Apes continue reign in UK cinemas
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has easily held on to the top spot in the UK and Ireland box office in its second week of release.
The sequel to the 2011 hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which sees Andy Serkis reprise his motion-capture role as intelligent ape Caesar, took £3.75m.
Its nearest competition came from fantasy action Hercules, which entered the chart at two with £1.45m.
Close behind was horror sequel The Purge: Anarchy, taking £1.17m.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes's total box office haul is just short of £17m after two weeks.
The film's hold on the top of the chart is likely to end this week however, when Marvel comic adaptation Guardians of the Galaxy is released on Thursday.
Elsewhere on the chart there were three other new entries.
Family sci-fi adventure Earth to Echo, about three friends who discover an alien, opened at six taking £618,379.
Asian action comedy Kick, starring Salam Khan, made its debut at eight with £239,850 - averaging £1,860 at the 129 cinemas it was screened.
Animated film The House of Magic, about an abandoned young ginger cat who stumbles into a magician's house, rounded out the top 10 taking £223,047.
Featuring the voices of Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor and William Shatner, it averaged £724 across 308 screens.
Pussy Riot pair sue Russia over imprisonment
Two members of the feminist group, Pussy Riot, are suing the Russian government over their imprisonment for a protest in a Moscow cathedral.
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova say their prosecutions amounted to torture.
They have filed a case at the European Court of Human Rights against Russia, seeking compensation.
The pair are demanding 120,000 euros (£95,000) each in damages, plus 10,000 euros (£8,000) court costs.
Tolokonnikov's father, Andrey, said the pair should have asked for greater compensation.
"What can I say? Good girls! But, in my opinion, the requested amount is too small," he said.
"They should have requested 250m euros, not 250,000 euros," he told the popular Russian newspaper Moskovskiy Komsomolets.
Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were among five Pussy Riot members who donned balaclavas in February 2012 and tried to perform their song Mother of God, Drive Putin Out, in the Christ the Saviour Cathedral, near the Kremlin.
The performance was interrupted by staff at the cathedral and the pair were arrested along with a third member of the group.
Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were sentenced to two years in prison each after being convicted of hooliganism.
They both served 21 months in prison and pre-trial detention.
Their story was covered widely, and they were viewed sympathetically in western countries.
But their actions were seen as blasphemous by many Russians, and were condemned by the Orthodox Church.
The two Pussy Riot members opened their action at the ECHR in June 2012, while their own cases in Russia were still ongoing.
They argued that their detention and trial had violated European Convention of Human Rights articles which prohibit torture and guarantee freedom of expression, security and liberty, and a fair trial.
Russia is a signatory to the convention.
Sourcde-BBC
BP sees profits rise but warns of Russia sanctions risk
BP has warned that further sanctions against Russia could affect its business as it posted a rise in second quarter profits.
BP said that sanctions imposed over the Ukraine crisis have not affected the oil giant so far, but could do so in the future.
The warning came as European ministers were meeting to discuss bolstered measures against Russia.
Sanctions "could adversely impact our business", BP said.
BP has around a 20% stake in Russian energy giant Rosneft.
"Any future erosion of our relationship with Rosneft, or the impact of further economic sanctions, could adversely impact our business and strategic objectives in Russia, the level of our income, production and reserves, our investment in Rosneft and our reputation," BP said.
Source-BP
Kurdish oil tanker in US seizure
A tanker carrying $100m (£59m) of Iraqi Kurdish oil is set to be seized by US marshals on Tuesday.
The tanker – carrying an estimated one million barrels of oil – arrived off the coast of Texas on Saturday but had yet to be unloaded.
A US judge approved the seizure request which was sent from the Iraqi government overnight on Monday.
Tensions between the Iraqi government and the autonomous Kurdish region have been raised recently.
Earlier in July, Iraqi Kurds took over two oilfields in northern Iraq amid a growing dispute with the government in Baghdad.
The decision by the judge to allow for the seizure is a blow to to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), which has been attempting to establish its own oil sales as one step towards negotiating for eventual independence.
