Rihanna victorious in Topshop T-shirt court battle.

RIHANNA has won a High Court battle today against Topshop after they
used her image on T-shirts without permission.
The Russian Roulette singer accused the fashion chain of failing to
seek approval from her before going ahead with printing their stock.
At a hearing in London, Judge Mr Justice Birss ruled in the
25-year-old's favour, asserting that the British retailer was guilty
of "passing off".
Passing off is a common law tort which can be used to enforce
unregistered trademark rights.
The chart-topper had claimed that the "unendorsed" T-shirts could have
damaged her image if fans believed it was genuine merchandise.
However, the judge stressed the "mere sale" of a T-shirt bearing a
celebrity image did not necessarily equate to an act of passing off.
It was instead due to the fact that a "substantial number" of buyers
were likely to have been deceived into purchasing the product on
"false belief" that it had been authorised by the singer.
As a result, he said this was damaging to Rihanna's "goodwill" and
represented a loss of control over her reputation in the "fashion
sphere".
Topshop disputed the claim.
However, despite accusations from Rihanna, the retailer's lawyer
insisted her entourage had contacted Topshop up to 10 times to request
clothing for the starlet since the lawsuit was filed.


© CopyRight - http://www.dailystar.co.uk/

Read More

Egad! Could Samsung be CHEATING in Galaxy benchmark tests

Samsung has reportedly been cheating in benchmark tests, artificially
boosting the scores of its latest and greatest system-on-chip, the
Exynos 5 Octa, on those performance-ranking number generators so
beloved by reviewers and product evaluators.

"Oh hell Samsung, shame on you!" wrote a Beyond3D forum member in a
posting on one of that site's forums last month.

The poster, a Luxembourger who goes by the handle Nebuchadnezzar, had
been testing a Samsung Exynos 5 Octa when he discovered that although
he thought he was running the chip's GPU at 532MHz, it only hit that
clock speed on two benchmarks he used for testing: AnTuTu and
GLBenchmark. For all other apps, it ran at 480MHz – a much better
speed for battery-life testing.

The Exynos 5 Octa, by the way, is so named because it has four
high-performance ARM Cortex-A15 cores and four low-power ARM Cortex-A7
cores, all baked into a single 28-nanometer die. It comes in two
versions: the 5410, which contains an Imagination Technologies PowerVR
SGX544MP3 GPU, and the 5420, which uses an ARM Mali-T628 MP6 GPU.
Nebuchadnezzar was testing a 5410.

Anand Lal Shimpi and Brian Klug over at the ever-interesting deep-tech
site AnandTech were tipped to Nebuchadnezzar's discovery, and since
they are both proud owners of the international version of the Samsung
Galaxy S 4 powered by an Exynos 5410, they decided to see if they
could replicate his findings.

They could – and with a few additions and clarifications. For example,
the GLBenchmark v.2.5.1 did indeed run at 532MHz, but its latest
v.2.7.0 incarnation – GLBenchmark having been subsumed into GFXBench
along with DXBenchmark – was throttled to 480MHz.

Samsung hasn't published megahertzage for its GPU, but Shimpi and Klug
said that their sources tell them it runs at 480MHz – which in fact is
what they discovered its clock rate to be when running any games,
"even the most demanding titles." But when running GLBenchmark 2.5.1,
AnTuTu, or Quadrant – benchmarks that reviewers and product testers
might naturally use to rate a products – they ran at 532MHz.

Although Nebuchadnezzar had only reported on GPU behavior, Shimpi and
Klug checked out what the CPU was doing when running GLBenchmark
v.2.5.1 and GFXBench v.2.7.0. To their surprise, they discovered that
when running v.2.5.1, the four powerhouse Cortex-A15 cores were pinned
at their top speed of 1.2GHz no matter what load the benchmark put
upon them. When running v.2.7.0, however, the Exynos 5 Octa switched
over to its less-powerful Cortex-A7 cores.

"A quick check across AnTuTu, Linpack, Benchmark Pi, and Quadrant
reveals the same behavior," they write. The CPUs were gunned to their
highest possible power capabilities when the benchmarks were running.

Digging into the Galaxy S 4's operating system support files, they
came upon one with the name TwDVFSApp.apk, and since DVFS is short for
dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (and, The Reg opines, "Tw" might
be shorthand for "tweaking"), they opened it up in a hex editor and –
behold! – in it were a list of what appeared for all the world to be a
series of strings that allowed for top performance for some apps and
not others, and a group-identification string with a rather
incriminating name.

"The string 'BenchmarkBooster' is a particularly telling one," they write.

The gun may not be belching great clouds of damning smoke, but there's
more than a mere wisp emanating from its barrel. As the AnandTech duo
put it, "This seems to be purely an optimization to produce repeatable
(and high) results in CPU tests, and deliver the highest possible GPU
performance benchmarks."

If Nebuchadnezzar, Shimpi, and Klug are correct in their testing and
analysis – and we have no reason to believe that they're not – there's
only one possible conclusion: Samsung is cheating. And if they're
cheating, there's a fair chance that others are, as well. But Samsung
got caught.

Your Reg reporter has been around the technology-evaluation block
enough times to remember – as Shimpi and Klug discuss in the
conclusion to their article – when benchmark manipulation was rampant
in the PC industry. As the director of a product-testing lab in the
90s, such cheating was the bane of my 9-to-5 existence.

Well, here it comes again – both fairly blatantly, as in Samsung's CPU
and GPU rigging, or in a more slippery fashion, as in the use of an
Intel-specific compiler in a test that enabled Chipzilla's Clover
Trail+ platform to outperform ARM processors.

Today is different from the 90s, however. In those far-away days,
speeds and specs were important even to consumers, while in today's
shiny-shiny world, the average fandroid or fanboi couldn't care less
about gigatexels or TMUs. "Experience" rules the checkbooks of the
marketplace, not benchmark scores.

But deceit is still not right. Having experienced Samsung's chicanery
directly, let's give our cheater-finders the last word on this sorry
state of affairs.

Shimpi and Klug: "Just because we've seen things like this happen in
the past however doesn't mean they should happen now."

Nebuchadnezzar: "Oh hell Samsung, shame on you!" ®
Bootnote

Here's a li'l fairness v. bias test we suggest you might find
personally illuminating. Read the story above one more time, except
each time you see the word "Samsung", substitute "Apple".

Then ask yourself: "Is my response any different?"

Read More

Office Mobile for Android smartphones looks great on the HTC One (Gallery)

Office Mobile comes to Android smartphones

Mary Jo already posted about the release of Office for Android
smartphones and Larry offered up his thoughts on the new software.
Since I previously posted a side-by-side gallery of Office Mobile for
the iPhone compared to the native Office Mobile client on Windows
Phone 8 I wanted to also give you a look at Office Mobile for Android
smartphones.

As you can see in this short screenshot gallery, Microsoft was able to
bring the same experience seen on Windows Phone 8 devices and the
iPhone to Android smartphones. Given that Android smartphones have the
largest displays of these three smartphone platforms, I think users
may find the Android version the most useful of all.

A key difference between what I have on my new Nokia Lumia 1020 and
what we get with the iPhone and Android phones is that an Office 365
subscription is required on iOS and Android while Windows Phone owners
get native Office without requiring the service.

I am running Office Mobile on my fantastic HTC One, I still believe it
is the best smartphone I have ever used, and it looks great. I felt
squeezed by the small iPhone display, but that is not the case on the
1080p 4.7 inch HTC One display. The layout for some editing tools and
menus are a bit different on each platform and I personally find that
iOS and Android are a bit more refined and user friendly.

Those of us who have been around the mobile world for a while will
remember paying upwards of $50 for applications that allowed us to
work with word documents and spreadsheets and I remember long
discussions and comparisons about getting chart support in those apps.
Office Mobile on today's modern smartphones functions well and is an
incredible value for those who need native Office support.

It is nice to have Office functionality on all my different
smartphones and while some people are happy with services like Google
Docs or even the new Quip word processor nothing beats having the
ability to jump in and edit native Office files. Microsoft is a
software company at its core and I think this is a smart move to
finally get Office on all mobile platforms.

Read More

Zimbabweans head for polls amid rigging claims.

