DRC Scheduled to Release Final Election Results
The Democratic Republic of Congo is scheduled to release the final results of last week's presidential election amid threats of violence from supporters of the top candidates.
The country's election commission was supposed to give the results on Tuesday, but announced a 48-hour delay.
Preliminary results from nearly 90 percent of polling places showed incumbent President Joseph Kabila was likely headed for re-election with almost 50 percent of the vote. His closest challenger, Etienne Tshisekedi had 33 percent.
The capital, Kinshasa, has been largely calm, but supporters of both men have hinted that violence could break out if their candidate is not named the winner.
Troops are on standby in case of unrest, while the United Nations, European Union and African Union have called on civilians and political figures to remain calm and avoid bloodshed.
Last week's balloting was only the second free election since the African nation was torn apart by several years of warfare that ended in 2003.
Voting was supposed to last for one day but stretched into three because of ballot shortages and scattered incidents of violence.
The delay in releasing results means Mr. Kabila has remained in office past the end of his term, which expired at midnight Tuesday.
Human Rights Watch says at least 18 people were killed in violence leading up to the vote.
Japanese Nuclear Plant Operator May Release More Contaminated Water
Officials at Japan's troubled Fukushima nuclear power plant said Thursday they are considering releasing more low-level radioactive water into the ocean.
Tokyo Electric Power Company warned that by March it may no longer have space to store the massive amount of water used to cool the damaged reactors at the plant.
TEPCO says it would only release the water after it is filtered to reduce levels of radioactive substances. The utility is also considering building more storage tanks to hold the radioactive water, but says it cannot do so indefinitely.
The plant operator already released tens of thousands of tons of contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean following the March disaster at the facility, which was crippled by a massive quake and ensuing tsunami.
The company says it is working to determine the environmental impact of releasing more waste water into the sea. A group representing Japanese fishermen is demanding that TEPCO scrap the idea.
Separately, TEPCO said on Monday that 45 tons of radioactive water has recently leaked from a purification device at the plant. Some of the water included the highly dangerous substance known as strontium, which is linked to bone cancer.
Beyoncé Knowles expects motherhood to be 'difficult'
The Halo singer is expecting her first child with husband Jay-Z and although she can't wait to welcome the new arrival to their family, Beyoncé admitted she is worried about getting on her child's nerves.
She told 20/20: "It's exciting! I know it's gonna be difficult at times. I know that, like my mother, I'm gonna get on my child's nerves [but] I'm just ready! I'm ready for the next chapter."
Beyoncé, 30, also revealed she has tried to control her pregnancy cravings because she is determined not to pile on the pounds.
She added: "I've been really conscious [about food]. I've been trying my best not to lose control.
"Because I've met so many people that say, 'My second baby, my third baby, I've learned my lesson.' So I haven't been going crazy. I know it's important that I don't lose myself."
Right time
The singer has previously spoken of how she feels it is the right time for her to have a baby now, as she has achieved so much in her music career.
She said: "My husband and I have been together for 10 years - all of my 20s - and I just feel like it's time and I'm very grateful that God has blessed me with the biggest gift any human being can have. I think because I've accomplished a lot of things for myself and I really know who I am, I didn't rush into anything. If it's any time, right now is the time, and I'm so happy."
HBO special on Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival... Showcases Brand Jamaica
The Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival has proven to be an important tool for marketing Jamaica throughout its 15-year history. The festival's ability to do this was further augmented this year with the premier of the HBO documentary special One Love: Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, which widened the festival's audience from the several thousand who attend annually to the over 300 million viewers of the cable network.
The One Love documentary eases aside the curtain of the spectacle and entertainment enjoyed at Jamaica Jazz and Blues and takes the audience behind the scenes, where it allows them to delve into the making of one of the Caribbean's premiere music events. One Love provides an acute lens through which to explore the Festival and is richly seasoned with glimpses of some of Jamaica's major tourist attractions.
Insightful documentary
One Love captures the sights, sounds and, most important, the good vibrations that are at the core of the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival - The Art of Music. The insightful documentary also presents slices of the country's history and its cultural strength. Additionally, with HBO's prominence in creating an in-depth look at some of the world's most popular music performances, the documentary cements the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival as an important music event on the international landscape.
One Love: Jamaica Jazz and Blues presents interviews with key planners and members of the audience, interspersed with performances from the stellar 2011 line-up. The documentary features interviews and snippets of performances by Maroon 5, Natalie Cole, Regina Belle, Diana King, Alison Hinds, Tarrus Riley and Air Supply. Additionally, along with performances from the stars of the 2011 festival, the documentary also presents previous performers at the Jamaica Jazz and Blues such as Gladys Night, Lionel Richie, and Jon Secada.
