Information

Morosini dies from heart attack

2012-04-14T20:33:00.003+02:00

Livorno midfielder Piermario Morosini died Saturday after suffering cardiac arrest and collapsing on the pitch during his team's Serie B match at Pescara. He was 25.

Edoardo De Blasio, a cardiologist at Pescara's Santo Spirito hospital, confirmed the death, saying that ''unfortunately he was already dead when he arrived at hospital. He didn't regain consciousness.''

It was the latest high-profile case of a football player collapsing from heart failure on the pitch, coming less than a month after Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba suffered cardiac arrest during a game in England. Muamba survived, but remains in intensive care.

All Italian matches this weekend were immediately called off after the death was announced.

Morosini, who was on loan from Udinese, fell to the ground in the 31st minute of the match and tried unsuccessfully to get up before receiving urgent medical attention on the pitch. A defibrillator was used on the player, and he was conscious when he was stretchered off the pitch.

''He looked at me in the eyes when he was taken into the ambulance,'' Pescara's general manager, Danilo Iannascoli, told Sky Italia. ''We are living through a drama.''

Italian media reports said a car belonging to traffic police blocked the ambulance's way into the stadium and a window had to be broken so the car could be moved.

''I don't know if the ambulance was late, but I know that the entrance onto the pitch was blocked by a vehicle,'' Iannascoli said. ''Morosini collapsed, he tried to get back up but then collapsed again.''

The match was abandoned with Livorno leading 2-0, and the other players left the field in tears. Livorno players and officials rushed to hospital, where they were told their teammate had passed away. They were paying their respects to the body before it is moved to the morgue.

Last month, Muamba collapsed during an English FA Cup match against Tottenham after suffering cardiac arrest. Bolton has said he is making ''strong and steady improvements'' in his recovery.

Days after that, Indian football player D. Venkatesh died after collapsing on the field during a local league game in the southern city of Bangalore.

Serbs in volatile North Kosovo attacked NATO peacekeepers in KFOR injuring 21

2012-04-14T17:46:00.000+02:00

Serbs in volatile North Kosovo attacked NATO peacekeepers in KFOR, injuring 21, after they moved to dismantle a Serb barricade.It is not clear how many Kosovo Serbs were injured, but local media reported that many had been admitted in the hospital with injurie KFOR began the operation shortly after 11pm, seizing the barricade, but at midnight more Serb protesters gathered, supported by trucks.

Amazing Parking Cars !

2012-04-14T13:17:00.002+02:00

Barcelona now with a new Messi (Video)

2012-04-14T13:02:00.000+02:00

Takefuso Kubo attracted attention at the back end of 2011 when he became the first Japanese player to sign for Barcelona at the age of 11.

The fact Take Kubo has been nicknamed “the Japanese Lionel Messi” makes you wonder just what might be for the youngster.

Originally, Kubo was identified by coaching staff while playing and training with Barcelona School of Fukuoka in southern Japan.Barcelona websites dedicated to youngsters at the La Masia Academy, claim Kubo is a number 10 noted for his fine left foot and excellent vision.

He is currently part of Barcelona’s famous La Masia Academy and this week had a starring role in a 3-0 win over Villarreal, scoring a terrific goal and setting up another.

Jennifer Lopez has been scouring Peru for Latino Talent for her new reality TV show, Q'Viva

2012-04-14T12:29:00.000+02:00

Jennifer Lopez has been scouring Peru for Latino Talent for her new reality TV show, Q'Viva, which she produces with ex-husband Marc Anthony.Jennifer Lopez has been scouring Peru for talented Latino performers for her new reality TV show Q'Viva.

It was part of a tour of South America for a new TV project, which she is co-producing with her ex-husband Marc Anthony.

The former couple, and their producer Jamie King, will travel to 21 countries to choose artists who will later be taken to Hollywood.

When asked if they were looking for something specific, Jennifer said: "We are looking for talent all over Latin America to represent Latinos in music, culture, dance, everything."

Producers are hoping for a hit across the Americas with the programme, which will be recorded in English, Portuguese and Spanish and should air in 2012.

Tremendous deception with "Ferari"

2012-04-14T01:16:00.000+02:00

TOP 10 HIGHEST PAID FOOTBALLERS

2012-04-13T23:45:00.000+02:00

This list comes from Portuguese site futebolfinance.com and the releasing of this list appears to have crippled said website as it is seemingly down, perhaps due to mass interest. Of the 100 there are of course the usual suspects but more than a few surprises. Remember these figures are based solely on salaries paid by the player’s clubs and is presented as a monthly and annual total.

T O P 1 0

10. Philip Lahm (Bayern Munich / Germany) £11.9m

Captain of the new-look Germany side, Philip Lham rockets into the top ten following a successful season with Bayern Munich.

As well as a deal to wear adidas football boots, Lahm’s renewed Deal with his Bavarian club has had a year to mature, putting him amongst the world’s highest earners for the first time.

9. Kaka (Real Madrid / Brazil) £12.9m

As well as a healthy deal with Real Madrid, Kaka’s charm and wholesome image have helped him keep his spot in the top ten, as deals with adidas and EA Sports supplement his Los Blancos paycheque.

It’s telling of his on-field performance, though, that the Brazilian midfielder is actually earning around £2m less than this time last year.

8. Fernando Torres (Spain / Chelsea) £13.9m

Despite his well-documented troubles since his move to Stamford Bridge, Spanish striker Torres’ deal with Chelsea has propelled him into the Top 10 highest-paid footballers for the first time in his career.

Addition spending money comes from the likes of Pepsi and Nike, who will hope that the golden-haired forward can force his way back into the Spain squad in time for Euro 2012.

7. Yaya Toure (Man City / Ivory Coast) £14.7m

Another player to benefit from a new deal at a new club is Manchester City Powerhouse Yaya Toure.

The midfielder has become a key member of the City squad since his move from La Liga, and it’s worth noting he donates his sponsorship money from his Puma boot deal to charity. Top man.

6. Sergio Aguero (Man City / Argentina) £15.7m

It’s a similar story for Toure’s team-mate and Puma sponsor-ee Sergio Aguero. The diminutive Argentine has quickly proven his worth at the Etihad Stadium – a difficult task on such a large wage – and has switched his boot supplier to Puma following a protracted move from Nike.

