The World's Longest Bridge

For a guy like me who is afraid of heights, you may never catch me walking on this bridge. The Europe Bridge spans 494m and hangs up to 85m above a ravine near the town of Zermatt, and has a system in place to prevent swinging.

The bridge for hikers billed as the longest hanging pedestrian bridge in the world has opened in Switzerland. China has built five of the 10 longest suspension bridges in the world, including the Xihoumen bridge. It's a man-made wonder, the world's highest (and maybe even scariest) tunnel-to-tunnel bridge.

Europe Demands Apple To Pay $14 Billion

This ruling handed down after a 2-year investigation would rebuff the efforts of the United States to persuade the EC to drop its interest amid warnings about retaliation from Washington. Europe has been looking into the company’s tax deals with Ireland, according to which Apple paid very little tax on income earned in EU.

The European Commission launched a formal inquiry 2 years ago after publishing preliminary findings that suggested involvement of state aid in deals between Apple and Ireland in 1991 and 2007, which was incompatible with the EU’s internal market. However, the alleged parties to the deal have denied its very existence with Apple calling the investigation “political crap” and promising to appeal against a ruling that the company received state aid.

The financial experts estimated that if the European Union requires Apple to retroactively pay the Irish corporate tax rate of 12.5% on the pre-tax profits it collected via the country, it would amount to about $19bn. At the same time, Irish sources expect the bill to be much smaller, just in the hundreds of millions.

Three years ago, a US Senate investigation found that the tech giant paid little or no tax on profits of at least $74bn over 4 years, exploiting the gaps in the Irish and American tax code. However, the investigation found no evidence of illegal activity at the time, while both Apple and Ireland denied any wrongdoing.

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Is Melania Trump An Illegal Immigrant?

When GOP nominee Trump announced his candidacy for president in June 2015, one major aspect of his platform was his strict stance on immigration. "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," Trump infamously said in his announcement speech, ultimately calling immigrants "rapists." His plan to build a wall has been one of the most controversial.

Donald Trump's wife Melania has found herself in hot water again.  Parts of her speech were stolen from Michelle Obama, she reportedly lied about graduating from college, her nude photos made the front page of the NY Post, and now she's rumored to be an illegal immigrant.

According to a deep-dive from Politico featuring input from "immigration experts," the narrative presented by the Trumps has some noticeable gaps. Comments from Melania herself suggest that, despite repeated insistences claiming otherwise, she may have been in the country on a short-term visa when shooting those infamous photos:

The initial confusion appears to stem from a Harper's Bazaar article published in January, in which Melania Trump said staying in the U.S. "without papers" never crossed her mind. "You follow the rules," she said at the time. "You follow the law. Every few months you need to fly back to Europe and stamp your visa. After a few visas, I applied for a green card and got it in 2001." As noted in Politico's investigation, returning to Slovenia to "stamp" her visa would have only been required if using a temporary business or tourist visa.

"If Melania was traveling to the U.S. on a B-1 business visa, there is a potential problem," a representative from a "major national immigration law firm," told Politico. "She would not have been authorized to work in the U.S. while on a B-1 visa. In fact, if a customs agent encounters someone entering the U.S. on a B-1 visa and they know that the individual intends to work for a U.S. employer, the individual will usually be denied admission." In order to avoid being sent home, the representative said, Melania "may" have had to lie about the intentions of her trip.

Gangs Battling In Europe

"Brutal and ruthless" Muslim and "violent" Roma gypsy gangs are terrorising the streets of major European cities. Running drug rings and pimping prostitutes, as well as owning legitimate street businesses can be worth tens of millions of euros a year – and more – to the immigrant criminal gangs of Europe.

Off-duty police officer, 3 suspected gang members killed during gunbattle in El Salvador. Having influence over territory is key to making this business model work, and as well as fighting each other the vast ethnic gangs are also fighting themselves, as influential families compete.

Top 5 Trick Daddy Videos

+Trick Daddy is still one of the hottest producers behind the curtains. Maurice Young, better known by his stage name Trick Daddy, is an American rapper, actor, and producer from Miami's Liberty City. The Wrap-Up Magazine has just released the top 5 videos of +Trick Daddy.

