Tyler, Perry lead Songwriters Hall of Fame class

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Songwriters Hall of Fame is saluting 1970s and ’80s rock ‘n’ roll with its 2013 induction class.

Joe Perry and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith and Mick Jones and Lou Gramm of Foreigner will join the hall of fame this year along with the writers of iconic rock hits “Love Is a Battlefield” and “Heartache Tonight.” The ceremony will be held June 13 in New York.

Aerosmith and Foreigner will get the attention here, but inductees Holly Knight, JD Souther and Tony Hatch also have distinguished careers that helped define the sound of rock ‘n’ roll.

Knight wrote anthemic hits “Love Is a Battlefield” and “Invincible” for Pat Benatar and “The Warrior” for Patty Smyth. She also wrote several songs for Tina Turner, including “The Best” and “Better Be Good to Me,” that became standards for the star.

Souther, who has a role on the music-inspired television show “Nashville,” had a partnership with The Eagles that spawned several hits, including “Heartache Tonight,” ”Victim of Love,” ”New Kid in Town” and “Best of My Love.”

Hatch made his mark during the British invasion, teaming with Petula Clark on hits like “Downtown” and “My Love” that helped shaped the future of pop music.

Perry and Tyler have survived a sometimes contentious relationship to become one of rock’s most successful songwriting teams over the last 40 years. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, staples of classic rock radio and pop culture icons, are known for hits like “Sweet Emotion,” ”Dream On” and “Livin’ on the Edge,” and released their 15th studio album last year.

Jones and Gramm are contemporaries of Perry and Tyler who also ruled radio for a time, but they sometimes came at it from a different angle. They could lay down a straight-up rocker like “Jukebox Hero” or “Feels Like the First Time.” But they also could slow it down with hits like “I Wanna Know What Love Is” and “Cold as Ice” that helped foreshadow the ballad-driven rock of the late ’80s.

___

Online:

http://songhall.org

___

Follow AP Music Writer Chris Talbott: http://twitter.com/Chris_Talbott .

Entertainment News Headlines – Yahoo! News

Title Post: Tyler, Perry lead Songwriters Hall of Fame class
Url Post: http://www.news.fluser.com/tyler-perry-lead-songwriters-hall-of-fame-class/
Link To Post : Tyler, Perry lead Songwriters Hall of Fame class
Rating:
100%

based on 99998 ratings.
5 user reviews.
Author: Fluser SeoLink
Thanks for visiting the blog, If any criticism and suggestions please leave a comment

Read More..

Wall Street rises on HP but S&P on track to end week lower

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rebounded on Friday as Hewlett-Packard, the largest personal computer maker, surged on strong results, but the S&P 500 index was on the way to end a streak of gains that has lasted seven straight weeks.

The S&P shed 1.9 percent over the previous two sessions, its worst two-day drop since early November, putting the index on pace for its first weekly decline of the year. The retreat was triggered when the Federal Reserve's meeting minutes for January suggested stimulus measures may be halted sooner than thought.

Still, the index is up nearly 6 percent for the year and held the 1,500 support level despite the recent declines, a sign of a positive bias in the market.

"The market is addicted to Fed stimulus and gets withdrawal shakes every time that's threatened, but now we're resuming our course and remain much more attractively valued than other asset classes," said Rex Macey, chief investment officer at Wilmington Trust in Atlanta, Georgia.

Hewlett-Packard Co jumped 9.6 percent to $18.74 as the top boost on both the Dow and S&P 500 after the PC maker's quarterly revenue and forecasts beat expectations. The company cut costs under Chief Executive Meg Whitman's turnaround plan. The S&P technology sector <.splrct> was up 0.6 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was up 52.22 points, or 0.38 percent, at 13,932.84. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was up 5.25 points, or 0.35 percent, at 1,507.67. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was up 13.45 points, or 0.43 percent, at 3,144.94.

For the week, the Dow is off 0.3 percent in its third straight week of slight losses, the S&P is off 0.7 percent and the Nasdaq is off 1.4 percent.

Also buoying tech stocks were gains in semiconductor companies after Marvell Technology Group Ltd forecast results this quarter that were largely above analysts' expectations as it gained market share in the hard-disk drive and flash-storage businesses.

