Thursday, 9 July 2015
United in for Muller
Sunday, 14 June 2015
Blackhawks take lead in Stanley Cup Finals
Trailing 1-0 deep into the third period, Tuevo Teravainen tied the contest with a wrist shot at 13:28 before Antoine Vermette came through with the game-winner with less than five minutes to play.
With the game looking like it would head to overtime, Chicago put pressure on the Lightning and when the puck came loose in their zone Vermette gathered and fired it past goaltender Ben Bishop to complete the comeback.
"We just had to stay patient and not get frustrated," Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford told reporters after making 22 saves.
Crawford made a stop on a Ryan Callahan shot just before Chicago's equaliser to keep his tem alive.
"I was a little more aggressive than usual. I just tried to take away any net he may have."
Chicago's outburst ended a shutout streak for Bishop who had held opponents scoreless for a total of 113:28, dating back to Game Six of the Eastern Conference final.
Bishop finished with 19 stops but the Lightning would lament their lost opportunity.
Both teams needed Game Seven wins in their conference final battles, but Tampa Bay's playoff road has been particularly tough.
They needed seven games to take down Detroit in the opening series and six to beat Montreal before their seven-game thriller with the New York Rangers.
Game Two of the best-of-seven series is on Saturday in Tampa Bay.
EU court allows ending life support for comatose man
The European Court of Human Rights on Friday confirmed a decision by a French court last year that Vincent Lambert had been clear he did not want to be kept in a vegetative state.
The court's ruling said withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration would not violate the European Convention on Human Rights.
Lambert's family members disagree on whether to keep him alive artificially. His wife wants doctors to stop life support for him but his parents disagree.
"There's no relief, no joy to express. We'd just like his will to be done", Lambert's wife Rachel said following the ruling of the Strasbourg-based court.
The lawyer for Lambert's parents, Jean Paillot, expressed "great disappointment" and called on doctors to reassess Lambert's condition and "make a new medical decision", stressing that the initial decision had been taken in January 2014.
"We'll continue to fight", said Lambert's mother.
Euthanasia, which involves an act to kill the patient, is not legal in France. But end-of-life legislation allows doctor to stop treatments in certain cases, following a complex process that includes consultation with the family.
Vincent Lambert's case has prompted political movement on the issue.
A new bill, backed by the Socialist government, is currently under discussion in Parliament to allow doctors to keep terminally ill patients sedated until death comes.
Terminal or palliative sedation doesn't actively kill patients. It involves medicating patients until they die naturally of their illnesses or until they starve.
But critics say it means patients can be sedated for weeks before they die and that it may be more humane to opt for euthanasia.
All recent polls have shown that a large majority of French people favour legalising euthanasia.
Euthanasia is currently legal in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Irish FA accepted $5m from FIFA over 2009 playoff loss
Ireland were knocked out in a two-legged playoff by France for the the 2010 South Africa World Cup, with the decisive goal in the second-leg coming after a handball by French striker Thierry Henry in extra-time.
With moral outrage over the goal in Ireland and beyond growing, FIFA and the FAI came to a financial agreement not to proceed with legal action.
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It was a payment to the association... not to proceed with a legal case. |
"In January 2010 FIFA entered into an agreement with FAI in order to put an end to any claims against FIFA," it said in a statement.
"FIFA granted FAI a loan of $5m for the construction of a stadium in Ireland. At the same time, UEFA also granted the FAI funds for the same stadium.
"The terms agreed between FIFA and the FAI were that the loan would be reimbursed if Ireland qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Ireland did not qualify.
"Because of this, and in view of the FAI's financial situation, FIFA decided to write off the loan as per 31 December 2014."
Former Arsenal and Barcelona forward Henry stopped the ball going out of play with his hand, before crossing for William Gallas to score.
The game in Paris in 2009 ended 1-1 after with France progressing to the World Cup 2-1 on aggregate.
'Good agreement for the FAI'
FAI chief executive John Delaney criticised FIFA President Sepp Blatter at the time for his handling of the incident and accused the Swiss of being "disrespectful".
Speaking to Irish state broadcaster RTE on Thursday, Delaney said: "It was a payment to the association... not to proceed with a legal case.
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"So that day when I went in and told him how I felt about him... there were some expletives used, we came to an agreement... It was a very good agreement for the FAI, a very legitimate agreement for the FAI."
FIFA is currently in the middle of the biggest crisis in football history.
