‘Veep’ actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus battling breast cancer

LOS ANGELES | Emmy-winning comedic actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus said on Thursday that she was battling breast cancer and highlighted the case for universal healthcare.

Louis-Dreyfus, 56, who plays foul-mouthed fictitious former U.S. President Selina Meyer on HBO’s “Veep,” said “1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I‘m the one,” in a short post on her social media platforms.

“The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring family and friends, and fantastic insurance through my union. The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let’s fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality,” the actress wrote.

She did not give any further details of her health status.

Time Warner’s HBO network said Louis-Dreyfus received the diagnosis a day after the Emmy Awards earlier this month, where she won a record sixth consecutive Emmy for comedy actress for her role as Meyer. The Emmys are U.S. television’s highest honor.

HBO added that her diagnosis played no part in its decision to end “Veep” after next season, and that writers would keep working on the final season while production would be adjusted around the actress.

“Our love and support go out to Julia and her family at this time. We have every confidence she will get through this with her usual tenacity and undaunted spirit, and look forward to her return to health and to HBO for the final season of Veep,” HBO said in a statement.

Louis-Dreyfus achieved fame in the 1990s for her role as Elaine Benes on NBC’s “Seinfeld,” which also won her an Emmy.

source: interaksyon.com

Dubai starts tests in bid to become first city with flying taxis

DUBAI, UAE — Dubai staged a test flight on Monday for what it said would soon be the world’s first drone taxi service under an ambitious plan by the United Arab Emirates city to lead the Arab world in innovation.

The flying taxi developed by German drone firm Volocopter resembles a small, two-seater helicopter cabin topped by a wide hoop studded with 18 propellers.

It was unmanned for its maiden test run in a ceremony arranged for Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed.

Meant to fly without remote control guidance and with a maximum flight duration of 30 minutes, it comes with plenty of fail-safes in case of trouble: back-up batteries, rotors and, for a worst case scenario, a couple of parachutes.

Volocopter is in a race with more than a dozen well-funded European and U.S. firms, each with its own science fiction-inspired vision for creating a new form of urban transport that is a cross between a driverless electric car and a short-haul, vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft.

These include aerospace giant Airbus, which aims to put a self-piloting taxi in the air by 2020; Kitty Hawk, a company backed by Google co-founder Larry Page; and Uber, which is working with partners on its own flying taxi strategy.

“Implementation would see you using your smartphone, having an app, and ordering a Volocopter to the next voloport near you. The volocopter would come and autonomously pick you up and take you to your destination,” CEO Florian Reuter said.

“It already is capable of flying based on GPS tracks today, and we will implement full sense capability, also dealing with unknown obstacles on the way,” he added, saying developers aimed to initiate the taxis within five years.

In Monday’s test flight, the device hovered upward about 200 meters and whirred for about five minutes over a windswept patch of sand astride the emirate’s Gulf coast.

Attired in crisp white robes and headdresses, Sheikh Hamdan and his entourage clapped approvingly from a nearby viewing deck as the craft alighted.

The UAE has sought to distinguish itself in a region mired in war and strife as a high-tech, forward-looking society.

It plans to send an unmanned probe to Mars by 2021, the Arab world’s first mission to space, and Dubai has in many ways led their showy march into the future by introducing the region’s first driverless metro and robot policemen prototypes.

“Encouraging innovation and adopting the latest technologies contributes not only to the country‘s development but also builds bridges into the future,” Sheikh Hamdan said in a statement.

source: interaksyon.com

Trump cranks up North Korea threats as Pyongyang holds anti-U.S. rally

SEOUL/UNITED NATIONS – U.S. President Donald Trump dialled up the rhetoric against North Korea again at the weekend, warning the country’s foreign minister that he and leader Kim Jong Un “won’t be around much longer”, as Pyongyang staged a major anti-U.S. rally.

North Korea’s Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday that targeting the U.S. mainland with its rockets was inevitable after “Mr Evil President” Trump called Pyongyang’s leader a “rocket man” on a suicide mission.

“Just heard Foreign Minister of North Korea speak at U.N. If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won’t be around much longer!” Trump said on Twitter late on Saturday.

Trump and Kim have traded increasingly threatening and personal insults as Pyongyang races towards its goal of developing a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States – something Trump has vowed to prevent.

Analysts say the escalation in rhetoric is increasing the risk of a miscalculation by one side or the other that could have massive repercussions.

source: interaksyon.com

Tommy Hilfiger closes out London Fashion Week with ‘rock circus’ show

LONDON (Reuters)—U.S. designer Tommy Hilfiger closed out London Fashion Week with a rock-themed show held at a venue famous for classic rock concerts, featuring model and social media star Gigi Hadid as the centerpiece of the event.

The show – dubbed “TommyNow” – represented Hilfiger’s third collaboration with Hadid, with whom he designed the “TommyxGigi” collection that was on display at Tuesday’s event, in addition to the Hilfiger label’s spring/summer 2018 styles.