5. Wayne Rooney (England / Man United) £17.2m

Despite a year dogged by scandal, Manchester United hitman Wayne Rooney boosted his earnings by nearly £5m over the past 12 months to enter the top 5 highest-paid footballers for the first time in his career.

Rooney’s potential lack of action during Euro 2012 will likely upset his sponsors, but the likes of Nike and EA Sports will be thrilled with his performances for the Red Devils this season.

4. Samuel Eto’o (Anzhi / Cameroon) £19.4m

No surprises as to why Samuel Eto’o has jumped up 6 places from last year!

The Cameroon international was one of the first ‘marquee’ signings from ultra-spenders Anzhi Makhachkala, and his deal sees his earnings more than double over this time last year.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Portugal) £24.3m

Portuguese national squad captain Cristiano Ronaldo drops a place to third this year despite bolstering his earnings by over £1.5m over this time last year. As well as being officially the most expensive player in the world, the superstar’s deal to keep him in Nike Mercurial football boots is reportedly one of the biggest in sports. Throw in his ludicrously fat-free physique and his status as the most socially-networked athlete in the world, and he’s a worthwhile face for any company.

2. David Beckham (England / LA Galaxy) £26.2m

fter much ‘Umm’ing and ‘Ahh’ing over the MLS off-season, Beckham turned down a potentially massive move to PSG in favour of staying with the LA Galaxy for at least one more season. The former England captain’s new deal and hugely-marketed underwear deal with highstreet fashion label H&M see GoldenBalls earning over £2m more than in the previous financial year.

1. Lionel Messi (Argentina / Barcelona) £27.5m

Well, well – look who’s back on top! After a record-breaking last 12 months, the mercurial Messi’s earnings are now as superfluous as the words used to describe him.
A signature clothing range with adidas and a deal to see him become the cover star for EA Sports games from this season onward has seen the Barca ace add nearly £8m to his earnings over the past 12 months.
Should his history-making form continue, it’s likely that we’ll see that figure continue to rise – over the next 12 months.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid – €1.000.000 – €12.000.000
2. Lionel Messi – FC Barcelona – €875.000 – €10.500.000
3. Fernando Torres – Chelsea – €833.000 – €10.000.000
4. Yaya Toure – Manchester City – €833.000- €10.000.000
5. Wayne Rooney – Manchester United – €791.000 – €9.500.000
6. Ricardo Kaka – Real Madrid – €833.000 – €9.000.000
7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – AC Milan – €833.000 – €9.000.000
8. Emmanuel Adebayor – Real Madrid – €708.000 – €8.500.000
9. Carlos Tevez – Manchester City – €666.000 – €8.000.000
10. Samuel Eto’o – Internazionale – €666.000 – €8.000.000
11. Frank Ribery – Bayern Munich – €666.000 – €8.000.000
12. John Terry – Chelsea – €625.000 – €7.500.000
13. Frank Lampard – Chelsea – €625.000 – €7.500.000
14. Steven Gerrard – Liverpool – €625.000 – €7.500.000
15. Xavi – FC Barcelona – €625.000 – €7.500.000
16. Anders Iniesta – FC Barcelona – €583.000 – €7.000.000
17. David Villa – FC Barcelona – €583.000 – €7.000.000
18. Daniel Alves – FC Barcelona – €583.000 – €7.000.000
19. Edin Dzeko – Manchester City – €541.000 – €6.500.000
20. Rio Ferdinand – Manchester United – €541.000 – €6.500.000
21. Mario Balotelli – Manchester City – €541.000 – €6.500.000
22. Kolo Toure – Manchester City – €541.000 – €6.500.000
23. Ashley Cole – Chelsea – €541.000 ¬- €6.500.000
24. Glenn Johnson – Liverpool – €541.000 – €6.500.000
25. Didier Drogba – Chelsea – €516.000 – €6.200.000
26. Iker Casillas – Real Madrid – €500.000 – €6.000.000
27. Karim Benzema – Real Madrid – €500.000 – €6.000.000
28. Gonzalo Higuain – Real Madrid – €500.000 – €6.000.000
29. Cesc Fabregas – Arsenal – €500.000 – €6.000.000
30. Peter Cech – Chelsea – €500.000 – €6.000.000
31. Gianluigi Buffon – Juventus – 500.000 – €6.000.000
32. Victor Valdez – FC Barcelona – €500.000 – €6.000.000
33. Andrea Pirlo – AC Milan – €500.000 – €6.000.000
34. Frederic Kanoute – Sevilla – €500.000 – €6.000.000
35. Francesco Totti – AS Roma – €458.000 – €5.500.000
36. Patrcik Vieira – Internazionale – €458.000 – €5.500.000
37. Kevin Kuranyi – Dinamo Moscow – €458.000 – €5.500.000
38. Bastian Schweinsteiger – Bayern Munich – €458.000 – €5.500.000
39. Gareth Barry – Manchester City – €458.000 – €5.500.000
40. Arjen Robben – Bayern Munich – €458.000 – €5.500.000
41. Aleksandar Kolarov – Manchester City – €458.000 – €5.500.000
42. Joe Cole – Liverpool – €450.000 – €5.400.000
43. Mesut Ozil – Real Madrid – €416.000 – €5.000.000
44. Sami Khedira – Real Madrid – €416.000 – €5.000.000
45. Michael Ballack – Bayer Leverkusen – €416.000 – €5.000.000
46. Ronaldinho Gaucho – Flamengo – €416.000 – €5.000.000
47. Sergio Aguero – Atletico Madrid – €416.000 – €5.000.000
48. Carles Puyol – FC Barcelona – €416.000 – €5.000.000
49. Luca Toni – Juventus – €416.000 – €5.000.000
50. Lassana Diarra – Real Madrid – €416.000 – €5.000.000
51. Wayne Bridge – Manchester City – €416.000 – €5.000.000
52. Joleon Lescott – Manchester City – €416.000 – €5.000.000
53. Edwin Van der Sar – Manchester United – €416.000 – €5.000.000
54. Patrice Evra – Manchester United – €416.000 – €5.000.000
55. Andy Carroll – Liverpool – €416.000 – €5.000.000
56. Dimitar Berbatov – Manchester United – €400.000 – €4.800.000
57. Andrei Arshavin – Arsenal – €400.000 – €4.800.000
58. Nicolas Anelka – Chelsea – €400.000 – €4.800.000
59. Yoann Goucuff – Olympique Lyon – €400.000 – €4.800.000
60. Ryan Giggs – Manchester United – €400.000 – €4.800.000
61. Daniele De Rossi – AS Roma – €383.000 – €4.600.000
62. Ricardo Carvalho – Real Madrid – €375.000 – €4.500.000
63. Alessandro Nesta – AC Milan – €375.000 – €4.500.000
64. Diego Milito – Internazionale – €375.000 – €4.500.000
65. Júlio César – Internazionale – €375.000 – €4.500.000
66. Matthieu Flamini – AC Milan – €375.000 – €4.500.000
67. David Beckham – LA Galaxy – €375.000 – €4.500.000
68. Gabriel Heinze – Olympique Marseille – €375.000 – €4.500.000
69. Diego Forlan – Atletico Madrid – €375.000 – €4.500.000
70. Paul Scholes – Manchester United – €375.000 – €4.500.000
71. Xabi Alonso – Real Madrid – €375.000 – €4.500.000
72. Jamie Carragher – Liverpool – €375.000 – €4.500.000
73. Robbie Van Persie – Arsenal €375.000 – €4.500.000
74. David Silva – Manchester City – €358.000 – €4.300.000
75. Lucho Gonzalez – Olympique Marseille – €358.000 – €4.300.000
76. Floren Malouda – Chelsea – €358.000 – €4.300.000
77. Craig Bellamy – Cardiff City – €358.000 – €4.300.000
78. Amauri – Juventus – €350.000 – €4.200.000
79. Miroslav Klose – Bayern Munich – €350.000 – €4.200.000
80. Cris – Olympique Lyon – €350.000 – €4.200.000
81. Lisandro Lopez – Olympique Lyon – €341.000 – €4.100.000
82. Raul Gonzalez – Schalke 04 – €333.000 – €4.000.000
83. Mário Gomez – Bayern Munich – €333.000 – €4.000.000
84. Robinho – AC Milan – €333.000 – €4.000.000
85. Alessandro Del Piero – Juventus – €333.000 – €4.000.000
86. Wesley Sneijder – Internazionale – €333.000 – €4.000.000
87. Esteban Cambiasso – Internazionale – €333.000 – €4.000.000
88. Pepe – Real Madrid – €333.000 – €4.000.000
89. Clarence Seedorf – AC Milan – €333.000 – €4.000.000
90. Ruud Van Nistelrooy – Hamburg – €333.000 – €4.000.000
91. Deco – Fluminense – €333.000 – €4.000.000
92. Javier Marcherano – FC Barcelona – €333.000 – €4.000.000
93. Thorsten Frings – Werder Bremen – €333.000 – €4.000.000
94. Nemanja Vidic – Manchester United – €333.000 – €4.000.000
95. Diego – Wolfsburg – €333.000 – €4.000.000
96. André Pierre Gignac – Olympique Marseille – €316.000 – €3.800.000
97. Thierry Henry – New York Red Bulls – €316.000 – €3.800.000
98. Maicon – Internazionale – €316.000 – €3.800.000
99. James Milner – Manchester City – €316.000 – €3.800.000
100. Ji-Sung Park – Manchester United – €316.000 – €3.800.000