Nine FIFA officials and five business executives were indicted by the US last Wednesday on corruption charges, with seven arrested in Zurich ahead of FIFA's annual congress on Friday.
Blatter was re-elected president for a fifth term but just four days after the appointment, he confirmed he will be stepping down. It was then reported that the FIFA boss was under investigation by the FBI.
There have also been renewed calls for Russia and Qatar to be stripped of hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Yemen president sacks Saleh nephew as military attache
Thursday's announcement came on the same day that former al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) informant Hani Muhammad Mujahid told Al Jazeera's Investigative Unit that the brigadier had handed him funds for the 2008 attack on the US embassy in Sanaa, which killed 18 people.
President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi issued a presidential decree on Thursday "calling for the dismissal of Brigadier Ammar Mohammed Abdullah Saleh from his military duties as a military attache in Ethiopia".
Mujahid also alleged that the brigadier had a close relationship with Qasim al-Raymi, AQAP's military commander.
The former informant made the claims to Al Jazeera for a documentary called Al-Qaeda Informant, which focuses on his allegations that former President Saleh supported, and even directed, AQAP while he was Yemen's leader.
Spain demand
During his work as an informant, Mujahid said he provided information about both the US embassy assault and an attack that killed eight Spanish tourists in July 2007. In both cases, he says his information was ignored.
On Thursday, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that Esteve Maso, a survivor of the 2007 car bomb attack at the Balqis Temple in Marib, Yemen, had called on Spanish judges and prosecutors to reopen their investigation into the bombing.
Maso lost his wife in the bombing, which also killed two Yemenis.
Judge Fernando Andreu of the Audiencia Nacional led the investigation in 2007.
A team of investigators went to Yemen at the time. But after giving an initial response to a request for information, Yemeni authorities failed to reply to Spanish investigators and so the case in Madrid was closed, pending new information.
Peace talks
Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthi rebels agreed on Thursday to join UN-backed peace talks in Geneva planned for June 14.
Wednesday, 10 June 2015
NEITI urges Buhari to recover N1.4tn from oil companies
The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to consider the recovery of over $7.5bn (N1.4tn) from oil and gas companies operating in the country as a major priority of his economic policy agenda expected to be unfolded very soon.
The agency said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the amount represented clear cases of underpayment and under-assessment of taxes, royalties and rents revealed by NEITI in its independent audit reports on the industry, which had not been adequately addressed.
The statement quoted the Executive Secretary, NEITI, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, to have made the call in Abuja at an oil and gas conference to articulate an agenda for the new administration in support of the proposed industry reforms.
She explained that at a time when the new administration was in dire need of funds to tackle complex problems facing the nation, recovery of the amount should be pursued vigorously with political will and the seriousness it deserved.
Ahmed gave the assurance that NEITI was ready and willing to provide every information and data to assist the government to recover the funds.
She also said that a total of $11.6bn, which represents outstanding total dividends arising from loans and interest repayment from Federal Government’s investment in Liquefied Natural Gas, also needed to be recovered into the government’s coffers.
She said, “Our 2012 audit report discovered that total dividend, loans and interest repayment from the LNG paid to the NNPC in 2012 was $2.8bn; however, in the course of NEITI’s audit, the NNPC was unable to provide any evidence that the funds were remitted to the Federation Account as required by law.
“The total amount received by the NNPC from the LNG under the same circumstances, which has not been remitted to the Federation Account, stands at $11.6bn.”
Ahmed also used the forum to call for full investigation into the transfer of eight oil wells sold by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company in 2010 and 2011.
“The position of NEITI is that the whole transaction is not transparent,” she added.
She also used the forum to convey NEITI’s position for the removal of oil subsidy on petroleum products in order to save the nation from huge revenue loss and embarrassment that the management of the subsidy scheme represented.
“It has been the position of NEITI that the oil subsidy regime is a fraud that should not be allowed to stand any longer; the amount spent annually is enough to repair the refineries or even build new ones,” Ahmed said.
The NEITI boss advised the new administration to provide the political will required for the implementation of the other findings and recommendations contained in the agency’s independent reports.
Senators deny boycotting House of Assembly vote
Abuja - A group of senators, under the platform of the Unity Forum, have rejected the election of Bukola Saraki as the Senate President.
The legislators, while addressing journalists at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, also refuted reports they boycotted the poll to choose House leaders, as has been widely reported.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Banabas Gemade, said they were attending a meeting with President Mohammed Buhari at the International Conference Centre.