Chasing shipments
Following the seizure approval, the Iraqi government warned any potential buyers of Kurdish oil that it would continue to work to prevent Kurdish oil deliveries.
“The ministry will keep chasing any shipments in future to legally target any buyers and seize the crude shipments offered for sale,” said Iraq oil ministry spokesman Asim Jihad.
The US has opposed the KRG’s efforts to sell oil out of fears that it could lead Iraq to split apart, but it has not yet banned US companies from buying oil from the KRG.
At least one cargo of Kurdish oil was delivered to an unidentified buyer in the US in May.
Source-BBC News
OECS to welcome Martinique as an associate member state
The French island of Martinique will become the newest member of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) in November, 2014.
Chairman of the OECS, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit made the announcement during a press conference in St. Vincent following its 59th meeting at the weekend.
Mr Skerrit said Heads of Government noted the progress made to date in ongoing negotiations with Martinique and the state of preparedness of Guadeloupe to commence negotiations and the request of St. Maarten for associate membership of the OECS.
“The authority agreed to the draft ascension agreement as a basis for finalizing Martinique’s associate membership of the OECS”.
He said the Heads further agreed to the signing of this agreement at the 60th meeting of the Authority scheduled for November, 2014.
“We are very pleased with that decision,” Mr Skerrit said. He added that the citizens of Martinique, who have been calling for this for some time, would be happy that the negotiations are finally over.
He also commended the OECS Secretariat for its efforts in the negotiation process.
Source- DV News
Japan to provide US15m climate change aid to Caribbean countries
Japan is providing US$15 million to help several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries cope with the impact of climate change.
The “Project for Japan-Caribbean Climate Change Partnership” will help Guyana, Grenada, Jamaica, Suriname, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Dominica and Belize build the capacity to cope with climate change.
The agreement was signed on the margins of the first ever Japan-CARICOM summit here on Monday that was attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and several CARICOM heads of governments.
Source-CMC
Liberia bans football over Ebola
Liberia has suspended all football activities in an effort to control the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.
There was a risk of infection because football is a contact sport, the football association said.
The number of people killed by the virus in West Africa has now reached 672, the WHO says.
Ebola kills up to 90% of those infected, but patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment.
It spreads through contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids.
This is the deadliest outbreak ever, with the first case reported in Guinea in February. It then spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Lift restrictions
Last week, Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, reported its first case – that of Liberian government employee Patrick Sawyer who was visiting the main city, Lagos.
All officials who had direct or indirect contact with Mr Sawyer, 40, had been placed under “observatory surveillance” by health authorities, Liberia’s finance ministry said.
It had also limited to four the number of people who can be in a lift at the same time, the ministry added.
Mr Sawyer was a senior official in the ministry, and died in Lagos five days after arriving in the city.
Nigerian authorities have so far identified 59 people who came into contact with Mr Sawyer and have tested 20, Lagos State Health Commissioner Jide Idris is quoted by the Associated Press (AP) news agency as saying.
The city’s First Consultants Hospital, where Mr Sawyer was treated, has been temporary shut down, Reuters news agency reports.
“The private hospital was demobilised and the primary source of infection eliminated. The decontamination process in all the affected areas has commenced,” it quotes Mr Idris as saying.
In a statement, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that 1,201 Ebola cases had been reported in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Of the 672 deaths, the highest number was in Guinea with 319, followed by Liberia with 249 and Sierra Leone with 224, it said.
“Between 21 and 23 July, 96 new cases and seven deaths were reported from Liberia and Sierra Leone. In Guinea, 12 new cases and five deaths were reported during the same period,” the WHO added.
The BBC’s Jonathan Paye Layleh in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, says that public awareness campaigns around Ebola have been stepped following the death at the weekend of renowned Liberian doctor Samuel Brisbane.
Liberia’s ex-football star George Weah has joined the campaign to create greater awareness.
“If one person gets affected, 100 persons will get affected, if 100 persons get affected, one million people will get affected,” Mr Weah said.
