Fiery Beyonce dominates MTV Video Music Awards

NEW YORK | Beyonce on Sunday dominated the MTV Video Music Awards as she took home top prizes and awed the audience in a fiery dance medley with a subtle political touch.

The pop superstar won Video of the Year for “Formation,” the most outspoken work of her career, as well as Best Female Video for “Hold Up.”

The two tracks appeared on “Lemonade,” Beyonce’s latest album which she released in a surprise tie-in with a film of the same name that paid tribute to African American women.

Beyonce stole the spotlight at the gala party in New York’s Madison Square Garden by performing a “Lemonade” medley of more than 16 minutes, managing even to change outfits in a set that culminated in the stage erupting in fire.

In one of the most striking moments, the sound of a single gun-shot rang out as her circle of angelic-clad dancers each collapsed in a fog of red.

“Formation,” directed by Melina Matsoukas, offered solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality with officers depicted raising their hands as if under arrest.

“I dedicate this award to the people of New Orleans. God bless you guys,” Beyonce said as she accepted the award for “Formation,” which was musically inspired by the southern city’s bouncy hip-hop scene.

Beyonce arrived at the show, broadcast to more than 120 countries from New York’s Madison Square Garden, with the mothers of four young African American men whose deaths have galvanized the United States — Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin.

Martin, 17, was killed in 2012 by a white neighborhood guard, a catalyst moment for Black Lives Matter. Brown, Garner and Grant were all killed by law enforcement.

Singer Alicia Keys offered another of the night’s powerful moments as she recited a poem she said was inspired by civil rights hero Martin Luther King Jr. who delivered his landmark “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington 53 years ago Sunday.

In a year marred by global conflict and a bitter U.S. presidential race, Keys, moving seamlessly from spoken word to a cappella, voiced hope that “maybe we can love somebody instead of polishing a bomb.”

“If war is holy and sex is obscene, then we got it twisted in this lucid dream / Baptized in boundaries, schooled in skin, divided by difference, sexuality and skin,” she recited.

KANYE TALKS KANYE

The Video Music Awards, broadcast to more than 120 countries, have long been known more for their on-stage antics than the winners, and this year MTV decided to let the artists loose.

In one of the night’s most anticipated moments, rap superstar Kanye West — who last year used the occasion to declare his intention to run for president in 2020 — delivered a nearly stream-of-consciousness speech about empowerment.

As the audience chanted his stage-name Yeezy, West said that unnamed wealthy white people warned him against comparing himself to Apple founder Steve Jobs and entertainment pioneer Walt Disney.

But West said that the pair were among fewer than 10 true artistic heroes — and that the slim list also includes himself.

“Three keys to keeping people impoverished are taking away their esteem, taking away their resources and taking away their role models,” said West, who started his speech by deploring street killings in his native Chicago.

He then presented a racy new video for his song “Fade” featuring actress and singer Teyana Taylor, who moved her body sensually in a gym before a steamy shower scene.

The video marked a theme in the evening, if accidental, of sexualized exercise.

Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj received roars of crowd approval for a sensual take on a workout, with the pop star and rapper dancing together in a stage transformed into a gym full of highly physical young men.

RIHANNA HONORED

Drake won in the rap category for “Hotline Bling,” one of the most popular songs of the year.

But Drake did not appear in time to accept the award. According to the presenter, rap icon Puff Daddy, the Toronto star got stuck in New York traffic.

MTV presented its Video Vanguard Award — named after late King of Pop Michael Jackson — to Rihanna, in recognition to her contributions to pop culture.

Rihanna opened the ceremony with, aptly, “Don’t Stop the Music,” as she glided across the stage in a snug white T-shirt with a team of performers in matching laced outfits.

In her acceptance speech, Rihanna pledged never to forget her native Barbados.

source: interaksyon.com

Hong Kong confirms first Zika case

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong has confirmed its first case of Zika, putting the Asian financial center on high alert for any spread of the mosquito-borne virus that has wreaked havoc in Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond.

