Platon Lebedev, the former business partner of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, with whom he was jailed in 2005, will be released, Russia’s Supreme Court has ordered.
Platon Lebedev and Mikhail Khodorkovsky were convicted of tax evasion and theft after funding opposition parties and falling out with President Vladimir Putin.
Vladimir Putin pardoned Mikhail Khodorkovsky last month, but Platon Lebedev, who was due for release in May, did not seek a pardon and stayed in jail.
The Russian Supreme Court ruled that his sentence should be reduced and that he would be able to walk free on Friday.
“Release Lebedev,” Supreme Court Judge Pyotr Serkov declared in the ruling, after reducing his sentence so that it amounted to time served.
Platon Lebedev and his former business partner Mikhail Khodorkovsky were jailed in 2005
Both men’s convictions remain in place, despite repeated appeals.
It did not change a court order under which Platon Lebedev and Mikhail Khodorkovsky must pay 17 billion roubles ($500 million) in tax arrears.
That debt is an obstacle to Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s return to Russia after leaving for Germany in December.
The releases are believed by many to be part of a drive to improve Russia’s international image ahead of the Sochi Winter Olympics next month.
Other prominent inmates freed in the past few weeks included two women from the Pussy Riot protest group, jailed over the performance of a “punk prayer” critical of Vladimir Putin in a Russian Orthodox church.
Platon Lebedev used to head NFO Menatep, while Mikhail Khodorkovsky ran oil giant Yukos and was once Russia’s richest man.
In 2014, there is a very strong likelihood that the value of the UK real estate market will increase nearly 8%. There were surprise gains in 2013 that took place in all parts of the country, causing the estate agents and banks to estimate that this boom in the UK property market will continue throughout 2014. This seems to be the consensus view among economists and property professionals. There has been a round up of a survey that was conducted by more than seven banks, estate agents, and surveyors that shows that there will be a further growth in the UK property market and this is through the widespread forecast on the property markets.
Gains will be particularly strong in the South East and in London, partially due to the initiatives of the government in encouraging banks to lend more money for remortgage deals and mortgages, and for consumers to buy more property, in a program known as Help To Buy. This has greatly restored some degree of confidence to the property markets in the UK which has been lacking for the past few years, hence leading to increase in demand. Even though the government of the UK has tried to remove some economic stimulus and has brought about some minor changes in how the mortgage markets are regulated, the property market is nevertheless expected to rise in 2014 as demand for real estate booms.
The expected results of this increase in the property markets in 2014
Due to the public belief that the growth in consumer confidence in the economy in late 2013 is likely to gain momentum in the 2014, people are becoming more willing to buy real estate, driving the price up. Property professionals are expecting a high likelihood that there will be a large increase in the buying and selling of houses, and more than one million homes will be bought and sold. Due to the increase in the transaction levels there is a high expectation that the growth in the real estate market will be around 8 per cent, but may be in the double digits. All this is caused by factors such as:
Better economic conditions
Improved confidence
Increased availability of mortgages
In the UK, the biggest winners in the property market boom will most likely be the sellers of high tech homes, the wrecks, and eco-homes. The UK property market has also split into two regions of particularly strong growth: London and South East. London is the biggest hotspot in the increase in the property market, growing at over 10 per cent last year. This is expected to continue throughout 2014. Due to the continuing boom in the UK property market in 2014, now is the best time for investors to invest more in real estate, and diversify their holdings.
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Miami Beach Police released mugshots of Justin Bieber after the singer has been arrested and accused of road racing and driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs.
Miami Beach Police said Justin Bieber was detained after racing on a street early on Thursday.
Police said Justin Bieber, 19, did not co-operate when pulled over and was also charged with resisting arrest without violence and having an invalid driver’s license.
Justin Bieber has had several run-ins with police in recent years.
The arrest comes a week after his home in Los Angeles was searched by police following allegations he had thrown eggs at his neighbor’s house.
In the latest incident, police said Justin Bieber had been driving a yellow Lamborghini when he was arrested in the early hours of Thursday.
