Exclusive! Nas Talks About Performing With Jay-Z and Alicia Keys at Carnegie Hall

Nasir Jones opens up about performing with Jay-Z and Alicia Keys at Carnegie Hall and the evolution of VIBE's Apr/May cover girl. --Siobhan O'Connor
 Alicia said that the recent show at Carnegie was a dream come true, in a big part because you have ALWAYS been one of her favorite artists of all time. She said it was a total New York moment to be somewhere so prestigious, and with you there. What was it like for you?
Nas: Carnegie Hall was incredible for a couple of reasons. I told Jay, look at us, two dudes from the projects on one of the most historic stages in the world. [We were] wearing tuxes, drinking vintage wine and champagne, on stage! That's how you do it. Alicia was amazing. The feeling I had being on stage with her and Jay is beyond words in the dictionary. I couldn't believe it. It was so Rat Pack. It's no joke to be the one who creates the official song for the greatest city in the world. Alicia helped make this timeless. "Empire State of Mind" song is a official New York anthem and Alicia keys helped to make it epic.
You've worked several times together over the years. She spoke to me a lot about how much she has changed, and how much her music has changed especially recently. What was Alicia like when you first met her? And what changes have you noticed?
I met Alicia before the world knew her. She was still on Columbia. Not on J Records with Clive yet… [the late '90s]. I don't know if she remembers this but, it was summer time in New York, me and my guys were looking for some place to go out to and we struck up a conversation with her and her girls. And after that I have just watched her do her thing. Now, after we thought all the slots in the music scene were taken... Alicia has showed us the missing key, the cute around the way girl meets, the edge of Tina Marie, and the soulful classiness of Ray Charles.
Do you think in the radio world now, where everything is so pop, there's room for her?
I would say it makes it even better for her because there is only pop. She is a REAL artist in a pop world. This gives her the opportunity to never need to fake it bc authenticity is what people search for in music. She has that.
Alicia is super funny in person. Any stories you can share about her that reflect her true personality?
She's creative. At Carnegie hall it was her idea to stay on stage for "Empire State of Mind" through "New York State of Mind." It made the performance and homage to NY that much more for the three of us to be up there.

Musician Recaptures Tanzanians Lost Glory

anzania has regained its lost glory in world of music fame that has dwindled since the eighties.

When the name of Tanzania is currently mentioned in international music circles the name of Ebrahim Makunja popularly known as Ras Makunja of FFU and his “The Ngoma Africa Band” aka FFU based in Germany cannot be slighted. FFU has earnestly strived to place Tanzania in the international music charts.

It is the only Tanzanian band that is based overseas. Its contribution in the music industry both in Tanzania, East Africa and abroad is superb. The band has often been able to bring its records to radio stations back at home.

Many of their hits touch the souls of their fans. Two of their hits, which are very popular in local radio stations and contained in “50 Uhuru Anniversary” CD are “Shangwe”, and “Miaka 50 ya Uhuru”. The rumba style songs are composed by band leader Ras Makunja.

He pairs in singing with the comical solo guitarist Chris-B. Apart from the well composed lyrics and the highly perfected musical beat the songs carry very strong and emotional messages to the community. Their messages are acclaimed not only in Tanzania but world all over.

Ras Makunja of FU, is not only a seasoned tactful and artistic composed. He too has visionary messages to the society. To call him Kamanda (Commander) Ras Makunja is not demeaning him.

He ensured that two of his CDs including “Jakaya Kikwete 2010″ which claimed global fame reached more than 310 radio stations in the world. This CD earned him the mark of being a hard headed musician from some quarters.

His band now dubbed FFU (Fanya Fujo Uone) literally means creates chaos and see, immediately came up with a CD “Anti Corruption Squad” which has the song “Rushwa ni Adui wa Haki”. The fans see this song as the Al-Albadir of the corrupt.

The song was a smash hit within Tanzanians. It placed Ras Makunja and his band ‘Ngoma Afrika’ not only as ordinary musicians in the musical arena. They had something else to offer the society apart from the usual entertainment. Visionary eye opening and soul searching messages.

Yet despite all this no one seems to realize the onerous task that this musicians does. They have never been ordained with a single medal here at home. As a popular Swahili goes “Asiyekuwepo na lake halipo” (He who is not there (present) so is his/her share). Ras Makunja and Ngoma Afrika may not be with us, but his works and messages are!

