'Rich Kids Of Snapchat' Owner Is Looking To Sell For At Least $30,000 But Only To Another Rich Kid | ||
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"Rich Kids of Snapchat" is a Facebook page and Snapchat account run by someone who claims to be a teenager in the UK. It's a riff off of the popular "Rich Kids of Instagram" account, which now has a TV show associated with it. The Rich Kids of Snapchat account put itself up for sale in a Snapchat story this morning, offering to sell its Snapchat handle, which it says has over 100,000 followers, and its Facebook pages, which have over 500,000 likes, for more than $30,000. Here are some screengrabs of the story:
The teen tried to sell the pages earlier this summer. "Despite being offered $150,000 for this Facebook page and the Snapchat account ‘richkidsnaps’ by an American advertising company, I would like one of you, the users, to take over ‘Rich Kid Snaps’. I don’t want a company coming along and ruining what I created," UK publication The Tab quoted the account owner in July. While the accounts have gotten a lot of recognition, that doesn't mean they've been well received. A bout of bad press caused the creator to write an apology on one of his Facebook pages in July: Hello, So, just what happens on the Rich Kids of Snapchat account? There's stuff like this:
When reached for comment, Snapchat spokesperson Mary Ritti told Business Insider that the company had terminated the "RichKidSnaps" account because the attempted sale violated its terms of service. Specifically it violates Snapchat's rules that a user cannot "buy, sell, rent, lease, or otherwise offer in exchange for any compensation, access to a Snapchat account, Stories, Snaps, a Snapchat username, or a friend link without Snapchat's prior written consent." Ritti added, "As an aggregator, this account also violates the ban on unauthorized API access." Alex Priddis, who handles PR for Rich Kids of Snapchat, declined to comment for this story. (h/t Niv Dror, who spotted the sale on Snapchat) Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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REVEALED: The Top Demographic Trends For Every Major Social Network | ||
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The demographics of who's on what social network are shifting — older social networks are reaching maturity, while newer social messaging apps are gaining younger users fast. In a new report from BI Intelligence, we unpack data from over a dozen sources to understand how social media demographics are still shifting. Access The Full Report By Signing Up For A Trial >> Here are a few of the key takeaways from the BI Intelligence report:
The report is full of charts (over 20 charts) and data that can be downloaded and put to use. In full, the report:
For full access to all BI Intelligence reports, briefs, and downloadable charts on the digital media industry, sign up for a two week trial. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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This 22-Year-Old Went From Working At McDonald's To Making $1 Million A Year Playing Video Games | ||
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The world of competitive gaming, or e-sports, doesn't require the players to get up out of their seats. But that doesn't mean the players don't sweat. Or make a ton of money. One of the biggest names in the e-sports realm right now is a 22-year-old named Matt Haag, who is better known as "Nadeshot." He's a master at "Call of Duty," and he's part of a team, called OpTic Gaming. He's even sponsored by Red Bull. And just three years ago he was flipping burgers at a McDonald's, according to an excellent profile of Haag in the New York Times. But playing video games is serious work. He and his teammates practice for hours a day, the Times reports. He's monitored by a "sports technologist" to check out the effects of video gaming on his brain. And he has a nutritionist to help him plan healthy meals and to make sure that he's getting enough exercise, according to the Times. That's not out of the ordinary when it comes to the competitive online gaming world, where there's big money to be made. A team of kids from Korea won $1 million for playing another popular game, "League of Legends." Millions of people around the world watched them do it. And much like other gamers who have found fame via social media and sites like Twitch, which Amazon bought earlier this year for close to $1 billion, Haag makes money from video streams as well as sponsorship deals and tournament wins. In fact he'll probably make around $700,000 just from his YouTube site, the Times reports. And Major League Gaming signed him to stream exclusively on their site. Haag has more than 1 million followers on YouTube, and it's easy to see why. His videos range from gaming sessions to personal peeks into his life to late-night food cravings, and everything in between. Still, as it goes with sudden shots to the top of stardom, there's always the worry that it can be gone in an instant. “I think about my future probably at least 10 times a day,” he told the NYT. “I think about what if this all goes away one day? What if for some reason people just aren’t in your live stream tomorrow? What if people aren’t clicking on your YouTube videos tomorrow? What if your team doesn’t work out and you’re not performing that well and you have to quit competitively? What happens when you can’t compete anymore and you want to retire because you’re going insane?” Read the rest of the profile in the New York Times here>> SEE ALSO: Nintendo is making one huge mistake Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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This 22-Year-Old Went From Working At McDonald's To Making $1 Million A Year Playing Video Games | ||
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The world of competitive gaming, or e-sports, doesn't require the players to get up out of their seats. But that doesn't mean the players don't sweat. Or make a ton of money. One of the biggest names in the e-sports realm right now is a 22-year-old named Matt Haag, who is better known as "Nadeshot." He's a master at "Call of Duty," and he's part of a team, called OpTic Gaming. He's even sponsored by Red Bull. And just three years ago he was flipping burgers at a McDonald's, according to an excellent profile of Haag by the New York Times' Conor Dougherty. But playing video games is serious work. He and his teammates practice for hours a day, Dougherty writes. Haag is monitored by a "sports technologist" to check out the effects of video gaming on his brain. And he has a nutritionist to help him plan healthy meals and to make sure that he's getting enough exercise, according to the Times. That's not out of the ordinary when it comes to the competitive online gaming world, where there's big money to be made. A team of kids from Korea won $1 million for playing another popular game, "League of Legends." Millions of people around the world watched them do it. And much like other gamers who have found fame via social media and sites like Twitch, which Amazon bought earlier this year for close to $1 billion, Haag makes money from video streams as well as sponsorship deals and tournament wins. In fact he'll probably make around $700,000 just from his YouTube site, the Times reports. And Major League Gaming signed him to stream exclusively on their site. Together with the money he makes at tourneys and from his sponsorship, he's on track to making $1 million, the Times says. Haag has more than 1 million followers on YouTube, and it's easy to see why. His videos range from gaming sessions to personal peeks into his life to late-night food cravings, and everything in between. Still, as it goes with sudden shots to the top of stardom, there's always the worry that it can be gone in an instant. “I think about my future probably at least 10 times a day,” he told the NYT. “I think about what if this all goes away one day? What if for some reason people just aren’t in your live stream tomorrow? What if people aren’t clicking on your YouTube videos tomorrow? What if your team doesn’t work out and you’re not performing that well and you have to quit competitively? What happens when you can’t compete anymore and you want to retire because you’re going insane?” Read the rest of the profile in the New York Times here>> SEE ALSO: Nintendo is making one huge mistake Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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You Can Now Play 'Super Smash Bros.' On A Graphing Calculator | ||
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We truly are living in the future. Nintendo is about to release "Super Smash Bros. for Wii U" next Friday, but why wait to see your favorite Nintendo mascots duke it out in stunning high definition when you can play one of the most addictive fighting games of all time on a low-definition graphing calculator. Major hat-tip to Kotaku's Jason Schreier, who stumbled upon this "demake" while visiting the gaming blog Tiny Cartridge. The game was created by a user on the Omnimaga forums named Hayleia, who created the clone of "Super Smash Bros. Melee" for the Nintendo GameCube for monochrome z80 calculators. The user also made the game on a modular engine, so you can tweak and edit the source code and optimize it for their own device. You can even download the source code here and import it to a compatible TI-83 or TI-84 calculator through USB. Check out some more gifs to see it in action!
Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Uber Is Generating A Staggering Amount Of Revenue | ||
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Mobile ride hailing startup Uber is expected to hit an annual revenue run rate of $10 billion by the end of 2015, sources told Business Insider's Henry Blodget. Uber keeps 20% of every transaction, which means Uber will be netting about $2 billion on $10 billion gross revenue. What's more, most of Uber's revenue comes from 10 of its earliest cities, including San Francisco and New York. When its other 140+ cities mature, you can imagine that $10 billion revenue figure multiplying quickly. San Francisco alone generates hundreds of millions of dollars for Uber. Uber is operating in more than 45 countries without having made a single acquisition. Let's say that all again: Uber is expected to generate $10 billion of which it keeps $2 billion in the next year or two. That's not to say the company is profitable. It spends tons of money on marketing tactics to recruit new users and drivers. Still, those figures for a five-year-old startup are staggering. To put that in perspective, Facebook is expected to generate $10 billion for the first time this year, after 10 years of operation. Granted, Uber and Facebook are entirely different businesses (advertising versus transactional) but yah, $10 billion is a lot. Blodget also learned that Uber's revenue will grow about 300% this year and it's expected to grow another 300% next year. A snapshot of Uber's financials obtained by Valleywag in late 2013 showed Uber generating about $20 million per week. Further, Blodget's sources believe Uber will go public in a few years at a $50-10 billion valuation. Uber's last valuation exceeded $18 billion. SEE ALSO: No, Really, Uber Could Be A $100 Billion Company Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Amazon’s New Kindle Fire HDX Tablet Is Light And Gorgeous — But It Has Some Serious Limitations (AMZN) | ||
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Amazon has expanded its line of Kindle tablets yet again with this year’s version of the $379 Fire HDX 8.9. The device, which is the same size as Google’s recent Nexus 9 and a bit smaller than the iPad Air, is one of the slimmest tablets you can buy. As is the case with its previous HDX tablets, the online retail giant is pushing its new addition as an entertainment-focused device. And with it’s gorgeous high-res display, it certainly has the hardware to pull it off. After spending a week using Amazon’s new tablet, here's what I came away with. The BasicsThe 2014 edition of Amazon’s new tablet comes with a 2560x1600 resolution display just like its predecessor and the Nexus 9. There’s an 8-megapixel camera on the back and 2GB of RAM, which the company claims will ensure graphics run smoothly. In all honesty, there isn’t too much that’s different from last year’s model. The new tablet comes with Amazon’s new Firefly feature and runs on a new processor, but those are the only key differences. How It Looks And FeelsAmazon’s Kindle Fire HDX is undoubtedly one of the lightest tablets you can buy. In fact, it might be the lightest tablet at just 375 grams. By comparison, the Nexus 9 weighs 425 grams, the iPad Air 2 weighs 469 grams, and Sony’s Xperia Z2 tablet weighs 439 grams. Granted, both Apple and Sony’s tablets come with a larger screen than Amazon’s Fire HDX, but it’s still impressively slim. This makes it incredibly easy to use with one hand.
The back of Amazon’s new tablet is made of a soft, slick material that’s resistant to fingerprints, which is a plus. Both Google and Sony’s tablet were quick to pick up smudges, so the tablets would look a little dirty after just a few minutes of use. There’s one design quirk that has always confused me when picking up an Amazon tablet. Both the power and volume buttons are located on the back, rather than along the side. I understand it probably wouldn’t be possible to make the tablet super slim and light otherwise, but it always throws me off. Using It
Like Amazon’s other devices, the new Fire HDX runs on its Fire OS — a modified version of Android. Although it’s technically based on Android, it doesn’t look very much like the software you’d see on a Google or Samsung tablet. The home screen consists of a carousel of app icons with a menu that sits across the top of the screen. The menu lets you browse different categories such as games, apps stored on your device, photos stored on the tablet, and more. Below the main carousel are a few icons for other options in the OS, such as Amazon’s Silk Browser, the stock email app, the tablet’s camera, calendar, and a few other choices. The carousel layout is a refreshing — it's not the tired app grid layout you’ll find on most other mobile devices. The Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 is a gorgeous, lightweight tablet, but it has its limitations. Although its an Android tablet, don’t plan on using Gmail, Google Maps, or any other Google-made application on it. There’s no access to the Google Play Store, which means if the app you’re looking for isn’t in Amazon’s AppStore, you won’t be able to use it. So, that means no YouTube, no Google Drive, and no Google Maps. Remember, the Fire HDX 8.9 is built for entertainment. So if you frequently use Amazon Prime and love downloading movies, you’ll probably enjoy Fire OS.
Like its predecessor, the new tablet comes with Amazon’s Mayday feature, which is a service that connects you to a member of Amazon’s support team. Firefly is a newer Amazon feature that debuted on the Fire Phone last spring. Firefly allows you to use the device’s camera to scan barcodes on objects, business cards, and email addresses. Once the tablet recognizes the object, it’ll either provide a link to save that person’s contact information or show a listing for that item in Amazon’s online store. Firefly works quickly and it’s incredibly accurate. Within seconds of holding a business card in front of the tablet’s camera, it pulled up that person’s phone number. The software reacted equally as fast when I held up the box for an iPhone case in front of the Fire HDX’s camera. Still, Firefly seems better-suited for a phone than a tablet. Whipping out a large handheld to scan a business card feels awkward. The new Fire HDX’s screen is gorgeous, too. Whether you’re doing some reading or watching Netflix, images and text really pop off the screen. It also seemed to be a bit brighter than the screen on the Nexus 9. The Kindle Fire HDX's battery lasts quite long on a single charge. I was able to get two full days of usage out of the tablet before its battery completely drained. This included streaming a lot of Netflix, playing games like "Dead Trigger" often, and browsing the web. Should You Buy It?