The Miami Herald reported that members of the musician’s entourage had apparently used their cars to block traffic on Pine Tree Drive at 26th Street, effectively creating a drag strip.
Police say Justin Bieber didn’t co-operate at first, questioning why he had been stopped. He also had an invalid Georgia driver’s license, officers said.
Miami Beach Police released mugshots of Justin Bieber after the star has been arrested and accused of road racing and DUI
The driver of a red Ferrari was also arrested and both cars impounded, said Miami-Dade Police spokesman Sgt Bobby Hernandez.
Police later named the other driver as an R&B singer known as Khalil.
“During the investigation Mr. Bieber made statements that he had consumed some alcohol, that he had been smoking marijuana and consumed some prescription medication,” said Miami Beach police chief Raymond Martinez.
“They were starting from a stop position and they were accelerating to a high rate of speed, going almost double the speed limit… in that area.”
The arrest report said Justin Bieber “had slow deliberate movements” and a look of “stupor” when the officer told him to step out of the Lamborghini.
Justin Bieber and Khalil were first taken to Miami Beach police station and later transferred to a Miami-Dade County jail pending an initial court appearance expected later on Thursday.
The street where police say Justin Bieber was racing is a residential area in mid-Miami Beach.
Honey Boo Boo and her family visited Savannah and Tybee Island in the latest episode of reality show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
The episode, filmed in June and titled Hubba Bubba follows the Georgia family on an RV roadtrip to Tybee Island where 8-year-old Alana Thompson, sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” and niece Katilyn see the beach for the first time.
June Shannon takes her first dip in the ocean, and the girls take their first surf lesson before ending the day with some Southern cooking at Sisters of the New South on Skidaway Road.
Kenneth Brown, operations manager at Sisters of the New South, said they knew of the family’s visit about a month in advance but had to keep quiet so it would be a surprise for the customers.
“It was a normal day for us, and all of the customers were really surprised to see them,” Kenneth Brown said.
Honey Boo Boo and her family see the beach for the first time on Tybee Island
“They were all very friendly. I think TV portrays them a certain way … as <<backwoodsy>>, but they were very down to earth, just like anyone else you would meet.”
Dorothy Bing, front line supervisor at the restaurant, waited on the family and agreed with Brown, saying what you see on television is what you get with the family.
“They’re just regular, ordinary people. They acted the same way they do on TV, acting a fool and all,” said Dorothy Bing.
She said the family enjoyed red and white velvet cake and that Mama June tried ox tails for the first time.
“I was surprised at how quiet the little girl was. She did talk, but she was a lot quieter than I thought she would be,” Dorothy Bing said.
After the family’s day of fun in the sun June Shannon gave Honey Boo Boo’s one million Facebook followers a peek into their day: “Omg had a blast on tybee today a first time ever at a beach for pumpkin katilyn and alana and my first time going in the ocean we have a awesome time just as a family and meet some fans down there now going to dinner and then maybe walking river st.”
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, featuring the family’s trip to Tybee Island and Savannah, airs at 9 p.m. today on the TLC network.
Justin Bieber has been arrested in Miami Beach after being accused of DUI and drag racing.
The Miami Beach Police Department said Justin Bieber, 19, was detained after racing on a street early on Thursday and had failed an alcohol test.
The singer has had several run-ins with police in recent years.
The arrest comes a week after Justin Bieber’s home in Los Angeles was searched by police following allegations he had thrown eggs at his neighbor’s house.
Justin Bieber was accused of causing significant damage to the property. One member of his entourage was arrested for alleged drug possession following the search.
In the latest incident, the Associated Press quoted police as saying Justin Bieber had been driving a yellow Lamborghini when he was arrested in the early hours of Thursday.
The Miami Herald reported that members of Justin Bieber’s entourage had apparently used their cars to block traffic on Pine Tree Drive at 26th Street, effectively creating a drag strip.
Justin Bieber has been arrested in Miami Beach after being accused of DUI and drag racing
The driver of a second car, a red Ferrari, was also arrested and both cars impounded, said Miami Dade-Police spokesman Sgt. Bobby Hernandez.
