John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Alicia Vikander Among Forbes' 30 Under 30 for 2016
Star Trek: The Force Awakens' John Boyega and Daisy Ridley and The Danish Girl's Alicia Vikander are among the new Hollywood A-list stars making Forbes magazine's 30 Under 30 list for 2016.
Boyega and Ridley, both 23, made their major studio debuts in the latest chapter of the Star Wars saga, which has brought in over a billion dollars worldwide since its December release.
Vikander, the 27-year-old Swedish actress, starred in the 2015 films Ex Machina and The Danish Girl.
The list also includes Canadian YouTube personality Lilly Singh, known to fans as Superwoman; Rachel Bloom, creator and star of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend; The Carmichael Show's Jerrod Carmichael; Disney star Zendaya; and Orange Is the New Black and How to Get Away with Murder's Matt McGorry.
TV producer Shonda Rhimes; Thomas Tull, founder, chairman and CEO of Legendary Entertainment; and TV personality Kelly Osbourne served as this year's judges.
Source-ABC
Anne Hathaway Confirms Pregnancy with Baby Bump Beach Photo
While her pregnancy was reported a while back, Anne Hathaway is only now addressing it publicly, via a photo on Instagram.
"Happy 2016 to my beautiful Instafriends!" Hathaway captioned the photo, which shows her posing on a beach in a bikini, showing off a sizeable baby bump.
"So, posting a bikini pic is a little out of character for me," she adds. "But just now while I was at the beach I noticed I was being photographed. I figure if this kind of photo is going to be out in the world it should at least be an image that makes me happy (and be one that was taken with my consent. And with a filter :) Wishing you love, light and blessings for the year ahead!"
Back in November, sources told US Weekly that Hathaway and her husband, Adam Shulman, were expecting. The couple married in California in 2012 after dating for more than four years. Shortly after her wedding, she said in an interview, "I really want to have a baby."
Source-ABC
Entertainment in Brief
Michael Bay will be back for more Transformers. He tells Rolling Stone he will direct a fifth movie in the popular franchise, though he maintains, "[T]his is the last one. I have to pass the reins to someone else." The most recent Transformers film, Age of Extinction, was released in 2014. Bay's latest movie, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, is out next week...
Ellen DeGeneres is staying on daytime TV for at least a few more years. The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been renewed by NBC-owned TV stations, in cooperation with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, through the summer of 2020. The future isn't as bright for Meredith Vieira -- her daytime program reportedly will end after two seasons this May, it was announced in a statement obtained by Variety...
Louis C.K. is bringing a new project to FX. He and Albert Brooks are collaborating on an animated comedy pilot which they'll write and lend their voices to, Deadline reports. No word yet on a premise. FX currently airs C.K.'s comedy Louie...
Timed to air during ABC's debut of The Bachelor Monday night, 20th Century Fox unveiled another cheeky TV spot for its upcoming R-rated action-comedy Deadpool. "You're probably thinking, 'My boyfriend said this is a superhero movie!'" says Ryan Reynolds, holding a rose while lounging in his character's head-to-toe red and black bodysuit. "Well, surprise: this is actually -- lucky you -- a love story," adding, "When your worst enemy is after your best girl, it's time to be a superhero." For her part, Morena Baccarin, who plays Deadpool's aforementioned squeeze, says, "I've played a lot of roles -- damsel in distress isn't one of them." The movie opens February 12...
Victoria Justice and Liv & Maddie actor Ryan McCartan have been cast in Fox's upcoming production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Justice will play Janet Weiss, and McCartan will play Brad Majors. As previously announced, Laverne Cox will star as Frank-N-Furter in the new version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which will shoot this winter and air next fall...
Love, a new comedy series from Judd Apatow, will premiere February 19 on Netflix. The show's official description: "When a jaded Angeleno meets a nerdy guy, they may figure out this 'love' thing." Netflix released a teaser on Monday...
The fifth-season premiere of the Zooey Deschanel comedy New Girl airs Tuesday night at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Fox...
Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach Says Steve Harvey Should Return as Pageant Host Despite Mix-Up
Despite his colossal mistake crowning the wrong Miss Universe last month, the winner, Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach, said she believes Steve Harvey should return to host the pageant next year.
"Yeah, why not?" Wurtzbach of the Philippines told Good Morning America co-anchor Lara Spencer in her first sit-down interview as Miss Universe. "I think he’s a breath of fresh air, he made us feel very relaxed, the contestants. It makes us show our personalities a little bit more. I think that benefits everybody, especially the viewers.”
Wurtzbach, 26, said she "has her theories" on why Harvey accidentally named runner-up Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as the winner.