The collection was a rock and grunge-infused take on the traditional “preppy” styles – clothing associated with upmarket U.S. schools and universities – that have come to be associated with Hilfiger.

These included cheerleader skirts and letterman jackets, offset with studded leather shoes and thigh-high socks, as well as T-shirts and woolly hats reminiscent of 1980s rock band tour merchandise.

”TommyNow continues to put the consumer at the heart of the event, fusing fashion, pop culture and entertainment, and connecting with our global fans in an authentic way,” Hilfiger told Vogue magazine before the show.

Hadid, who has over 35 million Instagram followers, was one of the highest-profile models to grace the London Fashion Week catwalks this season.

She was joined by her sister Bella and brother Anwar, in a show that saw models walk through the audience as well as on the runway which ran through the center of the venue’s ‘in the round’ stage.

Hilfiger’s show was a “see now, buy now” event – a recent trend in the fashion industry that sees labels make outfits displayed in catwalk shows available to consumers to purchase immediately.

Viewers watching the event live online were able to click on any outfit they chose and purchase the items right away.

Held in London’s Roundhouse concert venue, which over the years has played host to the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, the show was the latest incarnation of the pop-up carnivals Hilfiger has staged during the last two seasons.

Hilfiger’s autumn 2016 “Tommy Pier” show in New York featured a Ferris wheel and a range of fun-park amusements, while “TommyLand,” the spring show held in Los Angeles this year featured roller skaters, skate boarders, acoustic musicians and fire-breathing performers.

Hilfiger is one of the best-known names in the U.S. apparel business, with over 1,600 retail outlets in the Americas, Europe and Asia. The company, which is now owned by clothing giant PVH, reported global retail sales of $6.6 billion in 2016.

Hilfiger, along with Italian label Emporio Armani, were the most prominent international brands that chose to forego showing collections at other fashion weeks – New York and Milan respectively – to participate in the London event this season.

Their participation gave the event a boost, as Britain’s fashion industry – which experts say contributes £28 billion ($37 billion) to the country’s economy – faces uncertainty as the UK negotiates its exit from the European Union.

source: interaksyon.com

Emma Stone honed dance skills to play tennis great Billie Jean King

LOS ANGELES | Emma Stone admits she’s never been a sports player, so when she was asked to play former world tennis No. 1 Billie Jean King in the movie “Battle of the Sexes,” the Oscar-winning actress approached it from a different direction — dancing.

King, by contrast, who pioneered the fight for equal pay in tennis more than 40 years ago, pictured herself in Stone’s position as she worked with the actress to portray her character.

“I tried to put myself in Emma’s shoes. That’s really taking a risk portraying someone who is still alive. I‘m like, ‘God, that’s a little pressure,” King said.

Stone, 28, and the 73-year-old tennis legend became good friends while making the movie that tells the story behind King’s 1973 exhibition match against former men’s champion Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) to fight sexism in the sport and society at large. It opens in U.S. movie theaters on Friday.

Stone, who won an Oscar in February for song and dance musical “La La Land,” had never played tennis so her early sessions with King focused on footwork and choreography.

“I danced, so footwork was good. (And) I had been on stage before and when Billie Jean went out onto the tennis court it felt like her stage, so she really keyed in on that,” Stone said.

Later came weeks of practice on serves and cross-court backhands, but for Stone, even the simplest things were tough.

”We went to the U.S. Open … and I was sitting next to Billie Jean, and Sloane Stephens was catching balls and tucking them in her skirt and bouncing them with the racquet.

“It’s just little in-between stuff but that took me months to learn!” Stone said.

Professional players were hired to reproduce the shots in the match against Riggs, which was watched by more than 50 million on television.

For her part, King worked for weeks with screenwriter Simon Beaufoy recalling her experience in the early 1970s, when she not only established the break-away Women’s Tennis Association and took on Riggs but also was wrestling with her own sexual identity. She came out as gay in 1981.

More than 40 years after beating Riggs, women are still fighting for equal pay and rights on and off the tennis court, not that it comes as any surprise to King.

”If you read history, you realize how slow progress is and that it’s each generation’s job to try and move the ball forward.

“We’ve come further, but we’ve a lot further to go,” King said.

source: interaksyon.com

‘Mother!’ crumbles with $7.5 million opening, ‘It’ repeats No. 1

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) | “It” continues to post terrifyingly huge numbers, while “Mother!” opens with a thud.

“It,” from Warner Bros. and New Line, expects to finish its second weekend with $60 million from 4,103 locations. That would make its domestic gross so far $218.7 million — a record for the highest earning September release ever. The old record-holder was 1986’s “Crocodile Dundee” with $174.8 million.

Broken down by day, this past weekend “It” earned $19.4 million on Friday and $26.2 million on Saturday. Sunday’s take is estimated to be about $14.5 million. 389 Imax screens are expected to account for just over $3 million of the film’s take in North America this weekend.