Police later named the other driver as an R&B singer known as Khalil.
The street where police say the singer was racing is a residential area in mid-Miami Beach.
Small apartment buildings are along one side of the street and on the other side are a high school, a youth centre, a golf course and a fire station.
Justin Bieber lives in a gated community in Calabasas, about 30 miles north-west of central Los Angeles.
Opposition leaders in Ukraine have issued an ultimatum to President Viktor Yanukovych, after talks failed to resolve the political stalemate.
Vitali Klitschko said he would lead pro-EU protesters “on the attack” in the capital, Kiev, if the government refused to call snap elections.
PM Mykola Azarov said compromises “might be possible”, but the opposition should avoid ultimatums.
Two activists were killed in clashes with police in Kiev on Wednesday.
Prosecutors confirmed they had died from gunshot wounds.
They were the first fatalities since the anti-government protests flared up in late November over Viktor Yanukovych’s decision to pull out of a landmark treaty with the EU.
Late on Wednesday, Ukraine’s Radio Liberty reported the death of a third activist.
The body of Yuri Verbitsky was found in a forest outside Kiev, bearing signs of torture, according to the broadcaster.
He had reportedly been abducted earlier this week with activist Igor Lutsenko, who was later released. Igor Lutsenko is said to be in hospital.
Hundreds of people have been injured in the clashes, though some of the violence has been blamed on a little-known far-right group, Right Sector.
Opposition leaders in Ukraine have issued an ultimatum to President Viktor Yanukovych, after talks failed to resolve the political stalemate
Wednesday’s unrest came on the day that new anti-protest laws entered into force. Parliament approved the laws last week, triggering renewed protests which spilled into violence on Sunday night.
As dawn broke on Thursday, the barricades were still burning, billowing black smoke from the piles of tyres that now mark the front line between the riot police and the protestors.
Speaking at a mass rally on Wednesday evening, Vitali Klitschko said the president could end the stand-off “without bloodshed” by calling early elections, but that “tomorrow, if the president does not respond… then we will go on the attack”, to roars of approval from the crowd.
Vitali Klitschko said police were preparing to clear demonstrators out of the main protest encampment at Maidan (Independence Square).
“We must do all we can to stop them clearing us out,” he told demonstrators.
Another opposition leader, Arseniy Yatseniuk, said the government had 24 hours to respond to the demands, which also include the lifting of the new anti-protest laws.
“If this does not happen, we will march forward together. If it’s a bullet to the head, then it’s a bullet to the head,” he declared.
But the prime minister said opposition leaders should be “more humble”.
“The opposition leaders should move away from the language of ultimatums,” Mykola Azarov said.
“We are ready to compromise, to agree. The opposition leaders should understand that they also bear responsibility in avoiding a civil war, and bloodshed, and so does the government.”
Wednesday’s violence began in a small area around Hrushevskyy Street, a road leading to government buildings close to the protest camp at Maidan.
Security forces later fell back to their positions after fierce clashes with protesters, but by the afternoon had pushed on through the barricades.
Protesters again hurled petrol bombs and stones while riot police responded with stun grenades and rubber bullets.
Thousands of protesters also gathered in Independence Square.
There was a crush at one of the narrow entrances into the square when protesters trying to get in met protesters who were trying to get out to fight the police.
At least two ambulances were seen carrying away the wounded.
Officials confirmed two bodies were found with bullet wounds close to the scene of the clashes.
Pentagon has decided to ease its uniform rules to allow religious wear including turbans, skullcaps, beards and tattoos, officials have said.
Muslim, Sikh, Jewish and Wiccan soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen can now request exemptions to strict military uniform and grooming policies.
Requests will be evaluated individually and can be denied if they hinder military readiness.
Previously, at least three Sikhs had won specific accommodation.
Pentagon has decided to ease its uniform rules to allow religious wear including turbans, skullcaps, beards and tattoos
Service members’ requests for a religious accommodation will be weighed on a case-by-case basis to ensure they do not impact “mission accomplishment, unit cohesion, and good order and discipline”.