Amazon’s recently released Kindle Fire HDX is an excellent tablet for reading and entertainment, especially if you use Amazon Prime a lot. It’s super light — in fact it’s one of the lightest tablets you can buy — and the screen is gorgeous too. But, you’ll have to be okay with giving up access to Google’s gigantic app store. Amazon has it’s own app store with more than 240,000 apps, although that’s a relative small number compared to both Apple and Google’s stores which offer about one million apps. And, if you’re used to using an Android tablet or an iPad, the software will seem a bit different on Amazon’s Fire HDX. If you don’t really care about apps and just want a tablet for streaming Netflix, reading, checking email, and browsing the web, you’ll be perfectly satisfied with the Fire HDX. Amazon has it’s own app store with more than 240,000 apps, although that’s a relative small number compared to both Apple and Google’s stores which offer about one million apps. SEE ALSO: 15 Apps That Will Make Your Android Phone A Whole Lot Better Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Here's How To Figure Out Everything Google Knows About You | ||
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When you use Google, you are making a deal. You get to use Gmail and search and YouTube and Google Maps for free and in exchange, you agree to share information about yourself. Google gets to sell that information to advertisers. The more Google knows about you, the more it can match you to an advertiser who thinks you are an ideal customer. Advertisers are willing to pay more for ads served to ideal potential customers. For instance, airlines want to target people who love to travel. Children's clothing makers want to target parents. Google uses a lot of methods to learn about you. There's the stuff you tell Google outright when you sign up for its services, like Gmail and Google Maps, or via an Android phone, like your name, phone number, location, and so on. Google also deduces information about you from watching your internet searches (what do you search for? click on?) and from the stuff you do with Google's products. By visiting a site called "Ads Settings" you can see what Google knows about you. It's not that easy to find Ads Settings. First, click on the link below or type it into your browser: https://www.google.com/settings/ Then click on "Account history".
Scroll down to Ads and click on "Edit settings".
This page shows you what Google thinks it knows about you including your age bracket, the languages you speak and ...
... including your interests.
From that page, you can edit that information or "opt out" of allowing Google to share your information with advertisers. SEE ALSO: How Google Inadvertently Crushed A Privacy Browser Company Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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What Some Of Google's Most Elite, Entrepreneurial Employees Are Doing Now (GOOG) | ||
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Since Marissa Mayer started Google's associate product manager program — APM for short — more than a decade ago, it has swelled into one of the company's most elite entry-level positions. Mayer started the two-year rotational training program to home-grow managers who would be "Googley." The program has since become rather legendary, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt told Steven Levy that he expects an APM alumni to run the company someday. When you pick people who are leaders and show the sort of entrepreneurial zeal that makes them a great fit at Google, you also pick people who are confident enough to leave Google to build their own companies. And a lot have. "We get two to four good years, and if 20 percent stay with the company, that's a good rate," Mayer told Newsweek in 2007. "Even if they leave it's still good for us. I'm sure that someone in this group is going to start a company that I will buy some day." Brian Rakowski was Google's very first APM. Rakowski is now Google's VP of product management focusing on Android. Suitably, Rakowski also now runs the APM program. What's changed since Mayer left the program? Not much, according to Rakowski. "One of the best things about the APM program is that so many incredible people have gone through the program over the last 11 years and want stay involved," he writes on Quora. "In the spirit of tapping into the alumni network, we've also started a APM speaker series where APM alumni who have gone on to do interesting things (at Google or outside) give a talk to the current APMs." Jeff Bartelma left Google to join Dropbox. Bartelma studied engineering at MIT before joining the APM program, where he worked on product search. He eventually left Google to be the director of product at Dropbox in 2010. Si Shen cofounded PapayaMobile in 2008. Shen spent four years at Google working on Android development and marketing and then Maps before founding Beijing-based mobile gaming company PapayaMobile in 2008. PapayaMobile created over 13 games, and then shifted to start making its mobile game engine available to other social game developers. According to its website, the company has over 1,000 titles connecting to its network. Interestingly, Shen also appeared on a popular Chinese dating reality show in 2012, which helped her company become more widely recognized, according to Women of China. See the rest of the story at Business Insider  | ||
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This Is The First Question The Godfather of Silicon Valley, Ron Conway, Asks Before Making An Investment | ||
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One of the recent speakers was Ron Conway, the legendary founder of SV Angel, who’s best known for making small investments in a bunch of different early stage startups. For example, he invested in Google back in 1999, before the search engine became the behemoth it is now. How does he start his investment process? “Usually the first question I ask is, ‘What inspired you to create this product?’” Conway told the crowd. He said he expects the product to be a solution to a problem the founder personally experienced. The founder has to be able to describe the product “in one compelling sentence” so that the investor can immediately understand what it does, Conway said. Through that first one-minute conversation, Conway tries to answer, “Is this person a leader?” and “Is this person rightful, focused, and obsessed by the product?” He also pointed out that it’s important that founders be decisive, whether it’s making an HR or a product strategy decision. Conway believes “procrastination is the devil in startups.” Another point he made was that it’s always good to bootstrap for as long as possible, meaning it’s better to not take money from a venture capitalist or angel investor; startups should strive to be self-sustaining at first. Perhaps, this is the kind of thinking that's made Conway one of the most successful VC investors in Silicon Valley. Conway says he’s invested in over 700 companies and spoken to thousands of entrepreneurs since 1994. On average, SV Angel invests in about one startup a week, and one out of every 30 companies it looks at. The most successful investment of those? “The investment in Google in 1999,” Conway said. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Y Combinator’s Sam Altman has been teaching REPORT: Uber To Announce Spotify Partnership | ||
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Uber will announce a partnership with Spotify on Monday, reports The New York Times' Mike Issac. The partnership will reportedly let Uber customers listen to music from their own Spotify playlists after they order and get in their vehicle. The technical details of how Uber and Spotify intend to accomplish that feature remain unclear. The news comes as some journalists received an invite to an Uber event featuring a yet-to-be-named guest That event teased a "first-of-its-kind partnership." Spotify has been in the news lately, not always in a positive light. The streaming service has become embattled in a public dispute with Taylor Swift, who recently removed her catalogue from Spotify over allegations that she was underpaid. SEE ALSO: Here's How Much Taylor Swift Made In One Year From Streaming On Spotify Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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REPORT: Merger Talks Between Hasbro And DreamWorks Are Over | ||
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That was quick. Deadline reported this week that DreamWorks Animation and Hasbro were in talks to create a combined family entertainment company that would be called DreamWorks-Hasbro, and said the deal is at least 60 days away from being finalized. But according to Variety, citing sources, those talks are now over. The sources say that the reason the talks ended was because of the unfavorable reception Wall Street gave the news on Wednesday. Analysts were wary of the possibility, saying that the move made little sense for Hasbro, among other concerns. "We don't see a plausible argument for why HAS would pay 41% of its current market capitalization for a company which, according to its CEO is facing serious challenges," media analyst Vasily Karasyov of Sterne Agee wrote. "Films profitability continues to decline and the ramp in consumer product revenue the bulls hoped for isn't coming: the revenue stream is down 21% so far in 2014." Neither of the companies officially confirmed to Variety that the talks ended. This isn't the first time that DreamWorks merger talks ended right after they began. In September, Japan's SoftBank was rumored to be interested in purchasing the animation studio. But talks apparently slowed down soon after. SEE ALSO: Comcast Offers A Peek Into How It Wants To Dominate Everyone's Living Room Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Activist Investor Pushing AOL And Yahoo To Merge Actually Owns Shares In Both Companies (AOL, YHOO) | ||
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The activist investor who has been calling for AOL and Yahoo to merge, owns shares in both companies, not just Yahoo. Starboard took a 2.4% stake in AOL during the third quarter, according to a regulatory filing that came out late on Friday, reports the Wall Street Journal. It previously owned a stake in AOL in 2012, which it used to run an activist campaign against that company. Today's filing also reveals that Starboard owns 0.8% of Yahoo, putting it outside the top 10 shareholders in the company, the Journal reports. Starboard sent a letter to Yahoo's board on September 26, suggesting that Yahoo and AOL merge. Although Yahoo is the larger company, Starboard suggested that AOL would be the surviving company. Starboard also had other suggestions for Yahoo, including more aggressive cost cutting and chilling out on acquisitions. The fact that Starboard owns stakes in both companies suggests it has more leverage than originally thought. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Man Billed $1,200 For Reading Email On A Plane | ||
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Want to use an international flight to Singapore to catch up on your email? Better think twice. The WiFi overage charges on Singapore Airlines might cost you as much or more than the flight itself. So discovered Jeremy Gutsche, founder of online trend site, TrendHunter.com who was charged a jaw-dropping $1,171.46 for using 30MB of data on flight to Singapore, he says. He thought he was signing up for a $30 WiFi package. He used it to look at a total of 155 pages, he says, mostly email. He describes: At one point, I spent about an hour uploading one 4mb powerpoint doc. That doc probably cost me $100 to upload, so I hope my team liked it. I actually even emailed them a warning that my upload was taking a while. That email probably cost me $10. And yes, the pricing per mb was disclosed on sign-up, but I bought the $30 package, slept through most the flight, and really didn't think I'd end up a thousand bucks past the limit. Not a very happy landing. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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What Steve Wozniak Got Wrong About The iPhone 6 (AAPL) | ||
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"Apple could have had a much bigger share of the smartphone market if it had a larger-screen iPhone for the past three years," said Wozniak. "It could have competed better with Samsung." Wozniak echoed Apple fans who have been waiting years for the company to release a bigger smartphone. But the Apple cofounder is missing an important point. Apple is almost never first-to-market in any product category. Their strategy is to come up with dramatic, generational improvements to products that others have done not as well. The iPod wasn't the first MP3 player, but it was the first that lots of people wanted to use thanks to features like the scroll wheel and tight integration with iTunes and (later) the iTunes Music Store. The iPhone wasn't the first smartphone. The iPad wasn't the first tablet. That strategy works for Apple. People who wanted larger phones bought Samsung phones (or occasionally other Android phones) when they had no choice. Now, many of them are choosing Apple instead — iPhone 6 sales are going crazy. This isn't the first time a high-profile tech figure has made a comment like Wozniak's. In September, Google chairman Eric Schmidt made a similar remark on Bloomberg TV. "I'll tell you what I think," Schmidt said. "Samsung had these products a year ago." Schmidt and Wozniak are essentially making the same argument. Surely Apple would have sold some phablets if it had come out with them in 2011, but they wouldn't have been as good as the iPhone 6, because the iPhone platform and apps at that time were optimized for smaller screens. So they wouldn't have come close to the sales Apple is getting on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Tim Cook addressed Wozniak's criticism in an interview with Charlie Rose in September: Honestly, Charlie, we could have done a larger iPhone years ago. It’s never been about just making a larger phone. It’s been about making a better phone in every single way. And so we ship things when they’re ready. Apple doesn't want to be first when it can be best. That strategy seems to be paying off on Wall Street. Apple's stock hit a record high this week. SEE ALSO: Here's The Real Reason Apple's Sapphire Supplier Went Bankrupt Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak gave his two cents on the iPhone 6 Humans Have Drilled A Comet For the First Time Ever | ||
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Though the Philae lander has run into a few issues during her time on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, she has completed more than her share of science along the way. She's successfully drilled into the comet, analyzed what she found, and is sending data back now. When the European Space Agency got word from their comet lander that it had bounced its way into a dark corner of the comet, they knew it meant a race against the clock to get that data. Timing was an issue because of the lander's limited battery life — the scientists had to use the battery sparingly to conduct their scientific experiments. Quick to act, the scientists forged forward with their most important experiment, and drilled into a comet for the first time in history, activating perhaps the most important instrument on board Philae: The MUlti-PUrpose Sensors for Surface and Sub-Surface Science instrument, called MUPUS for short On Nov. 14, ESA scientists got word from Philae that the MUPUS drill had successfully hammered into the comet and retracted back, supplying the other instruments aboard the probe with samples that the lander has analyzed and is now in the process of sending data back to mission control. And the proof is this chart below, tweeted out by the lander itself:
There's hope for more experiments by the lander in the future, a very slight hope. The lander had a limited battery life — about 60 hours after touchdown — but also solar panels that can generate power and recharge the battery. When the probe first came to rest on the comet, however, it bounced a few times and ended up moving into a shady area that seems to be under a cliff, where it's not getting enough sun. Right now there's a chance the batteries are just about empty, as indicated in the chart below. All of the instruments on the lander have been shut down, though the probe is still communicating with Rosetta and sending data back to Earth.