Prandelli: Scudetto is 50-50 between Juventus and AC Milan

2012-04-13T23:04:00.000+02:00

Italy head coach Cesare Prandelli is of the opinion that Juventus and AC Milan have equal chances of lifting the Serie A title.The Bianconeri are currently one point clear at the top of the table with only six matches left on the calendar, but the 54-year-old coach is refusing to put his money on either side."Both clubs have a 50 per cent chance of winning the league," Prandelli told reporters on a visit to Lecce's training ground.

The national team boss, who is visiting several Italian clubs ahead of the European Championship, then took time to praise Lecce coach Serse Cosmi, despite the Stadio Via del Mare outfit being in the relegation zone at the moment."I would like to congratulate Cosmi for the great job he has done here," Prandelli added.In the next round of Serie A fixtures, Juventus will visit Cesena, while Milan will host Genoa at San Siro.

Technology opens up Titanic's secrets

2012-04-13T15:33:00.001+02:00

When RMS Titanic sank in 1912 the wreckage spent 73 years at depths of over 12,000 feet. A recent technological revolution is bringing the doomed ship back into view and launching a whole new wave of underwater exploration. (April 13)

Joseph Kony 2: this sequel is nothing more than mass entertainment for the boneheaded

2012-04-13T14:46:00.001+02:00

Like all blockbuster movies that make a lot of cash or a big splash, Kony 2012 is getting its very own sequel. Invisible Children, the weird half humanitarian outfit, half PR machine that was behind the first hit Kony film, has announced that it will today release “Joseph Kony 2”. Presumably it will be a bit like Scream 2, only featuring a menacing-looking African warlord rather than a psychopath in a droopy mask for the YouTube generation to be terrified by.

The use of the word “sequel”, the nod to Hollywood contained in a title like “Joseph Kony 2”, confirms that the first Kony film, a half-hour hatefest against the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army that had Twitteryouth glued to their iPads, was little more than mass entertainment. It was less a serious humanitarian initiative than a titillating form of interactive entertainment, where you could be both outraged by a wicked man and then Do Something About Him by pressing a few buttons. It was a perfect outlet for self-regarding, ostentatious alms-giving in our videogame era, and so it’s fitting that it will now have a follow-up, yet another opportunity to be thrilled and take action.

