Johnny Depp’s wife faces charges over bringing dogs Down Under

SYDNEY | Australia’s “war on terrier” with Johnny Depp has taken another turn, with authorities saying Thursday the Hollywood star’s wife faces charges over bringing their two dogs into the country.

The Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for biosecurity, said actress-model Amber Heard was served with a summons on Tuesday to answer charges for allegedly breaching quarantine laws.

“(This) action follows an incident where a biosecurity officer attended a Gold Coast property… and found two dogs alleged to be illegally imported,” a department spokeswoman said.

Reports said the case was due to be heard in September in a Queensland state court, though it is not known whether Heard will appear in person.

Penalties for contravening the Quarantine Act range from fines to a maximum of 10 years in prison for the worst cases.

Terriers Pistol and Boo created a media storm earlier this year when they were discovered in Queensland, where Depp is filming “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”, seemingly having bypassed the usual conditions for animals brought into Australia.

The dogs’ presence in Australia only came to light when they were taken to a grooming salon.

Dogs are subject to strict controls for biosecurity reasons, with a permit mandatory and a minimum 10-day stay in a quarantine facility on arrival required.

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce threatened to have the animals put down unless they were removed, warning in May that: “It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States.”

After the summons against Heard was issued, Joyce said he was unable to comment on matters before a court hearing but the law was the same for everybody.

“You come into our nation, you have to abide (by) biosecurity protocols,” he told reporters on Thursday.

RABIES FEAR

Joyce said a rabies outbreak, a major fear from dog importation, would have widespread ramifications.

“It’s not just the people on the streets that would be affected, if that got out into the general wild dog population in Australia, which is massive, it would have devastating effects,” he said.

“It’s also a pathogen that could make its way into the bat population, and how many towns do you know that have a bat colony smack bang, unfortunately, in the middle of town? We’ve got enough problems with them, let alone if they became rabid.”

Pistol and Boo returned to the United States in the days after their discovery in late May. Speaking to Australian media later, Heard indicated an unwillingness to return to the country.

“I have a feeling we are going to avoid the land Down Under from now on just as much as we can thanks to certain politicians there,” she told Australia’s Channel Seven in an apparent reference to Joyce.

“I guess everyone tries to go for their 15 minutes (of fame), including some government officials.”

Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton said Thursday the law should apply equally to passengers on commercial flights and private jets.

“Regardless of whether people are coming in by Qantas flight or coming on a private jet, they should be subject to the same clearance arrangements and that is the way in which the law is written,” he told Sydney radio station 2GB.

“So, we need to make sure that in practice that is happening as well, and we need to make sure that the proper checks are undertaken.”

Depp has charmed Australians during his stay in Queensland, spending time with fans on location and visiting sick children in hospital dressed as his pirate character Jack Sparrow.

source: interaksyon.com

Microsoft plans celebratory debut of Windows 10

SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft on Monday announced plans for a celebratory debut this month of Windows 10 operating software designed to spread the US software titan’s offerings across a broad range of devices.

Word that Windows 10 would be welcomed in grand style came less than a week after Microsoft said it will cut 7,800 jobs and write down the value of its struggling mobile phone division acquired last year from Nokia by some $7.6 billion.

The announcement represented the second major round of layoffs in a year for the US tech giant, which cut some 18,000 jobs a year ago as part of its effort to integrate the Finnish-based phone group.

Microsoft said in a statement that it would “restructure the company’s phone hardware business to better focus and align resources.”

Microsoft will make the latest version of its Windows operating system will available July 29 for computer and tablet users.

Insider events

Special events are planned in 13 cities around the world in tribute to those who took part in a Windows software test period, Microsoft executive Yusuf Mehdi said in a blog post.

“We will celebrate the unprecedented role our biggest fans – more than five million Windows Insiders,” Mehdi said.

“These celebrations will offer hands-on opportunities, experiential demos, entertainment and opportunities to meet the Windows team.”

The list of cities where Windows 10 launch events will take place includes Beijing, Sydney, Tokyo, London, New Delhi, Sao Paolo, and New York.

The new Windows 10 software will come as a free upgrade to people who already use Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 and will be available in 190 countries.

Windows 10 will come pre-installed on Microsoft-compatible computers and tablets from July 29 and will be available for purchase later in the year.

The move marks a major launch for Microsoft, after the relative failure of Windows 8, which was rolled out in 2013.

High hopes

Microsoft has high hopes for Windows 10, which it wants to see installed in a billion devices around the world by 2018.