The official web of the band is www.ngoma-africa.com One can become a fan member of the band by signing up. The good work the band is doing in promoting Tanzania in the field of music deserves local support both in cash and form.

Elizabeth Michael (Lulu) aongea na polisi

Elizabeth Michael (Lulu)                                                                 MSANII Elizabeth Michael (Lulu), ameiambia polisi kuwa kifo cha Steven Kanumba kimetokana na ugonvi kati yao, huku taarifa nyingine zikieleza kuwa huenda Lulu akafikishwa mahakamani leo. Habari zilizopatikana jana kutoka Kituo cha Polisi Oysterbay zilieleza kuwa, Lulu alisema kuwa kulitokea ugomvi kati yake na Kanumba baada yeye kuzungumza na simu kutoka kwa mtu maarufu anayetajwa kuwa mpenzi wake. "Lulu alisema kuwa ugomvi ulitokana na simu aliyopigiwa na mpenzi wake mwingine, ambaye ni mtu maarufu nchini, ndipo Kanumba akamfokea na ndiyo ugomvi ukaanzia hapo," chanzo hicho kimesema. Chanzo hicho kiliongeza kuwa baada ya Kanumba kuanguka, Lulu alitoka nje na kuondoka kwa gari lake hadi maeneo ya Coco Beach, lakini baadaye daktari wa Kanumba alimpigia simu akimtaka arudi ili wampeleke hospitali. "Alipororudi Sinza ndipo akakamatwa, lakini walikuja Kituo cha Polisi Oysterbay kuchukua PF3," kilisema chanzo hicho. Chanzo kiliongeza kuwa tangu Lulu alipofikishwa kituoni hapo amekuwa mtulivu asiye na wasiwasi wowote hata katika mahojiano na polisi. Katika hatua nyingine, Polisi wa kituo hicho jana walipata wakati mgumu baada ya kuibuka kundi la vijana waliotokea makaburi ya Kinondoni kumzika Kanumba, walioandamana wakidai wanamtaka Lulu. "Tunataka jembe letu", waliimba vijana hao waliofikia 100 wakitokea Barabara ya Ali Hassan Mwinyi huku wakishika majani na kufanya askari waliokuwapo kituoni hapo kuwahi kuchukua silaha na mabomu ya machozi kujiandaa kutuliza ghasia kama zingezuka. Hata hivyo vijana hao walitawanyika baada ya kuona askari wakiwa tayari kupambana nao na kukimbia maeneo mbalimbali. Katika hatua nyingine Patricia Kimelemeta anaripoti kuwa, Msanii Elizabeth Michael maarufu kwa jina la Lulu huenda akafikishwa mahakamani leo kujibu tuhuma za kuhusika na kifo cha Steven Kanumba. Kamanda wa Polisi Mkoa wa Kinondoni, Charles Kenyela aliliambia gazeti hili jana kuwa Lulu atafikishwa katika Mahakama ya Hakimu Mkazi Kinondoni mara baada ya polisi kupata ripoti ya vipimo kutoka Mkemea mkuu wa Serikali. “Tunasubiri ripoti ya Mkemia Mkuu kubaini chanzo cha kifo hicho kwa sababu wamechukua baadhi ya sampuli za marehemu kwenda kupima na kwamba tutakabidhiwa leo(jana). Kimsingi tukipata tu taarifa hiyo tutamfikisha mahakamani,” alisema Kenyela. Aliongeza ripoti hiyo itaweza kuwasaidia kuandika mashtaka ili yaweze kufikishwa kwa Mkurugenzi wa Mashtaka (DPP) kwa ajili ya kumfikisha mahakamani. Kamanda Kenyela alisema kuwa, ripoti ya madaktari imewasilishwa juzi na kwamba imeonyesha kuwa Kanumba amefariki kwa ugonjwa wa mtikisiko wa ubongo.   Kauli mbili tofauti za Seth Alipohojiwa na waandishi wa habari, Jumamosi asubuhi, Seth alisema Kanumba alifika nyumbani akiwa na Lulu saa sita usiku wa kuamkia siku hiyo wakiwa wanazozana wakaingia chumbani lakini hazikupita dakika tatu, Lulu akatoka na kumfuata Seth na kumwambia Kanumba amejipigiza ukutani amedondoka chini. Seth alisema alikwenda na kumkuta Kanumba akiwa chini huku povu likimtoka mdomoni akampigia daktari simu, ambapo baada ya kumpima, daktari huyo akashauri apelekwe Hospitali Muhimbili. Seth anasema wakati anakwenda hospitali alimwacha Lulu nyumbani na aliporudi hakumkuta na hajui alishikwa vipi na polisi. Akihojiwa na vyombo vya habari mchana huo wa Jumamosi, Seth anasema baada ya kula chakula cha jioni, Kanumba alimwambia ajiandae waende klabu. Seth anasema alimwambia Kanumba kuwa tayari amejiandaa, Kanumba akasema nisubiri. Kanumba akaingia chumbani, ghafla akasikia mlio wa gari, Lulu akashuka na kuingia ndani, akapitiliza moja kwa moja chumbani kwa Kanumba, baada ya muda mfupi, Seth akasikia mzozo chumbani, akaona kimya. Lulu akatoka akiomba msaada kwa Seth kuwa Kanumba kaanguka, aliingia akamkuta akiwa amelala chini hivyo akampigia simu daktari. Akasema wakiwa njiani wakapitia Kituo cha Polisi cha Oysterbay wakiwa na Lulu, baada ya maelezo, polisi wakamwambia Lulu abakie kwa ajili ya maelezo zaidi. Maswali ya kujiuliza 1. Kwa mujibu wa Kamanda Kenyela kifo hicho kilitokea saa 9 usiku, Je, Kanumba alimwambia mdogo wake wajiandae kwenda klabu muda huo? 2. Seth amezungumza kauli mbili tofauti za tukio hilo. Je, ipi ni taarifa sahihi? 3. Ni saa ngapi Seth na Kanumba walikuwa wanapata chakula cha jioni? 4. Kanumba alikuwa amerudi akitokea klabu au ndiyo alikuwa anataka kwenda klabu? 5. Hivi karibuni, Lulu alikaririwa na vyombo vya habari akisema hana mpenzi. Je, Kanumba alikuwa mpenzi wake? 6. Siku zote Kanumba alikuwa akidai hatumii kilevi chochote. Je, ni nani alikuwa anakunywa Jack Daniel's chumbani? 7. Je, Lulu alikimbia baada ya kifo cha Kanumba au aliambatana na Seth kwenda Muhimbili kabla ya Polisi kumshikilia katika kituo cha Oysterbay walipokwenda kufuata PF3? 8. Je, Lulu na Kanumba waliingia pamoja nyumbani kwa Kanumba au Lulu alikuja baadaye? 9. Lulu alikuwa anazungumza na nani kwenye simu na ni nini kilikuwa kinazungumzwa? 10. Lulu alikamatwa na polisi akiwa wapi? Msanii Stephen Kanumba alifariki usiku wa Ijumaa Kuu Kwa habari zote kuhusiana na lulu na je? anakesi ya kujibu kuhusiana na kifo cha kanumba utazipata ndani ya blog hii

