Real Steel fights for US chart glory
Hugh Jackman film Real Steel is in a tight battle to hold on to the number one spot in the North American cinema box office.
The film, set in a future where robot boxing is a major sport, took $16.3m (£10.3m) in its second weekend according to early estimates.
But the remake of 1984 film Footloose opened close behind with $16.1m (£10.2m).
The films could trade places once final figures are released later on Monday.
Studio estimates are made up from box office receipts on Friday and Saturday and projections for Sunday based on the typical performance of similar movies.
Real Steel's distributor Disney said it expected the movie would come out on top due to strong family crowds during daytime shows on Sunday.
The reboot of Footloose sees Dennis Quaid as the Reverend in a small town that imposes a ban on dancing.
The role was played by John Lithgow in the original.
Newcomer Kenny Wormald stars as rebellious teenager Ren, originally made famous by Kevin Bacon.
Although it is rare for films to change chart positions once final figures are released, box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian said there had been "a lot of close races this year".
"I don't think there have been as many breakout hits, so you have a lot of these films just kind of bunched up together," he said.
Elsewhere on the chart, The Thing - a prequel to the 1982 horror of the same name - opened at three with $8.7m (£5.5m), while George Clooney drama The Ides of March fell two places to four.
The other new entry was bird-watching comedy The Big Year at nine.
Starring Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black, it took a modest $3.3m (£2.1m).
NORTH AMERICAN BOX OFFICE
1. Real Steel - $16.3m
2. Footloose - $16.1m
3. The Thing - $8.7m
4. The Ides of March - $7.5m
5. Dolphin Tale - $6.3m
Source: Hollywood.com
Nicki Minaj Victorian look for "W" Magazine
Nicki Minaj is on the cover of ‘W’ magazine’s Art & Fashion issue, gracing her futuristic all-black Victorian look
Photographer and artist Francesco Vezzoli, who shot the photos was inspired by high-profile courtesans
He told the magazine “My idea was to reproduce four iconic portraits of some of the most fascinating females of the past in a series starring an American pop-culture role model. We tried to re-create those original portraits using similar furniture, props, and clothing, à la Visconti. Luckily enough, the result came out as surreal as it could be, just as I wished.”
On the cover we see Minaj channeling Mona Lisa as she poses with a regal white dress, with a blue jewel symbolizing a tear, and her hair is pushed back in a conservative bun.
Vezzoli wanted to portray Nicki in this light, he reveals, "My idea was to reproduce four iconic portraits of some of the most fascinating females of the past in a series starring an American pop-culture role model."
Jody Scheckter wants son to quit IndyCar after Dan Wheldon's death
Former Formula 1 world champion Jody Scheckter wants his son to quit IndyCar racing following the death of Briton Dan Wheldon.
Scheckter was a spectator at Sunday's Las Vegas Indy 300 and had an anxious wait before discovering son Tomas had escaped unharmed from the 15-car crash.
"I've wanted him to give up for a while," said Scheckter.
"Hopefully this will knock some sense into him and realise there is more to life. It really isn't worth it."
Asked whether the sport was safe, Scheckter told BBC Radio Berkshire: "No. It is the most dangerous form of motor racing at the moment.
"I think the set-up they put in so it can be more of a spectacle makes it very, very dangerous on circuits like this. Some others [circuits] aren't as bad."
Scheckter, 61, who won the Formula 1 title for Ferrari in 1979, claimed the crash was "inevitable" due to the changes designed at making IndyCar more competitive.
He said wings allowing more downforce were aiding the speed of cars, and also pointed to the number of drivers - 34 - who took part in the race.
"There is hardly any difference in speed between the good drivers and the bad drivers," said Scheckter, a South African who now runs an organic farm near Basingstoke.
"They were basically touching wheels at 220mph. They all bunch up together so there are 34 cars in a small space of track.
"One person makes a mistake and this happens. You [shouldn't] have to get killed if you make a mistake. It was madness. Formula 1 is not like that anymore and it is still quite exciting."
Scheckter said he was in a hospitality suite when the crash happened and feared the worst for his son, who has competed in 115 races, winning two.
