Niall Horan latest in One Direction to go solo

NEW YORK | One Direction’s Niall Horan released a first solo single Thursday, becoming the latest member of the boy band to pursue music since the group went on hiatus.

The 23-year-old Irish singer announced that he had signed a contract with Capitol Records and released a first song, “This Town.”

Driven by acoustic guitar, “This Town” is a light ballad about heartbreak in which Horan wishes for another chance with a partner.

Horan, who did not give a timetable for further releases, also put out a video for “This Town” in which he performs at Capitol’s studio in Hollywood.

One Direction achieved global fame, with screaming pubescent girls packing their concerts, after the then teenagers appeared in 2010 on the British television contest “The X Factor.”

The band announced a hiatus at the end of last year, with the proliferation of solo projects raising fears among fans of a permanent rupture.

Zayn Malik, who left the band in March last year, has had the most prominent solo career.

He released an album, “Mind of Mine,” full of racy R&B that would have been unthinkable for squeaky-clean One Direction.

Liam Payne in July revealed that he is also working on a solo album and, like Horan, signed to Capitol Records — not One Direction’s Columbia Records.

Among the other two members, Harry Styles has reportedly reached a record deal with Columbia.

Louis Tomlinson, who recently became a father, has been quiet on the solo front but is working with “The X Factor” judge Simon Cowell on putting together an all-girl pop band.

source: interaksyon.com

Taiwan shuts down as ‘Megi’ strikes

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan went into shutdown Tuesday as the island faces its third typhoon in two weeks, with thousands evacuated, schools and offices closed across the island and hundreds of flights disrupted.

Typhoon Megi (Philippine name: Helen) is expected to make landfall in eastern Taiwan later Tuesday but is already bringing widespread violent winds and torrential rain as it nears the island.

More than 5,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and around 2,000 are in shelters, according to the Central Emergency Operation Center.  About 36,000 households have lost power due to the typhoon so far.

A total of 575 international and domestic flights were cancelled as of Tuesday morning, and 109 delayed. Most trains were also halted.

Television footage showed powerful waves surging past breakwaters in northeastern Yilan county and outlying Orchid Island.

Ahead of the storm, more than 3,700 tourists had already been evacuated at the weekend from Orchid Island and Green Island -- both popular with visitors.

At 0030 GMT, Megi was 220 kilometers (137 miles) southeast of the eastern county of Hualien, packing gusts of up to 198 kilometers (123 miles) per hour.

It is moving at 18 kilometers (11.2 miles) an hour -- slower than previously forecast -- delaying the time of landfall to around 0900 GMT Tuesday, according to Taiwan's weather bureau.

Hualien and Taitung, which are also popular with visitors for their coastlines and landscapes, will be in the firing line.

Those areas are still trying to recover from damage brought by Super Typhoon Meranti earlier this month -- the strongest storm for 21 years to hit Taiwan.

Meranti, which left one dead in Taiwan before killing another 28 as it moved to eastern China, was followed closely by the smaller Typhoon Malakas.

Mountainous regions in eastern Taiwan could see a total of up to 900 millimeters (35 inches) of rain through Wednesday, increasing the risk of landslides.

More than 35,000 soldiers are on standby to help with disaster relief.

source: interaksyon.com

1 dead in 'civilian-on-civilian' shooting as unrest flares anew in US city over police violence

CHARLOTTE -- A protester in Charlotte, North Carolina was fatally shot by a civilian Wednesday during a second night of unrest after the police killed a black man, officials said.

"Fatal shot uptown was civilian on civilian," the southern US city said in a statement on Twitter. "@CMPD did not fire shot," it added, referring to the police.

Several hundred people taunted riot police in front of a hotel in the city center, during which a man fell to the ground. Witnesses said police brought him into the hotel after he fell, leaving blood on the sidewalk.

Some protesters banged on glass windows, others threw objects at police and stood on cars as police appeared to fire tear gas, prompting demonstrators to run.

"We are calling for peace, we are calling for calm, we are calling for dialogue," Mayor Jennifer Roberts said earlier in the day. "We all see this as a tragedy."

Keith Lamont Scott, 43, was shot dead in an apartment complex parking lot on Tuesday after an encounter with officers searching for a suspect wanted for arrest.

The authorities said 16 officers and several demonstrators were injured in clashes overnight Tuesday following Scott's death, the latest in a string of police-involved killings of black men that have fueled outrage across the United States.

Earlier on Wednesday, presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton weighed in on the violence in Charlotte, which came on the heels of another fatal police shooting of a black man, Terence Crutcher, on Friday in Tulsa.

"Keith Lamont Scott. Terence Crutcher. Too many others. This has got to end. -H," tweeted Democrat Clinton, signing the post herself.

After calling to "make America safe again" in a tweet, Trump suggested later Wednesday that the Tulsa officer who shot Crutcher had "choked."

"I don't know what she was thinking," the Republican said, speaking at an African-American church in Cleveland, Ohio.

Divergent accounts

The Charlotte shooting took place at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT) Tuesday as officers searching for a suspect arrived in the parking lot of an apartment complex.

They spotted a man with a handgun -- later identified as Scott -- exit and then reenter a vehicle, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police chief Kerr Putney told journalists.

Officers approached the man and loudly commanded him to get out and drop the weapon, at which point Scott exited the vehicle armed, according to police.