In addition, Texas Instruments Inc raised its dividend by a third and boosted its stock buyback program. Texas Instruments rose 4.3 percent at $33.88 while Marvell added 2.2 percent at $9.67. The PHLX semiconductor index <.sox> gained 1.3 percent.

"Dividends growing are another way the market's level is justified, if not especially attractive at these levels," said Macey, who manages about $20 billion in assets.

On the downside, Abercrombie & Fitch dropped 7.3 percent to $45.49 after the clothing retailer reported a drop in fourth-quarter comparable sales, even as its latest quarterly earnings topped estimates.

Insurer American International Group Inc posted fourth-quarter results that beat analysts' expectations. Shares advanced 2.6 percent to $38.26.

According to Thomson Reuters data through Friday morning, of 439 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported results, 70 percent have exceeded analysts' expectations, compared with a 62 percent average since 1994 and 65 percent over the past four quarters.

Fourth-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies are estimated to have risen 6 percent, according to the data, above a 1.9 percent forecast at the start of the earnings season.

(Editing by Kenneth Barry)

Read More..

Three Years Later, BP Is Finally Headed to Court

By now, BP (BP) and the U.S. government should have hashed out a final, all-in price tag for the April 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. This sort of big-dollar case, the conventional wisdom dictates, settles out of court. Going to trial raises risks for the combatants that cautious lawyers try to avoid.

On Monday, unless the Justice Department and the London-based energy giant reach a last-minute truce, they will defy expectations and go to trial in federal court in New Orleans, where BP faces claims totaling billions of dollars.

Why are the opposing sides rolling the dice? One lawyer involved in the case explained to me that with BP trying to offload liability on its two main contractors, Halliburton (HAL) and Transocean (RIG), and Gulf state governments trying to get in on the action, the multilevel legal chess match became too complicated to resolve. Now, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier, a Clinton appointee, will declare in a non-jury trial just how negligent BP (allegedly) was in contributing to the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

Long-running negotiations have broken down, BP general counsel Rupert Bondy said in a prepared statement: “Faced with demands that are excessive and not based on reality of the merits of the case, we are going to trial.”

About 4.9 million barrels of oil spewed from BP’s Macondo well off the Louisiana coast, according to the government. Under the Clean Water Act, polluters face a penalty ranging from $ 1,100 to $ 4,300 for each barrel spilled, depending on whether there was “gross negligence,” among other factors. Subtracting 810,000 barrels of rogue oil that BP collected immediately after the disaster, the company now faces a maximum federal pollution fine of $ 17.6 billion. States, businesses, and individuals want further billions on top of that.

BP’s Bondy said that the company won’t be found grossly negligent—the key question in the first phase of the trial. “Gross negligence is a very high bar that BP believes cannot be met in this case,” the corporate attorney said. “This was a tragic accident, resulting from multiple causes and involving multiple parties. We firmly believe we were not grossly negligent.”

Several major aspects of the Gulf litigation debacle have already settled. Transocean, which operated the doomed Deepwater Horizon rig, has won court approval for a $ 1 billion settlement of pollution claims with the U.S. Eleven workers died in the rig explosion. Transocean has also agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor count of violating the Clean Water Act and to pay $ 400 million to resolve federal criminal allegations.

In November, BP separately settled federal criminal charges in a plea deal with the government which included a $ 4 billion penalty and a related $ 525 million settlement with federal securities regulators over BP’s alleged misrepresentation of the size of the spill.

Our colleagues at Bloomberg News on Feb. 21 identified a quirk in the case of the sort that has made it so difficult to resolve with finality. Statements by a witness for BP, Bloomberg News reported, could help Halliburton escape paying billions of dollars in damages. Houston-based Halliburton did cement work and other tasks on the Deepwater Horizon.

The BP witness, an engineering expert named J.J. Azar, said in a deposition that Halliburton did not have an opportunity to avert the rig’s explosion. Instead, he placed potential responsibility on BP and Transocean. The blast might have been avoided if a “well integrity” test by BP and Transocean hadn’t been misinterpreted, Azar said during questioning by a Halliburton attorney. Bloomberg obtained a sealed transcript of the December 2011 deposition.