In fact, sticking with the movie metaphor, the first Kony film was always more of a remake than an original work. There was a massive amount of commentariat sniffiness towards that online film, with columnists wondering why the hell Justin Bieber fans were suddenly taking an interest in African affairs. And yet that Kony campaign which so gripped Facebookers and celebs was only a rehash of the kind of campaigning that has been pursued by serious reporters, NGOs and politicians for the best part of 20 years. Yes, it might have been a pale imitation – just like Gus Van Sant’s remake of Pyscho wasn’t a patch on Hitchcock’s original – but with its handpicking and elevation of a foreign psycho whom we were all encouraged to hate, Kony 2012 was only the dumb logical conclusion to two decades of liberal grandstanding in foreign affairs.

The first Kony movie was most obviously a botched remake of Save Darfur, that global campaign that had celebs and columnists wetting themselves with excitement in 2005 and 2006 and which likewise reduced a complex African conflict to “a morality tale unfolding in a world populated by villains and victims”. It was also heavily influenced by the earlier transformation of Slobodan Milosevic into the chattering classes’ hate figure du jour. Back in the 1990s, it was Milosevic who was labelled “the chilling embodiment of evil” by Western hacks in search of simplistic moral mission, culminating in Tony Blair’s Kosovo War of 1999, which Blair described as a “battle between good and evil”. That’s precisely the same sort of language now used by Invisible Children founder and public flasher Jason Russell.

If there is a retro feel to Kony 2012, that’s because it is a mishmash of the childish moralism and bone-headed outlook that motored those liberal campaigns for “wars against evil” in the Nineties and Noughties. We should all feel free to laugh at Joseph Kony 2 when it appears, but let’s remember that it is more than a follow-up to Joseph Kony 1 – it’s also the garish sequel to the pulp fiction about foreign affairs that has been promoted by serious activists and writers over the past 20 years.

North Korea rocket breaks up in flight

2012-04-13T14:34:00.000+02:00

Pyongyang, North Korea (CNN) -- Defying warnings from the international community, North Korea launched a long-range rocket on Friday, but it broke apart before escaping the earth's atmosphere and fell into the sea.

The launch drew condemnation from United States and countries in the region, as well as an unusual admission of failure from Pyongyang, which had invited in journalists and space experts from around the world for the occasion.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to meet Friday to discuss the launch, which North Korea insists was intended to put an observation satellite in orbit. The United States, South Korea and Japan say the operation is a cover for a ballistic missile test.

In a break from previous practice, the North Korean state media announced that the rocket had not managed to put the satellite into orbit. In the past, North Korea has insisted that failed launches have been successful.

"Scientists, technicians and experts are now looking into the cause of the failure," the official Korean Central News Agency said in a report, which was also read out in a news broadcast on state-run television.

Reveal how iPads are really made ! (VIDEO)

2012-04-13T11:00:00.001+02:00

Video footage has revealed how a new iPad is produced every two seconds in Apple's controversial Chinese factories.

Marketplace’s journalist Rob Schmitz produced the exclusive video when given special access to the Foxconn factories in the southern city of Shenzhen by Apple public relations.

Schmitz reported every single part of an iPad is fastened by a worker in seconds, and repeated hundreds of times a day.

He said the factory is separated into working groups which are each responsible for different parts of the iPad - from the chip, the motherboard and the battery to the touch screen.

Schmitz called the work hypnotic, and their movements engineered to be efficient as possible.

“At the end of each line, workers box up iPads as fast as they can,” he said.

“After timing several lines, I arrived at a very rough estimate: one new iPad every two seconds. It’s believed that Apple makes between $200 and $300 off each iPad. If that’s true, the people in this room help Apple make more than $10 million in pure profit, each day.”

Schmitz is the second journalist after Bill Weir, of the US ABC’s Nightline, to be granted an exclusive tour inside Foxconn.

Apple opened up the secretly guarded factories after an independent labour audit announced workers often put in 60-hour weeks - violating Chinese law.

Foxconn was the site of nine suicide attempts and seven confirmed deaths over the past year. An estimated 360 workers reportedly threatened suicide last year after their requests for a salary increase were rejected.

BMW shows off first F30 335i racing machine

2012-04-12T22:00:00.002+02:00

When one's thoughts get to meandering and said meanderings lead to Bavarian racing machines, BMW's M cars are often first to mind. But the first race car built on BMW's new F30 bones is actually a 335i. Given that the new car's stock turbo six cranks out power similar to that of the naturally aspirated screamer in the 2001-06 E46 M3, building a dedicated rennsport machine from a non-M 3-series doesn't seem like the great loss of opportunity it once could've been.

Built for the Bridgestone Production Cars category of South Africa's Wesbank Super Series and set to debut on March 31 at the Killarney race, the new 3 is a collaboration between BMW South Africa and ADF Motorsport. Due to series regulations, the N55 six-banger was left untouched internally, though ECU, turbocharger and exhaust mods bump the horsepower to 402 and the torque to 442 lb-ft, despite a 40-millimeter restrictor plate on the turbocharger inlet and a do-not-exceed boost threshold of 10.15 psi.

The car also underwent a weight-shaving program, sampling liberally from BMW's M Performance Parts bin. The diet has the car down to 2,998 pounds, a savings of roughly 600 pounds over a U.S.-spec 335i sedan.

Will it sally forth proudly, carrying the legacy of Munich's storied racing career in its freshly furrowed brow? Undoubtedly. Will it succeed in furthering said glory? We'll find out in less than a week.

Emma Watson has a Los Angeles makeover

2012-04-12T21:49:00.000+02:00

Emma Watson flashes her brilliant smile as she films The Bling Ring in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon (April 11).

The 23-year-old actress wore a faux fur vest and black heels while strutting her stuff as ringleader Nicki. Earlier in the week, Emma was seen heading into a female jail facility in Lynnwood.

But it looks like Harry Potter star Emma Watson may have to eat her wise words, as she was spotted out and about yesterday in exactly that.

Seen cruising around Beverly Hills with a new glossy dark hairdo, Watson hid behind large dark sunglasses toting the ultimate designer "It" handbag, an Hermès Birkin - beloved of high-maintenance types Kim Kardashian and Tamara Ecclestone. Clutching onto a Starbucks frappucino, Emma's LA makeover was complete. Farewell Hermione Granger, hello Nicole Richie.