Windows 10 boasts a common base on which developers will be able to build apps that work on smartphones, tablets, PCs and desktops, and even Xbox.

As part of the launch celebration, Microsoft will invest $10 million to support missions of nonprofit groups including Malala Fund, CARE, Code.org, Special Olympics, and The Nature Conservancy.

While it still dominates the market for personal computers, Microsoft has struggled in the market for mobile devices, the majority of which are powered by the Google Android system or Apple’s iOS.

Satya Nadella, who became CEO in 2014, is seeking to reinvigorate a company that had been the world’s largest but which has lagged in recent years as Google and Apple have taken leadership of the tech sector.

source: interaksyon.com

Taiwan courts tech start-ups to drive economic growth

TAIPEI — Companies such as electric motor scooter firm Gogoro could hold the key to Taiwan’s economic growth.

In just three years, the start-up, which counts Japan’s Panasonic Corp as a strategic partner and Cher Wang, the founder of local smartphone maker HTC Corp as a key investor, raised $150 million to develop the smartphone-synched bike, and a charging network for it. The Smartscooters went on sale last month, starting at around $4,100.

Gogoro’s success in creating a home-grown, innovative product is precisely what Taiwan’s government wants to foster as it seeks to reduce the export-driven economy’s reliance on the island’s world-class tech manufacturing sector.

These tech firms, which include HTC, the world’s biggest contract chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd and iPhone maker Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, also give Taiwan an advantage over the many other countries seeking to nurture tech start-ups.

“We hope our policies can help a start-up at its most difficult stage – the beginning – so it can go the way of Gogoro,” said Jan Fang-guan, an official with the government planning agency, the National Development Council (NDC).

Tech manufacturing accounts for a third of all Taiwan’s industrial output, but two years ago, the NDC recognized growth in this sector was plateauing as firms lose out to cheaper, Chinese rivals.

In June, exports shrank by the most in more than two years – and for the fifth consecutive month – as shipments of tech goods and demand from major trading partner China fell sharply.

In a bid to stabilize trade and make the economy more “creativity intensive”, the NDC a year ago set up HeadStart, a project dedicated to creating a local Silicon Valley by relaxing regulations for registering start-ups, matching funds invested into projects and creating tech hubs.

HeadStart has attracted some T$13.6 billion ($438 million) in funds so far this year, Jan said.

Cjin Cheng, who manages Taiwan for U.S.-based start-up fund 500 Startups, said the island’s established tech scene and global connections would help entrepreneurs, in contrast to rivals in China, where Internet access is largely restricted.

“You can build out easily if you want to,” she said.

An educated and young population also work in Taiwan’s favor: during a visit in March, Jack Ma, the founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding, said he wanted to set up a T$10 billion fund to support Taiwanese entrepreneurs, rankling the authorities as political ties with China remain uneasy.

Taiwan’s big tech firms make it fertile ground for tech start-ups, said John Fan, who co-founded PicCollage, the most downloaded app from Taiwan.

He said many entrepreneurs create a start-up, work for a big company for a while when their business is acquired, and then leave to set up on their own again. “They are always thinking about the next thing. That’s the default lunchtime conversation,” said Fan, who previously worked at Qualcomm.

HTC, once one of the world’s biggest smartphone makers, also inadvertently gave the local start-up scene a boost: it hired several entrepreneurs during its heyday, but many have since left to set up on their own as HTC lost its competitive edge.

Gogoro’s co-founders Horace Luke and Matt Taylor are former HTC executives. John Wang, who left HTC in 2012 after creating the firm’s “Quietly Brilliant” marketing slogan, has also set up his own firm, which is preparing to launch a smartwatch.

“You’ve got to be able to reinvent the business model,” said Wang.

source: interaksyon.com

Greece faces D-Day after 'difficult' bailout talks halted

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Greece on Sunday faced a final EU summit to clinch a deal that would stop Athens crashing out of the euro after divided eurozone ministers halted "very difficult" talks on a new bailout overnight.

Saturday's meeting of the Eurogroup, comprising finance ministers from the 19-nation single currency area, was supposed to pave the way for all 28 European Union leaders to sign a final agreement at an emergency summit the following day, billed as the last chance to keep Greece in the euro.

But skeptical nations demanded more commitments from Athens, amid claims Berlin had drawn up an "internal paper" for Greece to leave the eurozone for five years, while Finland reportedly decided not to accept any new rescue plan for debt-laden Greece.