This is one of Trci Daddy hottest videos, so that why its posted first. I'm a Thug is the second track from Thugs Are Us album by Miami rapper Trick Daddy.

Trick Daddy featuring Trina "You Don't Know Nann" was a crazy hit. This track went off the charts with Trina featuring in it.

Thug Holiday is the fifth studio album by rapper Trick Daddy, released on August 6, 2002, on Slip-N-Slide Records. Even after releasing more than an album each year since 1997, Trick Daddy kept up the quality control with 2002's Thug Holiday.

This track help to make Trick Daddy the ghetto public figure for the streets. He did this one for the struggle.

Atlantic Records signed Trick Daddy to the label in 2000 and released Book of Thugs: Chapter AK Verse 47 that year. This is "Trick Daddy - Shut Up (feat. Duece Poppito of 24 Karatz, Trina & Co of Tre +6)".

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New Hooks App

It´s up to you to decide the reminders you would like to have, and let Hooks remind you of what´s going on. Notifications are a great way to stay on top of things, so Hooks is the thing to have, with over 100 channels and 1M+ alerts to choose from, it also lets you fine tune the type of notification you´ll receive, for example if you subscribe some news bulletin, but if you just need to learn about “Europe” for example, the notification will only come whenever “Europe” is mentioned. It´s really useful and easy to set, so if you want to be sure you won´t miss out on anything again download it right now.

Hooks is a new app for Apple devices, available on iTunes, it´s main feature is to remind you of something that is about to happen and that you´re interested in. It could be a sports event, a news post, a movie, an episode of your favorite show, a new tweet, or even an earthquake alert.

Libya Faces ISIS Crisis

How do one network gain the attention of the world? By doing whats ISIS does I guess. Italy warned that ISIS is at Europe’s doorstep as France and Egypt called for the United Nations Security Council to meet over the spiraling crisis in Libya.

French President Francois Hollande spoke by phone with his Egyptian counterpart, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, to discuss the situation in Libya on Monday, according to Hollande’s office. It said the two spoke of the growth of ISIS in Libya and “underscored the importance of the security council meeting and for the international community to take new measures” against the threat.

United Nations negotiators have been meeting with representatives from the internationally-backed government and the one which claimed power through force in Tripoli last summer. Libya is not only situated close to Egypt and Algeria, but is just across the Mediterranean Sea from Europe. The spiraling violence has sent floods of migrants to European shores — and ISIS has repeatedly mentioned Rome as a benchmark of its growth.

ISIS has been operating in Libya for months. One group of Libyan fighters pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in November and at least two other factions followed suit. Since then, ISIS supporters in Libya have claimed responsibility for a number of attacks — including the November car bombings outside of the Egyptian and U.A.E. embassies.

For now, ISIS is competing for influence against the many other Islamist militant groups in Libya. The group might be able to rely on the fact that they’re more disciplined and better organized than some of their rivals, according to Firas Abi Ali, who heads Middle East and North Africa forecasting for IHS Country Risk.

Apple Buys Musicmetric

Apple has acquired a London music startup. The tech giant has bought the company behind music analytics service Musicmetric, Musically reports. 

Musicmetric owner Semetric changed its registered address to 100 New Bridge Street in London, home of Apple Europe Ltd. On the same day, it also filed documents to detail the appointment of a new director. He’s called Gene Daniel Levoff and up until now has been based at Apple’s global HQ.

Apple told Musically that it “buys smaller technology companies from time to time,” adding that it doesn’t “generally discuss our purpose or plan”. Semetric also declined to comment.

It’s speculated that Apple’s latest purchase could pave the way for the company to expand its music services. Apple wants to better tune its music arms: iTunes will likely be overhauled. But it’s Beats Music that stands to benefit most. Apple is going to relaunch the platform this year and there’s talk it could come pre-installed on iPhones and iPads.

