Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine sued over Beats/Monster headphone partnership
Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine are being sued by a former business partner who co-designed their Beats headphone range.
Noel Lee, whose firm Monster helped launch Beats by Dre in 2008, says his company was betrayed and its technology "pirated".
He alleges he "lost millions" after Dre and Iovine "improperly took control" of Beats through a "sham" transaction.
After severing ties with Monster, Beats was purchased by Apple for $3 billion (£1.9 billion).
In legal papers filed in California, Lee alleges rap producer Dr Dre was barely involved in creating the headphones that carried his name.
But the range quickly became a highly desirable brand with celebrities and music fans, and Dre's endorsement was key to its success.
When the firm was sold to mobile phone manufacturer HTC in 2012, Dre and Iovine made $100m (£66m) each, Forbes estimated.
But Lee claims the deal forced him to cut his share in the company from 5% to 1.25%. He says he then had no other option but to sell his remaining stake for $5.5m (£3.6m) near the end of 2013.
His legal case describes the HTC deal as "fraudulent" and "a sham" intended to shift ownership of Beats to Dre and Iovine.
HTC later sold its shares back to the Beats.
Lee says if he'd still had his 1.25% stake, he would have received more than $30m (£19.8m) in the Apple deal.
His original 5% stake would have been worth around $150m (£99m).
A statement from Monster's law firm Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy says that Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine "made millions off the work of Monster and Lee, while the plaintiffs lost millions".
There's been no response yet from Dr Dre's lawyer - or from Beats.
It's the second lawsuit against the firm since Apple bought it last year.
The first was brought by the Bose Corporation over patented technology for cancelling noise in earphones.
That case was settled under undisclosed terms in October.
Dr Dre and Jimmy Iovine are also being sued by David Hyman, who sold his music streaming service MOG to Beats in 2012.
That court case, filed shortly before the Apple deal was sealed, is taking place now in Los Angeles.
Jimmy Iovine is the co-founder of Interscope Records, a rap music pioneer that branched out to include acts like Lady Gaga and U2.
Source-BBC
Cuba ‘frees US-listed prisoners’
The Cuban government has released some of the 53 political prisoners on a US list, the state department has said.
Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington hoped to see all those on the list released soon but did not specify who was now free.
Signalling a historic shift, last month US President Barack Obama ordered his administration to start re-establishing normal relations with Cuba.
This month Cuban and US officials will meet in Havana.
“They have already released some prisoners… Obviously we would like to see this completed in the near future,” Ms Psaki said.
“This list is not to be seen as the end of our discussion on human rights with the government of Cuba.”
Critics of President Obama have raised concerns about human rights abuses in Cuba.
Senator Marco Rubio, a leading critic of the president on the Cuba question, called for the postponement of this month’s talks until political prisoners in Cuba are released.
Senator Rubio and other Cuban-Americans members of Congress have argued that Mr Obama’s change of policy could provide legitimacy and money for Havana while it still continues to violate human rights.
He said he and others would seek to slow or block moves towards normalising ties with Cuba.
The Congress is expected to hold hearings on President Obama’s Cuba policy in the first weeks of the new Congress, which was sworn in on Tuesday.
Source-BBC
Beyonce and Jay-Z Blasted for Taking Picture With a Baby Tiger
Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z's picture with a baby tiger angered a wildlife expert. Dr. Jan Schmidt-Burbach of the World Animal Protection blasted the power couple after a photo featuring them and their daughter Blue Ivy petting the animal during a family vacation in Thailand emerged online a few days ago.
In a statement, Dr. Jan Schmidt-Burbach of the World Animal Protection reminded the "Drunk in Love" collaborators that "a tiger is not a plaything. Their health and well-being should not be sacrificed for a photo opportunity."
Schmidt-Burbach went on accusing the duo of supporting "an industry that relies on animal cruelty." He continued, "Many tourists unwittingly contribute to the suffering of wild animals like these. They're simply not aware that their 'once in a lifetime' photo means a lifetime of misery for that animal."
He added that animals used by tourist in their photographs "are often crammed into tiny cages or chained to the floor for long periods. They are also forcibly removed from their mothers to be fed artificially by tourists. All in all a far cry from their natural lives in the wild. But this sordid side of tourism is conveniently hidden from public view."
Beyonce and Jay-Z's camp hasn't yet commented on Schmidt-Burbach's statement. The pair, along with their daughter, have been enjoying their holiday in Southeast Asia. Bey has been Instagramming pictures of her and her family visiting some famous spots in Thailand and Cambodia.
