9-Year-Old Mother Is At Least 12, Mexican Officials Say

Authorities in the Mexican state of Jalisco say tests have revealed that a girl who gave birth two weeks ago is between 12 and 13 years of age, not 9 as the parents had claimed.

Jalisco state prosecutors also say the girl was impregnated by her stepfather and not her alleged 17-year-old boyfriend.

Authorities announced last week that a 9-year-old had given birth to a baby girl and that they were looking for her boyfriend.

But prosecutors said Wednesday that DNA tests revealed the baby's father is the girl's 44-year-old stepfather and that he is under arrest.

They said an anthropological study of the girl showed she is between 12 and 13. The girls' parents didn't have a birth certificate for her and initially told authorities she was 9.

Oscar Pistorius Charged With Murder

Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was charged on Thursday with murdering his girlfriend.

 

According to Reuters, police launched an investigation after the body of 30-year-old Reeva Steenkamp was found at the sprinter's home on the outskirts of Pretoria.

Lt. Col. Katlego Mogale told The Associated Press that officers found a 9-mm pistol at the scene.

Police spokesperson Captain Sarah Mcirca also confirmed that the victim was shot in the arm and the head, USA Today reported.

"There are witnesses and they have been interviewed this morning. We are talking about neighbors and people that heard things earlier in the evening and when the shooting took place," police brigadier Denise Beukes said.

The circumstances of the shooting have not yet been released.

Steenkamp, a model and 30-year-old law school graduate, had been dating Pistorius for several months, NBC News reported.

Steenkamp's publicist Sarit Tomlinson described the incident as a "huge loss for everyone and too shocking for words."

"She was a rising star ... a very bright young girl," Tomlinson said.

Silver Woods Country Estate, the prestigious gated community where Pistorius lives, also released the following statement: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic cir­cum­stances that occurred today at Sil­ver Woods. Our sincere con­do­lences, thoughts and prayers go out to Reeva Steenkamp’s fam­ily and friends."

Pistorius, 26, who was born without a fibula in both legs, was the first double amputee to run in the Olympics. Nicknamed the "Blade Runner," he was able to compete by wearing carbon fiber prosthetic blades.

A national hero in South Africa, Pistorius ran in 11 races during the 2012 Games and the Paralympics. He returned home with "two Paralympic gold medals, Paralympic silver, two world records, a Paralympic record, an Olympic individual semi-final and an Olympic final." He was also named one of the "sexiest men alive" by People Magazine.

The South African Olympic committee said it would be inappropriate to comment on the shooting because of the ongoing police investigation, but issued the following statement: "The organization is in no position to comment on the incident other than to say our deepest sympathy and condolences have been expressed to the families of all concerned."

Fugitive ex-Los Angeles cop believed dead after gun battle, fire

A fugitive ex-cop accused of a grudge-fueled killing spree targeting police officers and their families is believed to have died in a mountain cabin that burned down in the climax to a massive weeklong manhunt acrossSouthern California, authorities said on Wednesday.

Police were awaiting forensic analysis to confirm that charred human remains found in the smoldering ruins of the cabin were those of the 33-year-old fugitive, Christopher Dorner.

Authorities including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the man, who had barricaded himself inside the cabin during a standoff with police on Tuesday in the snow-swept hills of the San Bernardino National Forest, was almost certainly Dorner.

"We all are breathing a sigh of relief. We do believe it is the body of Christopher Dorner, but we don't know for certain," Villaraigosa told CNN, adding that a positive, conclusive identification could be days or weeks away.

Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Lieutenant Andy Neiman said the LAPD had returned to "a normal state of operations." But he said special security details assigned to about a dozen officers and their families threatened by Dorner would remain in place for the time being.

Dorner is suspected of killing four people in all, including a deputy sheriff who was shot on Tuesday.

He had been on the run since last Wednesday when he was named as the prime suspect in the slaying of a couple in Irvine, south of Los Angeles.

The search intensified last Thursday after he was accused of killing of a Riverside policeman, about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, in an ambush that left a second officer wounded.

Law enforcement converged later that day in the San Bernardino Mountains after a pickup truck identified as Dorner's was found abandoned and burning in the snow near the ski resort community of Big Bear Lake northeast of Los Angeles.

The ensuing manhunt, stretching from the desert north of the mountains to the Mexican border, was described by Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck as the region's most extensive ever.

'WARFARE' ON POLICE

An angry manifesto posted last week on Dorner's Facebook page claimed that he had been wrongly dismissed from the Los Angeles Police Department in 2008. He vowed to seek revenge by unleashing "unconventional and asymmetrical warfare" on officers and their families.