And appeals to be allowed to wear beards or special apparel, for example, may be denied if they hinder the safe operation of weapons or military equipment, such as helmets or protective masks.
An accommodation will only apply to the service member’s current assignment, requiring him or her to obtain new exemptions with every transfer.
The new policy, in effect on Wednesday, will extend to all religions recognized by the US military across all branches.
The US military counts nearly 3,700 Muslims and 1,500 Wiccans among its ranks, according to statistics reported by NBC News, but it remains unclear how many will apply for dispensations.
Venezuela’s government has announced measures to address the country’s foreign currency crisis and boost the economy.
Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez says Venezuelans travelling abroad will no longer be allowed to obtain foreign exchange at the official rate of 6.3 bolivars per US dollar.
They will have to pay a higher rate, determined by weekly currency auctions.
The official rate will be used only for essential goods, such as medicine, industrial supplies and food.
“The big discussion here is whether we give dollars to travelers or we import food,” said Rafael Ramirez.
Venezuela’s government has announced measures to address the country’s foreign currency crisis and boost the economy
The weekly dollar auctions will be increased to $220 million a week to benefit private companies that have been struggling to import raw materials and other supplies.
Rafael Ramirez, who is also the president of state-owned oil company PDVSA, promised to unveil further details of the new multi-tier currency system.
Despite its oil wealth, Venezuela has faced a shortage of staple goods, such as sugar, cooking oil and toilet paper.
Many businessmen say the shortages are due to the mismanagement of the economy, including the tough currency controls introduced in 2003 by the late president, Hugo Chavez.
But his successor President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly accused “unscrupulous businessmen” of manufacturing the crisis to undermine his left-wing policies.
In his state of the nation address before the National Assembly last week Nicolas Maduro vowed to introduce tougher penalties for “sabotage and speculation”.
On the black market, dollars can be bought and sold at 10 times the official 6.3 exchange rate.
Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has made her first public appearance in six weeks, ending a long silence that led to questions about her health following brain surgery.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was welcomed by hundreds of supporters at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires.
In a televised address, she announced a plan to help unemployed young people.
The president dismissed speculation about her health and criticized Argentina’s media.
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was welcomed by hundreds of supporters at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner had an operation on October 8 to remove a blood clot from her brain and returned to work on November 18.
But she had not spoken in public since a high-profile ceremony in Buenos Aires on December 10.
“They wanted to create the impression among the Argentine people that I couldn’t do it anymore,” she said, referring to the media, which is largely hostile to her government.
“The truth is I had some problems, but I would like to see who, facing the same problems, would have continued to govern for 40 million Argentines,” the president said.
“I hope nobody criticizes this nationally televised address after demanding my presence so much,” she added ironically.
The opposition said Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner had “disappeared” as the country’s economic crisis worsened.
Daniel Radcliffe will play civil engineer Washington Roebling, who was instrumental in building the Brooklyn Bridge, in his next film role.
The new movie, Brooklyn Bridge, will be directed by Douglas McGrath, best known for the Jane Austen adaptation, Emma, starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
The Brooklyn Bridge took 14 years to build, at a cost of $15 million and 20 lives.
Washington Roebling himself endured decompression sickness after supervising construction of the structure’s underwater supports.
Although the bridge, with its gleaming steel cables, is now considered a jewel of the New York skyline, it was much derided during the building phase.
Daniel Radcliffe will play civil engineer Washington Roebling, who was instrumental in building the Brooklyn Bridge, in his next film role
The Brooklyn Bridge was twice as long as the Menai Suspension Bridge between Anglesey and mainland Wales, which was then the world’s largest suspension bridge. Many skeptics believed the structure would simply collapse into the East River and float away.
Washington Roebling’s father had designed the bridge’s two enormous towers and was placed in charge of construction, but he injured his foot in a freak accident while surveying the site, contracting tetanus and later dying of lockjaw.
He took over and watched as the project spiraled to almost twice its original budget.
Despite his travails, the bridge was hailed as a “marvel of science” when it eventually opened in 1883.
A key player in Douglas McGrath’s script is Washington Roebling’s wife Emily, who supported him during his darkest hours.
