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TECHNOLOGY: Apple Will Probably Reveal New Products at March 15 Event

Apple is almost ready to talk about its first product event of the year. Two independent reports claim that the company will have a special media event on March 15. A budget iPhone, an iPad Air 3, and a Watch update will likely be the stars of the show.

9to5 Mac reporter Marc Gurman and Buzzfeed’s John Paczkowski, both of whom have excellent track records with these kinds of rumors, confirmed the event with sources.

We’ll likely see Apple launch several new products, including a cheaper iPhone, unofficially called the iPhone 5se. Rumors suggest that the phone will essentially be an upgraded iPhone 5 with the same, easy-to-hold 4-inch screen. The iPhone 5se is also rumored to include Apple Pay support, the same processors used in the iPhone 6, and software upgrades including Apple’s Live photos.

Apple is also expected to launch the new iPad Air 3. The release will be the first significant upgrade to the tablet since October 2014. Many of the reporters following the event closely say that the iPad Air 3 will include several features introduced in the iPad Pro last year, including a Smart Connector and better speakers.

Finally, the company is expected to unveil the first Apple Watch updates. Rumors suggest that the Apple Watch won’t be overhauled in any way, but that it will get new bands and software. 9to5Mac reports that Apple has been testing a series of NATO-style nylon bands. I can’t wait to see what they look like.

source: gizmodo

FOOTBALL: Lionel Messi Scores 500th Career Goal

Lionel Messi continues to chalk up milestone after milestone on the football pitch, and the Barcelona forward has added another achievement to his already impressive career.

Scoring against Valencia in Wednesday's first-leg Copa del Rey match, a 7-0 win for Barca at Camp Nou, Messi reached 500 career goals.

The Argentinian star needed only 74 minutes to register a hat-trick against Valencia, first finding the back of the net in the 29th minute and following up again in the 59th, giving Barca a 4-0 lead. Messi's third goal gave his side a 5-0 advantage. Match ball in hand, he praised his squad after the match, per Barcelona's Twitter account

"With Messi and (Luis) Suarez we are amazed every day," said Barca winger Aleix Vidal, per the club's official site.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Messi's four hat-tricks against Valencia are his most against any one club. Online gambling company Bwin felt sorry for Valencia manager Gary Neville, who will only be under more pressure after Wednesday's match.

According to Transfermarkt, Messi has now found the back of the net 494 times in 626 matches as a senior player for both his club andnational team. Scoring once every two matches is generally considered a solid goal return, so Messi's goal ratio is almost superhuman.

Messi needs no more accolades to be considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. His scoring rate, combined with individual trophy haul, are nearly unparalleled. If anything, he might spoil fans' expectations for the generations of footballers to come.

Scoring 1,000 goals would seemingly be implausible for Messi, but he has made the unthinkable look routine throughout his career. If he can play long enough, he may just match Pele's feat.

source: bleacherreport.com

FOOTBALL: Manchester United believed to be behind mystery £144 million Neymar bid

The Sun claims that Barcelona star Neymar could be on his way to the Premier League in the summer, thanks to a slip of the tongue from his father. The report claims that Manchester United currently lead the chase, with Chelsea and Manchester City also lurking with intent closely behind.

Neymar Sr., whose son is being probed by a Spanish court for alleged corruption and fraud, told a judge that an unnamed club has offered £144 million for his son, and it wasn't Real Madrid. The Sun mention that in August, they broke a story saying that United officials were in talks with the Ballon d'Or nominee over a potential move to Old Trafford.

The 23-year-old already has 19 goals and 13 assists for Barcelona this season, and thanks to the arrival of Luis Suarez in the summer, has helped to bring the Catalonian's attacking options to a new level. But with rumours of the forward talking to Real Madrid in Spain, who's to say that he couldn't have been talking to Manchester United, as they look to make a statement of intent to their fans and the world of football.

source: espn

POLITICS: Rubio Avoids Attack on Trump, Hits Cruz Instead

LACONIA, NH — Marco Rubio adamantly avoided attacking Donald Trump, Wednesday, instead turning a reporter's question about the business moguls complaints of a fixed election in Iowa into an attack on Ted Cruz.

Asked about Trump's tweets on Wednesday that Cruz "stole" Iowa because of reports that Cruz supporters had spread rumors about some of the candidates at caucuses to persuade their supporters to back Cruz, Rubio declined to weigh in on Trump's comments, saying only, "I don't know exactly what he means by that."

He then pivoted to Cruz: "Obviously we've all seen the reports of the rumors they spread about Ben Carson, and you know those weren't accurate and I thought it was unfair to Ben. You know, ultimately I think it goes back to what I said before — and that is [Cruz's] willingness to say or do anything, in this case, spread a false rumor about Ben Carson."

Rubio's been making that case against Cruz for weeks, most recently charging that a controversial mailer sent out by his campaign pressuring Iowans to vote based on their past voting records and that of their neighbors was "desperate" and part of that tendency to say or do anything to get ahead.