Kanumba the great afariki..

Ni alfajiri kabisa kama saa 12 hivi watu wengine wakiwa ndio wanaamka na wengine wakienda kulala na kupata mshtuko wa kuondokewa na kipenzi chao kwenye tasnia ya filamu hapa bongo Steven Kanumba nyumbani kwake Sinza Vatcan ni kwamba kweli mwigizaji STEVEN KANUMBA amefariki dunia na inaaminika chanzo cha kifo chake ni baada ya kuanguka na kuanza kutoa mapovu hapohapo nyumbani kwake, alikua akiishi na mdogo wake anaitwa Fetty aliekua chumba kingine ambae amethibitisha kweli kwamba alimkuta kaka yake akiwa ameanguka.

Polisi wameondoka nyumbani kwa Kanumba muda mfupi uliopita baada ya kuwachukua waliokua wanaishi na Kanumba akiwemo mdogo wake Fetty ili kwenda kusaidia maelezo ya kilichotokea.

Bado watu wanazidi kuongezeka nyumbani kwa Kanumba ambapo tayari idadi kubwa ya wasanii wenzake wamefuka pamoja na watu mbalimbali,Ila kumekua na taarifa nyingine ambazo hazijathibitishwa kwamba Kanumba alianguka na kuumia kichwani baada ya mpenzi wake ambae anatajwa kuwa ni mwigizaji LULU kumsukuma na kuanguka wakati wanagombana.

‘Inasemekana’ Kanumba wakati akijiandaa kutoka saa sita usiku aliingia bafuni kuoga, alipotoka alimkuta Lulu akiongea na mwanaume mwingine kwenye simu ndipo alipokasirika na ugomvi kuanza.Kwa sasa msanii wa kike Lulu anashikiliwa na police kwa maelezo zaidi

Alipelekwa hospitali Muhimbili ambako muda mfupi baadae alifariki dunia, mwili wake bado uko katika chumba cha kuhifadhia maiti Muhimbili hospital