Overseas, “It” is pulling in an additional $60.3 million in 56 markets. That raises its international total to $152.6 million and the worldwide tally to $371.3 million.

Based on Stephen King’s novel, “It” opened last weekend with an enormous domestic pull of $123.4 million. The R-rated title, reportedly made for about $35 million, stars Bill Skarsgard as an evil clown named Pennywise who terrorizes children.

The rest of the cast includes Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jack Dylan Grazer, Nicholas Hamilton, Jaeden Lieberher, and Jackson Robert Scott.

Meanwhile “Mother!” is struggling. The Paramount release directed by Darren Aronofsky is expected to earn $7.5 million from 2,368 locations. That’s an all-time low for wide releases starring Jennifer Lawrence.

One contributing factor to the movie’s bottom line is that audiences entirely rejected it and bestowed an F CinemaScore. That’s despite a critical split that landed the polarizing movie a generally positive 68% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Women made up the bulk of the audience (56%), and slightly more than half of the audience (52%) was over the age of 35. The launch was driven by a marketing campaign that shrouded the R-rated movie in mystery and didn’t give much away regarding plot. In addition to Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, and Michelle Pfeiffer also star.

Another fresh R-rated launch, “American Assassin” — a joint production between CBS Films and Lionsgate — is expecting an opening of $14.8 million from 3,154 locations. The audience breakdown was 55% male and 29% under the age of 35.

The film is an adaptation of Vince Flynn’s 2010 novel, and stars Dylan O‘Brien as a CIA black ops recruit who is trained by a Cold War veteran (Michael Keaton). The film’s opening is comparable to 2014’s “John Wick,” which opened to $14.4 million on its way to launch a franchise with $43 million in domestic earnings.

“We feel that we’re off to a very solid start,” Shaun Barber, Lionsgate’s EVP and general sales manager of domestic theatrical distribution, said, pointing to the A CinemaScore the movie earned from the under 25 audience, and a strong September box office so far. As for plans to make the movie a franchise, he said “it’s very early in the run” and “too soon to call.”

Open Road’s “Home Again” should land in fourth this weekend with $5.3 million from 3,036 locations (only a 38% drop from last weekend). “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” from Lionsgate, continues to stay in the top five with about $3.6 million from 3,272 spots.

The rest of the top ten is made up of “Annabelle: Creation” ($2.6 million); Taylor Sheridan’s “Wind River” ($2.6 million), which has now out-grossed “Hell of High Water” in North America; “Leap!” ($2.1 million); “Spider-Man: Homecoming” ($1.9 million); and “Dunkirk” ($1.3 million).

In limited release, Annapurna and Amazon’s “Brad’s Status” is tracking to earn $100,179 this weekend from four locations. Mike White wrote and directed the movie starring Ben Stiller as a man who is constantly comparing his life to those of his college friends.

Austin Abrams, Jenna Fischer, Luke Wilson, and Michael Sheen also star in the flick, which has been generally well-reviewed (83% on Rotten Tomatoes). The film is expected to expand to 100 locations next weekend.

Amazon Studios’ head of marketing and distribution Bob Berney noted that “fathers are really relating to the film” and Stiller’s performance.

After a catastrophic summer of moviegoing, a strong September so far (39.4% better than last year, powered by “It”) is leading a gradual recovery. The year to date box office is now 4.9% behind last year — up from 6.5% behind at the end of the summer. The domestic box office so far this year has earned $7.9 billion.

source: interaksyon.com

Selena Gomez gets kidney transplant to treat lupus

LOS ANGELES | Selena Gomez said on Thursday that she has had a kidney transplant to treat the lupus that has derailed her life for more than three years.

In an Instagram posting, the 25-year-old singer showed a photo of herself in the hospital lying next to her best friend, actress Francia Raisa, who she said made the “ultimate gift” of donating her kidney.

The “Good For You” singer explained in the post that she had been lying low this summer because “I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. It was what I needed to do for my overall health.”

The singer, who has the biggest following on Instagram with 126 million followers, also posted images of a post-operative scar on her lower abdomen.

Gomez, who came to fame in Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” and dated singer Justin Bieber for several years, revealed in 2015 that she had been diagnosed with the auto-immune disease lupus and undergone chemotherapy to treat it.

The announcement followed two career breaks and a canceled tour. In 2016 she again canceled part of her tour, saying she was suffering from anxiety and panic attacks caused by lupus.

The cause of lupus is not clear and symptoms can include swollen joints, fatigue, rashes and fever.

“Lupus continues to be very misunderstood but progress is being made,” Gomez said in Thursday’s Instagram post

She thanked Raisa, best known for TV series “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” for donating the kidney.

