Instant Alert: Two Virginia Tech students have been charged with the death of a 13-year-old girl

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   Two Virginia Tech students have been charged with the death of a 13-year-old girl by Colleen Jenkins on Jan 31, 2016, 8:45 PM Advertisement WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Reuters) - Two Virginia Tech engineering students were in custody on Sunday, one charged with abducting and killing a 13-year-old girl and the other accused of helping to dispose of the teenager's body, police said. The arrests came on Saturday after police, following a four-day search, found the remains of Nicole Lovell in North Carolina, about 90 miles (145 km) south of Blacksburg, Virginia, where her home and the university are located. Lovell had been missing from her family's home since Wednesday. A family member told the Roanoke Times it appeared she had climbed out of a first-floor window. It was not immediately clear how she crossed paths with David Eisenhauer, 18, a freshman from Columbia, Maryland, and member of the university's cross-county team. But police in Blacksburg, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Roanoke, Virginia, said investigators had determined the two teens became acquainted before her disappearance. Eisenhauer took advantage of that relationship to abduct and kill Lovell, they said in a statement. Police have not said how Lovell died. Eisenhauer was arrested at his campus residence on Saturday, first charged with abduction and then accused of murder after Lovell's remains were discovered near a highway in Surry County, North Carolina. A star Maryland high school athlete before coming to Virginia Tech, Eisenhauer was named the Howard County Times/Columbia Flier Indoor Track Athlete of the year, according to a 2015 profile in the Baltimore Sun. Natalie Marie Keepers, 19, a sophomore at Virginia Tech from Laurel, Maryland, was arrested on Sunday and charged with improper disposal of a dead body and accessory after the fact in the commission of a felony. "I'm so in shock I know nothing more to say," the victim's father, David Lovell, said on Facebook. "I'm broken!" Family members had pleaded for Nicole Lovell's return, saying she was without the prescription medicine she needed daily after undergoing a liver transplant. Authorities said they were working to piece together the events leading to Lovell's death. A Virginia Tech spokeswoman would not comment on the enrollment status of Eisenhauer and Keepers, but the university said in a statement it had the authority to suspend students immediately on an interim basis in the case of a felony arrest. Hundreds of students in the university's Corps of Cadets, along with students and researchers using drones, assisted in the search for Lovell, the school said. (Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Additional reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Dan Grebler and Peter Cooney)   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Instant Alert: CHINA PMI MISSES

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   CHINA PMI MISSES by David Scutt on Jan 31, 2016, 8:16 PM China’s official performance of manufacturing index (PMI) for January is out, and it’s a miss. The index printed at 49.4, down from 49.7 in December and missing market expectations of a read of 49.6. It was also the sixth month in succession that the index came in below the 50 level that separates expansion from contraction, and marked the steepest decline in activity seen since August 2012. Market attention will now turn to the separate Caixin-Markit manufacturing PMI report for January that will be released at 12.45pm AEDT. It is focused on smaller manufacturing firms, and is a private sector survey. More to come…   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Instant Alert: 'One of the most disgraceful things': Donald Trump slams provocative Ted Cruz ad

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   'One of the most disgraceful things': Donald Trump slams provocative Ted Cruz ad by Colin Campbell on Jan 31, 2016, 7:26 PM Advertisement Real-estate mogul Donald Trump pounced on Sunday after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) faced some backlash over one of the senator's campaign mailers. "I think it's one of the most disgraceful things I have seen in politics," Trump said in an interview on MSNBC's "Hardball," according to a transcript. "I think it's one of the most horrible things that I have seen in politics," the Republican presidential front-runner added. "And I have seen pretty bad stuff just like you have." Trump was responding to the small firestorm generated by one of Cruz's recent campaign mailers in Iowa. Cruz is Trump's top opponent in the state's caucuses on Monday. The mailer in question gave supposed grades to both the recipient and his or her neighbors based on their turnout in recent elections. The top of the mailer proclaimed: "VOTING VIOLATION": @RBPundit pic.twitter.com/FBjxaipH9p — Braddock Massey (@Braddock_Massey) January 30, 2016 It's not entirely uncommon trick of political psychology for campaigns to exploit: According to at least one study, people were more likely to vote when informed about the public nature of their voting histories. Another presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), also released a "report card" mailer aiming to use social pressure, although his was slightly softer than Cruz's and generated less backlash. The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza also suggested that Cruz's "voting violation" notice may have fabricated the actual grades assigned to its recipients. For his part, Cruz defended the mailer by reportedly saying, "I will apologize to no one for using every tool we can to encourage Iowa voters to come out and vote." SEE ALSO: Donald Trump's plane does dramatic flyby as 'Air Force One' theme song plays at campaign rally   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Instant Alert: Republicans are fundraising off Bernie Sanders with a hammer-and-sickle image

