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Nato helicopter kills four Afghan police, police say

Gunfire from a helicopter operated by Nato forces killed four Afghan police officers in the eastern province of Ghazni, a district police chief said on Thursday.

Civilian casualties are a source of friction between President Hamid Karzai and his international allies, and the mistaken killing of members of the Afghan security forces is likely to compound Afghan government anger.

The four Afghan Local Police (ALP) officers were in a village in Deyak district when the helicopter fired on them on Wednesday, said district police chief Faiz Mohammad.

“The gunship must have mistaken the policemen for insurgents,” police chief Faiz Mohammad told Reuters, adding that the four were not wearing uniforms. Two civilians who were nearby were wounded, he said.

A spokesman for the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force said it was “assessing” the report.

“We’re aware of local reports
an alleged air strike in Ghazni province yesterday in which several people were reportedly killed,” the spokesman said.

In recent years, Deyak district has largely been under the control of the Taliban but the ALP, who are often recruited from militias, have pushed the militants out of the area.

Last week, an air strike by Nato helicopter supporting Afghan security forces killed two children and nine suspected Taliban in a different area of Ghazni province.

What happens if North Korea gets out of hand? Here are some scenarios

While political and military analysts sound pretty confident that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's threats are just bluster, you can't get around the fact that the region encompassing the Korean peninsula is one of the most heavily militarized places on Earth, home to three of the world's six-largest militaries.

If the unthinkable were to happen, how would it play out?

Leon Panetta, who stepped down as President Barack Obama's defense secretary in February, warned this week in an interview with CNBC that "we don't have as much insight as we should with regards to the inner workings of what happens in North Korea."

But based on declassified U.S. and U.N. assessments and independent analyses by military scholars, we can make some educated guesses:

How would North Korea attack?
Probably with a massive ground assault backed by artillery fire. That's because North Korea's standing military, according to the best U.S. and U.N. intelligence assessments, is the fourth largest in the world, at 1.1 million members. South Korea's, by contrast, is about 690,000 strong.

Library of Congress Federal Research Division

That ratio — a manpower superiority of roughly 3-to-2 for the North — is remarkably consistent across calculations of the countries' weaponry, too. By about the same proportion, the North has more tanks, more artillery, more planes, more ships, more missiles.

In a 2008 report commissioned by the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress depicted North Korea as, in essence, one giant military installation

Lululemon Chief Product Officer Sheree Waterson Steps Down Following Yoga Pant Debacle

Lululemon said Wednesday that its chief product officer is stepping down, as it updated the production problems it has had with see-through pants.

The Canadian yoga wear maker said Sheree Waterson will leave effective April 15.

In a statement, the company said the departure was part of a plan to reorganize its product team to support long-term growth. It wouldn't comment specifically if the departure was related to the pants problem.

"As the organization matures organizational structure changes are often required," the company said in an email response to a query.

Lululemon late last month pulled its Luon pants from store shelves because the fabric was too sheer. On Wednesday the company said after evaluating its production issues, it found the problem stemmed from incomplete testing protocols combined with a style change in the pants pattern. Lululemon hired a new team, including senior level positions in quality, raw materials, and production, to look into the problem and oversee production of the Luon pants, which cost $72 to $98.

Luon pants, made from a combination of nylon and Lycra fibers, are one of the retailer's product staples and account for about 17 percent of all women's pants in its stores. The company is offering customers full refunds or exchanges Lululemon did not say when it expects Luon pants to be back on shelves.

CEO Christine Day said the company stands by the outlook it offered on March 21 during an earnings report that came after the pants problem arose.

At that time, the company said withdrawing Luons will cut its revenue by $12 million to $17 million in the first quarter and by $45 million to $50 million for the rest of the year, particularly in the second quarter. It also said it expects first-quarter earnings of 28 to 30 cents per share. It reported earnings of 32 cents per share a year ago. The company expects the recall will pull its earnings down by 11 to 12 cents per share.

Snoop Lion & Miley Cyrus' 'Ashtrays And Heartbreak' Debuts Off 'Reincarnated'

Nothing like some nostalgic weed smoking to bring together a 20-year-old pop starlet from Nashville and a 41-year-old West Coast gangster rapper-turned-reggae mon! If that's your thing, you're luck: Miley Cyrus and Snoop Lion have teamed up for "Ashtrays and Heartbreaks," a song off the Lion's upcoming album, "Reincarnated."

It's a generally inoffensive tune that features both vocalists offering breathy reflections on lost loved ones. Some might accuse Snoop Lion of a certain inauthenticity, but let's be honest, if there are two people who are going to sing about pot, these aren't the worst choices.

If working on a reggae-lite album seems like a surprising move for Cyrus, consider the fact that she last made music headlines by appearing in a raunchy video for Borgore's dubstep song "Decision." She's nimble in this industry!

Snoop has stayed busy doing press runs for the movie and album. In an interview with HuffPost, he said "Young, Wild and Free" would make a nice new national anthem for the United States and backed same-sex marriage. "People can do what they want and as they please," he said. "Satisfy yourself accordingly. I have no issues with nobody, I live for me and I live my life doing what I do, so you should have the right to do whatever you want to do."

