The board of Yahoo! has agreed to a deal to purchase the popular blogging platform Tumblr for USD 1.1 billion, a newspaper said today.
Yahoo! did not immediately return AFP's calls for confirmation to the Wall Street Journal report, but CEO Marissa Mayer has scheduled a news conference in New York tomorrow at which the company said it will unveil "something special."
Reports last week said Yahoo! is eyeing the move to attract more users from the key 18- to 24-year-old age bracket, and that the Internet pioneer sees the fast-growing Tumblr as one of the "coolest" sites with young Internet users.
Yahoo! has been looking at a range of acquisitions since Mayer took over as chief executive last year and vowed to revive the company, which has faded in the face of competition from Google.
Founded in 2007 and headquartered in New York, Tumblr says it has more than 107 million blogs, 50 billion postings in 12 languages and 175 employees. The website ranking site Alexa lists Tumblr as number 32 in terms of global popularity.
If the acquisition takes place, it would be the biggest for Yahoo! under Mayer and come in the wake of other pricey deals for startups, such as Facebook's acquisition of the photo app Instagram for stock worth USD 1 billion at the time.
The US government says these are the men who stole almost $5 million from a UAE bank.
The pair are seen laughing just hours after allegedly withdrawing
$4.7 million from ATMs around the world after hacking into RAKBank’s
debit card system - a groundbreaking crime according to the American
government.
The US Justice Department says the FBI found photos of the gang
posing with the cash after they withdrew it from RAKBank accounts in
just two hours and 20 minutes in December.
Other
US government-released photos show them stacking up cash atop cans of
drink, pictured, and posing with Rolex watches, a Mercedes SUV and a
Porsche Panamera they bought with the stolen money.
The gang then allegedly pulled off the same scam in February,
stealing $40 million from the Bank of Muscat in Oman, using ATMs around
the world.
While only a portion was withdrawn from US ATMs, it was still the
largest US cash robbery since the 1978 Lufthansa heist that featured in
the movie ‘Goodfellas’.
The pictured photo, taken from one of the gang’s mobile phones,
shows two suspects, Elvis Rafael Rodriguez and Emir Yasser Yeje, posing
with $40,000 of RAKBank money withdrawn from New York ATMs.
The gang hired dozens of criminals around the world to withdraw
the cash at the exact same time. By the time RAKBank could stop it, the
gang had already shut down the operation and made off with $4.7 million.
The US Justice Department says the group hacked into the
RAKBank’s third-party debit card servers in India, changing certain
debit cards from ‘limited’ to ‘unlimited’ withdrawal. They then cloned
cards and coordinated one day in which they asked criminals to withdraw
as much as they could, as fast as they could.
The bank has put out a statement confirming no customers suffered
financial loss as a result of the fraud. The investigation is
continuing.
THREE missing girls have been found alive after fleeing a dungeon where they
were kept tied up for 10 YEARS.
Found ... Amanda Berry, centre, with her sister, left
Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus were kept in the house - where it was claimed
there were chains hanging from the ceilings - in Cleveland, Ohio, along with
a third woman Michelle Knight.
Amanda made a frantic call to cops before breaking out of the house with the
help of a neighbour when her captor had left the property.
The 26-year-old has been labelled the "real hero" by cops after
escaping and raising the alarm.
Deputy Police Chief Ed Tomba told a press conference that Amanda’s actions led
to the kidnap being revealed.
He said: “The real hero is Amanda. She came out of that house and that started
it all.”
Arrested ... 52-year-old Ariel Castro
Amanda's relatives today confirmed that another child found in the house is
her daughter that she gave birth to while being held against her will -
thought to be aged about six.
Ariel Castro, 52, who worked as a school bus driver, was arrested last night
and is in police custody in connection to the case along with his two
brothers aged 50 and 54.
Neighbours said they often saw Castro walking with the six-year-old girl.
At the press conference, authorities confirmed that the little girl was born
to Amanda while she was in captivity.
They added that Child Protective Services had been sent to the home in 2004
but could not get hold of Castro - and did not return to the property.