"He stepped out, posing a threat to the officers, and officer Brentley Vinson subsequently fired his weapon, striking the subject," the police chief said.

However, Putney added that he did not know whether Scott "definitively pointed the weapon specifically toward an officer."

Carrying a firearm is legal under local "open carry" gun laws.

Scott's relatives told local media that he was waiting for his young son at school bus stop when police arrived. He was not carrying a gun but a book when he was shot dead, they said -- an account police disputed.

"I can tell you a weapon was seized. A handgun," Putney said. "I can also tell you we did not find a book that has been made reference to."

Protests turn violent

Anger was simmering in Charlotte, especially over the police chief's assertion that Scott had been armed.

"It's a lie," said Taheshia Williams, whose daughter attends school with the victim's son. "They took the book and replaced it with a gun."

On Wednesday afternoon, 100 students, mostly African-American, participated in a "lay-in" protesting police brutality, singing gospel songs.

"I do this for hope," one protester called out. "I do this because I'm tired of being silent," another said.

One man held a sign reading "Legalize being black."

Protests had swelled Tuesday evening as news of the shooting spread, with demonstrators carrying signs that read "Black Lives Matter" and chanting "No justice, no peace!"

Putney said the situation turned violent, with "agitators" damaging police vehicles and throwing rocks at officers.

Riot control police were deployed and used tear gas to disperse the crowd, Putney said.

A group of protesters nevertheless marched to a major highway early Wednesday, shutting down traffic in both directions. They broke into the back of truck and set goods on fire, according to police.

Series of shootings

A string of fatal police shootings -- from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to St. Paul, Minnesota -- has left many Americans demanding law enforcement reforms and greater accountability.

In the southern state of Oklahoma, Tulsa police chief Chuck Jordan called video footage of Crutcher's deadly shooting on Friday disturbing and "very difficult to watch."

The 40-year-old is seen with his hands up, appearing to comply with police officers before he is shot once by officer Betty Shelby and falls to the ground. Another officer fires his stun gun.

The US Department of Justice said Monday it would conduct a federal civil rights probe into the Tulsa shooting, parallel to an investigation being carried out by local authorities.

source: interaksyon.com

‘Game of Thrones’ makes Emmys history

LOS ANGELES | Fantasy epic “Game of Thrones” made television history at the 68th Emmys on Sunday, becoming the most decorated fictional show since the awards began nearly seven decades ago.

The HBO series picked up 12 total Emmys this season — nine awards in technical categories and three top prizes at the glitzy ceremony in downtown Los Angeles — television’s equivalent of the Oscars.

The blood-spattered, sex-filled saga about noble families vying for control of the Iron Throne took home the most coveted prize of the night, the best drama Emmy — along with statuettes for writing and directing.

That gives it a total haul over the years of 38 — more than any other narrative series since the first Television Academy prize-giving in 1949, overtaking the haul of 37 won by long-running comedy “Frasier.”

“We love ‘Frasier’ and he had a long run and we’re sure someone will come along and take it from us. We just hope it doesn’t happen until we’re all dead,” showrunner David Benioff told reporters.

It went down to the wire in the end, as “Thrones” drew a blank in the acting categories, despite being a hot favorite and having multiple nominees, and only set the record with the last prize of the night.

Three of its stars — Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke and Maisie Williams — dominated the betting in the supporting actress category, but the statuette went to Maggie Smith of “Downton Abbey.”

Peter Dinklage missed out on a supporting actor trophy, as did co-star Kit Harington, the category’s favorite, with Ben Mendelsohn picking up the prize for Netflix family drama “Bloodline.”

“The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” also glittered, picking up a total of nine awards this season, including the prize for best limited series.

“If your show doesn’t have a dragon or a white Bronco in it, go home right now,” host Jimmy Kimmel joked at the start of the three-hour broadcast, a reference to “Thrones” and the infamous car Simpson was in when he went on a wild ride through Los Angeles before his arrest.

The all-time Emmy list of winners — which includes nonfiction — is topped by NBC comedy sketch show “Saturday Night Live,” with 45 awards, one of them handed out Sunday to Kate McKinnon for best supporting actress.

MILESTONE FOR LOUIS-DREYFUS

It was a night of recognition for old hands in the comedy categories, while the drama awards went to relative newcomers.

In the best actress in a comedy category, Julia Louis-Dreyfus won a fifth consecutive Emmy for her role as the hapless acting president on HBO’s “Veep.”

“I would like to dedicate this to my father who passed away on Friday, and I’m so glad that he liked ‘Veep’ because his opinion was the one that really mattered,” she said in an emotional tribute, her voice breaking.

“Veep” later picked up the Emmy for outstanding comedy series.

The award for best actor in a comedy went for the second year in a row to Jeffrey Tambor for “Transparent,” who pleaded with producers and directors to give transgender talent a chance in television.

In the tightest race of the night, lead actress in a drama, Tatiana Maslany won for “Orphan Black,” pipping favorite Robin Wright (“House of Cards”) and last year’s victor Viola Davis (“How to Get Away with Murder”).

“House of Cards” star Kevin Spacey, who has never won an Emmy, missed out again for outstanding actor in a drama, which went to Rami Malek, the star of cyberspace security thriller “Mr. Robot.”

POLITICAL NIGHT

Ex-presidential hopeful Jeb Bush made a surprise appearance as a limo driver in a televised opening joke sequence, asking Kimmel what it’s like to be nominated.