But never fear Watson fans, our Brit girl hasn't had a personality transplant as the picture may suggest: this particular wardrobe turn is for her latest role in upcoming film The Bling Ring , in which she stars with Kirsten Dunst and singer Gwen Stefani's husband Gavin Rossdale.

Emma Watson: 'My fashion sense is boring'

Telling the story of a group of fame-obsessed teenagers who rob celebrities' homes, the film is the latest offering from Marie Antoinette and Somewhere director Sofia Coppola, who is widely regarded as the epitome of Hollywood cool, confirming Watson's status as bona fide success story post- Harry Potter .

And what of sacrificing her style for the sake of her art? We think toting a Birkin is one sacrifice we'd be willing to make.

Monetary Fund has warned £750bn pensions time bomb

2012-04-12T11:00:00.002+02:00

Britain’s ageing population is threatening a pensions time bomb that could cost as much as £750billion, the International Monetary Fund has warned.

Pensioners count the money in their pocket for a general picture to illustrate the pensions crisis. For Britain, the IMF calculated that on the “not unreasonable” assumption that the entire cost would fall on taxpayers, the country’s public debt would rise from 76 per cent of gross domestic product to as much as 135 per cent.

The IMF said yesterday that even a slightly faster than expected increase in life expectancy could impose a huge new financial burden on Western economies such as Britain. “The time to act is now,” it said.

Governments and the financial sector have consistently underestimated how quickly average lifespans will rise, IMF researchers found.

They believe it has been routinely understated by about three years, which could render public finances unsustainable, they warned. For Britain, the IMF calculated that on the “not unreasonable” assumption that the entire cost would fall on taxpayers, the country’s public debt would rise from 76 per cent of gross domestic product to as much as 135 per cent.

Facebook turns umbrella company via Instagram purchase

2012-04-12T10:54:00.003+02:00

Facebook Inc.'s acquisition strategy has long been to buy a start-up, shut it down and keep the talent. But it's going to need a new playbook for its biggest deal yet. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s 28-year old founder and chief, has found himself in a rare and enviable position. Now that his social network has been valued at $100bn, he can comfortably afford to wipe out any of its competitors with large purchase prices and lots of change to spare.

Facebook will need to figure out how to meld Instagram into its social network to boost its position on mobile phones, while being careful not to trample on the app's clear purpose and simplicity that has attracted about 35 million users.

It also risks alienating Instagram users who are worried about Facebook's spotty track record with users' privacy. Many members took to Facebook and Twitter to voice their concerns after news of the deal was announced.

Big technology companies have a mixed record of pulling off this sort of balancing act. EBay Inc.'s EBAY +0.82% acquisition of online payments service PayPal in 2002 paid off handsomely, and the video site YouTube has flourished under Google Inc. GOOG +1.45%

But there are plenty of cautionary tales of promising online companies that lost their momentum once brought under a larger corporate umbrella, including News Corp's NWSA +0.99% acquisition of MySpace. News Corp. owns The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Zuckerberg said in a blog post that his company is "committed to building and growing Instagram independently." At the same time, he said, the company would work with Instagram and try to incorporate some of its thinking into the Facebook products.

"When you're a bigger company, it requires more people to get things approved, more competing resources," said Geoff Yang, a partner at the Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Redpoint Ventures and an investor in MySpace. "Generally, when you're in a bigger company, the speed of execution and focus goes down."

Instagram users share those concerns. "I joined Instagram because in many ways it was the anti-Facebook,"said Aminatou Sow, a 27-year-old digital strategist in Washington, DC. "I only had intentions of documenting my life through pictures and not to connect with another social network."The Instagram deal came together in record time: A call late last week from Mr. Zuckerberg to Instagram Chief Executive Kevin Systrom led to a weekend powwow at Mr. Zuckerberg's Palo Alto home and ended in a handshake Sunday night, people familiar with the matter said.

Mr. Zuckerberg promised Mr. Systrom the ability to run Instagram as a separate company, said a person familiar with the matter. But the speed with which the deal came together leaves many unanswered questions about the future of the two products.
"I don't think this has been fully worked out," the person said. "What are the boundaries? What is Kevin's authority?"
Mr. Systrom declined to comment.
There had been talk of Instagram maintaining its own office in an effort to keep itself independent of Facebook, people familiar with the matter said. Facebook instead decided to move Instagram into its Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters, one of these people said.
Facebook has a history of buying companies mainly for talent then scrapping the ventures. Sam Lessin, one of Facebook's senior executives, came to the company in October 2010 after Mr. Zuckerberg purchased Mr. Lessin's file-sharing service, Drop.io, which was later shut down. Location-based app Gowalla was disbanded in December 2011, after Facebook bought the company to hire its founder, Josh Williams.
With Instagram, Facebook needs to find a way to make use of the photo-sharing service's technology to improve its position on smartphones, where Facebook lags.
Mr. Zuckerberg has long believed that browser-based services, not specially designed apps, would be the way most people would access Facebook on phones. That hasn't come true, and now Facebook is playing catch-up in mobile with other social networks.
Facebook has 845 million users, only half of which use the mobile app. The company says in its regulatory filings that it gets no meaningful revenue from its mobile app and has only recently started to allow limited forms of advertising. That could create pressure to make money off of Instagram, something users worry about.
"Please don't let facebook ruin you," Felipov Oana wrote on Instagram's page on Facebook. "....We just don't need more features and we don't need ads."
Roelof Botha, a partner at Sequoia Capital, which invested in Instagram last week just before the deal closed, was the former chief financial officer of PayPal when the company was bought by eBay in July 2002 for $1.5 billion. He said the key to making an acquisition a success is striking a balance between keeping the company independent and taking advantage of the resources of the larger company.
He said it was very important that PayPal and eBay separated their offices, email, websites and CEOs. "Having a separate building may seem silly but it sends a subtle cultural message," he said. "It creates a culture of accountability."
Mr. Botha dealt with this challenge a second time when he was a director of YouTube, which was sold to Google in 2006 for $1.65 billion in stock.
One reason for the success is that Google was deliberate in saying that revenue and profit weren't the priority in the short term. That allowed the company to keep growing at a rapid pace and cement its dominance, Mr. Botha said."Google wanted to build the world's largest online video company," he said.
The speed with which the Instagram deal was struck shocked venture capitalists who had just invested $50 million in the company Thursday evening. The new venture capital firms that invested—Sequoia, Thrive Capital and Greylock Partners—were excited to build Instragram into the next Facebook, a person familiar with the matter said.
"It's really bittersweet," the person said. "Kevin is going to continue to build Instagram into what he originally envisioned," added the person. "This company will remain completely independent."