Eurogroup chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the "issue of credibility and trust was discussed" by ministers, who are wary of the Greek government's commitment to enacting the new reforms which closely resemble those rejected by voters in a surprise referendum.

"We haven't concluded our discussions. It is still very difficult but work is still in progress," said Dijsselbloem after nine hours of grueling talks, adding that they would resume Sunday morning at 0900 GMT.

Finnish Finance Minister Alexander Stubb was more upbeat, despite reports that Finland's parliament has decided it will not allow the government to accept any new bailout deal for Greece.

"We are making good progress," he said.

EU Commissioner for economic affairs Pierre Moscovici, who has been among the most sympathetic to Greece's plight, said: "I am always hopeful."

'Climate not easy'

Creditor institutions have called a new reform plan from leftist Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras for a third bailout worth more than 80 billion euros ($89 billion) a positive step forward after months of wranglings.

The proposals, including pension cuts and tax hikes, were approved by the Greek parliament in the early hours of Saturday despite opposition within Tsipras's ruling radical Syriza party.

But Germany's hardline Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble poured cold water on early optimism at the start of the talks, accusing Athens of repeatedly reneging on its commitments.

"Definitely we cannot trust promises," Schaeuble said. "In the last months hope has been destroyed in an incredible way, even up to just a few hours ago."

A European source said the German finance ministry had even drawn up an "internal paper" for Greece to leave the eurozone for five years if it fails to improve its bailout proposals, but added it was not distributed at Saturday's meeting.

Another source close to the negotiations said the "climate is not easy" and Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos was in contact with Athens to see how to restore eurozone confidence in Greece.

The Athens News Agency, meanwhile, reported that Greek government sources believed "some countries, for reasons that have nothing to do with the reforms and the program, don't want an agreement." The sources did not name specific countries.

Even if an agreement is reached, at least eight parliaments will have to weigh in on a final accord, with Germany's Bundestag having to vote twice.

Debt mountain

Tsipras won the backing of 251 out of 300 deputies in the Greek parliament for his reform plans, even though they are similar to the ones that Greeks rejected in last week's referendum.

Athens's creditors fear it will not keep its promises after two previous bailouts worth 240 billion euros merely added to a debt mountain, now worth nearly 180 percent of the country's GDP.

Greece dived deeper into the mire when it became the first developed economy to default on a huge payment to the International Monetary Fund on June 30, the same day as its EU bailout expired.

In Greece, there is growing alarm at capital controls that have closed banks and rationed cash at ATMs for nearly two weeks, and Economy Minister Giorgos Stathakis warned the restrictions will likely stay in place for "months."

Queueing Saturday at a cash machine in Athens, Vassilis Papoutsoglou, 52, said: "We still don't know what will happen tomorrow. Can we expect something better, or is it Armageddon?"

The Greek government hoped the parliamentary vote would give it a mandate to continue the talks with creditors -- but it also revealed the depth of opposition to fresh austerity.

Three senior government figures were among 10 MPs who abstained or voted against, and several others from the ruling leftist Syriza party stayed away, prompting commentators to predict a government shake-up.

Tsipras told parliament the plan was "marginally better" than the proposals put forward by the creditors last month and that Greeks would "succeed not only in staying in Europe but in living as equal peers with dignity and pride."

source: interaksyon.com

Serena Williams wins historic 6th Wimbledon title, holds another ‘Serena Slam’

Serena Williams won a sixth Wimbledon title on Saturday as the world number one became the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam crown with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Garbine Muguruza in Saturday’s final.

At 33 years and 289 days, Serena surpasses Martina Navratilova as the oldest player to win Wimbledon, and any of the other three Grand Slams, in the Open era.

Serena’s sixth Wimbledon crown brought with it a slew of other remarkable landmarks that underline her credentials as one of the greatest female athletes of all time.

The American’s 21st Grand Slam crown and 68th tour-level title earned her a cheque for £1.8 million ($2.7 million, 2.5 million euros)

But it is her legacy rather than her bank balance that concerns Williams these days and she now holds all four Grand Slam titles at the same time — the rare ‘Serena Slam’ she last achieved in 2002-03.

“It feels so good. Garbine played so well. I didn’t even know it was over because she was fighting so hard at the end. She will be holding this trophy very, very soon. I am happy it was such a great match,” said Williams.

“I can’t believe I am standing here with another Serena Slam. It is so cool. It has been a pleasure and an honour to give so many years in this unbelievable place.”