“There aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend,” she said. “She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis.”

source: interaksyon.com

Telethon raises $44 million for Hurricane Harvey, Irma relief

LOS ANGELES | A celebrity-packed telethon for the victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma raised some $44 million, organizers said on Wednesday, after more than 130 stars including George Clooney, Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey and Justin Bieber joined forces to sing, man the phones or appeal for donations.

The hour-long Hand in Hand telethon, which aired across broadcast, cable and digital platforms on Tuesday night, raised more than $14 million during the live broadcast.

Organizers on Wednesday said that the total rose to $44 million in pledges made after West Coast and other re-broadcasts.

Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic Ocean storms on record, ravaged several islands in the northern Caribbean, killing at least 60 people. It barreled into the Florida Keys on Sunday, where 90 percent of homes are believed to be destroyed or heavily damaged.

Beyonce, appearing in a taped message, spoke of the urgent need for supplies in her hometown of Houston after Harvey became the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years, killing more than 60 people, displacing more than 1 million and damaging some 203,000 homes.

During the show, Stephen Colbert said Apple Inc had donated $5 million, which the comedian quipped, “is also the price of the new iPhone.”

The telethon aired from New York, Nashville and Los Angeles, where Stevie Wonder kicked off the event singing “Lean On Me,” with a gospel choir as stars such as Tom Hanks, Barbra Streisand and Cher clapped along while sitting at their phone stations.

source: interaksyon.com

10TH ANNIVERSARY MODEL | Apple set to unveil iPhone 8 in major product launch

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA — A decade after then-CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone, Apple Inc on Tuesday is set to introduce a completely redesigned top-of-the-line iPhone along with two other new phones, as well as a big upgrade to the Apple Watch and a higher-definition Apple TV.

The splashy launch event will take place at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple’s new Apple Park “spaceship” campus – widely considered to be the final product designed by Jobs, who died in 2011.

The new products and the holiday shopping season that follows are the most important for Apple in years. The company has sold more than 1.2 billion iPhones over the past decade and ushered in the era of mobile computing, but last year suffered a substantial decline in revenue as many consumers rejected the iPhone 7 as being too similar to the iPhone 6.

Apple hopes the new high-end phone, expected to be called the iPhone X, will silence critics who say the company has lost its innovation edge. It features an edge-to-edge display with richer colors and facial recognition to unlock the phone without the need for a fingerprint reader or physical home button.

The two other models, expected to be called the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, are intended to update the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. They could also include some new features, such as a glass back similar to the iPhone 4 that would help facilitate wireless charging.

The phones are expected to come with a steep price tag. Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi predicts the top-end model will cost $899, though other analysts expect it to cross the $1,000 threshold. That compares to a top base price of $769 for the iPhone 7 Plus prior.

Much of that added costs is driven by more expensive parts, like a higher-resolution display, 3D sensors and more memory capacity. “Some of these components are just darned expensive. There’s just no doubt about that,” said Brian Blau, an Apple analyst at Gartner.

Watch for wireless networks

Analysts also expect Apple to reveal a new Apple TV that operates at higher resolution than its previous set. The higher resolution could play into Apple’s efforts to court Hollywood, which have shifted into a higher gear recently with two high-profile executives hired away from Sony.

The company is also expected to reveal more details about the HomePod, its voice-activated home speaker that competes against Amazon.com Inc’s Echo devices and the Google. Home speaker. Apple announced the HomePod in June and said it will ship in December.

Lastly, Apple is expected to announce a new version of the Apple Watch. Previous versions of the watch had to be tethered to a user’s phone in order to receive send or receive data, but the new version is expected to connect to wireless data networks just like a phone.

Apple does not say how many Apple Watches it sells. Gene Munster, a veteran Apple watcher and analyst with Loup Ventures, believes the watch could double or even triple in sales because of the new connectivity.

But even a huge boom in one product will not move the company’s financials like the iPhone, which accounted for 63 percent of Apple’s $215 billion in sales last year. Even if Apple crushes rivals like Fitbit Inc and Garmin in smart watch sales, Apple remains the iPhone company.

“It’s a really big deal for the wearables category for Apple, but it’s not a big deal for the company,” Munster said.

source: interaksyon.com

After roads and railways, China’s Silk Road dealmakers eye financial firms

HONG KONG – After ports and industrial parks, the dealmakers leading China’s trillion-dollar push to build a modern Silk Road are turning to the financial sector, targeting Europe’s banks, insurers and asset managers to tap funds and expertise.

Last week, sources familiar with the matter said two of China’s most acquisitive conglomerates, HNA Group and Anbang Insurance Group, had separately considered bidding for the German insurer Allianz SE.

Neither of the two made an offer, but the talks marked a new level of ambition for China: Allianz is a German stalwart, a pillar for local pensions and a global powerhouse with 1.9 trillion euros ($2.3 trillion) of assets under management.

HNA already owns a stake of just under 10 percent in Deutsche Bank.