The rotation was successfully completed, and scientists are now waiting to learn if it repositioned Philae is charging. Regardless of the future of the probe, the drill itself was a success and the samples were analyzed by the lander, which is currently sending it back to Earth, shown below.
The experimentThe MUPUS probe uses a type of hammering device, shown below, that penetrated the comet's surface and extracted samples to analyze the comet's chemical make up. MUPUS is equipped with a hammer, that nailed a device that resembles an ice pick into the comet. Once it penetrated the surface, the device collected samples of the comet's surface. Here's its hammering action during lab testing:
What they hope to findThe scientists are hoping for a couple of major discoveries from Philae's analysis. "The really big result will be if Rosetta's landing probe... detects 'chiral amino acids'," John Plane, a professor at the University of Leeds in London, said in a statement released by the university. Chiral amino acids are a special type of molecule that, as far as we know right now, only exists in biological systems on Earth. If Philae discovered the presence of these amino acids on a comet, it could be a smoking gun for the origins of life on Earth. Another big question scientists are asking is whether comets were responsible for water on Earth. "Comet impacts are thought to have been one of the principal means by which water was delivered to the early Earth, around 3.6 billion years ago, possibly contributing half the water in our oceans," Stanley Cowley, who studies comets at the University of Leicester, told The Daily Galaxy. CHECK OUT: The Philae Lander Bounced Off The Surface Of The Comet And Is Now Stuck Under A Cliff READ MORE: 'We Do Not Fully Understand What Has Happened' On The Comet Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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The data analysis isn't available yet, but it is coming. These samples the drill collected could ultimately tell us if comets like this one carried the key molecules that culminated the conditions for life on Earth.
As a last-ditch life-saving effort, the Philae team tried to rotate the lander into a sunnier spot earlier today. The landing gear lifted Philae 1.5 inches off of the ground and rotated it carousel style into a new, hopefully sunnier, location which will let it charge its batteries before it freezes to the comet.
Scientists called the momentous occasion when the drill struck ground "ThePinPrick."
The instruments on board called The COmetary SAmpling and Composition Experiment (COSAC), have hopefully analyzed the samples, and with any luck ESA has received the data, which they will pour over. Stephan Ulamec, the Philae lander manager, confirmed that COSAC has some material. How Wall Street Tries To Convince Young Techies It's Cool To Work There | ||
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But as banks started to rely more on heavy data and financial engineering technology, demand for engineers on Wall Street has shot up. It takes a lot of work for banks like Goldman Sachs to hire these talented engineering recruits, according to the New York Times. For example, Goldman has to explain at college recruiting events that its engineers don’t just work mere back-office jobs, but actually build meaningful software that gets used by traders every day. It also revamped its website to look more young and fresh, and has been using cool words like “cloud computing” and “data mining” in presentations. One of the biggest challenges has been answering questions about its strict dress code. By nature, it’s almost impossible for Wall Street banks to allow its employees to come into work wearing flip-flops and a hoodie, like many Silicon Valley tech companies do. But these concerns tend to disappear once the question of pay comes up. “As soon as we start talking to the candidates about what our starting packages look like, the lifestyle questions about flip-flops and beanbags really start to go away,” R. Martin Chavez, Goldman Sachs’ Chief Information Officer told the New York Times. The push does seem to be working. The number of bankers with high-level programming background at Goldman Sachs has jumped 43% to 1,223 employees since 2009, the Times reports. Goldman Sachs’ largest division is, in fact, its technology division with 8,000 employees, or roughly 25% of its total workforce, it says. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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For decades, Silicon Valley has been the top destination for many talented computer scientists coming out of college. Tech companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook attracted top talent with ease, offering heavy paychecks with massive stock options and no formal dress code at work. Facebook To Companies: No More Free Ride (FB) | ||
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Facebook will change the news feed to decrease the number of blatant promotional messages people see. The new news feed will take effect this January, and won't reduce the number of paid ads that users see. "The idea is to increase the relevance and quality of the overall stories — including Page posts — people see in their News Feeds," said Facebook on their blog. The move essentially devalues the posts brands push out from their Pages, which may mean more paid advertisement revenue for Facebook. "While Pages that post a lot of the content we mention above will see a significant decrease in distribution, the majority of Pages will not be impacted by this change," said Facebook. The company is defining "promotional" as any Facebook post that repeats the content of an advertisement, solely pushes people to buy a product or download an app, or pushes people to enter a sweepstakes with no other content. So unlike some changes earlier this year, this doesn't seem directed at media companies that use Facebook to publicize their stories. Earlier this week, Facebook made some other changes to give users more control over what they see in their news feeds. SEE ALSO: Mark Zuckerberg Once Sent A Message To Facebook's Staff By Kicking An Engineer Out Of A Meeting Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Ted Cruz Loves Reading His Twitter Trolls | ||
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a conservative firebrand who is looking at running for president, is a little bit of a Twitter addict. "I'll confess, much to my team's great annoyance: I read Twitter constantly," Cruz said at a press conference Friday afternoon. "In fact, every horrible, nasty thing that some hardcore lefty says about me, I read them." Cruz said he actually enjoyed the "clever" criticism. "I actually like the clever ones. I mean, the nasty ones that are just like, 'You suck.' It's like, okay, 'That was very clever,'" he added sarcastically. "But the funny ones I enjoy." Cruz was speaking at an event condemning government regulation of the internet. It so happens that Cruz drew widespread attention on Twitter earlier in the week when he tweeted that so-called net neutrality is "Obamacare for the internet." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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How Uber's CEO Blew His Perfect 5.0 Customer Rating Score With Drivers | ||
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When you take a ride in an Uber vehicle, the first things you'll notice when you request a ride on the app are your driver's name, the make and model of your Uber ride, and your driver's rating out of five stars. Uber's rating system goes both ways — after a ride, passengers rate their experience with their drivers, and drivers do the same with passengers. In an interview with San Francisco magazine, Uber's CEO Travis Kalanick admitted that not even he has a perfect 5-star rating as a passenger. From the story: “I was at a 5 for a long time, then I had a string of 4 stars. I don’t know what happened. I think what happened was I was a little stressed at work. I was not as courteous as I should have been.” Customers can see an Uber driver's rating when they use the app, but don't know their own rating, usually. Earlier this summer a hack was exposed that let you view your own Uber passenger rating, but it was quickly shut down by the company. You can read the full story about Kalanick at San Francisco magazine's website. SEE ALSO: Uber CEO Travis Kalanick Is Concerned About Looking Like An 'Asshole' Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Why People Are Scared To Talk About Silicon Valley's Big Diversity Problem | ||
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The issue of diversity is being discussed more than ever in Silicon Valley. Major tech companies such as Facebook, Apple, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Yahoo have come forward to reveal their diversity statistics — showing that most of these tech giants are compromised of white and Asian male employees. The lack of women and minorities in tech isn't a secret, and many advocates are very vocal about it via Twitter and self-made initiatives such as website About Feminism. However, there are also dozens of minorities working in the tech industry that wouldn't dream of speaking up about the topic of diversity. There's apparently an unwritten rule about voicing your concerns when it comes to how minorities are viewed and treated in the tech industry, according to engineers that recently spoke to Bloomberg. Here's the advice Lloyd Carney, CEO of Brocade Communications Systems, who is black, gives to newcomers in the tech industry: "Tell women and people of color directly, 'Don't you dare advocate for diversity. Your career would be over.'" Kate Matsudaira, the founder of career management platform Pop Forms, who has previously worked at Amazon and Microsoft, said she would never complain about sexism in the tech industry on her personal blog. Not because she doesn't believe it's an issue, but because there's a certain stigma around those who frequently voice their opinions on the subject. "I don't want to be grouped into that category of activists," she told Bloomberg. "This sounds so horrible, but there are certain people who say, 'I didn't get the job because I'm a woman,' and I'll look at their resume and know they didn't get the job because they don't have the experience. I never want to be in that group." Matsudaira isn't the only one reluctant to speak out. Kathryn Minshew, co-founder of job search site The Muse, told Wired back in July that female entrepreneurs are worried about "being shamed" for speaking out. That's not to say all women and minority workers are content with silence. Ana Medina, a computer science student at the University of California who experienced some sexist treatment at her first trip to Google's I/O conference, thinks people should be vocal about the topic. "The advice leaves you to think you're probably not the only one who experiences things like this," she told Bloomberg. "The industry shouldn't be like this. It's just not OK." SEE ALSO: This Female Game Developer Was Harassed So Severely On Twitter She Had To Leave Her Home Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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CHART OF THE DAY: Mobile Messaging Is Poised To Overtake Social Networks | ||
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Facebook announced this week that its standalone messaging app, Facebook Messenger, has already surpassed 500 million monthly active users. It’s just one part of a growing trend among users, who are spending more time in messaging apps than ever before. Based on Flurry data charted for us by BI Intelligence, the top four messaging apps are experiencing incredible growth compared to the top four social networks, and will likely overtake those social networks within the next few years. Those messaging apps — WhatsApp, Snapchat, LINE, and WeChat — are all growing their user numbers at a quarterly rate of 15% or higher in 2014. But that’s because messaging apps are much more than just texts: You can play games, share news and videos, call, and even send money to each other.
SEE ALSO: CHART OF THE DAY: People Are Getting More Optimistic About Airbnb Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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David Tepper Bought Alibaba | ||
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David Tepper, founder of Appaloosa Management, bought 725,000 shares of Alibaba in the third quarter, according to government filings. The online retailed was recently spun out of Yahoo and made public in a massive IPO. Tepper, the highest paid hedge fund manager in 2013 taking home $3.5 billion, also lowered his stake in Apple and Citigroup.