Several stars took aim at divisive Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, either in prepared jokes or in acceptance speeches.

“I want everyone to know that after careful consideration, I decided I’m going with Trump — which is why I’m saying we should get rid of all Hispanic and Muslim actors,” said award-winning comedian and writer Aziz Ansari.

GLORY FOR ‘O.J. SIMPSON’

The win for FX’s “The People v. O.J. Simpson” for best limited series was the most widely predicted victory of the night, and the show — a scripted drama recounting the American football star’s shocking fall from grace — swept up acting prizes.

Sarah Paulson and Courtney B. Vance were rewarded in the lead acting categories for their acclaimed portrayals of sparring attorneys Marcia Clark and Johnnie Cochran.

Sterling K. Brown took home a statuette for his supporting actor role, while D.V. DeVincentis was recognized for the show’s writing.

In the battle of the networks, perennial leader HBO finished top with 22 Emmys — six on Sunday to add to its 16 from the Creative Arts Emmys ceremony last weekend.

FX, which scored the most nominations in history for a basic cable network, ended the night on 18 in total — twice as many as third-placed Netflix.

source: interaksyon.com

Cops probe 'intentional' New York blast in crowded Chelsea enclave; 29 hurt

NEW YORK - An  explosion rocked one of the most fashionable neighborhoods of New York on Saturday night, injuring 29 people, one seriously, a week after America's financial capital marked the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Mayor Bill de Blasio indicated the blast was not accidental, even if there was no known link to terrorism.

"We believe it was intentional. As soon as we're able to determine what specifically caused this explosion, we will report it," de Blasio said.

James O'Neill, who took over as New York police chief only on Saturday after his predecessor resigned, described the Manhattan explosion as "large" and said it happened outside 131 West 23rd Street at 8:30pm.

He added that the building has not been evacuated and that an "extensive search" was being conducted.

The blast occurred in Chelsea -- an area packed with bars, restaurants and luxury apartment blocks -- at a typically bustling time of the weekend.

Police investigated 27th Street for a secondary device as public officials scrambled to reassure the city's 8.4 million residents.

That device -- described by US media as resembling a pressure cooker -- was "safely removed by the NYPD for further analysis" early Sunday, tweeted police spokesman J. Peter Donald.

The explosion came two days before world leaders led by President Barack Obama were due to gather in New York for the UN General Assembly, a time when parts of Manhattan grind to a standstill under draconian security measures.

"There is no evidence at this point of a terror connection to this incident, this is preliminary information," de Blasio told a late-night news conference.

"There is no specific and credible threat against New York City at this point in time, from any terror organization," he added.

AFP reporters saw a massive police presence at the crime scene, where they were joined by FBI and counter-terrorism squads, as police helicopters circled overhead and sirens wailed.

Obama was "apprised" of the explosion and would receive updates on the situati as they become available, a White House official said.

Large boom, then quiet
Of the 29 people who sustained injuries, 24 were taken to hospital with various degrees of scrapes and abrasions from glass and metal, said Fire Department commissioner Daniel Nigro.

Witnesses living three blocks away told AFP they heard a large boom from their fifth floor apartment, followed by quiet, then the sound of sirens.

A photograph shared by New York's local NY1 television station showed shattered glass in a doorway, apparently caused by the blast.

Public officials were tight-lipped on the cause of the blast, saying it was still under investigation but confirmed it had not been a gas leak.

New York lauds itself as the safest big city in America. Violent crime has become rare in Manhattan and stringent security checks the norm in many areas since the 2001 Al-Qaeda hijackings destroyed the Twin Towers.

Trump jumps the gun

Any confirmed attack in New York could impact the country's already deeply divisive presidential election.

Republican nominee Donald Trump jumped the gun on the news reports by saying in Colorado Springs that "a bomb went off in New York."

"We better get very tough, folks, we better get very, very tough," he said.

His Democratic rival Hillary Clinton immediately took swipe at her opponent.

"I think it's always wiser to wait until you have information before making conclusions," she said.

De Blasio said investigators believe there was "no specific connection" to a pipe bomb explosion hours earlier in a trash can in New Jersey.

"It is again too early to say anything definitive on those questions, but there's no specific evidence of a connection at this point," he said.

The New Jersey blast occurred in Seaside Park during a Marine Corps charity run. It caused no injuries but forced officials to cancel the event.

There were up to four timed explosives but only one detonated, Al Della Fave, a spokesman for the Ocean County prosecutor, told CNN.

The mayor said that the police department and all other agencies -- including the city's "anti-terror capacity in particular" -- were on full alert.

The city routinely goes on extra security alert following attacks in other American cities or in Europe, and police claim to have foiled multiple terror plots since September 11, 2001 when nearly 3,000 people were killed.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said state officials were coordinating with federal and city authorities.

"We are closely monitoring the situation and urge New Yorkers to, as always, remain calm and vigilant," Cuomo said in a statement.

source: interaksyon.com

Shadow of ‘O.J. Simpson’ looms large at Emmys

LOS ANGELES | O.J. Simpson’s fall from grace became a defining tale of American life — a story not just of a murder but of race, the media and celebrity in modern culture.

Two decades after the unforgettable climax of the “Trial of the Century,” it continues to polarize and seduce TV viewers, with an acclaimed documentary released this year and a drama about the trial set to sweep the Emmys.