The cabin where Dorner is believed to have made his last stand was a short distance from a police command post.

Tuesday's climax to the manhunt began when two housekeepers encountered a man believed to have been Dorner inside a vacant cabin in the Big Bear area. They surprised the fugitive, who tied them up and then took off in a purple Nissan parked near the cabin, authorities said.

One of the women freed herself and called police. Villaraigosa said the housekeepers might end up qualifying for a $1 million reward that was posted for information leading to Dorner's capture, the largest sum ever offered in a Southern California criminal investigation.

State game wardens spotted the stolen vehicle and gave chase. The suspect crashed that car, then commandeered a pickup truck at gunpoint from another motorist and traded gunfire with the game wardens as he sped away, authorities said.

Dorner ultimately abandoned the truck and fled into the woods to the cabin, which was believed to be otherwise vacant, and exchanged gunfire with deputies who closed in on the scene.

During a lull in the shooting, the cabin caught fire and was quickly engulfed in flames. It remained unclear on Wednesday how the blaze began.

The Los Angeles Times reported that authorities had pumped tear gas into the cabin through smashed windows and called for the suspect to surrender but received no response. As police used a demolition vehicle to tear down the walls, they heard a gunshot from inside before the cabin burst into flames, the Times said.

Dorner's last confirmed encounter with authorities was on Thursday, police said, when he ambushed the two Riverside policemen. The former U.S. Navy officer is also suspected of having exchanged gunfire on Thursday with police in nearby Corona. One officer was slightly wounded there.

Dorner's first alleged victims were a campus security officer and his fiancée, the daughter of a retired Los Angeles police captain who represented Dorner during police disciplinary hearings leading to his dismissal.

Dorner was terminated after a police board of inquiry found that he had lied in accusing a training officer of using excessive force against a homeless man. LAPD Chief Becker has opened a review of that case.

“Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish it.”

Brazil's booming beauty market draws investors

A flush new middle class and a population strong on working adults is dropping major cash on designer shampoos, lotions and cosmetics, rapidly turning this country into a beauty industry powerhouse.

Sales of beauty products in Brazil hit $43 billion in 2011, a growth of 142 percent in five years that puts it on a pace to overtake Japan as the world's second-largest beauty market within a few years, according to Euromonitor, a global market research company. At the same time, Japan's beauty market grew by 40 percent and the United States' by 7.3 percent.

This growth is fed by consumers just like seamstress Cidalia Maria de Almeida. On a quick lunch-break visit to a hair products store, she scanned rows of bottles and jars that promised to give her springy curls more shine, bounce, volume or freedom from frizz. She finally plunked two deep-conditioning hair masks into her basket.

She's struggled to make rent in the past, but now has more work than she can handle. The bit of extra cash, she said, she spends on herself.

"I can afford a little luxury every once in a while, a little something to make myself look good," she said. "I can try something new, like this, just because I want to see if it works."

The fastest growing segments of the market saw eye-popping jumps in sales between 2006 and 2011: Depilatories went up by 299 percent, cosmetics by 281 percent and sun care by 230 percent. Consumers such as Almeida are buying more of what they've always purchased, then are reaching back to the shelves, hungry for novelty.

"The potential in Brazil is really significant. The demand is high and continuing to grow," said Hana Ben-Shabat, a partner in the retail practice of A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm. "It's incredible because the consumption per capita is very close to what you're seeing in places like America and the UK. The population is very fashion-forward."

Companies are responding. Sephora, owned by LVMH, the world's leading luxury products group, opened its first store in Brazil in July, and while the company can't give numbers, it was the most successful store opening in the company's history, said Paula Larroque, senior vice president for Latin America.

"Brazilians are truly beauty junkies," she said. "We really see limitless potential."

The success has spawned four other stores, and the company plans 30 to 35 more within four years, according to Larroque.

Demand crosses all categories, she said: cosmetics, fragrances, skin care, hair care, accessories, served with a side of cutting-edge innovation.

"Brazilian consumers are also very sophisticated, with a vast knowledge of beauty products and beauty trends," Larroque said.

L'Oreal is already the world leader in beauty, topping international heavyweights such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Estee Lauder, and investing in Brazil is essential to staying on top, said Blaise Didillon, head of research and innovation for L'Oreal Brazil.

He said per capita spending on beauty and personal care products is around $260 a year in Brazil, and that is leading companies to invest heavily in understanding Brazilian needs.

In 2008, L'Oreal opened a lab in Rio to focus on hair — a national obsession. Human hair falls into eight types depending on diameter, curliness, the number of waves, twists and other measures, and highly multiracial Brazil has all eight, unlike most countries in Europe, Asia or Africa, Didillon said.