Musicmetric launched in 2008 and allows music industry clients to track social and sales analytics through a dashboard, Musically writes — it also offers data streaming. In Jan. 2013 it received $4.8 million in funding.

Musicmetric says it’s about “turning big data into big opportunities”, and continues: “Whether you’re planning your first album launch or a global tour, on the lookout for new talent or after some killer intelligence to help pick your next brand ambassador, the Musicmetric dashboard will quickly and simply tell you all you need to know.”

How Apple chooses to use and develop Musicmetric remains to be seen, but one certainty is the implications the acquisition has for other streaming companies such as Spotify and Next Big Sound.

Here’s what Musically says:

Spotify has a partnership with Musicmetric to pipe in streaming data for labels to access via the latter’s dashboard.

Just as rival streaming services ended their partnerships with music/tech firm The Echo Nest firm when Spotify bought it last year, so Spotify is unlikely to be too keen on providing a firehose of its data to an Apple subsidiary.

Beijing Highest In Billion-Dollar Startups

While it’s undeniable that a good bulk of billion-dollar startups come out of Silicon Valley, it seems that the majority of these billion-dollar valuations actually come from cities elsewhere. According to recent data presented on data visualization platform Silk.co., of the 156 Internet and software startups that have met this billion-dollar bar, 63 percent come from cities outside of the Valley. Overall, San Francisco, CA and Beijing, China were found to be the top cities with the highest concentration of these billion-dollar companies.

The data was analyzed by the London, UK-based Atomico, a growth-stage, global venture firm, and looked at the overall state of billion-dollar startup valuations. While their data does indeed back up this notion that the Bay-area is prime spot for technology companies (with San Francisco leading the billion-dollar company count at 29 startups; 57 total in the overall Silicon Valley-area), they also show that opportunities lay outside that area – even outside the United States (with Beijing coming in at second with 17 billion-dollar companies; 20 total in the overall area in and around Beijing). On a per-continent basis, North America leads with 88 companies, followed by Asia with 43, and then Europe with 25.

To compile the Silk report, Atomico looked at data on billion-dollar valuations between 2003 and 2014. On average, they discovered that an average of 14 companies have reached the much-desired billion-dollar valuation each year in the last decade. They also found that the average time it took for these companies to reach the billion-dollar mark was six years from their initial founding; however, they also found there’s a increasing trend towards companies reaching this bar at a much faster pace than previously – with 32 companies in their data having surpassed the billion-dollar mark within three years of being founded. Looking at the data even closer, we find that 70 percent of the companies (110 out of 156) didn’t reach that mark until after the start of 2013.

Further, the data looks into the sectors represented by these startups and whether their offerings were enterprise- or consumer-facing. Whereas enterprise and consumer products share a pretty equal split among North American billion-dollar companies, the dynamic is different in Asia, where 93 percent of their billion-dollar companies had consumer products. Enterprise apps overall led in terms of sectors producing the most billion-dollar companies – with 28 companies offering some kind of enterprise product.

The report suggests that Silicon Valley isn’t the only place in the world where tech startups can find success. From international startup hubs like Stockholm, Sweden (which has seen 5 companies reach the billion-dollar mark) to U.S. cities like Austin, TX (which has had 3 companies in the billion-dollar club), the opportunity to become one of these billion-dollar unicorns can happen literally anywhere in the world. For an in-depth look at the data, visit the interactive Silk report or head directly to Atomico’s summary of the data.

Europe Under Attack

ISIS and Al-Qaeda have gained too much ground and power. They have now begun to strike various countries and still taking control of more areas around them. Now over 19,000 websites are in danger throughout France with various sleeper cells set up and operating their by the Islamic group.

The raid comes three days after WND exclusively reported there are at least 20 sleeper cells with a combined total of 120 to 180 jihadists ready to act in France, Germany and Belgium

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2015/01/raid-on-belgian-terror-cell-confirms-threat/#FBxsfbePA5JmpRoT.99.

Algeria's intelligence services passed information to several European countries indicating there are at least 20 sleeper cells. The ongoing terror threat appears to involve up to 20 sleeper cells of between 120 to 180 people ready to strike in France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. The source said that European Union and Middle East intelligence agencies identified an "imminent threat" to Belgium, possibly also to the Netherlands.