Rais Kikwete atangaza wajumbe wa tume ya katiba

RAIS Jakaya Kikwete amemteua Waziri Mkuu Mstaafu, Joseph Warioba kuwa Mwenyekiti wa Tume ya Mabadiliko ya Katiba Tanzania. Pia amemteua na Jaji Mkuu Mstaafu, Augustino Ramadhani kuwa makamu wake. Akitangaza Tume hiyo Ikulu, Dar es Salaam jana, Rais Kikwete alisema Tume hiyo itasaidiwa na Sekretarieti itakayoogozwa na Katibu Mtendaji, Asaa Ahmad Rashid na Naibu wake ni Casmir Sumba Kyuki. Hii ni mara ya pili kwa Warioba, Mwanasheria Mkuu wa zamani wa Serikali ambaye pia aliwahi kuwa Jaji katika Mahakama ya Kimataifa ya Mazingira kupewa jukumu la kusimamia tume zinazovuta hisia za mamilioni ya Watanzania kwani ndiye aliyekuwa Mwenyekiti wa Tume ya Kuondoa Kero ya Rushwa nchini iliyoundwa na Rais wa Awamu ya Tatu, Benjamin Mkapa. Jaji Ramadhani kwa upande wake, mbali ya kuwa Jaji Mkuu wa Tanzania kwa miaka sita, wadhifa aliokuwa nao hadi alipostaafu Desemba 27, 2010 na nafasi yake yake kuchukuliwa na Jaji Mkuu wa sasa, Mohamed Chande Othman alikuwa, Makamu Mwenyekiti wa Tume ya Taifa ya Uchaguzi (NEC) na baadaye Tume ya Uchaguzi Zanzibar (ZEC) kwa wadhifa huo huo. Pia alikuwa Brigedia Jenerali wa Jeshi la Wananchi wa Tanzania (JWTZ), hadi alipostaafu mwaka 1997. Kwa upande wa Asaa kabla ya uteuzi huo alikuwa Katibu Mkuu wa Wizara ya Sheria Zanzibar wakati Kyuki alikuwa Mwandishi Mkuu wa Sheria katika Ofisi ya Mwanasheria Mkuu wa Serikali Tanzania Bara. Rais Kikwete aliwaambia wahariri na waandishi wa habari kutoka vyombo mbalimbali vya habari kwamba uteuzi wa Tume hiyo ni hatua ya kwanza muhimu katika mchakato wa kuiwezesha nchi kupata Katiba Mpya ifikapo mwaka 2014. “Sheria yetu inaelekeza Tume hii iwe imekamilisha kazi yake ndani ya miezi 18, sasa kama wakianza kazi tuseme Mei watakuwa na miezi minane mwaka huu na kwa maana hiyo mwakani inabidi wamalize kazi hiyo Oktoba, miezi 18 itakuwa imekamilika,”alisema Rais Kikwete na kuongeza: “Sasa kama ni hivyo mimi sioni kwa nini ifikapo mwaka 2014 tusiwe na Katiba Mpya… hili linawezekana kabisa.” Wajumbe wengine Tume hiyo ina uwakilishi wa makundi mbalimbali katika jamii. Yumo mwanadiplomasia wa siku nyingi Waziri Mkuu Mstaafu na Katibu Mkuu wa uliokuwa Umoja wa Nchi Huru za Afrika (OAU), Dk Salim Ahmed Salim, Mshauri wa  wa Chadema, Profesa Mwesiga Baregu na Mkuu wa Idara ya Sheria, Katiba na Haki za Binadamu wa Chama cha NCCR-Mageuzi, Dk Sengondo Mvungi. Tume hiyo ambayo inaundwa na wajumbe 30 nusu kutoka kila upande wa Muungano, pia inawajumuisha aliyewahi kuwa Mwenyekiti wa Baraza la Michezo la Taifa (BMT), Said El Maamry, Mbunge wa Viti Maalumu, Al-Shaymaa Kwegyir, Mkurugenzi wa Taasisi ya Mwalimu Nyerere (MNF), Joseph Butiku na Mhadhiri mwandamizi wa Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Profesa Palamagamba Kabudi. Rais Kikwete aliwataja wajumbe wengine wa Tume hiyo kutoka Tanzania Bara kuwa ni Katibu Mkuu wa Chama cha Walimu Tanzania (CWT), Yahya Msulwa, Mwenyekiti wa Taasisi ya Sekta Binafsi Tanzania (TPSF), Esther Mkwizu, Riziki Mngwali, Richard Lyimo, John Nkolo, Jesca Mkuchu, Humphrey Polepole, Maria Kashonda na Mwantumu Malale. Wajumbe kutoka Zanzibar ni wamo Mwandishi wa