"We really just hoped," he said. "I had the headset on through to his channel and I heard him say 'someone had hit me in the back' so I knew he was OK after that.
"Dan raced with or against some of my sons in England in Formula Vauxhall. We have known him for years really. He has been very successful. A bubbly guy all the time. It is very sad."
Former Formula 1 and IndyCar driver Mark Blundell said the Las Vegas track was unsuitable for cars of the power and speed used in Indy 300.
"It was inevitable in many ways," the Briton said of Sunday's accident. "It was a recipe for disaster. These type of cars shouldn't be on these type of circuits.
"Fifteen cars wiped out - 40% of the grid - and we've had a fatality. That's not acceptable."
Former Formula 1 driver and BBC commentator Anthony Davidson said a $5m offer to any non-regular series driver who won the season finale in Las Vegas was not to blame.
"We drive our hearts out - you know, whether it's at the back of the grid or the front of the grid - our goal is always to win a race and you know it was a great idea and I wouldn't put any blame on the organisers or that style of the race," he said.
"You've got to look to the root of the problem and the root of the problem is just the fact that you've got very high speed cars travelling around very closely fought races with open cockpits.
"You have to question, do they have to go that fast? Can the spectators see the difference between 250mph or 160mph? I am not so sure.
"I don't think it is down to the style of the race or the carrot at the end of it. The temptation and carrot of the money is always there no matter what race you are in."
Scottish IndyCar driver Dario Franchitti, who clinched his fourth IndyCar series title after the cancelled event, also had concerns about the race.
"I could see within five laps people were starting to do crazy stuff," he said.
"I love hard racing but that to me is not really what it's about, one small mistake from somebody.
"Right now I'm numb and speechless. One minute you're joking around and the next he's gone.
"He was six years old when I first met him. He was this little kid and the next thing you know he was my team-mate.
"We put so much pressure on ourselves to win races and championships and today it doesn't matter."
Tom Brady, Pats overcome sloppy play to charge past Cowboys
Down three points. Barely two minutes left. One thought on Tom Brady's mind."You can't not get the ball in the end zone," the master of late comebacks said.That's where he got it, throwing an 8-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez with 22 seconds left and giving the New England Patriots a 20-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
"He's probably one of the toughest competitors I've ever seen, especially from a quarterback standpoint," Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork said. "There was plenty of time for our offense."When it mattered the most, they came up with what we needed."It was the 32nd successful comeback of Brady's career in games the Patriots trailed or were tied in the fourth quarter. And it came against a solid defense -- ranked fourth in the NFL -- that had allowed just one touchdown on the Patriots' first nine possessions."When you're playing against a quarterback like Tom Brady, he's going to go down as one of the all-time greats," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "So you have to try to make it hard on him."Dallas, coming off a bye week, did that for most of the day, sacking him three times and intercepting two passes.
But on the final 80-yard drive that started with 2:31 left, Brady completed eight of nine passes for 78 yards."We prepare hard for that situation every week and when it came up this week, it's good to get the ball in the end zone," Brady said. "I'd prefer to be up four touchdowns with two minutes left, but it just wasn't the case."New England (5-1) won despite its first two lost fumbles of the season.
Brady finished the game 27 of 41 for 289 yards with two touchdowns.Dallas (2-3) ended a five-game road winning streak after a bye despite coming back from a 13-3 deficit midway through the second quarter.
Samuels Stars Again; Windies Win to Take Series
It was a good pitch and we paced the situation perfectly. Simmons and myself, we are in very good form at the moment, and we were able to carry the team to the winning total.
It was a fairly small total to chase and we batted sensibly to win the match. In the end the margin would suggest it was an easy win, but no match at international level is ever easy,” said Samuels, who won the Man-of-the-Match award.
“We came here to Bangladesh the mindset that we would play some hard cricket. They can be a difficult team. We would never come here and take them for granted. We want to be more consistent as a team and make play smarter cricket as a group.”
The West Indies bowlers did the early damage. Ravi Rampaul picked up 2-27 on his 27th birthday, his new ball partner Kemar Roach had 3-49 and skipper Darren Sammy took 2-42 on his return from illness.