(VIDEO) We will rock you best childrens in the world

2012-04-12T00:36:00.000+02:00

Students Join Online Learning Trend - Video

2012-04-12T00:16:00.002+02:00

Make your virtual presence known .Good ones include a picture of you, so that everyone can put a name with a face, and a brief biography that outlines both personal and professional interests.the virtual classroom has also come to cities like Washington, D.C., where all students at one public school are learning online.

Lovell Walls, 11, and his brother Zachary, 7, are both enrolled in the Community Academy Public Charter School Online (CAPCS). The basement of their Washington home has been transformed into a classroom, with educational posters, shelves of books and bins of school supplies. At one end of the room, two computers sit side by side. Lovell wears headphones to take a math class on the computer. His teacher is 40 kilometers away at her own computer, and his classmates are in their homes on computers, listening to and following along with what the teacher displays on the computer screen, a modern-day version of a blackboard.Lovell has been taking classes like this since he was five, says Anita, his mother.

“We had been attending a Montessori school for a year and a half, and that wasn’t working out for him,” she says. “He was so far ahead of the other students. And because he was so far ahead, he was having difficulties in the classroom, because now he wants to jump and play.”

Walls, who decided to homeschool her son, was relieved to find CAPCS, a Washington public school designed specifically for online learning. The school provides online teachers and a curriculum.

Xherdan Shaqiri • The Next Star of Bayern

2012-04-11T23:50:00.002+02:00

FC Bayern Munich has been following Xherdan Shaqiri's progress keenly since September 2010, when the Swiss winger's raw ability was noticed in two Champions League meetings with FC Basel at the age of 18. "If Bayern was to call, I wouldn't have to think too long," Shaqiri said at the time, in response to Swiss media speculation that the Germans were interested to secure his services. Bayern kept tabs on the player and asked Basel keep the lines of communication open. "The name Shaqiri is anything but new to us," Bayern president Uli Hoeneß told Zurich-based Tagesanzeiger last year. In Swiss papers, a bid had been speculated throughout last season and again in the summer, so there was little surprise when an agreement was finally announced last week. Despite this sense of inevitability, it still took a number of coincidental as well as interrelated developments to bring the €11.6 million ($15.1M) deal to fruition.

Firstly, it's important to note that this transfer only happened because of an even bigger non-transfer. Borussia Mönchengladbach's shooting-star Marco Reus was initially earmarked as the "third man" behind Bayern attacking wide players Arjen Robben and Franck Ribéry for next season. But the 22-year-old Reus turned down Bayern's offer at the end of December to sign for champion Borussia Dortmund instead. Losing out on their preferred target in such a public fashion reflected badly on the Bavarian giants and put pressure on the hierarchy at Säbenerstrasse to come up with an alternative solution double-quick.

A move for Shaqiri in the winter break was mooted, but fairly quickly dismissed as "too early" by Shaqiri's camp and Basel. Then something quite unusual happened. Faced with concrete offers from Galatasary and Zenit St. Petersburg for the player, Basel turned to Bayern and asked it to make its mind up. "We got in contact and looked for a decision," Basel president Bernhard Heusler revealed in a press conference last week. Sporting director Christian Nerlinger did not take long to say yes. Wages were not much an issue, either. Shaqiri signed a four-year-deal that will (initially) be worth around €2M ($2.6M) per season.

Basel's cooperative behavior in this case and the relatively modest transfer fee appear curious, but can be both explained. Relations between the two "FCB"s have long been more than cordial. Basel has often referred to Bayern as its "big brother" and to extent modeled itself on the Germans. Heusler has worked closely with Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in the European Clubs Association (ECA) over a number of years; the two men are considered friends. The hiring of former Bayern midfielder Thorsten Fink as manager in 2009 intensified the contact, while an additional line of communication existed thanks to ex-Bayer manager Ottmar Hitzfeld's tenure as Swiss national manager. What's more, Fink's successor Heiko Vogel used to work as a Bayern youth coach. Vogel admitted to being quizzed about Shaqiri's qualities by Bayern officials, as was Hitzfeld. Both agreed that the son of refugees from Kosovo had what it takes to make it in the Allianz Arena.

By themselves, the good relations could not account for a price that smacks of a bargain. For Bayern, paying significantly less than the €17.1M ($22M) Dortmund shelled out on Reus was naturally an attractive proposition, and for Basel, there were obvious benefits, too. Without any other offers that were acceptable to the player -- "I wanted to go to country where I could communicate," Shaqiri said about his refusal to entertain a move to Turkey or Russia -- Basel would have had to wait until the end of season in order to create an auction with an uncertain outcome. Privately, the club were surprised that none of the big Premier League clubs ever tested its resolve with a firm bid, especially in the light of Shaqiri's strong showing in Switzerland's 2-2 draw with England at Wembley last summer. Thus, the decision was taken to cash in now. It was a case of "better a bird in the hand than in two in the bush."

Bayern, on the other hand, felt that it could steal a march on other clubs by making a move now. Shaqiri's appearances in the Champions League in the next couple of weeks -- ironically against FC Bayern -- might have well intensified interest in him again.

The ability to present the first new signing for 2012/13 now, also conveniently served to douse some ill-feeling after a spectacularly ill-advised marketing stunt had fooled Bayern supporters into believing that a significant new recruitment had been secured two weeks earlier. (Said "new star" was revealed as a new Facebook application). Shaqiri's transfer also shows that Bayern essentially agreed with Ribéry's recent criticism that the squad was lacking in depth ("the second team is not strong enough"). Thirdly, it has come at a good time, as far as dressing room politics are concerned. Contrary to some reports, the tricky, instinctive winger has not been bought as a replacement for Arjen Robben. But his imminent arrival certainly helps Bayern in the current contract extension negotiations with the Dutchman, who has found himself starting from the bench in recent games. Robben appears a little less irreplaceable right now, and Bayern hope that this slight loss of status will make finding an agreement easier.