Zimbabweans head for polls amid rigging claims.
On Tuesday, incumbent Robert Mugabe said he would resign after 33
years in power if he loses.
His remarks came as Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) party accused Zanu-PF of doctoring the
electoral roll. Zanu-PF denied the accusation.
Campaigning has been peaceful, with no reports of violence or intimidation.
The last presidential poll five years ago were overshadowed by myriad
problems, including violence.
Voting begins at 07:00 (05:00 GMT) and close at 19:00 (17:00 GMT),
with results expected within five days.
The situation has been relatively calm ahead of the poll, with most
bars in the capital Harare full on Tuesday night, given that Wednesday
was declared a holiday to allow for voting, the BBC's Brian Hungwe
reports from Harare.
Amongst the topics discussed by Harareans on the eve of the poll was
the conduct of parties before the elections, and the political
implications of victory or defeat for Mr Mugabe, our correspondent
adds.
A large turn out is expected, given the tens of thousands of people
who have gone to rallies staged by the candidates in recent weeks.
Jovial mood
Zanu-PF responded to the allegations surrounding the electoral roll by
saying it was the responsibility of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
(Zec), which released the roll only on the eve of polls.
A Zanu-PF spokesman pointed out that appointees from both parties are
on the commission and accused the MDC Finance Minister Tendai Biti of
not funding Zec properly.
Zec has not commented on the allegations.
A BBC correspondent who saw the electoral roll seen the document and
says it features the names of thousands of dead people.
Some names also appear twice or three times with variations to their
ID numbers or home address.
The two long-time rivals have been sharing power since 2009, under a
deal brokered by the regional bloc to end conflict that marred
elections in 2008.
At a press conference at State House in the capital, Harare, Mr Mugabe
told journalists that he and Mr Tsvangirai had learnt to work together
and could even share a pot of tea.
Responding to a question from the BBC, the president, who was in a
jovial mood, said he would step down if he lost and insisted that
there had been "no cheating".
But the MDC has said the electoral roll released on Tuesday by Zec
dates back to 1985 and is full of anomalies.
Three other candidates are also standing for president and voters will
also be electing news members of parliament.
Bulawayo-based journalist Thabo Kunene told the BBC that many
Zimbabweans have been returning home from South Africa to vote.
Taxis and buses carrying the exiles continued to arrive in the
southern city on Tuesday afternoon, he said.
In Bulawayo's oldest township of Makhokhoba, MDC and Zanu-PF campaign
teams met amicably at one house during their door-to-door campaign -
waving each other's flags - a sign that some Zimbabweans have matured
and no longer believed in violence, he added.
In 2008, Mr Tsvangirai pulled out of run-off vote, accusing pro-Mugabe
militias and the security forces of attacking his supporters after he
gained most votes in the first round.

© CopyRight- http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Read More

Barclays Plans to Raise Up to $12 Billion in New Capital.

Updated, 8:40 p.m. | Nearly a year after taking over as chief
executive of Barclays, Antony P. Jenkins is still wrestling with the
bank's past wrongdoings.
Mr. Jenkins, 52, took another step on Tuesday to rebuild Barclays'
tarnished reputation when he announced that the bank planned to raise
up to £7.8 billion, or $12 billion, in new capital.
In doing so, Barclays bowed to pressure from British regulators, who
this year called for it to improve its so-called leverage ratio, a
measure of how much borrowed money a bank uses, after the figure was
deemed to be too low.
Barclays, the only major British institution regulators cited, had
objected to the tougher targets. Its announcement on Tuesday, analysts
said, was a sign that British authorities were now willing to require
the country's largest financial institutions to abide by stricter
regulation.
"The regulator has had a big say on how Barclays is raising its
capital," said Chirantan Barua, a banking analyst at Sanford C.
Bernstein in London. "Why would any C.E.O. want to dilute his
company's stock if he didn't have to?"
The regulatory demands are the latest of several run-ins between
Barclays and local authorities in the last two years and follow recent
scandals that have engulfed the bank.
Barclays reached a $450 million settlement with American and British
authorities in June 2012 over the manipulation of benchmark interest
rates, and has set aside billions of dollars for charges related to
inappropriate sales of insurance and other complex financial products
to consumers.
"We did get things wrong," Mr. Jenkins told reporters on Tuesday. "We
were too aggressive and too short-term. It's going to be a five- to
10-year journey to change the culture at Barclays."
And the bank may face more legal woes.
Barclays said on Tuesday that it was contesting undisclosed
preliminary findings from an investigation into the legality of
payments to Qatari investors as part of a rescue fund-raising deal for
the bank in the 2008 financial crisis.
The Middle Eastern sovereign wealth fund Qatar Holding invested a
combined £5.3 billion in Barclays in two stages in 2008, and the
British investigation has focused on the role in the agreements of
four current and former senior employees, including the bank's finance
director, Christopher G. Lucas.
The Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission also are
investigating the activity, which might have violated the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act. Barclays said it was cooperating with the
authorities.
"It's hard to say when all the regulatory problems for Barclays will
be over," Mr. Barua said. "I don't think you can call it an end for at
least two or three more years." Barclays also said on Tuesday that it
had set aside an additional £2 billion in the second quarter related
to what regulators have determined to be inappropriate sales of
insurance and complex financial hedging products to some of its
clients.
Barclays has now made provisions of almost £3 billion since the
beginning of 2012 to cover legal costs related to the sale of products
ruled out of bounds by regulators.
The legal costs weighed on Barclays' second-quarter results, as the
bank reported a £168 million loss, compared with a £746 million profit
in the second quarter of 2012. Barclays' second-quarter revenue fell
less than 1 percent, to £7.3 billion.
As part of the capital plans announced on Tuesday, Barclays said it
would raise £5.8 billion through a rights issue of stock that would
allow current investors to buy one share for every four shares they
own at a 40.1 percent discount to the bank's closing share price on
Monday.
The bank also plans to issue as much as to £2 billion of so-called
contingent capital, financial instruments that convert to equity if a
bank's capital falls below a certain threshold. Barclays also said it
would reduce assets on its balance sheet by as much as £80 billion and
use part of its profits to improve its leverage ratio to 3 percent by
June 2014.
Shares of Barclays tumbled 5.7 percent Tuesday in trading in London,
where the bank is based. Over the last three trading sessions, the
stock has fallen nearly 10 percent in anticipation of a capital
increase.
While Mr. Jenkins acknowledged that raising the capital might dilute
investors' stake in Barclays, he added that the plan would help
reassure shareholders about the bank's financial strength.
"It's about doing the right thing for the long term," he
said.Barclays, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Bank of America Merrill
Lynch and Citigroup are coordinating the planned £5.8 billion capital
offering by Barclays.


© CopyRight- http://dealbook.nytimes.com/

Read More

Manning Acquitted of Aiding the Enemy.

Manning Acquitted of Aiding the Enemy.
A military judge on Tuesday rejected the Obama administration's quest
to equate the unlawful disclosure of documents with aid to America's
mortal enemies, including al Qaeda, in a ruling that acquitted Private
First Class Bradley Manning of the gravest criminal charge he faced.
But Pfc. Manning was convicted of a long list of other crimes,
including theft of government property and violations of the Espionage
Act, and faces a potential prison sentence far longer than any yet
given for leak-related crimes.
The outcome of the high-profile case, coming more than three years
after Pfc. Manning was arrested at a military base in Iraq for leaking
thousands of secret documents and videos to the WikiLeaks website, was
decidedly mixed for both the defendant and his prosecutors.
It showed that prosecutors had a strong case against Pfc. Manning for
taking and leaking government secrets, experts said, but that the
government may have overreached by taking the added step of
attributing his actions to an intent to harm the U.S. by aiding its
enemies.
"The judge reined in a clearly overzealous prosecution," said Mary
Rose Papandrea, a Boston College Law professor.
Nevertheless, the verdict gave the Obama administration a key first
success in a leak prosecution that relied on World War I-era laws
adopted to counter espionage. Several other cases relying on similar
charges are pending, and experts on law and civil liberties expect the
campaign against leaks to intensify.
"Whether the purpose is to inform the public or aid the enemy, the
message we have been getting is that the government is going to go
after you with everything they have," said Ms. Papandrea.
Pfc. Manning, facing 22 charges, pleaded guilty earlier this year to
lesser counts against him. With Tuesday's conviction, he could be
facing 136 years in prison under the maximum possible sentencing.
The trial now moves into a potentially lengthy sentencing phase
beginning Wednesday. As in all court-martial cases, the defendant is
entitled to an automatic appeal to the Army Court of Criminal Appeals.
A lot of Manning supporters are breathing a sigh of relief that he was
not convicted on the aiding-the-enemy charge, but it is important not
to lose sight that this is really unprecedented that someone could go
to jail for his life for disclosing information to the media," said
Elizabeth Goitein, a legal expert and co-director of the Liberty and
National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice.
The presiding judge, Col. Denise Lind, asked Pfc. Manning to stand
Tuesday as she announced her verdict. Pfc. Manning appeared calm and
briefly gave a restrained smile when she announced her ruling on the
charge of aiding the enemy.
The judge went on to announce convictions on charge after charge
related to taking information from government databases, bypassing
security mechanisms and using classified information for other than
its intended purpose.
Several analysts said Col. Lind's verdict on aiding the enemy could
ease public perceptions of Pfc. Manning. "It does take away the stigma
you are a traitor, that somehow you are aiding the enemies of your
country if you leak document," said Fred Cate, a professor of law at
Indiana University.
But with a long sentence likely, others said it was unlikely in time
to be seen as a victory for Pfc. Manning. "It is a little less mixed
than it might seem. They still have him on so many counts he is
looking at decades in prison," said Jim Lewis of the nonpartisan
Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The Manning verdict holds potential implications for the case of
former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who is
still at a Moscow airport while seeking asylum after leaking details
of U.S. surveillance programs. Mr. Snowden faces criminal charges of
stealing and passing secret information, and is trying to avoid
returning to face trial in the
U.S., claiming he would be subject to possible torture or execution,
which U.S. officials have explicitly denied.
Though legal experts said there is no direct technical precedent for a
military verdict influencing a civilian prosecution, they said Col.
Lind's reasoning could well influence civilian prosecutors.
The administration's loss on the aiding-the-enemy charge in the
Manning case may mean it is less likely to level a similar charge
against Mr. Snowden, experts said. But with the fate of Mr. Snowden,
who remains in Moscow, resting in the hands of the Russian government,
there is unlikely to be a major immediate effect on Mr. Snowden.