At one stage, the Bangladeshis were rocked on 18 runs for four wickets and were in danger of falling below the 58 they made against West Indies at the same venue during the ICC Cricket World Cup six months ago.
“We wanted to press on the gas and get them for a lower total. We didn’t know how the wicket would play at the end of the day ... we chased the score down very smartly.
At one stage there was talk of ‘58’ but you can’t bowl out a team for 58 every day. What was good to see was that we play a good game of cricket and went about our work sensibly,” Samuels said.
The West Indies will travel to Chittagong on Sunday for the third and final One-Day International.
Marlon Samuels completely dominated the Bangladesh bowlers to pilot West Indies to a superb eight-wicket win on Saturday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The silky-smooth right-hander played some breathtaking shots in a match-winning unbeaten half-century as the visitors cruised to 221-2 off 42.4 overs to chase down the home side’s 220 off 48.5 overs.
The result gave the Windies an unassailable 2-0 lead with one match to go in the three-match series. They won the opening match by 40 runs on Thursday.
Samuels made 88 not out off just 74 balls to follow-up 58 in the T20 International on Tuesday and 71 in the first ODI on Thursday.
He added 111 for the second wicket with opener Lendl Simmons, who made 80 to follow up his maiden century on Thursday.
After Simmons departed Samuels took charge and hit 12 boundaries and a massive six over mid-wicket which disappeared into the Grandstand.
“The hard-work is paying off. I have been putting in a lot of work and I’m seeing the benefits.
One of the main areas of my batting since my return to international cricket is that I’m a lot smarter and more patient at the crease.
Before, when I was younger, I used to come out and go for my shots from the word ‘go’, but now I acknowledge that I have to spend time at the crease before I look to push on. That is my new approach and it is working well for me,” said the 30-year-old.
Samuels praised the efforts of Simmons, who added another half-century to scores of 51, 51, 76, 77 not out, 53, 67 and 122 in ODIs this year. He shared an opening partnership of 71 with hard-hitting Danza Hyatt, who cracked four sixes in 39.
Arsenal win, Tottenham held
Robin van Persie fired Arsenal into the top half of the Premier League table with a classy double in a 2-1 victory over Sunderland, while Newcastle denied Tottenham a fifth-straight win with a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw yesterday.
Van Persie again showed his importance to Arsenal by opening the scoring after just 29 seconds at the Emirates and then curling home a free kick seven minutes from time, sandwiching Sebastian Larsson's sublime equaliser for Sunderland in the 31st.
"Robin van Persie is a special player," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, whose team climbed five places to 10th with their third straight home win. "He's blessed at the moment - he's shown what a great player he is when he can be consistently playing."
Shola Amoebi was fourth-place Newcastle's saviour, coming off the bench to drill in a low shot in the 86th minute and maintain his team's unbeaten record after eight games.
Strong determination
Newcastle needed to rally twice at St James' Park, with Amoebi cancelling out Jermain Defoe's goal in the 68th after Demba Ba levelled in the 48th following Rafael van der Vaart's opener from the penalty spot before the break.
"There's determination and a winning mentality in the squad and today that showed," Newcastle defender Steven Taylor said.
In the day's other match, Chris Brunt and Peter Odemwingie scored for West Bromwich Albion in a 2-0 victory over struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers, which has now lost five matches in a row to slip to fifth from bottom.
Having lost playmakers Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in the offseason, Arsenal are increasingly turning to Van Persie for inspiration this season and the Netherlands striker delivered against Sunderland to take his tally in the league to five goals.
Van Persie's first goal, which came when he ran onto Gervinho's through ball and fired a low shot into the corner, was the quickest in the Premier League in nearly four years.
Sunderland recovered from their slow start and Larsson equalised when the winger whipped home a free kick into the top corner from 25 yards (metres).
Van Persie matched that effort with seven minutes remaining, breathing new life into Arsenal's campaign after a number of damaging early results, including an 8-2 hammering at Manchester United.
"We have answered a few critics, but not enough, and there is a lot more for us to show," Wenger said.
Arsenal are still 12 points behind league leaders Manchester City, which beat Aston Villa 4-1 on Saturday, and 10 behind second-place United, held 1-1 by Liverpool on the same day.
