Thursday, February 28, 2013

Woman accused of Arizona lover's murder gave conflicting evidence

PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona court heard how a woman charged with capital murder felt "like a goddess" with her slain lover, as prosecutors on Wednesday cited contradictions to previous testimony in which she said the relationship made her feel "like a prostitute."

Jodi Arias, 32, could face the death penalty if convicted of murdering 30-year-old Travis Alexander, whose body was found in the shower of his Phoenix valley home in June 2008. He was shot in the face, stabbed 27 times and had his throat slit.

Arias, in frequently explicit testimony, has admitted to killing him but said it was in self-defense after he attacked her when she dropped his camera while taking pictures of him in the shower. The prosecution has said she killed him in a jealous rage.

During frequently combative cross-examination on Wednesday, prosecutor Juan Martinez sought to poke holes in Arias' previous testimony that her relationship with Alexander left her feeling "like a prostitute," noting how in a sex tape she said she felt "like a goddess" with him.

"You tell us you felt like a prostitute," Martinez said. "It seems to be contradictory."

Arias admitted to enjoying parts of her sex life with Alexander.

In four days of hostile questioning, Martinez has picked at numerous contradictory accounts Arias gave to friends, family and police investigators of both her relationship with Alexander and the manner he met his death.

On Wednesday, he played a television interview Arias gave from jail in which she said intruders killed Alexander - a version she later dropped when police forensic evidence placed her firmly at the crime scene. "I couldn't keep my stories straight," Arias said, when confronted with differing accounts.

Martinez has also produced text messages exchanged by the couple that apparently contradicted her version of their relationship as one characterized by violence and emotional abuse.

"You lied to a lot of people, but you're saying that just because you are sitting here in this courtroom, there has been, for the lack of a better term, a conversion," Martinez said to Arias. "For the lack of a better term, yes," she replied.

Alexander was found some five days after he was killed. Authorities pinned the death on Arias after sexually explicit photos were discovered in his camera's memory card.

The trial is set to continue on Thursday.

(Editing by Tim Gaynor, Cynthia Johnston and Peter Cooney)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/woman-accused-arizona-lovers-murder-gave-conflicting-evidence-030717930.html

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Friday, February 22, 2013

Major powers to make "substantial and serious offer" to Iran

LONDON (Reuters) - Major powers are ready to make "a substantial and serious offer" to Iran during talks on its disputed nuclear program next week, a Western diplomat said on Wednesday.

He declined to give details of the offer - part of attempts to revive efforts to reach a diplomatic solution to long-stalled talks over Iran's nuclear program.

"We will take an offer with us which we believe to be a substantial and serious offer," the diplomat said of talks due next week in Almaty, Kazakhstan. "This is an offer which we think has significant new elements in it."

The West has imposed heavy economic sanctions on Iran to persuade it to give up those parts of its program the powers suspect are intended to give it nuclear weapons capability.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, saying its nuclear program is for peaceful, civilian purposes only.

"Diplomats are committed to finding a diplomatic solution, but the government of Iran really has to show that it's doing what it says it's doing," the diplomat said, on condition of anonymity.

The five permanent members of the Security Council along with Germany - the so-called P5+1 - will hold talks with Iran in Almaty on February 26.

Western officials in Washington have told Reuters they plan to offer to ease sanctions barring trade in gold and other precious metals in return for Iran shutting its Fordow uranium enrichment plant - a proposal already rejected by Tehran.

The Western diplomat declined to comment on that, nor to say in what way the offer to be made in Almaty would differ.

Another Western diplomat said hopes for the meeting were not "sky high", but it was being viewed as an opportunity to engage with Iran. "It's an open and positive offer and we hope that they will respond," he said.

SANCTIONS SEEN BITING

Western diplomats argue that sanctions are taking their toll on Iran's economy and hoping as a result the new diplomatic push could succeed where past attempts have failed.

The negotiations held by the P5+1 follow a renewed offer by the United States to hold direct talks with Iran if it showed it was serious about reining in its nuclear program.

