I’d like to honour my country on this July fourth weekend… just not in this fashion
How not to celebrate the 4th July
Which way forwards for BP?
In June, financial markets were briefly pricing a bankruptcy of British Petroleum in the next five years as an odds-on probability as a result of the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Things are not so bad now.
BP’s share price – which had more than halved since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in April first triggered the company’s woes – has staged an impressive recovery in recent weeks.
Yet talk continues to circulate of a possible strategic investor in BP – either as a welcome provider of fresh capital to the company, or an unwelcome opportunist sniffing a bargain.
Prince: “The Internet Is Over”
I really believe in finding new ways to distribute my music,” pop legend Prince told the Daily Mirror in an exclusive interview today.
Puzzling, then, that the musical icon also said he deplores online and other digital means of music distribution.
“The Internet’s completely over,” he said. “I don’t see why I should give my new music to iTunes or anyone else. They won’t pay me an advance for it, and then they get angry when they can’t get it.”
Prince’s famous and longstanding battle against the web gained steam in 2007, when Prince declared his intention to file lawsuits against YouTube, eBay and The Pirate Bay for users’ appropriation of his music. He’s banned such sites from using it, and he’s also refused to work with legal, legitimate outlets such as eMusic and iTunes.
And don’t try to find his official site; it’s been shut down, as well.
ALZHEIMER
ALZHEIMER: King’s College London found high levels of protein may be linked with memory loss
A BLOOD test to predict Alzheimer’s disease up to 10 years before the appearance of symptoms could be on the way, it emerged yesterday.
Researchers have discovered that levels of a protein called clustering rise in the years before the onslaught of dementia.
And an early test for the condition, described as the holy grail for researchers, would allow patients to have treatment to minimise the effects
A study by the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, also found very high levels of the protein may be linked with severe memory loss.
Patient groups welcomed a blood test, which is at least five years away, as a big help for researchers aiming to find more effective treatments for the condition that has no known cure.
iTunes Accounts Hacked [WARNING]
An unknown number of Apple IDs have apparently been hacked this week, and are being used to buy hundreds of dollars worth of apps in the App Store. It’s not yet clear whether the problem is widespread.
An initial report by blogger Alex Brie highlighted the fact that 40 of the top 50 iPhone apps in the Books category were created by Vietnamese developer “Thuat Nguyen”. A hack of the App Store () rankings by a single developer was suspected.
However, Brie later added that numerous Vietnamese book apps were doing suspiciously well in the rankings — Apple responded to the blogger that the issue is being looked into.
Heiress’ accountant claims cash destined for Sarkozy
Paris, France (CNN) — French President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke out Tuesday after being linked to alleged illegal payments from France’s richest woman, L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt.
“I would so like it if the country could be passionate about the big problems such as health, pensions, or how we can create growth, instead of getting involved with the first slanderous horror which has only one goal: to bring people down without any element of truth,” Sarkozy told reporters.
Sarkozy spoke after a French investigative website, Mediapart, published an interview Tuesday with a former Bettencourt accountant identified only as “Claire T.” She said she prepared envelopes of cash that were to be given to both Sarkozy and current Labor Minister Eric Woerth, who previously worked in the Budget Ministry and was in charge of reforms to France’s retirement system
Netanyahu’s Bid To Rescue US Relations
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping to restore battered relations with the US when he meets Barack Obama at the White House.
It will be his third attempt – in March the aftermath of a row over settlement building in East Jerusalem made for a frosty encounter with the American President.
There was not even an opportunity for the press to photograph the two men together.
The rapprochement was meant to come on June 1, but Mr Netanyahu had to cancel the date and fly home to deal with the fallout from the Gaza flotilla affair.
The botched Israel commando raid on an aid convoy left nine dead and a diplomatic debacle that Israel was still recovering from.
UK economy continues to grow, says BCC
The UK economy continued to grow in the second quarter of this year, according to a survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).
The organisation, which collected data from 5,600 businesses across the country, predicted growth for the three months to the end of June of between 0.6% and 0.7%.
However, serious concerns over sustained recovery remained, it warned.
It found that the service sector presented the biggest worry.
Gangster’s Tomb Could Hold Kidnap Case Clues
The Vatican has given permission for a notorious gangster’s tomb to be opened by detectives trying to solve the case of an Italian girl missing for nearly 30 years.
Emanuela Orlandi, a Vatican employee’s daughter, was kidnapped when she was 15 in 1983 and her body has never been found.