Filming is due to begin in August, with the rest of the cast yet to be announced.
Brazilian scientists have discovered the first new river dolphin species since the end of World War One.
Named after the Araguaia River where it was found, the species is only the fifth known of its kind in the world.
Writing in the journal Plos One, the researchers say it separated from other South American river species more than two million years ago.
There are believed to be about 1,000 of the creatures living in the Araguaia river basin.
River dolphins are among the world’s rarest creatures.
According to the IUCN, there are only four known species, and three of them are on the Red List, meaning they are critically endangered.
These dolphins are only distantly related to their seafaring cousins, tending to have long beaks which let them hunt for fish in the mud at the bottom of rivers.
One of the best known species, the Yangtze River dolphin or baiji is believed to have gone extinct in about 2006.
South America though is home to the Amazon River dolphin, also known as the pink dolphin or boto, said to be the most intelligent of all the river species.
The new discovery is said to be related to the Amazonian, although scientists believe the species separated more than two million years ago.
River dolphins are among the world’s rarest creatures
The scientists say there are some differences in the number of teeth and they suspect the Araguaia River species is smaller, but most of the clues to their separate nature were found in their genes.
By analyzing DNA samples from dozens of dolphins in both rivers, the team concluded the Araguaia River creature was indeed a new species.
The researchers acknowledge though that some experts may question whether or not the discovery is in fact, wholly distinct.
Dr. Tomas Hrbek, from the Federal University of Amazonas said: “We looked at the mitochondrial DNA which is essentially looking at the lineages, and there is no sharing of lineages.
“The groups that we see, the haplotypes, are much more closely related to each other than they are to groups elsewhere. For this to happen, the groups must have been isolated from each other for a long time.
The researchers propose that the new species be called the Araguaian Boto, or Boto-do-Araguaia.
They estimate that there are about 1,000 of these creatures living in the river that flows northward for more than 2,600km to join the Amazon.
The researchers are concerned about the future for the new dolphin, saying that it appears to have very low levels of genetic diversity.
They are also worried because of human development.
“Since the 1960s the Araguaia river basin has been experiencing significant anthropogenic pressure via agricultural and ranching activities, and the construction of hydroelectric dams,” the authors write in their study.
New reports claim sources close to Kim Kardashian have said the reality star is pregnant for second time.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are expecting their second child after “trying” for months, Media TakeOut first reported. The report cited two sources close to the couple who confirmed that Kim Krdashian is pregnant.
Sources close to Kim Kardashian have said the reality star is pregnant for second time
Another evidence of Kim Kardashian’s pregnancy was a picture snapped of Kim leaving her OBGYN’s office.
Reports that Kim Kardashian are pregnant have started to trickle out from other outlets as well, but there is some conflict whether the rumors are true. A source contacted by HollywoodLife said: “No way, she’s not pregnant.”
Ironically, the reports that Kim Kardashian is pregnant come just days after another rumor that said she and Kanye West were headed for a split.
Syrian government and opposition have traded bitter accusations on the first day of a major peace conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
The opposition and US said President Bashar al-Assad had no legitimacy and must step down from power.
Syria’s foreign minister had a terse exchange with the UN’s Ban Ki-moon over the length of his speech and said only Syrians could decide Bashar al-Assad’s fate.
The conflict has left more than 100,000 dead and millions displaced.
The summit is discussing the Geneva communiqué which lays out a political transition plan for Syria.
Wednesday’s initial meeting, involving speeches from 40 or so foreign ministers – has now ended. The direct talks are scheduled to begin in Geneva on Friday.
At a fractious evening news conference, during which there were repeated calls for calm, Ban Ki-moon spoke of the suffering in Syria, saying: “Enough is enough. The time has come to negotiate.”
He said that “the really hard work begins on Friday”, adding: “We have a difficult road ahead, but it can be done and it must be done.”
Ban Ki-moon dwelt on the Geneva communiqué, which calls for a transitional government in Syria, saying he was disappointed with the attitudes of both the Syrian government and its ally, Iran.