Bankers, lawyers and company executives say more financial deals will come, led by state behemoths such as China Life and China Everbright, as well as private firms including Legend Holdings and China Minsheng Financial.

“The message from the regulators is clear – they want these companies to go out and get access to large amount of funds and expertise,” said a financial M&A adviser at a global bank, who works with Chinese regulators and companies.

“They would look very favorably at transactions that have some links to the Belt and Road program, because the country needs to boost its financial muscle,” the banker said. But Beijing “will ensure the excesses of the past couple of years do not happen again.”

The banker, who declined to be named as he was not allowed to speak to the media, said his firm was currently working on several “mid-sized to large” foreign financial takeover deals.

After a deal spree that saw Chinese conglomerates spend billions on everything from landmark property to soccer clubs in a debt-fuelled M&A drive over the past two years, Beijing has sought to rein in some of the excesses.

But Belt and Road deals have been an exception in the crackdown this year – including, most recently, financial deals.China’s outbound M&A volume targeting financials has reached nearly $9 billion as of last week this year, not far from $12 billion in all of 2016, according to Thomson Reuters data. If exceeded, it would be the second best year for such deals since at least the global financial crisis in 2008.

The share of financial transactions in overall outbound deal volume has also risen to 8.2 percent this year, higher than 5.7 percent in the same period last year, while industrial deals, typically the biggest sector for outbound M&A, fell by a third.

EXPANDING FOOTPRINT

Earlier this month, Legend – the top shareholder in the computer maker Lenovo – agreed to buy a 90 percent stake in Banque Internationale a Luxembourg (BIL) for $1.8 billion.

The deal, Legend said, was linked to the Belt and Road initiative, President Xi Jinping’s policy of building a modern Silk Road to expand global trade and influence.

“Our overseas investments will continue to focus on the opportunities that are provided by the Belt and Road national policy,” the company said, in a statement to Reuters, adding it would “actively invest” in other areas of financial services, including insurance, securities and financial technology.

It gave no details, but bankers said Legend has been eyeing banks and insurers in Southeast Asia, Europe and Hong Kong, using its healthy balance sheet and the halo effect of Belt and Road-linked initiatives.

Better financial expertise and depth will help China secure contract guarantees, financing and better insurance.

“We need those overseas financing institutions – buying them can expand our bank assets and boost foreign firms’ participation in our projects abroad,” said Huo Jianguo, vice-chairman of the China Society for WTO Studies, under the Ministry of Commerce.

“China is having a hard time attracting international institutions to get involved” in Belt and Road projects, Huo said. “If that persists it will become an one-man show, which is not sustainable.”

Besides Legend, others eyeing the sector include the insurer China Life, China Minsheng Financial, China Everbright Ltd,part of the state-owned China Everbright Group, and Haitong International Securities.

They are mainly scouting for investment and acquisition targets in Europe and Asia, said bankers and lawyers.

WATCHDOGS

Chinese companies will not be expanding into the financial services sector at will, of course. Acquisitions of stakes in foreign banks – never mind full ownership – are already closely monitored by overseas regulators.

But while banks may be tough targets, bankers and executives say Chinese institutions and conglomerates could instead target asset management, insurance or wealth managers.

China Everbright plans to allocate $1.5 billion of its 2017 spending to the purchase of a fund manager, private bank or insurer overseas to help it raise cash more easily and extend its presence abroad.

China Merchants Bank has been “actively looking” for wealth management firms in Europe, said one person familiar with the matter, adding that not all financial acquisitions in the near term may have clear Belt and Road links.

China Minsheng Financial declined to comment on its plans, while Haitong International said it does not “have any plans at the moment”. China Life, Legend and China Merchants Bank did not respond to requests for comment.

“Finance is definitely an encouraged sector under the recent Chinese outbound investment guideline,” said Christina Lee, a partner at the law firm Baker McKenzie’s capital markets practice in Hong Kong.

“PRC financial institutions are mostly domestically focused,” Lee said. “M&A is a fast way to gain exposure and expertise in the international finance scene.”

source: interaksyon.com

Irma knocked out power to over 3 million homes, businesses in Florida

Hurricane Irma knocked out power to more than 3 million homes and businesses in Florida on Sunday, threatening millions more as it crept up the state’s west coast, and full restoration of service could take weeks, local electric utilities said.

Irma hit Florida on Sunday morning as a dangerous Category 4 storm, the second highest level on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, but by afternoon as it barreled up the west coast, it weakened to a Category 2 with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (177 kph).

So far, the brunt of the storm has affected Florida Power & Light’s customers in the states’ southern and eastern sections, and its own operations were not immune, either.

“We are not subject to any special treatment from Hurricane Irma. We just experienced a power outage at our command center. We do have backup generation,” FPL spokesman Rob Gould said on Sunday.

FPL, the biggest power company in Florida, said more than 2.9 million of its customers were without power by 7:40 p.m. (2030 GMT), mostly in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. More than 200,000 had electricity restored, mostly by automated devices.