© CopyRight - http://online.wsj.com/

Read More

Ashes 2013: James Taylor says he is now ready to take England chance.

Ashes 2013: James Taylor says he is now ready to take England chance.
James Taylor said he believes he is in a much stronger position to
make the most of the opportunity if he is called into the England Test
side at Old Trafford this week than he was when making his debut
against South Africa last year.
The 23-year-old Nottinghamshire batsman, who is in the England squad
as cover for the injured Kevin Pietersen, completed an unbeaten 121 as
a guest player for Sussex in their match against the tourists.
It was not, Taylor admitted, the most fluent or accomplished of the 16
first-class hundreds he has scored in his career. He was very nearly
bowled by his first delivery and was dropped twice during his 253-ball
five-and-a-half-hour stay at the crease.
On the other hand his determination to keep going when "batting ugly",
as the professionals sometimes describe it, was a lesson in itself to
the Australia batsmen following their collapses at Trent Bridge and
Lord's.
"I'm definitely a better player mentally and technically than I was
when I played those two Tests against South Africa last year," said
Taylor.
"I felt comfortable at the crease [against South Africa] but I didn't
get the runs I wanted. I've been away and worked really hard. I've
piled on the runs like the selectors asked me to and now I feel in a
good place. This wasn't one of my best innings but it's about finding
a way when you're not feeling in the best touch, and I did that. It's
not how, it's how many.
"I was in a kind of no-win situation in this game but the purpose was
to spend time in the middle against the red ball after all the T20
cricket in recent weeks, and it was good to do that against a decent
attack.
"It was definitely a pressure situation – if I hadn't scored any runs
everybody would have commented on that – but luckily I did and got
what I needed out of the game."
The other England squad member playing in this match, the left-arm
spinner Monty Panesar, was optimistic about his chances of going back
up against Australia on Thursday.
"If the wicket's turning in Manchester we should definitely play two
spinners, and I'd love to play with 'Swanny' [Graeme Swann]; the spin
twins coming together and getting the win," he said with a smile.
"I have a good record at Old Trafford so hopefully the groundsman is
raking that wicket and producing a turning one."
Panesar did acknowledge his inclusion could be seen as a surprise
considering he has not enjoyed a hugely productive season in domestic
cricket. The 21 wickets he has taken in 10 County Championship matches
have come at an average of over 40.
"I kind of struggled early season," he said. "I was not getting the
[bowling] action I wanted to get, so I went away and did a bit of work
with [the England spin coach] Peter Such on a one-to-one basis to get
my action in the right order.
"If my action hadn't been great and my bowling wasn't great then maybe
the selectors wouldn't have taken the option [of picking him] but
they've obviously seen improvement in the last couple of games,
especially here against Australia. It was really important for me to
put them under pressure and show the selectors I was in a good place."
Panesar, who took three for 70 from 24.4 overs in the Australia first
innings and none for 40 from 14 in the second, said he felt he would
be a threat against the current Australian batting line-up.
"The Australia team is a very competitive team, they are always going
to come hard at us, but you always feel maybe against spin there is an
opportunity. You can't completely discard Australia – they are good
players, they're a competitive cricket team – but I do feel in this
game I was always in with a chance.
"As far as I am concerned everything is back in place now, so the
timing couldn't be better. If the opportunity does come on Thursday
I'm in a great place."

© CopyRight - http://www.theguardian.com/

Read More

Major label bidding war... for David Brent.

Major label bidding war... for David Brent.
Ricky Gervais has received a number of "ridiculous offers from all
over the world" from major record labels for a David Brent album.
Interest in the Office star has come after Gervais released a number
of songs as a series of comic shorts called Learn Guitar with David
Brent via his YouTube channel.
The Brent catalogue includes titles such as Life On The Road, Ooh La
la, Ain't No Trouble as well as Spaceman Came Down and Free Love
Freeway, which were made famous on The Office itself.
"I can't believe I'm now getting ridiculous offers from major record
deals all over the world for a David Brent album," said Gervais.
Where were these people when I was trying to be a real popster? And
starving?"
The Learn Guitar… series has so far helped Gervais' channel clock up
over 18 million views.
Gervais also appeared as Brent alongside comedian and rapper Doc Brown
to perform another David Brent original, Equality Street for Comic
Relief this year.
Brent's next song, titled Slough, is released today on the Ricky
Gervais YouTube channel and can be found below.
"It's been so much fun bringing back David Brent and have him
philosophise on Youtube, and spend all his hard earned repping money
on still trying to become a pop star," Gervais added. "It's funny and
sadly true of today's X Factor culture."

© CopyRight- http://www.musicweek.com/

Read More

Barclays issues £5.8bn new shares in bid to plug £12.8bn shortfall.

Barclays issues £5.8bn new shares in bid to plug £12.8bn shortfall.
Banking giant Barclays today revealed plans to plug up a £12.8bn
shortfall identified by the City watchdog through an issue of
£5.8bn-worth of new shares.
Barclays also took another £2 billion hit for mis-selling payment
protection insurance and interest rate swaps, taking the total set
aside for mis-selling to £5.5 billion.
However, in a sweetener to investors, the bank said that once it had
closed the capital gap identified by the Prudential Regulation
Authority (PRA), it would be able to increase its dividend payouts by
more than expected from 2014.
Chief executive Antony Jenkins, who took over after Bob Diamond quit
in the wake of the Libor-rigging scandal last year, said: "After
careful consideration of the options, the board and I have determined
that Barclays should respond quickly and decisively to meet this new
target.
"We have developed a bold but balanced plan to do so."
Barclays' first-half profits fell 17 per cent to £3.59 billion, which
was slightly lower than City estimates and included a £640 million
charge for Jenkins' restructuring plan, which aims to save £1.5
billion in annual costs and will see a total of 3,700 jobs go by 2015.
Under the rights issue, existing shareholders will be offered one new
share for every four they own at 185p a share, which is a 40 per cent
discount to last night's closing price. Today Barclays shares dropped
more than 6 per cent to 287.80p by mid-afternoon but are still up more
than 12 per cent this year.
The PRA and Bank of England said they welcomed Barclays' move, calling
it "a credible plan to meet a leverage ratio of 3 per cent, after
adjustments, by June 2014 without cutting back on lending to the real
economy".
Barclays will sell up to an additional £80 billion of assets, raise
another £2 billion through the issue of "CoCos", loss-absorbing
securities, and retain more of its earnings in order to meet the PRA's
£12.8 billion target.
Jenkins said: "The board and I are aware of the implications of a
rights issue for shareholders. We hope to balance this with reduced
uncertainty in the outlook for Barclays and with enhancement of our
dividend payout from 2014."
He added that once the new capital is in place, Barclays could
increase the amount of earnings it pays in dividends to shareholders
from his original target of 30 per cent to somewhere between 40 per
cent and 50 per cent.
Barclays is paying some £150 million in fees for the rights issue,
much of which will go to the lead underwriters and bookrunners: Credit
Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Citi.

© CopyRight- http://www.independent.co.uk/

Read More

Kym Lomas keeps her head down as she arrives at work amid reports she and husband Jamie are 'living apart'.