Probe. investigators enter a house on the west side of Cleveland
They visited Castro - who worked as a bus driver - to investigate how he had
left a young boy on the vehicle when he returned to the bus depot. After an
investigation, no criminal intent was found.
Gina's cousin, Sylvia Colon said: "It's been a whirlwind kind of day.
It's surreal."
She said today that her family had never given up hope, holding vigils for her
every year.
Sylvia admitted: "We were living every day in the hope she would come
home - and she did."
FBI Special Agent Stephen Anthony said the three women’s survival was
testament to their extraordinary resilience.
He said: “These three young ladies have provided us with the ultimate
definition of survival and perseverance. The healing can now begin.”
Aerial views of a house in Cleveland where three women
The disappearances of Amanda and Gina had been big news for the city of
Cleveland - with many assuming they were dead.
The dramatic events unfolded today when Berry attempted to flee when her
alleged captor left the property.
Neighbour Charles Ramsey said he heard screaming coming from the house - but
when he got there the door was locked.
He said he managed to pass her his phone through a gap which she used to call
emergency services.
Interview with rescuer of Amanda Berry
When the dispatcher told her that police were on the way, she said: "I
need them now before he gets back!" before naming Castro as her alleged
captor.
Amanda, now 27, went missing in 2003 aged 16. She was found with a young child
who she reportedly said belonged to Castro.
The women all appear to be in good health and were taken to nearby hospital
MetroHealth to be evaluated.
Local ... girls all went missing from the same area in Cleveland
Dr Gerald Maloney, emergency room doctor at MetroHealth said: "They are
able to speak, they are safe, and hospital staff are assessing their needs
and evaluating if they will spend the night."
He continued: "This is good. This is not the ending we usually see from
these stories."
Reports say other children were found in the house - one of whom Amanda's
relatives have said she gave birth to while being held against her will.
Missing ... Amanda Berry, left, and Gina Dejesus
Gina, now 23, went missing at the age of 14 a year later while Michelle, 32,
vanished in 2002 at the age of 20.
It has also emerged that the three female victims in Cleveland were all last
seen on the same busy block in the city.
Michelle who was 20-years-old when she went missing was last seen at a
cousin's house near West 106th Street and Lorain Avenue.
Neighbour ... Charles Ramsey speaks to media near the home
Three years later Amanda disappeared nearby at West 110th Street and Lorain.
And a year later, Gina then was last seen leaving her middle school at West
105th Street and Lorain.
The neighbour who rescued the girl today described the moment he heard a woman
screaming for help at the front door of the house.
Ramsey said he told the woman to open the door and exit but she told him it
was locked.
He said: "We had to kick open the bottom. Lucky on that door it was
aluminium. It was cheap. She climbed out with her daughter."
Cleveland police stand outside a home where women were found
He added that he was tucking into a McDonald's meal when he heard Amanda's
cries.
He then ran over to Castro's home to investigate while holding a Big Mac,
before coming face to face with the missing woman.
He said: "I knew something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran
into the arms of a black man.
"Something is wrong here, (it's a) dead giveaway.
"Either she('s) homeless, or she('s) got problems, that's the only way
she's running to a black man."
And the man who helped save them from the property said he was as shocked as
anyone what had happened in the house.
He said: "I eat barbeque with this dude. We eat ribs and what not, and
listen to salsa music."
Meanwhile police arrested Castro at a nearby McDonald's after Ramsey told them
what car the fiend owned.
Ramsey then sheltered the woman who said there were others in the house.
He said: "I see this girl going nuts trying to get outside.
Felix DeJesus, holding a banner showing his daughter's photograph in 2004
"Then I realized I'm calling 911 for Amanda Berry. I thought that girl was dead." Amanda was last heard from when she called her sister on 21 April 2003 to say she would get a lift home from work at a Burger King restaurant.
In 2004, Gina was said to be on her way home from school when she went missing.
In a bizarre twist it was also revealed kidnapper Castro's son Anthony, now
31, wrote a story about the disappearance of Amanda Berry in 2004 when he
was journalism student.