Source-AceShowbiz
12 dead in attack on Paris newspaper
Masked gunmen shouting "Allahu akbar!" stormed the Paris offices of a satirical newspaper Wednesday, killing 12 people before escaping. It was France's deadliest terror attack in at least two decades.
French President Francois Hollande called the attack on the Charlie Hebdo weekly, which has frequently drawn condemnation from Muslims, "a terrorist attack without a doubt" and said several other attacks have been thwarted in France "in recent weeks".
France raised its security alert to the highest level and reinforced security at houses of worship, stores, media offices and transportation. Top government officials were holding an emergency meeting and Hollande planned a nationally televised address in the evening.
A witness who works nearby, Benoit Bringer, told the iTele network he saw multiple masked men armed with automatic weapons at the newspaper's office in central Paris. The attackers went to the second floor and started firing indiscriminately in the newsroom, said Christophe DeLoire of Reporters Without Borders.
"This is the darkest day of the history of the French press," he said.
Luc Poignant, an official of the SBP police union, said the attackers left in a waiting car and later switched to another vehicle that had been stolen.
Paris prosecutor's spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre confirmed that 12 people were killed in the attack.
Video images on the website of public broadcaster France Televisions showed two gunmen in black at a crossroads who appeared to fire down one of the streets. A cry of "Allahu akbar!" — Arabic for "God is great"— could be heard among the gunshots.
The extremist Islamic State group has threatened to attack France and minutes before the attack Charlie Hebdo had tweeted a satirical cartoon of that extremist group's leader giving New Year's wishes. The cartoon entitled "Still No Attacks in France" had a caricature of an extremist fighter saying "Just wait — we have until the end of January to present our New Year's wishes".
Charlie Hebdo has been repeatedly threatened for its caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad and other controversial sketches. Its offices were firebombed in 2011 after a spoof issue featuring a caricature of the prophet on its cover. Nearly a year later, the publication again published crude Muhammad caricatures, drawing denunciations from around the Muslim world.
Wednesday's attack comes the same day of the release of a book by a celebrated French novelist depicting France's election of its first Muslim president. Hollande had been due to meet with the country's top religious officials later in the day.
Source-AP
The LaFerrari FXX K
Just when you thought Ferrari’s naming conventions were as weird as possible, say hello to a car that’s inseparable from innumerable vulgar jokes. The Ferrari LaFerrari FXX K represents the pinnacle of the automaker’s race engineering, insofar as “regular” owners are concerned. As with previous –XX cars, the FXX K is a track-only beast that will help Ferrari fine-tune its racing technology. But, unlike other models, the FXX K will pull at the very strings that comprise our four-dimensional universe, threatening to warp space-time in a way that we may never recover from.
Okay, maybe we’re going a bit over the top in that description, but seriously, the FXX K (K standing for “KERS,” which is an acronym to describe its hybrid powertrain) is one hell of a vehicle. Ferrari starts with a normal LaFerrari and turns everything beyond the “max” setting on whatever dial the automaker has in hand. Instead of 789 horsepower coming from the car’s V-12 engine, there are now 848 ponies on tap. The electric motor’s juice has been upped, as well, raising output from 160 horsepower to 187. That means the FXX K sports a net 1,035 horsepower.
That’s FXX K’ing ridiculous!! But it doesn’t end there..
A quick glance at the FXX K’s exterior lets you know that this car is built for some very serious applications. The front end is sharper and more aerodynamically aggressive, and the rear has a pair of winglets that look like they’ve been borrowed from a defunct NASA program. The standard road tires are ditched in favor of racing slicks, and 15-inch brake rotors hide behind the FXX K’s lightweight wheels. All that fancy bodywork contributes to a 50-percent increase in downforce, which is necessary when you’re pulling lateral-g numbers that might nauseate some greenhorn astronauts.
In order to keep its buyers from putting the FXX K into a wall, Ferrari also updated the electronic differential, traction control, anti-lock brakes, and SSC (Side Slip-Angle Control) with several threshold levels, which can be adjusted to suit the driver’s taste and experience level by turning a dial on the steering wheel.
The FXX K continues Ferrari’s rich tradition of using its best-heeled customers as test subjects for its racing program. Basically, Ferrari retains possession of the vehicle, and when it comes time to give the owner his or her car to drive on track, Ferrari will ship it to the track, along with an entire team of professionals, including engineers and mechanics. Owners don’t really own the car so much as have a professionally-prepped race team at the ready.
And, best of all, the FXX K only costs $30,000. Just kidding — it’s so expensive that Ferrari doesn’t even say the price. You probably can’t afford it. We definitely can’t afford it. Thankfully, the FXX K poster for your bedroom wall will only cost a small fraction of that number, whatever it is.