“We did not boycott the inauguration, we were invited to a meeting with President Mohammed Buhari at the International Conference Centre, Gemade said.
The legislators, while addressing journalists at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, also refuted reports they boycotted the poll to choose House leaders, as has been widely reported.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Banabas Gemade, said they were attending a meeting with President Mohammed Buhari at the International Conference Centre.
“We did not boycott the inauguration, we were invited to a meeting with President Mohammed Buhari at the International Conference Centre, Gemade said.
He said the members that voted did not constitute a quorum.
"When 53 Senators are outside during the nomination it is totally wrong to close the nomination,” Gemade said.
In his reaction, George Akume said the election of Senate President through a ballot without 53 legislators was "wrong."
"Before we could rush from the venue of the meeting with the President, the election was over," said Akume.
Bukola was elected on Tuesday.
"When 53 Senators are outside during the nomination it is totally wrong to close the nomination,” Gemade said.
In his reaction, George Akume said the election of Senate President through a ballot without 53 legislators was "wrong."
"Before we could rush from the venue of the meeting with the President, the election was over," said Akume.
Bukola was elected on Tuesday.
Hotel attendant arraigned after beating up lover
Lagos - A hotel attendant, Adie Fidelis-Ugbe, 26, on Wednesday appeared before an Abule Egba Magistrates' Court in Lagos for allegedly beating up his lover.
The accused, who lives at No. 23, Omo Isreal St., Oke-Odo in Abule Egba, near Lagos, is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and assault.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
But the Prosecutor, Insp. Racheal Williams, told the court that the offences were committed on June 2 at the residence of the accused.
Williams said that the accused and another person still at large beat up Ugbe’s lover, Blessing Michael.
"The complainant met another lady in Fidelis-Ugbe’s compound and a fight ensued between the ladies.
"As the fight raged on, the accused took side and started beating Michael.
"And when Michael wanted to take some of the electronics she allegedly bought with her money, Fidelis-Ugbe and his accomplice beat the complainant," she said.
The offences, according to the prosecutor, contravene Sections 171 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The Magistrate, Mrs Adenike Shonubi, granted the accused bail in the sum of N50, 000 with one surety in like sum.
She adjourned the case till July 22 for hearing.
Police did not kill Falaki, says AIG
Kano - Mr Tambari Yabo, the Assistant Inspector General in Charge of Zone 1, Kano, has dismissed insinuations by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that the police were responsible for the death of Prof. Ahmed Falaki.
Yabo spoke on Wednesday in Kano while briefing newsmen on the issue.
He recalled that on Feb. 14, the police reported that a gang of insurgents had attacked a police station in Kibiya Local Government Area of the state where they exchanged gun shots with the police.
Yabo explained that while trying to escape, the insurgents ran across the late don in company with his brother and driver and snatched their vehicle.
He added that late Falaki headed to Fala village a few meters away from where their vehicle was snatched to seek for assistance.
“The people of the village surrounded them thinking they were among the insurgents.
"Falaki was assaulted by over 2,000 villagers and this led to his death.
"Five of our men were there but in mufti. They could not stop the incident due to the large number of the villagers,’’ he said.
Yabo said that thorough investigation that involved the brother of the late don had shown that he was not shot.
“The corpse of the late professor was taken to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital Kano where a post mortem was conducted.
"It was stated by the medical doctor that he died of multiple scalp laceration from assault, not gun shot,’’ Yabo said.
He said the police in Kano had arrested some suspects and charged them to court.
14 foreigners charged for illegally storing petrol
The suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges with their lawyers urging the court to release them on bail.
Lagos - Fourteen nationals from Britain, Russia, Ukraine and Japan were charged Wednesday with illegally trading and storing petroleum products in oil-rich but cash-poor Nigeria.
Crude stolen from sabotaged pipelines and illegally refined oil products are regularly smuggled out and sold on the lucrative black market, an illicit business that is estimated to cost the country some much-needed $6 billion (5.3 billion euros) a year in revenue.
Nigeria's anti-graft agency the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the accused in a Lagos high court for conspiring to store 4,500 tonnes of petroleum products in three vessels in February without authorisation.
It was not immediately clear if the products were to be taken out of Nigeria and if so, to which country they were headed.
Presiding judge Ibrahim Buba remanded the suspects in custody until they met their bail conditions.
They were also ordered to surrender their passports to the EFCC, while the court fixed another hearing for June 17.