Diplo debuted the track on Major Lazer's SoundCloud page. Major Lazer produced the record in Jamaica, where Snoop filmed a documentary about his personal renaissance, also called "Reincarnated." The movie is a VICE project. Diplo took a hardline on the NRA in a recent tweet endorsing "No Guns Allowed," another "Reincarnated" song that features Drake and Snoop's daughter. The "No Guns Allowed" video debuted earlier this week.

Lamar Odom, Khloe Kardashian Charity Scam? Why Their Cancer Research Cause Raises Questions

Could Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian be involved in a charity scam?

According to ESPN, Lamar Odom's charity "Cathy's Kids" -- which he founded in 2004 after his mother passed away from cancer -- promises "money for cancer research [but] has not given a dime in grant money to any cancer entity in its eight-year history." This, despite raising $2.2 million thus far.

On Lamar and Khloe's joint eBay page, it states that "[Cathy's Kids] was developed as a means for Lamar to streamline all his charitable efforts and focus on making a positive impact on the lives of under-privileged children, as well as targeting a disease that has played a significant role in his life, cancer."

Which is where it gets tricky: The second half of the sentence is apparently an empty statement, while the first is not.

"Lamar lost his mother to stomach cancer and subsequently is committed to help causes that are focused on finding a cure and helping people who suffer from the disease," their site goes on to say. As mentioned, no such money was given to the cause.

On the upside though, the couple's mission to ensure "that funds are available for under-privileged youth that live in the inner cities of New York and Los Angeles" has been fulfilled. Of the $2.2 million the charity has raised, reports Yahoo, at least 60 percent -- $1.3 million -- went to finance two elite youth basketball travel teams.

To make matters a bit tricky, a separate eBay page dedicated to Cathy's Kids makes no mention of cancer research, but is instead dedicated solely to raising funds to buy "educational tools such as books and computers, mentoring and tutoring services and recreational opportunities" for underprivileged youth.

And Khloe's involvement goes beyond just being the wife of, or having her photographs on eBay with Lamar: According to Yahoo, the reality star is actively auctioning clothes and accessories and her page clearly states that "all auction items benefit Cathy's Kids, a Lamar Odom Foundation."

So why is the charity publicly committed to cancer research while the money does not go to cancer research? A request for comment made to both Lamar and Khloe's reps was not immediately answered.

Members Of White Supremacist Gang Sought In Colorado Prison Chief Death

Authorities investigating the death of Colorado's prisons chief are telling law enforcement officers to be on the lookout for two known associates of a white supremacist prison gang.

El Paso County sheriff's Lt. Jeff Kramer said an officer safety bulletin was sent out Wednesday regarding James Lohr, 47, and Thomas Guolee, 31.

Lohr and Guolee aren't being called suspects in the death of Colorado Department of Corrections chief Tom Clements, but their names have surfaced during the investigation, Kramer said. He wouldn't elaborate.

Kramer said Lohr and Guolee are known associates of the 211 Crew. That's the same gang whose members included Evan Ebel, who is suspected of fatally shooting Clements on March 19 and a pizza deliveryman two days earlier.

Ebel was killed in a shootout with Texas authorities after the deaths.

Investigators have said Ebel is the only suspect in Clements' death but haven't given a motive. But they have said they're looking into his connection to the gang he joined while in prison, and whether that was connected to the attack.

Sheriff's investigators don't know the whereabouts of Lohr and Guolee or if they are together, but Kramer said it's possible one or both of them could be headed to Nevada or Texas.

Both are wanted on warrants unrelated to Clements' death. They are believed to be armed and dangerous.

Clements, born in St. Louis, worked for 31 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections, both in prison and as a parole officer, before he was hired in Colorado.

Christina Aguilera Steps Out Without Makeup

Christina Aguilera went super-casual Tuesday as she arrived at LAX airport, with her son, Max Bratman. The former "Voice" coach traded in her usually glammed-up attire and hair for a black sweatshirt and New York Yankees cap.

The 32-year-old singer recently showed off a slimmer, fitter frame at the fourth season premiere of "The Voice" and has spoken openly about her appearance in the past. "I've been on all spectrums [weight-wise], I've been in this [business] for a long time ... You can never be too much of anything," Aguilera said at the Television Critics Association conference in January 2012. "You can never bee too perfect, too thin, too curvy, voluptuous this that. I've been all sides of the spectrum as far as any female in this business."

Monster barracuda is nearly 7-feet long, 102 pounds

Fishing for tarpon was slow on the Cuanza River in Angola, so when Thomas Gibson hooked into a giant fish that took a scorching run and stayed close to the surface, he and his fishing partner thought, finally, a tarpon.

But what came to the boat was not only a huge fish, but a huge surprise.

“It came to the boat fairly easily (too easily for a tarpon!) and once I got hold of the leader and pulled it up to the surface, we saw it was a HUGE barracuda,” Cam Nicolson wrote in an email to GrindTV Outdoor. “It was bigger than any barracuda I had seen.”