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Mark Zuckerberg Once Sent A Message To Facebook's Staff By Kicking An Engineer Out Of A Meeting (FB) | ||
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When Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook about one decade ago, he believed most users would be coming to the site from desktop computers. That all changed in 2012, as the company realized for the first time that more people were visiting Facebook on mobile phones than PCs. From then on, Zuckerberg declared Facebook would be a mobile-first company. And he wanted his employees to internalize that. Carolyn Everson, Facebook's vice president of global marketing solutions for Facebook, shared a story with Bloomberg Media COO Jacki Kelley that illustrated how crucial the "all in on mobile" concept was to Zuckerberg. Following an all-hands meeting in which Zuckerberg emphasized mobile being the company's first priority, the Facebook CEO held a meeting with a senior engineer to go over some product mockups. The engineer showed Zuckerberg these concepts on a desktop computer, and here's how Everson described the situation to Bloomberg: Mark sent him out of his conference room and said, did I tell you we were going to be mobile first? That story spread like wildfire because nobody wants to get thrown out of the conference room of the CEO, and it really sent the message. And he did that. He retrained all 3,000 engineers in how to code in mobile. Today, Facebook says that more than 700 million users are browsing its mobile app every day as of September 2014. Its mobile messaging app just hit the 500 million user mark too. Check out the full video interview from Bloomberg below. SEE ALSO: Here's What Happened When An Employee Told Steve Jobs Something Couldn't Be Done Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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These Big Companies Secretly Favor Obama's Plan For Internet Freedom (F, V, UPS, BAC) | ||
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A handful of big corporations secretly favor the same plan for the open internet that President Obama endorsed on Monday, according to Businessweek. Representatives from Bank of America, Visa, UPS, and Ford have all met with the FCC this summer and said they want the agency to regulate the internet so that all internet service providers (ISPs) will be forced to treat all digital content equally. However, those representatives met with the FCC as part of a group called the Ad Hoc Telecommunications in a seeming effort to shield their identities from ISPs like Comcast, AT&T, and Verizon. ISPs are against Obama's plan to regulate the internet under something called Title II, which would regulate the internet more like telephone lines instead of allowing private companies to have full control. These companies fear that ISPs would have too much power over what content flows over the internet, which could be potentially damaging to all companies that engage in commerce in some for or another online. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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S. Africa skittle out Australia for 154 | ||
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Perth (Australia) (AFP) - South Africa struck back with a vengeance in the second one-day international against Australia at the WACA Ground on Sunday. Proteas skipper AB de Villiers had vowed his side would be seeking redemption after being beaten by 32 runs in the series opener in Perth on Friday. His team backed those words with a superb bowling display as the home side were dismissed for just 154 in 41.4 overs on what appeared a good batting wicket. Towering paceman Morne Morkel led the way with 5-21, his second five-wicket haul in one-day internationals and career-best figures. The South Africans made an impact with the ball from the outset, destroying the Australian top order to have the home side in deep trouble at 34-4. It was Morkel who struck the first blow with David Warner caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock for a duck. Warner was initially given not out, but replays showed clear contact with the glove and third umpire Nigel Llong overturned the initial decision. Stand-in skipper George Bailey and emerging all-rounder Mitchell Marsh raised Australian hopes briefly when they added 58 for the fifth wicket before Bailey was brilliantly caught by a diving Faf du Plessis from the bowling of Vernon Philander (1-16) for 25. Bailey was captaining Australia in the absence of Michael Clarke, who was ruled out of the remainder of the series with a recurrence of a left hamstring problem during his team's opening victory. Marsh was the only Australian batsman to offer significant resistance, compiling 67 from 88 balls. A contentious third umpire decision helped swing the game firmly back South Africa's way as Australia's middle order tried to rally after the poor start. Australia were 125-5 when Matthew Wade was given not out caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock from the bowling of Morkel, but after lengthy deliberation the decision was overturned. Morkel struck again without addition of the score, bowling Glenn Maxwell for a duck. The giant South African quick then removed Mitchell Johnson, caught behind for three, to claim his fifth scalp for the innings as Australia slumped to 129-8. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Spotlight on Balotelli as Italy target Croatia jinx | ||
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Milan (AFP) - Italy host Croatia at the San Siro Sunday in a crucial Euro 2016 qualifier with misfiring striker Mario Balotelli's place in the team under threat. The four-time world champions are in reconstruction mode after a second straight first-round exit from the World Cup where mercurial striker Balotelli failed to live up to expectations. After a poor start to his Liverpool career, Balotelli was sidelined by new coach Antonio Conte for their opening three Group H wins against Norway, Azerbaijan and Malta. And without him Italy are currently running second behind leaders Croatia on goal difference. To general surprise, Conte called Balotelli into his squad for Croatia and a friendly against Albania on Tuesday in Genoa. Speculation from Italy's Coverciano training ground this week suggested it could be Balotelli's last chance to convince Conte that he still has a future in blue. Although Balotelli is reported to be suffering from a minor hamstring injury and is not expected to start against Niko Kovac's side, the Reds striker has been watched closely all week. "Today he's here and he has to answer to me. I will judge him by what he does in the next seven to nine days," said Conte. Italy's players, at least in public, have been quick to rally to Balotelli's cause. "Until now Balotelli has been training well and that's what counts," said Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini. "For you (media), what counts is how many times he sneezes, goes to the toilet, calls his mum or his girlfriend. "All we care about is the squad, winning on Sunday and this is something you can't do on your own, we have to do it together." Milan midfielder Mattia De Sciglio called on the media to "leave him alone" and added: "He's always in the spotlight because of his unique character, but he's a good guy and easy to get along with. "On the pitch he has what it takes to come back and prove people wrong." Sassuolo's Simone Zaza and Ciro Immobile of Borussia Dortmund are expected to spearhead Italy's attack as the hosts bid to claim a first win over Croatia in 72 years (although Croatia was part of the former Yugoslavia from WWII until 1992). Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi, who will pick up his 100th cap, should marshall the midfield in the absence of Juventus stalwart Andrea Pirlo and Marco Verratti of Paris Saint Germain. For former Milan forward Zvonimir Boban, now a respected football pundit in Italy, their absences could be telling. "Without Pirlo and Verratti, Italy are a lot less fluid," Boban told Gazzetta dello Sport on Friday. Italy's last victory over Croatia came months before the country entered World War II - when Vittorio Pozzo's side ran out 4-0 winners at Genoa's Luigi Ferraris stadium in April 1942. In their six meetings since then, Croatia have won three and drawn three against Italy. Boban, who also underlined the importance of Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, added: "It will be a tactical, difficult and physical game. It will probably end in a draw. We'll put Italy in difficulty." Croatia have scored nine goals in three wins over Malta (2-0), Bulgaria (1-0) and Azerbaijan (6-0) and Modric is hoping Pirlo's absence swings the game in their favour. "Pirlo usually plays a crucial role for Italy so there's no doubt they will miss him," said Modric, who was among 12 players rested in midweek when Croatia faced Argentina in London. "The battle in midfield could be decisive." De Sciglio, however, believes Conte has instilled Italy with enough tactical nous and belief to end their winless run against the Croats, whose biggest achievement internationally was their third place finish at the 1998 World Cup. "We've worked hard on all our phases of play, and that has simplified things," he added. "We're not afraid (of Croatia). We have to be vigilant because they have a lot of quality players, but we are better than they are." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Law gets fashionable as labels learn to love litigation | ||
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Paris (AFP) - Long considered "too fluffy" for serious lawyers, fashion law has emerged in recent years as one of the most lucrative -– and occasionally absurd -– new battlegrounds for the legal profession. For example, a blink-and-you-miss-it shot of a basketball with what looked like Louis Vuitton symbols on it appeared for just one second in a Hyundai commercial shown during the 2010 Superbowl in the United States. But that was enough for the French luxury label to take Hyundai to court, claiming its trademark had been "diluted". To the amazement of many, the court agreed. One expert -– lawyer and New York University lecturer Charles Colman -– calls it "probably the most unfortunate legal decision of the past five years." Louis Vuitton followed up with a similar suit against the makers of Hollywood comedy "The Hangover Part 2" because a character played by Zach Galifianakis at one point carries a fake LV handbag and mispronounces their name "Lewis Vee-ton". That case was thrown out -– on the grounds that artistic expression is protected by the US constitution –- but an appeal is ongoing. Such lawsuits are the more extreme by-products of a burgeoning love affair between the fashion and legal industries. Other high-profile cases include: The ongoing litigation by Converse against 31 competitors for allegedly ripping off its iconic sneaker; pop star Rihanna's successful action against Topman for putting her face on one of its T-shirts; and the landmark 2012 case in which Christian Louboutin won the exclusive right to make shoes with a red sole.
- A frivolous subject -
With the global luxury market valued at $985 billion (730 billion euros) by Boston Consulting Group -- and set to grow to $1.18 trillion by 2020 -- the only surprise is that lawyers have taken so long to take a direct interest. "Entertainment law and sports law have become accepted terms with their own specialist courses in most law schools," says Colman. "But there are still only five courses in fashion law in the United States, even though the amount of money involved dwarfs that of entertainment. "There's no defensible reason except that fashion is perceived as a frivolous subject," he adds. Across the globe, that is changing as lawyers recognise the vital role they can play in protecting the fashion sector's fragile illusion of exclusivity from the reality of mass marketing. "Haute couture is brand-building. The real money is made selling 40-euro nail varnish and 100-euro perfumes," says Annabelle Gauberti, who left one of the biggest law firms in London to set up her own practice specialising in luxury law ("droit du luxe"). "In the early 2000s, my old bosses used to tell me there's no money in fashion -– stick to banking or energy," she says. "They thought fashion was too fluffy, but they were wrong. The time is ripe for the luxury industry. It is making monstrous fortunes." A major driver has been the explosion in demand for luxury goods from the Middle East, South America and Asia -– forcing fashion houses to seek new investors, manage intricate overseas deals and battle the vast wave of cheap knock-offs flooding the market. "The industry became much more international and much more complex. That meant a lot more work for lawyers," says Gauberti, adding that the 2008 financial crash also left a lot of lawyers out of work and looking for new opportunities.
- Pampered dynasties up-ended -
The seeds of the current luxury boom go back to the 1980s when a new generation of ruthless businessmen muscled their way into the stuffy, closeted world of French haute couture. The pampered dynasties that ran fashion houses were ill-prepared for men like Bernard Arnault, the engineering tycoon who exploited a family feud in the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) group to seize a controlling stake and purge the original owners. People like Arnault and Francois Pinault -– whose Kering conglomerate used a construction fortune to buy up Gucci and other designer labels -– transformed the industry into retailing behemoths. "Arnault and Kering shifted the emphasis of high-end labels from couture to merchandising," says Colman. "They dramatically increased the amount of money at stake. That's why these companies now take such an aggressive stance on their trademark rights." But the emerging field of fashion law is not just about suing competitors. The advent of e-commerce, social media and smartphones has raised important new legal issues for fashion companies, says Lois Herzeca, who set up the fashion retail and consumer products practice group at the Gibson-Dunn law firm in New York and teaches at the University of Pennsylvania. "For the millennial generation of law students, it's all about the merging of entertainment, fashion and technology," she says. "That implicates many areas of evolving law. Fashion retailers suddenly have to worry about things like data privacy." Rapid changes are testing the law. Mergers become a lot more complex when you buy online companies rather than bricks-and-mortar stores. New technologies like 3D printing threaten to up-end questions of intellectual property. All of which is underpinned by the seemingly unlimited piles of cash involved. "The fashion houses have managed to create an image that they are super selective -– that you are buying into a dream," says Gauberti. "It's a myth of course, but that's why there's no limit to its growth."