The 10-part “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” premiered on FX in February, offering a dramatized behind-the-scenes look at how he was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Exploiting a growing obsession with true-life crime mysteries, the show pulled in six to eight million viewers each week, with Simpson readying for release next year after being jailed for nine years in an unrelated robbery case.

It was nominated for nine Creative Emmy Awards — four of which it won — and is the most nominated show at television’s prestigious annual Primetime Emmys on Sunday, with a chance of winning 13 statuettes.

The series focuses on the white female prosecutor convinced of Simpson’s guilt and the star’s so-called “Dream Team” of lawyers that persuaded the predominantly black jury of reasonable doubt in the 1995 trial.

“I’ve never seen a phenomenon like that, when one crime fascinates America for so long. It’s really compelling,” said Tom Nunan, a former network boss who now teaches at UCLA’s School of Theater Film and Television.

The show’s Emmys recognition comes with American audiences feasting on a flood of true-crime series revisiting apparent miscarriages of justice.

WALL-TO-WALL COVERAGE

Netflix has announced a second season of its headline-grabbing “Making a Murderer” while September sees the broadcast of no fewer than three documentaries about the 1996 killing of six-year-old pageant star JonBenet Ramsey.

Meanwhile, Disney-owned ABC has commissioned a pilot for “The Jury,” described as a cross between 1957 courtroom drama “12 Angry Men” and NPR’s record-breaking investigative podcast “Serial,” which is credited with starting the trend.

But the Simpson case was the biggest of them all, says Nunan, combining celebrity, murder, race and wall-to-wall TV coverage in one of the biggest reality spectacles in history.

The saga is even credited with paving the way for modern reality TV shows following the likes of Kim Kardashian, whose father, attorney Robert Kardashian, is played by David Schwimmer in “The People v. O.J Simpson.”

“I’m not aware of any American crime story that has drawn this degree of scrutiny, of dramatization. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Broadway or another adaptation, because our fascination seems to be endless,” Nunan said.

There were various dramatizations nearer the time of the trial, including Fox’s 1995 TV movie “The O.J. Simpson Story” and the CBS miniseries “American Tragedy” in 2000, but none had the impact of this year’s TV offerings.

ESPN’s award-winning “30 for 30″ strand made the story the subject of a five-part documentary, “O.J.: Made in America,” in June which went meticulously into the background of the case.

Drawing upon more than 70 interviews from detectives as well as friends and colleagues of Simpson and other observers connected to the case, it attempted to uncover powerful truths about race and culture in modern America.

RESONANT

The series, which came too late for this year’s Emmys, goes into the history of police brutality against African Americans in Los Angeles, including the beating by four officers of unarmed driver Rodney King after a high-speed chase.

The officers were acquitted, which sparked the LA riots of 1992 in which 55 people died.

“There was a lot in there that most of us didn’t know about, including a lot of testimonies from jurors confirming what many people thought, which is that most of these jurors were penalizing the LAPD for the way they dealt with Rodney King,” said Nunan.

Nick Higgins, the documentary’s cinematographer, started out doubtful that anyone would still be interested in the case but came to realize that “Made in America” was as much a story about the US today as it was a courthouse saga.

“You can’t help drawing parallels with what’s going on now (with) American race relations, the fact that they havent changed in three or four decades,” he told AFP.

Bob Thompson, head of Syracuse University’s Center for Television and Popular Culture, said the FX series and the ESPN documentary would be particularly resonant to a generation less familiar with Simpson but all too aware of the racial tension stoked by recent police shootings on unarmed African Americans.

“One story after another has developed the idea of strained relationships between urban police departments and people in the community,” he told AFP.

“The O.J. story touches so much of that stuff.”

source: interaksyon.com

Justin Timberlake kicks off concert documentary at Toronto festival

TORONTO | Pop star Justin Timberlake’s new concert documentary was a joy to make because the lack of rigid plot or story structure makes shooting such productions the “purest form of film making,” director Jonathan Demme said on Wednesday.

“Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday, was filmed at the final performances of the singer’s world tour in Las Vegas in January 2015.

It begins with a pre-show band huddle and then launches within minutes into the action-packed dance and musical spectacle from onstage.

“When we film music, to me that’s the purest form of film making,” Demme said in an interview in Toronto with Timberlake. “There’s no script that has to be followed. The only narrative is the music itself.”

Demme, known for “Philadelphia,” “The Silence of the Lambs,” and concert films such as “Stop Making Sense” with Talking Heads, said being in the middle of the show makes even a non-musician such as himself feel part of the music.

“We’re feeling it, so intense, and capturing it, it’s like, ‘We’re in the band now!’” he said.

The film, which will be released on Netflix on Oct. 12, is a culmination of Timberlake’s 134 shows and 2 years on the road on a tour billed as one of the highest-grossing of the decade.

Timberlake said on Wednesday he initially was nervous because he was being himself, instead of portraying characters as he usually does on screen.

“Last night I had a bit of that,” he said. “I was going like, ‘Oh, wow, a lot of people are going to see this now.’”

But Demme had told him that, in a way, performing on stage was playing a character as well, Timberlake said.

“Being on stage is intuitive but it’s also a bigger version of yourself,” he said.

Timberlake is a Demme fan and said the movie maker had captured the concert well, including his supporting cast. While Timberlake was the focus, the film did not neglect the Tennessee Kids, Timberlake’s 25-piece band whose members were given liberal screen time.