Nigeria is Africa's leading oil producer but has no functioning refineries, forcing crude to be exported then its products imported in a process that has been seen as wide open to fraud.
The government keeps the cost of fuel at the pumps low, currently 87 naira ($0.44, 0.39 euros) per litre, and pays fuel importers the difference between the market rate and their costs.
They shut depots several weeks ago claiming non-payment by the government, causing a crippling shortage of fuel that brought the country to a virtual standstill.
Agreement was reached to lift the blockade just days before Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in as president on May 29.
Buhari won elections two months earlier on a pledge to crack down on rampant corruption, including in the oil sector.
- AFP
Three female suicide bombers died in the flashpoint Nigerian state of Borno.
Maiduguri - Three female suicide bombers died in the flashpoint Nigerian state of Borno.
When the explosives strapped to their bodies detonated, police said Wednesday, adding no one else was killed.
State Police Commissioner Aderemi Opadokun said the bombers died on Tuesday on their way to the state capital Maiduguri, which has been hit multiple times by Boko Haram, including suicide attacks.
- AFP
Credit card 'convenience checks' can carry painful fees
Those checks your credit card company sends you may be tempting. But if you use them, it'll probably cost you.
The so-called "convenience checks'' are one form of a cash advance, and a new survey from CreditCards.com finds that such advances often come with high fees and interest rates.
Of the 100 cards reviewed by the site, 98 charged for a cash advance, and most often the fee was 5% of the amount, or $10, whichever is more.
And unlike a regular credit card purchase, interest on cash advances usually starts accruing right after the transaction. Given that the average interest rate on an advance is 24%, a steeper rate than what's usually attached to a standard purchase, consumers can wind up owing far more than they bargained for.
"I think that people generally understand that the cash advance is kind of a different animal than your standard credit card purchase, I just don't know that they know fully all the details,'' says Matt Schulz, senior industry analyst for CreditCards.com. Interest kicking in immediately, for instance, "can make those super high interest rates an even dicier proposition than they would normally be.''
A typical $1,000 cash advance would cost an extra $69 even if it's paid off in 30 days because of the fee and interest beginning to accrue immediately. On the other hand, a standard credit card purchase of $1,000 would not accrue any interest if paid off within that same month-long period.
Other credit card transactions that might be considered cash advances are money orders, wire transfers and even the purchase of a lottery ticket.
Schulz adds that a consumer who only pays the minimum amount due may not make a dent in what they owe for a cash advance. That's because the federal Credit CARD Act allows card issuers to direct a minimum payment to the balance that carries the lowest interest rate. And that's unlikely to be the higher interest cash advance.
"The longer you let those high interest rate balances continue to grow, the harder and harder it will be to eventually get rid of that debt,'' he says.
Despite the costs, a cash advance may sometimes be necessary, Schulz acknowledges, and it can be less onerous than a payday loan, or in some cases, even an overdraft.
"When you boil it all down, what people need to know is that cash advances can be the best of a bunch of really bad options when times get tough,'' he says. "If you do (take) one, it's incredibly important to pay it off as soon as you possibly can because the math can work against you really quickly.''
"But,'' he emphasizes, "under normal circumstances, they're something you should avoid.''
Based on CreditCards.com's review of 100 credit cards, those cards with the highest APRs for a cash advance were:
•First Premier Bank credit card (36.00%)
•BP Visa and the Texaco Visa (both 29.99%)
•ExxonMobil SmartCard (29.95%)
Rapper Rick Ross arrested on drug charge in Atlanta
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (AP) — A rapper who was stopped for a window tint violation in metro Atlanta has been arrested on a marijuana possession charge.
Fayette County Sheriff's Office spokesman J. Allen Stevens said rapper Rick Ross , whose real name is William Roberts, was being booked into the county jail Wednesday afternoon.
Stevens says an officer stopped Roberts and a passenger because the windows of the Bentley they were riding in violated tinting regulations. Stevens says the officer smelled marijuana and found a misdemeanor amount inside the car.
Stevens says Roberts was cooperative and didn't appear to be under the influence. The passenger's identity was not immediately available.
Stevens says Roberts has also been given a citation for the tinted windows.
An email to his agent wasn't returned Wednesday afternoon.
Beyonce posts bikini pic, shows off her vegan-fed figure
Um, is this a hint, Beyoncé ? Are you trying to show us what we’re all missing?