Despite the Azar testimony, BP is widely expected to try to shift responsibility to both Halliburton and Transocean, which is based in Switzerland. The contractors will point the finger back at BP, which has already set aside $ 42 billion for spill liability, much of which it has raised by selling assets over the past two years. Of that total, BP has spent more than $ 14 billion on spill cleanup and nearly $ 10 billion in payments to local governments, businesses, and individuals, according to a tally by The New York Times.

Next week in New Orleans, all sides will unleash their lawyers yet again.

Businessweek.com — Top News

Title Post: Three Years Later, BP Is Finally Headed to Court
Url Post: http://www.news.fluser.com/three-years-later-bp-is-finally-headed-to-court/
Link To Post : Three Years Later, BP Is Finally Headed to Court
Rating:
100%

based on 99998 ratings.
5 user reviews.
Author: Fluser SeoLink
Thanks for visiting the blog, If any criticism and suggestions please leave a comment

Read More..

Neighborhood Joint | West Village: At the End of History, Obsessions in Color and Glass

Elizabeth D. Herman for The New York Times

Rick Rodney browsed the vast collection of midcentury wares at the End of History. More Photos »

“I call this an obsession turned into a business,” Stephen Saunders said on a recent Saturday evening. He was standing in the middle of the End of History, the West Village store he has owned since 1997, surrounded by the approximately 10,000 pieces of midcentury glassware and ceramics that make up his inventory.

Crossing the store’s threshold from Hudson Street is a little like going to sleep in Kansas and waking up in Oz. Organized by color and form, the pieces on display form an eye-popping Technicolor tableau, clustered in islands of cerulean, ivory, amber, ebony and bubble gum pink.

On one shelf, Italian Murano glass geode bowls beckon in hues of green and turquoise blue. On another, glossy, undulating orange vases — representatives of the Danish manufacturer Holmegäard’s coveted 1960s Carnaby series — form a sort of Pop Art fantasia. A 15-inch-long Murano tiger the color of a sunrise lurks above them. “It’s a fantastic object, one of a kind,” Mr. Saunders said of the $ 2,750 creature, adding, “I don’t love figurines unless they speak to me.”

Mr. Saunders’s passion for glass goes back to his childhood on the Isle of Wight, where he had relatives in the antiques business. “At 7 years old, I was picking the best rummage sale on the island,” he recalled. He arrived in New York in 1983 after moving on a whim from Honolulu, where he worked in the travel industry.

Although Mr. Saunders subsequently spent more than a decade as a fashion stylist, he was always buying and selling glass. His “light bulb moment,” he recalled, came at a flea market when he found a 1951 Murano glass vase with an original $ 350 price tag still on it, on sale for $ 25. “I started to buy every piece I could,” he said.

His shop’s somewhat inscrutable moniker was inspired by Francis Fukuyama’s book “The End of History and the Last Man.” When he opened his doors, said Mr. Saunders, 54, “the millennium was coming up and the store was full of all these 20th-century things.” At the time, he said, Hudson Street was “the cheapest place to open a store.”

“There was no Marc Jacobs or Richard Meier towers,” he said. “Everything has grown up.”

The area’s gentrification has been good for business: Many of his regular customers are well-known decorators like Amy Lau, Steven Gambrel and Shawn Henderson, and the bulk of Mr. Saunders’s inventory — priced from $ 250 to $ 16,000 — goes into the homes of wealthy families. But visitors arrive from around the world, he said, remembering a woman from Taipei who came in “waving a picture of a Danish Modern vase from New York magazine, saying, ‘I have to have this!’ ” Brazilians “absolutely love this stuff,” he added, recalling a day when the actress Sonia Braga saw the store while riding past it on a bus and made the driver let her out.

On this evening, Dori Cocoros wove her way through the shop with her friend Cindy Tanzer. “We love this,” said Ms. Cocoros, a global account executive for Canon who lives in Astoria, Queens. First-time visitors, she and Ms. Tanzer had been lured, she said, by “the name and all the pretty colors.”

“It’s magnificent,” Ms. Cocoros said. “It would be a very different store if it was organized by country or manufacturer.”

As they browsed, Mr. Saunders pondered a shelf of his “latest obsession,” white German porcelain tattooed with intricate gold embellishments. “Inasmuch as an object has a soul, these have that because they were made with care and with love by skilled people,” he said. “They have a life and a story to tell.”

NYT > Real Estate

Read More..