Source-Web2Carz
Weather for January 7th,2015
GENERAL SITUATION: A DIFFUSED FRONTAL BOUNDARY CONTINUES TO EXTEND ACROSS THE EXTREME NW BAHAMAS AND WILL REMAIN STALLED THROUGH TONIGHT.
FOR THE NW BAHAMAS
WEATHER: A MIX OF SUN AND CLOUDS AND WARM WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW SPOTTY SHOWERS TODAY. TURNING MILD TONIGHT WITH A BRIEF SHOWER OR TWO POSSIBLE.
WINDS: NE-E AT 10-15 KNOTS. FALLING LIGHT AND VARIABLE AT TIMES.
SEAS: 2-4 FEET.
FOR THE TCI
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY, WARM AND A BIT BREEZY ACROSS THE SE BAHAMAS WITH THE CHANCE OF A FEW PASSING SHOWERS TODAY. FAIR AND MILD TONIGHT.
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 10-15 KNOTS IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND NEAR 15 KNOTS IN THE SE BAHAMAS.
SEAS: 2-4 FEET IN THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 3-5 FEET IN THE SE BAHAMAS.
DAYTIME HIGH TEMP: 84°F 29°C OVERNIGHT LOW TEMP: 73°F 23°C
SUNSET: 5:35PM SUNRISE: 6:56AM WED. MOONRISE: 7:10PM
MOONSET: 8:24AM WED. LOW TIDE: 2:50PM HIGH TIDE: 8:41PM
LOW TIDE: 2:44AM WED. HIGH TIDE: 9:01AM WED.
EXTENDED FORECAST: A STRONGER REINFORCING COLD FRONT WILL PUSH INTO THE TCI & THE BAHAMAS LATE WEDNESDAY WITH STRONG HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING ACROSS THE ISLANDS IN I’TS WAKE.
Speech By the Hon. Attorney General on the Opening of the Supreme Court of the TCI
My Lady Chief Justice, Judges of the Supreme Court, distinguished guests, President of the Bar Council and Colleagues at the Bar, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am pleased to rise to move a motion for the opening of the Supreme Court for the 2015 session after a long abeyance in this practice. On this ceremonial occasion, it is perhaps timely to recall the origins of this event in the Middle Ages in the United Kingdom. For the legal fraternity, this traditional gathering commemorates the principles of defending access to justice and the rule of law. I commend My Lady Chief Justice for reintroducing the practice as such events “… reminds all of those actively involved within the legal system of the need to uphold these principles internationally, as well as at home, for the benefit of society.”
With your Ladyship’s leave I propose in moving the motion, to make a few observations by way of a brief retrospective on 2014 as well as a look at some of the work before us.
2014 can only be described as another daunting year for the legal profession in the Turks and Caicos Islands. A year in which there was more than the usual share of challenges. Fortunately we were more than able to rise to each challenge and to dispassionately and calmly meet matters head on.
My Ladies, 2014 was characterized by continued good work, co-operation and endeavour in a number of areas by stakeholders in the legal arena and significant further progress towards systemic improvements.
Access to Law – Work is almost completed on the current Law Revision which has a revision date of 31st December 2014 and is intended to be issued before the end of the first quarter of 2015. In this regard, the question of greater access to the laws of the Turks and Caicos Islands is being explored to provide a solution that would allow more ready access through the use of modern technology whilst at the same time maintain the integrity of the authorized versions of the Law which would be used in the Court room setting.
Legislation - I am pleased to report in a bid to give effect to the Government's Legislative Agenda, that the Legislative Drafting division had another very active year and with the cooperation and involvement of members of the legal profession, associations and the general public a number of important pieces of legislation were progressed. We are grateful for the assistance of all those who participated in the consultation process with respect to the very many pieces of legislation which were considered throughout the year, including legislation dealing with the better regulation of Not For Profit organizations.
The hardworking staff of the Legislative Drafting division consists of three drafters and one legislative systems administrator with a vacancy in one of the drafting positions. That small team produced 24 Ordinances and some 50 pieces of subsidiary legislation.
Of note:
1. The Abolition of Bearer Shares which was done by a December 2013 Ordinance which took effect in the first half of 2014.
2. Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance 2014 which provides for the implementation of the United Nations Convention respecting the suppression of the financing of terrorism and the United Nations Security Council resolution on terrorism and generally to make provision for preventing and combating terrorism. The Ordinance is modelled after the UK Terrorism Act 2000 and the Terrorism (Jersey) Law 2002.