It has long been suspected she could be buried in the same place as infamous mobster Enrico De Pedis.
But now an anonymous call to a television show in Italy has sparked police into action.
The caller to the show – similar to Crimewatch in the UK – said: “If you want to solve the Orlandi kidnapping, go and see who is buried in the crypt of the Basilica of St Apollinaris.”
De Pedis, leader of the vicious Banda della Magliana, was shot dead by members of his own gang after a spectacular falling out in 1990.
Despite his crimes, church officials in Rome controversially allowed his body to be interred in the crypt at the Vatican-owned church near Piazza Navona because they said he had made generous donations.
Libya hints at taking BP stake
(FT) — Libya’s top oil official on Monday said that his country’s sovereign wealth fund should invest in BP to take advantage of the troubled company’s falling share price.
Shokri Ghanem, chairman of Libya’s national oil company, made the comments amid speculation that BP was seeking to raise capital from the oil-rich Middle East.
“BP is interesting now with the price lower by half and I still have trust in BP, I will recommend it to the LIA [the Libyan Investment Authority],” Mr Ghanem told Dow Jones.
Mr Ghanem’s comments came after an official in the Gulf told the Financial Times that BP had already been reaching out to investment entities in the region, particularly those with which it already had relations.
Iran. Iran.
(CNN) — An Iranian human rights activist warns Sakineh Mohammadie Ashtiani, a mother of two, could be stoned to death at any moment under the terms of a death sentence handed down by Iranian authorities.
Only an international campaign designed to pressure the regime in Tehran can save her life, according to Mina Ahadi, head of the International Committee Against Stoning and the Death Penalty.
“Legally it’s all over,” Ahadi said Sunday. “It’s a done deal. Sakineh can be stoned at any minute.”
“That is why we have decided to start a very broad, international public movement. Only that can help.”
Ashtiani, 42, will be buried up to her chest, according to an Amnesty International report citing the Iranian penal code. The stones that will be hurled at her will be large enough to cause pain but not so large as to kill her immediately.
Microsoft Invention Lets You Insert Batteries in Any Direction
Ever been frustrated by devices not working because you put the batteries in the wrong way? Well, the days of making sure the + and – side of your AA batteries are in the right direction are over, thanks to a new technology developed by Microsoft.
InstaLoad is a new battery technology from Microsoft that gives devices power, regardless of how users insert the batteries. It doesn’t matter which side is positive or negative; the device will simply work.
The technology is in the mechanical battery contact design. Each side of the metal contacts in a device have positive and negative points, rather than just a positive or negative point. The technology works with most barrel-type batteries, so your AA, AAA, C and D batteries are all compatible. It also doesn’t matter whether the batteries are rechargeable or not.
Geekiest wedding proposal
Will everyone please rise for the bride and geek! we enjoy a good but we also enjoy a good proposal too — especially if the happy couple show their love in the geekiest of ways.
The Nigerian government has rescinded its decision to ban the national football team from all competitions, according to reports.
The news came one hour before a 1700 BST deadline set by football’s world governing body Fifa was set to pass.
Fifa had said that it would expel Nigeria from world football if the government was seen to be interfering.
Last week President Goodluck Jonathan said that after the team’s poor World Cup they would be banned for two years.
On Sunday, the Nigerian Football Federation’s (NFF) top two officials were sacked in a bid to appease the president.
Iran says its passenger jets were refused fuel abroad
Iran has accused the UK, Germany and the UAE of refusing to provide fuel to Iranian passenger planes.
The allegation came days after the US enacted unilateral sanctions over Iran’s nuclear programme, to penalise foreign companies trading with Tehran.
Britain said it was not aware of any refusal to refuel Iranian planes, and Germany stressed there was no ban.
Israel confirms easing of Gaza blockade
Israel has confirmed details of what goods it will allow to enter the Gaza Strip with the easing of its blockade.
Consumer goods are being allowed but a “blacklist” of items including weapons and materials that could have a military use will be barred or limited.
Hamas, which controls Gaza, dismissed the concessions as of no use and said the blockade should be fully lifted
Under the new measures, materials such as steel, cement, certain fertilisers and chemicals will be allowed in for Palestinian Authority-approved projects that are under the supervision and for the use of the UN or other international agencies.
Aid agencies say building materials are badly needed in Gaza as the blockade has prevented much reconstruction taking place since Israel’s devastating 22-day military offensive, which ended in January 2009.
The blacklist includes so-called “dual-use” items that could be used to manufacture weapons and explosives, such as ball bearings and fireworks