After all, it was just a couple of days ago that you went on TV to tout the benefits of a vegan diet — oh, and to hawk your mail-order meal delivery service. We haven’t forgotten about it.
We get it. You bow down to the vegan gods. You swear by your 22-day plan. And yes, you look damn good.
Chris Brown 'still loves' ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran
The 26-year-old rapper said so in an interview with On Air with Ryan Seacrest on Tuesday. Brown appeared hopeful for a reconciliation with Tran, who left after discovering the star fathered a daughter, Royalty, with Nia Amey.
"[I] just take it one day at a time," he said. "I can't promise anything, or jump over the moon. But I think it takes time for all wounds. I take full responsibility for my actions and things that I've done in the past. I feel like it's just a time thing."
"Of course," he responded when asked if he still loves Tran. "I'm not a hateful person. Of course I still love her. But mentally right now, I just think everything takes time. I think I just need to focus on being the best father I can be."
Brown and Tran were an on-again, off-again couple for several years, and previously broke up due to the rapper's lingering feelings for ex-girlfriend Rihanna. He reportedly ran into Tran at Playhouse nightclub and later argued with the model at Norms diner last week.
Brown released his sixth studio album, X, in Sept. 2014, and debuted collaborative record Fan of a Fan: The Album with fellow rapper Tyga in February. The rapper will kick off his One Hell of a Nite summer tour with Kid Ink and Omarion on Aug. 12.
Twitter now lets you share your block list to get rid of multiple trolls at once
The company says that users who "experience high volumes of unwanted interactions" now have more sophisticated tools, like sharing lists of trolls to help mass-block them all.
Twitter is giving its users more “sophisticated” tools to fight against the haters who are gonna hate.
On Wednesday the San Francisco-based company introduced a new way to block several accounts at once, instead of one by one, by using block lists. By sharing your list of blocked accounts and importing other Twitter users’ block lists, it will be easier to find and block “unwanted interactions” all at once.
“You can now export and share your block lists with people in your community facing similar issues or import another user’s list into your own account and block multiple accounts all at once, instead of blocking them individually,” read a post on Twitter’s blog announcing the new feature. Twitter hopes that by helping users export and import block lists, people experiencing harassment on Twitter will be able to deal with it more efficiently and not abandon the platform altogether.
This is how it works: To export or import a list of blocked accounts, go to your settings on Twitter.com and find your blocked accounts. Then click on the advanced options drop-down menu to select whether you want to export your list or import another user’s list.
Since last year, Twitter has been amping up its security and privacy controls to combat harassment on the site. In December, the company made it easier for you to report abusive content. In March, Twitter totally banned “revenge porn” and other stolen nude photos from being posted on the platform.
Why this matters: Twitter said that communities facing similar attacks can band together to get rid of hateful tweets. It seems likely that feminist Twitter accounts will share and import each other’s lists of users that have hurdled misogynistic comments at them. The same can be said for Twitter communities to share lists of blocked accounts that are racist, homophobic, or transphobic.
Twitter now lets you share your block list to get rid of multiple trolls at once
The company says that users who "experience high volumes of unwanted interactions" now have more sophisticated tools, like sharing lists of trolls to help mass-block them all.
Twitter is giving its users more “sophisticated” tools to fight against the haters who are gonna hate.
On Wednesday the San Francisco-based company introduced a new way to block several accounts at once, instead of one by one, by using block lists. By sharing your list of blocked accounts and importing other Twitter users’ block lists, it will be easier to find and block “unwanted interactions” all at once.
“You can now export and share your block lists with people in your community facing similar issues or import another user’s list into your own account and block multiple accounts all at once, instead of blocking them individually,” read a post on Twitter’s blog announcing the new feature. Twitter hopes that by helping users export and import block lists, people experiencing harassment on Twitter will be able to deal with it more efficiently and not abandon the platform altogether.
This is how it works: To export or import a list of blocked accounts, go to your settings on Twitter.com and find your blocked accounts. Then click on the advanced options drop-down menu to select whether you want to export your list or import another user’s list.
Since last year, Twitter has been amping up its security and privacy controls to combat harassment on the site. In December, the company made it easier for you to report abusive content. In March, Twitter totally banned “revenge porn” and other stolen nude photos from being posted on the platform.
Why this matters: Twitter said that communities facing similar attacks can band together to get rid of hateful tweets. It seems likely that feminist Twitter accounts will share and import each other’s lists of users that have hurdled misogynistic comments at them. The same can be said for Twitter communities to share lists of blocked accounts that are racist, homophobic, or transphobic.