One Love explores the time, lengthy planning process and intense labour that goes into creating the high-calibre festival. The documentary also showcases the Festival's strength as a unique musical event that features various genres of music and celebrated artists from around the world. The Jamaica Jazz and Blues 2011 Festival was an excellent example of that diversity with its offering of jazz, reggae, R&B, adult contemporary, soul and soca. With the line-up already announced for 2012, patrons can expect the same at the upcoming instalment.
By snagging international performers from across the world each year, the Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival has played a major role in bringing visitors to the island, a role highlighted by One Love.
Walter Elmore, CEO of the Art of Music Productions, the producers of the festival, points out that Jamaica Jazz and Blues is deliberately designed to allow patrons to enjoy not just the great music at the festival, but also explore the numerous attractions that the island has to offer during the day. "The festival usually culminates by about 1:30 each night so that patrons can experience a great night of music and then they wake up the next day and enjoy the diverse and authentic experiences, amazing people, and wonderful attractions that the country has to offer," he said.
One Love also promotes this concept. Along with presenting the sights and sounds of the festival, the documentary treks across the breadth of the north coast and turns the lens on major attractions in Negril, Trelawny and St Ann. Ricks Café, Cool Runnings Water Park, the Green Grotto Caves and Mystic Mountains are some of the attractions that are showcased, highlighting the diversity of attractions that can be found on the island.
Significant achievement
More and more, film and television shows are proving themselves as important to the promotion of the tourism product. With viewership in over 23 countries, the promotion of Jamaica on an HBO special is a significant achievement, which was engineered through the partnership between HBO and the telecommunications company Flow.
Indeed, through the celebrity interviews, One Love provides the rare opportunity of having major celebrities singing the island's praises, as they exalt the warmth of the people and the island. This, therefore, strengthens the festival's importance for packing guests into the hotels far beyond the period of the festival. John Lynch of the Jamaica Tourist Board remarks that the documentary presents an additional boost to the country's marketing initiatives.
"One Love presents the music and culture, the attractions and natural beauty that Jamaica offers and will, undoubtedly, stir the interest of viewers to come and experience Jamaica first hand," he said. "It provides tremendous exposure for the destination, and it is critical that we con-tinue to generate interest in the destination through innovative programmes."
The 2012 instalment of the much celebrated Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival - The Art of Music will once again take over The Greenfield Stadium, Trelawny, with three days of music and magic from January 26-28. This year's line-up includes Celine Dion, The Temptations, Kelly Rowland, Destra, Jully Black, and Nicole Henry.
Bounty Killer gets flak for Lollipop song
Bounty Killer's camp has described the negative comments being made about the song My Boy Lollipop as baseless.
My Boy Lollipop is a collaboration done with upcoming act Gabriel. Since the release of remake of the Millie Small original of the same name, critics in the local dancehall community have reportedly been making disparaging comments as it relates to Bounty Killer's role in a song alluding to 'lollipop'.
Alliance Next Generation Manager Cross Cris who spoke on Bounty Killer's behalf yesterday had strong words for detractors.
"It's just people who have that kind of mind think that way. It's the same way they bashed the song (Hey Baby) with Bounty Killer and No Doubt and it went double platinum. What critics are saying is baseless; it's obvious they haven't listened to the song," he said.
According to Cross Cris, the song is legendary material before the existence of dancehall, and the message is about appreciation and not sex.
"People have always referred to their spouse as sugar and so forth. This song does not say anything about tasting or nothing oral. As I said, it's baseless and Bounty Killer would tell yuh the same thing," he told THE STAR.
For her part, Gabriel in an interview with the STAR said she was annoyed by the negative behaviour of some of the local music subscribers.
"I don't think they listen to the song, and they are being closed minded and judgmental," she said.
Gabriel said critics have been questioning Bounty Killer's gangster image since the release of the single, however, she was the one who sang the lines alluding to Lollipop.
"If they listen to the song, they will realise that Bounty did not say anything about lollipop, I was the one who sang that part. Maybe is because they don't know me, because if it was somebody else I don't think it would have been a problem," she said.
Despite the local backlash, Gabriel claims that the song is doing exceptionally well abroad.
"The response internationally is awesome, people from Paris and Italy are requesting dubplates. Right now I have literally lost count of the amount of dubs I have done for the song since its release," she said.
The singer disclosed that Paris based sound system Hartical Sound played the song in a dance and streamed the response to her and it was amazing to see how the international audience reacted.