Serena is the first woman to land the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back since she last won that difficult double in 2002.

Lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish for the first time since 2012 also leaves Serena needing only to defend the US Open to become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1988 to claim a calendar Grand Slam.

She is just one major title behind Graf on the Open era leaderboard and within three of all-time record holder Margaret Court’s tally of 24.

She is the first player since Graf in 1988 to win Wimbledon and the Australian and French Opens in the same year.

Given Serena’s 39-1 record in 2015 and her astonishing streak of 28 consecutive Grand Slam match victories, few would bet against the American making more history in New York in August.

Regardless of her defeat, Muguruza, 21, has emerged as one of the brightest young stars on the women’s tour after a bravura display in her first Grand Slam final appearance that often left Williams rattled.

“I enjoyed it a lot. I don’t have words to say how I feel. I’m very proud and happy to be here,” said Muguruza.

“A Grand Slam final for me is a dream come true and I also want to say congrats to Serena, showing that she’s world number one.”

Williams’ thunderous serve was strangely out of sync in a nervous start to the first set and, after serving a double fault on the first point, she threw in two more to gift Muguruza a surprise break.

Enough power

Muguruza had more than enough power to trade blows from the baseline and she came out on top so often in the early stages that the frustrated American screamed “that’s so bad” after losing another point.

Muguruza, born in Venezuela and raised in Barcelona, had insisted facing Serena was a task to be relished rather than feared.

She was proving true to her bold claim and, by the time Muguruza moved into a 4-2 lead, it seemed an epic shock was on the cards.

However, Serena had recovered from worse predicaments earlier in the tournament.

And with the pressure ratcheted up, the inevitable Serena break back arrived in the eighth game when Muguruza missed with a wild forehand.

Williams scented blood and Muguruza crumbled, a double-fault on set point gift-wrapping the lead to Serena in a set that had been the underdog’s for the taking.

Williams had won 28 of her last 30 tour-level finals, including her last nine at the majors, and, in her eighth Wimbledon final, she was finally back in that muscular groove.

Serena’s fierce grimace and clenched fist after breaking in the fourth game of the second set suggested the finish line was in sight

But, serving for the match with 5-1 and then 5-3 leads, Williams was gripped by a bad case of nerves and Muguruza broke twice to prolong the contest.

Finally able to compose herself, Serena broke in the next game to seal yet another legacy-defining success.

source: interaksyon.com

Ringo Starr says will keep drumming as celebrates 75th birthday

LOS ANGELES | Former Beatle Ringo Starr, who turned 75 on Tuesday, said he would keep on playing the drums as he celebrated his birthday with his traditional “peace and love” salute.

The tradition began some 10 years ago when he was asked what he wanted for his birthday — the response was if “everybody in the world could say peace and love … at noon on July 7.”

Starr has since invited members of the public to join him in doing the sign and asked his fans to use #PeaceandLove on social media platforms.

“It’s international now … Wherever I am on my birthday that’s where we do it. And it’s growing by the response I get,” Starr said at Tuesday’s birthday celebrations in Los Angeles.

“It’s come a long way … In Chicago was the first one and we’ve been to New York and we’ve done several times in LA and we did it in Hamburg.”

In April, Starr was inducted as a solo artist into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the last of the Beatles to receive the accolade.

When asked what lay head, Starr said: “Well, keep playing, that’s what’s left to do. I love to play, I play drums so that will just continue.”

“It’s what I do, it’s what I did before The Beatles and before the peace and love birthday. I’ll play drums and entertain and sing a few songs.”

source: interaksyon.com

Asia extends losses as China woes spread, yen shoots up

TOKYO - Asian equities extended losses on Thursday as concerns over China's market turmoil spread, while the safe-haven yen shot to a seven-week high as global risk appetite ebbed.

MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan shed 0.2 percent, hovering near a 17-month low struck the previous day.

Japan's Nikkei dropped 1.8 percent, Australian shares lost 0.3 percent and South Korea's Kospi fell 0.9 percent.

The focus in Asia again turned towards how Chinese stocks would fare later in the session, with a series of increasingly aggressive attempts by authorities so far having failed to stem the massive exodus from a once booming market.

The country's stock markets have plunged nearly 30 percent over the last three weeks.

"Fundamentally, China is coming back to a point of attraction –the monstrous P/E ratios have come back to more realistic levels. However, the bursting bubble means value is unlikely to factor into thinking in the interim. The repercussions haven't completely played out yet," Evan Lucas, market strategist at IG in Melbourne, wrote.