The barracuda—a Guinean barracuda, to be exact—measured 6.9-feet long and weighed a potential all-tackle world-record 102 pounds.

“I have never seen anything like it,” Iain Nicolson, Cam’s brother, told Sport Fishing.

Indeed, Guinean barracuda in the Cuanza River typically average 10-20 pounds with the biggest the Nicolson’s of Angola have caught previously being around 65 pounds.

Gibson, a Houston resident who is an expert at catching tarpon, submitted the recent catch to the International Game Fish Association, the keeper of fishing world records. The IGFA is currently reviewing the potential record.

[Related: The biggest fish ever caught from a kayak.]

The current record is 101 pounds, 3 ounces, also caught in Africa. That fish was landed by Dr. Cyril Fabre in Olende, Gabon.

Amazingly, the one Gibson hooked took less than 10 minutes to land, but it came with one harrowing moment.

“We only had a lip gaff onboard [seen in photo below], so that was a little too close to the teeth for comfort,” Cam Nicolson said.

FBI Busts N.Y. Politicos for Bribery and Corruption

FBI agents raided the homes of state Sen. Malcolm Smith, D-Hollis, and New York City Council Member Dan Halloran, R-19, this morning and arrested both men, according to the New York Times. The criminal complaint , which had been sealed until today, alleges that the two, along with four other politicians from Rockland and Westchester Counties, engaged in bribery, defrauding of honest service and conspiracy to commit an unlawful activity. The remaining four defendants are Noramie Jasmin and Joseph Desmaret, the mayor and deputy mayor of Spring Valley; Vincent Tabone, a Republican official in Queens; and Joseph Savino, the Bronx GOP chairman.

The scheme

The New York Post states that it is alleged that Smith conspired with Republican officials to obtain the party's permission to run for mayor of New York City on the Republican line, even though he is a Democrat. The alleged conspiracy involved bribing select Republicans to influence that approval process. Halloran is also being investigated for taking bribes from a consultant in return for allocating city funds. The Spring Valley politicians are believed to be involved through Smith's alleged efforts to provide a benefit to a real estate developer in return for financial support.

Undercover activity

The FBI introduced an agent into the alleged conspiracy posing as a real estate developer. The agent and a cooperating witness met with the Tabone and Savino, and according to the Times, the politicians accepted bribes of $40,000 each. Halloran is reported to have solicited more than $20,000 in bribes.

Statements

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara calls the alleged crimes "an unappetizing smorgasbord of graft and greed involving six officials who together built a corridor of corruption stretching from Queens and the Bronx to Rockland County and all the way up to Albany itself." Gerald Shargel, Senator Smith's attorney, is quoted in the New York Times saying "Malcolm Smith is a dedicated and highly respected public servant and he steadfastly denies these charges."

Repercussions

The fallout from these arrests and any potential convictions will affect both New York City politics as well as the New York state senate. The Times notes that two of the Republican officials involved are involved with existing mayoral campaigns of other Republicans. Tabone is a paid consultant for the campaign of John Catsimatidis while Halloran recently endorsed Republican candidate Joseph Lhota. Malcolm Smith is one of five Democratic state senators who are supporting Republican control of the Senate. From 2008 to 2010, Smith was the president of the senate while it was controlled by the Democrats. Republicans regained a slim majority in 2010, which they lost in 2012. Smith and four other liberal Democrats formed the Independent Democratic Conference and voted with Republicans to restore their control of the upper house of the New York legislature.

New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is term limited and cannot run for re-election. The process to determine who will succeed him has begun for both the Democratic and Republican parties. These arrests may affect that process and the election. In addition, the arrest of Malcolm Smith may affect Republican control of the state senate.

Pepsi IPL Schedule 2013

IPL Schedule 2013 cricket Tournament will start on Apr 3, 2013 in India. The last match of the tournament will be held on May 26, 2013.

The Indian Premier League, or as some would like to address it as the Cricket Carnival is back in the subcontinent and is in tremendous flow with a lot of new exciting surprises keeping viewers hooked to their TV sets. There was much ado about the Pepsico IPL schedule before the start of the event with critics complaining about too much of cricket being played which can fatigue players in the long run. The short version of the game has added a lot of color to cricket itself especially after the involvement of Bollywood superstars in the event. The Pepsi IPL fixture was declared back in the month of January after the auction held at Bangalore. The IPL time table is considered to be a lot more hyped than other tournament time tables owing to the fact that cricket crazy India always tends to promise a better turn out at the stadiums than any other countries in the world. The indian premier league schedule has been carefully designed to ensure optimum crowd turnout and the months of April-May are considered to be the time of the year when cricket in India is played at its best. Top four teams from IPL Points Table will enter playoff/semi final round.

As to what a lot may oppose regarding the busy indian premier league fixtures that has kept the veterans in the hunt still going strong; it does not really spoil the game of cricket but also encourages a lot of talented youngsters to play with conviction. The indian premier league time table this year is hands down devoid of controversies though unlike that of the 4th edition of the league where the IPLT20 schedule was prepared and started just after 4 days from the last match of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

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