Kym Lomas keeps her head down as she arrives at work amid reports she
and husband Jamie are 'living apart'.
Kym has so far remained silent on claims that she and fellow actor
Jamie, who wed last September, are in the midst of a trial separation
in a bid to save their marriage.
A source close to the couple told The Sun: 'It's true, they are
spending some time apart while they work through their problems.
'They've not split up but have been going through a tricky time -
arguments and various other things.
'They have always had a tempestuous relationship and have been through
a hell of a lot.'
Another source told the Daily Mirror: 'This could be the beginning of
the end. No one has dumped the other, they just can't make things work
at the moment.
'It's very sad and not what either of them ever wanted to happen.'
The couple were last pictured together in early June as they hosted a
star-studded bash to mark the launch of their new business, a booking
agency called VIP Appearances.
On July 18, Kym tweeted: 'Why can I not sleep!!!! Too many things on
the mind!!!!'
Speaking about the venture at the time, she said: 'We're excited
because it's fingers in different pies. Jamie's in LA but when he gets
back he wants to focus on different things as well as acting.'
News of their new living arrangements comes after Jamie recently
joined the cast of EastEnders.
The couple's relationship has been under strain before as the
ex-Hollyoaks star has been spending a lot of time in Los Angeles in an
attempt to launch his acting career.
Back in March, a source close to Kym told Now magazine that Kym was
finding it hard being separated from Jamie when he was in the US.
The insider said: 'This is the third time around and it's proving more
difficult than expected. Life gets lonely when you're at home holding
the baby.
'And it's not any easier for Jamie, who's missing lots of milestones
in Polly's life - she's starting to speak and is growing up so fast.'
In March 2012, Kym admitted things had been 'difficult' when Jamie was
away in Los Angeles.
However, now he is in the BBC soap, he has to spend more time in
London, whereas Kym lives a short drive from the Coronation Street set
in Cheshire with their two-year-old daughter
Polly.
Kym is also mother to David, 18, and Emily, 15, from a previous
relationship to Dave Cunliffe, while Jamie is father to seven-year-old
son Billy with ex-girlfriend Haley Lever.
Kym and Jamie started dating in summer 2008, five months after Kym
left her first husband, ex EastEnders star Jack Ryder.
They sadly lost their son Archie moments after birth in February 2009,
but welcomed Polly together in March 2011.
MailOnline has contacted the couple's representatives for comment.

© CopyRight- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Read More

Kym Lomas keeps her head down as she arrives at work amid reports she and husband Jamie are 'living apart'.

Kym Lomas keeps her head down as she arrives at work amid reports she
and husband Jamie are 'living apart'.
Kym has so far remained silent on claims that she and fellow actor
Jamie, who wed last September, are in the midst of a trial separation
in a bid to save their marriage.
A source close to the couple told The Sun: 'It's true, they are
spending some time apart while they work through their problems.
'They've not split up but have been going through a tricky time -
arguments and various other things.
'They have always had a tempestuous relationship and have been through
a hell of a lot.'
Another source told the Daily Mirror: 'This could be the beginning of
the end. No one has dumped the other, they just can't make things work
at the moment.
'It's very sad and not what either of them ever wanted to happen.'
The couple were last pictured together in early June as they hosted a
star-studded bash to mark the launch of their new business, a booking
agency called VIP Appearances.
On July 18, Kym tweeted: 'Why can I not sleep!!!! Too many things on
the mind!!!!'
Speaking about the venture at the time, she said: 'We're excited
because it's fingers in different pies. Jamie's in LA but when he gets
back he wants to focus on different things as well as acting.'
News of their new living arrangements comes after Jamie recently
joined the cast of EastEnders.
The couple's relationship has been under strain before as the
ex-Hollyoaks star has been spending a lot of time in Los Angeles in an
attempt to launch his acting career.
Back in March, a source close to Kym told Now magazine that Kym was
finding it hard being separated from Jamie when he was in the US.
The insider said: 'This is the third time around and it's proving more
difficult than expected. Life gets lonely when you're at home holding
the baby.
'And it's not any easier for Jamie, who's missing lots of milestones
in Polly's life - she's starting to speak and is growing up so fast.'
In March 2012, Kym admitted things had been 'difficult' when Jamie was
away in Los Angeles.
However, now he is in the BBC soap, he has to spend more time in
London, whereas Kym lives a short drive from the Coronation Street set
in Cheshire with their two-year-old daughter
Polly.
Kym is also mother to David, 18, and Emily, 15, from a previous
relationship to Dave Cunliffe, while Jamie is father to seven-year-old
son Billy with ex-girlfriend Haley Lever.
Kym and Jamie started dating in summer 2008, five months after Kym
left her first husband, ex EastEnders star Jack Ryder.
They sadly lost their son Archie moments after birth in February 2009,
but welcomed Polly together in March 2011.
MailOnline has contacted the couple's representatives for comment.

© CopyRight- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Read More

Close play goes against Red Sox in loss to Rays.

Close play goes against Red Sox in loss to Rays.
BOSTON (AP) — With help from a quick thunderstorm, the Red Sox had
David Price out of the game.
The problem was they didn't get a break on an umpire's admitted missed
call in a 2-1 loss to the Rays on Monday night.
Trailing 2-1 in the eighth inning, pinch-runner Daniel Nava was called
out at home by plate umpire Jerry Meals — even though replays clearly
showed and Meals said afterward — that Nava got under the tag of
catcher Jose Molina.
''No, there was no doubt. I knew I was safe. I wouldn't try and sell
it, if I — on replay you'd see that I was safe,'' said Nava. ''So I
knew that I was safe. Unfortunately, that was the situation, and
obviously that was the call, but at the same time, I probably should
have been there the at-bat before.''
Ryan Lavarnway doubled off the Green Monster against reliever Joel
Peralta, but Nava couldn't score when Stephen Drew's line drive went
over right fielder Wil Myers' head for a double. Nava then tagged on
Brandon Snyder's fly ball to short left-center. Nava and manager John
Farrell both argued, with Farrell getting ejected by Meals.
Meals spoke to a pool reporter after the game.
''What I saw was Molina blocked the plate and Nava's foot lifted,'' he
said. ''But in the replays, you could clearly see Nava's foot got
under for a split second and then lifted, so I was wrong on my
decision. From the angle I had, I did not see his foot get under
Molina's shin guard.''
Boston outfielder Shane Victorino said the decision hurt, but it's
part of the game.
''I wasn't bothering stopping him. He had every right to be upset,''
Victorino said when asked about Farrell's ejection. ''Again, the human
error is part of the game and that stuff happens. Sure it gets
frustrating, especially when you battle and you grind like that and
something like that happens. Sure you get frustrated, but we put
ourselves (in position) to win again in the bottom of the ninth.''
Price allowed just two hits over 7 1-3 innings to beat the Boston Red
Sox for the second time in six days, and Tampa Bay retook first place
in the AL East.
Price (6-5) was dominating the makeup game before it was delayed for
39 minutes because of a brief downpour that arrived as fans were
singing ''Sweet Caroline'' and he was warming up for the bottom of the
eighth. The Rays left-hander stayed in the game, but retired just one
batter — after starting him out with three straight balls — before
Peralta relieved him.
Fernando Rodney pitched the ninth for his 26th save. He gave up a
leadoff single to Jacoby Ellsbury, who stole second with one out, and
walked David Ortiz with two outs. A 100 mph wild pitch moved the
runners to second and third but Mike Napoli struck out on a 3-2
changeup to end the game.
Felix Doubront (7-5) allowed two runs on eight hits and three walks,
striking out four in five innings.
Price pitched a five-hitter to beat the Red Sox on Wednesday and help
the Rays move a half-game back in the AL East behind Boston, which had
been in first since May 27. But the series finale was rained out on
Thursday, bringing the teams back to Boston for the makeup on Monday
night.
Before they could finish things up at Fenway Park for the season, the
Rays took over first place in the division on Friday and then gave it
back on Sunday.
Price allowed just Ortiz's double high off the Green Monster to lead
off the second inning and Snyder's 302-foot fly ball off the Pesky
Pole for a home run in the sixth. That was the only runner to get past
second base against Price, who walked none and struck out eight to win
for the fifth time in six starts since coming off the disabled list on
July 2.
The Rays led 2-0 after five on an RBI double from Sean Rodriguez and a
run-scoring fielder's choice by Myers.
NOTES: The Red Sox learned Ortiz won't be suspended for destroying the
phones in the Baltimore dugout with a bat after being ejected for
complaining about a pair of called strikes on Saturday. ... Doubront
has allowed three runs or fewer in 18 of 19 starts, including his last
14, the longest streak by a Red Sox LHP starter since at least 1920.
It matches the longest by a Red Sox pitcher since Pedro Martinez in
2002.

© Copyright- http://www.boston.com/

Read More

Deloitte loses MG Rover conflict-of-interest appeal.