habari mkongwe, Ally Salehe, Fatma Said Ali, Omar Sheha Mussa, Raya Salim Hamadi, Awadh Ali Said, Ussi Khamis Haji, Salma Maoulidi, Nassor Khamis Mohammed, Simai Mohammed Mshamba, Kibibi Mwinyi Hassan, Suleiman Omar Ali, Salama Kombo Ahmed na Abubakar Mohammed Ali. Rais Kikwete alisema mchakato wa uteuzi wa wajumbe hao ulizingatia matakwa ya kisheria yanayomwelekeza kushauriana na Rais wa Zanzibar. Alisema kabla ya kuteua majina hayo, walipokea mapendekezo ya majina zaidi ya 550 kutoka kwa wadau mbalimbali akisema ilikuwa kazi ngumu kuyachuja na kubaki na majina hayo kama sheria inavyoelekeza. “Tumejitahidi kadri ya uwezo wetu maana kama si haya mapendekezo pengine tungeishia kuteua wale tunaowafahamu tu, lakini tumejitahidi kugusa kila kundi. Tunafahamu kwamba hatuwezi kumridhisha kila mtu, lakini wale ambao hawakupata nafasi katika Tume basi watatumia fursa nyingine ambazo zipo kupitia mchakato huu,” alisema Rais Kikwete. Muda wa Tume Rais Kikwete alisema wajumbe wa Tume hiyo wataapishwa wakati wowote kuanzia sasa ili kuwawezesha kuanza safari yao ya miezi 18 ya kukusanya maoni ya wananchi kuhusu Katiba Mpya na kukamilisha kuandikwa kwa Katiba hiyo. Rais alisema Tume hiyo baada ya kukamilisha kazi yake ya kukusanya maoni ya Watanzania na kutengeneza rasimu ya Katiba, zitakuwa zimebaki hatua mbili muhimu ambazo ni kuundwa kwa Bunge maalumu na kura ya maoni. “Baada ya hatua hiyo kukamilika, rasimu itawasilishwa katika Bunge maalumu ambalo litaundwa kwa ajili ya kujadili na kuchambua mambo yanayofaa yaliyomo katika rasimu hiyo, Bunge hili litakuwa kwa ajili hiyo tu na likishakamilisha kazi yake basi muda wake utakuwa umeisha” alisema Rais Kikwete. Alisema baada ya mambo ya msingi kupitishwa na Bunge hilo, mchakato huo utarejeshwa kwa wananchi ambao watapiga kura za maoni kama wataona yaliyopitishwa yanafaa au la. Rais ametangaza kuundwa kwa Tume hiyo siku chache tangu yafanyike mabadiliko katika Sheria ya Mabadiliko ya Katiba, katika Mkutano wa Sita wa Bunge la 10, marekebisho ambayo yalizua manung’uniko kutoka kwa wabunge wa CCM. Katika hotuba yake ya Desemba 31, 2010, Rais Kikwete aliahidi kuanzisha mchakato wa kuandikwa kwa Katiba mpya ambayo alisema italivusha Taifa katika miaka mingine 50 ikiimarisha udugu na mshikamano wa Watanzania. Wateule wanena Wakizungumza kwa nyakati tofauti, baadhi yawajumbe walioteuliwa katika Tume hiyo walisema kuwa ni mapema mno kuzungumzia uteuzi wao. Dk Mvungi alisema kazi hiyo ni kubwa kwa kuwa wanaotumikiwa ni wananchi, huku akiomba kupewa muda hadi leo ili aweze kutafakari cha kuzungumza. “Muda mfupi uliopita ndiyo nilipata taarifa ya uteuzi huo ila nahitaji kujishauri kwanza pia kusikiliza ushauri wa familia yangu, naomba unipe muda hadi kesho (leo), naweza kuwa na cha kuzungumza zaidi,” alisema Dk Mvungi. Kwa upande wake Butiku alisema mpaka alipokuwa akipigiwa simu kuulizwa alivyopokea uteuzi wake alikuwa hajapata taarifa za uteuzi huo. Alisema atazungumza mara baada ya kuthibitisha rasmi kuwa ameteuliwa. “Hivi tunavyozungumza ndiyo nafika Musoma nikitokea Mwanza, sijapata taarifa yoyote, ngoja kwanza nisubiri taarifa rasmi ili niweze kuzungumza vizuri.”