But his refusal to target Trump is notable as most observers believe the two are on a collision course in the New Hampshire primary, where polls have shown Trump leading the GOP pack by a huge margin, with much of the rest of the field in a tight race for second. Asked specifically why he's refused to take aim at Trump, despite attacking Cruz and, weeks ago, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Rubio said he saw no reason to because Trump hadn't outlined actual policy details. But "when the time comes," he will.

"Donald hasn't really outlined any position on policies, with any detail — so, when the time comes, and it's appropriate, we'll do so," he said. "I really, quite frankly, largely spend my time talking about what I'm going to do when I'm president."

More from this gaggle — which fed in on sat 172 — below, including Rubio defining "establishment" — "people that have been involved in politics for a long time" — avoiding attacking Kasich, and avoiding predicting a knockout blow to Bush.

He also all but confirmed he's receiving Toomey's endorsement, saying "I have nothing to announce today" on that.

source:nbcnews.com

FOOTBALL: Luis Suárez hits four, Lionel Messi three as Barcelona rout Valencia

Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi hit hat-tricks as Barcelona routed 10-man Valencia in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final at the Camp Nou.

A Good Laugh: Kevin Hart And His Son Hendrix Star In Kids Foot Locker Commercial

source: bossip

Kanye West Talks Wiz, Amber, And Kim... [Video]

Kanye West discusses Wiz Khalifa, Amber Rose and Kim Kardashian. See the video after the cut

source:bossip

FOOTBALL: Ex-Manchester United FC Player Chicharito: I could be the most underrated striker in Europe

You don't score 13 Bundesliga goals in 16 appearances if you're not a good striker. And Bayer Leverkusen forward Chicharito clearly thinks he IS a good striker, if his latest Tweet is to be believed.
Having been deemed surplus to requirements by Louis van Gaal and Manchester United in the summer, the Mexican forward has flourished since being sold to Leverkusen and is currently fourth in the scoring charts in Germany's top-flight.
And now, after being awarded a third Bundesliga player of the month in a row, Chicharito has suggested that he could well be football's most underrated striker...!

source: goal.com

MUSIC: Rihanna Is Now In Fifth Place For The Most Top Ten Hits

Rihanna now has the fifth most top ten hits of any artist

Rihanna performs at the 2015 We Can Survive Concert at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP)

Thanks to the immediate success of her latest single, “Work”, Rihanna now has the fifth most top ten hits of any artist . She is tied in that position with three other artists:Elton John, Mariah Carey, and Janet Jackson. That’s pretty good company to be in, no matter the list. “Work”, which features Drake, is her twenty seventh top ten.

If she charts one more top ten hit—which is highly likely, considering she just released an album, and she’s not yet thirty—she will move past Elton, Mariah, and Janet and tie with Stevie Wonder. The artists with more top ten hits than Wonder are Michael Jackson (29), the Beatles (34), Elvis Presley (36), and Madonna, who leads the ranking with an astounding 38 top ten singles.

“Work” debuted at number nine this week after a very short period of eligibility. It was able to accrue millions of streams and 126,000 paid downloads in just over one day. Thesong appeared with little warning in the early hours of January 27th, and the single’s corresponding album, ANTI, dropped less than a day later (with no official warning).

“Work” is not only the singer’s twenty seventh top ten, it is her fiftieth entry on the Hot 100 overall. That’s an impressive record, as it shows that more than half of her singles that make it to the ranking end up in the highest reaches of the chart.

SOURCE:FORBES

USA POLITICS: Trump Hits Cruz for 'Fraud'

Less than 48 hours after an Iowa caucus defeat, Donald Trump is calling for a do-over. The New York business man accused the Ted Cruz campaign of fraudulent activities during the Iowa caucuses, after controversial voter mailers and reports that Cruz staffers lied to caucus goers by indicating Dr. Ben Carson was dropping out in order to gain votes for Cruz. Cruz has since called for the firing of those people and apologized.

Trump took to Twitter to air his grievances against what he called Cruz's "fraud" and in subsequent tweets made the case for why he believed "a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified."

Cruz won Iowa with 28 percent of the vote with Trump finishing second at 24 percent. Trump, who was polling just ahead of Cruz in the days before the Iowa caucus, has argued that his second place finish was actually a success, especially when he was warned early on that he "would be lucky" to make the top 10 there, he told crowds in Milford, NH Monday night. "We did really well," Trump assured his supporters. But despite touting his success, it seems Trump is still trying to tear his rivals' wins down.

Related: How to Watch the New Hampshire Democratic Debate on Thursday

Responding to Trump's tweets, Cruz spokesperson Rick Tyler said, "reality has hit the reality star. Since Iowa, no one is talking about Donald Trump. That's why he's popping off on Twitter. There are Twitter addiction therapy groups, and he should check in with his local chapter."

And Cruz responded with his own Tweet:

source:nbcnews.com