aristocrat Technologies, said it had been aware of this type of error in the display and suggested “component degradation over time may increase the susceptibility to this rare occurrence”.
The company had alerted casinos to the glitch in 2010 and recommended that they disable the bonus facility as a precautionary measure. The casino evidently had not done this.
The IRGC concluded that the bonus display was “not valid” and that “the slot machine game malfunctioned.”
Pauline McKee sued the casino in 2012 claiming breach of contract and consumer fraud.
The court unanimously sided with the casino in 2013, but the case dragged on when Pauline McKee’s lawyers argued that the IRGC had no jurisdiction in disputes between casinos and their patrons.
They also questioned whether the machine had really “malfunctioned”, as the IRGC had concluded, and whether she had really entered into a contract when playing the game.
The game rules limited payouts to $8,000.
The doughty Pauline McKee saw her case finally rejected by the Iowa Supreme Court on April 24.
With so much going on in the world of football at the current time, many people are left wondering which teams will bid for which players during 2015. There have already been a number of transfers this year. Still, there are plenty of rumours floating around on the interest concerning what else might happen as we move through the season. We’re going to give you some tips today in the hope of helping you to see which transfers are likely to occur in the coming months. While we wouldn’t go straight out and place bets with this information, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that it is correct.
At the current time, Rafael van der Vaart is playing for German side Hamburg. However, recent news suggests that Celtic has their eye on the midfielder. His contract with Hamburg is coming to an end very soon, and pundits on the net think that Celtic want to bring him to Scotland. If that happened, Celtic would have one of the strongest teams in the league for the first time in decades. However, they would have to pay a high price in order to get the superstar player on their side.
Tottenham or Liverpool to buy Yannick Bolasie
Transfer rumours and other expert websites are predicting Yannick Bolasie will soon go to Tottenham or Liverpool in one of the most exciting transfers this year. He currently plays for Crystal Palace who have placed a staggering £20 million price tag on the player. That is shocking considering that buying fees are down across the globe. While Crystal Palace hopes to keep him on their team for at least a couple more seasons, the player has shown signs that he would like to leave. A vicious battle is about to break out between Tottenham and Liverpool, and we’re very excited to see what happens.
Manchester City to buy Patrick Roberts
The England under-19 star Patrick Roberts has been attracting interest from a number of different clubs during the last couple of months. Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal have all made public their design to sign the talented player. However, it now seems as though Manchester City will pull out all the stops when it comes to getting him on their team. At the current time, he plays for Fulham. With a £10 million price on his head, City will have no choice but to speak with their investors. That is, of course, if he doesn’t follow Frank Lampard to America.
Those look to be the most likely transfer rumours to come to fruition during this season. However, there could still be lots of surprises just around the corner. Keep checking back here for more information as we move further towards the end of the summer. If anyone did want to place a bet on football transfers this year, any of the three predictions we’ve made should offer good odds. Try your luck, and see how it goes. Football deals can fall through easily, but we think the ones mentioned here are pretty safe.
UK money saving website VoucherCodesPro.co.uk has today released new details on energy statistics across the UK. This is seen as an important topic, as energy expenditure is a major cost for all UK households. Additionally, it is a hot topic due to sustainability being such a major issue.
UK money saving website VoucherCodesPro.co.uk has today released new statistics on energy across the United Kingdom. The data covers data based on 2014s fourth quarter. It creates a reasonable estimate on what to expect this year, as well as showing key differences from last year.
The research looked at energy trends as well as energy consumption, both by fuel and in total. Additionally, it analysed what the main changes were from the past year. It looked at various different factors, including what prices were for commercial and domestic users, comparisons of international fuel prices and prices of oil products.
Photo Source: wellsphere.com
A number of key points were raised from the research, including:
Total production of energy had been reduced by 1.5%. While this is positive, drops in consumption had been much higher in previous years. Additionally, it was noted that the output of gas was higher for the first time in 14 years. At the same time, renewables also drove a lot of growth.
Energy usage overall dropped by 6.4%. However, there were also notable differences in weather, which means actual usage drop is more likely to be 2.4%.
Final energy consumption dropped across the board, with the highest drops being experienced in domestic usage, at 14%. This was also due to the weather being much better and a lack of a truly cold winter.
Low carbon electricity also saw a significant rise, from 34.6% to 38.3%. This is mainly due to the fact that people are turning to renewables.
Because of several nuclear outages, the use of gas was increased tremendously.
Renewable energy production overall increased by 20%, which is a very positive piece of information.
Average electricity bills rose by £15 per year on average for electricity, and £23 for gas. This includes the rebate of £12 that all consumers received across the UK, however.