Deloitte loses MG Rover conflict-of-interest appeal.
Deloitte has failed to overturn a ruling that it did not manage
conflicts of interest between MG Rover and the so-called "Phoenix
Four" directors in the lead-up to the car maker's collapse.
The International Dispute Resolution Centre upheld a ruling by the
Financial Reporting Council (FRC) highlighting failures from Deloitte
and its employee Maghsoud Einollahi.
Deloitte and Mr Einollahi had acted as corporate finance advisers to
companies involved with MG Rover and the Phoenix Four, while Deloitte
was also auditing MG Rover.
"The outcome of this tribunal sends a strong, clear reminder to all
accountants and accountancy firms that they have a responsibility to
act in the public interest in the work they undertake," Paul George,
FRC's executive director for conduct, said.
"[This result] underlines the FRC's commitment to promote public
confidence and ensure the integrity of the accountancy profession by
upholding the standards expected of members."
MG Rover collapsed in 2005 under the strain of £1.4bn of debt. The
"Phoenix Four" – Peter Beale, Nick Stephenson, John Towers and John
Edwards – had bought the loss-making car maker for just £10 five years
earlier. They were later struck off as company directors for a
combined 19 years after a government investigation into MG Rover's
collapse.
The men collected £42m in pay and pensions from MG Rover during their
five years there, but said they had "done nothing which justifies
disqualification".
Responding to Monday's verdict, Deloitte said it was ready to "move on".

CopyRight- http://www.independent.co.uk/

Read More

Report Reveals Apple Is Working on a Cheaper, Plastic-Backed iPhone.

Report Reveals Apple Is Working on a Cheaper, Plastic-Backed iPhone.
The signs are all pointing to one thing: Apple is indeed working on a
cheaper, plastic iPhone model for debut this fall. The most damning
evidence thus far is a report from New York-based labor rights
organization China Labor Watch detailing production of such an iPhone.
China Labor Watch investigated working conditions at Pegatron, one of
Apple's Chinese iPhone manufacturers and issued a report (.PDF)
disclosing their findings. Inside, it made some curious references to
a plastic iPhone — a product that doesn't yet exist on the market:
Today's work is to paste protective film on the iPhone's plastic back
cover to prevent it from being scratched on assembly lines. This
iPhone model with a plastic cover will soon be released on the market
by Apple.
The task is pretty easy, and I was able to work independently after a
five-minute instruction from a veteran employee. It took around a
minute to paste protective film on one rear cover. The new cell phone
has not yet been put into mass production, so quantity is not as
important. This makes our job more slow-paced than in departments that
have begun mass production schedules.
A low-cost iPhone makes sense for Apple as it looks for new ways to
grow its mobile hardware business, says Forrester analyst Charles
Golvin.
"Producing a lower-cost model will enable more people in the world to
afford an iPhone," Golvin says in an email. "Even in developed markets
like the U.S., with operators reducing subsidies, many consumers are
experiencing sticker shock as they comprehend the true cost of a
smartphone."
Golvin says this approach is analogous to what Apple did with the
iPod. Eventually, it developed a product lineup broad enough that
anyone could find an iPod within their budget. If (or when) Apple
debuts a lower cost iPhone model, Golvin expects the unsubsidized
price to fall in the $299-$329 price range for an 8GB. By our own
estimates here at WIRED, that would put the subsidized price somewhere
at or below $100, which opens up the possibility that this cheaper
iPhone would be made available for free with a new service contract on
some carriers. Even if you're buying one unsubsidized, $330 is a far
cry from the $650 a full-price iPhone 5 would set you back.
The Wall Street Journal reported back in January that Apple was
developing a low-priced iPhone that would feature a polycarbonate
shell rather than the aluminum used in the current iPhone 5. Business
Insider says it will be called the iPhone 5C, with the "C" potentially
standing for "color" (though the public will no doubt read the C as
"cheap"). A well-sourced story from iLounge also previously reported
that Apple's cheap iPhone would be called the iPhone 5C.
Over the past few months, a number of photos (most of questionable
trustworthiness) have also surfaced supporting the idea that Apple is
developing a plastic-backed iPhone. With photo "evidence," it's
difficult to discern what could be the real thing, and what's just a
knockoff. But with that in mind, one shot reveals an array of color
options including yellow, blue, and green. Another likely fake
photograph purportedly shows packaging for an iPhone labeled with
"iPhone 5C."
Apple's Tim Cook has hinted on more than one occasion — most recently
during its Q3 earnings call — that the company has great things in
store for the fall and 2014. Apple has introduced new iPhone models in
the fall rather than the summer since the iPhone 4S in 2011


CopyRight- http://www.wired.com/

Read More

JPMorgan to settle over power rigging charge.

JPMorgan Chase was expected to announce a settlement with the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission as early as Tuesday after being formally
charged with rigging power markets in California and the Midwest.
Ferc said on Monday that the bank's traders had engaged in eight
"manipulative bidding strategies" that generated "tens of millions of
dollars at rates far above market prices" in 2010 and 2011.
In one allegation, the bank was accused of making false bids to
collect payments covering the cost of selling wholesale electricity in
California.
The accusations, which echo the electricity-market manipulation
schemes perpetrated by Enron, the bankrupt energy company, will lead
to a settlement of about $400m as early as Tuesday, according to one
person familiar with the situation. JPMorgan and Ferc declined to
comment.
The settlement would follow a $470m fine levied against Barclays this
month when Ferc found the British bank had manipulated electricity
markets. Barclays said it would "vigorously defend" itself in court.
The bank's commodity business, run by Blythe Masters, has come under a
barrage of regulatory pressure in the last year. The Federal Reserve
said this month it was "reviewing" banks' authority to trade physical
commodities.
A Senate committee was scheduled on Tuesday to hold its second hearing
on the subject of bank ownership of physical commodities. Last Friday,
JPMorgan announced it was putting its physical commodities business up
for sale.
One potential suitor emerged on Monday when Jeff Welch, head of North
American gas, at EDF Trading told the Financial Times his company
"would be very interested in examining all aspects of the JPMorgan
portfolio in the physical commodities space for which EDFT had an
active presence and a desire to grow".
EDF Trading, a subsidiary of the French utility, earlier bought Lehman
Brothers' energy trading group out of bankruptcy court in 2008.
EDF was North America's sixth-largest natural gas marketer in the
first quarter of 2013, according to Natural Gas Intelligence. JPMorgan
ranked ninth. Their combined volumes would meet about 16 per cent of
daily North American gas demand.
JPMorgan's move to exit physical commodities is a U-turn. JPMorgan in
2010 spent $1.6bn for the bulk of RBS Sempra Commodities, a physical
merchant, and another $220m for the joint venture's North American gas
and power book. It previously acquired electricity plants and energy
trading operations when it took over Bear Stearns in 2008.
With contracts that extend years into the future and other US banks
also facing pressure from the Fed, it is unclear how many buyers there
are for a physical commodities business. Morgan Stanley has so far
failed to sell stakes in its sprawling commodities business after
talks with potential partners began last year. JPMorgan also plans to
maintain its commodity derivatives group.
However, non-US banks, under less public pressure over their
commodities business, could be interested. Macquarie and Deutsche
Bank, two leading non-US banks in commodities, are both likely to
consider bidding for some or all of the business, people familiar with
the situation said.

CopyRight- http://www.ft.com/

Read More

15 missing in Blue Rhino propane plant explosion in central Florida

15 missing in Blue Rhino propane plant explosion in central Florida.
Fifteen people are unaccounted for following multiple explosions and a
fire at a Blue Rhino facility in central Florida, said John Harrell, a
spokesman for the Lake County Sheriff's office.
Seven people have been transported to regional hospitals, he said. An
evacuation area of half a mile has been extended around the plant.
There were 53,000, 20-pound cylinders of propane at the facility at
the time of the fire, Harrell said.
"It sounds like bombs are going off," Norma Haygood told WESH.
Fire crews could be seen pouring water onto the facility.
The cause of the explosions and fire was not immediately known.
The Blue Rhino facility refills propane tanks used in gas grills. The
company's tank exchange service allows customers to trade in an empty
tank for a full one at retail locations.

Copyright-http://edition.cnn.com/

Read More

Taylor Swift The 1940s Bikini Guys HATE It, Girls LOVE It

Taylor Swift
The 1940s Bikini
Guys HATE It, Girls LOVE It
The striped, belly button-covering bikini Taylor Swift rocked out in
Rhode Island this weekend is DIVIDING THE COUNTRY ... or at least the
TMZ newsroom.
It's been described as "super cute" and "stylish" by some (the women).
It's also been described as "horrible," "diaperish" and "an American
tragedy" by others (the men).

Now, we leave this important issue in your hands.
Copyright http://www.tmz.com/
For spicy pic Visit here http://www.playboyz.in/

Read More

Radio Host Kidd Kraddick Died

If you have ever listened to FM radio on your morning commute in
Texas, then at one point or another you've probably listened to Kidd
Kraddick in the Morning, a nationally-syndicated morning talk show
that was based near Dallas. The eponymous host, Kidd Kraddick, died
this past weekend while attending a golf tournament fundraiser for his
charity, Kidd's Kids, in New Orleans. He was 53.