Since June, the Islamic State has generated a great deal of publicity and a lot of concern among people who fear the group will attempt an attack in the United States or Europe. The issue here is not one of mere semantics: The misuse of the phrase “sleeper cell” blurs important distinctions and contributes to general confusion about the nature of the jihadist threat the United States is fighting. Precise language is needed for clear analysis and more effective defense and counterterrorism efforts.

A terror cell on the brink of carrying out an attack was the target of a raid Thursday that left two suspects dead, Belgian authorities said. A third suspect was injured and taken into custody in the operation at a building in the eastern city of Verviers, prosecutor's spokesman Thierry Werts told reporters.

A senior Belgian counterterrorism official told CNN that the alleged terror cell is believed to have received instructions from ISIS. Some members of the cell had traveled to Syria and met with ISIS, which plotted the attacks as retaliation for U.S.-led airstrikes in Syria and Iraq

Thousands Killed In Nigeria Since The New Year

Jos, Nigeria, Boko Haram having killed as many as 2,000 in an attack on the town of Baga last week, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos hopes that Nigeria will see demonstrations of solidarity and unity in the face of such violence.

“I am thinking about the big demonstration which took place in Paris against the killings in France,” Archbishop Kaigama told Fides Jan. 12. “I hope even here a great demonstration of national unity will take place, to say no to violence and find a solution to the problems plaguing Nigeria.”

He also told the BBC the same day that the international community must show Nigeria the same spirit and resolve as it had following the attacks in France, charging that the West has ignored Boko Haram’s threat to Nigeria.

“We need that spirit to be spread around. Not just when (an attack) happens in Europe, but when it happens in Nigeria, in Niger, in Cameroon.”

The radical Islamist group Boko Haram launched an attack on Baga, an isolated town on the shore of Lake Chad in Borno, Nigeria’s northeasternmost state, on Jan. 3. The following day, multinational troops abandoned a military base there, and thousands of residents fled for Chad.

Boko Haram launched a second assault on Baga Jan. 7, burning down nearly the entire town and raiding nearby villages.

Musa Alhaji Bukar, a senior government official in Borno, suggested that some 2,000 were killed in the attacks, while other reports estimated deaths in the hundreds.

“Baga … was the last town in the Borno North area under government control,” according to the BBC. Boko Haram control an estimated 70 percent of Borno state.

In Maiduguri, the capital of Borno, three female suicide bombers killed around 20 on Jan. 10. One of the bombers was reputed to be 10 years old. The following day, two female suicide bombers killed four and injured 40 in Potiskum.

Over the weekend, Boko Haram attacks on a Cameroonian military base and on Damaturu, capital of Nigeria’s Yobe state, were repelled.

Baga had been attacked by Boko Haram in August, 2014, at which time 26 were killed, and 50 kidnapped. It was also the scene of an April, 2013 massacre in which some 200 villagers were killed and 2,000 homes and businesses destroyed. Villagers claimed that the massacre was carried out by the Nigerian military, while the Nigerian military in turn blamed Boko Haram.

Baga’s multinational military base formerly hosted troops from Niger and Chad, as well as Nigeria. Niger withdrew its force in October, after a nearby town was captured by Boko Haram.

Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sinful,” launched an uprising in 2009 and hopes to impose sharia law on Nigeria. It has targeted security forces, politicians, Christian minorities, and moderate Muslims in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north.

Boko Haram’s attacks have killed thousands since 2009, and displaced more than 1.5 million from their homes.

The U.S. recognized Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organization in November 2013, after a lengthy advocacy effort from human rights and Christian groups.

On Jan. 1, days before the assault on Baga, the Diocese of Maiduguri – of which Baga is a part – posted this message on its Facebook page: “Despite the violence, despite the hatred, in spite of the blood, sweat, and tears shed last year, we are still standing. Whatever this new year may bring: good or bad, our faith will stand. We will survive everything the devil and his minions throw at us as a diocese, for the battle is not ours it is the Lord’s.”