Any broader political dialogue between the United States and Iran would be aimed at reducing mistrust dating back to the 1979 Iranian revolution and seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Such a dialogue would be a means of giving additional momentum to existing negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program.

Iran has given little indication of what it would bring to the table in Almaty.

It rejected the offer of an easing of sanctions on gold trade as unacceptable and its ability to make significant concessions is seen as limited before Iranian presidential elections in June.

It has, however, resumed work to convert small amounts of higher-grade enriched uranium into fuel, a move which would slow its accumulation of stockpiles that could, if enriched further, be used for weapons.

Diplomats say it has also held off from putting into operational additional centrifuges at Fordow where it enriches uranium to 20 percent - a level that can be rapidly turned into weapons-grade material.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to issue shortly its latest report on Iran, which will indicate the size of its stockpiles of enriched uranium and detail other developments in its nuclear program.

(Editing by Alison Williams)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/major-powers-substantial-serious-offer-iran-194109167--finance.html

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Thursday, February 21, 2013

'Nonstop shouting' at Pistorius home

PRETORIA (Reuters) - A witness heard "non-stop shouting" in the home of athletics star Oscar Pistorius shortly before his girlfriend was shot dead, the lead detective in the murder investigation said on Wednesday.

Warrant officer Hilton Botha, a detective with 24 years on the force, also told the Pretoria magistrates court that police had found two containers of testosterone and needles in Pistorius' bedroom.

Pistorius, a double amputee dubbed "Blade Runner" because he raced on carbon fiber blades, sobbed uncontrollably as Botha presented his testimony about the death of Reeva Steenkamp, 29.

The law graduate and model was in the toilet of the athlete's home when she was shot dead.

The shooting and allegations that have emerged at the bail hearing have stunned South Africa and millions of people around the world who regarded Pistorius, who has no lower legs, as the epitome of sporting triumph over adversity.

"One of our witnesses heard a fight, two people talking loudly at each other ... from two in the morning to three," Botha told the court.

In an affidavit delivered on Tuesday, Pistorius said he woke in the middle of the night and thought an intruder had climbed through his bathroom window and entered the adjoining toilet.

The 26-year-old said he grabbed a 9-mm pistol from under his bed and went into the bathroom.

Pistorius - the highest-profile athlete in the history of the Paralympics - then described how he fired into the locked toilet door in a blind panic in the belief the intruder was lurking inside.

In his testimony on Wednesday, Botha disputed Pistorius' affidavit.

TRAJECTORY

"I believe he knew she (Steenkamp) was in the bathroom and he shot four shots through the door," the detective said, adding the angle at which the rounds were fired suggested they were aimed deliberately at somebody on the toilet.

Pistorius had said he moved into the bathroom on his stumps - the reason he felt so vulnerable - but Botha said the shots went in a "top to bottom" trajectory, suggesting Pistorius was wearing his artificial legs when he pulled the trigger.

"It seems to me it was fired down," he said.

Botha also cited another witness on the upscale gated community near Pretoria where Pistorius lived as saying he heard a shot, followed 17 minutes later by more shots.

Another witness also spoke of a shot followed by screams, followed by more shots, he said.

Steenkamp was hit in the head, arm and hip in the locker-sized toilet room adjoining the bathroom, which itself led from the bedroom.

Pistorius' defense team disputed Botha's reference to "testosterone", saying the substance was a legitimate herbal remedy called "testo-composutim co-enzyme".

Details on the makeup of testo-composutim co-enzyme were not immediately available but administering testosterone as an anabolic agent is banned at all times under World Anti-Doping Agency rules for sports people.

ANGER

At Steenkamp's funeral in the south coast city of Port Elizabeth on Tuesday, grief was tinged with anger.

"I'm disgusted with what he did. He must be dealt with harshly," said Gavin Venter, an ex-jockey who worked for Steenkamp's father. "Without a doubt he's a danger to the public. He'll be a danger to witnesses. He must stay in jail."