Pistorius granted bail pending murder trial

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — In an agonizingly slow announcement, a magistrate allowed Oscar Pistorius to go free on bail Friday, nine days after the Paralympian was arrested in the Valentine's Day killing of his girlfriend.

Pistorius' family members and supporters shouted "Yes!" when Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair made his decision after a more than 1 hour and 45 minute explanation of his ruling to a packed courtroom.

Radio stations and a TV news network in South Africa broadcast the audio of the decision live, and even international channels like the BBC and CNN went live with it, underscoring the huge global interest in the case.

Nair banned cameras from Friday's dramatic bail hearing and complained about cameras constantly "flashing" in Pistorius' face the previous three days of hearings, saying the spectacle made the athlete look like "some kind of species the world has never seen before."

Nair set the bail at 1 million rand ($113,000), with $11,300 in cash up front and proof that the rest is available. The magistrate said Pistorius must hand over his passports and also turn in any other guns that he owns. Pistorius also cannot leave the district of Pretoria, South Africa's capital, without the permission of his probation officer, Nair said, nor can he take drugs or drink alcohol.

The double-amputee Olympian's next court appearance was set for June 4. He left the courthouse in a silver Land Rover, sitting in the rear, just over an hour after the magistrate imposed the bail conditions.

The magistrate ruled that Pistorius could not return to his upscale home in a gated community in the eastern suburbs of Pretoria, where the killing of Reeva Steenkamp took place.

Pistorius' uncle, Arnold Pistorius said: "We are relieved at the fact that Oscar got bail today but at the same time we are in mourning for the death of Reeva with her family. As a family, we know Oscar's version of what happened on that tragic night and we know that that is the truth and that will prevail in the coming court case."

Pistorius' senior defense lawyer, Barry Roux, told reporters the defense is satisfied with the bail.

Nair made the ruling after four days of arguments from prosecution and defense in Pistorius' bail hearing. During Friday's long session in Pretoria Magistrate's Court, Pistorius alternately wept and appeared solemn and more composed, especially toward the end as Nair criticized police procedures in the case and as a judgment in Pistorius' favor appeared imminent.

Nair said Pistorius' sworn statement, in which he gave his version of the events of the shooting during the predawn hours of Feb. 14 in a sworn statement, had helped his application for bail.

"I come to the conclusion that the accused has made a case to be released on bail," Nair said.

Pistorius said in the sworn statement that he shot his girlfriend — a model and budding reality TV contestant — accidentally, believing she was an intruder in his house.

Prosecutors say he intended to kill Steenkamp and charged him with premeditated murder, saying the shooting followed a loud argument between the two.

Sharon Steenkamp, Reeva's cousin, had said earlier that the family wouldn't be watching the bail decision and hadn't been following the hearing in Pretoria.

"It doesn't make any difference to the fact that we are without Reeva," she told The Associated Press.

Despite the bail decision, prosecution spokesman Medupe Simasiku said: "We're still confident in our case," outside court.

Pistorius faced the sternest bail requirements in South Africa because of the seriousness of the charge, and his defense lawyers had to prove that he would not flee the country, would not interfere with witnesses or the case, and his release would not cause public unrest.

Nair questioned whether Pistorius would be a flight risk and be prepared to go "ducking and diving" around the world when he stood to lose a fortune in cash, cars, property and other assets. Nair also said that while it had been shown that Pistorius had aggressive tendencies, he did not have a prior record of offenses for violent acts.

He criticized Hilton Botha, the previous lead investigator in the case, for not doing more to uncover evidence that the Olympian had violent tendencies.

"There is ample room and ample time to do that by looking at the background of the accused," he said.

But while Nair leveled harsh criticism at former lead investigator Botha for "errors" and "blunders," he said one man does not represent the state's case and that the state could not be expected to put all the pieces of its puzzle together in such a short time.

Anticipating the shape of the state's case at trial, he said he had serious questions about Pistorius' account: Why he didn't try to locate his girlfriend on fearing an intruder was in the house, why he didn't try to determine who was in the toilet and why he would venture into perceived "danger" - the bathroom area - when he could have taken other steps to ensure his safety.

"There are improbabilities which need to be explored," Nair said, adding that Pistorius could clarify these matters by testifying under oath at trial.

___

AP Sports Writer Gerald Imray and AP writer Carley Petesch contributed to this report from Johannesburg.

Read More..