Further details explaining Kraddick's sudden death have yet to emerge,
but the Dallas Morning News reports that he fell ill during the golf
tournament, only taking a few swings before leaving.

The relationship between the listeners of morning radio shows and
their producers is an odd, passive, not entirely engaged one—most of
the time, you're only really half-listening. For Texans, Kraddick's
show was the comforting, avuncular (disembodied) voice that distracted
from the morning traffic jam to work or school.

But he was always on, every weekday morning, and to a generation of
drivers, he could be considered the Casey Kasem of Texas. Plus, we'll
forever and always ship Kidd and his co-host Kelly Rasberry, who
shared the on-air rapport of a cranky, endearing married couple.

"I knew what it felt like to be divorced, and now I feel like I know
what it's like to be a widow," Rasberry said on the show this morning.
Copyright http://austinist.com/

For spicy pic visit here http://playboyz.in/

Read More

Microsoft prices Xbox One controller at $60, headset at $25

Microsoft revealed early Monday the prices for two of the key
accessories for the upcoming next-generation Xbox One video game
console — the standalone controller, which will cost $59.99, and an
official Xbox-branded wireless headset to support the consoles various
chat and voice features for an additional $24.99. Like most video game
hardware, the starting bundle that Xbox One owners receive will
include a single controller, and Microsoft has said that the new
device will not be compatible with current-generation Xbox 360
controllers.

For a point of comparison, Sony's upcoming PlayStation 4 console —
which at a starting price of $399.99 will debut for $100 less than the
Xbox One — comes bundled with an earbud-style headset but will only
offer its motion-controlled camera peripheral, the imaginatively named
PlayStation Camera, for an extra $59.99. Unlike the Xbox One's Kinect
hardware, the PlayStation Camera is not a mandatory feature for the
PlayStation 4 console. Additional PS4 controllers also cost $59.99,
and the console is not backwards compatible with older versions of the
PlayStation DualShock controller.

Regardless of whether or not a headset is contained in the starting
console package, however, that most serious gamers will likely look to
make a heftier investment in a high-end gaming headset like those
offered by Turtle Beach, Tritton, or Astro if they're actually
planning to use either console's chat capabilities for actual gameplay
purposes. Both Sony and Microsoft have been vague on whether or not
gamers will be able to use their current headsets, which can run
upwards of $200 for the best models, on the next-gen hardware.
copyright http://www.nbcnews.com
for hot wallpaper visit here: http://www.playboyz.in/

Read More

Low-cost iPhone named in China Labor Watch report

Proof of Apple's much-rumored, low-cost iPhone might have been
revealed inadvertently in a new report.

Released today by watchdog group China Labor Watch, the report accuses
Apple supplier Pegatron of several worker abuses, including safety
violations, poor living conditions, and excessive overtime.

Page 11 of the 62-page report describes Pegatron as assembling cell
phones and tablets for Apple. "Its assembled products include iPhone
4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, and low-priced plastic iPhones," the report
said.

The long, difficult day in the life of one factory worker is detailed
further in the report. Page 28 describes that worker's task with the
plastic iPhone:

Today's work is to paste protective film on the iPhone's plastic
back cover to prevent it from being scratched on assembly lines. This
iPhone model with a plastic cover will soon be released on the market
by Apple. The task is pretty easy, and I was able to work
independently after a five-minute instruction from a veteran employee.
It took around a minute to paste protective film on one rear cover.
The new cell phone has not yet been put into mass production, so
quantity is not as important.

The report's purpose apparently was to find out how a low-cost iPhone
can be produced.

The executive summary specifically states: "Apple is preparing to
release a cheap iPhone. Just how does a prosperous company like Apple
produce a discounted version of its phones?" Another question asks:
"So what is the competitive advantage that Pegatron has utilized to
win Apple's order of the cheap iPhone?"

The report blames some of the violations on the rush to create a cheaper iPhone:

At this moment, in Shanghai, China, workers in Apple's supplier
factory Pegatron are monotonously working long overtime hours to turn
out a scaled-back, less expensive version of the iPhone. Six days a
week, the workers making these phones have to work almost 11-hour
shifts, 20 minutes of which is unpaid, and the remainder of which is
paid at a rate of $1.50 an hour ($268 per month) before overtime. This
is less than half the average local monthly income of $764 and far
below the basic living wage necessary to live in Shanghai, one of
costliest cities in China. So these workers rely on long overtime
hours. If a worker does not finish three months at Pegatron, the
dispatch company that got the worker hired will deduct a large portion
of his wages.

The report goes on to highlight the labor violations claimed by China
Labor Watch, which sent investigators to three Pegatron factories to
conduct almost 200 interviews with workers from March to July.

China Labor Watch said it found at least 86 labor rights violations,
including 36 legal violations and 50 ethical violations, across 15
categories: dispatch labor abuse, hiring discrimination, women's
rights violations, underage labor, contract violations, insufficient
worker training, excessive working hours, insufficient wages, poor
working conditions, poor living conditions, difficulty in taking
leave, labor health and safety concerns, ineffective grievance
channels, abuse by management, and environmental pollution.

In response to the report, Apple sent a statement to The Wall Street
Journal in which it said it has been in contact with China Labor Watch
to investigate the allegations. Pegatron CEO Jason Cheng said: "We
will investigate [the allegations] fully and take immediate actions to
correct any violations to Chinese labor laws and our own code of
conduct."
copyright http://news.cnet.com/

Read More

Low-cost iPhone named in China Labor Watch report

Read More

150 arrested, 105 children rescued from prostitution ring

WASHINGTON -- The FBI announced Monday the arrests of 150 people and
recovery of 105 children involved in child prostitution rings in 76
cities across the country.

The sweep, conducted in the past three days, was carried out in
partnership with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. It
represents the largest such law enforcement action focused on children
forced into prostitution.

Assistant FBI Director Ron Hosko, head of the bureau's criminal
division, said the children ranged from 13 to 17 years old. The
youngest of the victims was allegedly being pimped by her father, who
also was allegedly involved in videotaping his daughter's sexual
encounters.

In operations involving 230 separate law enforcement agencies,
authorities either made arrests or child recoveries from Atlanta to
Los Angeles.

The largest number of children -- 12 -- were recovered in San Francisco.

And the most alleged pimps --18 -- were arrested in Detroit.
"Child prostitution remains a persistent threat to children across
America," Hosko said. "This operation serves as a reminder that these
abhorrent crimes can happen anywhere and that the FBI remains
committed to stopping this cycle of victimization and holding the
criminals who profit from this exploitation accountable."
Copyright http://www.usatoday.com/

Read More

Cyclospora Outbreak: What You Need To Know

The cyclospora outbreak in the US which began in mid June has now
affected 285 people in 11 states. The CDC still does not know the
exact source of the parasite which has hospitalized 18 people thus
far. The CDC has only verified the parasite in fecal samples from 5
people to date.

Over 125 cases have been identified in Iowa. There is no clear history
of an originating source based on travel history thus far. According
to a report this week from the Iowa Dept of Public Health, the source
may be more likely originating from fresh vegetables as opposed to
fruit.
Cyclospora is a one-celled parasite which is too small to be seen by
the human eye. It causes explosive watery diarrhea, as well as nausea
and vomiting. Other common symptoms include fatigue, muscle aches, low
grade fever, and loss of appetite.

Cyclospora outbreaks originate from contaminated food or water, often
in tropical or subtropical climates. Outbreaks that have occurred in
the US in the past have generally have been linked to imported fresh
produce.

Raspberries, basil, lettuce, snow peas have been sources of previous
outbreaks since the 1990s.

Often times, in healthy persons, the illness is self- limited, and
resolves with supportive care including fluids, and medicine for
nausea if vomiting develops. The illness can last as little as 2-7
days–but can linger for several weeks to sometimes months in some
cases.

The onset can be as soon as 1 day but up to 2 weeks after exposure to
the parasite. It may not be uncommon to develop relapses associated
with this parasite.

When patients appear ill or dehydrated, intravenous fluids may be
necessary to restore fluid volume and electrolytes.

In immunocompromised patients, the illness generally begins slowly,
and may cause right sided upper abdominal pain with symptoms mimicking
gallbladder disease with elevated liver enzymes.

Diagnosis can be made by detecting the parasite in stool specimens,
specifically by identifying oocytes. There are currently no blood
tests that can detect antibodies to Cyclospora.

The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test can detect Cyclospora DNA in
stool specimens. It is commercially available, and is likely the most
acccurate method to make the diagnosis.