3. Rehabilitation of Offenders Ordinance 2014 – provides for the rehabilitation of offenders who have not been reconvicted within the specified rehabilitation period. This is to ensure that people do not have lifelong blots on their records because of relatively minor offences in their past, which may impact negatively in such persons acquiring employment or other services. The intention of the Ordinance is to exclude any prejudice which may occur because of disclosures of person’s relatively minor past convictions or offences; and to aid the reintegration and resettlement of ex-offenders into employment by not requiring them or any other person to disclose or answer questions regarding their spent convictions.
4. Financial Intelligence Agency Ordinance 2014 – established an independent agency to assist in the detection, prevention and control of financial crimes; by receiving reports of suspicious transactions from financial institutions and other persons; analysing that information and disseminating it to law enforcement authorities and relevant bodies.
5. Invest Turks and Caicos Islands Agency 2014 – established the Invest Turks and Caicos Agency as a corporate body with legal personality to assist the Government in encouraging business and commercial development in the Islands.
6. Dormant Accounts Ordinance 2014 – makes provision for financial institutions to report dormant accounts to the Permanent Secretary, Finance and to transfer monies in accounts that have not been used for more than 7 years, called “dormant accounts” to the Government, subject to claims for repayment by the owners of the dormant accounts. Prior to the enactment of that Ordinance, all inactive accounts were managed by banks. The Ordinance was based largely on the Cayman Islands Dormant Accounts Law 2010 but consideration was also given to the BVI Dormant Accounts Act 2011 and the Republic of Ireland Dormant Accounts Act 2001.
Additionally, a heavy legislative drafting programme is being prepared for the year 2015 in order to give effect to the Government’s Legislative Agenda.
Some of the proposals to be implemented by legislative measures include-
1. New Domestic Insurance provisions
2. Trust law reform
3. Immigration law reform
4. Important criminal law and procedure reforms
5. An Employment Bill to repeal and replace the current law with substantial reforms
6. Small Medium Enterprise proposals to encourage local business
7. An Attorney General's Reference Bill to enable questions to be referred to the court
8. New and substantial anti Domestic Violence provisions
9. More elaborate provision to provide for the Maintenance of Children
10. Detailed Family Guardianship Custody and Access to Children provisions
11. Better provision for Child (Care and Adoption)
12. New provisions relating to Child and Juvenile Justice
As well as the completion of work on the long consulted new Legal Profession provisions to reform the law in this area to provide for better accountability and effectiveness in areas such as the training of local attorneys and continuous education generally, handling client accounts, requirements relating to good practice for insurance coverage, solvency and discipline.
International obligations – As for international obligations, during 2014 the Turks and Caicos Islands completed negotiations and signed a FATCA agreement with the United States of America, was a member of the early adopters group along with all of the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies following recent developments in the new international Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in Tax Matters. We saw the beginning of the National Risk Assessment of our financial services industry using the World Bank tool, which is a self-assessment ahead of the next round of peer assessments by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force. I wish to personally thank the members of the Bar and the private sector generally for their participation and ongoing commitment.
Crime – On the crime front, we note the continued extensive work of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Police in meeting the many challenging situations over the past year. In so doing I take this opportunity to thank the outgoing DPP JoAnn Meloche who has served the Islands with energy and determination during her tenure and has seen the progressive development of the Office of the DPP which may be her enduring legacy. Additionally, I wish to offer our sincere gratitude to the outgoing Commissioner of Police Colin Farquhar who has led the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force through the numerous challenges faced by them and the Islands during his tenure. At the same time, I welcome the incoming Commissioner James Smith to the post and extend to him our good wishes for a smooth transition.
I also take this opportunity to commend the DPP and the Commissioner and their respective teams of Officers for their strenuous efforts in fighting crime and overseeing law and order.
Administration of Justice – Turning now to the administration of justice, our gratitude goes out to the former Chief Justice Edwin Goldsbrough for his competent service to the Islands as head of the Judiciary. With the appointment of My Lady Chief Justice we have already begun to see the fruits of some of the energy referred to by His Excellency Governor Beckingham in his speech at the swearing in. Noting that a new Judge of the Supreme is shortly to arrive and other efforts at reforming the administration of the judiciary are already underway with plans to promote important law reforms, many of which coincide with areas of law reform already being considered. Other areas of welcome reform which are being considered include the publication of statistics and better financial management.
On the issue of facilities, we saw the opening of an additional and much needed courtroom on Providenciales, however, it is noted that the increasing reliance on video-conference or remote testimony, in both domestic as well as mutual assistance in criminal matters cases, would be greatly hampered if these facilities were not of an acceptable standard or were not well maintained. My Lady, the Government is committed to ensuring the proper resourcing of the courts and it is hoped that improvements in this area will shortly be realized.