At a media conference late on Thursday, Controller of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Leung Ting-hung, said relevant measures had been taken to prevent the virus from spreading further.

He said the government's priority was controlling the mosquito population in Hong Kong.

"The patient is a 38-year-old woman with good past health. She has developed joint pain and red eyes since August 20," the department of health said in a statement.

It said it would report the case to the World Health Organization.

In February, a mainland Chinese man who flew into Hong Kong was diagnosed as having the Zika virus, according to local broadcaster RTHK, citing officials as saying there was little chance he could have caused an outbreak during his brief stay.

Zika was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly in Brazil.

source: interaksyon.com

Lindsay Lohan wants to meet Putin, Russian TV host says

MOSCOW | Troubled U.S. star Lindsay Lohan has demanded a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in return for appearing on a Russian chat show, its host said, confirming U.S. media reports.

Andrei Malakhov, who hosts the top-rating “Pust Govoryat” or “Let Them Talk” show, told LifeNews Russian website late Sunday that Lohan “really does have a desire to meet the Russian president.”

“I don’t know what she wants to discuss with him — saving Amur tigers or the problems of people with drug addiction,” he said.

U.S. entertainment news site TMZ earlier said that Lohan sent Russian Channel One television a list of demands including a meeting with Putin and photos with him as well as a private jet, a one-year visa and a fee of 500,000 British pounds ($650,000).

“The actual fee was a little lower,” Malakhov told LifeNews.

“I also want to earn 80 million a year and have dinner with the Queen, but dreams and reality are different things. You need to look at the situation soberly — unlike Lindsay Lohan,” Malakhov was quoted as saying.

He posted a link to the LifeNews report on his official Twitter account, along with a message calling Lohan a “naughty girl.”

A spokeswoman for Channel One earlier on Sunday confirmed to RIA Novosti news agency that Lohan had been asked to appear on the show, but said the conditions had not yet been discussed and the TMZ report “did not correspond to reality.”

Lohan, a 30-year-old former child star who appeared in hit films “The Parent Trap,” “Freaky Friday” and “Mean Girls” has struggled with drug addiction.

Russian television wants to interview her about her relationship with Russian-born Egor Tarabasov, whose father is reportedly a businessman from Moscow. Lohan has accused Tarabasov of violent abuse.

Putin in 2010 met Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio at a summit on protecting tigers but has failed to set a date for a meeting with British singer Elton John to discuss gay rights.

source: interaksyon.com

‘Firenadoes’ in California threaten 82,000

PHELAN, Calif. -- An inferno scorching swathes of southern California threatened the homes of more than 82,000 people Wednesday, sending flaming "firenadoes" tearing across the brush and prompting a state of emergency.

More than 1,300 firefighters were battling the giant blaze, with more on the way, but they were unable to contain the blaze as of early Wednesday.

Dramatic local TV news footage captured from the front line of the wildfire in the town of Phelan showed tornado-like flaming vortexes sent spinning into the air by the unusual ferocity of the blaze.

"We have very, very dry brush, thick fuel, it helps move it along very quickly," Lynne Tolmachoff, spokeswoman for the state firefighting agency Cal Fire, told AFP.

"It is very dangerous to the public and also to the firefighters."

Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency for San Bernardino County, just 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, where the so-called Bluecut Fire was quickly growing, its cause still unclear.

The inferno began around 10:30 am (1730 GMT) Tuesday and has already burned through 30,000 acres (more than 12,000 hectares), according to the multi-agency Inciweb information site.

More than 34,500 homes were threatened and 82,640 people were under evacuation warnings.

"There is imminent threat to public safety, rail traffic and structures in the Cajon Pass, Lytle Creek, Wrightwood, Oak Hills and surrounding areas," Inciweb said.

From the highway between Wrightwood and Lytle Creek, a thick cloud of smoke could be seen blanketing the entire valley.