“May he take control of our destiny, may he wipe our tears, may he give us relief from oppression, may he make the seeds -planted by the blood of so many- grow. This year, May God arise and let his enemies be scattered! May he establish his reign of peace and justice. We pray for this with all our hearts. We pray for patience to carry on, keeping in mind that it always seems darkest shortly before dawn. May this year bring about a turning point in our good fortunes.”

“On this world day of peace, that elusive quality and great good that we all need, may our blessed mother, the Queen of Peace intercede for us and our beloved diocese. Happy New year to you all.”

New Microsoft Lumia Smartphones

Microsoft has leapt on the bling bandwagon with the launch of a gold edition of its flagship Lumia 930 smartphone, as well as its recently-unveiled Lumia 830. Announced back in April, the Lumia 930 was one of the first devices announced specifically for Windows Phone 8.1, and already shipped in a number of bright colors, including green, orange, and white.

The phones aren’t entirely caked in gold, however. They will come in black or whte variants, with a gold finishing touch. The Lumia 830 incarnation will be available from next month in Europe, Asia Pacific, China, India, and across select markets in the Middle East and Africa. The price will vary across the boad,

The Lumia 830 Gold is expected to be available in black and white in February. This smartphone can be purchased in select countries in Europe, Asia Pacific and China, and India, the Middle East and Africa. The price will vary by region and network, though for guidance the existing device costs around $430 SIM-free.

Cocaine And Money

Cocaine comes from a natural plant grown deep in the jungles of South America. To bear fruit, farmers plant the plant that make cocaine; then the plant is picked and processed for distribution. The shimmering white colored powder cross over transnational borders and eventually find its way around the world where hordes of users sniffed it up into someone's sniffing nose or shot into a user's veins. Cocaine can either make you poor and weak, make you do the unimaginable, make you wealthy--or it can even take your mind on weird trips. As Rock Star singer Rick James once said, "Cocaine is one helluva drug."

But it is no secret that selling cocaine on a grand scale can bring filthy riches to a player in the dope game. Cocaine prices vary but profits are enormous for a heavy hitter depending where the dope is sold. Narcotic analysts explains that illegal drugs like and cocaine and heroin cost much less where it is produced. Worldwide, prices can range from $2 a gram in Panama to over $300 per gram in New Zealand.

According to U.S. law enforcement, Colombian national police, and Foreign narcotic experts, a wholesaler can buy a kilo of cocaine straight from the jungle in Colombia for approximately $2200.00. At Colombian ports, wholesale prices for a kilo of cocaine average between $5,500.oo, and $7,000.00. DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) officials has reported over the years that cocaine prices increased exponentially once it leaves production and transferred to markets in the United States and foreign markets. Actually, as the report points out, the farther away, and the more isolated the drugs are from different countries the higher the cost for dealers and users.

 For example, Central America cocaine cost $10,000.00 per kilogram, and in Southern Mexico that same kilo sells for $12,000,00, unless a broker make an agreement to reduce the price based on multiple kilos of cocaine. Notice the much higher price between Central America and Mexico. After cocaine is transported into Mexico City area, a kilo is worth approximately $16,000.00 near the border town of Northern Mexico. Depending on the location in the U.S., wholesale on the streets average between $24,000.00, and $27,000.00.

Coca (a substance made from leaves that actually make cocaine) is one of the oldest, potent, most dangerous stimulants of natural origins. Australian world renowned psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud who once used cocaine himself became the first to publicly promote cocaine as a tonic to cure depression and sexual impotence.

Around 1886, the popularity of the drug got a higher boost when maverick John Pemberton mixed coca leaves as an ingredient in his new soft drink now known today as "Coca Cola". Effects from consumers sipping coke only skyrocketed Coca-Cola popularity during the 1900s.

Back during the 1600s, people chewed coca like tobacco. In the 1800s, cocaine earned the distinction as a popular mind altering substance to get high on among the upper-class people in Europe. If history correct, Pope Leo XIII gave papal endorsement to a coca-treated Bordeaux wine. During 1850s' an Italian neurologist named Paolo Manteganza, became so addicted to gnawing on coca leaves until he wrote excitedly about the effects.