Beyoncé Shares Stunning Bikini Pic!

 

Who doesn't love Beyoncé in a bikini? The 30-year-old stunner shared a photo of herself on vacation (she didn't reveal when the hot shot was snapped). Still, no Photoshop, no lighting design, no professional photographer, no makeup artist--no problem! Just another beauty testament to the naturally gorgeous singer.

Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z recently celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary yesterday (for a total of ten years together). To celebrate, she launched an immaculately curated Tumblr page of never-before-seen photos of herself and her family, along with joining Twitter for the first time to announce her new website. She's already racked up over 3.6 million Twitter followers in less than a day and just a single tweet!
Having given birth to her first child Blue Ivy in January, Beyoncé will return to performing live in late May.

Roma makatoliki vs Izzo B Dar Live

Nikiwa na Dj choka back stage baada ya show

Nikiwa na kassim mganga amabapo alisindikiza mpambano wa nani mkali kati ya roma mkatoliki na Izzo B ndani ya dar live

Roma akipiga show ambayo ilimaliza ubishi wa nani mkali kati yake na Izzo B nakumfunika mbaya Izzo B katika show hiyooo


Dj choka ndo alikuwa dj wa roma ndani ya pambano hilo akiwa anafanya mix za truck za roma



Izzo B akipiga show ndani ya dar live kujua nani mkali kati yake na roma mkatoliki





Hahahaha!!! huyo anaitwa KR mullah akiwa anafagia ili kassim mganga apige show ufagizi huo ulikuwa wa kipekee kama unavyoona hapo

Meet The Hackers Who Sell Spies The Tools To Crack Your PC

Chaouki Bekrar (center) and Vupen's team of hackers at the Pwn2Own hackathon in Vancouver in March.

At a Google-run competition in ­Vancouver last month, the search giant’s famously secure Chrome Web browser fell to hackers twice. Both of the new methods used a rigged ­website to bypass Chrome’s security protections and completely hijack a target computer. But while those two hacks defeated the company’s defenses, it was only a third one that actually managed to get under Google’s skin.

A team of hackers from French security firm Vupen were playing by different rules. They declined to enter Google’s contest and instead dismantled Chrome’s security to win an HP-sponsored hackathon at the same conference. And while Google paid a $60,000 award to each of the two hackers who won its event on the condition that they tell Google every detail of their attacks and help the company fix the vulnerabilities they had used, Vupen’s chief executive and lead hacker, Chaouki Bekrar, says his company never had any intention of telling Google its secret techniques—certainly not for $60,000 in chump change.

“We wouldn’t share this with Google for even $1 million,” says Bekrar. “We don’t want to give them any knowledge that can help them in fixing this exploit or other similar exploits. We want to keep this for our customers.”