The company’s system will need to be rebuilt, particularly in the western part of the state, Gould said. “That restoration process will be measured in weeks, not days.”

FPL is a unit of Florida energy company NextEra Energy Inc.

Large utilities that serve other parts of the state, including units of Duke Energy Corp, Southern Co and Emera Inc, were seeing their outage figures grow as the storm pushed north.

Duke’s outages more than tripled between 6:15 p.m. and 8 p.m., rising to 178,053, and the company warned its 1.8 million customers in northern and central Florida that outages could ultimately exceed 1 million.

The company updated its website on Sunday evening with a warning to customers that outages may last a week or longer.

Emera’s Tampa Electric utility said the storm could affect up to 500,000 of the 730,000 homes and businesses it serves.

The utilities had thousands of workers, some from as far away as California, ready to help restore power once Irma’s high winds pass their service areas. About 17,000 were assisting FPL, nearly 8,000 at Duke and more than 1,300 at Emera.

Tampa Electric told customers on Sunday, however, that response crews were halting work because of the high winds.

FPL said on Friday that Irma could affect about 4.1 million customers, but that was before the storm track shifted away from the eastern side of the state. Its customers are concentrated in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.

NUCLEAR PLANTS SAFE

The utility said its two nuclear plants were safe. It shut only one of the two reactors at its Turkey Point nuclear plant about 30 miles (48 km) south of Miami on Saturday, rather than both, because the storm shifted. It plans to leave both reactors in service at the St. Lucie plant about 120 miles (193 km )north of Miami because hurricane-force winds are no longer expected to hit the sites.

There is also spent nuclear fuel at Duke’s Crystal River plant, about 90 miles (145 km) north of Tampa. The plant, on Irma’s current forecast track, stopped operating in 2009 and was retired in 2013.

In a worst-case scenario, the spent fuel could release radiation if exposed to the air, but a federal nuclear official said that was extremely unlikely.

“That fuel is so cold, relatively speaking, it would take weeks before there would be any concern,” said Scott Burnell of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Duke was transferring the spent fuel to dry cask storage as part of the work to decommission the plant but suspended the effort temporarily ahead of Irma.

source: interaksyon.com

Mexican quake death toll rises to 90 as Oaxaca reports more fatalities

MEXICO CITY – The death toll from the massive earthquake that struck Mexico on Thursday night has risen to at least 90 after emergency services in the southern state of Oaxaca said late on Saturday there had been 71 confirmed fatalities in the state alone.

“It’s 71 (dead). Just for Oaxaca,” said Jesus Gonzalez, a spokesman for the state civil protection authority.

At least 15 people died in the neighboring state of Chiapas, according to local authorities, while another four deaths have also been confirmed in the state of Tabasco to the north.

The 8.1 magnitude quake that struck off the coast of Chiapas on Thursday was stronger than a devastating 1985 temblor that flattened swathes of Mexico City and killed thousands.

Relief efforts in the south continued through Saturday, with many of the people worst affected still wary of returning indoors to weakened buildings, fearing they could be brought down by ongoing aftershocks.

source: interaksyon.com

Filipino lands on list of Vanity Fair’s Int’l Best Dressed List 2017

Filipino-American architect and designer Daniel Romualdez has been mentioned in Vanity Fair’s International Best Dressed List 2017. The newly released list includes basketball star LeBron James, tennis player Roger Federer, British musician Harry Styles, and Canadian Prime Minister Justine Trudeau.

Also in the list in the Men’s category are danseur Roberto Bolle; actor British actor, director, and musician Danny Glover; artist Henry Koehler; JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg; and violinist Charlie Siem.

Romualdez was quoted by VF as mentioning “White button-down shirt” as his favorite item of clothing and “The kids in my office” as his his style idols.

His work has been featured in publications like Architectural Digest and Vogue. And his impressive list of clients include Diane von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, Aerin Lauder, Ina Garten, and Renee and Mark Rockefeller, to name a few.

Romualdez, who was born and raised in the Philippines, comes from a political family. He is the son of former ambassador and governor Benjamin Trinidad Romualdez, who is the younger brother of former First Lady and now Rep. Imelda Marcos of the second district of Ilocos Norte.


This isn’t the first time Romualdez has been featured in the iconic magazine. In its August 2017 issue, his elegant Montauk home, which he shares with his investment-banker husband Michael Meagher, was given the spotlight.

In the VF interview, he was quoted as saying that he was a reluctant economics and political science student in the US before realizing that he really wanted to be an architect.