Many people are worried about the outbreak, and fewer people are going to restaurants and entertainment centres, our reporter says.
Most border crossings in Liberia have been closed to contain the outbreak and affected communities are being quarantined.
Source-BBC News
Israel Pounds Gaza
Israel's military stepped up its bombardment of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country should be prepared for a long conflict in the Palestinian enclave, quashing any hopes of a swift end to the conflict.
Palestinian health officials say attacks from Israeli warplanes and tanks have killed at least 100 people Tuesday in the most widespread attacks since fighting began three weeks ago. The Palestinian death toll has climbed to more than 1,100, mainly civilians.
Israel has lost 53 soldiers, two Israeli civilians and a Thai worker since launching its offensive July 8 in response to rocket attacks from Hamas and its allies.
Israeli tank fire hit the fuel depot of the Gaza Strip's only power plant on Tuesday, witnesses said, cutting electricity to Gaza City and many other parts of the Palestinian enclave of 1.8 million people. Electricity already had been limited to several hours a day.
Israel targeted symbols of Hamas control, firing on the house of Hamas Gaza leader Ismail Haniyeh before dawn on Tuesday, causing damage but no casualties, Gaza's interior ministry said.
Hamas said its broadcast outlets, Al-Aqsa TV and Al-Aqsa Radio also were targeted. Early Tuesday, at least two major explosions hit the media building, one of the tallest in Gaza, starting a fire on the roof and shaking surrounding buildings.
The television station continued to broadcast, but the radio station went silent.
The Abu Khadra government complex in Gaza City was badly damaged, and two mosques were hit. Residents also said 20 houses were destroyed during the night.
China Investigates Former Powerful Security Chief
China has announced it is investigating a man who used to be one of the country's most powerful politicians, former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang. The investigation is likely to boost already growing public support for Chinese President Xi Jinping's widening anti-corruption drive.
A brief announcement of the decision came late Tuesday from China's Xinhua news agency. In its report, Xinhua said the party's top investigating body, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, had begun an investigation into Zhou Yongkang's suspected "serious disciplinary" violations.
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology political scientist David Zweig says the decision to go after Zhou is perhaps the biggest investigation since the Gang of Four at the end of the Cultural Revolution.
"This is a big deal and many, many people would worry that if you can go after people, you know members of the politburo standing committee after they stepped down, than many many (other) people would be vulnerable," Zweig said.
For months, China has been anticipating the announcement of an investigation into Zhou Yongkang.
Since late last year there have been numerous unconfirmed reports in foreign media that Zhou was the focus of a corruption probe. But when an official announcement did not come in March when the Communist Party held top-level meetings in Beijing, some began to question Chinese President Xi Jinping's commitment to stamping out corruption.
The Communist Party says it is in a life or death struggle against corruption - a problem that not only threatens the party and state, but also prospects for much needed reform.
KISHCO DETHRONE QUALITY SUPER KINGS
Amid the sizable crowd, the underdogs Kishco systematically beat the defending champions Quality Super Kings in the Finals of the 2014 TCICA T20 played yesterday at the Down Town Ballpark in Provo.
Batting first, after winning the toss Quality Super Kings were bowled out for a modest 118 runs, from 18.1 overs. Sheldon Henry was the top scorer with 34 runs, consisting of 4x4s and 1x6 while Kareem Jack added 24 runs, manufacturing 5x4s.
Bowling for Kishco, Lloyd Lynch claimed 3 wickets, for 21 runs, from 3 overs and, Sanjay Fatnani, took 2 wickets for 11 runs from 3 overs while Pawan Kumar also took 2 wickets, for 16 runs from 4 overs.
In reply, Kishco reached 119 runs for 4 wickets, from 17.4 overs. Si-mi-jo Devassy top scored with 62 runs, creating 9x4s & 1x6; teammate Anton Das chipped in 14 runs for the partnership.
Bowling for Quality Super Kings, Sheldon Henry and Sabuton John took 2 wickets each for 23 runs, from 4 overs.