Wall Street falls after raft of weak data

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks declined on Thursday as a ream of weak economic data did little to assuage some investors' concerns that the Federal Reserve may rein in its economic stimulus measures and amid uncertainty over ongoing budget talks in Washington.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week and consumer prices were flat in January, buttressing the argument for the Fed to continue its accommodative monetary policy.

On Wednesday, minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve's most recent meeting suggested the central bank may slow or stop buying bonds sooner than expected. The news sent shares lower and the benchmark S&P 500 index dropped 1.2 percent, its biggest decline since November 14.

The Fed has used quantitative easing, or QE, since 2008 in a bid to stimulate the economy. The policy, which involves expanding the Fed's balance sheet to buy bonds, has been credited with pushing money into the stock market, and its withdrawal would remove a ballast for the markets.

The benchmark S&P index has dropped 1.9 percent over the past two sessions but is still up more than 5 percent for the year. That's led many analysts to believe that the Fed minutes, the upcoming sequestration in Washington and sluggish consumer spending may be triggers for an overdue pullback in equities.

The sequestration - automatic across-the-board spending cuts put in place as part of a larger congressional budget fight - are due to kick in March 1 unless lawmakers agree on an alternative.

"It's the sequester, it's the knee-jerk reaction to yesterday's Fed minutes and it's the realization the consumer is slowing," said Phil Orlando, chief equity market strategist, at Federated Investors, in New York.

"I'd love to see a healthy 5 percent correction; let's wash out some of the weak hands and set up for a better move during the year."

Financial data firm Markit said its "flash," or preliminary U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index slowed to 55.2 this month from 55.8, which had been the best showing since April, 2012.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc , seen as a gauge of consumer spending, said U.S. sales weakness persisted into early February, as Americans absorbed the impact of higher payroll taxes and gasoline prices, along with slow tax refunds that put some spending on hold. But shares rose 2.2 percent to $70.73 to help curb declines on the Dow as earnings topped expectations.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> dropped 64.01 points, or 0.46 percent, to 13,863.53. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> lost 10.33 points, or 0.68 percent, to 1,501.62. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> fell 25.93 points, or 0.82 percent, to 3,138.48.

In a positive sign, data showed home resales edged higher in January and left inventory of homes at its lowest level in 13 years as the housing market continues to steadily improve.

But the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said its index of business conditions in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region fell in February to minus 12.5, the lowest level in eight months, from minus 5.8 in January.

VeriFone Systems Inc tumbled 37.7 percent to $19.86 after the credit card swipe-machine maker forecast first and second-quarter profit that were well below analysts' expectations.

According to Thomson Reuters data through Thursday morning, of the 427 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported results, 69.3 percent have exceeded analysts' expectations, compared with a 62 percent average since 1994 and 65 percent over the past four quarters.

Fourth-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies are estimated to have risen 5.9 percent, according to the data, above a 1.9 percent forecast at the start of the earnings season.

Berry Petroleum Co jumped 16.5 percent to $44.95 after oil and gas producer Linn Energy LLC said it would buy the company in an all-stock deal valued at $4.3 billion including debt. Linn Energy shares advanced 3 percent to $37.76.

(This story corrects share price on Berry Petroleum in last paragraph to $44.95, from $444.95)

(Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Read More..

Wall Street opens lower after jobless data

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks opened lower on Thursday, extending the previous session’s steep decline following a bigger-than-expected rise in weekly jobless claims.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was down 28.40 points, or 0.20 percent, at 13,899.14. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index <.spx> was down 5.87 points, or 0.39 percent, at 1,506.08. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was down 11.90 points, or 0.38 percent, at 3,152.51.</.ixic></.spx></.dji>

(Reporting by Ryan Vlastelica; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Business News Headlines – Yahoo! News

Title Post: Wall Street opens lower after jobless data
Url Post: http://www.news.fluser.com/wall-street-opens-lower-after-jobless-data/
Link To Post : Wall Street opens lower after jobless data
Rating:
100%

based on 99998 ratings.
5 user reviews.
Author: Fluser SeoLink
Thanks for visiting the blog, If any criticism and suggestions please leave a comment

Read More..