“I feel proud for everyone else in the show, the musicians and the dancers, because they’re such a part of what’s happening,” Timberlake said.

“I just kind of feel like I’m standing in the middle of them. I’m really happy for them to be showcased the way that they are.”

source: interaksyon.com

Clinton, Trump move to show medical fitness for White House

WHITE PLAINS, NY -- US presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on Wednesday moved to show their medical fitness for the White House as Clinton released a letter from her doctor declaring her fit for the presidency and Trump taped a TV-segment about his well-being.

Clinton, 68, is healthy and fit to serve as president and is currently recovering from non-contagious, bacterial pneumonia, her physician, Dr. Lisa Bardack, said in a letter about the Democratic nominee’s medical condition released by the campaign.

Trump, 70, knows he could stand to lose a few pounds but otherwise is in great health, campaign adviser Sarah Huckabee Sanders told MSNBC on Wednesday after the Republican nominee taped an episode of the “Dr. Oz Show” in New York that will air on Thursday.

Bardack, in her letter about Clinton, wrote: “She is recovering well with antibiotics and rest. She continues to remain healthy and fit to serve as President of the United States.”

The announcements came as Clinton spent a third day resting at her home in Chappaqua, New York, after falling ill on Sunday morning as she left a September 11 memorial in New York City. Video footage taken by a bystander showed Clinton becoming dizzy as she attempted to get into a waiting vehicle. Her campaign said later in the day that the former secretary of state had been diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday.

Though senior aides knew about Clinton’s diagnosis, the delay in public disclosure fueled criticism that she is prone to secrecy and fed unsubstantiated internet rumors that she is hiding a health issue.

Bardack said Clinton’s pneumonia was diagnosed after a chest scan on Friday and that she was prescribed a 10-day course of antibiotics.

Bacterial pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics while viral pneumonia necessitates a different approach, according to Dr. Steve Simpson, acting director of the Division of Pulmonary Disease at the University of Kansas Hospital. Simpson has not evaluated or treated Clinton.

Since bacterial pneumonia is not contagious, Clinton was at no risk of transmitting the infection at campaign and fundraising events before or after she was diagnosed. She is scheduled to return to the campaign trail on Thursday.

Bardack said Clinton’s cholesterol and blood pressure are within normal ranges. She had a normal mammogram and breast ultrasound and shows no signs of developing heart disease, which runs in her family. Clinton takes medication for an underactive thyroid, which has been stable for years, Clarinex for her allergies, a vitamin B12 supplement and the blood thinner Coumadin following a 2012 blood clot in her head.

In December 2012, as Clinton was near the end of her term as secretary of state, she fell at home and suffered a concussion, developing a blood clot shortly thereafter.

Since then, Clinton’s dosage of Coumadin has “been adjusted as needed according to regular lab testing,” Bardack said. After consultation with a specialist, a decision was made to not switch Clinton to a newer anticoagulation drug.

Bardack had released a two-page assessment of Clinton’s health in July 2015. Trump’s campaign released a brief letter from his personal physician in December 2015 that said he was in “astonishingly excellent” health but did not provide detail about treatment or medications.

Neither candidate has released the type of detailed or voluminous medical records provided by past presidential candidates such as US Senator John McCain, who in 2008 allowed reporters to review 1,173 pages of medical records after concerns were raised about a cancer scare.

Trump’s campaign has said he will release additional medical information to the public in the coming days.

The “Dr. Oz Show” on Wednesday released a short clip of its Thursday segment with Trump. In it, Trump gives Dr. Mehmet Oz two letters showing the results of medical tests conducted last week. Huckabee Sanders said she did not see the summary Trump showed Oz, but “he self-admitted he could lose a few pounds.”

Trump weighs 267 pounds, according to media reports. That weight would mean Trump, like many Americans but few US presidents, is considered medically obese, according to body mass index standards.

Clinton’s running-mate, US Senator Tim Kaine, 58, also released a physician letter on Wednesday. Dr. Brian Monahan, who oversees the Office of the Attending Physician in the US Congress, said Kaine, as of his last physical last February, was in “overall excellent health.” Monahan said Kaine was on no medications but recommended a vitamin D supplement.

source: interaksyon.com

Sidelined by pneumonia, Clinton vows quick return to campaign trail

WASHINGTON -- Hillary Clinton sought to draw a line Monday under the health scare rocking her White House campaign, assuring supporters she will return to the fray this week as her team stated she has no medical ailments other than pneumonia.

Clinton was set to get a boost Tuesday, when President Barack Obama will hit the campaign trail to support her bid to replace him.

Facing intensifying scrutiny about her health, the Democrat will also make new disclosures of medical records and data, as her team acknowledged it stumbled when it failed to transparently alert the press and public about Clinton's condition at the weekend.

"I felt dizzy and I did lose my balance for a minute, but once I got in (the van), once I could sit down, once I could cool off, once I had some water, I immediately started feeling better," Clinton told CNN, adding that she would be back on the campaign trail within the "next couple of days."

Clinton, 68, fell ill at a 9/11 memorial event in New York and was seen wobbling as she was helped into her vehicle, forcing her campaign to disclose she had been diagnosed with the acute respiratory infection.

The incident -- captured on amateur video -- gave her Republican rival Donald Trump, 70, a new opening to question her fitness for the nation's highest office as the race heats up with eight weeks until Election Day.