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Romania's Ponta favourite to win presidential poll | ||
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Bucharest (AFP) - Romanians vote on Sunday to choose their next president, with Social Democrat and current prime minister Victor Ponta the overwhelming favourite to win. Ponta, 42, goes into the second round of votes with 54 per cent support, according to the latest opinion polls, clearly ahead of his conservative opponent, Klaus Iohannis. Everything seems to be in the former lawyer's favour to ensure victory. Ponta has the political experience, the support of the hugely influential Romanian Orthodox Church and a boost from the strengthening economy. At the same Iohannis, from Romania's ethnic German minority, seems uncomfortable in front of the cameras, and has faced accusations he is a not a "real Romanian". In the first round of voting on November 2, Ponta finished first with 40 percent of the vote, while his conservative rival took 30 percent. But one thing, claim experts, could halt Ponta's chances of clinching the presidency: turnout. "The key of the second round is getting out the vote," said Christian Ghinea of the Romanian Centre for European Politics. "If the voters in the big cities, who tend to favour the opposition, are mobilised, Iohannis has a chance," Ghinea told AFP. Turnout was 52 percent in the first round. Another great unknown is the vote of the diaspora, which numbers about three million people. Only 160,000 were able to cast their ballots in the first round, however, due to an insufficient number of polling stations in countries including France, Germany and Britain. But of those, 46 percent voted for Iohannis and 15.8 percent for Ponta -- suggesting the vote of those abroad could be a major factor going into the runoff. - Crucial test - The vote is seen as pivotal for the former communist country at a time when democracy has suffered setbacks in some neighbouring states such as Hungary, and as the Ukraine crisis has shaken relations between the European Union and Russia. The election campaign has been marred by scandal, with numerous corruption probes including some aimed at allies of the prime minister, and a settling of scores between Ponta and his long-standing rival President Traian Basescu. The popular centre-right Basescu, who has accused Ponta of being a former spy, cannot run for a third term. He and Ponta have shared two stormy years at the top of Romanian politics. Whoever takes over the presidency will face pressing issues including recession and persistent accusations of corruption and bad governance. If Ponta wins it will concentrate powers in the hands of the Social Democrats, which is also the largest party in parliament. Iohannis, 55, has in turn promised to strengthen the rule of law and to attract more foreign capital to Romania. Romania's head of state is responsible for foreign policy and top-level appointments such as prosecutors in the second poorest EU country after Bulgaria. The polls open at 0700 local time (0500 GMT) and close at 2100 (1900 GMT). First results are expected overnight Sunday. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Ebola-infected Sierra Leone doctor gets treated in US | ||
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Washington (AFP) - A doctor infected with Ebola in Sierra Leone began receiving treatment in the United States, as the world's most powerful economies vowed to "extinguish" a deadly epidemic of the disease. The vast desert nation of Mali, meanwhile, scrambled to prevent a new outbreak of Ebola that has killed three people, despite some hopeful signs elsewhere in Africa. Liberia has namely lifted its state of emergency and the Democratic Republic of Congo announced the end of its own, unrelated, outbreak of the disease. In London, pop stars recorded a new "Band Aid" single to help combat the virus that has killed more than 5,100 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, while global leaders meeting in Brisbane, Australia made no new pledges of cash. "G20 members are committed to do what is necessary to ensure the international effort can extinguish the outbreak," the leaders said in a statement, as they welcomed the International Monetary Fund's initiative to release $300 million to combat Ebola. They also promised to share best practices on protecting health workers on the front line. In the United States, the University of Nebraska Medical Center tweeted that Martin Salia, a legal US resident, had "safely arrived" in Omaha after a flight from Sierra Leone's capital Freetown. He will be kept in isolation at the center's biocontainment unit to avoid infecting others. Described as "critically ill," Salia is the third Ebola patient to be treated by the UNMC, one of a handful of medical facilities in the United States specially designated to treat Ebola patients. Both of the previous patients survived. He had traveled back to his home country to treat Ebola patients at Freetown's Connaught Hospital amid a devastating outbreak when he became infected. - 'Mali situation worrying' - The G20 pledge came as Togo, which is coordinating the West African fight, warned that the world "cannot relax efforts" despite some encouraging signals on the ground. Senegal said Friday it was reopening its air and sea borders with Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, although its land border with Guinea will remain closed. The news came a day after Liberia lifted its state of emergency, announcing huge gains in fighting Ebola. The DR Congo -- where a three-month outbreak of a different strain of the disease claimed at least 49 lives since August -- declared itself Ebola-free on Saturday. But attention has now turned to Mali where there are fears that an isolated outbreak could spark a major crisis after the deaths from Ebola of three people infected by a Guinean imam who died of the disease. A fourth person, a doctor at the Bamako clinic where the cleric died, is in intensive care with Ebola. More than 250 people have been placed under observation. Former colonial power France added Bamako to its list of destinations subject to Ebola flight checks, and its development minister, Annick Girardin, was making an unscheduled visit to the country. "The situation in Mali is worrying," she told AFP in the Guinean capital Conakry, saying she would meet Malian authorities "to see how we can scale things up." There is no known cure for Ebola, one of the deadliest known pathogens, but trials for several possible treatments were announced this week in West Africa and Canada. The disease spreads through contact with bodily fluids. The World Health Organization said Friday that 5,177 people are known to have died of Ebola across eight countries, out of a total 14,413 cases of infection, since December 2013. - Makes humans 'untouchable' - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged "G20 countries to step up," warning that Ebola's disrupting effect on farming could potentially spark a food crisis for a million people. "Transmission continues to outpace the response from the international community," Ban told reporters. A joint petition from aid groups including Oxfam and Save the Children urged the G20 to band together to ensure that the right resources are made available in terms of staff, equipment and funding. Artists including One Direction, U2 frontman Bono, Coldplay's Chris Martin and Sinead O'Connor recorded late into the night for a 30th anniversary version of the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" "It's not just about what's happening in West Africa, it could happen here tomorrow," said rocker-turned-activist Bob Geldof, one of the forces behind the original Band Aid. "We can stop this thing, we can allow mothers no matter where they are to be able to touch their dying children." Making his way into the studio, Bono hit out at the response of rich countries, saying if they "kept the promises they make at these big G8 meetings and the like we wouldn't have to be standing here." Set to air on Sunday before its official release Monday, the single will be the fourth incarnation of the song, which became one of the biggest-selling singles ever after its release in 1984 to raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Napoleon's two-pointed hat goes under hammer | ||
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Paris (AFP) - One of Napoleon's famous two-pointed bicorne hats is due to go under the hammer on Sunday at an auction near Paris. The black beaver felt hat is valued at between 300,000 and 400,000 euros ($375,000-$500,000), but could go for up to two million euros, according to Napoleon memorabilia watchers. During his reign as French emperor -- from 1804-1814 and again in 1815 -- Napoleon Bonaparte is said to have worn around 120 of the hats. Made by French hat makers Poupard, Napoleon wore them sideways -- rather than with points at the front and back -- so he could be easily spotted on the battlefield. Of around 20 hats that still exist, only two or three are in private hands with the rest scattered in museums across the world. The hat is the most emblematic item of the two-day sale at Fontainebleau on Saturday and Sunday. Other items due to be auctioned by French auctioneers Osenat include a pair of Napoleon's stockings, a scarf and a shirt. All come from a collection of around 1,000 pieces of Napoleon memorabilia that belonged to Prince Louis II of Monaco (1870-1949), the great grandfather of current monarch Prince Albert. The hat was acquired by Joseph Giraud, a vet in Napoleon's household, and remained in his family until 1926 when it was sold to Prince Louis' collection. The collection, which also includes letters and documents relating to Napoleon's reign, military exploits and exile and imprisonment on Saint Helena, is kept at the principality's Napoleon Museum in Monte Carlo. The Grimaldi family are selling a number of pieces having decided to pursue new museum projects. "It's a very well known collection, the provenance of the pieces is incontestable," Thierry Lentz, director of the Napoleon Foundation, told AFP. The bicorne, meaning two horizontal points, was a variation on the tricorne -- or three-pointed hat -- which was popular in the 17th century and favoured by American colonists around the time of the American revolution. Two hundred years after his reign, Napoleon remains a popular historical figure. The main French association in his memory currently has around 4,000 members.
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One World Trade Center fills hole in Manhattan skyline | ||
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New York (AFP) - The jewel of the New York skyline, the pride of a whole nation, is back. The opening of One World Trade Center, on the site of the Twin Towers that were destroyed on September 11, 2001, signals a long-awaited return to normal in the Big Apple. Since November 3, with little fanfare, some 500 employees of the media group Conde Nast moved in. They are due to be joined by another 3,000 in early 2015. There are also support staff on site -- brought into sharp relief this week by the spectacular rescue of two window washers suspended from the 69th floor. The symbolic 1,776-foot (541-meter) tower -- including its antenna -- is the tallest in the United States and in the Western hemisphere. Its tapered glass silhouette overlooks the September 11 Memorial, dedicated to the 2,753 victims of the New York attacks, along with six victims of a first attack on the Twin Towers in 1993, and sits next to the museum focused on the drama. The $3.9 billion, 104-story tower "is the most secure office building any place in the world," said Patrick Foye, executive director of the Port Authority of NY and NJ, which owns the site. The monumental lobby, with soaring ceilings some 47 feet high and white marble throughout, is protected by a special wall that can withstand explosions. Its concrete foundation is 185 feet tall. A staircase is dedicated to emergency responders, and concrete protects the elevators and stairways. The communications system was designed in collaboration with police, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security as well as private experts, Foye said. - 360-degree vistas - From high up in the tower, the 360-degree view offers glimpses of the Statue of Liberty to the south and the Empire State Building and Central Park to the north. For Big Apple visitors looking to orient themselves within Manhattan, One World Trade Center is a clear landmark at the southern end of the urban island. For New Yorkers, it's a long-awaited sign of the determination to rebuild, slowed for years by political negotiations over just what should be done on "Ground Zero," and then by a hurting economy. Initially dubbed "Freedom Tower," before its name was changed in 2009, One World Trade Center finally broke ground in 2006. Construction was completed at the end of 2013. Some 65 percent of the space has already been rented out, Foye said during a visit to the 61st floor, rejecting the idea that some were afraid to move there because of the site's bloody history. Among the new tenants -- aside from Conde Nast, which will occupy floors 20 to 44 -- are online gamemaker Hi5, publicity group Kids Creative and the China Center, which fosters cultural exchanges between the United States and China. In all, about 5,000 people will be working in the new tower. And by next spring, the observatory, on the 100th, 101st and 102nd floors, will open to the public, with entry fees set at $32. - Return to normal - The opening of the new tower "represents a return to normalcy down here," Foye said, emphasizing that the people will be working there, eating in the nearby restaurants, using the subway stop that should be ready early next year, and shopping in the hundreds of thousands of square feet of shops that continue to open. When the Twin Towers still stood, the neighborhood was mainly used as offices, and was nearly deserted by evening. But thanks to new residential construction, the population of lower Manhattan has tripled, from 20,000 to 60,000. "This is a sign of the revitalization of downtown New York city," said Foye, of "the city and state and region and nation's response to 9/11." The memorial and museum "will for ever commemorate what happened here," and the nearly 3,000 people who died, he said. "We will never forget that, but I think that we want to do now is to look forward, and the site is a site of progress." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Okinawa vote to determine fate of US base | ||
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Naha (Japan) (AFP) - The Japanese prefecture of Okinawa will Sunday elect a new governor in a vote that will determine the long-stalled relocation of a US military base, with the outcome potentially presenting a headache for premier Shinzo Abe. Opinion polls this week showed the vote in the prefecture in Japan's far south could see victory for anti-base candidate Takeshi Onaga, in a neck-and-neck battle with incumbent Hirokazu Nakaima -- who has the backing of Abe and his party. A win for Onaga would be a significant blow to the central government because the governor has the power to veto the landfill work needed for a new base to be built. That would leave Abe facing either overruling locally-elected officials -- risking charges of authoritarianism -- or reverting to the cajoling and persuading of recent years, which would not be popular with Washington. It would also take some of the wind out of Abe's sails just days before he is expected to announce a snap general election. Nakaima stands accused of betraying the semi-tropical island chain after striking a deal with Tokyo last year to greenlight a plan to move the US Marines' Futenma Air Station from a crowded urban area to a sparsely populated coastal district some 50 kilometres (30 miles) to the north. In what critics said amounted to a bribe, Abe pledged a huge cash injection to the local economy in return for Nakaima reversing years of opposition to the move, which was first mooted in the 1990s. Deadlock on the move has frustrated the Americans and proved a thorn in the side of successive Japanese governments. Okinawa is home to more than half of the 47,000 US service personnel stationed in Japan, and strategically key to the US-Japan security alliance at a time of simmering tensions in East Asia. But there is widespread local hostility to the military presence, with complaints over noise, the risk of accidents and a perception that the presence of so many young servicemen is a source of crime. The current base sits in a residential district whose inhabitants bitterly recall a 2004 military helicopter crash in the grounds of a local university, and who resent the sound of roaring engines metres from their backyards. Nakaima claims that the current relocation plan is the only realistic option in order to eliminate the danger of the Futenma base. The dispute taps into a vein of historical resentment. Previously an independent kingdom, Okinawa was annexed by Japan in the 19th century and was under US rule for almost three decades after World War II. On the campaign trail Saturday, Onaga told AFP: "These bases are just a nuisance. If they weren't here, Okinawa would be a lot more developed. Please tell America: the bases are in the way." Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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'Magnum, P.I.' creator Glen Larson dead at 77 | ||
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Los Angeles (AFP) - Television writer-producer Glen Larson, whose works include "Magnum, P.I." and "Battlestar Galactica," has died of cancer at age 77. The famed television titan died at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, of esophageal cancer late Friday, his son James told The Hollywood Reporter. Larson wrote and produced some of the best-known prime-time television series of the 1970s and 1980s -- often humorous, family-friendly programs that appealed to a wide audience. He was behind series such as "It Takes a Thief," starring Robert Wagner, "McCloud," "Quincy, M.E." and "Knight Rider," featuring David Hasselhoff as a crime fighting hero with a superpowered Pontiac. But Larson is perhaps best known for the 1980-1988 "Magnum, P.I." starring a mustachioed Tom Selleck as a private investigator in Hawaii. "Battlestar Galactica" enjoyed a shorter run -- it was taken off air in 1979 after only one season, but went on to become a cult hit among loyal fans in the 2000s. At a cost of more than $1 million per episode, Larson said the show could not be sustained, but he wished it had stayed on air for longer. "I was vested emotionally in 'Battlestar,'" he said in a 2009 interview with the Archive of American Television. "I don't feel it really got its shot, and I can't blame anyone else; I was at the center of that." Both "Battlestar Galactica" and "Knight Rider" were remade in the 2000s. - Mainstream appeal - Larson said his popularity was not accidental. Instead, he tailored his work for an audience whose tastes he tried to predict. "I fell in step with an audience taste-level that I knew how to judge and deliver for consistently," he said. While Larson enjoyed popularity and a loyal following, he did not see as much critical success. Though nominated for three Primetime Emmy awards -- two for "McCloud" and one for "Quincy M.E." -- he never took home a statue for his work. Larson said he had no regrets about his failure to win awards, and was satisfied with having pleased audiences during his lengthy television career. He said his shows "were enjoyable, they had a pretty decent dose of humor. All struck a chord in the mainstream." "What we weren't going to do was win a shelf full of Emmys," Larson said. "Ours were not the kind of shows that were doing anything more than reaching a core audience. I would like to think we brought a lot of entertainment into the living room." Critics accused him of copying other series in his own shows, most notably with "Battlestar" which was thought to be based on "Star Wars," a claim Larson dismissed. "Television networks are a lot like automobile manufacturers, or anyone else who's in commerce. If something out there catches on with the public... I guess you can call it 'market research,'" he said. Born in Long Beach, California, Larson started out his career in the television business as an NBC page, following a stint as a singer with the pop group The Four Preps in the 1950s. His first television credit came in 1966 as a writer on an episode of "The Fugitive." Larson is also behind series such as "Alias Smith and Jones," "B.J. and the Bear," "Switch," and "The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War." He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1985. Larson is survived by his wife Jeannie, his brother Kenneth and nine children from previous marriages. A memorial service will be held in the near future, his son said. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Brazil police question suspects in Petrobras probe | ||
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Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - Brazilian police began questioning 23 people arrested as part of a wide-ranging probe into allegations of a multibillion-dollar kickback scheme at state-owned oil giant Petrobras. A plane with 16 suspects, including former Petrobras director of engineering and services Renato Duque and nine executives from construction companies that signed fraudulent contracts with the oil firm, arrived at dawn in the southern city of Curitiba for questioning, according to Globo newspaper. Four other suspects who turned themselves in Friday evening will also be questioned, while five remain at large. In Sao Paulo's otherwise calm downtown area, police said some 2,500 people protested against corruption linked to the government of newly re-elected President Dilma Rousseff, a former Petrobras board chair. On Friday, 27 people were arrests in raids across Brazil by 30 police teams that fanned out across the country to scoop up the suspects. Police said the network moved some $3.8 billion. Authorities, under pressure to get to the bottom of the escalating crisis at Petrobras, also froze assets worth 720 million reais ($277 million) belonging to 36 suspects and three unnamed companies. Former Petrobras director Paulo Roberto Costa has said the company allegedly paid millions of dollars in kickbacks to politicians and members of the ruling Workers Party between 2004 and 2012 to buy influence in what critics say was a collusion between Petrobras and politicians. Costa, who is under house arrest, has been acting as whistleblower as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors. The allegations roiling Petrobras have been dubbed "Operation Car Wash." On Saturday, Brazilian Justice Minister Jose Eduardo Cardozo accused opposition of using the episode to discredit Rousseff's October reelection. The government will continue to demand "that we investigate everything... I say this to strongly discredit attempts to orchestrate, with this investigation, a third electoral round," he said during a press conference in Sao Paulo. Just before the second round of voting in October, news magazine Veja quoted a suspect in the case as saying Rousseff and predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva knew about the kickbacks scheme, a claim both angrily denied. Rousseff, who served as energy minister under Lula, threatened to sue Veja for publishing the allegations, which now are the subject of an investigation by the courts as well as Congress. Petrobras said Thursday it was delaying the release of its third-quarter results because of ongoing corruption investigations involving the company.
