Monday, February 24, 2014

The derelict mansions on Britain's 'Billionaires' Row'

A third of the houses on Britain's second most expensive street are lying vacant, many abandoned for decades and left to rot.
Behind the padlocked gates and long driveways, up to 20 mansions stand empty on London's The Bishops Avenue, despite a reported combined value of around £350 million ($582 million).
Dubbed "Billionaires' Row," the road's average house costs over £6 million ($9.98 million), but many have been deserted by their wealthy owners.
Despite their dilapidated condition, the houses remain a safe place for wealthy foreigners to park their money because of London's rocketing property prices, which rose 11% last year, and because of the road's reputation as a magnate for the rich and famous.
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Sochi 2014: Final verdict on Russia's Winter Games

The threat of terrorism, the potential for protest, shoddy accommodation and even a lack of snow.
Just four of the problems faced by organizers of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games, which came to a glittering conclusion on Sunday.
After 16 days of competition, and a record 98 gold medal events, can Russia's first ever Winter Olympics be labeled a success?
"Russia delivered all what it had promised," said International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach in his speech at the closing ceremony.
"What took decades in other parts of the world, was achieved here in Sochi in just seven years."
It followed comments Bach had made in his earlier press conference, when he posed the question: "Let's ask those who criticized the Games if they are ready to change their opinion."
With the Olympic cauldron now extinguished, CNN takes a look at whether the country's $50 billion budget was money well spent.
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Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg: WhatsApp 'worth more than $19 billion'

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, speaking to mobile tech leaders in Barcelona, said WhatsApp, the mobile messaging app purchased by the social media giant last week, was "worth more than $19 billion."
Zuckerberg's comments at Mobile World Congress, referencing the eye-watering price paid for WhatsApp, were met with surprise.
But Zuckerberg said the company was "a great fit for us. Already almost half-a-billion people love using WhatsApp for messaging and it's the most engaging app we've ever seen exist on mobile so far.
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