K. Michelle, Mona Scott Win Lawsuit Over Memphitz
Mickey “Memphitz” Wright Jr. lost in a defamation battle against singer K. Michelle, Mona Scott-Young’s Monami Entertainment and VH1, where he says they falsely accused him of physical abuse and embezzlement on “Love and Hip-Hop.”
K. Michelle, real name Kimberly Michelle Pate, was his girlfriend and, on the show, she spoke at great lengths about abuse from an unnamed record executive. She also accused him of taking her money. While, Memphitz was never named on the show, the blogs and other media concluded it was him that they were talking about.
Memphitz own words may have been his undoing.
In depositions, he admitted to a physical confrontation with K. Michelle in a Memphis hotel in 2009 and acknowledged that he spent money from Jive Record’s budget for jewelry. He also sent text messages threatening to murder K. Michelle’s son.
The judgement details how Memphitz put a pillow over K Michelle’s mouth to quiet her and her feeling he was trying to kill her was justified.
To win the defamation case, Memphitz had to really prove that he’s not a public figure and that the allegations against him were false.
Neither Memphitz, Mona Scott-Young or K. Michelle had comment at the time of this writing.
Brown Preparing First Public Appearance Since Bobbi Kristina's Hospitalization
Bobby Brown is gearing up to make his first public appearance since his daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown was hospitalized. The former husband of the late Whitney Houston reportedly will treat audience to his songs at a food festival near Los Angeles on Saturday, April 11.
After Kristina was found face down and unconscious in a bathtub at her Rosewell home on January 31, the 46-year-old celeb was always on her bedside and never left her. However, on Friday, April 10, Brown decided to fly to Los Angeles to attend the Kinfolks Soul Food Festival near the city, a source told TMZ. At the food festival, the husband of Alicia Etheredge is scheduled to perform on Saturday night together with Salt-N-Pepa, Stephanie Mills and El DeBarge. Brown will also give a cooking demonstration in one of the vendor booths.
The news has been confirmed by Brown's wife. "We'll be there. We're excited. He's good. He's in great spirits," Etheredge said when reached by phone by Daily News on Friday.
Brown was scheduled to play three shows in Australia with Treach and DJ Kay Gee of Naughty By Nature at the end of March. He however postponed the tour until May. Considering his daughter's condition, he actually wanted to postpone the tour again but the promoter disagreed and held him to his contract obligation.
A source said that it was difficult for Brown to leave his ailing daughter. However, he decided to go since he believed that his departure would change nothing. "He [Brown] knows there's not much he can do for her here," the source said. "He [Brown]'s going to think of her the whole time, but knows nothing's going to change while he's away.
Source-Ace.Showbiz
Marvel and ABC Developing 'Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' Spin-Off
Marvel is going to expand its universe on ABC. The company is reportedly quietly developing a "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." spin-off for the network with "S.H.I.E.L.D." executive producer Jeffrey Bell shepherding the project.
Details of the potential new series are still scarce, but it is not expected to be introduced as a backdoor pilot. According to EW which first reported the news, the story may draw a line from plotline in the second season of the flagship series.
Deadline further reports that the spin-off may feature cast members from the mothership series, with Inhumans and Deathlok rumored to appear on the spin-off. Words are, ABC won't greenlight the project until the script comes in.
Should the network move forward with the spin-off, it could arrive as soon as this fall, or in midseason next year, with "S.H.I.E.L.D." co-executive producer Paul Zbyszewski expected to serve as showrunner.
Neither Marvel nor ABC has commented on the news.
Source-Ace.Showbiz
Andy Murray marries girlfriend Kim Sears
Tennis star Andy Murray has married his long-term girlfriend Kim Sears in a ceremony in his hometown.
A white wedding car brought Ms Sears to the back of Dunblane Cathedral, out of sight of the media and well-wishers.
The couple, both 27, exchanged vows at the 12th Century cathedral before making their way to a small reception for family members and close friends.
Hundreds of the world's media captured the event which has sparked interest around the globe.
The Wimbledon and US Open-winning player was greeted by a huge cheer from the gathered crowd as he entered the venue with his brother Jamie.
He sported a blue and green kilt while Sussex-born Ms Sears wore an embroidered white gown with three-quarter-length sleeves and a long veil.
Murray's divorced parents Judy and William, his grandparents Shirley and Roy Erskine and former British tennis number one Tim Henman and his wife Lucy were among the guests.
Guests lined the path from the cathedral doors and bells rang as the couple left the church and were showered with confetti.
The bride was accompanied by four bridesmaids in long pink gowns.
The couple left the wedding venue for the reception at Cromlix - which Murray bought in 2013 and converted into a luxury hotel - in a grey car decked with ribbons. They were cheered by crowds lining the streets.
Source-BBC
Samsung: S6 Edge curved screen is difficult to make
Samsung's new flagship mobile phones go on sale today but the company says it may struggle to meet demand for its S6 Edge model.