Plump Engineering Turns Safe Transport of Massive High-Profile Objects Into Science

ANAHEIM, CA–(Marketwire – Feb 21, 2013) – Recent high-profile transportation projects have increased awareness around the science of moving massive objects and more specifically Plump Engineering, a fully integrated architecture and engineering firm specializing in transporting heavy objects through urban environments. Currently, Plump Engineering is working with the Chevron El Segundo Refinery to move six giant coke drums that measure 100 feet long and 28 feet across, and weigh more than 500,000 pounds.

In the last 12 months, Plump Engineering has demonstrated its experience through the successful moves of a 340-ton rock used in the “Levitated Mass” exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Space Shuttle Endeavour from LAX to the California Science Center. The firm has created a proven process for deciphering the best routes, shielding city infrastructure and limiting any impact on traffic or environments.

“Our engineering process begins with considering all possibilities to ensure the safe journey of any massive object regardless of size and weight,” said Richard Plump, principal of Plump Engineering. “At this stage, we have this transportation process down to a science; however, with the coke drum project, moving six gigantic objects verses one required special planning and a detailed, time-sensitive schedule.”

For Chevron, Plump Engineering implemented a comprehensive suite of engineering services to protect roadways along the Pacific Coast Highway and Sepulveda Boulevard, preventing damage to sewer/storm drain systems, protecting all underground utilities, and safeguarding above-ground wires and traffic signals. This process requires extensive planning and exploration to meet transportation standards.

“We worked with state, county and local municipalities to ensure the safe movement of the coke drums and minimize the impact on local businesses and residents,” said Steve Wicklund, project manager with Plump Engineering. “Our relevant experience in transporting the Space Shuttle Endeavour last year helped us to create a detailed logistics and transportation plan for this project.”

As part of the transportation process, Plump Engineering continually measures infrastructure along the entire route as the drums are moved during the overnight hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. on special transporters. Limited road closures will take place along the route beginning February 20, and continuing through the next two consecutive Wednesdays on February 27 and March 6. These coke drums, which were manufactured in Spain, will replace current models in the Chevron refinery’s coker unit, where materials like gasoline, diesel and jet fuel are derived from crude oil.

“There is a lot of complexity involved in preparing and conducting a move of this scale,” said Plump. “Addressing the myriad of potential above-and-beyond complications is what we do, and transporting massive objects will continue to be a signature service for our firm.”

About Plump Engineering, Inc. 
Plump Engineering, Inc. is a fully integrated architectural and engineering firm providing a comprehensive range of services including due diligence, site investigation and analysis; planning and schematic design; entitlements and processing; construction documents; permitting and expediting; and program management. Through project integration, Plump Engineering, Inc. provides streamlined approvals, accelerated schedules, team collaboration, cost management and reduced risk.

Marketwire News Archive – Yahoo! Finance

Read More..

Top detective appointed new Pistorius investigator

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — South Africa's top detective was appointed lead investigator in the Oscar Pistorius case Thursday, replacing a veteran policeman who was charged with attempted murder in the latest shock development to hit a case being watched closely by the nation.

National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega promised that a team of "highly skilled and experienced" officers would investigate the killing of Pistorius' 29-year-old girlfriend. Pistorius, 26, has been charged with premeditated murder in the case.

The decision to put police Lt. Gen. Vinesh Moonoo in charge came soon after word emerged that the initial chief investigator, Hilton Botha, is facing attempted murder charges, and a day after he offered testimony damaging to the prosecution in Pistorius' bail hearing.

Pistorius, an Olympic runner whose lower legs were amputated when he was less than a year old, killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the predawn hours of Valentine's Day. He claims he mistook her for an intruder when he shot her through a locked door in a bathroom in his home. Prosecutors say the shooting happened after the couple got into an argument and allege the killing was deliberate, carried out with no mercy.

Botha acknowledged Wednesday in court that nothing in Pistorius' version of the fatal shooting of Steenkamp contradicted what police had discovered, even though there have been some discrepancies. Botha also said that police had left a 9 mm slug in the toilet and had lost track of allegedly illegal ammunition found in Pistorius' home.

"This matter shall receive attention at the national level," Phiyega told reporters soon after the end of proceedings in the third day of Pistorius' bail hearing. The case has riveted South Africa and much of the world and has placed the country's judicial system under close scrutiny.

Bulewa Makeke, spokeswoman for South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority, said the attempted murder charges had been reinstated against Botha on Feb. 4. Police say they found out about it after Botha testified in Pistorius' bail hearing Wednesday.