"It was just beautiful, they showed so much love and it's a shame It's not getting that love locally. It's like we locally are not welcome to difference," she said.
In the meantime, Gabriel is grateful for the Bounty Killer collaboration.
"Most people didn't know I was on the Overproof Rhythm with a song called Dance Floor. However, since this song made the breakthrough, people have begun to recognise that single as well. Right now, am getting bookings and dubplates from strange places, I'm happy Bounty killer did the song, he knows good music and he is smart. So people support and don't be negative," she said.
Alec Baldwin 'kicked off plane' over Words With Friends
Actor Alec Baldwin says he was kicked off a plane for playing a popular online game before the flight took off.
The 30 Rock star says he was asked to leave a Los Angeles-New York American Airlines flight for playing Words with Friends, a mobile word game.
Mr Baldwin quickly took to Twitter to complain, saying an attendant "reamed me out" for playing the game.
American Airlines replied to Mr Baldwin via Twitter, saying they would "look into" the incident.
Air passengers are regularly told to shut down smartphones, laptops and other electronic devices before take-off and landing.
There was no confirmation whether Mr Baldwin had refused an instruction to stop playing the game.
#theresalwaysunited
Another passenger on the flight, former MTV Networks chief Michael J Wolf, first revealed that the film and TV star was in trouble.
"On an AA flight at LAX. Alec Baldwin removed from the plane. We had to go back to the gate. Terrible that everyone had to wait."
It did not appear that Mr Wolf was removed for using his mobile phone.
An American Airlines spokesman declined to comment on Mr Baldwin's removal, citing customer privacy.
An apparently indignant Mr Baldwin tweeted that he might switch his allegiance to United Airlines, saying #theresalwaysunited, but soon confirmed he had boarded another American Airlines flight.
The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week.
NBA's shortened schedule released, features 42 back-to-back-to-backs
The Los Angeles Lakers will play games on the first three nights of the NBA season, the first of 42 back-to-back-to-back sets teams will face during this lockout-shortened season.
The NBA announced the compacted, 66-game schedule on Tuesday night, one that will require every team to play on three consecutive nights at least once. And it will force every team to navigate demanding stretches that are never seen during a full season, such as the nine games in 12 nights the Atlanta Hawks face starting with their Dec. 27 opener.
The league's 66th season begins with five games on Christmas, including the Lakers hosting the Chicago Bulls. Los Angeles then visits Sacramento the next night before returning home to host Utah on Dec. 27.
Teams will play 48 conference games and 18 against the opposing conference, meaning they play only three nonconference opponents home and away. The league did preserve its most storied rivalry, with the Lakers traveling to Boston for a Feb. 9 matchup before the Celtics open a stretch of eight road games in 13 nights in March with games on back-to-back nights at Staples Center.
Dallas and Miami also will play twice, following their Christmas NBA finals rematch with a March 12 game in Miami. The Heat and Lakers also play two games.
The 50-game 1999 season featured 64 sets of back-to-back-to-backs and was plagued by sloppy basketball being played on fatigued legs. The NBA faces a similar predicament now after failing to reach a new labor deal in time to save the Nov. 1 start to the season.
Instead, a tentative agreement was reached on Nov. 26. Lawyers for the owners and players are still finalizing the rest of the deal, with both sides expected to vote on it Thursday before training camps and free agency open on Friday.
Aging teams such as the Celtics, Lakers and NBA champion Mavericks will have to pace themselves, while younger teams such as Oklahoma City figure to be better prepared for the grind.
"You're not going to have those breaks of three or four days that you sometimes got in the old 82-game schedule, when it was the normal regular schedule," former NBA coach and current analyst Mike Fratello said during the schedule announcement on NBA TV. "Now with everything being compacted, games come that much more quickly, you've got to gear up back up again, you move onto the next one immediately."
The Denver Nuggets, hit hard by free agency with three of their players in China, face another difficult obstacle in the schedule. They play five games in six nights spanning the new year, including a home-and-home set with the Lakers on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
The Nuggets do not host Carmelo Anthony, whom they traded to the Knicks last February. Deron Williams, sent from Utah to New Jersey days later, is scheduled to return to Salt Lake City on Jan. 14.
Other quirks of the schedule include:
- Toronto plays a franchise-record 19 games in 31 days in January, including five games in six days from Jan. 9-14.
- Cleveland has its longest homestand ever, nine games from Feb. 8-28 - including a visit from LeBron James and the Heat on Feb. 17.
- Philadelphia plays its first five games on the road, its longest season-opening trip ever.