Hitzfeld recommended "Shaq," as the Swiss fans call him, as an "extraordinary talent and very adaptable person that could play in any top team." There have been one or two questions about his professionalism in the past, but Bayern is confident it can help the player fulfill his potential. Shaqiri, 5-foot-6 tall and somewhat stocky, described himself as "polyvalent" -- multitalented. His favorite position is on the right side of midfield, but he's equally at home on the left or as a deep striker. The "Kraftwürfel" (BLICK) (power cube) can also double-up as a fullback -- a significant advantage in the light of Bayern's continued problems on the right defensive side.

Ben Breedlove tells the story of his life before he dies

2012-04-11T23:36:00.002+02:00

The simple version is that this kid had a heart condition, almost died, almost died again, and almost died again, did this video, and then actually died.

Ben talked about seeing angels and being in heaven when he died, which of course is just a hallucination. Meanwhile, all of these idiotic people are using his story to reinforce their beliefs in God and angels as if the experiences of a dying kid going into shock and the hallucinations that come with near death experiences are enough, especially when articulated into a web cam diary with flash cards. I appreciate the sentiment behind it, and it is tragic that this kid’s life was cut short…but can’t we stop being stupid for three seconds and critically think about exactly why this story is touching? Just remember to all you would be God Warriors out there, if you donated all the money you give to churches to people who do legitimate research on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, maybe Ben wouldn’t have died and you wouldn’t be writing dumb comments on a YouTube page for some jackass like me to mock. In a way, you’re all responsible for Ben Breedlove’s death.from digitaljurnal

Syria says it will comply with truce deadline (Video)

2012-04-11T23:15:00.001+02:00

In a letter the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Damascus agreed "to cease all military fighting throughout Syrian territory as of 6 a

The statement also said that the Syrian government reserves "the right to respond proportionately to any attacks carried out by armed terrorist groups against civilians, government forces or public and private property".

Annan said he would continue to work with the government and opposition to ensure complete implementation of his six-point peace plan. The government's pledge to stop army operations means the opposition must now also honour the ceasefire, Russia's deputy foreign minister said.

"The Syrian government has declared it will cease fire as of 6 am on April 12. Now it's up to the armed opposition," Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Twitter. "Those are theconditions of the Annan plan."m (0300 GMT) tomorrow, Thursday," Ahmad F.

Al Jazeera's Cath Turner, reporting from the UN in New York, said the statement by the Syrian government "has been greeted with a great deal of suspicion and cynicism".

"Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, and the current president of the UN Security Council, spoke about the letter that has been submitted by president Assad, and she was very clear in the fact that she was not taking anything in that letter at its word, because, she said, President Assad did not have a very good track record at keeping his word," our correspondent said.

Iranian support Meanwhile, Annan has welcomed Iranian support for his efforts to secure peace in Syria, telling Tehran that it can be "part of the solution".Annan was speaking in Tehran on Wednesday following talks with Ali Akbar Salehi, the Iranian foreign minister.

Ken Livingstone cries at launch of campaign Mayoral

2012-04-11T18:21:00.001+02:00

The veteran Labour candidate, who was defeated by Mr Johnson in 2008, said he would carry the “guilt” of failure at next month’s elections “to my grave”.

Mr Livingstone is currently six points behind Mr Johnson in the latest opinion polls and the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, admits that he remains “the underdog” in the contest.

Mr Livingstone, 66, was overcome while watching his own party election broadcast, after meeting voters at the official launch of his manifesto at a college in Greenwich, east London.

The short video showed clips of “ordinary Londoners” urging Mr Livingstone to win so he could cut underground and bus fares and reinstate the education maintenance allowance for college students.from telegraph

Obama renews call for 'Buffett rule' (Video)

2012-04-11T01:21:00.000+02:00

President Obama stepped up his election-year insistence Tuesday that the wealthiest Americans pay a greater share of taxes, telling Florida college students that everybody must help rebuild the country.

Hoping to draw a sharp contrast with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Obama gave his support to the so-called "Buffett rule" -- which would change the U.S. tax law so that Americans making $1 million or more would have to pay at least 30 percent of their income in federal taxes.

"Can we succeed as a nation where a shrinking number of people are doing really, really well but a growing number are struggling to get by?" Obama asked Florida Atlantic University students. "Or are we better off when everybody gets a fair shot ... and everybody does a fair share?"

The Buffett rule is named after billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who famously said it was wrong for him to being paying a lower tax rate than that levied on his secretary. The country's top earners often get much of their income in capital gains, which is taxed at 15 percent, a much lower rate the tax on large salaries.

Obama's return to the subject is prelude to a Senate vote next week, when the deadline passes for Americans to file their income tax returns. The plan has little chance of passing Congress, but Senate Democrats say the issue underscores the need for economic fairness.

Obama's team has made the Buffett rule a key part of its message, saying it shows clear differences with Romney, who has opposed the plan and faced criticism from Democrats for paying about 15 percent of his income in federal taxes for 2011, mostly on income derived from investments.

"Romney is a beneficiary of a broken tax system, and he wants to keep it that way," Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said Monday in a conference call with reporters.

Romney campaign spokeswoman Gail Gitcho said Obama was the "first president in history to openly campaign for re-election on a platform of higher taxes." She said the plan would raise taxes on small businesses.

Republicans have noted that Obama's proposal would collect $47 billion through 2022, a small amount compared with the $7 trillion in federal budget deficits projected during that period.

Rick Santorum, Romney's top Republican challenger for the party's nomination suspended his campaign Tuesday after taking off several days from the campaign trail because his 3-year-old daughter, Bella, was hospitlized with pneumonia. She suffers from a rare genetic condition called Trisomy 18 and was hospitalized Friday. She was discharged from the hospital Monday night.

Santorum's chances of winning the nomination were fading. Five states, including Santorum's home state of Pennsylvania, hold primaries April 24.

Romney was far ahead of Santorum in the race for delegates to the Republican National Convention and is the party's likely nominee.