Newcastle are the season's surprise package and they checked Tottenham's momentum to remain one of only three teams - along with the two Manchester clubs - yet to be defeated.
"When you're 2-1 up in the 80-whatever minute, you're looking for the three points, that's for sure," Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said. "This is always a tough place to come and they're unbeaten this year, so they're a tough side, but we were in a position to finish them off."
Like north London rivals Arsenal, Tottenham are also returning to form after a poor start to the season and went ahead when Van der Vaart slotted away his penalty after Emmanuel Adebayor was tripped by Taylor.
Ba equalised from close range for his fifth goal of the season but Defoe regained the lead for the visitors by spinning his marker to lash a low shot into the cor-ner from just outside the box, five minutes after coming on as a substitute.
Haiti prison break trial to begin today
Fourteen police officers and prison officials in Haiti will be tried in the death of at least 11 inmates during a prison break, a United Nations representative said Saturday.
The trial is slated to begin Tuesday, said the representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the press.
The defendants face charges that range from murder and attempted murder to arson and aiding and abetting escape.
The trial stems from a prison break that took place in the southwestern coastal town of Les Cayes on January 19, 2010, one week after the massive earthquake killed an estimated 300,000 people.
A riot started when some of the 400-plus prisoners tried to escape because they were terrified of aftershocks in the overcrowded prison.
Haitian police and UN peacekeepers from Senegal surrounded the building to prevent an exodus like one that occurred at the main penitentiary in downtown Port-au-Prince on the day of the earthquake.
Haitian police rushed the building and opened fire. UN police saw the bodies of 10 dead prisoners but more people are believed to have been killed and dozens more were wounded.
The investigating judge alleged that up to 22 people were killed.
Officials say it is not clear how many people were killed for various reasons.
It's not known exactly how many inmates were in the prison before the break, how many inmates escaped or how many bodies were actually recovered. Investigators say they suspect some of the bodies were secretly buried.
Prison Inspector Sylvestre Larack, one of the defendants, said police did not use lethal force but instead discovered the dead bodies. He attributed the killings to an inmate ringleader who shot dead fellow inmates before the jail break. Some police officials said inmates attacked and killed each other.
The suspected killings prompted Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont to insist that money not go to Haiti's justice reform efforts until a thorough probe was completed.
The Haitian government and the UN peacekeeping mission later opened a joint commission to investigate the allegations.
The defendants could face life in prison with hard labour if convicted.
Sourxe: AP
Residents stranded after parts of main road cave in
Heavy rains on Saturday left residents of some 60 homes along Corial Road, Williamsville marooned when several parts on the main access roads collapsed.
Residents complained that for more than 30 years they have been surviving on less than the basic amenities that most other communities have been afforded.
They said they inherited the problems from their parents and grandparents and their only hope is the so far unfulfilled promises by the Government.
Resident Ramsumair Mamunan said he had been a cane farmer for more than 30 years and that was the only business he knew. He said after the cane fields were abolished he continued to plant a vegetable garden to support his family.
Mamunan said: "We are silent protesters, we trying to do the right thing. All we want is to get basic things in this area. We want for them to fix the road, more street lights and pipe-borne water. Is that too much to ask?
"People are losing business in the area. It is hard for me to go to the garden, because the tractor and vans are sticking in the mud. The access roads are breaking away, they caving in."
Mamunan said the gardeners have to carry all their produce from the garden on their backs and head.
And the landslips have gotten so bad that their houses are beginning to crack and crumble. Three businesses have been forced to close down — Radica's Mini Mart, Gopaul's Mini Mart and Ramesh Baboolal's Smee Machine Shop.
Another villager, Lenny Hanuman, said his home is being affected by one of the major land- slides along the road. He said Corial Road is the major access road that serves more than 300 people and as a short cut to Garth Road, Princes Town and Williamsville when it floods.
Hanuman said: "We don't have to block the road to be heard. The walls will do it for us."
The villagers said taxis have jacked up their fares from $5 to $25 to drop inside Corial Road and Corial Branch Road and school children are being affected the most by the devastation.
They said they made several attempts to speak to Member of Parliament Nizam Baksh but to no avail.