Kaspersky servers infected by 'Duqu 2.0' malware
Hackers had access for 'several months' prior to detection.
Eugene Kaspersky, founder of Kaspersky Lab, today revealed his company's servers had been penetrated by a malware package which has been dubbed Duqu 2.0.
In early 2015, Kaspersky Lab detected a cyber-intrusion affecting several of its internal systems. An investigation led to the discovery of a new malware platform which it recognised as Duqu, described by the company as one of the most skilled, mysterious and powerful threat actors in the APT world.
The attack included unique and previously unseen features which left almost no traces, and Kaspersky believes the attackers were confident that they would not be discovered.
He estimated the attackers had access to the servers for several months before the intrusion was detected. Because it didn't leave any disk files nor change system settings, Kaspersky said the design of the attack is a generation ahead of anything seen in the APT world to date.
Kaspersky Lab was not the only victim, the company said, claiming it has been found in Western countries, the Middle East and Asia.
It has also been discovered on systems managing events and venues associated with the P5 + 1 negotiations with Iran regarding nuclear power and nuclear weapons.
The attacker behind Duqu 2.0 also appears to have attacked events and venues surrounding the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, attended by international politicians.
An audit of Kaspersky Lab systems is still ongoing, but initial findings indicate the motivation for the attack was to spy on its research and operations.
Kaspersky servers infected by 'Duqu 2.0' malware
Hackers had access for 'several months' prior to detection.
Eugene Kaspersky, founder of Kaspersky Lab, today revealed his company's servers had been penetrated by a malware package which has been dubbed Duqu 2.0.
In early 2015, Kaspersky Lab detected a cyber-intrusion affecting several of its internal systems. An investigation led to the discovery of a new malware platform which it recognised as Duqu, described by the company as one of the most skilled, mysterious and powerful threat actors in the APT world.
The attack included unique and previously unseen features which left almost no traces, and Kaspersky believes the attackers were confident that they would not be discovered.
He estimated the attackers had access to the servers for several months before the intrusion was detected. Because it didn't leave any disk files nor change system settings, Kaspersky said the design of the attack is a generation ahead of anything seen in the APT world to date.
Kaspersky Lab was not the only victim, the company said, claiming it has been found in Western countries, the Middle East and Asia.
It has also been discovered on systems managing events and venues associated with the P5 + 1 negotiations with Iran regarding nuclear power and nuclear weapons.
The attacker behind Duqu 2.0 also appears to have attacked events and venues surrounding the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, attended by international politicians.
An audit of Kaspersky Lab systems is still ongoing, but initial findings indicate the motivation for the attack was to spy on its research and operations.
The new BMW 7 Series flagship unveiled Wednesday is one car that can't easily be dismissed with the wave of a hand.
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That's because it will have the ability to detect a driver's hand gestures to operate some of the controls.
BMW has crammed the 2016 7 Series with more technology while reducing its weight. That's all good, but it has one feature that truly makes it stand apart.
It's the ability to control some functions of the infotainment system with the twist of a finger in midair or the wave of a hand. It's "gesture control" brought to a new level.
"You can now turn up the radio or take a phone call with a simple gesture," said Klaus Fröhlich, a member of BMW's board of management in charge of development , in unveiling the car in Germany.
Features like gesture control are intended with the goal of the new 7 Series: "to set the standard for sportiness as well as for innovation in the luxury segment."
You can turn the volume of the audio system up, for example, by spinning your index finger in a clockwise direction. To reduce it, you rotate it the other way.
"This is a big deal," says Thilo Koslowski, vice president and automotive practice leader for Gartner. "This is the first time I see the automotive industry starting to embrace innovation to create different consumer experiences."
Traditionally, automakers have borrowed their ideas for operating in-car technology from smart phones or other personal electronic devices. Now, thanks to the sensors that can be embedded in the cabin that monitor their movements, BMW came up with something completely different. "It's just the beginning of what is to come," Koslowski says.
Now the issue is whether drivers and passengers will use gestures. Koslowski says they will if they find it intuitive. "It has to be intuitive and better in some situations," he says. But automakers also need to make sure they let motorists control functions the way they want -- especially by not giving up on the buttons with which they are familiar.
Luxury automakers have tried more basic versions of gestures in the past. Cadillac, for instance, has had a feature in which the infotainment system lit up when it detected a hand coming toward it.