The case has drawn further attention to endemic violence against women in South Africa after the gang-rape, mutilation and murder of a 17-year-old near Cape Town this month.

Members of the Women's League of the ruling African National Congress protested outside the Pretoria court, waving placards saying: "No Bail for Pistorius" and "Rot in jail".

The arrest of Pistorius stunned the millions who had watched in awe last year as the Olympic and Paralympic sprinter reached the semi-final of the 400 meters in the London Olympics.

But the impact has been greatest in sports-mad South Africa, where Pistorius was seen as a rare hero who had transcended the racial divides that persist 19 years after the end of apartheid.

He carried South Africa's flag at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics, and U.S. magazine Sports Illustrated named him as one of the most inspiring figures of the year.

"Many questions are being asked, but we have no answers," Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said in a statement.

The sprinter's endorsements and sponsorships included sportswear giant Nike, British telecoms firm BT, sunglasses maker Oakley and French designer Thierry Mugler and were thought to be worth as much as $2 million a year.

In his affidavit, Pistorius said he earned 5.6 million rand ($630,500) a year and owned properties worth nearly $1 million.

However, Nike and Mugler both said they had dropped Pistorius from advertising campaigns, while cosmetics firm Clarins said it was recalling its "A Man" perfume range out of "respect and compassion towards the families involved".

(Additional reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pistorius-bail-hearing-restarts-pretoria-081412153--finance.html

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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

UN: Occupation troops murdered fewer Afghan civilians in 2012 than 2011

Denver Post ? ?
Posted in News

"Airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition killed 126 Afghan civilians last year, a nearly 50 percent drop from the year before, the U.N. said Tuesday. The report came a day after President Hamid Karzai banned government forces from requesting foreign air support during operations in residential areas. The overall civilian death toll in 2012 also declined some 12 percent to 2,754, compared with 3,131 the previous year, according to an annual report by the United Nations Mission to Afghanistan that tracks statistics in the 11-year-old war."

http://tinyurl.com/ajz98tu ?

Tags: Afghanistan, casualties, war

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RRNDNews/~3/zzvnv6NcCBc/116480

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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Numbers and insights from comScore on the Indian eCommerce ...

In this day and age of information where data is king, opinions and feelings have no place if data disagrees with them. Because data is absolute. On Saturday, February 16, at YourStory.in?s eSparks event, world?s premier business intelligence provider, comScore?s India director, Kedar Gavane de-mystified the eCommerce space in India with the help of data. Kedar?s talk had some interesting facts and numbers about the state of eCommerce in India. Here?s a snapshot -

Kedar

India, the fastest growing eCommerce market in the world

Between December 2011 and December 2012, India saw a 50% growth in the number of Internet users. With 139 million Internet users, India accounts for 75 billion pageviews worldwide. Indians spend 52 billion minutes on the internet and last year alone, India added 15 million eCommerce users. eCommerce growth in India has also been directly proportional to Internet penetration in India.

Kedar revealed that India has leap-frogged Brazil and Russia to become the fifth largest eCommerce market in the world, behind China, Japan, Germany and USA. As of December 2012, India had 44 million online retail visitors which is only 62% reach of e-commerce among online users. The worldwide average is around 73%.

User demographics ? Age and gender

75% of India?s eCommerce users are below the age of 35. More number of transactors fall in the 35 ? 44 age group. The younger Kedar 1segments, which is anybody below the age of 35 are the dominant population in the Indian online space. These younger users interact more with the site and post reviews about products, engage with these companies on social media and such. Kedar said there is also an increase in visitor loyalty ? the Indian eCommerce user makes six visits a month to an eCommerce site. Off which 60% users are men and 40% women, which is consistent across all categories of products.

Entry points ? where do eCommerce users come from?