Botha and two other police officers had seven counts of attempted murder reinstated against them in relation to a 2011 shooting incident. Botha and his two colleagues allegedly fired shots at a minibus they were trying to stop.

Asked about Botha's court performance and handling of the investigation, Phiyega said South Africa's police force "can stand on its own" compared to others around the world.

Makeke, the spokeswoman for the national prosecution office, had said before Botha was dismissed from the Pistorius case that he should be taken off, but added that it was up to the police force to make that decision.

Makeke indicated the charges were reinstated against Botha because more evidence had been gathered. She said the charge against Botha was initially dropped "because there was not enough evidence at the time."

Pistorius' main sponsor Nike, meanwhile, suspended its contract with the multiple Paralympic champion, following eyewear manufacturer Oakley's decision to suspend its sponsorship. Nike said in a brief statement on its website: "We believe Oscar Pistorius should be afforded due process and we will continue to monitor the situation closely."

The judge is still trying to decide whether to grant Pistorius bail, and under what conditions.

During Thursday's bail hearing, Chief Magistrate Desmond Nair asked the defense of Pistorius' bail application: "Do you think there will be some level of shock if the accused is released?"

Defense lawyer Barry Roux responded: "I think there will be a level of shock in this country if he is not released."

Opposing bail, prosecutor Gerrie Nel painted a picture of a man "willing and ready to fire and kill," and said signs of remorse from Pistorius do not mean that the athlete didn't intend to kill his girlfriend.

"Even if you plan a murder, you plan a murder and shoot. If you fire the shot, you have remorse. Remorse might kick in immediately," Nel said.

As Nel summed up the prosecution's case opposing bail, Pistorius began to weep in the crowded courtroom, leading his brother, Carl Pistorius, to reach out and touch his back.

"He (Pistorius) wants to continue with his life like this never happened," Nel went on, prompting Pistorius, who was crying softly, to shake his head. "The reason you fire four shots is to kill," Nel persisted.

Earlier Thursday, Nair questioned Botha over delays in processing records from phones found in Pistorius' house following the killing of Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model and budding reality TV contestant.

"It seems to me like there was a lack of urgency," Nair said as the efficiency of the police investigation was questioned.

Botha is himself to appear in court in May to face seven counts of attempted murder. Botha was dropped from the case but not suspended from the police force, Phiyega said, and could still be called by defense lawyers at trial.

Pisatorius' behavior Thursday reflected the change of mood in the courtroom as his defense lawyers attacked police procedures and maintained his innocence.

Pistorius, in the same gray suit, blue shirt and gray tie combination he has worn throughout the bail hearing, stood ramrod straight in the dock, then sat calmly looking at his hands. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the athlete had been slumped over and sobbing uncontrollably at times as detail was read out of how Steenkamp died in his house.

"The poor quality of the evidence offered by investigative officer Botha exposed the disastrous shortcomings of the state's case," Roux said Thursday. "We cannot sit back and take comfort that he is telling the truth."

Roux also raised issue of intent, saying the killing was not "pre-planned" and referred to a "loving relationship" between the two.

He said an autopsy showed that Steenkamp's bladder was empty, suggesting she had gone to use the toilet as Pistorius had claimed. Prosecutors claim Steenkamp had fled to the toilet to avoid an enraged Pistorius.

"The known forensics is consistent" with Pistorius' statement, Roux said, asking that bail restrictions be eased for Pistorius.

But the prosecutor said Pistorius hadn't given guarantees to the court that he wouldn't leave the country if he was facing a life sentence. Nel also stressed that Pistorius shouldn't be given special treatment.

"I am Oscar Pistorius. I am a world-renowned athlete. Is that a special circumstance? No." Nel said. "His version (of the killing) is improbable."

Nel said the court should focus on the "murder of the defenseless woman."

Botha testified Thursday that he had investigated a 2009 complaint against Pistorius by a woman who claimed the athlete had assaulted her. He said that Pistorius had not hurt her and that the woman had actually injured herself when she kicked a door at Pistorius' home.

The hearing is to continue Friday morning.

___

AP Sports Writer Gerald Imray contributed to this report from Johannesburg.

Read More..