He said, “My father wasn’t happy about me going to architecture school. And because of that I was sort of the black sheep of the family. “It was only when he landed on the prestigious Architectural Digest 100 list. Romualdez shared, “He finally understood that I wasn’t a disappointment. It was very sweet. We sort of made up then, and he said, ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t more supportive and didn’t do enough. You were on your own for 20 years.’ ”

In the women’s category, those who made it on the list include actress Anh Duong, actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, Venture capitalist Kirsten Green, Beyonce’s sister Solange Knowles, singer Rihanna, and Queen Letizia of Spain, among others.

source: interaksyon.com

Taylor Swift’s new song sizzles on YouTube and Spotify

Less than two weeks after releasing her single “Look What You Made Me Do,” which topped the charts in several countries and went viral on YouTube and Spotify, Taylor Swift has unleashed a new song that has garnered a lot of attention as well.

Following its debut at a college football game that aired on ESPN, Swift’s new record, “…Ready for It,” has already garnered over 6.6 million views for its audio-only video at YouTube since its release on Monday.

The song now holds the top spot in Spotify’s Top 200 daily chart for the United States and has also quickly jumped to No. 3 at Spotify’s Top 200 global daily chart just one day after its debut. As of September 4, the song had over 3.5 million global streams on Spotify.

A pulsating pop-dance record that once again makes references to the 27-year-old American pop star’s personal life and string of relationships, “…Ready for It” also takes aim at the on and off romance of Hollywood legends Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor who got married twice.

As impressive as its numbers are, the initial reception for “…Ready for It” is a far cry from the record-setting numbers of “Look What You Made Do” which in a week’s time has amassed over 280 million YouTube views for its music (217 million) and lyric (63 million) videos.

“Look What You Made Me Do” is also the song that currently sits at No. 1 in Spotify’s global Top 200 where it has amassed over 4.8 million streams. The song has also topped the charts in Australia, Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Slovakia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

In the United States, “Look What You Made Me Do” recently debuted at No. 77 in Billboard’s Hot 100 charts. Billboard also reported that the song became the fastest selling download since Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You.”

“Look What You Made Me Do” is Swift’s first record following a year of making headlines for non-musical reasons including a recent high-profile groping court case that she won. The song is addressed to several unnamed detractors who have tried to bring her down.

Both “…Ready for It” and “Look What You Made Me Do” are featured tracks on Swift’s upcoming album, “Reputation,” which is scheduled for global release on November 10.

source: interaksyon.com

‘Hitman’s Bodyguard’ leads slowest Labor Day weekend in about two decades

LOS ANGELES | A disastrous domestic summer box office is ending on a low note.

Without any fresh competition in wide release, “Hitman’s Bodyguard” appears the be the holiday weekend’s movie of choice. The Lionsgate release with Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson at the center should earn $13.4 million from 3,370 locations over the four-day weekend.

Its seemingly imminent win would make “Hitman’s Bodyguard” the only flick this summer to retain the top spot on the domestic box office charts for three consecutive weekends. “Dunkirk,” “Wonder Woman,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” each stayed first for two frames.

But while the action comedy is certainly profitable at this point, its threepeat is less due to the movie’s overwhelming popularity, and more attributable to the lack of alternatives. This — the first Labor Day weekend in recent history without a new wide release — is tracking to have the lowest four-day total for the holiday in nearly two decades.

The 28 movies currently in release are tracking to bring in about $95.5 million, according to ComScore. Not since 1998 has the Labor Day domestic box office dropped below a $100 million four-day total. The last time there were no wide releases over Labor Day weekend was in 1992.

Of the weekend’s medium-sized launches, Sony’s re-release of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is faring best. The 40th anniversary theatrical event is set to take in $2.3 million for the four-day holiday weekend from 901 locations.

Meanwhile, TWC’s long-delayed release “Tulip Fever” is not finding its audience. The historical drama starring Alicia Vikander is expected to earn $1.4 million from 765 locations.

A unique collaboration between Marvel Television and ABC Studios brought “Marvel’s Inhumans” to 393 Imax screens in North America, where it is expected to earn $1.5 million. And Pantellion’s “Do It Like an Hombre” is looking at about $1.4 million for the four days at 382 locations.

Otherwise, “Annabelle: Creation” should remain in the two slot for Warner Bros. The horror sequel has an estimated three-day tally of $7.3 million from 3,358 locations, and is tracking for $9.3 million with the extended holiday.

While “Tulip Fever” might fail to crack the weekend’s top 20, TWC has the third and fourth highest-grossing movies of the weekend. “Wind River” is expecting an $8 million four-day total from 2,602 spots.

The animated adventure “Leap!” should follow close behind with $6.6 million from 2,705 locations. “Logan Lucky” should round out the top five with a reported $4.4 million three-day and estimated $5.6 million for the entire holiday.

The summer box office, which ends after this coming Monday, is still on track to end with less than $4 billion in North America for the first time since 2006. Major flops including “King Arthur” and “Valerian,” as well as several big-budget sequels that underperformed should serve as a wake up call to studios that are used to splashy features with familiar faces equaling ticket sales.

While this Labor Day weekend is especially low for overall grosses, the frame has not historically been an especially huge source of revenue — August and September are traditionally thought of as a dumping ground for the industry between summer blockbusters and awards season contenders.