Obama has proposed that people earning at least $1 million annually, whether in salary or investments, should pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes. Many wealthy taxpayers earn investment income, which is taxed at 15 percent, allowing them to pay a smaller percentage of their income in taxes. By contrast, the top rate for taxpayers with high incomes derived from wages is 35 percent.

The White House said in a report released ahead of Obama's speech that the tax proposal would restore fairness to the system, pointing to 22,000 households earning more than $1 million annually that paid less than 15 percent of their income in income taxes in 2009. Nearly 1,500 of those households paid no federal income taxes, the report said.

Obama economic adviser Jason Furman said the Buffett rule reflected the "most simple, common-sense element of any tax reform."

Obama was holding three fundraisers near West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. The events were expected to raise at least $1.7 million. A large rally-style event in Hollywood, Fla., was to include a musical performance

Beauty of the day Bianca Smith

2012-04-11T01:07:00.003+02:00

BIOGRAPHY

Born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1975, Bianca Smith has graduated with Bachelors of Fine Arts from Underdale University, Australia, and since then she had worked and exhibited in Paris and London. She now works from her studio in South London. Her work has been exhibited through a selection of art galleries in London, Adelaide and Paris, the latest being at SCREAM in London.

Bianca Smith comes from a family steeped in the fine arts, being a direct descendant of the sculptor Sir Richard Westmacott RA (Achilles, by Hyde Park Corner)

If you see a picture of Bianca's that is sold and you would like to commission something similar, she would be pleased to consider it.

Her customers range from world famous musicians to royalty, and many of her paintings appear in magazines featuring the homes and yachts of society's elite.

1995-1997 Exhibitions in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide
1998 In Paris, Working on a collection for a major exhibition at F.A.D. gallery in Australia
1999 In London, developing and working on figurative studies of female form, in acrylic, oil and gouache, and developing bronze sculptures
2003 Major exhibition of work at Lennox Gallery, London
2000-2005 Work featured and photographed in House and Garden, Interiors, Wallpaper, Vogue, Elle Décor, Elle and Country Homes and Gardens
2006 Two exhibitions at Scream Gallery in Bruton Sreet, London
2008 The decorative Antiques and Textiles fair, The Marquee, Battersea Park, London

Bianca Wikipedia mentions...

Tiffany Dean

. Liam Butcher . Pat Evans Lydia Simmonds Jim Branning . Morgan Jackson-King . 2008-. EastEnders. Maisie Smith . 31 Albert Square. Carol Jackson June Butcher. Natasha Butcher . 6 February 2003. Diederick Santer . Present; regular . Rebecca Miller Jacques Butcher . Tiffany ...

Bianca (moon)

There is also an asteroid called 218 Bianca . Bianca (disambiguation). ~64 K . 0.00092 0.000118 . January 23, 1986. Bianca. 64 46 46 km . ~9.2 16. kg . 0.08 0.01 0.07 . 59,165.550 0.045 km . ~8300 km . ~1.3 g/cm (assumed) . Bradford A. Smith / Voyager 2 . ~71,000 km . ...

1999 Women's Hockey Champions Trophy

The sixth edition of the Women's Champions Trophy took place from Thursday June 10 until Saturday June 19, 1999 in the State Hockey Centre in Brisbane, Queensland . Participating nations were: titleholders and hosting nation Australia , Argentina , Germany , The Netherlands , New Zealand , and ...

FC Barcelona - Getafe: Barça get ten out of ten (4-0)

2012-04-11T00:35:00.003+02:00

Goals from Alexis (2), Messi and Pedro have won Barça’s tenth game in a row and put them just one point behind Madrid, who play on Wednesday night .

FC Barcelona have passed Tuesday night’s test with flying colours. They defeated Getafe playing exquisite football and are now just one point behind leaders Real Madrid, who have a high pressure derby at the Vicente Calderón against Atlético Madrid to deal with on Wednesday night. Guardiola’s side played a perfect game from start to finish, with Alexis and Messi getting a goal each in the first half and the Chilean heading home a second after the break, and Pedro getting his second goal in two games, also from a header, to make it 4-0.

That makes for ten wins in a row for Barça, who now turn their minds to Saturday’s game against this season’s surprise package Levante, although before that, they will have a keen eye on events at the Madrid derby on Wednesday night.

Alexis opens the scoring

Guardiola knew how important this game was, and decided not to rest any of his biggest names, while also opting for the ambitious tactic of fielding just three defenders and choosing as many as six attack-minded players in Xavi, Iniesta, Cuenca, Pedro, Alexis and Messi. The game started out as a battle to win the midfield, where Luis García also deployed the strongest forces he has in the hope of containing the Catalans as much as possible.

But his plans were in vain, with Barça absolutely dominating the possession from the outset, and it didn’t take the home side long to break the deadlock through Alexis, who lost his marker with blistering skill before shooting home from the edge of the area. The Camp Nou faithful, who remembered Abidal’s name in the 22nd minute of both halves, celebrated the goal in style.

Iniesta and Messi form lethal connection

Getafe only managed to break into the Barça half with any serious intent on three consecutive occasions just after the half hour. With Miku as their only out and out forward, the rest of the team did all they could to contain Barça’s suffocating possession football, and which led to crosses time and again from Pedro and Cuenca, on the left and right respectively, while Xavi, Iniesta, Alexis and Messi masterfully marshalled the midfield. All those players had chances to get Barcelona’s second, but eventually it was the Argentinian who found the net following a magnificent one-two with Iniesta. Barça went in at the break 2-0 up, and looked in total command of the game.

Third and fourth from headers

After the restart, the Camp Nou suffered a torrential downpour, which had much to do with the drop in intensity until the final quarter of an hour when FC Barcelona put their feet back on the gas to ensure three valuable points. And they got them in uncharacteristic fashion, both coming from headers. The first was converted by Alexis with a powerful dive to complete a majestic move started by a pinpoint cross from Cuenca on the right. The second was the work of Pedro, who headed home a Messi free kick with his back to the goal. The two strikes brought an end to the storm, and sparked off yet another night of celebrations in the Catalan capital.