SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- Casey Anthony's fate keeps changing. Two years ago, her murder trial for the death of her toddler riveted the country, ending with Anthony's dramatic acquittal. But she was convicted on four counts of lying to authorities. On Friday, an appeals court threw out two of those convictions. Now, the 26-year-old has filed for bankruptcy, citing almost $800,000 in liabilities. And her legal struggles are far from over. Bankruptcy motive questioned Anthony sought Chapter 7…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- From the cold basement of an orphanage in Kabul, the beat of a bass drum bounces through the halls. Hitting the high hat and cymbals was Laila, a 13-year old orphan and the only known female drummer in Afghanistan. "I like playing the drums and there are no other girls in Afghanistan playing the drums,” Laila said with a big smile. “I'm the only girl and I want to become well known as an…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- If there were any doubts about Samsung maintaining its world’s-top-phone-manufacturer status for the short to medium-term future, they should be dispelled as of now. The Korean company’s results for the fourth quarter of 2012 show profits up a whopping 76 percent since Q4 2011, reaching 7.04 trillion won ($6.55 billion). Much of that is down to Samsung’s two Android flagships, the Galaxy S III and Note II. Samsung’s Mobile Communications division brought in revenues…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- Discussing Apple’s earnings Wednesday, CEO Tim Cook said that iPhone 4 sales “remained strong”. The iPhone 4 costs $450 without a two-year contract, compared to $650 for the iPhone 5, which is both faster and has a larger screen. On Tuesday, Verizon Wireless said the newer model accounted for less than half of the 6.2 million iPhones the company activated last quarter. “The shift toward older phones may weigh on average selling prices,” says…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- Beautiful, provocative, sexy - high heels may be all these things and more, but even their most ardent fans wouldn't claim they were practical. They're no good for hiking or driving. They get stuck in things. Women in heels are advised to stay off the grass - and also ice, cobbled streets and posh floors. And high heels don't tend to be very comfortable. It is almost as though they just weren't designed for…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- Hold on to your period-appropriate hats: AMC’s Mad Men will return for its sixth season on Sunday, April 7 at 9 p.m. with a two-hour premiere, the network announced today. (The Emmy Award-winning drama will settle into its regular time at 10 p.m. ET/PT the following week, with an episode directed by series star Jon Hamm.) “To be able to continue exploring the stories of these characters for a sixth season is an amazing opportunity,” said…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- In particular, Atari U.S. is looking to "secure independent capital for future growth, primarily in the areas of digital and mobile games," the company said in a written statement. Over the next three to four months, Atari U.S. will seek buyers for some of its assets, including the Atari logo and the company's games catalog. Atari as a whole owns or manages more than 200 games and franchises. The gaming landscape has changed dramatically…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- Britain's Prince Harry has acknowledged that he killed Taliban insurgents on his latest tour of duty in Afghanistan as a crew member of an Apache attack helicopter. Harry has been serving for four months as a co-pilot gunner (CPG) in southern Helmand province -- considered a Taliban heartland -- and flew on scores of missions with the trigger to rockets, missiles and a 30mm cannon at his fingertips. No one is saying how many insurgents…

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- Prince Harry, or Captain Wales as he is known in the army, has finished a four-month tour of Afghanistan. He describes what life has been like living at Camp Bastion, where he has been serving as an Apache helicopter pilot and gunner with 662 Sqd Army Air Corpswww.shafaqna.com/English  

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) --  Judges hearing ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi's sex-for-hire trial on Monday pushed back the verdict and the sentencing in the case until after Italy's Feb. 24-25 national election. Prosecutors, meanwhile, pressed to make sure they can give their closing arguments, which include their sentencing demands, before the vote, in which Berlusconi is heading a center-right coalition. That coalition is facing the center-left Democratic Party, which is leading in the polls, and centrist parties united under a financial…