Miami will appear on ABC or ESPN 16 times, the most allowable, followed by 15 appearances apiece for the Lakers and Bulls. The Lakers and Celtics each appear a league-high 10 times on TNT.
The Nets' final game in New Jersey after 35 years before heading to Brooklyn will be April 23 against Philadelphia. The Kings could play their finale in Sacramento on April 26 against the Lakers without a plan for a new arena.
Source: sportsillustrated
Windies hope Bravo recovers
Batsman Darren Bravo is recovering from the hamstring injury that curtailed his innings in the last one-day international on Monday, but West Indies are continuing to sweat on his fitness for the fourth game starting here tomorrow.
The stylish left-hander, who has been a key player for the Windies on the current tour, was forced to retire hurt on 26 while engaged in a promising 55-run, third-wicket stand with Marlon Samuels (58).
Bravo was able to walk around freely yesterday, however, with no dis-comfort from the injury, but will test his fitness when he trains at the Holkar Cricket Stadium this afternoon.
Team officials are hoping that with almost two days before the next encounter begins, that Bravo will be able to suit up.
The 22-year-old, the younger brother of all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, has emerged as one of the leaders of the Windies batting, and scored a half-century in the opening game in Cuttack last week.
He was outstanding in the preceding Test series, scoring two brilliant centuries in his last four innings.
West Indies trail 1-2 in the five-match one-day series, after winning the last game Ahmedabad by 16 runs.
Pavelec stops 39, Little scores, Jets stop Bruins
Ondrej Pavelec made save after save, fending off the Boston Bruins .
When it was all over, he had stopped 39 shots, and Bryan Little scored to help the Winnipeg Jets beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 Tuesday night, ending Boston's 15-game 15 game stretch in which it earned 29 of a possible 30 points.
"We know if we're going to stick with the plan, if we're going to play the way we want, that we can beat everybody," Pavelec said.
The Jets (12-11-4) moved above the .500 mark for the first time this season, and have won six of their last seven home games.
Little scored 94 seconds after Shawn Thornton tied the game for Boston. He controlled the puck off a neutral-zone faceoff, went the length of the ice and beat Tuukka Rask to the glove side.
"It was the loudest I've ever heard the arena," Little said. "It was unbelievable."
The goal came just six seconds after David Krejci drove Jets defenseman Mark Stuart into the end boards from behind. Krejci and Zach Bogosian were in the penalty box for offsetting roughing minors after the hit, which left Stuart face down and motionless on the ice. He later returned to the game.
Jets coach Claude Noel chose not to comment on the hit, saying he would let the league decide whether it was dirty. The rest of his postgame comments consisted of nothing but praise for his players.
"We're getting a lot of good games from a lot of people," Noel said. "It was goaltending, defense and forwards. Just smart, responsible play."
Pavelec withstood a flurry of shots in the final minutes of the game to preserve the lead. Rask made 33 saves for the Bruins.
The Bruins tied the game three minutes into the third, when Jets forward Jason Jaffray turned the puck over in his own zone and Thornton tipped in a shot from a bad angle by Daniel Paille.
"It was one of those nights when they weren't going in," Thornton said. "We generated enough chances to probably win this game. The last month or so they've been going in. Tonight they didn't."
Boston was coming off a Monday night win in Pittsburgh, but Thornton refused to use the back-to-back games as an excuse.
"That's all mental as far as I'm concerned," he said. "I think it's pretty easy to get through as long as you're strong mentally."
Jets captain Andrew Ladd opened the scoring late in the first period with a perfect snap shot to the top corner from outside the left faceoff dot past Rask's blocker.
The Bruins had the better chances in a scoreless second period, but Pavelec made several acrobatic saves. The best of his 17 saves in the period came off Krejci as he slid across his crease to prevent the tying goal.
Each team failed on two power plays in the second period.
Thomas Hearns, first four-division champ, tops new Hall of Fame class
Thomas "Hitman'' Hearns, the first man to win titles in four divisions, tops a list of 13 people elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame and Museum.
Hearns, who won five titles altogether, compiled a 155-8 amateur record and was 61-5-1 with 48 knockouts as a pro.
Also selected were: Mark Johnson, a two-division champion; ring announcer Michael Buffer; trainer Freddie Roach; broadcaster Al Bernstein; and journalist Michael Katz.
Posthumous honorees include: Cocoa Kid, Newsboy Brown, Leo Houck, and Jake Kilrain in the old-timer category; promoters Hugh D. McIntosh and Rip Valenti in the non-participant category; and James Wharton in the pioneer category.
Inductees were selected by members of the Boxing Writers Association and a panel of international boxing historians.
Induction day is June 10, 2012.