There were a number of other interesting points, particularly for the energy production market. For the domestic market, however, the results continue to be reasonably bleak. While consumption is down, it is down less than was expected, particularly when taking into consideration the fact that the winter was unusually mild, meaning people had less requirements for heating. Additionally, since more and more people are in fact switching to renewables, it would suggest that overall energy usage is actually on the rise, or bills would have dropped more significantly.
There has also been a significant rise in comparison shopping, and people are advised to switch their supplier as soon as they see a better deal elsewhere. However, for consumers, this is often a complicated hassle and there have been horror stories of things going wrong, which means they prefer to stay with a supplier that works, even if it is more expensive.
“Energy usage is one of the highest bills people in this country face on a weekly basis”, says a spokesperson for VoucherCodesPro.co.uk. “While most people are committed to going green, what they really care about in the interim is making sure they are able to live. The UK has been lucky for the past two years with mild winters, which meant most people did not have to choose between heating and eating. However, if we have a harsher winter this year, this may change dramatically.”
New statistics have been released by digital services comparison website CyberCompare.net. This data clearly shows how important the online world has become in terms of driving things to shop for. It also clearly shows that people use social media and other methods of comparison shopping before deciding to make a purchase.
A UK based company that compares digital services, www.cybercompare.net, has today released fascinating statistics on online shopping and eCommerce. It is a known fact that online shopping is now a business that generates huge amounts of money across the world. Additionally, this field of commerce is growing tremendously. The average growth is 20% per year, and it is raising $1.5 trillion each and every year.
Photo Source: kadvacorp.com
The world of eCommerce changes and evolves on a daily basis. There are constant new pieces of technology, and consumer behaviour never stays the same either. As a result, eCommerce is becoming sophisticate and dynamic. A very big focus at the minute is also on mobile shopping experiences.
There are now various very easy to use platforms for eCommerce. As a result, more and more would-be entrepreneurs are trying to get their foot in the door. These include creators, artists, shops, small business owners and more. They are looking for blogs, website and online stores to make more money. One of the elements they are interested in is domain names, which is why this study was seen as so interesting and necessary for Cyber Compare.
The research showed some very interesting details, which include:
71% of people believe that it is cheaper to shop online than in physical stores.
80% of people have purchased goods or services online in the past year. 50% of people have said to shop online regularly, or at least more than once.
In the first quarter of last year, online sales were up by 13% when compared to the first quarter of 2013.
Mobile eCommerce is one of the fastest growing areas of focus. It has seen a year on year rise of 35%, and the share of sales that belongs to mobile internet is also much higher.
eCommerce sales now cover 18.5% of all online sales, which is up from 13.7% the previous year.
Cyber Monday in 2013 still stands as the biggest day of online sales ever. Some US$1.7 billion was spent on that one single day.
Generation X spends, on average, $561 online per year, which is 15% more than Generation Y, who spend “just” $489.
36% of people spend at least half an hour comparison shopping prior to making a purchase decision. 65% of all shoppers spent at least 16 minutes comparison shopping.
In the UK in particular, 27% of all online sales are completed on a tablet.
The European eCommerce market is set to grow by 18%, to US$216 billion.
33% of all online purchases in the United Kingdom are completed after 6pm.
13% of the UK economy is down to online sales. By 2017, it is believed to be 15%, if current trends continue.
46% of people use social media and blogs in order to decide whether or not to make a purchase.
13% of people say that they were compelled to buy something after reading about it on a blog.
84% of people search for a recommendation on social media before they decide to purchase a product.
“We believe that this data clearly shows the importance of comparison shopping, for all goods”, says Anthony Shapley, Managing Director of CyberCompare.net. “It also shows how important it is for businesses to use social media and to have a trustworthy website.”
Recent research by online florist Michael Dark has revealed the most popular flowers in the UK. They are the rose, the lily, the freesia and the tulip. They hope that this information will help people to choose flowers as gifts or for themselves, and to raise understanding about why florists stock the flowers that they do.
After significant research, Michael Dark, online florist based in Newton Abbot, Devon, has released information on what the most popular flowers in Britain actually are. It is hoped that this research will help people gain a greater understanding of which flowers to purchase for others. Additionally, it raises understanding over why florists stock certain products over others.
Photo Source: dailymail.co.uk
“All too often, people come and ask why we stock so many roses”, says a spokesperson for Michael Dark. “They feel that the rose is a kind of “been there, done that” flower. In reality, however, it is incredibly popular. We can always get our hands on them whether they are seasonal or not, and people buy them. We hope that this research shows why we, as florists across the country, have the stock that we do.”
Flowers are a thing of beauty and they have been revered throughout history. That doesn’t mean, however, that every flower is popular. Not accounting for personal taste and exceptions, some people look for flowers because they smell a certain way. Other people look for flowers that look a certain way. Others still look for a combination of both. And florists know that some flowers are simply not appealing to the majority of people.