He said: "This is beyond comprehension... I'm truly stunned right now."
Castro was a Cleveland school bus driver until last November and had lived in
the two-story house since 1992.
Records show he was arrested for domestic violence in 1993.
house where three women were found after allegedly being held for 10-years
house where three women were found after allegedly being held for 10-years
Facebook and other social networking sites may affect your mental health by causing psychotic episodes and delusions, researchers warn.
As Internet access becomes increasingly widespread, so do related psychopathologies such as Internet addiction and delusions related to the technology and to virtual relationships, according to the study.
Computer communications such as Facebook and chat groups are an important part of this story, said Dr Uri Nitzan of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Shalvata Mental Health Care Center.
According to Nitzan, patients shared some crucial characteristics, including loneliness or vulnerability due to the loss of or separation from a loved one, relative inexperience with technology, and no prior history of psychosis or substance abuse.
In each case, a connection was found between the gradual development and exacerbation of psychotic symptoms, including delusions, anxiety, confusion, and intensified use of computer communications.
The good news is that all of the patients, who willingly sought out treatment on their own, were able to make a full recovery with proper treatment and care, Nitzan said.
While technologies such as Facebook have numerous advantages, some patients are harmed by these social networking sites, which can attract those who are lonely or vulnerable in their day-to-day lives or act as a platform for cyber-bullying and other predatory behaviour, he said.
All three of Nitzan's patients sought refuge from a lonely situation and found solace in intense virtual relationships. Although these relationships were positive at first, they eventually led to feelings of hurt, betrayal, and invasion of privacy, said Nitzan.
"All of the patients developed psychotic symptoms related to the situation, including delusions regarding the person behind the screen and their connection through the computer," he said.
Two patients began to feel vulnerable as a result of sharing private information, and one even experienced tactile hallucinations, believing that the person beyond the screen was physically touching her.
For workers of Bangladesh, the worst kind
of tragedy imaginable struck last week when the Rana Plaza garment
factory building -- just outside my home city of Dhaka -- collapsed,
killing more than 500 workers. Despite the many warnings of dangerous
cracks in the walls reported to supervisors, police and the media
earlier in the week, thousands were still sent to work on Wednesday to
proceed with business as usual.
There's no question that this building collapse is tragic, but for garment workers, it's not surprising.
I began working in
Bangladesh's garment industry at the age of 12, making just $3 a month. I
went to work because my father had a stroke and the family needed money
to cover basic living expenses. I worked 23 days in a row, sleeping on
the shop floor, taking showers in the factory restroom, drinking unsafe
water and being slapped by the supervisor.
Bangladesh vs. the U.S.: How much does it cost to make a denim shirt?
By the time I was a young
woman working at a factory that made clothing for a big U.S. retailer, I
knew the time had come for change.
The factory owed my
coworkers and me overtime wages, but it wanted to pay us only half of
what we had earned, making it even harder for us to support our
families. So I helped lead a strike to hold our manager accountable.
Kalpona Akter
I was fired and
blacklisted, but my work was far from over. I later learned labor law,
English and computer skills so that I could help win justice for garment
workers. Today I lead a worker education and advocacy nonprofit that
counts tens of thousands of garment workers as members.
Opinion: Who really pays for our cheap clothes?
The sad reality is that
tragedies like this have become business as usual, advanced by some of
the most highly profitable American and international corporations in
the world.
Last November, 112 workers lost their lives when the Tazreen Fashions factory, which produced garments sold by Wal-mart, Sears
and other retailers, caught fire. Much like New York's infamous
Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire more than 100 years ago, the workers at
Tazreen were trapped inside, with many jumping from upper story windows
to try to save themselves. The death toll at Bangladeshi factories
stands at nearly 1,000 since 2006, based on estimates by the Bangladeshi
government and an advocacy organization.
In the case of these two
recent tragedies, there is plenty of blame to go around -- from the
Bangladeshi government for looking the other way at safety violations,
to the incredibly dangerous circumstances workers face when they try to
unionize, to the pressure factory owners and managers are under to turn
out high product volume at low prices no matter what.