Antibiotics which can be used to treat the infection include Septra or
Bactrim. Cipro can also be used in patients with a sulfa
allergy–however, this may not be optimal therapy.

Antibiotics may help to reduce symptoms and also improve the time to
recovery for those with prolonged symptoms as well as loss of
appetite. In most cases, appropriate antibiotics can stop the diarrhea
within 2 days.

It is unclear what the source of contamination is at this time-the
produce itself, or related to contaminated irrigation systems involved
in farm settings.

The CDC is recommending that people be careful by taking precautions
to wash any fresh fruits and vegetables thoroughly until we know the
food source that is causing the outbreak.
Copyright http://www.forbes.com

Read More

Japan Inc. Cashes In on Abenomics as Toyota to Sony Profits Rise

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's economic recovery plan is filling
the coffers of manufacturers from Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) to Sony
(6758) Corp.

As the exporters prepare to announce first-quarter earnings this week,
14 of Japan's 27 largest are projected to beat their own full-year
operating profit forecasts by 5 percent or more, according to data
compiled by Bloomberg. Net income may surge 75 percent from a year
earlier among companies that sell abroad and 33 percent at
domestic-oriented firms, UBS AG said this month.
Abe's drive to end 15 years of deflation in Japan through monetary
easing and fiscal stimulus benefited manufacturers as the yen dropped
5 percent against the dollar last quarter and about 20 percent in the
past 12 months, boosting earnings from overseas. Toyota, the world's
largest carmaker, may exceed its fiscal-year net income target by 21
percent, according to the average of 23 analyst estimates compiled by
Bloomberg.

"Abe introduced a real bullet," said Ichiro Takamatsu, a fund manager
in Tokyo at Bayview Asset Management Co. "Companies will report
stronger numbers because of the weak yen."

Toyota, set to report earnings on Aug. 2, may say first-quarter net
income rose 48 percent to 430 billion yen ($4.3 billion), according to
the average of four analyst estimates. Profit for the year ending
March may jump 72 percent to 1.66 trillion yen, based on 23
projections.

Sony, Japan's biggest smartphone maker, may boost full-year profit 28
percent to 55 billion yen, according to the average of 16 analyst
estimates. The Tokyo-based company will report first-quarter earnings
on Aug. 1.
Return Favor

One question is whether those benefiting from Abenomics will return
the favor to stimulate the broader economy. Companies such as Toyota,
after stockpiling cash, could bolster Abe's stimulus efforts by
increasing capital investment, wages and dividends.

"Companies are of course happy to receive the windfall from a weaker
yen and stronger exports, but extremely reluctant to spread this
additional income," said Martin Schulz, an economist at Fujitsu
Research Institute in Tokyo. "They would rather keep that income and
focus on investment, particularly overseas."
'Good Numbers'

Analysts expect exporters including Toyota and Sony to beat their
forecasts in part because the yen is trading at lower levels than the
companies predicted.

Toyota said in May it expects 1.37 trillion yen in annual profit,
based on exchange rates of 90 yen to the dollar and 120 yen against
the euro. Sony targets 50 billion yen in full-year net income based on
the same projected rates.

Japan's currency traded at an average of about 99 against the dollar
and 129 against the euro in the quarter ended June 30, compared with
about 80 yen and 103 yen a year earlier. The currency may weaken
further to 120 yen against the dollar over the next year, Credit
Suisse AG said in a July 1 report.

Toyota's operating profit is boosted by about 40 billion yen for every
1-yen weakening in the Japanese currency against the dollar, according
to the company.

"We are just at the starting lines toward sustainable growth," Akio
Toyoda, the carmaker's president, said last month at the annual
shareholder's meeting. He said the strong yen was "becoming
corrected."

Shino Yamada, a spokeswoman for Toyota, and Mami Imada, a spokeswoman
at Sony, declined to comment ahead of the companies' earnings
announcements.

"There should be many sectors that will benefit from the yen's
depreciation," said Masamitsu Ohki, a fund manager at Stats Investment
Management Co., a hedge fund in Tokyo. "I expect good numbers for the
first quarter."
Nissan, Panasonic

Nissan Motor Co. (7201), Japan's second-biggest carmaker, said July 25
it increased profit 14 percent to 82 billion yen in the three months
ended June 30, amid the weaker yen and higher U.S. sales. The
Yokohama-based company reiterated its forecast for full-year net
income of 420 billion yen.

Panasonic Corp. (6752), Japan's third-biggest TV maker, may post
full-year net income of 62 billion yen, compared with the company's
forecast of 50 billion yen, according to the average of 13 analyst
estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The Osaka-based company, which
reports first-quarter earnings on July 31, had a 754 billion-yen loss
last fiscal year.

Annual profit at Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co. (7267), Japan's
third-largest carmaker, may jump 71 percent to 627 billion yen,
according to the average of 20 estimates.
Electronics Makers

Carmakers may get a bigger boost from the weaker yen than electronics
manufacturers, said Makoto Kikuchi, chief executive officer at
Tokyo-based Myojo Asset Management Japan Co.

"Consumer electronics makers see a limited impact," Kikuchi said.
"They have high ratios of overseas production as well as overseas
sales."

Sony's operating profit is reduced by a weaker yen against the dollar,
while it's increased by a weaker yen against the euro, according to
the company.

One product where Sony is hurt by the weakening yen against the dollar
is its new PlayStation 4 game console. The electronics maker has
signed contracts to pay for parts in dollars, to avoid being hurt by
the strengthening yen. The result is that parts and production are
becoming more expensive just as the company prepares to compete in
consoles against Microsoft Corp.

Japanese electronics makers continue to suffer from competition
against Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple Inc. and from the emergence
of smartphones and tablet computers, which are eroding demand for
devices such as cameras and video-game consoles.

"In electronics, Japanese companies are extremely challenged by
competition in Asia," Schulz at Fujitsu said. "The overall demand is
not strong."
Canon, Nintendo

Canon Inc. (7751), the world's biggest camera maker, cut its full-year
forecast July 24, citing lower-than-expected demand.

Nintendo Co. (7974), the creator of "Super Mario," may miss its 55
billion-yen profit forecast for the year ending March, according to
analyst estimates. The Kyoto-based company, which fell short of
initial sales projections for its new Wii U game console, may post net
income of 53 billion yen, according to the average of 22 estimates.
The company will report first-quarter earnings on July 31.

A sustained recovery for Japan's economy will depend on whether Abe's
government can execute a more comprehensive growth strategy, Masayoshi
Son, president of SoftBank Corp. (9984), said in Tokyo on July 23.

"Monetary initiatives or monetary techniques will not suffice in the
long run," said Son, whose Tokyo-based mobile-phone company acquired
U.S. carrier Sprint Corp. (S) earlier this month. "Unless Japan grows,
all of those short-term initiatives will have no meaning."
Copyright http://www.bloomberg.com/

Read More

2013 Gold Cup: With Win Over Honduras and Mexico Loss, Pressure Is on United States to Finish the Job

COMMENTARY | And then there was one.

One more road trip. One more match. One Gold Cup Final that could be
the cherry on top of the sundae that is the best stretch of play in
the 100-year history of US Men's Soccer. Jurgen Klinsmann is 90+
minutes of action away from putting any and all critics on mute for
one entire year, and the fact of the matter is that the US coach and
his Waldo-striped army should absolutely be hoisting a trophy come
July 28.

Anything but a win on Sunday will be unacceptable in the eyes of
American supporters.

United States 3-1 Honduras: Order restored

Remember when Landon Donovan went on a hiatus and subsequently found
himself in Klinsmann's doghouse? It seems like ages ago. Donovan
announced his return to US Soccer in a big way in the July 5 friendly
against Guatemala, and his star has merely gotten brighter and
brighter since. In the past three weeks, Donovan went from being a
fringe player who had to prove himself to his coach to a definite
member of the 2014 World Cup squad to someone who has guaranteed
himself a spot in the starting XI for what will likely be the final
World Cup Qualifiers of his career.

Donovan was again the engine of the US attack on Wednesday, having a
hand in all three of the team's tallies (two goals and a brilliant
through ball that set up the Eddie Johnson strike). It's possible that
the biggest highlight of the night that involved the LA Galaxy star
came when he was subbed off 18 minutes from time. The first person to
meet Donovan was his coach, who almost immediately embraced who will,
regardless of what occurs on Sunday, be his team's MVP of this
tournament.

Welcome home, Landon. We missed you, maybe even more than we could
have imagined.

United States 3-1 Honduras: Up top

It took literally a handful of seconds during a US attack on Wednesday
to remember what the previously mentioned Johnson brings to the table
that Chris Wondolowski, try as he might, cannot routinely produce.
Johnson used his pace and strength to beat a defender to a Donovan
through ball and then hold his man off as he fired off a hit from 17
yards out that swooped around goalkeeper Donis Escobar for the
match-opener. Wondo finds the back of the net through his positioning
and by doing the so-called "dirty work" inside the penalty area.