Syrian government and opposition have traded bitter accusations on the first day of a major peace conference in Geneva
UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said he would speak to the Syrian government and opposition delegations separately on Thursday and that he hoped both teams would meet in the same room on Friday.
This would be the first face-to-face meeting between the Syrian government and the main opposition – the National Coalition – since the conflict began in 2011.
At his press conference, Secretary of State John Kerry stressed that the Geneva communiqué and its call for political transition was the paramount focus of the summit.
“Every delegation, with one exception, embraced the Geneva communiqué,” John Kerry said, referring to the Syrian government.
“No-one has done more to make Syria a magnet for terrorists than Bashar al-Assad,” he said.
“You cannot save Syria with Bashar al-Assad in power.”
A member of the Syrian team, UN ambassador Bashar Jaafari, criticized the exclusion of Iran from the meeting, and condemned many of Wednesday’s speeches as “provocative and repetitive statements based on hatred towards the Syrian government”.
He also accused Gulf states of “inciting terrorism” in Syria.
Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said some states attending the talks had “Syrian blood on their hands” and called the opposition “traitors”.
Sinead O’Connor feared for her life last week after she was hospitalized with a mystery illness.
The singer fell ill last Tuesday and was taken to a hospital near her home in Ireland by her sister.
Sinead O’Connor, 47, was transferred to another medical facility amid fears she had suffered an abdominal aneurysm, but she was later diagnosed with kidney stones.
She was discharged from hospital, but called out a doctor to her home on Friday and was given potent drug Demerol to combat her ongoing pain.
Sinead O’Connor admits she was so worried during her health scare, she started to make plans for her own funeral.
Sinead O’Connor admits she was so worried during her health scare, she started to make plans for her own funeral
In a post on her blog, the singer wrote: “I get seized by pain that feels like all my back ribs and all front are broken. Literally as if someone stamped all over me and smashed them … or I got run over by a car. So we’re thinking ok … I could croak (die) any minute… and we start making plans … as to how the kids will be ok …”
Sinead O’Connor eventually returned to hospital again over the weekend and underwent a battery of tests, and has now blamed her ill health on “a physical reaction to an emotional trauma”.
The singer said: “[The doctor] says <<You do have a kidney stone but it isn’t where it would be causing you a problem. People have kidney stones all the time and don’t know … the kidney stone isn’t whats causing your pain>>.
“He asks me have I been upset about anything … I sob quietly and say <<Yes … something extremely traumatic happened about a week ago>> … He says <<There’s your problem>> … So [I am] now in recovery mode.”
Go Daddy’s outrageous Super Bowl commercials have become a tradition.
This year’s Go Daddy commercial you will see on February 2 features NASCAR driver Danica Patrick and it looks to be the complete opposite of what anyone would expect.
The Associated Press notes that Go Daddy teased last year that it might be dropping Danica Patrick from its campaign, only to use her in both Super Bowl spots.
Previously on For The Win, Danica Patrick was transformed from NASCAR driver to bodybuilder.
Danica Patrick’s dramatic weight gain was for a new Go Daddy commercial in which she races gigantic men to a tanning salon
Danica Patrick’s dramatic weight gain was for a new Go Daddy commercial in which she races gigantic men to a tanning salon.
All these body builders have finally found their favorite tanning business, thanks to Go Daddy.
No word on how Danica Patrick’s new muscle gain will impact her on the track, but there is no question she immediately becomes the driver most likely to win at arm wrestling.
Bernard Madoff has been returned to jail after being hospitalized for a heart attack last month.
According to CNBC, Bernard Madoff, 75, also has stage four kidney disease, but is not receiving dialysis.
Bernard Madoff has been returned to jail after being hospitalized for a heart attack last month
He has served less than five years of his 150-year prison sentence for running the largest investment fraud in US history.
Bernard Madoff was hospitalized last month at Duke University Medical Center, and has since been returned to the medium security federal prison in nearby Butner, North Carolina, CNBC reported.
