24 Hour Crime Recap
During the past twenty-four hours Police in Providenciales have responded to three (3) reports of a serious nature, namely two (2) Burglaries –Blue Hills and one (1) Attempted Burglary – Turtle Cove.
During the said period one male was arrested for Possession of Ammunition and Possession of Cannabis.
Here in Grand Turk during the same period, Police in Grand Turk responded to one (1) report of serious nature namely Theft-Church Folly.
However the Police did not state the seriousness if theft.
Lady Gaga fans hit by hack on Twitter and Facebook
Singer Lady Gaga has been the victim of a targeted attack on her Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Multiple messages, seemingly from the singer, offered "free iPad2's to each one of you".
Attached links directed more than 100,000 of her followers to a site requesting personal details, possibly as part of a phishing scam.
The 25-year-old, Twitter's most followed user, later tweeted: "Phew. The hacking is over!"
Her Facebook page, which is "liked" by more than 45 million fans, had earlier posted the message: "Lady Gaga's new iPad comes out in 3 days!
"So for the next 72 hours we will be hosting a massive giveaway to all the Mother Monster fans. Sign up and receive your special Lady Gaga edition iPad in time for the Holidays! For contest rules and registration visit the link below."
This was followed later by a tweet saying: "Monsters, I'm giving away FREE ipad2's to each one of you in the spirit of the holidays :)"
The singer often refers to her fans as "monsters", suggesting the hack was specifically targeted at the singer - rather than a more general phishing attack often seen on social networking sites.
Personal data
Phishing attacks typically trick users into believing they are signing in to a legitimate website, but instead illegally gather personal data which can then be used to gain access to private accounts such as email and banking.
The offending messages have now been removed, but web statistics show more than 100,000 of her fans followed the links.
The Grammy award winner's management would not comment on the attack.
Security researcher Graham Cluley noted that other artists, such as Nelly Furtado and Maroon 5, seemed to have come under similar targeting.
"It is, of course, particularly important that the administrators of popular Facebook pages - which can have many millions of fans - take security seriously to minimise the possibilities of passing a scam on," Mr Cluley wrote.
"If nothing else, it's not terribly good for the brand to annoy your fans or to put them at risk."
Taylor Swift's CoverGirl ad pulled
We never thought Taylor Swift could be controversial, but according to E! News, the singer’s ultra-glossy CoverGirl NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara ad has been yanked after it caught the attention of an ad industry watchdog group.
The offense? Excessive Photoshopping.
Procter & Gamble voluntarily pulled Taylor’s mascara print spot when it was flagged by the industry’s self-regulatory group, The National Advertising Division.
NAD was pleased with P&G’s response, and issued a statement saying "it has determined that the Procter & Gamble Company acted properly in discontinuing superior performance claims made in print advertising by the company for its CoverGirl NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara."
The group had questioned P&G about claims that the mascara, as shown in the ad, has two times more volume vs. bare lashes and is 20 percent lighter than the most expensive mascara.
Additionally, NAD didn’t appreciate the ad’s "implied messages" that buyers "would get lashes like those depicted in the advertisement and that the lashes depicted in the photograph were achieved solely by using [the mascara]…without post-production enhancement."
P&G/CoverGirl rep Brent Miller explains the pull to CNN: “Our scientists work very closely with our advertising teams to ensure that benefits are accurately portrayed, and P&G’s policy is to feature visuals and claims that accurately reflect these benefits. As soon as we were aware that the NAD had concerns, we voluntarily discontinued the advertising – a move that the NAD itself regarded as entirely proper.”
CNN
US boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr jailed for domestic abuse
US boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr has been jailed for 90 days by a Las Vegas court after pleading guilty to assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Josie Harris, in 2010.
He was also ordered to pay a fine of $2,500 (£1,600) and complete 100 hours of community service.
Mayweather, 34, agreed to a plea deal, meaning he will not have to answer felony charges of beating Ms Harris and threatening two of their children.
Prosecutors said Mayweather's history meant jail time was appropriate.
"He just continually gets himself into trouble and he is able to get himself out of it as well," Prosecutor Lisa Luzaich told Judge Melissa Saragosa.
"Essentially it is because he is who he is and is able to get away with everything. The only thing that's going to get this man's attention is incarceration."
The judge said she decided to jail Mayweather after he admitted hitting Ms Harris and twisting her arm. Ms Saragosa, citing a police report, said that two of the former couple's children, ages 9 and 10, also witnessed the attack, in which Mayweather threatened to make Ms Harris "disappear".
Pacquiao bout
Mayweather has been told to report to jail on 6 January.
He is facing another court appearance next week on charges of assaulting a security guard outside his home in November 2010 in an argument over parking tickets. He is expected to plead no contest.
Ms Luzaich cited previous assault arrests, two in which Mayweather either paid fines or was required to complete community service, saying fines were of no consequence to the boxer.
Mayweather earned $25m for the fight than won him a World Boxing Council welterweight belt.