Source:TEN
UK to boost Caribbean trade and integration
In this difficult economic climate, Britain has given tangible expression of its continued commitment to supporting Caribbean trade and integration, through the £10 million Caribbean Aid for Trade and Regional Integration Trust Fund (CARTFund) at CDB.
This was among the messages shared at a high-level press briefing highlighting work on the CARTFund held at CDB last week, including the CDB president, Dr Warren Smith and the UK’s Minister of State for International Development Alan Duncan, as well as Percival Marie and Pamela Coke-Hamilton representing the CARICOM Secretariat and the Caribbean Export Development Agency respectively.
The CARTFund was established with £10 million of funding from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). The Fund is managed by CDB and overseen by a Steering Committee comprising representatives from DFID, CARICOM and CARIFORUM.
CARTFund supports the implementation of the CSME and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between CARIFORUM and the EU, with the aim of increasing trade within the region and with Europe, and ultimately providing more jobs and increased incomes for Caribbean people.
Smith confirmed that, as the Caribbean’s own bank, the CDB had been pleased to facilitate the flow of UK aid to the region through CARTFund, consistent with the Bank’s mandate.
He stated, “The objectives of the CARTFund to boost growth, reduce poverty and increase member countries’ participation in the CSME are directly aligned with the Bank’s commitment to supporting regional cooperation and regional integration. We are extremely pleased with the operations of the CARTFund to date and this is testament to the successful partnership between the UK, and CARICOM. The Bank remains fully committed to working with its partners to ensure that our member countries realise the full benefits that the potential for expansion in trade intra-regionally, with Europe and the rest of the world offers.”
Giving a UK perspective, Duncan stated, “The Caribbean must increase exports by taking advantage of its enhanced access to European markets. More exports means improved growth, investment and job creation. So I am delighted that we have been able to support the Caribbean through CARTFund to fully exploit these export opportunities.”
DFID also recorded their appreciation to the CDB and CARICOM for their excellent collaboration on the CARTFund programme.
To date, 30 CARTFund projects totalling approximately US$13.5 million have been approved, out of 119 proposals received. They include 8 regional projects and 22 national projects in 14 countries.
The CARTFund portfolio is diverse, including support to simplify trade procedures, increase access to EU and regional markets, manage the EPA implementation process and improve competition policy, as well as sectoral work on tourism, specialty foods and accounting. All these will make it easier to trade in the region and help businesses improve their ability to sell their goods and services to Europe and beyond.
The investment is already yielding results, although many projects are still in their early stages. For example, under the Caribbean Export Specialty Foods project, one producer has already secured distribution of its products in a 300-store national chain in the US.
The CARTFund Programme itself was even identified by CARICOM earlier this year as an example of best practice in delivering aid for trade to the region at the WTO Global Review.
Grant recipients such as Caribbean Export have also valued the support available through CARTFund and the work of the CDB.
All this augurs well for the future of the Fund and the success of the projects financed. The UK’s £10 million contribution forms part of the UK’s wider Caribbean development programme focussing on wealth creation, governance and security and climate change.
In February 2011 the Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, announced the allocation of £75 million for the Caribbean (2011-15), as part of the review of UK aid.
20 inmates killed in Mexico prison fight
A bloody, hours-long fight in a prison in the Mexican border city of Matamoros on Saturday left 20 inmates dead and 12 injured, state officials said.
The fight apparently started with a dispute between two inmates and other prisoners joined in, creating a melee that lasted until authorities retook control of the facility in Matamoros, which sits across the border from Brownsville, Texas.
A statement from state public security department in Tamaulipas, where Matamoros is located, said officials were notifying the families of those killed and injured. It said there would be an investigation.
The violence lasted from about 8 am to 10:30 am local time before soldiers and marines took control, according to a state official who was not authorised to comment.
The violence comes as Mexican prison conditions have been under increased scrutiny because of violence and escapes.
On Thursday, a fight between gang members at a prison outside Monterrey left seven inmates dead. In July, a riot in a prison in the border city of Juarez killed 17 inmates.
Gangs and drug cartels often dispute for control of prisons in Mexico, which also suffer a high level of corruption.
Source:AP