"It's a big challenge but interesting for development."

"When you come from France and spend time in the streets, in the metro, in the bus, it's amazing to see the relationship between women here and their hair," said Didillon. "They're always touching their hair. It's not like that in France."

Brazilian women tend to wear their hair long. L'Oreal's tests have also revealed that half of all Brazilian women smell their own hair at least once a day.

The dedication to texture and scent also makes Brazil a prime testing ground for new products, he said.

"If we succeed in Brazil, there is a high potential to spread the technology outside Brazil, to Latin America but also to India, the US, France," he said.

Another business opportunity lies in the Brazilian infatuation with smelling good.

Although Brazil represents less than 3 percent of the world's population, it makes up 12 percent of deodorant consumption with the highest use in the world. Brazilians also spend more money on perfume than any other nation.

"Other countries have more people or more resources, but don't have the habits we have," said Joao Carlos Basilio, president of the Brazilian Association of Personal Care, Perfume and Cosmetics Industry. "For us, having any kind of body odor is frightful, a lack of civility. For someone introducing a product here, it's essential to remember that."

Brazil has seen at least one of its own beauty brands take off as well: Natura has become a national beauty phenomenon with its tropical scents and flavors. Its reported profits in Brazil grew by 10 percent in 2012 to reach $2.8 billion. And now it's expanding abroad, where it already had $367 million in revenue last year.

In December, the company announced a $71.6 million deal to purchase 65 percent of Australian high-end beauty retailer Emeis Holdings, which operates under the brand name Aesop in Asia, Europe, North America and Australia.

Leaving the salon with a trim and refreshed highlights, Glaucia de Almeida Soares joked that the subject was so important to her countrymen — and women — that the government should subsidize the industry to protect every Brazilian's right to look their best.

"Thank God for these women and all their little magic potions and things," she said waving to the salon with fingernails sparkling in Carnival-friendly glitter. "If you look better, you feel better. If you're having a bad day, make yourself blonde, put on some lipstick, some nail polish, and you end up feeling like Gisele (Bundchen). It's good for the soul."

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.” – Steve Jobs

Afghan president welcomes U.S withdrawal

The Afghan government on yesterday welcomed President Barack Obama's decision to bring home half of the 66,000 American troops in Afghanistan within the next year, and said its forces are ready to take responsibility for the country's security.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been pressing for a faster pace in the withdrawal of foreign combat troops from Afghanistan and agreed with Obama last month to accelerate the handover of security responsibilities to his country's newly trained security forces to this spring — instead of late summer as originally planned.

"Afghanistan welcomes the announcement by President Obama," Karzai's office said. "This is something Afghanistan has wanted for so long now. The withdrawal in spring of foreign forces from Afghan villages will definitely help in ensuring peace and full security in Afghanistan."

The Afghan Defense Ministry said it was ready to take on the responsibility.

"We are ready to fill the vacuum and we are ready to take full responsibility for security in 2013," ministry spokesman Mohammad Zahir Azimi told The Associated Press.

Many Afghans, however, worry that a quick drawdown will destabilize a country that is still fighting a war with insurgents more than 11 years after the US invasion. They also fear that the nearly 352,000 strong Afghan army and police forces are not ready to take the lead for security.

Although the drawdown was widely expected, the announcement for the first time put numbers on the withdrawal plan and for many Afghans brought home the fact that foreign troops are indeed leaving.

"I heard on the news this morning about the withdrawal and became very sad. This is bad news for me," said Mohammad Naim, a 45-year-old Kabul restaurant owner. "The presence of the US soldiers increased the morale of the Afghan people, the country was stable. I don't believe Afghan forces can keep security. For example, you can see that there is still fighting in the provinces."

He recalled the civil war that followed in the years after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, and said he was worried history would be repeated.

"The US lost men and women in this country and spent billions of dollars. We should never forget this. If all the troops leave, the future of the country is dark," Naim said.

Obama said Tuesday in his State of the Union address that the first 34,000 troops will leave within a year and more in 2014, when all foreign combat forces are to leave the country. But he did not reveal what US military presence would remain after 2014 to help advise and train the Afghan forces, and fight al-Qaida and other extremist groups.

That may stem from the lack of an agreement so far on a bilateral security deal between the United States and Afghanistan that would regulate the status of those forces, including the contentious issue of immunity from prosecution under Afghan laws. If no agreement is struck, the US will not retain any forces in Afghanistan after 2014, just as Washington pulled all of its troops out of Iraq at the end of 2011. No other NATO forces are expected to remain either if the Afghans don't strike a deal with the Americans.