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G20 leaders face pressure to deliver on growth | ||
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Brisbane (Australia) (AFP) - Australia made a last ditch call Sunday for the G20's powerful leaders to use all policy levers to rehabilitate global economies and generate prosperity, which could see their target of two percent growth bettered. The world's top industrial nations have vowed to boost their combined economic output by some two trillion dollars above the currently projected level in the next five years, via domestic policy reforms. The idea at the G20 leaders' summit in Australia has been to flesh out how -- with the process due to be announced later Sunday in the "Brisbane Action Plan". "Well, it certainly is the case that two percent target that we announced in Sydney (this year) has been met, but it will go further," Australia's Treasurer Joe Hockey told national television. "We cannot rest. The world needs growth." On Saturday, President Barack Obama made clear the United States cannot "carry the world economy", and that other G20 nations must do more to spur growth and create jobs. Buoyed by unemployment at its lowest level since July 2008, the US economy is motoring at a time when other parts of the global engine room, notably Europe and Japan, are starting to splutter. "So here in Brisbane the G20 has a responsibility to act, to boost demand and invest more in infrastructure and create good jobs for the people of all our nations," said the US president. Hockey said moving beyond the two percent target would be possible if EU leaders start pumping billions of dollars into the stalling eurozone economy, a measure he suggested could be imminent. The treasurer added that G20 leaders would not be let off the hook when it comes to delivering on their promises to cut red tape and encourage private infrastructure investment to boost growth. "What we have done is we've commissioned the IMF and the World Bank to monitor and report back on the performance of individual countries," he said. "So for the first time ever, we've put a number on the ambition, so it is not words, it's a number." In a report ahead of the summit, the International Monetary Fund said the world economy faced stiff headwinds from sluggish growth in Europe and Japan and a slowdown in emerging economies. It trimmed its growth forecast for the year to 3.3 percent, from 3.4 percent, citing geopolitical tensions and volatility in financial markets. Host Australia has worked hard to keep the G20 focus this year on economic matters, including cracking down on global tax avoidance. But the summit in Brisbane has been shadowed by Russia's actions in Ukraine and a headline announcement by the United States on climate change. Hockey said he did not accept that climate change was one of the biggest impediments to economic growth, a view that flies in the face of many other G20 powers. "No. Absolutely not. We cannot afford to deal with climate change if governments are in recession or if countries are facing huge structural challenges," he said. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Disaster Strikes For Vishy Anand In Game 6 Of The World Chess Championship | ||
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In Game 6 of the World Chess Championship in Sochi, Russia, challenger Viswanathan Anand of India missed a crucial opportunity to snatch a win from Magnus Carlsen, the champ from Norway. Anand never recovered on Saturday and went from holding a draw with the black pieces to melting into a puddle of defeat. It was one of those moments: when the entire game turned, literally, on one move. The shocking thing is that it was Carlsen who made the critical mistake — but Carlsen who benefitted from Anand's inability to punish him for it. The consensus among the commentators for the official online broadcast (especially Grandmaster Peter Svidler and former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik) was that Anand was shattered psychologically over the board and would not be able to bounce back to keep Carlsen at bay. That's the way it turned out. But I'm not sure that this spells the beginning of the end for Anand, who now trails by 2.5-3.5 points (a win is worth a full point). It could spell the beginning of...the beginning. A comeback inside what is already a comeback for Anand. But the challenger now has a huge hill to climb. BLUNDER! If you've been following my recaps of the World Chess Championship so far, you know that I've been trying to make the action as lucid and easy-to-follow as possible. Chess is a great game at all levels, but there's this notion that the elite players, Super Grandmasters like Anand and Carlsen, live on a different planet. Untrue. They play with 32 black and white pieces on a 64-square board, just like everybody else. It's just that have an incredibly sophisticated understanding of a game that's been studied for centuries. And like professional athletes in other sports, they know how to compete. It is their life and their livelihood, after all. With just a bit of basic knowledge, however, it's possible to follow a Grandmaster game. And sometimes, Grandmasters do things that are very...un-Grandmaster-ish. It's rare that I can distill an entire GM game to a single move, but in Game 6, the whole contest came down to a single position on the board. Here it is:
If you've read my previous recaps, you'll be familiar with the "Sicilian Defense," an aggressive response by black to white most aggressive initial move: 1. e4. White moves the pawn in front on his king forward two squares. In the Sicilian, black responds not by matching white's move with 1....e5, but rather plays the asymmetrical 1....c5.
The "unbalanced" initial position gives black a good chance to win the game, rather than simply playing for a draw. The important thing to note here is that because white gets to move first, white is always statistically winning — between two great players, black can spend a lot of time playing catch-up, and in many styles of play, never pull it off. The Sicilian announces that black isn't going to follow white but is instead going to rock-and-roll with his own plans. I've argued that Anand needs to play the Sicilian as black against 1. e4 — he needs to shoot for wins on both sides of the board. And he's now quickly played c5 twice against Carlsen's King's Pawn opening. There is a problem, however, which is that Carlsen knows the Sicilian as well as anyone, although Anand is regarded as having a much deeper understanding of so-called "opening theory" — the first 10-15 moves of the game. The two Sicilians so far have resulted in very complex positions where neither side is dominating. The overriding goal, absent something dramatic, has been to nurture incremental improvements: move by move by move. Which is what they did in Game 6. And then Carlsen made a dreadful move. In chess, this is called a "blunder." And in Carlsen's case, if Anand had spotted it, Carlsen might have resigned on the spot, or after a few more moves. The situation currently is tough for Anand: because Anand started with white in Game 1, Carlsen now gets two games in a row as white: Games 6 and 7. Nabbing a win would have put Anand into a great position headed into the second half of the match. But Anand didn't spot Carlsen's blunder. And because he didn't spot it — but realized his error quite quickly — he had to play the rest of the game in a sort of grim fog of understanding: that he had a nearly impossible chance to take a lead in his unlikely effort to reclaim the title that Carlsen took from his last year, and at the moment of truth, he blew it. The rest of the game was a death march. It was unpleasant to watch. What happened is that Carlsen moved his king one square: from c1 to d2. Here's the position again: In top-level chess, catastrophes flow from such seemingly innocuous little moves that are actually monumental blunders. Prior to this move, the position on the board represented a tense struggle, with both players essentially even. The action, such as it was, was on the g- and h-files: rooks against rooks, the black knight unable to do much, and Anand's main source of concern the fate of his lone pawn on the h-file. But then Carlsen made the move Kd2 on move 26 of the game. Anand suddenly had the chance to use his stuck knight on g6, to devastating effect. He could have taken the pawn on e5, creating a "discovered attack" on the white rook on g4. But it would also have been a "double attack," with the knight hitting the pawn on c4 and rook on g4 — and the rook on g4 is attacked twice, by both the black knight and the black rook. Carlsen could take the knight that's now on e5 with the rook on h5, but then Anand would be able to take the rook on g4 with the black rook on g8: the math of the exchange would be in black's favor, as Anand would have picked up a pawn and rook for the loss of a knight. So Carlsen has to take the rook on g8, but here's where it gets wild: before Anand takes back with the black rook on h8, he has an in-between move. The best kind of in between move — he can take another pawn, the one on c4, and he can do it while putting the white king in check. When you can take a piece for free, and do it with check, it's usually worth it. The black knight can't be retaken, so Carlsen has to move his king out of check, and then Anand can take the rook. He will probably lose the knight, but he's gained two pawns and a rook. He could have translated this into a decisive advantage. In the press conference after the game, when asked what he felt when he realized what he had done with his blunder, Carlsen used one word. Panic. BLUNDER BACK! But Anand, who's regarded as a tactical genius, missed a tactic that he probably would have seen in a nanosecond if not for the immense pressure of the World Championship. He moved his pawn on the a-file one square forward. You'll notice that the queens are off the board, so one of the key goals that the players have is to get their pawns close to their opponents back rank, so that a pawn can be promoted to a queen. Anand's game plan was to eliminate that pawn on a2 and get his own pawn home. So he saw the white king moving off and he pressed forward. At the board, he even thought about it for a minute or so. But it was the wrong move, and he then proceeded to fall apart, resigning after 38 moves. A dead loss for Carlsen became a win for the 23-year-old Norwegian.