Outlaw Bikers Join Fight Against ISIS

Three members of an outlaw motorcycle gang are currently in Iraq to fight terrorist organization Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL or IS. The three men are “stationed” in Mosul and fighting alongside the Kurds. Wars are raging throughout the Middle East and attract not just religious terrorists, but bikers and gangsters as well.

No Surrender MC is one of the Netherlands’ biggest outlaw biker clubs with membership numbers that rival the Dutch Hells Angels. The club was founded in 2013 by Klaas Otto. They became notorious for making several well-known Dutch gangsters prominent members, including Willem Holleeder, the man behind the kidnapping of beer tycoon Freddy Heineken, and Willem van Boxtel, founder and former president of the Dutch Hells Angels who was kicked out of the club.

The wars in the Middle East are attracting a wide variety of people with all sorts of motives. Young men from all over Europe, the United States, and as far away as Australia have joined up with terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq. Some of them did so to fight dictator Bashar al-Assad, others to fight the West and establish an Islamic State. In turn, mercenaries and Westerners joined up to wage war against ISIS, which is seen as the world’s premier terrorist threat.

This summer, a documentary showed how a Danish gang boss joined the fight against Assad. “On the streets of Copenhagen he is known as Big A, a convicted drug trafficker and the leader of one of Denmark's most notorious organized crime gangs. But on the frontline in northern Syria, Abderozzak Benarabe (left) is just another have-a-go jihadi, a man who joined the fight against Bashar al-Assad through a mix of restlessness, curiosity and a need for some kind of personal redemption.”

A Place For Pedestrians

Chongqing is one of China’s biggest and fastest growing cities with a population of around 11 million people. In recent years, pedestrianised streets have been turned into motorways in the Chinese metropolis Chongqing. Now the city council is returning the streets to pedestrians and cyclists, and has teamed up with a Danish urban planner.

Chongqing has developed in the same way as hundreds of other Chinese metropolises: skyscrapers shoot up everywhere, while old buildings are demolished. Cars have taken over with multi-lane motorways, while pedestrians and cyclists have been displaced.

But now the citizens of Chongqing are about to reclaim their streets. Chongqing city council has teamed up with the Danish urban research and design consulting firm Gehl Architects, which pecialises in pedestrianised streets and pedestrian-friendly urban spaces.

The objective is to create an interconnected pedestrian network through central Chongqing, which like Manhattan in New York, consists of a peninsula between two rivers. This can be achieved by making urban routes recognisable and easy to navigate, for example by using uniform paving, good lighting and signposting, and setting up benches and similar urban furniture.

Denmark has long had a liking for pedestrian-friendly city spaces. 50 years ago, one of the world’s first carfree pedestrianised streets, Strøget, was established in the capital city Copenhagen. At 1.1 kilometres in length, it remains one of Europe’s longest pedestrianised streets.

The same backlash against the domination of the car is being seen in China. Urban planners, mayors and citizens are all insisting on better conditions for pedestrians in cities. Kristian Villadsen comments that the same themes which have developed in the West are also emerging in China today, i.e. to create attractive, vibrant, safe, sustainable and healthy cities:

“In China, people are very good at using public transport, but if public transport is seen only as a means of transporting the greatest possible number of people from A to B and it is forgotten that people don’t live at the station but also have to get there, it won’t function. Public transport then becomes solely for those who don’t have a car”.

The Blue Planet

The Blue Planet is northern Europe’s largest and most modern aquarium, with a spiral design which is unique in the world. The Blue Planet is home to 450 different species and 20,000 fish and other aquatic animals, which include sharks, sea lions, dwarf crocodiles, moray eels and barracudas.

The facade is covered with small diamond-shaped aluminium plates, known as shingles, which adapt to the building’s organic form. The Blue Planet is the latest version of Denmark’s National Aquarium in Copenhagen, which dates back to 1939.