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   Republicans are fundraising off Bernie Sanders with a hammer-and-sickle image by Maxwell Tani on Jan 31, 2016, 6:48 PM Advertisement The campaign arm of House Republicans used Soviet imagery in a Bernie Sanders-themed fundraising pitch. The National Republican Congressional Committee released a fundraising note aimed at Sanders, the Democratic presidential candidate. With a large hammer and sickle image on the page, the pitch urged Republicans to "take a stand against socialism" by donating. "It’s a real possibility that the Democrats may actually nominate a socialist," the fundraising letter said. "Self-proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders is catching fire in the Democrat primary. He's smashing online fundraisng [sic] records and has even reported over two million online donations." It continued: "We have to stop this! Pitch in today to keep America free from socialism." The fundraising pitch comes as Sanders, a self-avowed democratic socialist, has attempted to quell concern among some Democrats. Those Democrats, many of whom support Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, have expressed fear that being on the same ticket as Sanders could alienate more moderate voters in swing states and districts. Sanders has aggressively countered the impression that his nomination would not bode well for Democrats in a general election, pointing out that he performs well in theoretical head-to-head matchups with some Republican presidential candidates. On Sunday, Sanders said the enthusiasm he's generated behind his insurgent candidacy will motivate irregular and first-time voters to participate, which he asserted will propel him and other Democrats to victory. "I think in fact, Hillary Clinton will be the problem," Sanders told NBC's Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press." "Because I think our campaign is the campaign that is generating excitement and energy that will result in a high voter turnout. Republicans win when voter turnout is low. Democrats win when voter turnout is high," he continued. "I think our campaign is raising issue about a rigged economy, a corrupt campaign-finance system." Clinton on Sunday suggested she agreed with lawmakers like Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri), who has said that Republicans "can't wait to run an ad with a hammer and sickle" against Sanders. "That certainly is what a lot of Democratic leaders are saying, and I take them at their word," Clinton said when asked about concerns about how Sanders would affect Democrats down the ballot. "They know their states. They know the country. They know we have to take back the Senate," she continued. "They want to make some advances in the House as well as at governor and legislature levels across the country." Republicans haven't been shy in expressing their enthusiasm about Sanders' rising popularity among Democratic voters. During the last Democratic debate, the Republican National Committee sent out a series of emails fact-checking Clinton's attacks on Sanders. Last week, a super PAC founded by a prominent Republican donor also began running attack ads against Sanders in Iowa that actually touted traits that Democratic voters support. Republican candidates themselves have begun to criticize Sanders' ideology. During last week's Republican presidential debate, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) garnered one of the biggest applause lines of the night by knocking Sanders' identify as a Democratic-socialist. "Bernie Sanders is a socialist. I think Bernie Sanders is a good candidate for president — of Sweden," Rubio said. "We don't want to be Sweden, we want to be the United States of America." SEE ALSO: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are both saying the other would be a disaster in the general election   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Instant Alert: Report: 30-year-old Calvin Johnson is retiring from the NFL