It is the responsibility
of the government of Bangladesh to make a sustained, concerted effort
to rectify the dire situation. Strict, well-enforced factory codes and
clear support for workers' rights are paramount to protecting
Bangladesh's garment workforce.
But more tragedies can
be prevented only if the multinational corporations and retailers whose
goods are produced at these factories are willing to stand up and do
what is right.
A coalition of labor and
non-governmental organizations in Bangladesh, Europe and the United
States has developed a protocol for an innovative two-year inspection
and renovation program to finally make these factories safe -- the Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement.
In addition to
facilitating government-supported employer-labor relations and stringent
oversight of factory safety management, this protocol focuses on the
responsibility of brand owners and retailers to support safety
standards.
If Wal-mart and its
fellow retailers that count on Bangladeshi labor demand change, we can
be sure it will happen. As the protocol states, these corporations must
verify that the factories they use comply with applicable safety
standards. They must ensure that their pricing of garments makes it
feasible for the factories to stick to standards. No longer should a
Bangladeshi factory manager feel forced to pressure his employees to
work in a deadly environment to meet a corporation's bottom line.
As for the tragedies
that have already taken place, these brands should contribute to worker
compensation funds for victims and victims' families, including those in
the fire at Tazreen. To date, Wal-mart and Sears have refused to contribute. Both companies maintain that subcontractors had used the factory without their authorization, so they are not responsible. I single out Walmart because its past actions have been painfully inadequate. Walmart has refused to sign onto the protocol designed to enhance fire safety and improve factory structures, saying it is putting its own standards in place, which are perfectly adequate. Yet those are Band-Aid measures that are woefully insufficient.
Last fall, Wal-mart refused to admit its connection to the Tazreen factory until my colleagues and I went there the day after the fire and photographed products with Wal-mart's labels in the wreckage.
We must no longer tolerate this willful ignorance on the part of
multinational corporations about where their goods are produced.
It's high time that
companies like Wal-mart, The Gap, and others step up and demand the
safety of Bangladesh's garment workers. Too many Bangladeshi workers
live and work in fear for their lives each day. The fire safety protocol
is a critical first step to making real change, and I urge Wal-mart to
become a leader in the fight to save Bangladeshi lives.
Close to thirty thousand people
thronged the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad to catch a
glimpse of the master blaster weave his magic with the willow, and at
the same time hoping for a win for the home side. To their delight,
Sachin Tendulkar’s short stint at the crease was a visual delight and at
the end of the day, their team walked back with smiles to the dressing
room, recording a seven wicket win.
Earlier in the day, during the Mumbai Indians’ innings, the stage was set for a ‘Dale Steyn vs SachinTendulkar’
show. Tendulkar, got the better of the world’s best fast bowler as he
was hit with authority for two magnificent boundaries in one over. The
onus was then left on the other SRH bowlers to keep a tab on the run
scoring and at the same time stop the run flow off the master’s bat.
When Ishant Sharma
was given the ball, some said he had lost his old lethal self, while
others argued that he was going through a rough patch and the best was
yet to come. All of that was put to rest by the 24-year old lanky pacer
who got Tendulkar clean bowled, as he delivered a beauty of a ball to
get the master to take the walk back to the pavilion.
“It is a tremendous feeling to get Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket,” said Ishant in an exclusive chat
after the match. “When I started playing cricket, I never felt I would
someday bowl to Tendulkar or be playing against him. It is a big moment
for any bowler to get the wicket of one of the best batsman in the
world. I am pleased I got the wicket of the ‘God of cricket’. It is a
special feeling,” said an ecstatic Ishant who was adjudged the
man-of-the-match for his outstanding spell of fast bowling against the
Mumbai Indians on Wednesday.