The volume of civil and commercial litigation has markedly increased and important work on establishing an accessible repository of judicial decisions which would be greatly assist civil and commercial litigators needs the support of the bar to succeed. All levels of the Courts have been incredibly busy and notwithstanding some challenges, it is obvious that the judiciary has worked assiduously during 2014 and has accomplished much.
Personnel side – My Ladies, I am pleased to say that two additional civil/commercial attorneys and one additional drafter are due to be hired within my Chambers in the first quarter of 2015. I am equally pleased to announce that Mrs. Wynante Adrien-Roberts has today taken up her position as Deputy Attorney General following the February 2014 vacancy. Mrs. Adrien-Roberts is a thoroughly qualified and experienced attorney having been solicitor general in Dominica for many years before moving to the private bar. Mrs. Adrien-Roberts will focus on training and development within my Chambers and will undoubtedly be an asset to my already stellar team.
We recognize that while change is underway in some areas, there are still steps which need to be taken towards full implementation of others in 2015. The challenges of dispensing justice are numerous and supporting each other is our strength. Together we ought to stand up in our various roles as the judiciary, the legal service and the private bar and make a difference.
My Ladies there remains only for me to reiterate the continued commitment of the Government in ensuring the required resources for the smooth administration of Justice, and of my Chambers to providing quality service and our assistance in whatever way we can to facilitate the efficient conduct of the business of these Courts, valuing the independence of the Judiciary as a corner stone to the rule of law and in moving the motion for the opening of the Supreme Court 2015 to wish for your Ladyships, Magistrates, Court Staff, and all here present, a prosperous and productive New Year.
I now formally move the motion for the opening of the Turks and Caicos Islands Supreme Court for the year 2015. May it so please you my Ladies.
Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles, OBE
Hon. Attorney General
5th January 2015
No Ebola case in Haiti, says acting PM
Health officials have dismissed reports that a case of Ebola has been detected in the country.
On Saturday, Dr Florence D Guillaume, minister of public health, told the Haitian Caribbean News Network that the reports of an Ebola case being detected in the vicinity of Petite Riviere de l'Artibonite, in the northern region of the country were totally false.
"There are ill-intentioned people spreading such rumours," said Guillaume, the acting prime minister
According to Guillaume, the depoliticisation of the health sector was "an essential principle for the restoration of trust and confidence in the response to provide to individuals who require care and services for prevention, maintaining or the restoration of their health in case of illness".
The Ministry of Health has, meanwhile, called on the population "to remain calm and to respect all disclosed prevention regulations while making the duty, if any were needed, to reassure everyone of the effectiveness of the vigilance system in place to reduce significantly the risk of contamination of our country".
Ebola is an infectious and generally fatal disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact with infected body fluids.
There is no known cure for the Ebola virus which has killed more than 7,000 people, mainly in West Africa.
Former T&T National Security Minister drowns
Former national security minister Martin Joseph drowned Monday while bathing on a beach here, police have confirmed.
However the police said they were not releasing any details as yet regarding the death of Joseph, who served as cabinet minister in the Patrick Manning government from 2001.
“I just got information that the body has been recovered and in fact it is the case he has indeed drowned earlier this morning and of course everybody is in shock and traumatised,” said the Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Orville London.
London, a deputy leader of the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) speaking on radio, said that Joseph, in his late 60's who served as parliamentary representative for the St Ann's East Constituency from 1995-2002 and was appointed Minister of National Security in November 2003, was holidaying with a friend and was not on party business.
Joseph, who held a Masters Degree in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, in the United States, also graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Regional Science from the George Washington University, Washington DC and held an Associate Degree in Marine Sciences, University of the District of Columbia, Washington DC.
He was also a lecturer in Strategic Management at the Institute of Business of the University of the West Indies.
Source-CMC
President Danilo Medina to visit Puerto Rico next week
President Danilo Medina will officially visit Puerto Rico on January 13 to participate in the signing of several cooperation agreements with the authorities of that US territory.
Puerto Rican Secretary of State David Bernier said Monday at a press conference that Medina will be accompanied by a large Dominican delegation including government officials and a group of entrepreneurs.
The president will meet with Puerto Rico governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla for a working meeting of the Joint Commission created last October for agreements that promote bilateral economic development, job opportunities and security.
"The Joint Commission has been working for several months with the participation of more than a dozen officials from both countries. The agreements signed are not a formal affair but specific public policy actions that have content and practicality,"said Bernier.
Representatives of both governments, together with members of the Dominican community in Puerto Rico, will pay homage to the hero of Dominican independence Juan Pablo Duarte and Puerto Rican educator, philosopher and nationalist Eugenio Maria de Hostos.