His lawyer, Karen Winckler, called Mayweather "a champion in many areas", including buying toys for children at Christmas and promising to donate $100,000 to breast cancer research by the end of the year.
Ms Winckler argued that a full community service sentence would be more productive.
His jail sentence means he will be released only two months before a major fight, likely to be against the Philippines' Manny Pacquiao, scheduled to take place on 5 May.
Kobe with torn wrist ligament; status for opener unclear
Kobe Bryant did not play in the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason finale against the Clippers on Wednesday night because of a torn ligament in his right wrist, and his status for the season opener on Christmas Day is up in the air.
A MRI revealed the extent of the injury, which occurred early in the in the third quarter of the Lakers' 114-95 loss to the Clippers on Monday night. Bryant was examined by Dr. Steven Shin of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic. Depending on the degree of the tear, he could be sidelined as long as three to four weeks.
"He's day-to-day. As soon as I figure it out, I will let you guys know," said coach Mike Brown, who took over this season after the retirement of Phil Jackson. "The doctor has to clear him. Guys will go through the year and get hurt, obviously. Sometimes they'll get hurt and can't play, sometimes they'll get hurt and still can play. It just depends on the situation. Come Sunday, we'll see how it is. There's a chance, though, that he could play Sunday."
Bryant, who shoots right-handed, was sent crashing to the floor by Clippers center DeAndre Jordan on a blocked layup and came up holding the wrist. He stayed in the game for another 3 minutes, then went to the bench for a good stretch and was allowed to return to the floor during the fourth quarter.
"I knew he landed on his wrist, but I was not aware that he was in significant pain," Brown said. "He did not tell me he was in pain, nor did our trainer (Gary Vitti) tell me he was in pain."
Bryant practiced Tuesday, but did not participate in Wednesday morning's shootaround. He did not talk to the media before the game and camped out in the trainer's room.
After Monday's game, when asked about the wrist, Bryant said it wasn't a problem. Brown's understanding was that his best player did not need surgery. Last season, Bryant played in all 82 games for the fourth time in his career. And with this season reduced to 66 games because of the 149-day lockout, every game without him is a bigger deal. But the NBA's sixth all-time leading scorer continually has demonstrated his ability to play through pain at a high level.
AP
Mexico disbands Veracruz-Boca del Rio police force
An entire municipal police force in Mexico has been disbanded as part of a campaign to root out corruption and improve security in the face of drug-related violence.
More than 900 officers in Veracruz-Boca del Rio are losing their jobs.
The Mexican navy is taking over responsibility for law enforcement.
The move comes three months after 35 bodies were found dumped on a main road in the municipality, which includes part of the city of Veracruz.
Navy troops backed by federal police officers took control of local police buildings and were patrolling the streets.
Veracruz state governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa said the decision to disband the force was part of a national programme to reform the police.
"All those who belong to the now defunct Veracruz-Boca del Rio force can join the police again once they have passed the tests of trustworthiness demanded by the national system of public security," he said.
He did not say how long the navy would be in charge of policing the municipality, which is home to around 600,000 people and includes wealthy residential districts and popular tourist areas.
Turf war
Hundreds of marines had already been deployed in Veracruz-Boca del Rio after 35 bodies were dumped on busy road in the middle of the day in September.
Two weeks later the navy found another 32 bodies in three different buildings.
The killings are thought to be the result of a battle for control of drug-trafficking routes between two of Mexico's most powerful drugs gangs - the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel.
The armed forces and federal police have taken over security in a growing number of municipalities across Mexico because local police have been unable to cope with the power of the drugs gangs.
Corruption and infiltration of the police by criminals are among the biggest challenges Mexico faces in its fight against the cartels, says the BBC's Ignacio de los Reyes in Mexico City.
As well as using troops to confront the gangs militarily, President Felipe Calderon has stressed the need to reform the police and judiciary as part of his strategy to restore public security.
More than 40,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since December 2006, when Mr Calderon began deploying the military to fight the gangs.
Mexico Maya begin 2012 'end of era' countdown
Indigenous Maya communities in southern Mexico have begun a year-long countdown to 21 December 2012, which will mark the end of a five-millenia cycle in the ancient Mayan calendar.
Some people have interpreted the prophecy as predicting the apocalypse.
But experts say it signifies the end of an era, not the end of the world.
Maya priests have been holding special religious ceremonies, and Mexican tourism officials are preparing for a surge in visitors to the region.
Mexico's tourism agency says it hopes to draw around 52 million visitors in 2012, with many heading to the Maya heartland in the southern states of Chiapas, Yucatan, Quintana Roo and Tabasco.
Powerful god
The Mayan civilisation, which reached its peak between 250 and 900AD, was fascinated by astronomy, mathematics and the cycles of time.
Its Long Count calendar began in 3114BC and moves forward in 394-year periods known as Baktuns.
The winter solstice in 2012 marks the end of the 13th Baktun, a date of special significance that reflects celestial alignments recognised by modern astronomers.