Ishant ended up with match figures
of 4-1-15-2 which also included the wicket of Mumbai Indians’ run
machine Dinesh Karthik. For Ishant it was all about keeping things
simple. “I assessed the conditions and tried to execute whatever set
plan we had for each batsmen. I bowled according to my strengths without
thinking about the batsman. I am pleased that we did well as a
collective bowling unit. We kept things simple, without trying anything
extraordinary and did our basics right today. ”
Ishant has 12
wickets in the tournament so far and believes he is hitting the right
line and lengths consistently. He felt he has become more mature when it
came to bowling in T20s. Ishant the bowler was a satisfied man at the
end of the day. “I have been going in with a relaxed mindset these days
which is something that has worked for me in the IPL. I have been
consistent throughout the tournament. My economy rate has been close to
seven which I feel is fair enough to have in this format of the game. I
am pretty happy the way I am bowling.”Sharma also reserved praise for
Amit Mishra who was the only other bowler to pick up wickets in the
match. Mishra too was at his wicket taking best with two wickets to his
name. “Amit Mishra has been tremendous for us in the IPL. He did a great
job by keeping the MI batsmen silent and taking crucial wickets. I
guess we bowled well in pairs and did a great job in restricting Mumbai
to 129.”
Ishant though, regretted dropping Dwayne Smith’s catch
in the 11th over, but felt it was important that he moved on from the
dropped catch since it would affect his bowling. He said, “I felt bad
that I dropped an easy catch, but I had to make sure that I did not
think about it and let it affect my bowling. I had an over left to bowl
after that and had I let the drop catch affect me; I could have well
gone for runs in my final over. I am glad I took a clean catch later and
also summed up my bowling with good economical figures at the end of
the day.”
Google
released an official how-to video for its upcoming, game-changing
product, Google Glass. The video shows users how to get started with
Google Glass, and how navigate around their new gadget. The interface is
similar to Google Now, with all of the important information you need
being available to you within just one swipe. Google Glass won’t be available to consumers until sometime early next year, but that won’t stop Google from increasing the hype of its product.
In the video, the main emphasis is on Google
Glass’s touch pad. There you can swipe left to see future events, such
as lunch dates, flights, weather, and more. Swiping right will let you
see past events, like your friend’s status updates and picture uploads.
By tapping on the touch pad, you can view more information on a card.
You can swipe down to return to your timeline. To share photos, just
scroll to a photo and tap your touch pad. Your friends list will then
pop up, where you can navigate and choose which friend to share your
photo with.
Recently, the specs for Google Glass were revealed. It appears to be running a dual-core
OMAP 4430 CPU, contain 1GB of RAM (with only around 682MB available to
users), and run Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich. Other leaked specs suggest that the device will also have 16GB of built-in storage and a 5MP camera capable of recording 720p HD videos. The specs resemble that of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
More news regarding Google Glass will be released in the coming weeks
before the Google I/O event being held from May 15th to May 17th. There
Google will talk up developers and show off even more features for
Glass. Consumers will have to wait a little less than a year before they
can purchase Google Glass, but on the bright side, by then there should
be a huge list of apps available for the device thanks to developers.
Be sure to check in with SlashGear May 15th – May 17th, where we’ll be
covering Google I/O live.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of
Dubai, who is acclaimed for his vision and leadership, on Thursday
commended the Kerala leader for his popular mass contact programmes.
“I have heard about your great popularity and know that you work very
close with your people. We also do the same here. We get to learn a lot
from them and can gather plenty of information from such frequent
interactions with the people,” Shaikh Mohammed said during his 40-minute
meeting with Chandy.
Shaikh Mohammed enquired about the way in which the acclaimed mass
contact programmes are being conducted in Kerala through which Chandy
seeks to hear and address the grievances and issues of tens of thousands
of citizens.
Hailing the historic relations between the two friendly peoples and
highlighting the role the Indian community and workforce play in the
building and development process being witnessed by the UAE, Shaikh
Mohammed praised Kerala expatriates in the country as a “hardworking,
enterprising and trustworthy” community.
“They are welcome here,” he added.
Shaikh Mohammed outlined Dubai’s tradition of encouraging
entrepreneurship, and said only if businesses are allowed to make
profit, they would continue to invest.