Lawrence, Chastain, Riva in Oscar battle of youth versus experience

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A young widow, a bayou girl, an elderly woman, a mother and a CIA agent battle it out on Sunday for the Best Actress Oscar, a race that includes the youngest and oldest nominees in the category’s history.

Jennifer Lawrence of “Silver Linings Playbook,” 9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis from “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” 85-year-old star of “Amour” Emmanuelle Riva, “The Impossible” lead Naomi Watts and “Zero Dark Thirty’s” Jessica Chastain are competing for their first Academy Award.

“Any one of these five can win, it’s one of the most hotly contested races in recent memory,” Scott Feinberg, lead awards analyst for The Hollywood Reporter, told Reuters.

In the long movie campaign season, awards have been split between Lawrence, Chastain and Riva.

Lawrence, 22, who picked up her first Oscar nomination in 2011 for “Winter’s Bone,” was nominated for her portrayal of an endearing young widow in quirky comedy “Silver Linings Playbook.”

The actress won the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice awards in the comedy acting categories, and bested Chastain for the Screen Actors Guild trophy.

“Jennifer Lawrence fits the perfect profile of a winner. (The voters) love an ingenue at the peak of her career,” Tom O’Neil of awards website GoldDerby.com told Reuters.

“She is queen of popcorn pictures with ‘The Hunger Games’ franchise and she is delivering the kind of dramatic performance in ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ that merit her the ultimate crown,” he added.

Chastain, who landed her first Oscar nod for supporting actress for the 2011 film “The Help,” has picked up the Critics’ Choice Best Actress award, and the Golden Globe for drama actress.

Yet Chastain, 35, an early Oscar front-runner for her role as dogged CIA agent Maya in the Osama bin Laden manhunt thriller “Zero Dark Thirty,” has seen some of her support wane in the wake of criticism for the film’s portrayal of torture, and director Kathryn Bigelow’s omission from the Oscar director’s race.

The race between Chastain and Lawrence has been fueled by reports of a rivalry between the two, which Chastain was forced to deny through her Facebook page last week, calling Lawrence “utterly charming and a great talent.”

But with French actress Riva winning Best Actress at Britain’s version of the Oscars this month, the star of foreign-language entry “Amour” could pull off an upset.

AN OPEN RACE

At age 85, Riva is the oldest Best Actress nominee for her performance as a retired music teacher felled by a series of strokes in “Amour.” Many pundits believe this year is an opportune time to recognize the French actress for her five-decade film career.

“Riva may be helped by the fact that people want to do this now. They’re not going to put it off for her as they might for the other nominees, who are all considerably younger,” Feinberg said.

Chastain and Watts, 44, are nominated for playing characters based on real people. But Feinberg suggested that Watts, who plays a mother torn from her family by a tsunami in “The Impossible,” had another advantage.

“(Voters) like to see that kind of physical transformation and Naomi is playing a real person, which they think is a taller order … you need to provoke more than respect, you need to provoke awe or enthusiasm,” Feinberg said.

“The problem with Jessica Chastain, as good an actress as she is, the part is very cold. It’s hard for people to get excited about it,” he added.

O’Neil noted that the 5,800 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – a predominantly male, over 50s group of movie professionals who select the Oscar winners – often vote for younger, attractive actresses in a close contest.

That would give Lawrence or perhaps child star Wallis an edge.

Wallis was a surprise Oscar nominee for her first acting role in mythical drama “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” playing a defiant young girl in an impoverished Louisiana bayou community.

“Oscar voters love little girls,” O’Neil said, citing Tatum O’Neal and Anna Paquin who won in the supporting category when they were children.

“Just because she is an adorable 9-year-old does not mean we should dismiss her as a contender. Oscar voters have historically shown that they love to give big hugs to little girls,” O’Neil said.

(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; editing by Jill Serjeant and Stacey Joyce)

Movies News Headlines – Yahoo! News

Title Post: Lawrence, Chastain, Riva in Oscar battle of youth versus experience
Url Post: http://www.news.fluser.com/lawrence-chastain-riva-in-oscar-battle-of-youth-versus-experience/
Link To Post : Lawrence, Chastain, Riva in Oscar battle of youth versus experience
Rating:
100%

based on 99998 ratings.
5 user reviews.
Author: Fluser SeoLink
Thanks for visiting the blog, If any criticism and suggestions please leave a comment

Read More..