Those customers, after all, don’t aim to fix Google’s security bugs or those of any other commercial software vendor. They’re government agencies who ­purchase such “zero-day” exploits, or hacking techniques that use undisclosed flaws in software, with the ­explicit ­intention of invading or disrupting the computers and phones of crime suspects and intelligence targets.

In that shady but legal market for security vulnerabilities, a zero-day exploit that might earn a hacker $2,000 or $3,000 from a software firm could earn 10 or even 100 times that sum from the spies and cops who aim to use it in secret. Bekrar won’t detail Vupen’s exact pricing, but analysts at Frost & Sullivan, which named Vupen the 2011 Entrepreneurial Company of the Year in vulnerability research, say that Vupen’s clients pay around $100,000 annually for a subscription plan, which gives them the privilege of shopping for Vupen’s techniques. Those intrusion methods ­include ­attacks on software such as Micro­soft Word, Adobe Reader, Google’s ­Android, Apple’s iOS operating systems and many more—Vupen bragged at HP’s hacking competition that it had exploits ready for every major browser. And sources familiar with the company’s business say that a single technique from its catalog often costs far more than its six-figure subscription fee.

Even at those prices, Vupen doesn’t sell its exploits exclusively. ­Instead, it hawks each trick to multiple government agencies, a business model that often plays its customers against one another as they try to keep up in an espionage arms race.

Bekrar claims that it carefully screens its clients, selling only to NATO governments and “NATO partners.” He says Vupen has further “internal processes” to filter out nondemocratic nations and requires buyers to sign contracts that they won’t reveal or resell their exploits. But even so, he admits that the company’s digital attack methods could still fall into the wrong hands. “We do the best we can to ensure it won’t go outside that agency,” Bekrar says. “But if you sell weapons to someone, there’s no way to ensure that they won’t sell to another agency.”

That arms-trade comparison is one Vupen’s critics are eager to echo. Chris Soghoian, a privacy activist and fellow at the Open Society Foundations, calls Vupen a “modern-day merchant of death,” selling “the bullets for cyberwar.” After one of its exploits is sold, Soghoian says, “it disappears down a black hole, and they have no idea how it’s being used, with or without a warrant, or whether it’s violating human rights.” The problem was starkly illustrated last year when surveillance gear from Blue Coat Systems of Sunnyvale, Calif. was sold to a United Arab Emirates firm but eventually ended up tracking political dissidents in Syria. “Vupen doesn’t know how their exploits are used, and they probably don’t want to know. As long as the check clears.”

Vupen is hardly alone in the exploit-selling game, but other firms that buy and sell hacking techniques, including Netragard, Endgame and larger contractors like Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, are far more tight-lipped than Bekrar’s small firm in Montpellier, France. Bekrar describes his company as “transparent.” Soghoian calls it “shameless.”

“Vupen is the Snooki of this industry,” says Soghoian. “They seek out publicity, and they don’t even realize that they lack all class. They’re the Jersey Shore of the exploit trade.”

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High-end exploit broker "the Grugq" at a Bangkok bar. The bag of cash at his feet is for one of his exploit developers.

Even so, Bekrar won’t share revenue numbers, though he insists the firm is profitable. One person who will share those sales numbers is a South African hacker who goes by the name “the Grugq” and lives in Bangkok. For just over a year the Grugq has been supplementing his salary as a security researcher by acting as a broker for high-end exploits, connecting his hacker friends with buyers among his government contacts. He says he takes a 15% commission on sales and is on track to earn more than $1 million from the deals this year. “I refuse to deal with anything below mid-five-figures these days,” he says. In December of last year alone he earned $250,000 from his government buyers. “The end-of-year budget burnout was awesome.”

But the Grugq assesses Bekrar’s startup, which generates all its own exploits, as significantly more lucrative. “He’s pretty f—ing smart,” says the Grugq. “He holds all the cards. He can tell his clients to buy at the price he’s ­offering, or someone else will.”

Despite his talk about “transparency,” Bekrar won’t say much about his personal history or career prior to founding Vupen—not even his age. But Vupen is his third try at a startup focused on digging up software-security bugs. His previous companies, K-Otik and FrSIRT, made their bug findings public. Even after founding Vupen (whose name stands for “vulnerability research” and “penetration testing”) in 2008, Bekrar and his researchers initially worked with some software vendors to patch their flaws. But after taking $1.5 million in venture capital from 360 Capital Partners and Gant & Partners, Bekrar found that the firm could earn far more by keeping its findings under wraps and selling them at a premium.