As the largest aquarium in northern Europe, it is expected to attract 700,000 visitors a year, which will make it one of Denmark’s five most popular attractions. The Blue Planet celebrates the Earth’s aquatic biodiversity and is home to 20,000 fish and aquatic animals representing 450 different species –150 more than in the old aquarium.

The Blue Planet is situated on the island of Amager, close to Copenhagen Airport. When viewed from a plane the whirlpool shape is clearly seen. Viewed from ground level, the building appears to float in a circular reflection pool.  A walk through its interior is a journey through several organic worlds.

In designing The Blue Planet, the architect team was indeed inspired by nature, says principal of 3XN, Kim Herforth Nielsen. “We wanted to stage a totality of the experience one has visiting an aquarium. The starting point was this magnificent experience of fish in their natural element. We wanted to create that adventurous feeling, and we took inspiration from the natural phenomenon of the whirlpool drawing you into the deep. A sculpture on the coast, it unites the natural elements of water, air and earth.”

With a floor space of 9,000 square metres and technical systems running round the clock, the Blue Planet will not be a beacon of sustainability. Nevertheless the engineers have devised solutions to substantially cut energy consumption, for instance by using seawater in the cooling process, which is estimated to reduce energy consumption for cooling by 80%. The saltwater tanks also get their water from the sea while the freshwater tanks are supplemented by rainwater capture. In addition, the building is insulated to a high international standard and fitted with low-energy glazing.

The Blue Planet is devoted to nature conservation as well as raising awareness on water issues. The aquarium partners with researchers for scientific collaboration and work to reduce over-fishing and pollution, and to preserve endangered species.

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Germany Wins World Cup

Germany became World Cup champion for the fourth time on Sunday night, and the first European team in history to clinch soccer’s greatest prize on South American soil. It did so courtesy of a winner deep into extra time from substitute Mario Gotze, who displayed a brilliant piece of skill to decide a contest of outstanding quality. Gotze took a pass from the left from Andre Schurrle in the 113th minute of action, trapped it on his chest and swiveled it past Sergio Romero and into the Argentinanet. The goal proved to be enough to give Germany a 1-0 victory.

For the second World Cup in a row scores were level after 90 minutes, but unlike when Spain beat the Netherlands four years ago this was no snoozefest. It was tense and cagey and royally entertaining. And it was sealed by a 22-year-old who had come on as substitute for Miroslav Klose with just two minutes of regulation time remaining. Gotze’s strike was the first time Argentina had trailed in the entire tournament and sent his nation into delirium, securing its first world title since 1990.

For Argentina it was agony. Lionel Messi and his team came so close but it wasn’t enough. In the end, the Germans were too strong, too clinical, and in every way the best all-round collection of players at this event. Argentina had the best early chance, the kind that leaves forwards holding their head if they miss them. This time the unfortunate man was Gonzalo Higuain, who was sent through by an ill-conceived backward header from Germany’s Toni Kroos. But Higuain scuffed his shot completely with only Manuel Neuer to beat.

Germany’s possession game was slick and sharp but missing a little extra ingredient. Sami Khedira had been ruled out through a late injury, then his replacement Christoph Kramer went down with a sickening head clash midway through the first half, bringing Schurrle into the fray. The Germans should have gone ahead on the stroke of halftime, with Benedikt Howedes surging forward to aim a powerful header at goal, only for his effort to crash against the post with Romero beaten.

While Messi toiled and teased in the second half it was Germany that was taking control and Toni Kroos, one of the players of the tournament, marked an uncharacteristically sloppy display with a tame shot with nine minutes of normal time to go. The pace did not slacken, not a bit. It was relentless; Sergio Aguero broke clear at the other end and foolishly tried to shoot from an angle instead of cutting back, while substitute Rodrigo Palacio, on for Higuain, went clear minutes later but skewed his attempted lob over Neuer but wide of net.