NOW WHAT? No one expects this kind of thing to happen in a chess match at this level. When it does, it's sort of incomprehensible — like discovering a portal to a different dimension where everything is anguish and agony and pain and defeat. Cruel game. Anand is fortunate that Sunday is a rest day. He can pull himself together. He is a grown man, 44 years old, and a chess player of the highest caliber. He's screwed up before. Carlsen can consider himself massively lucky and try to convert that into victory. In the context of chess at his and Anand's level, Carlsen basically stole a game. But to his credit, he obviously has Anand under so much stress that the former World Champion isn't playing moves that much lesser competitors might see in an instant. Anand can take solace in one thing and one thing only: for Carlsen to blunder so badly on such a big stage, the younger man has to be even more out-of-form than he looked coming into the match. Anand won no games last year. He should have won two by this point in the rematch. That's cold comfort for Anand, but things are starting to get crazy at the World Chess Championship. Very, very crazy. You can watch a replay of Game 6 here. And you can review the game at ChessBase. SEE ALSO: Carlsen And Anand Could Be Digging In For A Battle After Game 5 Of The World Chess Championship SEE ALSO: Carlsen And Anand Are Doing Amazing Stuff At The World Chess Championship Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Federer survives thriller to earn Djokovic clash | ||
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London (AFP) - Roger Federer will face Novak Djokovic in the final of the ATP Tour Finals after the world's top two both survived dramatic semi-finals at London's O2 Arena on Saturday. Federer the world number two, saved four match points before defeating Stan Wawrinka, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (8/6), while world number one Djokovic emerged from his first serious test of the tournament with a 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 victory over Japan's Kei Nishikori. Federer looked down and out when Wawrinka served for the match in the final set, but the six-time champion responded superbly and eventually booked his ninth appearance in the final of the season-ending event Djokovic had swept through the group stage in imperious style, but he was pushed harder by Nishikori, who became the first player to take a set off him since October, before a strong finish secured the Serb's fourth appearance in the final. Djokovic, who has lifted the Tour Finals trophy three times, remains on course to become the first man to win the event three years in a row since Ivan Lendl in the 1980s. The 27-year-old has now won 31 successive indoor matches, including 14 at the Tour Finals. "Kei was playing great and this has been the best season of his life but he made some crucial double faults in the third set," Djokovic said. Federer held his nerve impressively despite an erratic performance in the best match of a tournament sorely lacking memorable encounters this year. The 33-year-old has now saved 11 match points in three winning causes this year, with the others against Gael Monfils at the US Open and Leonardo Mayer at the Shanghai Masters. The 124th final of Federer's illustrious career is a rematch of this year's Wimbledon final, which Djokovic won in five sets. Federer has met his great rival on 36 occasions, winning 19 times, but the world number one has won their last three finals, including at the Tour Finals in 2012. "I think I got lucky tonight. Stan played better from the baseline and that usually does the job on this court. But I kept fighting," Federer said. "It's tough but I'm thrilled to be in another final in London. "Novak is playing great tennis. It usually brings the best out of me, it's going to be tough but I'll give it a shot." - Crucial errors - Federer raced into the last four with a dominant run of three successive victories, for the loss of only 13 games, which peaked with a brilliant 6-0, 6-1 thrashing of Andy Murray on Thursday. He had also won 14 of his 16 previous meetings with Wawrinka, who will join forces with his fellow Swiss for the Davis Cup final against France next weekend. Yet there was no sign of any inferiority complex from Wawrinka took the first set. A tense second set saw 11 successive holds of serve until Federer pressured Wawrinka into a pair of crucial errors that gifted him both the game and the set. Federer immediately fell behind in a controversial opening game of the final set. With Wawrinka leading 30-0 on Federer's serve, the world number four's shot was called out by a line judge, only for the umpire to quickly reverse the call. But Federer didn't hear and instead of challenging the decision, he played on thinking he had won the point, only to discover he was 0-40 down when he lost the next point. Federer remained visibly frustrated by the perceived injustice, adding another layer of drama to a thrilling finale. Wawrinka had three match points when he served for a place in the final at 5-4, but Federer saved them all and eventually broke back. In the tie-break Federer led 5-3, then had to save another match point before finally sealing a remarkable victory. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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These 4 New Versions Of The Porsche 911 Are Utterly Awesome | ||
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'Boks trump England, France see off Wallabies | ||
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CARDIFF (United Kingdom) (AFP) - South Africa bounced back from a shock defeat by Ireland with a 31-28 victory over England on Saturday, as world champions New Zealand could afford to field a largely second-string team but still beat Scotland 24-16. France notched up a thrilling 29-26 victory over Australia, while Wales saw off Fiji 17-13 in possibly one of the worst matches of rugby ever to be televised. The Springboks, 1995 and 2007 World Cup winners, ran out convincing victors over 2003 champions England in an enthralling match at Twickenham. It was England's second agonising three-point loss in as many weeks following the 24-21 defeat by New Zealand and their fifth in a row -- albeit four were against the All Blacks -- with this run their worst since they suffered seven straight reverses in 2006. While Stuart Lancaster's side matched the Springboks up front, they failed to offer much behind the scrum, but the coach insisted the World Cup in 2015 would be a different matter. "This series is obviously about winning first and foremost and we haven't achieved that in the first two games," Lancaster said, with England having now also gone 12 matches without a victory against the 'Boks. "We've also talked about learning and developing as a group as we go into the World Cup. "We need to narrow down in our minds who, when the white-hot pressure is on in 11 months' time, can deliver. That's when it really does matter." Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, however, said his side had passed a litmus test after the Dublin debacle. "Sometimes you have to have a game like this where you do the basics right, ground out a win," said Meyer in an ominous pre-World Cup warning. "That's also Test match rugby and, for me, that's World Cup-winning rugby. There's going to be three knockout games and sometimes you have to play like this as well." France followed up on their 40-15 victory over Fiji with a hard-fought, thrilling 29-26 win over Australia. With just a point between the sides at half-time (17-16), four second-half penalties from Camille Lopez (3) and Rory Kockott saw off a hard-pressing Wallaby team who scored a late try through lock Rob Simmons with the hosts down to 14 men. After going down 33-28 to Australia last weekend, Wales went head-to-head with another pool rival, Fiji, from next year's World Cup. And while the French-Australian fare was a delight to watch, Wales played out a dire, error-ridden contest in the Millennium Stadium that would have left the 66,000-plus fans as frustrated as coach Warren Gatland ahead of clashes against New Zealand and South Africa. "I thought it was a good display by the forwards but we weren't clinical enough behind and we made too many turnovers," lamented Gatland. "That allowed them to stay in the game. What was close to being potentially a blow-out for us ended up being a dogfight." At Murrayfield, it took a 74th minute try from lock Jeremy Thrush to secure a 24-16 victory for an experimental All Blacks side in a tight contest with Scotland. The Scots have never beaten New Zealand, but were scenting history and within just a point of the world champions on the scoreboard until Thrush crossed the whitewash and Colin Slade converted to leave the visitors with a flattering eight-point cushion of victory. There was an unfamiliar look to the All Blacks' line-up, although captain Richie McCaw and Dan Carter both started. There will likely be wholesale changes for the outing against Wales next Saturday. "It was the perfect game for us," said All Blacks coach Steve Hansen. "We knew the strength of Scotland and what they were going to bring. They're an up and coming side. "For this tour, we wanted to give all the young guys at least two opportunities. The USA game (a 74-6 win in Chicago on November 1) was the first one and this one was a big step up." On Friday, Argentina pipped Italy 20-18 while Ireland host Georgia on Sunday. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Spirited France hold on to beat Australia | ||
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Paris (AFP) - France held off a spirited Australia fightback to win their one-off international test match 29-26 at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday. Having dominated the first half with tries from scrum-half Sebastien Tillous-Borde and wing Teddy Thomas's fourth score in two appearances for Les Bleus, France were relieved to hear the final hooter when down to 14 men as Adam Ashley-Cooper and Rob Simmons crossed the whitewash in reply. It was sweet revenge for the hosts who lost all three matches on their tour to Australia in June. Australia almost caught the hosts napping from the kick-off but they were denied a try on 30 seconds when Simmons knocked on. However, for the next 20 minutes, it was all France. They almost scored on five minutes after a fabulous chip ahead from fly-half Camille Lopez picked out Yoann Huget, who wriggled out of a challenge and fed Scott Spedding inside, only for the South African-born full-back to be bundled into touch a couple of yards short of the line. The reprieve was short-lived as from their line-out Australia knocked on, giving France a scrum. The buzzing hosts needed only a couple of phases for Tillous-Borde to find a hole in Australia's disorganised defence and dive over from a couple of yards out. Yet within a few minutes the hosts were penalised for going to ground and Bernard Foley kicked a penalty. Lopez, though, was dictating affairs, and he made a break before his grubber almost set up Huget in the corner. France piled on the pressure, Australia got caught offside, and Lopez kicked a penalty on 17 minutes. Yet again they infringed almost immediately, Alexandre Menini pinged for not rolling away and Foley cut the gap with a penalty. There were 20 minutes gone and France, who could have scored three tries, were leading only 10-6. But Thomas then lit up the Stade de France just as he had done in Marseille a week earlier with his debut hat-trick against Fiji. Australia turned over ball on 29 minutes and Tillous-Borde quickly fed Guilhem Guirado who shifted it on to Thomas. The wing was penned in wide on the left but despite being surrounded by five or six gold shirts, Thomas cut inside, accelerated, and then did scrum-half Nick Phipps on the outside to score a stunning try, with Lopez converting again. Yet from their first foray into French territory since the first minute, Australia scored as Phipps popped the ball to Ashley-Cooper to cut inside some weak French tackling -- they outnumbered the Aussies three to two -- to score. Foley kicked the extras and then on the stroke of half-time landed a penalty to send the dominated visitors in at the break only 17-16 down. France brought on battering ram Mathieu Bastareaud at half-time and his break helped set up a penalty that Lopez knocked over on 44 minutes. France were awarded another penalty on 49 minutes when Aussie flanker Sean McMahon was somewhat fortunate not to see a yellow card for a borderline tip tackle. The three points from Lopez's boot proved the only sanction. Yet again, Foley fired straight back with a penalty of his own as France were blown up for offside. France's domination at the scrum forced a penalty on 63 minutes and Lopez obliged to extend the home side's lead to seven points. It was a scrappy second period and 10 minutes from time South African-born replacement scrum-half Rory Kockott kicked a long-range penalty to give France breathing space. Yet moments later Australia exploited an injury to Thomas, with Quade Cooper streaking down the vacated wing and almost scoring. France only survived by infringing and Remi Tales, who was on for Lopez, was sent to the sin bin with seven minutes to play. Australia made the extra man count, though, as Simmons finished off a flowing move with Foley converting to bring the tourists back to just three points behind. Yet they ran out of time as France held on doggedly. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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French photographer and Picasso confidant dies aged 80 | ||
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Paris (AFP) - French photographer Lucien Clergue, a longtime friend of Picasso and a founder of Europe's largest photography festival, died Saturday at the age of 80, his daughter told AFP. Anne Clergue said her father, who "fought for photography to be recognised as an art in France," died in the southern city of Nimes after a long illness. She said he would be "reunited in heaven" with his old friends Pablo Picasso and French playwright Jean Cocteau. The best-known works from Clergue were his nude images and landscapes, which led to him being the first photographer to be admitted to the elite Academie Francaise, the guardian of the French language. Clergue was born in the south of France in Arles and took a precocious interest in the arts that first burst through with his learning the violin at age seven. But it was his pictures that would get him noticed by the art world. "His first photos won the enthusiasm of Picasso, with whom he founded an unwavering friendship," French Culture Minister Fleur Pellerin said in a statement. In 1969 Clergue co-founded Les Rencontres d'Arles, a series of dozens of photo exhibitions that runs from mid-July to mid-September in his hometown and attracts thousands of tourists each year. "France, the home of photography, has lost one of its greatest ambassadors who carried this art to the four corners of the world," said former French culture minister Jack Lang. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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'Rich Kids Of Snapchat' Owner Is Looking To Sell For At Least $30,000 But Only To Another Rich Kid | ||
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"Rich Kids of Snapchat" is a Facebook page and Snapchat account run by someone who claims to be a teenager in the UK. It's a riff off of the popular "Rich Kids of Instagram" account, which now has a TV show associated with it. The Rich Kids of Snapchat account put itself up for sale in a Snapchat story this morning, offering to sell its Snapchat handle, which it says has over 100,000 followers, and its Facebook pages, which have over 500,000 likes, for more than $30,000. Here are some screengrabs of the story:
The teen tried to sell the pages earlier this summer. "Despite being offered $150,000 for this Facebook page and the Snapchat account ‘richkidsnaps’ by an American advertising company, I would like one of you, the users, to take over ‘Rich Kid Snaps’. I don’t want a company coming along and ruining what I created," UK publication The Tab quoted the account owner in July. While the accounts have gotten a lot of recognition, that doesn't mean they've been well received. A bout of bad press caused the creator to write an apology on one of his Facebook pages in July: Hello, So, just what happens on the Rich Kids of Snapchat account? There's stuff like this:
When reached for comment, Snapchat spokesperson Mary Ritti told Business Insider that the company had terminated the "RichKidSnaps" account because the attempted sale violated its terms of service. Specifically it violates Snapchat's rules that a user cannot "buy, sell, rent, lease, or otherwise offer in exchange for any compensation, access to a Snapchat account, Stories, Snaps, a Snapchat username, or a friend link without Snapchat's prior written consent." Ritti added, "As an aggregator, this account also violates the ban on unauthorized API access." Alex Priddis, who handles PR for Rich Kids of Snapchat, declined to comment for this story. (h/t Niv Dror, who spotted the sale on Snapchat) Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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REVEALED: The Top Demographic Trends For Every Major Social Network | ||