Johnson is a true forward and a finisher, and the type of player you
want starting up top in a Final.

It would be overly harsh to suggest that Donovan and Wondolowski
didn't mesh in previous Gold Cup matches; rather, they were two
different guys who were fighting for the same cause. In Donovan and
Johnson, Klinsmann has himself a true partnership, one in which
Donovan can contribute both up front and in the midfield as a
distributor for the Seattle Sounders forward. Donovan and Johnson make
up the competition's top one-two punch as the Final draws near, and
thus don't be shocked if the duo is responsible for the goal that wins
the Gold Cup.

United States 3-1 Honduras: Mexico losing is nice and all, but...

Now it's all on Team USA to finish the job. That Panama, not Mexico,
has been the second-best team in the tournament and deserves to play
for the trophy will not matter at all if the Americans stumble. The
United States will enter Sunday as the favorite, a team that will have
a noticeable home-field advantage unless thousands of Mexican football
supporters descend on the Windy City with the sole purpose of rooting
against the US.

Two things worry me about Panama: They're good on attacking set
pieces, plays in which the US have leaked goals throughout this
tournament, and they've also been playing like a confident side that
knows it has nothing to lose. Who expected Panama to beat Mexico TWICE
in under three weeks? Who expected that they, not Mexico, would be
standing in the way of US and Gold Cup glory?

There have always been excuses whenever the US have struggled under
Klinsmann. New philosophies were being preached, and players were
trying to adjust to a new system. The manager hadn't yet had enough
time for find his first-choice lineup. CONCACAF has gotten much, much
better in a brief amount of time.

All of that goes out the window on Sunday, the first actual "must-win"
game of the Klinsmann era. Win, and it's job done, the result that had
been coming since that 6-1 drubbing of Belize. Fall short, and July
2013 will forever be labeled as nothing more than yet another failure
for US Soccer.

No pressure.
Copyright yahoo.com

Read More

Danica McKellar, aka Winnie Cooper, Reveals Killer Abs in Avril Lavigne Music Video

Danica McKellar is revealing a, well, revealing new side to herself.

The former "Wonder Years" star, 38, revealed her killer abs while on
the set of Avril Lavigne's new music video yesterday.

"Just had the best time shooting @AvrilLavigne's new video," she
tweeted. "And she is so sweet and fun! Made me feel like a rock star.
;)"

Read More

Rick Warren returns to pulpit after son's suicide

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nearly four months after his son's suicide, popular
pastor Rick Warren returned to the pulpit Saturday afternoon at the
Southern California megachurch he founded.

Warren, dressed in his usual casual black T-shirt and jeans, took the
stage at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. with wife, Kay
Warren, and was greeted with a long standing ovation by the
congregation.

A shout of "We love you!" came from the crowd before Warren began.

"I love you, too," a smiling Warren replied. "Have I told you lately
that I love you?"

It was the first time Warren had taken the Saddleback pulpit since his
27-year-old son Matthew shot and killed himself on April 5.

In the sermon, first in a series called "How To Get Through What
You're Going Through," Rick Warren said he had the perfect role model
for his struggles.

"God knows what it's like to lose a son," Warren said.

He remained mostly composed, but choked back tears at times, including
when he thanked his surviving two children.

"How proud I was of Amy and Josh, who for 27 years loved their younger
brother," Warren said. "They talked him off the ledge time after time.
They are really my heroes."

He delivered a formal, prepared speech with notes and quotes from
Scripture but often broke off to talk frankly about his son.

"I was in shock for at least a month after Matthew took his life," Warren said.

But, Warren said he was grateful to come from "a family of spiritual redwoods."

"Satan picked the wrong team to pick on," he said.

Warren has been an essential figure in the modern, megachurch brand of
Christianity.

His multimillion-selling book "The Purpose Driven Life" made him a
national star in the realms of religion and self-help, and he
delivered the opening prayer at President Barack Obama's 2009
inauguration.

Saddleback, the church he founded in 1980, has grown to 20,000
members, according to Warren's biography on the church's website.

But in April, Matthew Warren, after a lifetime of struggle with
depression, shot and killed himself in what Warren at the time called
"a momentary wave of despair."

"For 27 years I prayed every day of my life for God to heal my son's
mental illness," Warren said.

But Warren said Saturday that he intended to turn his grief into a
message of service and hope.

"God wants to take your greatest sorrow and turn it into your life's
greatest message," he said.
Copyright http://www.usatoday.com so more info viit here http://www.usatoday.com


For Hot Spicy news And Pic Visit Here http://www.playboyz.in/

Read More

'The Wolverine' review: Looking sharp

The Wolverine
Action. Starring Hugh Jackman, Rila Fukushima and Tao Okamoto.
Directed by James Mangold. (PG-13. 120 minutes.)

Somewhere along the line somebody must have had a crazy idea, that
maybe for once the Wolverine required a decent script, and shouldn't
rely only on action, audience goodwill and the sight of Hugh Jackman
with his shirt off. And so a team was assembled, made up of people who
have made some very good movies.

Those movies are too many to list here, but for a taste: Director
James Mangold made "Walk the Line" and "3:10 to Yuma," and
screenwriters Mark Bomback, Scott Frank and Christopher McQuarrie made
"Live Free or Die Hard," "Out of Sight" and "The Usual Suspects,"
respectively. This time out, nobody is slumming.

Within five minutes, it's apparent that the audience, and "The
Wolverine," are in good hands. The movie, a sequel to 2009's "X-Men
Origins: Wolverine," begins with three gripping sequences, including a
vivid one in which our hero survives the atomic bomb blast at
Nagasaki. Of course he does - he's that kind of person. His hair and
skin may be burned off, but he flexes and growls, and a moment later,
everything has grown back.

Less immediately apparent than the quality of the action is the subtle
and welcome change the filmmakers have wrought in Wolverine. Of the
mutant superhero X-Men, he was always the sad sack, the depressive,
the self-hating one, the one who didn't want to use his powers; but in
"The Wolverine," he is less angst-ridden, and more angry and
motivated, which activates the movie.
Straight-up action hero

At the start, he is drifting and haunted by nightmares, but he still
has the gumption to pick a fight when he witnesses an injustice. In
the best way, he is more like a straight-up action hero - no longer a
miserable guy like Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wolf Man, but capable, dangerous
and, when it's called for, sarcastic.

The clash between mutants and humans has been the relentless focus of
previous "X-Men" movies. "The Wolverine" drops that exhausted subject
in favor of something more clear-cut and immediate: The Wolverine is
asked to travel to Japan in order to say goodbye to the man whose life
he saved in Nagasaki. The Wolverine, who's not doing much of anything
these days besides growing out his sideburns, agrees, and soon gets
involved in a tangled and dangerous conflict over the old man's will.
The old man skips over his own son and makes his granddaughter, Marika
(Tao Okamoto), the richest woman in Asia.

A nice feature of "The Wolverine" is that it always stays with our
hero, and his task is always simple and easy to grasp, despite
whatever complicating machinations are taking place off camera. He
saves Marika's life - as soon as people find out that she is about to
inherit everything, armies of assassins pop out from everywhere - and
he becomes determined to keep her alive. Why? Because he's a nice guy,
and he likes her.

Unfortunately, the Wolverine is not the best relationship material at
the moment. He can't go to sleep without having nightmares that cause
him to leap out of the sheets, waving his adamantine knuckle blades,
ready to kill anything that moves. Handsome or not, he is definitely a
case for separate beds.

"The Wolverine" is the first film from the X-Men universe to show
Jackman to full advantage. The actor has worked himself into a
physical condition that is downright humbling, or inspiring, depending
on your viewpoint, and his performance is in the best action tradition
of strength and humor.

The action sequences are not perfunctory and, though they had to have
been cooked up on a computer, they don't look like it. Or at least,
they're imaginative enough that you don't have time to think of them
in that way.
Train chase

For example, there's a chase on top of a train, a familiar
action-movie trope last seen as recently as "The Lone Ranger," a few
weeks ago. But the chase in "The Wolverine" takes place on a Japanese
bullet train going 300 mph, which completely changes the dynamic. The
scene is faster, quieter and more eerie, and the fighting requires
different strategies.

"The Wolverine" shows that, while originality would be nice, a little
novelty and enthusiasm in the presentation of the familiar can be
quite enough. The bottom line is that audiences aren't stupid and will
not settle for just anything, as the anemic box office for recent
blockbusters is showing. "The Wolverine" deserves to break out from
the pack.
Copyright http://www.sfgate.com/

Read More