China's securities regulator took the drastic step late on Wednesday of ordering shareholders with stakes of more than 5 percent from selling shares for the next six months in a bid to halt a plunge in stock prices.

U.S. shares slid sharply overnight on growing fears that nose-diving Chinese shares could destabilize the world's second- largest economy and have global implications.

The doom-and-gloom mood - already heightened earlier in the month by prospects of Greece leaving the euro - benefited the yen, often sought in times of economic uncertainty.

The dollar stood little changed at 120.815 yen, within reach of a seven-week low of 120.41 touched overnight when it suffered a bruising 1.5 percent fall.

The greenback was weighed down further as U.S. Treasury yields continued falling on flight-to-safety bids and new signs that the Federal Reserve may be hesitant about raising interest rates, as shown by their policy meeting minutes.

The dollar's tumble against the yen helped the euro, which climbed to $1.1075, pulling further away from a one-month trough of $1.0916 plumbed on Tuesday.

Commodities, far from immune to the slide in global equities, remained subdued. U.S. crude nudged up 0.4 percent to $51.86 early on Thursday but has shed nearly nine percent so far this week.

Copper received a reprieve overnight thanks to the dollar's plunge, but the metal still remained within reach of a six-year low. Copper on the London Metal Exchange was down 0.4 percent at $5,495 a tonne after hitting the six-year trough of $5,240 a tonne on Wednesday.

source: interaksyon.com

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett ‘cheek-to-cheek’ at Montreux jazz fest

MONTREAUX | Pop star Lady Gaga and crooner Tony Bennett brought a mix of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra and even Edith Piaf to a sell-out crowd spanning generations at the Montreux Jazz Festival on Monday night.

Legendary producer Quincy Jones introduced the odd American couple, praising Gaga as a singer who had “blown his mind.” He also recalled working on the musical arrangement for Bennett’s 1966 hit “Girl Talk.”

“This would be Claude’s definite dream,” Jones said, referring to Claude Nobs, the late founder of one of Europe’s most prestigious summer music festivals, now in its 49th edition.

Bennett, the only person in the famed Stravinski Auditorium wearing a jacket and tie, and the blond Gaga, appearing first in a long shiny silver dress with plunging neckline, opened with “Anything Goes,” a Cole Porter tune of the 1930s.

The pair of New Yorkers then sang “Cheek to Cheek” by Irving Berlin, the title track from their 2014 album of jazz standards for which they won a Grammy Award in February.

Bennett, just weeks shy of his 89th birthday, and Gaga, already a six-time Grammy winner at age 29, delivered 30 songs during their 100-minute non-stop show, backed by nine musicians.

“We’re selling our album around the world, please buy it. She really needs the money,” Bennett quipped.

Gaga, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is better known for her hits “Paparazzi” and “Poker Face.”

Gaga hit the high notes in Montreux in half a dozen eye-popping outfits, changing backstage during Bennett’s solos. During love ballads, she gave him hugs or kisses on the cheeks.

For their “I Won’t Dance” duet, she wore a black dress and long gloves, with glittering eyebrows.

In “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” Gaga played the vamp in a red feathered dress with transparent top. For “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” her silver dress with chain belt gave her the allure of the swinging 60s.

She sat back-to-back with pianist Michael Renzi cabaret style for “Everytime We Say Goodbye,” another Cole Porter hit.

SINATRA CENTENARY

Bennett paid tribute to Sinatra, born 100 years ago, saying the late star had been “opening his soul” with the song “I’ve got the World on a String.” He then performed his personal favorite, “In the Wee Small Hours.”

Introducing the song “Smile,” Bennett told the crowd that he had once received a fan letter from Switzerland about the best-selling theme song from the 1936 movie “Modern Times.”

“I couldn’t believe it. It was from Mr. Charlie Chaplin,” he said of the British actor who lived in nearby Vevey.

Gaga, dressed in a vintage pink satin dress with huge bow at the waist, sang “La Vie en Rose,” earning the biggest applause of the night for her moving version of Piaf’s signature song.

source: interaksyon.com

Europe tensely awaits Greek voters' decision

BERLIN - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other EU leaders await with trepidation the outcome of a referendum in Greece Sunday that is already dividing opinion in Europe and could even shape its future.

After months of fruitless talks with its creditors, Greece's dramatic bid to place a bailout decision in the hands of its people will have an impact far beyond the heavily-indebted country's borders, analysts warn.