The idea that it could mean the end of the world - based on a Mayan text carved into a stone 1,300 years ago - has been spread on thousands of websites.
But archaeologists and Maya experts say the prophecy predicts the return to Earth of a powerful god and the start of a new era, not a global catastrophe.
They point out that other Maya prophecies refer to events far in the future.
This has not stopped the spread of millennial fears around the world.
Tourism officials are hoping that some of those who believe the end of the world is nigh will take the opportunity to visit the Maya region before it is too late.
MF Global's missing $700 million could be in UK
The bankruptcy court trustee in the MF Global case has identified $700 million in U.S. customer funds that were sent to the United Kingdom before the collapse of the commodities and futures trader.
But while the trustee said he would be trying to get the money back from the British authorities, he warned MF Global (MFGLQ) customers that getting that money will be a difficult and drawn-out process.
James Giddens, the trustee appointed to try to recover assets in the bankruptcy case said in a statement Wednesday that the funds are under the control of foreign bankruptcy trustees and administrators.
"We have been and will continue to pursue these assets vigorously, but recovery may be more uncertain and may take more time," he said.
The $700 million is included in Giddens' estimate of $1.2 billion in missing customers funds in the MF Global bankruptcy.
Executives of MF Global, including its former CEO Jon Corzine, have denied knowing what happened to the missing customer funds. To top of page
First Published: December 21, 2011: 4:25 PM ET
BofA settles unfair lending claims for $335 million
The Justice Department announced a $335 million settlement with Bank of America Wednesday over discriminatory lending practice at Countrywide Financial.
Attorney General Eric Holder said a federal probe found discrimination against at least 200,000 qualified African American and Latino borrowers from 2004 to 2008, during the height of the housing market boom. He said that minority borrowers who qualified for prime loans were steered into higher-interest-rate subprime loans.
Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for Justice's civil rights division, said most of the victims of the discrimination were not aware that they were improperly steered to the riskier mortgages.
"They were thrilled to have gotten the loan and to have realized the American dream," Perez said. "They had no idea they could have and should have gotten a better deal. This is discrimination with a smile."
He said the discriminatory practices went to the heart of the problem with subprime mortgages and the financial market meltdown they helped set in motion. These borrowers paid on average tens of thousands of dollars more in interest and were subject to pre-payment penalties.
He said while the discriminatory loans happened across the country, about 30% of the victims were in California, where Countrywide was based. About two-thirds of the victims were Latino.
Bank of America shares close below $5
"Countrywide's actions contributed to the housing crisis, hurt entire communities, and denied families access to the American dream," Perez said.
He said that money from the settlement will go to borrowers who were identified by the probe. Details about how they will be compensated are not yet available.
Shares of Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500), which closed below $5 for the first time since 2009 on Monday, rose about 1% to $5.21 after Wednesday's announcement.
Bank of America purchased leading mortgage lender Countrywide in 2008 for $4 billion, in a deal that made the bank the nation's No. 1 home loan lender at the time. The deal closed in July ahead of the meltdown in financial markets that fall.
Malaysia to liberalise foreign ownership of banks
Malaysia has announced plans to allow more foreign investment in the banking sector in a bid to boost economic growth.
It said the government will be more flexible in letting foreigners hold stakes in banks and will also issue banking licences to foreign firms.
Malaysia's central bank said the cap on foreign ownership will depend on the financial profile of the investor.
Foreign ownership of commercial banks in Malaysia is capped at 30% currently.
"The financial sector blueprint for the next 10 years reinforces the government's initiatives to drive Malaysia to become a fully developed nation," Prime Minister Najib Razak said.
"The financial system will have a key role in spurring new areas of growth, and facilitating our economic transformation," he added.
Malaysia has set a target of becoming a fully developed economy by 2020 and the financial sector is expected to play a key role in helping it to achieve that.
The sector is expected to grow at an annual rate of between 8% to 11% in the current decade.
In an attempt to expand the sector, authorities have already granted licences to some foreign banks, including BNP Paribas and National Bank of Abu Dhabi, to operate in the country.
Analysts said that changes to the ownership rules will help boost growth even further.
"These moves, when they materialise, would definitely attract foreign investments into Malaysia," said Gundy Cahyadi, of OCBC Bank.
"This could be taken as another step towards more liberalisation, and definitely a positive twist to the country's longer term growth."
Islamic finance
One of the fastest growing areas in Malaysia's banking sector is Islamic finance. Overseas investors are currently allowed to hold up to a 70% stake in Islamic and investment banks.
The central bank said it is planning to introduce new products and also offer new Islamic banking licences to help sustain the growth momentum.
However, analysts said, despite the growing demand for Islamic finance, foreign banks may find it difficult to penetrate the market.
"Foreign institutions will want to get into the sector, but they are likely to face tough competition from the already-established domestic players, even with a level playing field," Peter Hoflich, of The Asian Banker consultancy and research group, told the BBC.
"The Malaysian banks are clear market leaders in the sector and I am not sure if the foreign banks can bring anything different to table for the clients," he added.