The campaign said she "felt overheated," then released a statement by her personal doctor, Lisa Bardack, revealing that Clinton had been diagnosed with pneumonia Friday and was suffering from dehydration.

"There's no other undisclosed condition. The pneumonia is the extent of it," Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon told MSNBC.

On CNN, Clinton initially said that she has "twice" gotten dehydrated and felt dizzy over the past five years, then said it had been "a few times."

Clinton was forced to scrap her California fundraising trip Monday and Tuesday. And the campaign acknowledged, just as Clinton was tweeting, that she will not attend her scheduled campaign event Wednesday in Nevada -- with Bill Clinton due to stump there on her behalf according to an aide to the former president.

In his first public comments since Clinton abruptly left Sunday's Ground Zero ceremony, an unusually restrained Trump offered her his wishes for a rapid recovery.

But he also suggested the former secretary of state's health issues were of longer standing than admitted.

"Something is going on but I just hope she gets well and gets back on the trail, and we'll be seeing her at the debate" in two weeks, the Republican told Fox News.

The unexpected turn of events has turned a conservative angle of attack into a serious line of questioning about Clinton's health and why it took two days to reveal the pneumonia diagnosis.

"Antibiotics can take care of pneumonia. What's the cure for an unhealthy penchant for privacy that repeatedly creates unnecessary problems?" asked David Axelrod, a former White House aide to Barack Obama, on Twitter.

Clinton admitted: "If we weren't fast enough, you know, I've talked to my staff, we, you know, take responsibility for that."

But she quickly insisted she has been far more transparent than Trump.

"The information is out there. You can't say the same thing about Donald Trump," she said.

"The American people deserve to know what he's up to and what he is hiding."

'Not the first time'

The episode has fueled fresh speculation and conspiracy theories on the internet, already awash with unsubstantiated rumors Clinton may have a brain tumor, Parkinson's or dementia.

The root of persistent claims about Clinton's health lies in 2012, toward the end of her tenure as secretary of state.

A stomach virus and dehydration prompted her to faint, causing what her doctor said was a concussion. Doctors said they found a blood clot on the brain. Clinton later received the all-clear.

On Monday, Fallon insisted that "there was nothing here in terms of anything that was caused by what happened in 2012."

He also said Clinton's team would be releasing medical records "in the next few days" in order to "further put to rest any lingering concerns about what you saw yesterday."

Trump also promised to release medical records once test results are back.

The former first lady has dismissed rumors about her health, but Trump has repeatedly raised doubts about Clinton's stamina and physical strength, and he questioned her campaign's account of the current episode.

"They say pneumonia on Friday, but she was coughing very, very badly a week ago and even before that if you remember, and this was not the first time," he told CNBC.

'Hard time keeping up'

Clinton spokesman Fallon said several senior Clinton collaborators at campaign headquarters in Brooklyn also fell ill in recent weeks, including campaign manager Robby Mook. But it was not known if that was the source of Clinton's infection.

Democrats including her running mate Tim Kaine rushed to her defense.

"Her energy staggers me," he told a crowd in Dayton, Ohio. "I have a hard time keeping up with her."

source: interaksyon.com

UN to begin work on new sanctions vs North Korea

UNITED NATIONS -- The UN Security Council agreed on Friday to immediately begin work on a new raft of sanctions on North Korea after its fifth nuclear test drew global condemnation.

During a meeting behind closed doors, the council strongly condemned the test and agreed to begin drafting a new resolution under article 41 of the UN charter, which provides for sanctions.

"The members of the Security Council will begin to work immediately on appropriate measures under article 41 in a Security Council resolution," New Zealand's Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen, who holds the council's rotating presidency, told reporters after the urgent talks.

South Korea, the United States, Japan, Russia and China all condemned the blast at the Punggye-ri nuclear site, the North's most powerful yet at 10 kilotons.

The council met at the request of Japan, South Korea and the United States to agree on a response, despite resistance from China, Pyongyang's ally, to calls for tougher measures.

After the meeting, China's Ambassador Liu Jieyi sidestepped questions about Beijing's support for sanctions.

"We are opposed to testing and we believe that it is more urgent than ever to work together to ensure denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," Liu said.

"All sides should refrain from mutual provocation and any action that might exacerbate the situation."

North Korea has been hit by five sets of UN sanctions since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006.

Holding the world hostage

After Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test, the council in March adopted the toughest sanctions resolution to date targeting North Korea's trade in minerals and tightening banking restrictions.

Work on that resolution took two months, with the United States engaged directly with China on the sweeping measures.

Since that measure was adopted, North Korea has carried out 21 ballistic missile launches, US Ambassador Samantha Power said, describing those tests and Pyongyang's second nuclear detonation this year as "more than brazen defiance."

"North Korea is seeking to perfect its nuclear weapons and their delivery vehicles so they can hold the region and the world hostage under threat of nuclear strike," Power said.

France backed plans for a new resolution to make clear to Pyongyang that its actions will have consequences.

"We believe new sanctions are indispensable," French Ambassador Francois Delattre said.

Pyongyang's state media said the nuclear test had realized the country's goal of being able to fit a miniaturized warhead on a rocket.

"Our nuclear scientists staged a nuclear explosion test on a newly developed nuclear warhead at the country's northern nuclear test site," a North Korean TV presenter said.