'Not worth your life'

A dozen fire trucks awaited orders to evacuate Paso Lane, located between several hills that were being devoured by flames, columns of smoke billowing into the sky.

"The whole community is being evacuated," said local firefighter Mike Anderson, who had been battling the blaze with his team for more than 24 straight hours.

"The fire is moving very fast straight through Highway 138, it is still growing."

Chon Bribiescas of the US Forest Services said later that the evacuation area was being expanded, with the wind picking up and the temperature soaring to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius).

"The fire is consuming 100 acres in a few minutes instead of 100 per hour," she told AFP, adding that many residents had decided against the best advice to remain in their homes.

"In California, we cannot force people from their homes, but that means we have firefighters that have to come back to the mandatory evacuation zones instead of fighting the fire.

"I try to tell people that there is nothing in your home that is worth your life."

At a gas station in the outpost of Pinon Hills, 10 miles northwest of the fire, Jeannine Yglesia was buying ice with her 24-year-old son.

"I have 17 to 18 people staying at my house now, friends and their families that have had to evacuate from Wrightwood," she said.

Gail Nieto, a 65-year-old woman buying groceries, was forced to flee Wrightwood on Tuesday night.

"It's the fourth time in 30 years, but it's the fastest-growing fire I have ever seen," she said, trembling.

Perfect conditions

Among equipment already deployed were 152 fire engines, eight air tankers plus two Very Large Air Tankers, and eight helicopters, including night-flying helicopters.

The inferno has claimed one high-profile victim so far: the Summit Inn, an old-fashioned diner on the world-famous Route 66 that counted celebrities Elvis Presley and Clint Eastwood among its clientele.

There was little left other than the sign hanging above the smoldering ashes.

Two firefighters were slightly injured after they were surrounded by flames. They were treated at a hospital and released, and were back fighting the blaze, Inciweb said.

Several area roads were closed, along with the Mountain High ski resort in Wrightwood, which hosts hiking and other outdoor activities in warmer months.

It was rare to have so many people evacuated, Tolmachoff said.

California is in its fifth year of a record drought and parts of the state are sizzling in a heat wave with temperatures topping 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

Strong seasonal gusts known as the Santa Ana winds complete the perfect conditions for wildfires.

Thousands of firefighters are committed to several other major fires across California, including one 100 miles north of San Francisco that has charred 4,000 acres, destroying 175 buildings.

In central California's wine region, the Chimney fire has burned 7,300 acres near the city of San Luis Obispo, destroying 40 buildings, while 76,000 acres have been scorched in the scenic coastal area of Big Sur.

source: interaksyon.com

Madonna celebrates 58th birthday in Havana

HAVANA | Madonna celebrated her 58th birthday Tuesday in Havana, dancing to Cuban beats during a night on the town and drawing crowds as she toured the city.

The Material Girl’s visit got a write-up in the Cuban Communist party’s official newspaper, Granma, which reported that she “toured different city squares to start the first day of her visit, which will last until Wednesday.”

It said the U.S. pop superstar was in Cuba with her eldest daughter, Lourdes, a 19-year-old model whose father is Cuban dancer and fitness trainer Carlos Leon.

American photographer Steven Klein and stylists B. Akerlund and Andy Lecompte are traveling with them, it said.

Madonna posted a picture of herself to her Twitter account with the caption “Cuba Libre.” It shows her wearing a revealing black dress with yellow flowers and smiling as she tips a black hat.

Videos posted online by fans show her dressed in the same outfit strolling through the streets of Old Havana and dancing to Cuban beats at a restaurant in the historic city center as onlookers cheer.

The news site Cubadebate said Madonna was planning a “big party” Tuesday with the “rhythms and flavors” of Cuba.

Madonna is the latest in a string of U.S. celebrities to visit Cuba since its historic rapprochement with long-time enemy the United States was announced in December 2014.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Kanye West, Usher, Paris Hilton, and Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian have all toured the Caribbean island recently.