Last year, for example, “Don’t Breathe” led the pack during its second weekend with just under $20 million. The year prior, “War Room” landed in first with $13.4 million.

Still, the month of August has been especially slow for the industry, especially with nothing to match last year’s record-breaking “Suicide Squad.”

So the film business looks ahead to next weekend when “It” is expected to enter the scene with a bold statement, and potentially reignite what is a marketplace in a dire state.

source: interaksyon.com

WinWyn Marquez dead set on winning Miss World Philippines crown

Actress, dancer and TV personality Teresita “WinWyn” Marquez is no stranger to the pageant circuit.

Wyn, who is one of 35 candidates in this year’s Miss World Philippines pageant, previously won three special awards and finished in the Top 15 in Binibining Pilipinas 2015. Wyn joined Binibining Pilipinas on the same year Pia Wurtzbach won the title and, eventually, the Miss Universe crown.

In a media interview during the presentation of candidates for this year’s Miss World Philippines, Wyn talked about how Pia has been an inspiration to pageant hopefuls like herself. “Inspiration siya ng lahat ng girls. Siguro if there was a chance na makausap ko siya and ask her for advice, lalapitan ko na siya ngayon.”

It can be remembered that Pia joined Binibining Pilipinas thrice before she actually bagged the crown, and her story has served as a staunch reminder to pageant candidates to never back down from competing.

“She serves as an inspiration to us, lalo na because I lost the first time. And yun nga, you never give up on a dream. You try and if you give your best, talagang 100 percent, wala kang i-reregret,” Wyn shared.

Wyn returned to her television stints after joining Binibining Pilipinas, but now has her eyes on the Miss World Philippines crown. The statuesque morena beauty is dead set on winning the title, even if she does feel apprehension from time to time.

“You have to train your mind to be positive and you have to train your mind that you’re going to win. Actually, kinakabahan ako na sobrang excited. I have the chance to go back on stage and show everyone that I also deserve to win the crown. Yun naman ang aim ko. Pero siyempre kung ano ang ibigay ni Lord, kung anong ibigay ng judges, I would accept it of course,” she said.

If there is something in her that has improved, it would be her self-confidence.

She explains, “It was a challenge for me before to be positive everyday eh. I was attacked on social media. I was attacked because of my family. Alam mo yung, I joined just because I was part of a known family. Siguro ngayon I’m much stronger. And yung mindset ko is to win and just to focus there, and not to think about yung mga criticism na hindi constructive.

“Natutuhan ko yun sa sarili ko, to listen to constructive criticism, rather than those who just say stuff to break you.”

The 22-year-old daughter of Joey Marquez and Alma Moreno initially had mixed feelings about competing again, but was buoyed by the support of family, friends and her boyfriend, Kapuso star Mark Herras. It was Mark who convinced her to join Miss World Philippines.

Even her father, who initially disapproved of her desire to join beauty pageants, eventually gave in and offered his full support after she explained to him that competing in beauty pageants meant more than parading on stage in lavish gowns and skimpy swim attire.

“I explained to him that it’s not all about your physique, how you look like. It’s about voicing out something – ‘beauty with a purpose.’ And I think he realized that.”

“Coming from my dad who doesn’t like for me to join pageants, that’s something,” she said.

Aunt and former Miss International Melanie Marquez has been supportive of Wyn’s aspirations to follow her footsteps and win a beauty title from the start. The former beauty queen and model stands by her niece’s decision to compete in Miss World and promised to support her every step of the way.

Wyn recalls a previous conversation with her aunt. “Actually I was consulting her if I should join again. Isa lang yung sinabi niya sa akin. ‘Join if you want to, if your heart is set to win. Go and join.’”

Wyn has been constantly updating her Instagram with pageant updates with the hashtag #ForTheWyn, putting emphasis on her drive to win the crown.

A production of ALV Events International, the Miss World Philippines grand coronation night will take place on September 3, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. The event will be hosted by Iya Villania, KC Montero and Carla Abellana, with special guests Jay-R, Kris Lawrence and other surprise guests.

Aside from the country’s past Miss World Philippines titlists such as Gwendoline Ruais, Queenierich Rehman, Megan Young, Valerie Weigmann, Hillarie Parungao and Catriona Gray, this year’s pageant will also be highlighted by the presence of Miss World founder and CEO Julia Morley and her entourage.

They include reigning Miss World Stephanie del Valle, reigning Mr. World Rohit Khandelwal, Miss World Caribbean Yaritza Reyes, Miss World Asia Natasha Manuella, Miss World Americas Audra Mari, Miss World Europe Lenty Frans, Miss World Africa Evelyn Njambi, Miss World Oceania Madeline Cowe, and special guest of honor Chief Zwelivelile Mandelsizwe Mandela, the eldest grandson of former South Africa president Nelson Mandela.

source: interaksyon.com