Penalties had been used as a decisive factor in the World Cup final just twice before – when Brazil beat Italy at the Rose Bowl in 1994 and when Italy defeated France following Zinedine Zidane’s infamous headbutt in 2006. Just when potential takers were being discussed around the iconic Maracana Stadium it was time for Gotze, one of Europe’s most heralded youngsters, to step up. He stepped quickly to move clear of the defense, with balance to steady himself – and forwards, into history.

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New Sony PlayStation TV Micro Console

+Sony Music Entertainment unveils the new +PlayStation TV Micro Console. Hot news direct from this year’s E3 conference: Sony are set to launch their popular PlayStation TV unit in Europe. This pocket-sized add-on to the PlayStation 4 essentially allows you to connect the console wirelessly to another TV in another room. So, if your Playstation is plugged in downstairs but that’s simply too far from your bed to cope with, now all you need is this handy unit and you can access all your games and movies without having to move an inch. It will eventually also support PlayStation Now (once that’s rolled out in the PAL region), allowing you to enjoy PlayStation 3 titles via streaming, as well as a range of PS Vita, PSP and PS One classics.

Jay Z Splits From Longtime Business Partner

Jay Z has ended his partnership with John Meneilly, a man he once called his ‘consigliere.’

On to the next one. Jay Z and Solange Knowles may have (publicly at least) squashed whatever beef led to their now-infamous elevator brawl, but Hova and his longtime business manager are over.

Music industry insiders exclusively tell Confidenti@l that Jay Z has cut ties with John Meneilly, who helped build the “Empire State” rapper’s empire. Music industry insiders tell Confidenti@l that news of Meneilly’s departure started making the rounds shortly before Memorial Day weekend.

The former Provident Financial executive is largely credited with navigating the rise of the Rocawear clothing line, which Jay Z sold off for $200 million in 2007 while maintaining marketing and licensing rights. Meneilly is also credited as one of the architects behind Jay Z’s huge deal with Samsung last year, which instantly moved a million copies of the rapper’s “Magna Carta Holy Grail.” Meneilly was also a chief player at Roc Nation, which has grown from a record label to a talent management group that reps Yankee CC Sabathia and former Bronx Bomber Robinson Cano.

The “99 Problems” rapper is having a rough couple of weeks for sure. In addition to a surveillance video that went public of his sister-in-law pummeling him after the Met Ball gala in mid-May, photos of Jay and Bey sufaced in the Hamptons last weekend while his “Watch the Throne” collaborator Kanye West was marrying Kim Kardashian in Europe. Jay Z is also being sued for $7 million by an artist who says the rapper ripped off his Roc-A-Fella records logo design in 1995. Jay Z’s legal team is trying to postpone that case while Mr. and Mrs. Carter are on tour this summer.

Tennessee Brings Back The Electric Chair

Rumors are that Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has signed a bill into law allowing the state to electrocute death row inmates in the event prisons are unable to obtain lethal injection drugs. In a related report by The Inquisitr, the state of Utah is considering bringing back firing squad executions for their death penalty because it’s considerably cheaper than lethal injection and other methods. But some people also say it’s a better way to go.

The electric chair legislation overwhelmingly passed both the Tennessee House (68 to 13) and Senate (23 to 3) back in April, but Republican Governor Bill Haslam only recent signed the bill into law. A Vanderbilt University poll on the death penalty found that 56 percent of voters in Tennessee support the electric chair, while 37 percent are against it.

The reason the electric chair bill came up in the first place is because states are finding it increasingly harder to obtain the right mix of drugs required for the lethal injection from suppliers after Europe led a boycott against drugs used to enforce the death penalty. Senator Ken Yager said it had become “a real concern that we could find ourselves in a position that if the chemicals were unavailable to us that we would not be able to carry out the sentence.”

The impetus for bringing back the execution chair was created by the recent botched execution in Oklahoma where the inmate was said to be “tortured to death.” Witnesses say the man suffered for 43 minutes after the drugs were administered, writhing and clenching his teeth in pain, but eventually died of a collapsed vein instead of the drugs.

According to Richard Dieter, the president of the Death Penalty Information Center, the difference between Tennessee and the eight other states with electric chair laws is that other states give inmates an option on whether they should be executed to death.