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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

5 Marriage Firsts Every Couple Experiences

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Photo: Courtesy of CNP Montrose

Friends seem to come out of the woodwork when you get engaged, offering everything from congratulations to questions about the when, where, and how of your wedding. One type of friend who could be more eager than most? A friend with a wedding-related talent (photography, makeup, invitation design, you name it).
But what if, for whatever reason, you've decided to hire someone else to provide a service for your wedding instead? Our experts let you know how to tell a friend you won't be hiring them for your big day.

Friendors can be a great asset to your wedding if the friend in question is a real pro with serious talent and a portfolio to prove it. But the situation can get sticky if you feel like your friendship might be at risk if you decide to go a different direction. If this friend of yours is close enough to make the guest list, you've got a built-in excuse. All it takes is a simple "I really want you to be able to enjoy the day and celebrate with us instead of working," and you should be in the clear.

If your friend may not make the guest list, it can be harder to explain that you'll be hiring someone else -- and even harder to make that choice if they're offering you a deal. Be sure to do the same due diligence you'd do for a vendor in a purely professional relationship, looking at their website or portfolio and getting references from past clients. Do they do great work that's simply to modern/rustic/formal/out there for your taste? Kindly tell them that it's not the style you're looking for -- but be sure to praise their talents all the while!

A friend who's offering a service that isn't their full-time profession is probably not one you want to test out on your wedding day. Even if you're still on the hunt for the professional you're hoping to work with, a little white lie that you're negotiating a contract with someone else should be enough to get you off the hook.

source: thehuffingtonpost

Is Africa Ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution

For a people who did not truly observe a change in previous revolutions, the fourth world is not one to be heralded with pomp and pleasantry. So despite Davos being a centre for such discuss, the fourth industrial revolution means nothing more than pure nomenclature to three quarters of the African race.
It's just a name, a desire, a hope and a profound advancement of the west and a big conversation we would like to hash-tag to our local institutions at least so it trends not so much so it is deployed. Our struggle with bringing an understanding of the SDGs is enough mind work and then making it come alive in our conversations, communities, countries and continent is the business we want our noses in not the fourth industrial revolution! We will have all the time to get to the fourth industrial revolution well that is if you are all patient enough.

Well maybe because we do not know...we can't truly appreciate the revolution. The fourth industrial revolution means simply; Africans need to take a stand to improve on education in order to keep its people informed, literacy and economy. It means that climate change, access to education and youth unemployment are serious issues that must be addressed on a local and global level. It means that there is a vacuum for the youth and a lot of opportunity and need to learn better and more constructively. It means we cannot afford to stay complacent at the state of our classrooms while we wonder why the west would hire our best minds after educating them.

The fourth industrial revolution is the solution to climate change in Africa; Global warming endangers our health, jeopardizes our national security, and threatens other basic human needs. Our personal vehicles are a major cause of global warming. With the fourth industrial revolution will come electric cars and trucks use electricity as fuel, producing fewer emissions than their conventional counterparts. When the electricity comes from renewable sources, all-electric vehicles produce zero emissions to drive.

The fourth industrial revolution is the solution to education; Let's throw out the blackboards and contribute to installing white boards, let's bring apps that can teach our educated children how to read and how to write. Even though the world is more global than ever before, most of our daily contact still takes place locally starting in the classrooms be it formal or informal. It means our young people have to be given relevant skill in addition to know-how. They must be allowed to bring creativity into their lessons and also take the same out of their education for the sake of the challenges that will come with the workforce ahead.

These are just a few things we can look out for, what more do you think will change for Africa? We are on the border of a Fourth Industrial Revolution that will fundamentally change the way we work and live in the coming decades but what exactly does it mean to Africa? How does this conversation affect the lives of the old farmer in Abak Itenge or the unemployed youth in Accra? To begin with, understanding it, using it intelligently, will require a massive educational revolution because technological change has always been disruptive.

Is Africa ready for the fourth technology revolution?

source: thehuffingtonpost