U.S. citizens are still officially banned from traveling to Cuba as tourists under the embargo Washington has maintained on Havana since the 1960s.

But President Barack Obama’s administration has loosened travel restrictions, enabling more Americans to make the trip under permitted categories such as “cultural exchanges.”

source: interaksyon.com

Pentagon clamps down on Pokemon Go

Washington, United States - The Pentagon doesn't like Pikachu.

In the latest bizarre news surrounding the global phenomenon that is Pokemon Go, US Defense Department officials on Friday (early Saturday PH time) said employees should not download the game onto their government-issued smartphones.

"You can imagine a number of reasons [why] that wouldn't necessarily be a prudent thing to do," Pentagon deputy press secretary Gordon Trowbridge told reporters.

"Aside from any security concerns, I think taxpayers would appreciate government phones being used for government business."

Pokemon Go is an augmented reality app through which users hunt fictional digitized animal characters like the furry yellow Pikachu, which have been scattered around the world, often in unlikely locations.

The game has become a global craze, with crowds of players dashing to locations to try to snag characters.

Several military installations have warned troops about the possible perils of playing Pokemon Go on bases, including near runways.

Trowbridge jokingly said he could not definitively confirm reports a Pokemon "gym" -- a virtual battle arena -- has been placed in the courtyard in the middle of the vast Pentagon building.

"Last I heard, there was still a gym in center courtyard. I'm not a player myself so I will defer to others," Trowbridge said.

"I can confirm it," quipped Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis.

source: interaksyon.com

Eat that Pokémon! How to make a Pikachu-inspired dessert

MANILA, Philippines - There's no debating Pokémon Go‘s impact in the “real world."

The augmented reality game has gotten everyone else's attention, including the business operators.

Few weeks after its release in several countries, businesses started changing their operations.

While some have simply enjoyed the benefit of their business being luckily labeled as Pokéstop or Gym, others have devised their own way to use the game's booming popularity to their advantage.

For example, some restaurants are now using the Pokémon "lure" as a means to literally lure customers to dine in their place while hotels are beginning to offer "free" accommodation if customers are able to catch a Pokémon within their facility.

Joining in the Pokécraze is the bakeshop in Korea. Dalmiin Baking Studio recently uploaded a video on Youtube showing everyone how you can make a Pokémon-inspired dessert at home.


As of now, "Pokémon Go" has surpassed Tinder in popularity, and is It’s getting more usage than Snapchat, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp

source: philstar.com

Lacuna second to fall in Rio; places 46th in 400m freestyle

MANILA, Philippines – Jessie Lacuna is the second Filipino athlete to fall in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after finishing 6th in heat 2 and 46th overall in the 400m freestyle competition, Sunday morning.

Lacuna, one of the 50 swimmers to dispute the eight slots for the next phase, clocked 4:01:70, the second worst in heat 2. His finished 46th overall.

The 23-year-old swimmer from Ateneo de Manila University raced in a heat of seven swimmers.

His personal best in the 400m freestyle  is 3:59.75.

Venezuelan Cristian Quintero registered the quickest time in the same heat, but he wound up finishing 33rd in the final ranking.

American Dwyer Conor logged the best time of 3:43.42.

Lacuna, who currently holds the record 2015 SEA Games record of 2:00.9 in the 200m butterfly, is the second casualty the Philippine contingent suffered in the Games.

The Bulacan native also competed in the 2012 Olympics in London, where he ranked 36th in heat 2. He was the youngest athlete in that year's Philippine contingent.

Earlier, Ian Lariba bowed out of contention in the hands of naturalized Congo paddler and frequent training mate, Han Xing in the women's table tennis singles.

The Philippine crew is now down to 11 athletes.

Charly Suarez is next to see action. He will take on Great Britain's Joe Cordina in the men's lightweight boxing which begins Sunday, 5 a.m.

source: philstar.com

Harry Potter script makes record UK and U.S. sales

LONDON | The script of a new Harry Potter play is achieving record sales in Britain and the U.S., though it is failing to match the popularity of the novels about the young wizard.