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The demographics of who's on what social network are shifting — older social networks are reaching maturity, while newer social messaging apps are gaining younger users fast. In a new report from BI Intelligence, we unpack data from over a dozen sources to understand how social media demographics are still shifting. Access The Full Report By Signing Up For A Trial >> Here are a few of the key takeaways from the BI Intelligence report:
The report is full of charts (over 20 charts) and data that can be downloaded and put to use. In full, the report:
For full access to all BI Intelligence reports, briefs, and downloadable charts on the digital media industry, sign up for a two week trial. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Experimental New Zealand leave it late against Scotland | ||
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EDINBURGH (AFP) - It took a 74th minute try from lock Jeremy Thrush to secure a 24-16 victory for an experimental All Blacks side in a tight contest with Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday. The Scots have never beaten New Zealand, but were scenting history and within just a point of the world champions on the scoreboard until Thrush crossed the whitewash and Colin Slade converted to leave the visitors with a flattering eight point cushion of victory. There was an unfamiliar look to the All Blacks' line-up, with captaining Richie McCaw playing his first international at blindside flanker and fourth-choice fly-half Colin Slade stationed on the right wing. Coach Steve Hansen made 13 changes in all from the XV that started the 24-21 victory against England at Twickenham the previous week. Still, McCaw was collecting his 136th cap and Dan Carter his 102nd. It was Carter's first start for his country for a day short of a year. The Crusaders outside-half played 30 minutes as a second-half replacement in New Zealand's 74-6 win against the United States in Chicago on November 1 and performed water boy duties at Twickenham but was returning to the All Black number 10 jersey for the first time since November 16 last year, when his 100th cap against England. Carter, who missed the 2014 Rugby Championship after suffering a bone fracture in his right leg in the Super Rugby Final in August, had the opportunity to get the scoreboard ticking when Scotland lock Richie Gray was penalised for failing to release the ball in the tackle in the eighth minute. The two-time IRB Player of the Year pulled his effort wide but two minutes later New Zealand had the opening score in the bag. Big Number Eight brushed aside an attempted tackle from Alex Dunbar before holding off Stuart Hogg and Greig Laidlaw and dotting the ball down in the left corner. Carter was off target with his conversion attempt from tight to the touchline and it was an error from the other cap centurion in the All Blacks' ranks, McCaw, that handed a try to Scotland in the 12th minute. In attempting to find Vito, the New Zealand captain merely threw a pass to Scotland wing Tommy Seymour, who had an unopposed run to the line. Laidlaw landed the conversion, furnishing Scotland with a 7-5 lead that they managed to hold on to until the 27th minute. After Scotland fly half Finn Russell had an attempted clearing kick charged down, the All Blacks were held up in the left corner but had the consolation of a penalty that Carter duly converted to give the visitors an 8-7 advantage. Five minutes later Carter made it 11-7 with a second penalty success and, after Laidlaw replied with a penalty at the other end , Carter nailed his third just before the interval to give New Zealand a 14-10 half-time lead. It was the closest Scotland had been to the All Blacks at the halfway stage of a contest since 1991 and they attacked from the off in the second period. The result was a 45th minute penalty that Laidlaw landed to pull the gap back to 14-13. The All Blacks rang the changes in the 56th minute, Carter making way for Julian Savea, with Slade switching from the right wing to outside half, and Sonny Bill Williams and Ben Franks also being released from bench duty. Slade banged over a 65th minute penalty to give New Zealand a 17-13 cushion, but two minutes later Laidlaw replied in kind, making it a one-point contest once again. Eight minutes from time Laidlaw had the chance to put Scotland ahead but pushed his penalty attempt wide - his first miss in five attempts at the posts. Then, in the 76th minute, Thrush barged over in the right corner and Slade converted. The odd-looking All Blacks had got off the hook and Scotland's shot at history had gone. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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England come from behind, San Marino claim famous draw | ||
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Paris (AFP) - England fought back from behind to beat Slovenia 3-1 in Euro 2016 qualifying on Saturday as some of the continent's minnows again enjoyed outstanding results. A turgid Group E encounter at Wembley came to life just before the hour mark when Jordan Henderson headed into his own net to give Slovenia the lead. However, England were back on level terms moments later thanks to Wayne Rooney, who won and then converted a penalty to mark the occasion of his 100th international appearance with his 44th goal for his country. Danny Welbeck of Arsenal then netted a brace to seal the victory as England made it four wins from four games in Group E to remain firmly on track for a place at the finals in France. Meanwhile, after the Faroe Islands recorded a stunning 1-0 win in Greece on Friday, prompting the demise of Claudio Ranieri as coach of the 2004 European champions, San Marino and Liechtenstein claimed famous results of their own. San Marino, ranked 208th and joint-last in the world by FIFA alongside Bhutan, ended a run of 61 consecutive defeats by holding Estonia to a 0-0 draw at home in Group E. Liechtenstein fared even better, a second-half goal by captain Franz Burgmeier securing a 1-0 victory in Moldova in Group G. The tiny principality with a population of under 40,000 had not won a competitive match since June 2011 and had not won on their travels in a qualifying fixture in over a decade. In contrast, Europe's largest nation Russia went down to a 1-0 defeat in Austria in the same group to increase the pressure on coach Fabio Capello. The only goal of the game in Vienna was scored by 1860 Munich's Pakistan-born striker Rubin Okotie in the 73rd minute, moments after officials had deemed that another effort by the same player had not crossed the line. The result comes a month after Russia were held at home by Moldova and days after the country's football union said they could no longer afford to pay Capello's huge salary, believed to be around seven million euros ($8.8m, 5.6m pounds) per year. Elsewhere, Ukraine claimed their third consecutive win in Group C as Andriy Yarmolenko of Dynamo Kiev scored a second-half hat-trick to secure a 3-0 victory in Luxembourg. Later in the same group, reigning European champions Spain entertain Belarus while Slovakia face Macedonia away. Switzerland are at home to Lithuania in England's Group E and Sweden, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the starting line-up, take on Montenegro in Group G. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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World leaders vow to 'extinguish' Ebola | ||
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Brisbane (Australia) (AFP) - The world's most powerful economies vowed on Saturday to "extinguish" the Ebola epidemic ravaging west Africa, as the vast desert nation of Mali scrambled to prevent a new outbreak of the killer disease. Despite some hopeful signs from Africa -- where Liberia has lifted its state of emergency and the DR Congo announced the end of its own, unrelated, outbreak of Ebola -- the recent deaths of three people in Mali have fuelled fears of a new hotspot. As pop stars recorded a new "Band Aid" single in London to help combat a disease that has killed more than 5,100 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, global leaders meeting in Brisbane made no new pledges of cash. "G20 members are committed to do what is necessary to ensure the international effort can extinguish the outbreak and address its medium-term economic and humanitarian costs," the leaders said in a statement, as they welcomed the International Monetary Fund's initiative to release $300 million (240 million euros) to combat Ebola. They also promised to share best practices on protecting health workers on the frontline, as a Sierra Leone doctor with US residency was flown to be treated at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Described as "critically ill", Martin Salia will be the third Ebola patient treated at the facility. Both others survived. "We immediately started preparing the unit and notifying staff members of this possibility," said Phil Smith, medical director of the bio-containment unit. "We've obviously been through this a couple of times before, so we know what to expect."
- 'Mali situation worrying' - The G20 pledge came as Togo, which is coordinating the west African fight, warned that the world "cannot relax efforts" despite some encouraging signals on the ground. Senegal said Friday it was reopening its air and sea borders with Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, although its land border with Guinea will remain closed. The news came a day after Liberia lifted its state of emergency, announcing huge gains in fighting Ebola. The Democratic Republic of Congo -- where a three-month outbreak of a different strain of the disease claimed at least 49 lives since August -- declared itself Ebola-free on Saturday. But attention has now turned to Mali where there are fears that an isolated outbreak could spark a major crisis after the deaths from Ebola of three people infected by a Guinean imam who died of the disease. A fourth person, a doctor at the Bamako clinic where the cleric died, is in intensive care with Ebola. More than 250 people have been placed under observation. Former colonial power France added Bamako to its list of destinations subject to Ebola flight checks, and its development minister, Annick Girardin, was to make an unscheduled visit to Mali on Saturday. "The situation in Mali is worrying," she told AFP in the Guinean capital Conakry, saying she would "meet the Malian authorities to see how we can scale things up." There is no known cure for Ebola, one of the deadliest known pathogens which spreads through contact with bodily fluids, but trials for several possible treatments were announced this week in west Africa and Canada. The World Health Organization said Friday that 5,177 people are known to have died of Ebola across eight countries, out of a total 14,413 cases of infection, since December 2013.
- Makes humans 'untouchable' - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged "G20 countries to step up", warning that Ebola's disrupting effect on farming could potentially spark a food crisis for a million people. "As rates decline in one area, they are rising in others. Transmission continues to outpace the response from the international community," Ban told reporters. A joint petition from aid groups including Oxfam and Save the Children urged the G20 to band together to ensure that the right resources are made available in terms of staff, equipment and funding. Artists including One Direction, U2 frontman Bono, Coldplay's Chris Martin and Sinead O'Connor were set to record late into the night for a 30th anniversary version of the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?". "It's not just about what's happening in west Africa, it could happen here tomorrow," said rocker-turned-activist Bob Geldof, one of the forces behind the original Band Aid. "We can stop this thing, we can allow mothers no matter where they are to be able to touch their dying children." Making his way into the studio, Bono hit out at the response of rich countries, saying if they "kept the promises they make at these big G8 meetings and the like we wouldn't have to be standing here." Set to air on Sunday before its official release Monday, the single will be the fourth incarnation of the song, which became one of the biggest-selling singles ever after its release in 1984 to raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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The 25 Most-Visited Tourist Attractions In The World | ||
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Click here to the tourist attractions >> Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Rooney, Welbeck inspire England fightback | ||
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London (AFP) - Wayne Rooney marked his 100th cap with a valuable goal as England hit back to beat Slovenia 3-1 on Saturday and preserve their perfect start in Euro 2016 qualifying. After a dire first half at a subdued Wembley Stadium, Slovenia took a surprise 57th-minute lead when England's Jordan Henderson headed the ball into his own net. But Rooney equalised almost immediately, scoring his 44th England goal from the penalty spot to move level with third-place Jimmy Greaves in the all-time scoring chart, before Danny Welbeck's brace secured victory. The win strengthened England's position atop Group E ahead of the resumption of qualifying matches in March and means that Roy Hodgson's side will travel to Glasgow for Tuesday's friendly against Scotland with their post-World Cup momentum intact. Rooney was accompanied by his young sons Kai and Klay as he led the teams onto the pitch and he was then presented with a commemorative golden cap by England and Manchester United great Bobby Charlton. Southampton's Nathaniel Clyne made his England debut at right-back and he helped create an early chance for Raheem Sterling with a burst down the flank, only for the teenager to drag wide. England monopolised possession, but their lack of invention made for a torpid first half on a pitch that bore the scars from last weekend's NFL match between the Dallas Cowboys and the Jackonsville Jaguars. Having won their previous two group games without conceding a goal, Slovenia were content to sit deep and counter-attack, but they almost went ahead when Milivoje Novakovic headed narrowly wide at a corner. - Rooney closes on Charlton - England forced Slovenia back at the start of the second half, Rooney heading wide and then teeing up Phil Jagielka to work Samir Handanovic with a header, but it was the visitors who made the breakthrough. Andraz Kirm whipped a free-kick into the England box from wide on the left and Henderson rose higher than everyone at the near post, only to head the ball past Joe Hart for an own goal. Slovenia were threatening to spoil Rooney's big day, but the 29-year-old elected to take matters into his own hands. Visiting captain Bostjan Cesar was celebrating his own milestone -- a record-breaking 81st cap -- but barely a minute after Henderson's goal, he clipped Rooney's heels as the England captain surged into the box. Rooney blasted the ensuing penalty inside Handanovic's right-hand post, equalling Greaves's tally of 44 England goals and closing to within five goals of Charlton's overall record of 49. Gary Cahill then had to block from Kevin Kampl after Jagielka tied himself into a knot in a dangerous position, but in the 66th minute England completed their comeback. When Adam Lallana's deflected cross was blocked at the near post by Handanovic, the ball squirted up into the air and Welbeck threw himself in to send it trundling into the net. Six minutes later, the Arsenal striker claimed his second goal, neatly exchanging passes with Sterling before steering the ball past Handanovic. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Michael Douglas Has Been Using The Same Stunt Double For 26 Years | ||
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Michael Douglas finished filming Marvel's upcoming superhero movie "Ant-Man" over the weekend. To celebrate, the actor shared a few photos of himself with his long-time stunt double, Mike Runyard, from throughout their career together. According to Douglas, Runyard has been his stuntman for 26 years. In that time, the two have become close friends and even golfing partners. Take a look at their similar side-by-side photos from throughout the years. Here are Douglas and Runyard on the set of next summer's "Ant-Man."
Runyard and Douglas are face-to-face on set of Ridley Scott's 1989 movie, "Black Rain."
Finally, here are the two in 1997's "The Game." AND: The most sought-after stunt doubles in Hollywood Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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