The US-led NATO coalition has about 100,000 troops in Afghanistan, including the 66,000 Americans. Many countries are also expected to accelerate their own withdrawals. Britain, which has 9,000 troops here, is expected to drop to 5,200 by the end of the year — although they and the US troops are expected to start the main withdrawals after the summer fighting season

Before making the announcement, Obama had briefed Karzai in a video conference.

Karzai's office said the two leaders discussed the pending security agreement, strengthening and equipping the Afghan forces, and the pullout of US forces.

"This drawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over," Obama said, adding that al-Qaida was no longer the threat it was on Sept. 11, 2001. The US invaded less than a month later to rout al-Qaida in Afghanistan and overthrow its Taliban supporters.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid also welcomed the drawdown, but said it wasn't enough. The coalition, he said, should leave immediately.

"The Western governments must realize that their baseless war in Afghanistan had no benefit for them," Mujahid said in a statement. "Thousands of their soldiers were killed, disabled or faced psychological problems. Billions of dollars were spent, which affected their economies. Their people are faced with poverty and other problems. Now it is time for America and all other countries to put an end to this baseless war in Afghanistan and withdraw their troops."

In some of the country's eastern provinces, where coalition forces have been fighting a resurgent Taliban with mixed success, some people were worried.

Aziza Maisam, a female member of the provincial council in eastern Ghazni province, said she was worried about the fate of women if the Taliban should make a comeback.

"I heard the news this morning and I was thinking of the effect it would have on women. The situation is bad and insecure in Ghazni province. It is a premature decision by Obama to withdraw the troops," she said. "The foreign troops are very necessary. The fighting is not over as President Obama said."

She said it is too early for US troops to leave because the country is still not safe.

"My province is an example," she said. "After 5 p.m. you can't leave Ghazni city."

"Dont be afraid to stand for what you believe in, even if that means standing alone".

Fugitive LA cop Dorner' in police shoot-out!

A man believed to be a former Los Angeles police officer accused of three murders has been involved in a shoot-out with police, reports say.

The suspect exchanged shots with officers in California's Big Bear Lake region and barricaded himself inside a cabin, local police said.

Two officers have been wounded by gunfire and airlifted to hospital.

Christopher Dorner, 33, has been on the run since last week, after the murders in southern California.

He had sworn revenge on police officers he blamed for his sacking in 2008.

US television networks showed police and vehicles surrounding a cabin in a rural area outside Big Bear in the San Bernadino mountains where the fugitive is thought to be holed up.

"The suspect has not been positively identified but we have reason to believe it is Dorner," Cindy Bachman of San Bernadino County Sheriff's Department said.

Dozens of law enforcement officers have rushed to the scene.

Police were alerted after a man matching Mr Dorner's description reportedly broke into a house and tied up two people before making off in a stolen vehicle.

The search moved to the area of Big Bear Lake, a ski resort 80 miles (130km) east of Los Angeles, after the suspect's burned-out truck was found there last Thursday.

Manifesto

LA officials have offered a $1m (£630,000) reward for information leading to his arrest.

The former officer with Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is suspected of killing three people, including a policeman.

Police have been protecting 50 families, many belonging to former LAPD colleagues, against whom Mr Dorner has vowed revenge for allegedly ruining his career.

In an online manifesto, Mr Dorner, a former US Navy reservist, suggested that racism was rife in the LAPD.

culled from BBC news.

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” – Carl Bard

President Jonathan’s Convoy Reportedly Involved In Car Crash!

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan‘s motor convoy was today involved in an accident in Paris as the Nigerian president was traveling with his aides to a meeting with the French President Francois Gerard Hollande.

Our sources disclosed that the accident occurred 15 minutes away from the Elysee Palace, the venue of the official meeting with the French leader. “The car involved in the accident was the fifth car behind that of President Jonathan,” said a French police source.

Jamilu Waziri, a presidential liaison officer (PLO), was injured in the accident and had to be taken to a Paris hospital where he received treatment for a roken ankle. As a result of the accident, Mr. Waziri was unable to attend the meeting.

 According to a reliable source, Mr. Waziri later flew with President Jonathan who is due to arrive in Abuja shortly. The wounded officer walked with aid of a pair of crutches.

A French official confirmed the accident. The large size of the Nigerian delegation meant that Mr. Jonathan’s aides could not fit into the official vehicles provided by the French government. According to the French source, a car rented by the Nigerian embassy in Paris to convey some of the Nigerian delegates was involved in the accident. Asked who was liable for any damages that resulted from the accident, the source disclosed that French authorities “would not be liable for injuries or damages from the car crash.”