"Maybe the way it was written, it was a little confusing," she said. "I understand. It was his first time to judge a pageant, but it's OK. He's human. People make mistakes."
Wurtzbach said she's "thankful" judges like Perez Hilton were sympathetic toward her after Harvey's mix-up but, regardless, she holds no ill-will toward the comedian.
"It's live television," she said. "People make mistakes and Steve Harvey was very gracious to apologize. I accept his apology and I think it speaks a lot about his character."
Source-ABC
US Markets Post Big Losses in First Trading Day of 2016
U.S. stocks posted steep losses on their first trading day of 2016. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 276 points, or 1.58 percent, to end the session. Earlier Monday, the Dow lost more than 450 points at one point. The S&P 500 closed down 31 points, or 1.51 percent. The Nasdaq declined 104 points, or 2.09 percent.
Monday's activity does not bode well for the year, with traders referring to the axiom, "As January goes, so goes the year." Investors were spooked when China's Shanghai Composite Index fell 7 percent over weaker-than-expected manufacturing data and a falling currency.
Trading in China had to be halted earlier Monday and Chinese stocks are now at their lowest level in three months. The violent attacks on the Saudi Arabian embassy in Tehran over the weekend also rocked global markets Monday morning.
Source-ABC
Chinese shares extend losses in volatile trading session
Mainland Chinese shares extended losses in a volatile session, following Monday's suspension of trading which led to a global equities sell-off.
The Shanghai Composite fell 0.3% to close at 3,287.71 points, although it had opened more than 3% lower.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index also fluctuated through the day, and ended 0.7% lower at 21,188.72.
Trading in Shanghai was suspended early on Monday under a new rule designed to limit dramatic falls in markets.
But regulators said on Tuesday they may restrict stock sales to stem falls.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission said it would consider restricting the proportion of shares that major shareholders could sell during a given period of time.
The central bank also injected an unexpected 130bn yuan (£13.55bn; $19.94bn) into the market to keep borrowing costs down - in a move to reassure retail investors.
The measures, however, did little to prevent Chinese shares from falling in afternoon trade.
Analysts said investors were waiting to see if Beijing could stem the latest selling in Chinese stocks and whether more measures would be introduced.
But Bernard Aw, market strategist at trading firm IG, said Beijing was arguably more concerned about economic growth than the stock market.
"Furthermore, it could look really bad if they have to throw in more measures when they are in the process of withdrawing the [last] rescue measures," he said in a note.
The new "circuit breaker" rule that suspended trading nationwide for the first time on Monday was created after sharp falls last summer and was meant to curb market volatility in China.
Monday's 7% fall in China spooked global markets.
Overnight, US benchmark indexes lost up to 2% as concerns grew that the dive in the Chinese stocks was the start of another volatile period after last summer's dramatic market rout.
Source-BBC
Trump Campaign Defends "Intentional" Use of Morocco Border Footage in Ad
The Trump campaign is defending its use of footage of the border between Morocco and Spain in an ad that touts Donald Trump’s hardline stance on illegal immigration into the United States.
The 30-second television ad, unveiled Monday, shows footage of dozens of people fleeing across what appears to be a national border, as the narrator says, "He'll stop illegal immigration by building a wall on our southern border that Mexico will pay for." Despite the narration, the footage is not of the “southern border” between the United States and Mexico, but rather the border of Morocco and Spain, according to PolitiFact, a fact-checking project operated by the Tampa Bay Times.
PolitiFact traced the footage to a video released by the Spanish Interior Ministry that was used in a 2014 Italian TV segment. The earliest appearance of the video appears to be on the website of an Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, in May 2014. The video’s timestamp is dated May 1, 2014. According to the video’s description, the footage features the “onslaught of hundreds of migrants to the wall that separates the Spanish enclave of Melilla from Morocco.”
The Trump campaign issued a statement Monday afternoon asserting that the use of the video clip was "intentional" to show what the United States could become without Trump's policies. The campaign added that the footage was "selected to demonstrate the severe impact of an open border and the very real threat Americans face if we do not immediately build a wall and stop illegal immigration."
Kuwait Backs Saudi Arabia, Recalls Ambassador to Iran
Kuwait joined other Saudi allies in taking diplomatic action against Iran after protesters angry about Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shi'ite cleric stormed the country's embassy in the Iranian capital.
The state-run KUNA news agency said Tuesday Kuwait recalled its ambassador to Tehran and reiterated its support for all measures Saudi Arabia takes to maintain its security.
The move follows decisions by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Sudan to cut diplomatic ties with Iran, while the United Arab Emirates downgraded its relations with the country. All four nations are members of the Arab League, which is due to hold a special meeting Sunday to discuss the Saudi-Iran developments.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani continued criticism of Saudi Arabia's decision to sever ties, saying that cannot cover up its "crime" of executing Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. The Saudi government announced his execution on January 2, along with 46 other prisoners on terrorism related charges. Nimr was an outspoken critic of the Saudi monarchy.