When Shaikh Mohammed learnt that there were around one million
Keralites in the UAE, he said: “let them use all the opportunities in
our country.”
Kerala wins Dubai assurance
DUBAI - The Government of Dubai will extend all support to expedite
the successful completion of the $1 billion Smart City project that
Tecom Investment has initiated in the South Indian state of Kerala, His
Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime
Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said on Thursday.
Shaikh Mohammed, who received Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at
the headquarters of the Dubai Executive Council at Emirates Towers on
Thursday, also promised to visit the state to explore its alluring
natural beauty.
He said he had learnt about Kerala’s abundant natural beauty: its
mountains, forests, rivers and lagoons. Shaikh Mohammed said he would
like to spend two days quietly exploring the state’s rich and diverse
flora and fauna before attending the opening ceremony of the first phase
of Smart City, which is expected to be completed in the next 20 months.
Earlier on Thursday, the Smart City Board at a meeting cleared the
master plan for the project, and said work on the first phase would
commence by July 1.
Shaikh Mohammed also pledged Kerala’s “24/7 functioning” chief
minister all support to DP World’s Vallarpadam International Container
Transshipment Terminal in Cochin. Last month, the terminal received its
first mainline service to become India’s first transhipment hub. The
Kerala chief minister, who was heading a delegation comprising ministers
and high-ranking officials, was also met by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai
Executive Council during the meeting.
The two sides discussed the bonds of friendship between the UAE and
India, and ways of boosting economic, investment and trade cooperation
in the best interest of the two countries.
The talks also tackled existing cooperation between Dubai and Kerala
in all fields, particularly in the sectors of ports and information.
Chandy appreciated the expertise that Dubai presents to his state
with a population of about 32 million people, in the two vital sectors.
Among those who attended the meeting were Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al
Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Aviation Authority and Chairman of
Emirates airline and Group; Mohammed Al Gargawi, Minister for Cabinet
Affairs; Kerala Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty; Kerala Minister
of Diaspora K.C. Joseph; Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, Director-General
of the Dubai Ruler’s Court; Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of the
Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation; Indian Ambassador M.K.
Lokesh; Yousuf Ali MA, managing director of Emke Group-Lulu; and
Shamsudeen bin Mohideen, chairman of Regency Group.
The Indian ambassador told Khaleej Times that Shaikh Mohammed also
expressed his keenness to bolster civil aviation ties with Kerala by
boosting services in the sector, which Shaikh Ahmed described as one of
the most profitable for Emirates.
Lokesh said an Indian civil aviation delegation is due to visit the
UAE to hold talks on boosting sectoral ties with additional frequencies.
The Indian envoy apprised Shaikh Mohammed about Indian Prime Minister’s long awaited visit.
At a separate meeting, the board of Smart City cleared the master
plan of the prestigious IT project. The meeting was attended by Chandy,
Kunhalikutty, Joseph, Principal IT Secretary PH Kurian, Dr Baiju George
and the management team of Smart City Dubai, the partner for the
project.
The project conceived in 2005 is to generate about 90,000 jobs and attract investments of more than $500 million.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Chandy said he was happy that Shaikh
Mohammed has accepted his invitation to be present at the opening of the
first phase of Smart City.
The board has given the go-ahead for the construction of 1.5 million
square foot of building in two phases, said the Kerala leader.
“The project will be completed in two phases. The first phase
consists of two buildings with a 400,000 square feet area. The
completion time is 18 months,” he said.
The project will come up under a single special economic zone. The
ground-breaking ceremony for it was held in October 2011. The project is
coming up on 250 acres near a lake.
Smart City Kochi was first conceived when Chandy was the chief
minister in 2004, but the project got delayed and was given clearance by
the then chief minister V.S. Achuthanandan at the fag-end of his term.
The Chandy government began the project last June by inaugurating a
state-of-the-art 10,000 sq feet sales pavilion.
A businessman in India has been charged with endangering the life of a child after letting his nine-year-old son take his 315kph Ferrari out for a birthday spin.