Although Samsung predicts greater interest in its more conventionally designed S6 model, it is worried about the time it takes to manufacturer components for the distinctive wrap-around touch screen on the S6 Edge.
Experts say it could lead to consumers having to order and then wait for the model, and delay any fall in its price.
Samsung faces strong competition from Apple at the high-end of the market while much cheaper smart phones made in China challenge its position at lower price points.
Mobile analyst, Thomas Husson at Forrester told the BBC: "They [Samsung] will have a serious issue if the shortage is due to the difficulty of producing the curved screen.
"Samsung must succeed in the launch of these new flagship phones to regain leadership in the high-end segment. They have a window of opportunity until the new iPhone comes out. The product and design is great - but [it] lacks service differentiation."
A Samsung UK spokesperson told the BBC the company was "working hard" to fulfil pre-orders and sales "as soon as possible".
Source-BBC
ECCB Upgrades Security Thread for Banknotes
As part of its thrust to maintain the integrity and security of the EC currency, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) has upgraded the security thread on all banknotes, with the exception of the $5.00 banknote.
The update to the security thread in the notes is in keeping with the advancement in technology to prevent counterfeiting.
The new security thread therefore makes it much more difficult for counterfeiters and makes it easier for persons to detect counterfeit notes.
The thread also has built-in machine readability and will not affect cash machines such as ATMs, counting and vending machines.
Below average 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season predicted
The Caribbean Region can breathe a little easier as we approach the 2015 Atlantic Hurricane Season.
The Hurricane Season starts on June 1 and ends on November 30.
The 2015 predictions released on April 9 by Drs. William Gray and Phillip Klotzbach indicates that we can expect a below average season with seven (7) named storms, three (3) Hurricanes and one (1) major Hurricane of Categories 3, 4 or 5.
The release from the renowned scientists states, “We anticipate that the 2015 Atlantic basin hurricane season will be one of the least active seasons since the middle of the 20th century”.
It continued, “It appears quite likely that an El Niño of at least moderate strength will develop this summer and fall and the tropical and subtropical Atlantic are also quite cool at present”.
According to the Gray/Klotzbach prediction, we can anticipate a below-average probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the United States coastline and in the Caribbean.
Despite the forecast for below-average activity, residents are reminded that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them.
Residents are therefore advised to prepare the same for every season, regardless of how much activity is predicted.
The 2015 Hurricane names are Ana, Bill, Claudette, Danny, Erika, Fred, Grace, Henri, Ida, Joaquin, Kate, Larry, Mindy, Nicholas, Odette, Peter, Rose, Sam, Teresa, Victor and Wanda.
The team did not release their predictions at the Hurricane Conference indicating that they wanted to factor in data obtained during the month of March in their analysis.
The 2015 Hurricane Conference can be described as having been very successful. The 2016 National Hurricane Conference will be held in the Florida city of Orlando in March.
By: Cecil P Shillingford Disaster Risk Management Specialist/Consultant
T&T robbery suspects caught on flight to Jamaica
One of the two women detained on Wednesday night at Piarco International Airport onboard a flight to Jamaica has admitted to removing a box containing cash shortly after Chinese businessman Hi Hong Huang was fatally shot outside his establishment in Curepe on Tuesday.
Speaking to the Express yesterday, police sources disclosed that both women had been questioned overnight and one of them admitted to removing the box from the scene.
However, sources were quick to clarify that this act was not necessarily a confession of joint enterprise into the incident which claimed the life of the 35-year-old businessman.
“With certain utterances, one would have to be careful and realise that while something may have happened within the same time frame as another incident, that does not necessarily mean that there is a direct link with the two. Now, one of the women said they took a box of money, but further inquiries will have to be conducted to establish direct links, or even joint enterprise,” explained a senior official close to the investigation.
The two women were detained at the airport on Wednesday night with a large sum of money that they could not properly account for.
They have since been questioned for any potential involvement in Huang’s murder.
Police also confirmed they had received information that two men who were involved in the incident were Jamaicans and it was believed that they had already fled this country on a flight earlier that day.
However, sources emphasised that information was not evidence and that further inquiries were taking place to corroborate the report.
Huang was shot just seconds after he arrived at his business place, Happiness Supermarket, along Southern Main Road, and died a short time later at Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope.
The incident, which was captured on CCTV cameras, showed Huang exiting his white panel van with a cardboard box, before he was attacked by one of the robbers, who attempted to get a hold of the box which contained a sum of money.
As both men struggled, another robber appeared before Huang was seen clutching his chest area and running into the supermarket.
The men escaped with some of the money, but the box, still containing a quantity of cash, was left behind.
Two women were then observed removing the box from the scene.