In his presentation, Kedar shared that over 95% of eCommerce come from social media portals. The second largest source for eCommerce users is search. Other popular sources among eCommerce users include entertainment sites, news sites, e-mail and jobs sites.
Kedar also revealed that online retail has 1.5 times more reach than online travel. Social media marketing and SEO which has been conventional online marketing techniques will continue to be so. Kedar also revealed that social media will continue to be used for branding and to build a following.

Payments ? the preferred means and the future

Cash on delivery (COD) continues to be the preferred method of payment for most eCommerce transactions in India ? upto 58% of all Indian eCommerce transactions are paid via COD.
The next most preferred payment method is through debit/credit cards(Visa ? 11% and MasterCard ? 18%), followed direct debit and net banking. Kedar also pointed out that COD is on the decline and more customers are taking to debit/credit card transactions and 2013 could be the year when the skews change.

Kedar 2COD was the catalyst that gave a boost to the Indian eCommerce market. And as the industry matures in metros, COD may open opportunities for companies to tap customers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. In Tier 1 cities adoption of online methods of payments can improve, provided the payment systems are made more reliable and penetration of credit/debit cards increase.

Winning categories now and for the future

Consumer electronics is the most successful eCommerce category in India and because of the nature of products, comparison shopping has also seen an upsurge in the recent past. Fast on its heels, is the fashion category. Apparel as a sub-category has seen the highest growth across all eCommerce categories ? a whopping 208%, said Kedar. Other categories like home furnishing, healthcare and movie ticketing are all potential winners in the near future, which have seen a 100% growth last year alone.

India?s top eCommerce sites

On the basis of unique visitors Jabong, Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra and Indiatimes shopping are the Top 5 eCommerce sites in India. Each record over 5 million unique visitors per month, with Jabong leading the pack at 11.6 million followed by Flipkart and Amazon with 10.7 million each. Collectively, these five e-tailers cater to 26 million online shoppers, more than a half of total number of online eCommerce visitors in India alone.

Kedar concluded his session saying eCommerce leaders in India mainly belong to the electronics and apparel and the Top 5 are horizontal players, who have offerings across categories. Aggressive marketing and category expansion have also been important pillars of growth of these players.

Download Kedar?s complete presentation at eSparks here.?

Check out comScore and learn more about their business analytics products here

We at YourStory.in thank E-Sparks Title Sponsor, Microsoft, Financial Technology Partner, Intuit, Associate Sponsors, ReferralCandy and Aramex and Exhibitor, Moolya.

Source: http://yourstory.in/2013/02/numbers-and-insights-from-comscore-on-the-indian-ecommerce-industry/

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Monday, February 18, 2013

Eudora Perfume Oil Coconut Hemp Roll On by LongWinterSoapCo

This blend was a brilliant request from one of our favorite customers (thanks Juhi!) and I loved it so much I just had to share it with everyone. It's a base of peach and rose, deepened by wood smoke and patchoul. It reminds me so much of the south and long hard walks in the woods, I decided to name it after my favorite southern writer.

About .3oz in a little glass bottle complete with roll-on thinger. Individually shrink wrapped, and tested on friends, not animals.

The carrier oils I use are fractionated coconut oil and unrefined hemp seed oil, which make for a light, non-greasy feel when applied. The vitamin e is in there as an antioxidant. You'll notice the shocking lack of alcohol.

Ingredients: Fractionated Coconut Oil; Unrefined Hemp Seed Oil; Fragrance Oil; Tocopherol (Vitamin E)


Have any questions? Contact the shop owner.

Source: http://www.etsy.com/listing/69348866/eudora-perfume-oil-coconut-hemp-roll-on

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California Eases Its Tone as Latinos Make Gains

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Source: www.nytimes.com --- Saturday, February 16, 2013
As Congress begins debating an overhaul of immigration, many sense that the country is beginning the same evolution California experienced over the last two decades. ...

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/us/california-eases-its-tone-as-latinos-make-gains.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Russian Search for Fragments of Huge Meteor Yields No Findings (Voice Of America)

Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/285293239?client_source=feed&format=rss

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