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   Report: 30-year-old Calvin Johnson is retiring from the NFL by Cork Gaines on Jan 31, 2016, 5:40 PM Advertisement Calvin Johnson reportedly told Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell that 2015 was his final season in the NFL, according to ESPN (via Pro Football Talk). According to the report, Johnson gave Caldwell the news on the day after the Lions' final game of the season. He also reportedly told the same thing to family and friends during the season. Johnson, who was the second pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, played all nine of his seasons with the Lions. Johnson made $113.8 million in his career, according to Spotrac. He still had four years and $67.7 million left on the $113.5 million contract he signed prior to the 2012 season.   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Instant Alert: This is the first-ever footage of Russia's T-14 Armata tank firing its main cannon

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   This is the first-ever footage of Russia's T-14 Armata tank firing its main cannon by Alex Lockie on Jan 31, 2016, 5:22 PM Advertisement Since unveiling their new family of Armata tanks in May 2015 during the Victory Day Parade, Russia has kept the specifics of the tank underwraps. Arecently declassified video translated by Ukraine War Awareness, shows the internal systems of the tank, as well as its main cannon firing a round. SEE ALSO: Here's how Iraqi and Kurdish forces are training to destroy ISIS But the battle tank, the T-14 is just one of the Armata family. Another variation of the platform has a smaller 30 mm cannon and is called the BMP Armata, or T-15. The final variation of the platform features a crane instead of a turret to sort through wreckage and recover vehicles. This variation is called the BREM, or Armored Repair-Evacuation Vehicle, T-16. The video highlights the considerable advances made by this tank, which has the benefit of being designed around 30 years after the US' M1A2 Abrams tank first went into production. See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Instant Alert: A guide to 7 of Mexico's violent drug cartels that are feeding America’s drug habit

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   A guide to 7 of Mexico's violent drug cartels that are feeding America's drug habit by Jeremy Bender, Christopher Woody and Amanda Macias on Jan 31, 2016, 4:54 PM Advertisement Virtually the entire illicit US drug market is controlled by seven Mexican cartels, according to the DEA's 2015 National Drug Threat Assessment Summary. The DEA report notes that there are no organizations at this time with the infrastructure and power to challenge these cartels and their hold over the US market. Trafficking heroin, meth, cocaine, and marijuana, these traffickers will continue to dominate throughout the US, according to the DEA. "Narcotics are the biggest black market earner of all," wrote Ioan Grillo, author of "Gangster Warlords: Drug Dollars, Killing Fields, and the New Politics of Latin America." "Estimated to be worth more than three hundred billion dollars a year, the global industry has pumped huge resources into criminal empires decade after decade." A number of criminal organizations have risen and fallen over those decades, but we have listed the seven Mexican cartels that currently supply the US drug market below.   SEE ALSO: Mexico finally recaptured fugitive drug lord 'El Chapo' Guzmán, but the fight is far from over — here's what could come next The Sinaloa cartel The Sinaloa cartel is generally regarded as the most powerful and wealthiest cartel in Mexico and in the world. The cartel is based in Sinaloa state on Mexico's Pacific coast — a rugged and mountainous area known as the Golden Triangle for its extensive drug cultivation.  Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán and Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada took leadership of the Sinaloa cartel in the early 1990s (after the disintegration of the Guadalajara cartel). In 2012, the Chicago Crime Commission named Guzmán as Chicago’s Public Enemy No.1 due to the Sinaloa cartel's dominant role in supplying large quantities of drugs to the city.    In 2013, the DEA said that Guzmán's organization shipped "80% of the heroin, cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine" most of which flowed through the Chicago region each year, a supply with a value of $3 billion.  The DEA's 2015 National Drug Threat Assessment revealed even more extensive control, with only Arizona and the southern half of Texas out of the Sinaloa cartel's grasp. On the morning of January 8, the Mexican government arrested Guzmán, and hours later frog-marched him from northwestern Sinaloa state, where he was captured, back to the prison near Mexico City from which he escaped in July — where he will reportedly be even more closely monitored. Most observers believe that Guzmán will eventually end up in a US super-max facility and his cartel will continue to operate from Mexico through its vast networks.  "The drug trade will continue to operate without El Chapo but El Chapo represented drug traffickers who could defy the government," Ioan Grillo, author of "Gangster Warlords," told Business Insider. See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011