The United Nations Security Council issued a statement Monday condemning the attack on the Saudi embassy. It called on Iran to respect its international obligations to protect diplomatic property and urged all parties to "maintain dialogue and take steps to reduce tensions in the region."
Source-VOA
Obama Issues Executive Orders on Curbing Gun Violence
U.S. President Barack Obama will discuss his new initiatives to curb gun violence in remarks Tuesday at the White House, as he works to detail to Americans the executive orders he says will not step on Constitutional rights.
Some of the measures, first announced by the White House on Monday, include expanded background checks, more effective enforcement of gun laws, increased mental health treatment and reporting to the national background check system, and more research into gun safety technology.
Obama presented the recommendations discussed during a White House meeting Monday with top officials including U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and FBI Director James Comey.
“The good news is that these are not only recommendations that are well within my legal authority and the executive branch,” said Obama after the meeting. “But they are also ones that the overwhelming majority of the American people, including gun owners, support and believe in.”
One key element of the plan includes requiring any business selling firearms, including at gun shows, to get a license and conduct background checks.
“We intend to make this system more efficient and make it more comprehensive,” said Lynch on Monday. “The goal is keeping bad actors away from firearms and also to make it easier for authorities to make sure that the gun laws are properly followed and enforced.”
Part of the effort includes increasing by 50 percent the number of FBI personnel who staff the national background check system, said Lynch.
Recent polls show an increase in the number of Americans who support background checks on those seeking to purchase a firearm. Among other actions, the White House is pushing for stricter background checks.
A new survey by Webster's research center found that 85 percent of gun owners believe there should be background checks for every individual seeking to buy a gun.
Source-VOA
STATEMENT BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM) RT. HONOURABLE FREUNDEL STUART ON THE ADOPTION OF THE HISTORIC PARIS AGREEMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE, AT COP 21
On behalf of the Governments and People of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and in my capacity as Chairman of CARICOM, I applaud the historic adoption of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change by 195 nations in the French capital on Saturday (12 December 2015), after several years of discussions and an intense negotiation period from 30 November to 12 December 2015.
The Community welcomes this globally binding commitment to combat Climate Change. We believe that the actions and investment approved in the Agreement will bring us closer to the goal of maintaining global average temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius and along a clear trajectory downwards towards 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.
That Agreement will also help to realise the goals of lower greenhouse gas emissions, greater resilience and sustainable development, especially among the Small Island and low-lying coastal Developing States (SIDS), with the most vulnerable populations, such as the countries of the Caribbean. We determinedly and successfully promoted recognition of the special circumstances and vulnerabilities of SIDS, which are among the lowest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, but are the most threatened by climate change.
Our Community is already experiencing the effects of climate change, particularly with the intensification of climatic events and unusual weather patterns, as demonstrated in recent catastrophic events in Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica and The Bahamas.
CARICOM’s interests were strongly represented in a focused and coordinated manner by Heads of Government, Ministers, the CARICOM Secretary-General and his staff, and a team of experienced and skilled negotiators led by Dr. the Honourable James Fletcher. We are satisfied that our strong advocacy helped to ensure that the Agreement reflected the Region’s position on our major red line issues.
The Region’s successful campaign, built around the slogan “1.5 to Stay Alive”, received energetic support from several groups and organizations, including youths and cultural artistes, whose efforts must be applauded.
The Agreement reflects the Region’s position on financing support for the implementation activities in SIDS, including a baseline contribution of 100 Billion USD by 2020 and future additional provisions. This will significantly strengthen our capacity to attain the ambitious goals of Climate Change adaptation. We also applaud the proposed international cooperation on Climate-Change-friendly technologies and capacity building in developing countries as another adaptation measure.
The Region was also at the forefront of the successful campaign for inclusion of Loss and Damage as a distinct element in the Agreement, which goes beyond adaptation and addresses irreversible losses and permanent impact on CARICOM and other SIDS, resulting from human induced climate change. Our team also left the negotiations satisfied with the support received on REDD-Plus (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation).
We congratulate the Government of France for guiding an inclusive and transparent process in which small States, like those in CARICOM, had a respected voice alongside bigger, more powerful nations. We particularly recall the initiative of the French President Mr. Francois Hollande to convene a pre-COP21 meeting earlier this year with CARICOM Heads of Government in Martinique.
The task now is to ensure that the provisions of this legally-binding Agreement are implemented. The international community must now retain the energising and uplifting spirit of Paris in the process going forward. The world expects no less.