Like the epic intro to some Tolkien-esque fantasy film, it seems that the music industry looks set to be thrown into chaos – with broken hearts at the centre of a monumental music streaming battle. The announcement of the Dr. Dre endorsed rival to Spotify’s streaming monopoly has rallied the troops and set the PR war machine to work – with a number of interesting, and sometimes speculative announcements from the service’s marketing department designed to keep consumers on-side.
The latest of these announcements hopes to take those broken hearts and recommend a suitably sentimental love-song to remedy the pain. That is, Spotify have announced that, in the near future they hope to be able to monitor users heart-beats to provide a recommendation system based on mood and/or likelihood of cardiac arrest. It seems that Dr Dre’s Beats has got Spotify’s pulse racing.
Smartphone for Smart Recommendations
This latest idea from Spotify will use device to device communication from companies such as Deutsche Telekom to monitor things like pulse, temperature, sleep patterns and body motion. The aim is to build a picture of individual users that enables the service to recommend music, linked not only to listening habits, but also to mood and disposition from sensors within your smartphone.
The data will be collected from your smartphone and then sent wirelessly to your Spotify account – although details on exactly how this will work are still very much unclear. It is a safe bet though that, with the meteoric rise and “one box to rule them all” philosophy of the smartphone, these features will appear sooner rather than later. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for the latest announcements from an increasingly worried Spotify.
A 29.6-carat blue diamond has been discovered at Cullinan mine in South Africa.
The stone was recovered by Petra Diamonds at its Cullinan mine, about 25 miles north-east of Pretoria.
“This stone is one of the most exceptional stones recovered at Cullinan during Petra’s operation of the mine,” the company said.
Petra Diamonds unearthed a 25.5-carat blue diamond which sold for $16.9 million in 2013.
The latest discovery is also expected to sell for a high price.
“The stone is an outstanding vivid blue with extraordinary saturation, tone and clarity, and has the potential to yield a polished stone of great value and importance,” Petra Diamonds said in a statement on Tuesday.
The 29.6-carat blue diamond has been discovered at Cullinan mine in South Africa
Cullinan mine has produced hundreds of large stones and is famed for its production of blue diamonds – among the rarest and most highly coveted of all diamonds.
The mine was acquired in 2008 by Petra Diamonds, which also operates in Botswana and Tanzania.
A similar 26.6-carat blue rough diamond discovered by the company in May 2009 was cut into a near perfect stone and fetched just under $10 million at a Sotheby’s auction.
Another deep-blue diamond from Cullinan was auctioned for $10.8 million in 2012 and set a world record for the value per carat.
In 1905, the renowned Star of Africa blue diamond – the world’s second largest cut diamond – was discovered at the Cullinan mine. The pear-shaped 530-carat stone was presented to King Edward VII and became part of the British crown jewels.
South African sculptors Andre Prinsloo and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren have been ordered by government to remove a bronze rabbit they hid in the ear of Nelson Mandela statue.
The statue was unveiled after the former president’s death last month.
The sculptors reportedly inserted the rabbit as a trademark signature and to denote the haste with which they had to complete the statue.
Rabbit in the Afrikaans language is “haas”, which also means haste.
Nelson Mandela, who died at the age of 95, was widely acclaimed for his role in fighting white minority rule and promoting reconciliation after being elected South Africa’s first black president in 1994.
Sculptors Andre Prinsloo and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren have been ordered to remove the bronze rabbit they hid in the ear of Nelson Mandela statue
The 30-ft-bronze statue was unveiled on December 16, a day after Nelson Mandela was buried.
It stands at the Union Buildings, the government headquarters in the capital, Pretoria.
With Nelson Mandela’s hands reaching outward, the statute was intended to show that he had embraced the whole nation.
Mogomotsi Mogodiri, the spokesman for the Department of Arts and Culture, said the sculptors had apologized for any offence caused to the government and Nelson Mandela’s family by placing the rabbit in the statue’s right ear.
Andre Prinsloo and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren said they had added the rabbit to the statue after the department refused to allow them to engrave their signatures on the trousers of the statue, South Africa’s Beeld newspaper reported.
Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova will appear at a concert promoting human rights in New York City, its organizer has said.