But gesture control is just one element of many new features on the 2016 7 Series.
While the 7 Series looks can hardly be considered jarring, it is packed with other innovations as well. Extensive use of carbon fiber, for instance, lowers the weight by 190 pounds. It also has grille shutters that open and close, enhancing aerodynamics when more air to the engine isn't needed.
There will be six-cylinder, V-8 and plug-in hybrid versions:
• The 3-liter six-cylinder engine will deliver 320 horsepower in the 740i.
•The 4.4-liter V-8 is good for 445 horsepower in the 750i xDrive.
•The plug-in will be capable of 23 miles of electric-only driving per charge in the 740e. It will also be able to run at speeds up to 75 miles per hour on electric power alone.
The engines will be connected to an eight-speed transmission. There will be air suspension for extra smoothness.
The new BMW 7 Series flagship unveiled Wednesday is one car that can't easily be dismissed with the wave of a hand.
|
That's because it will have the ability to detect a driver's hand gestures to operate some of the controls.
BMW has crammed the 2016 7 Series with more technology while reducing its weight. That's all good, but it has one feature that truly makes it stand apart.
It's the ability to control some functions of the infotainment system with the twist of a finger in midair or the wave of a hand. It's "gesture control" brought to a new level.
"You can now turn up the radio or take a phone call with a simple gesture," said Klaus Fröhlich, a member of BMW's board of management in charge of development , in unveiling the car in Germany.
Features like gesture control are intended with the goal of the new 7 Series: "to set the standard for sportiness as well as for innovation in the luxury segment."
You can turn the volume of the audio system up, for example, by spinning your index finger in a clockwise direction. To reduce it, you rotate it the other way.
"This is a big deal," says Thilo Koslowski, vice president and automotive practice leader for Gartner. "This is the first time I see the automotive industry starting to embrace innovation to create different consumer experiences."
Traditionally, automakers have borrowed their ideas for operating in-car technology from smart phones or other personal electronic devices. Now, thanks to the sensors that can be embedded in the cabin that monitor their movements, BMW came up with something completely different. "It's just the beginning of what is to come," Koslowski says.
Now the issue is whether drivers and passengers will use gestures. Koslowski says they will if they find it intuitive. "It has to be intuitive and better in some situations," he says. But automakers also need to make sure they let motorists control functions the way they want -- especially by not giving up on the buttons with which they are familiar.
Luxury automakers have tried more basic versions of gestures in the past. Cadillac, for instance, has had a feature in which the infotainment system lit up when it detected a hand coming toward it.
But gesture control is just one element of many new features on the 2016 7 Series.
While the 7 Series looks can hardly be considered jarring, it is packed with other innovations as well. Extensive use of carbon fiber, for instance, lowers the weight by 190 pounds. It also has grille shutters that open and close, enhancing aerodynamics when more air to the engine isn't needed.
There will be six-cylinder, V-8 and plug-in hybrid versions:
• The 3-liter six-cylinder engine will deliver 320 horsepower in the 740i.
•The 4.4-liter V-8 is good for 445 horsepower in the 750i xDrive.
•The plug-in will be capable of 23 miles of electric-only driving per charge in the 740e. It will also be able to run at speeds up to 75 miles per hour on electric power alone.
The engines will be connected to an eight-speed transmission. There will be air suspension for extra smoothness.
Monday, 8 June 2015
David De Gea has informed Manchester United that he wishes to join Real Madrid, Goal can reveal.
[img]http://goal.com/1496100/1496192.jpg[/img]
David De Gea has informed Manchester United that he wishes to join Real Madrid, Goal can reveal.
The Red Devils must now determine whether to sell De Gea this summer or to hold the Spain international to the final year of his contract, losing him on a free transfer at the end of next season.
The attraction of playing for Spain's biggest football club combined with the opportunity to return to his home city and residence of his girlfriend were significant factors in De Gea's decision to leave the Premier League.
United's handling of the 24-year-old in recent years – including Louis van Gaal's instruction that the club hold off on the offer of a new contract last summer until the incoming manager had time to work with De Gea in person – facilitated Madrid's approach.
It is understood that De Gea's advisors recommended that the Spaniard spend a further two years in English football before joining Madrid. Their argument was that the Premier League provides the best environment for an already highly capable goalkeeper to further develop in the position.
The allure of Madrid, however, proved irresistible to De Gea, and he has elected to follow Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Gabriel Heinze and David Beckham in exchanging Old Trafford for the Bernabeu.