The first indications of an underground explosion came when seismic monitors detected a 5.3-magnitude "artificial earthquake" near the Punggye-ri nuclear site.

"The 10-kiloton blast was nearly twice the (power of the) fourth nuclear test and slightly less than the Hiroshima bombing, which was measured about 15 kilotons," said Kim Nam-Wook of the South's meteorological agency.

North Koreans gathered around public screens to watch the official announcement of the test -- which came on the 68th anniversary of the country's founding.

A challenge for China

The test came as American and South Korean forces staged a re-enactment of the Incheon landing, 66 years after the start of Operation Chromite, the battle that turned the tide in the Korean War.

North Korea's nuclear program has accompanied a series of ballistic missile launches, the latest of which took place on Monday as world powers gathered for a G20 meeting in China.

This week's events pose yet another challenge for China, which has been under pressure to rein in its increasingly aggressive neighbor.

Beijing strongly condemned the test, but has limited room to maneuver. Its priority is to avoid the regime's collapse, which would create a crisis on its border and shift the balance of power on the Korean peninsula toward the United States.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter called for further pressure on North Korea, but said China bore "responsibility" for tackling the problem.

"China shares important responsibility for this development and has an important responsibility to reverse it," he said.

"It's important that it use its location, its history and its influence to further the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and not the direction things have been going."

source: interaksyon.com

Apple unveils two new iPhones, Watch

SAN FRANCISCO, California — Apple on Wednesday unveiled two upgraded versions of its iPhone and a new waterproof smartwatch, seeking to reignite growth for the iconic technology maker.

The iPhone 7 and larger iPhone 7 Plus, with new camera technology, 50-meter water resistance and other features, were the highlight of an Apple media event in San Francisco.

The new devices come with Apple seeking to reverse declines in sales of the iPhone in an increasingly saturated global market, and boost its Apple Watch — in a slump since the enthusiasm of last year’s release wore off.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the new smartphones take advantage of the latest iPhone software, iOS 10.

“We are about to launch iOS 10, our biggest iOS release ever. It is jam-packed with new features,” Cook said.

“Now of course the world’s most advanced mobile operating system deserves the most advanced smartphone, and here it is.”

The flagship devices will be sold at around the same price as the models they replace, starting at $649 for the iPhone 7 for US customers, with deliveries in 25 countries beginning September 16.

One new iPhone feature — which may ruffle some feathers — is the removal of the headphone jack, requiring audio to be delivered via Apple’s proprietary “lightning” connector or by wireless.

“From the start we designed lightning to be a great audio connector,” Apple vice president Phil Schiller told the unveiling event.

“We are taking the headphones in iPhone 7 and 7 Plus to lightning, and including them in the box with the device.”

Apple will also include an adaptor to allow consumers to use existing headphones with the iPhone.

The iPhone 7 Plus, Apple’s version of a “phablet,” includes dual cameras to improve optical performance and photo quality, the company said.

While Apple has touted total iPhone sales of one billion, the number sold in the quarter ending June 25 fell 15 percent from a year earlier, highlighting concerns over growth for the key profit driver.


Super Mario Run

Apple had saved a further surprise for its launch event, announcing jointly with Nintendo that “Super Mario Run” — featuring the iconic game character and developed specifically for mobile — will hit the App Store this year.

Apple, Nintendo and game maker Niantic announced the wildly popular Pokemon Go would be available for Apple Watch users later this month.

On the wearables front, its new Apple Watch Series 2 will also feature GPS — allowing people to gather fitness data during an outdoor workout without need to take along a smartphone.

“We started shipping Apple Watch just 18 months ago, and already people all over the world are using it in many aspects of their daily lives,” Cook said.

“But we are just getting started.”

Sales figures for the smartwatch are not disclosed by Apple, but surveys show enthusiasm has faded since last year’s release.

Apple saw a 56.7 percent year-over-year drop in sales of the device in the past quarter, research firm IDC said.

source: interaksyon.com

Apple sets stage for iPhone 7, many already waiting for 8

SAN FRANCISCO — The iPhone 7 is expected to make its global debut on Wednesday, but many consumers and investors are already setting their sights on Apple Inc’s 2017 version of the popular gadget, hoping for more significant advances.

At its annual product launch in San Francisco on Wednesday, the world’s most valuable publicly traded company is expected by blogs and analysts to reveal an iPhone without a headphone jack, paving the way for wireless headphones, a touch-sensitive home button that vibrates, double-lens cameras for the larger ‘Plus’ edition and other incremental improvements.

Apple typically gives its main product, which accounts for more than half of its revenue, a big makeover every other year and the last major redesign was the iPhone 6, in 2014. The modest updates suggest that this cycle will be three years.

“It looks like part of the reason they are keeping the design the same this year is there are bigger changes they are working on for next year,” said analyst Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research.

Sales of the iPhone dropped two quarters in a row this year, the first declines in the history of the device. With many consumers who purchased the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus due for an upgrade, Apple may eke out single-digit gains in sales for the 7, Dawson said.

But some consumer technology sites are advising users to hold off on upgrading until the next year’s version, which will mark the 10-year anniversary of the iPhone.

Analysts say the iPhone 8 may feature a wider display that reaches from one edge of the device to the other and a home button integrated into the screen.

Wall Street is impatient for growth, and Apple will be hard-pressed to reverse the downward trend this year, said Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC Partners.