Source-Trinidad Express
Venezuela reiterates commitment to PetroCaribe
Venezuela has again restated its commitment to PetroCaribe, the Caracas’ oil initiative with several Latin American and Caribbean countries that sees them purchasing fuel on terms of preferential payment, with some of the funds going to social development programme in participating nations.
President of PetroCaribe and the ALBA Bank, Bernado Alvarez, restated the commitment to the initiative on Tuesday at the inauguration of a US$31.6 million 34,000-barrel fuel storage facility in Lowmans Bay, built with PetroCaribe funds.
The fuel depot will increase from 10 to 40 days the national storage of fuel for all purposes.
Alternately, the fuel can meet the country’s electricity generation needs for three months, triple the previous capacity.
Alvarez said that amidst “all this campaign against” PetroCaribe, Venezuela, and its president, Nicolas Maduro, the depot “is the proof that PetroCaribe is here to stay, and, as President Maduro said recently, to expand and we wish PetroCaribe the best future”.
There have been concerns about whether PetroCaribe will continue amidst growing economic strain in Venezuela that some observers have blamed on poor fiscal policy, while other have claimed an attempt to undermine the Maduro administration.
Alvarez noted PetroCaribe’s objectives: energy security, social and economic development, and regional integration.
“As you see, we have done a lot and we have a huge task ahead,” he said of the initiative, which will be a decade old in June.
“… and if you see what we have done and you see the challenges ahead, there is a bright future for us. It is the right moment to enhance, to support PetroCaribe. And for that, I think we have to thank first, the vision of President Chavez, second the vision of PM Ralph [Gonsalves], and of course, the persistence, the hard work, the patience of all of us that have been involved in the project,” he said.
Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves and Vice President of Venezuela Jorge Arreaza also attended the event.
“PM we are here, vice President, we are here, we are happy to be inaugurating this plant, this is a much more strong PetroCaribe for St Vincent and the Grenadines, for the Hemisphere, for the Eastern Caribbean countries, and for regional integration,” Alvarez said.
He lauded the name of the fuel depot – The Hugo Chavez Fuel Storage and Distribution Plant, as the best name for the facility.
“We are here because of his (Chavez’s) vision and his persistence. And, in a way, PM, we are starting over, because the whole idea of the PetroCaribe agreement at the beginning was to give countries energy security. And part of the energy security was to have its own capabilities in storage. And this is what we are achieving today.
“So, in a way, PM, we can say we are starting over,” Alvarez said.
PetroCaribe was started under the presidency of Chavez, who died in March 2013.
Obama and Castro Meets
U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro have begun a highly anticipated meeting on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas.
The two met shortly after their back-to-back speeches to leaders at the regional summit, which opened Friday.
In his address, Castro delved into a long, impassioned history of Cuban grievances against the United States, but stopped to apologize to the U.S. leader, calling him an "honest man" and absolving him of responsibility for the longstanding U.S. embargo on Cuba and other actions taken under previous administrations.
I have told President Obama myself that I am very emotional when I talk about the revolution," he said. "I apologize because President Obama had no responsibility for this."
The two leaders' informal meeting is the first since Obama announced in December his intention to normalize relations with Havana. There has been no face-to-face discussion between the two countries' top leaders in more than five decades.
In their speeches earlier Saturday, the U.S. and Cuban presidents both indicated a willingness to open a new chapter to end more than 50 years of icy relations.
Obama said he is focused on the future and is not, in his words, caught up in ideology.
"The Cold War has been over for a long time and I’m not interested in having battles that, frankly, started before I was born," he said.
Obama said he has called on the U.S. Congress to begin work to end the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, a move Castro welcomed.
The Cuban president spoke for 48 minutes, much of that time delivering a stinging indictment of what he said was U.S. intervention in the island nation and the rest of Latin America.
But he praised Obama’s efforts to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, which he said should have never included his country.
The terrorists, Castro said, are those like the C.I.A. operative who participated in the capture and interrogation of executed leftist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who died in 1967 in Bolivia in a failed attempt to lead a guerrilla uprising.
Addressing the regional gathering of leaders just before Castro, Obama said re-establishing diplomatic ties with Cuba would enhance opportunities for the island nation, the United States and beyond.
"This shift in U.S. policy represents a turning point for our entire region," he said.
Appealing to other Latin American leaders, Castro said "we have to continue striving and supporting President Obama in his intentions to remove the blockade."
The Cuban leader said he welcomes as "a positive step" Obama's announcement that he soon will decide whether to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, which also includes Iran, Sudan and Syria.
There is speculation that move could come within hours, when the two leaders meet. Cuba's demand to be taken off the list has been an obstacle in negotiations on restoring diplomatic ties.
As the two-day summit opened Friday evening, Obama and Castro shook hands, a gesture widely seen as symbolic of their effort to bury decades of animosity.
It has been two years since their first handshake at the memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela.
Some information for this report was provided by the Associated Press and Reuters.