Amnesty International says Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova will appear at a February 5 concert in New York’s Brooklyn borough.
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova spent 16 months in prison after their arrest in August 2012 for singing a protest song in a Moscow cathedral.
Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova will appear at a concert promoting human rights in New York City
They were freed last month in what they derided as a publicity stunt.
“A month ago, we were freed from Russian prison camps,” Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova said in a joint statement.
“We will never forget what it’s like to be in prison after a political conviction. We have vowed to continue helping those who remain behind bars.”
It is not clear whether they will perform at the concert at the Barclay’s Center, which will feature The Flaming Lips, Imagine Dragons, Lauryn Hill and Tegan and Sara, among others, according to promotional material released by Amnesty International.
Quentin Tarantino has dropped his latest project – a Western called The Hateful Eight – after it apparently leaked out to Hollywood agents.
The Oscar-winning director said he learned of the leak when his office started getting calls from agents pitching their acting clients for roles.
Speaking to film website Deadline, Quentin Tarantino said he only “gave it to six people”.
Quentin Tarantino added he was “very, very depressed”.
Quentin Tarantino has dropped Western called The Hateful Eight after it apparently leaked out to Hollywood agents
The 50-year-old said he now plans to publish the script as a book and revisit the prospect of a movie after a few years.
Quentin Tarantino told Deadline that he had given the script to three actors, including Tim Roth, who appeared in his first two films, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.
“The one I know didn’t do this is Tim Roth,” he said.
“One of the others let their agent read it, and that agent has now passed it on to everyone in Hollywood.”
Quentin Tarantino himself initially announced the project in November last year on Jay Leno show.
Two people have died in clashes between police and protesters in Kiev, Ukraine.
Prosecutors confirmed the two had died from bullet wounds. They are the first fatalities since protests began in November at the government’s rejection of a planned treaty with the EU.
Wednesday’s clashes began after police moved in to dismantle a protest camp.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is reportedly meeting with opposition leaders later to discuss the crisis.
The clashes come on the day that new anti-protest laws come into force. Parliament approved the laws last week, triggering renewed protests, which spilled into violence on Sunday night.
Hundreds of people have been injured, though some of the violence has been blamed on a little-known far-right group, Right Sector.
Meanwhile, the US embassy in Ukraine says it has revoked the visas of “several Ukrainians who were linked to the violence”. It did not give names, but said it was “considering further action against those responsible for the current violence.”
Wednesday’s violence began in a small area around Hrushevskyy Street, a road leading to government buildings and also close to the main protest encampment at Maidan (Independence Square).
Prosecutors confirmed two people had died from bullet wounds in Kiev clashes
Shortly after 08:00 a.m. – after a relatively peaceful night – police stormed the protesters’ barricades on Hrushevskyy Street.
The police later fell back to their positions after fierce clashes with protesters, but by the afternoon had pushed on through the barricades.
Protesters again hurled petrol bombs and stones while riot police responded with stun grenades and rubber bullets.
Meanwhile thousands of protesters have gathered in Independence Square.
There was a crush at one of the narrow entrances into the square when protesters trying to get in met protesters who were trying to get out to fight the police, our correspondent says.
At least two ambulances were seen carrying away the wounded.
Black smoke caused by the burning of tyres is now billowing over Kiev, while footage shows armoured vehicles moving into the area.
Officials confirmed the deaths of two people, found with gunshot wounds earlier on Wednesday. The general prosecutor said their bodies were found in a national library close to the scene of the clashes.
Medics for the activists say at least one person had multiple wounds and claimed he had been killed by a police sniper.
A third activist is also reported to have died on Wednesday from injuries sustained after falling from the top of the Dynamo football stadium.
PM Mykola Azarov denied the police would have been responsible for the deaths as they were not carrying live ammunition.
They “remain on the consciousness and responsibility of the organizers and certain participants of mass disturbances,” he said.
Many of the protesters have been wearing helmets and face masks in defiance of the new laws that ban the wearing of such headgear at protests. The laws also prescribe jail terms for anyone blockading public buildings and outlaw unauthorized tents in public areas.