“The iPhone 7 runs the risk of disappointing investors,” he said.

Consumers are waiting longer before replacing their phones, a shift that Apple must address in its product roadmap, said analyst Ben Bajarin of Creative Strategies.

Analysts predict the Apple Watch will be the second closely watched feature of the event. Apple is expected to revamp the wearable, released last year, with a faster processor and a GPS chip, enabling users to track runs and other workouts without their phones. Most analysts believe sales of Apple’s watch – which the company has not disclosed – have not yet justified the fanfare.

Starting at $299, well above many other wearables on the market, the most meaningful change Apple can make is a price cut, Bajarin said.

“This category is very price sensitive,” he said. Apple is “not there yet.”

source: interaksyon.com

‘Latinos for Trump’ co-founder warns of ‘taco trucks on ever corner’ if Republicans lose

WASHINGTON -- If the United States fails to crack down on immigration, according to the Donald Trump camp, the nation will be inundated with criminals, illicit drugs and job-stealers.

And tacos.

The popular Mexican dish that includes a tortilla shell filled with meat, vegetables and cheese is the latest threat facing Americans if the Republican presidential candidate loses, the co-founder of Latinos for Trump told MSNBC.

"My culture is a very dominant culture. It is imposing and it's causing problems," Marco Gutierrez said Thursday.

"If you don't do something about it, you're going to have taco trucks (on) every corner."

The earnest warning unleashed a flurry of social media activity, with many Americans relishing in the idea of life in a country where taco trucks rule the streets.

"A chicken in every pot, a car in every garage, & #TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner," comedian and actor Orlando Jones tweeted, using a hashtag that quickly went viral.

"If this is wrong. Then I don't want to be right. #ImWithHer," tweeted another user, using Clinton's campaign slogan.

The post included an image of breakfast tacos, a Texas morning staple that often includes eggs and chorizo sausage.

Gutierrez's alert came the night after Trump delivered a fiery speech outlining his harsh immigration plan, which would include stepping up deportations, cancelling President Barack Obama's executive orders protecting millions of undocumented migrants, and blocking federal funding to so-called "sanctuary cities" that bar discrimination against the undocumented.

His rival Hillary Clinton has expressed support for a pathway to citizenship for most of America's undocumented.

Her campaign called Trump's plan part of his "campaign of hate."

"In his darkest speech yet, Donald Trump doubled down on his anti-immigrant rhetoric and attempted to divide communities by pitting people against each other and demonizing immigrants," it said in a statement.

#TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner is not the first time the internet has had a field day with taco symbolism this campaign season.

On May 5 -- the Cinco de Mayo holiday that commemorates Mexican resistance -- Trump posted a photograph of himself tucking into a taco salad, a dish of American origin.

Under the picture the billionaire wrote: "Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!"

Many considered the tweet a weak attempt at wooing the important Hispanic-American voting bloc, which Trump has largely alienated.

source: interaksyon.com

Malaysia reports first suspected Zika case

SINGAPORE - Malaysia on Thursday reported its first suspected case of Zika, a 58-year-old woman believed to have contracted it in neighboring Singapore where more than 100 cases have been confirmed.

The Malaysian woman had made a brief trip in late August to visit her daughter, who has already been confirmed as having the Zika virus, Malaysia's health ministry said in a statement.

After returning to her home near Kuala Lumpur, the woman fell ill and was diagnosed with "suspected" Zika, based on a urine test. Full confirmation via blood tests is pending.

"The source of infection is suspected to have occurred in Singapore," the statement said.

The Aedes mosquito-borne Zika, which has been detected in 67 countries and territories including hard-hit Brazil, causes only mild symptoms for most people such as fever and a rash.

But pregnant women who catch it can give birth to babies with microcephaly, a deformation marked by abnormally small brains and heads.

Singapore authorities say 115 people have now tested positive for the virus, including a pregnant woman and 57 foreigners living and working in the city-state.

Singapore depends heavily on foreign labor, and industries like construction and the marine sector are dominated by workers from China and South Asia.

Among the foreigners infected, 23 are from China, 15 are from India and 10 from Bangladesh, the health ministry said Thursday. The rest are from Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia and Taiwan.

"All had mild illness. Most have recovered while the rest are recovering well,” the ministry said in a statement.

The city-state's environment agency workers have been ramping up efforts to eradicate mosquitoes in a bid to curb the spread of the disease, expanding a fumigation campaign centered on the "ground zero" of the outbreak in the eastern suburb of Aljunied.

They have also turned efforts to three other areas beyond the original cluster, sending teams of inspectors round homes fumigating and checking for breeding sites.

Indonesia and Malaysia have intensified monitoring of border points for passengers arriving from Singapore, while Indonesian health official Muhammad Subuh said those arriving from the city will be given a card telling them to report to hospitals if they show Zika symptoms within 10 days of arrival.

Tropical Malaysia -- which already has struggled in recent years to control the spread of Aedes-borne dengue fever -- has been bracing for Zika after Singapore last weekend reported a surge in cases.

The United States and Britain have joined Australia and Taiwan in advising pregnant women to avoid non-essential travel to Singapore, while a local health expert has warned the infection rate would rise.

Despite the rise in Zika cases, a spokesman for the Singapore Grand Prix told AFP Wednesday the Formula One race will go on as scheduled from September 16-18.

source: interaksyon.com