“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” has sold more than 680,000 copies in Britain since being published on Sunday, Britain’s highest single week sales of a script this decade.

The popularity of the print version of the play in its first two days made it the biggest-selling hardback at bookseller Waterstones since the 2009 release of Dan Brown’s “The Lost Symbol”.

“By the end of this first week, we expect to exceed ‘The Lost Symbol’ sales and to match the lifetime sales of our bestselling script book ever, ‘An Inspector Calls’ by J. B. Priestley,” said Kate Skipper, buying director at Waterstones.

“There’s no doubt about it; this will be our biggest book of the year.”

The script of the two-part play, which opened in London’s West End on July 30, recounts the adult life of Harry Potter and his family.

“The Cursed Child” was written by Jack Thorne and directed by John Tiffany, in collaboration with Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling.

In the U.S. and Canada the screenplay sold more than two million copies in the first two days, an “unprecedented” result for a script book according to publisher Scholastic.

Despite the success of the script, initial sales of the book fell far behind those of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, the seventh and final novel in the series.

Within 24 hours of being released in 2007, “The Deathly Hallows” sold 2.65 million copies in Britain, publisher Bloomsbury said, while Scholastic recorded 8.3 million copies sold in the US.

Globally the seven Harry Potter novels have sold more than 450 million copies since the first book hit the shelves in 1997. The wizard’s adventures have been translated into 79 languages and eight films.

An additional 250,000 tickets of the Harry Potter play are due to go on sale on Thursday, for performances at the Palace Theatre until December 10, 2017.

With speculation that the new play could be taken to Broadway in New York, Rowling said she was enthusiastic about performances abroad.

“I’d love it to go wider than that. I’d like as many Potter fans to see it as possible,” Rowling told journalists at the gala opening.

source: interaksyon.com

Boy dies, dozens hospitalized in far northern Russian anthrax outbreak

MOSCOW - A 12-year-old boy has died in an anthrax outbreak in remote far northern Russia while dozens have been hospitalized on suspicion of infection, the region's governor said Monday.

The Yamalo-Nenetsky region, some 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) northeast of Moscow, has been under quarantine for a week after the deadly bacterium infected at least nine nomadic reindeer herders and their animals.

"I've been told of the death of a boy in our hospital. I have no words to express my feelings," governor Dmitry Kobylkin said.

It was the first outbreak of anthrax since 1941 in the sparsely populated region, which authorities blamed on a heatwave that melted permafrost and exposed an infected reindeer corpse.

"The infection showed its cunning. Returning after 75 years, it took away a child's life," said Kobylkin.

A total of 72 people, 41 of them children, have been hospitalized on suspicion of infection in the main city of Salekhard.

So far nine have tested positive for anthrax, including the boy who died, the regional authorities said Monday.

More than 2,300 reindeer have been killed in the outbreak in the region where more than 250,000 of the animals roam, the authorities said.

The authorities said they were carrying out vaccinations of people and reindeer and giving those who visited the quarantine area antibacterial medicines.

The infection was identified on June 25 after numerous deaths among reindeer, the sanitary medicine service for the region said Monday.

Russia's chief sanitary doctor Anna Popova visited the region last week, saying the site of the infection had been "isolated" and the region had enough vaccines and antibiotics.

Popova said that there had been no cases of anthrax in the region among people or animals since 1941 and it had been considered formally free of the infection since 1968.

The regional authorities linked the outbreak to unusually hot weather, with more than a month of temperatures up to 35 degrees celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) that melted the permafrost and activated the deadly spores.

"The anthrax spores lay in wait in the permafrost for more than a century," said the agriculture watchdog agency.

Anthrax does not spread directly from one infected human or animal to another, but is spread through spores. Humans can contract anthrax from handling diseased animals or eating infected meat.

The potentially lethal bacterium exists naturally in the soil and commonly infects livestock which ingest or inhale its spores while grazing.

source: interaksyon.com