It would be impossible to list every type of flower that exists on the planet. Each have something unique about them, and popularity is also a highly cultural thing. In Britain, there are even some notable regional differences. At the same time, the research has shown clearly what Britain’s favourite flowers are overall. They are:
The rose, the most popular flower in the world. Red and white roses are the most famous of all, but they are available in almost any colour imaginable, except true black and blue. They are not bound by the seasons and there are many different varieties of roses around. The red rose has a strong place in history as well.
The lily, which originates from the Middle Ages in China. These flowers have been around for over 3,000 years. It is an autumnal flower and comes in yellow, red and purple. People in the UK seem to love this flower, mainly because they can get it all year long. Some people associate the white lily in particular with funerals. Historically, it was a medicinal flower.
The freesia is grown all over the world. In the UK, it is purchased from florists like MichaelDark.co.uk some 100 million times each year. They come in a range of beautiful colours, including red, yellow, black and pink. The freesia is unique in as such that its white variety smells the least strong. For strong scents, people should choose red or pink instead.
The tulip is highly popular and, like the rose, comes in all colours except true black and blue. Although seen as a Dutch flower, the tulip actually originated from the Middle East. They are mainly available between from April onwards in the UK. The tulip has also been the inspiration for many paintings by David Hockney.
“You simply cannot go wrong with any of these flowers”, added the spokesperson. “If you want to give flower as a gift, or simply want something to decorate your own home, then these really are the best choices.”
Furious 7 has topped the North American box office for a fourth week in a row, taking $18.3 million over the weekend.
Avengers: Age of Ultron is leading the international box office, a week ahead of its US release.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 came at No 2 on the US box office with $15.5 million.
Last weekend, Furious 7 became the fastest film to make more than $1 billion internationally.
Avengers: Age of Ultron opened in 44 territories, taking $201.2 million.
The latest installment in Joss Whedon’s superhero franchise, starring Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson, opens in the US and Canada on April 30, as well as dozens more countries and territories.
Furious 7, starring Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker, has now made $1.3 billion globally.
It is also the first movie to top the US box office for four weeks since The Hunger Games in March 2012.
Despite mixed reviews, fantasy romance The Age of Adaline opened in third place with $13.4 million.
It stars Blake Lively as a woman who is forced to stay 29 years old, along with Harrison Ford and Ellen Burstyn.
Animated alien hit Home was fourth with $8.4 million while social media thriller Unfriended was fifth with $6.2 million.
Germany was told of the risk of flying over eastern Ukraine shortly before Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down last July, but failed to pass on the alert, reports say.
According to diplomatic cables sent two days before the crash, the situation had become “very alarming”, German media say.
The cables cited the downing on July 14 of a Ukrainian air force plane at a height of about 20,000ft.
Flight MH17 was brought down three days later, with the loss of 298 lives.
The Malaysia Airlines plane had been flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur and 196 of those on board were Dutch.
Photo PA
A Dutch-led international inquiry says one of the main scenarios for the disaster was that the plane was shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile launcher.
Investigators have appealed for witnesses to the launcher’s arrival in a rebel-controlled area shortly before the crash. Their final report is due to be published in October.
According to German public TV channels NDR and WDR and Sueddeutsche Zeitung, the foreign ministry cables had assessed the downing of the Antonov military plane on 14 July 2014 as a significant development because of its altitude at the time.
The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 had been flying at 33,000 ft when it was hit.
German intelligence had repeatedly warned of the risk to aviation security, the report adds.
A Lufthansa source tells German media that no communiqué was given to the airline of a change in the situation.
Three Lufthansa planes flew over the area on the day of the disaster – including one 20 minutes beforehand – and it was pure chance that none was hit, the report says. Other German airlines had been avoiding the region for some time.
Chilean town of Ensenada, in the vicinity of the Calbuco volcano, is covered with tones of ash rained down following last week’s eruptions.
People living in Ensenada are now trying to save their homes and their livestock.
The roofs of a number of homes and businesses collapsed under the weight of the ash and residents feared for their sheep and cows.
Soldiers have been deployed to help with the clean-up.
The Chilean authorities have warned of the possibility of further eruptions.
Photo AP
They also said that should it rain, the ash could mix with debris to create dangerous mudflows.
Calbuco erupted twice last week, forcing the evacuation of more than 6,000 people.
Authorities said on April 25 that the volcano had spewed out an estimated 7,420 million cubic feet of ash.
Locals say the area looks like a grey desert with an average of 20in of ash over the town.
The authorities allowed some of the residents evacuated from Ensenada to return briefly in order to try to save some of their belongings.
On April 25, the Chilean government announced it would provide aid to cover huge financial losses incurred by local farmers and to help evacuate thousands of farm animals.
The second eruption on April 23 created a cloud of ash that rose 12 miles into the air.
Calbuco is one of around 90 active volcanoes in Chile.