Signed from Atletico Madrid for a British record fee for a goalkeeper of £17.8 million (€24.4m) in 2011, De Gea was named United's Players' Player of the Year both in 2013-14 and 2014-15. He has won one Premier League title at Old Trafford and twice been named in the Professional Footballers' Association's Team of the Year.
Van Gaal signed former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes to United on an 18-month contract in January. During his first transfer window as Old Trafford manager, the Dutchman asked United to try to sign Costa Rica international Keylor Navas, but lost him to Madrid in a €10m transfer.
The United boss remains an admirer of a player who held his Netherlands side goalless for 120 minutes of their 2014 World Cup quarter-final and has included him on a list of potential summer replacements for De Gea.
Manchester United become football's first 'billion dollar' brand
Manchester United become football's first 'billion dollar' brand
Despite two consecutive trophyless seasons, the Red Devils have leapfrogged both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid to top Brand Finance's 2014 Football 50 ranking
[img]http://static.goal.com/1065400/1065442_hp.jpg[/img]
Manchester United have been named the most valuable football club in the world and have become the first "billion dollar" brand in the sport.
The Red Devils reclaimed their place at the top of Brand Finance's Football 50 Brand Value ranking, despite a transitional and trophyless season under new manager Louis van Gaal, and are now worth an all-time high $1.2bn - a staggering growth of 64 per cent.
From third in the previous analysis, United leapfrogged Bayern Munich and
Real Madrid , both beaten Champions League semi-finalists, to regain top spot even though they missed out on European football altogether in the 2013-14 campaign. Madrid have also been pipped to top spot in a separate Brand Power ranking, this time by rivals
Barcelona .
United first claimed top spot in the Brand Value stakes in 2009 after winning the Champions League a year previously, and recorded their previous highest brand value of $853m in 2012 following success in the Premier League and second place in Europe's top club competition.
[img]http://u.goal.com/1496900/1496912.jpg[/img]
The club dropped to third in 2013, their lowest position ever in the rankings, following David Moyes' ultimately unsuccessful stint as Alex Ferguson's successor.
This year's resurgence, despite two consecutive seasons without silverware, highlights the club's enduring financial power.
Off-field rather than on-field dominance, according to Brand Finance, has been the major driver in the club's revival. Citing more than half a billion fans worldwide, record-breaking sponsorship deals with Chevrolet and Adidas, as well as an expected return to the Champions League, the company expects United's revenues and brand value to increase in coming years.
The most important factor, however, has been the Premier League's earth-shattering €6.94bn UK broadcast rights deal, which pushed United's share price up by 5% as soon as it was announced in February.
United's power surge in the most recent analysis has outstripped a 4% increase in brand value from previous leaders Bayern, and a 14% increase from Madrid.
The Bundesliga champions are now worth $933m compared to $896m last year, while the Spanish giants leapt from $768m to $873m.
With English clubs, boosted by that Premier League rights deal, growing by more than 85% in the cases of Southampton , Everton ,
Stoke City and West Ham, Bayern and their flat growth are being caught up by traditionally smaller clubs.
Sunday, 7 June 2015
GOBE!!! Vice-President Prof Yemi Osinbajo Locked Out Of President Buhari’s Security Meeting
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo was ‘locked out’ of President Muhammadu Buhari’s meeting with the National Security Adviser on the orders of the President.
Trent is reporting that a top Government source who pleaded anonymity disclosed on Wednesday that Vice-President Osinbajo was refused ‘security clearance’ to attend the meeting as a result of security concerns by the Commander-in-Chief allegedly over what he described as a “very sensitive meeting”.
According to the source, it was the thinking of the President that it was too early in the day to bring Vice-President Osinbajo into the President’s first security briefing.
The June 1 meeting with NSA Sambo Dasuki, which lasted for hours, was part of what sources called “debriefing process” and was done behind closed doors in the absence of the Vice-President.
Trent is reporting that a top Government source who pleaded anonymity disclosed on Wednesday that Vice-President Osinbajo was refused ‘security clearance’ to attend the meeting as a result of security concerns by the Commander-in-Chief allegedly over what he described as a “very sensitive meeting”.
According to the source, it was the thinking of the President that it was too early in the day to bring Vice-President Osinbajo into the President’s first security briefing.
The June 1 meeting with NSA Sambo Dasuki, which lasted for hours, was part of what sources called “debriefing process” and was done behind closed doors in the absence of the Vice-President.
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