Lately Bekrar goes so far as publicly taunting the companies whose products he hacks. In May 2011 Vupen released a video showing that it could penetrate a machine running Chrome but offered no further information to Google. When Google responded that Vupen’s exploit targeted the Flash ­plug-in that runs in the browser rather than Chrome itself, Bekrar accused the company on Twitter of downplaying its vulnerabilities and called it “pathetic.” Google security staffers responded by scolding Bekrar for disregarding users’ privacy and called him an “ethically challenged ­opportunist.”

Bekrar shrugs off the insults. “We don’t work as hard as we do to help multibillion-dollar software companies make their code secure,” he says. “If we wanted to volunteer, we’d help the homeless.”

Source:This story appears in the April 9th issue of Forbes magazine.

Messi world's highest paid footballers

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has topped the list of the world's highest paid footballers ahead of David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

According to France Football, which is set to release figures for the best paid players in the world on Tuesday, Barcelona forward Messi raked in 33 million euros last year from wages and sponsorship deals.

Messi has more than lived up to his price-tag this season, scoring 51 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona.

LA Galaxy midfielder and former England captain Beckham, for so long the game's top earner, came in second with 31.5m euros, while Real Madrid star Ronaldo collected 29.2m in 2011.

Cameroonian Samuel Eto'o, who made a lucrative move from Inter to Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala last season, is fourth on the list, with Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney fifth.

Wealthy Premier League outfit Manchester City have two players in the top 10, with Argentine forward Sergio Aguero and Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure sixth and seventh, respectively.

The only other club represented twice are Madrid, with Ronaldo's team-mate Kaka ranking ninth.

Chelsea forward Fernando Torres made the top 10 despite failing to impress since his move from Liverpool, netting 16.7m euros during his disastrous first 12 months at Stamford Bridge.

Bayern Munich skipper Philipp Lahm rounds out the top 10, which does not include a player from Italy's top league, the Serie A.

Football rich list (earnings in euros): 1: Lionel Messi, Barcelona (33m), 2: David Beckham, LA Galaxy (31.5m), 3: Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid (29.2m), 4: Samuel Eto'o, Anzhi, (23.3m), 5: Wayne Rooney, Man United (20.6m), 6: Sergio Aguero, Man City (18.8m), 7: Yaya Toure, Man City (17.6m), 8: Fernando Torres, Chelsea (16.7m), Kaka, Real Madrid (15.5m), Philipp Lahm, Bayern Munich (14.3m).

George clooney Arrested in protest about sudan

George Clooney was arrested Friday for participating in a staged protest outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C., organized to bring attention to that country's president, Omar al-Bashir, provoking a crisis with his blockade of humanitarian aide.

Regarding the situation, Clooney, 50, had said earlier in interviews that if steps were not taken in the next three to four months, "We're going to have a real humanitarian disaster." He also said he is impressed with President Barack Obama's personal engagement on the situation in Sudan. On Wednesday, the actor testified before Congress about the "campaign of murder" in Sudan.

As he was being taken away Friday morning, after authorities warned him three times to leave, Clooney said, "This is for the government in Khartoum to stop randomly killing its own innocent men, women and children. Stop raping them and stop starving them. That's all we ask," reports USA Today.

Handcuffed and arrested along with him were his father, journalist Nick Clooney; U.S. Rep. Jim Moran (Dem.) of Virginia; NAACP President Ben Jealous, among others, reports the Associated Press. They were then placed in a Secret Service van.

Max Milien, spokesman for the Secret Service, told PEOPLE the actor was being cooperative. "He's being charged currently with disorderly crossing of a police line, which is a misdemeanor and he will be transported to the second district of the Metropolitan Police Department for processing," Milien said.

A rep for the actor released a statement after the arrest, stating, "They were protesting the violence committed by the government of Sudan on its own innocent men, women and children. They were demanding they allow humanitarian aid into the country before it becomes the largest humanitarian crisis in the world."

The arrest was not unexpected, Earlier in the day, The Washington Post reported, "By standing on the embassy's private property, they're likely to get cuffed, arrested and charged."

Clooney was eventually released Friday afternoon.

George Clooney being arrested