The vote on whether to support Greece's radical left-led government in its tough anti-austerity line is a "signpost" for future negotiations, said Julian Rappold of the German Council on Foreign Relations.

With fears a "No" vote could lead to Greece exiting the eurozone -- a so-called "Grexit" -- Pawel Tokarski of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs said its impact would reach much further.

It will "determine the future trajectory of European integration," he said.

Merkel, seemingly sanguine last week in remarking that Europe could "calmly" await the result of the referendum because the bloc was "strong," has been at the forefront of efforts to resolve the crisis.

Now, the head of Europe's biggest economy is "faced with a dilemma," Rappold said.

If Greece were to leave the euro, it would signify the failure of Europe's crisis management that Merkel has championed though years of economic turbulence.

"She would not like it to be said that she pushed Greece out of the euro," Rappold added.

She also fears unforeseen economic consequences, a boost for anti-euro groups in some countries and that a "No" vote would be seen as a sign of weakness by nations such as Russia or China, he added.

But if Greek voters defy Tspiras and vote "Yes," Merkel must win parliamentary approval for negotiations on a new aid program for Greece amid growing dissent within her conservative party on the Greece issue.

She would also have to win over a bailout-weary public tired of picking up a lion's share of the bill.

'Nein', 'Oxi'

But the referendum is not just dividing Greeks.

Germany's Bild mass-market daily, which has taken a tough line with Athens since the start of the crisis, held its own referendum, asking readers if they wanted to go on supporting Greece with billions of euros.

It said the response indicated that 89 percent of the 200,000 people who took part said "Nein."

Thousands of Greece supporters meanwhile took to the streets of Barcelona, Paris, Dublin, and Frankfurt to show solidarity with the Greek people and hit back at European policies.

Merkel was greeted by placards stating "Oxi" (no, in Greek) at an event in Berlin Saturday for her Christian Democratic Union party's open day.

In Spain, which has endured its own economic crisis, allies of Greece's Syriza party see the referendum as an historic opportunity to change Europe, months before the country holds its own polls.

Parties on the political right however fear a spread of radical leftist policies.

If Italians were called to vote like the Greeks, 51 percent would support tough measures imposed by Europe to avoid crashing out of the euro, while 30 percent would vote against, according to a recent poll by Ipsos.

And Britain, too, where voters will be called to decide on its future in Europe, sees a particular resonance in the Greek bid.

Different interpretation

Elsewhere among Europe's leadership, European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi will also dread a "No" vote.

He is not accountable to voters but nevertheless is in "an extremely difficult situation," Tokarski said.

Through its emergency funding, the ECB is keeping Greek banks afloat. If it were to stop these loans, it would risk pressing the "Grexit" button -- a decision its chief wants to leave to the politicians.

For now though, the post-referendum scenario is far from clear, especially as the question being posed is open to wide interpretation.

Athens argues it means saying "No" to new austerity measures proposed by creditors in return for aid.

But this proposal has in the meantime expired, leaving others to interpret the referendum as a vote for or against the euro.

"Whatever the result, it will be interpreted differently by political forces in Greece and in the eurozone," Tokarski warned.

source: interaksyon.com

Actor Channing Tatum to go for ‘dad bod’ after ‘Magic Mike XXL’

LONDON | Known for his toned torso and abs, often on display in the “Magic Mike” male stripper saga, Hollywood actor Channing Tatum says he will no longer be keeping up his intense workout regime and instead champion the latest trend – a “dad bod” .

Tatum, who returns as Mike in “Magic Mike XXL”, said he was hoping to make the less fit-looking male body look more popular.

The term came to prominence this year after a U.S. student wrote an article about the male physique in which she described it as “a nice balance between a beer gut and working out”. Her idea went viral and the “dad bod” took the Internet by storm.

“Even if it’s not, I’m going to try to make it ‘in’,” Tatum said of the “dad bod” at the European premiere of “Magic Mike XXL” on Tuesday night.

“My ‘Magic Mike’ body … lasts for about five days, like when we’re shooting. You time it until that day and then you lose it immediately.”

The sequel picks up the male stripper story three years on from 2012′s “Magic Mike”, which was loosely based on Tatum’s experiences early in his career.

The star was joined in London by fellow actors Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer and Adam Rodriguez – who play the film’s band of male entertainers, the Kings of Tampa.

“Magic Mike” hits U.S. cinemas on Wednesday, British cinemas on Friday, and Philippine cinemas on July 15.

source: interaksyon.com