Scarlett Johansson and Disney have settled Black Widow dispute
Scarlett Johansson's Periwinkle Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company have settled their dispute regarding the release of Black Widow.
Johansson filed suit last month against Marvel Studios' parent company, Disney, claiming that the studio's decision to simultaneously release Black Widow on Disney+ and in theaters was a breach of her contract, which guaranteed Black Widow an exclusive theatrical window before it hit the streaming service. The suit further claims Disney's decision to do otherwise cost Johansson millions in potential earnings.
“I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney. I'm incredibly proud of the work we've done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team," the actress said in a statement on Thursday. "I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come,” Alan Bergman, Chairman of Disney Studios Content, added, “I’m very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow. We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney’s Tower of Terror.”
Neither side gave any indication of how much money was involved in the settlement. Scarlett Johansson served as an executive producer on Black Widow, and therefore had profit participation "points" tied to the film's box-office performance. The movie grossed $367 million at the box office. However, Disney revealed in August that the movie had grossed $125 million on streaming, which some assert detracted from the film's box-office earnings potential, and Johansson's bottom line.
Source - ABC
Biden suffers blow as trillion-dollar vote delayed
US President Joe Biden has suffered a setback after Congress delayed a vote on a $1tn (£750bn) infrastructure plan. Part of his Democratic Party refuses to move forward with the plan until Congress signs off on a separate $3.5tn plan on welfare and climate change. That plan is at the heart of the party's agenda for government and passions are high among its liberal (progressive) and centrist wings. Centrists want to scale the legislation back radically. The $1tn public works bill, which would apply to routine transportation, broadband, water systems and other projects, enjoys wide support but liberal Democrats are linking it to their more ambitious welfare and climate change bill.
That bill would raise taxes on corporations and the rich, investing the revenue in a broad array of social programmes, including early childhood education, universal preschool, government-funded two-year college education, paid family and medical leave, an expansion of government health insurance and environmental spending. President Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have been trying to reconcile the liberals with the centrists. Reflecting the centrist position, Senator Joe Manchin said he was ready to meet the president less than halfway, at $1.5tn. He described the proposed figure of $3.5tn as "fiscal insanity".
Sen Bernie Sanders, a leading liberal, said the issue was "not a baseball game" but "the most significant piece of legislation in 70 years". A fellow liberal, Representative Ilhan Omar, said: "Trying to kill your party's agenda is insanity. Not trying to make sure the president we all worked so hard to elect, his agenda pass, is insanity." The House will be back in session on Friday when efforts to push through the bills will resume.
"We are not there yet, and so, we will need some additional time to finish the work, starting tomorrow morning first thing," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement on Thursday. Mr Biden's party has the thinnest of majorities in both the House and Senate, and is eager to push through its signature policies before next year's congressional elections, when the Republicans attempt to regain control. On Thursday Congress did pass a temporary measure to keep the federal government funded until early December. Federal museums, national parks and safety programmes would have had to close without the funding, which also includes hurricane relief and help for Afghan refugees.
Source - BBC
Aukus: Australia-EU trade talks delayed as row deepens
Trade talks between Australia and the European Union have been postponed as a row with France over the so-called Aukus security partnership deepens.
Last month, Canberra cancelled a $37bn ($27.5bn) deal with France to build a fleet of conventional submarines.
Instead, it will build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with US and UK technology.
The decision angered Paris, which called the deal a "stab in the back" by the US and Australia.
In fact, soon after the Aukus agreement was announced, France recalled its ambassadors from both Canberra and Washington.
The ambassador to Washington will now return to his post, but it is not clear if the ambassador to Canberra will do the same.
In solidarity with France, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has questioned whether the EU would be able to strike a trade deal with Australia.
Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan declined to comment on what part, if any, the submarine deal had played in delaying negotiations but confirmed that the next round of talks, which were scheduled to start on 12 October, had been postponed until the following month.
"I will meet with my EU counterpart Valdis Dombrovskis next week to discuss the 12th negotiating round, which will now take place in November rather than October," he said.
In June, after the last round of talks over a free trade deal, the European Commission said negotiations had "progressed in most areas of the future agreement".
The next round of talks was expected to include a number of subjects including trade, investment and intellectual property rights.
The EU is Australia's third-biggest trading partner, with trade in goods and services totalling almost $72bn last year.
Analysts have described Aukus as probably the most significant security arrangement between the three nations since World War Two.
But France considers the Indo-Pacific region to be of key strategic and economic importance, with around 1.5m French citizens in the area.
Source - BBC
Facebook grilled over mental-health impact on kids
Facebook has defended the impact of its products, saying Instagram has "affirmatively helped" young people. Its global head of safety, Antigone Davis, testified to the US Senate, about child protection. It comes after a leak exposed how Instagram's own research had found the platform could harm children’s well-being.
Previously, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri said the app's effects on teenagers' mental health were "quite small". The committee opened by reiterating Facebook's own research - first reported on by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) - which found Instagram could have a negative impact on body image and self-esteem. Teenagers "blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression", it said. But Ms Davis then told the committee: "We conduct this research, to make our platform better, to minimise the bad and maximise the good and to proactively identify where we can improve.
"We want our platforms to be a place for meaningful interactions with friends and family and we cannot achieve that goal if people do not feel safe." But Richard Blumenthal, who chairs the Senate commerce, science, and transportation subcommittee on consumer protection, product safety, and data security, highlighted how Facebook had, in August, denied it was aware of any research that showed a negative correlation.
"We know it chooses the growth of its products over the well-being of our children," he said. "And we now know that it is indefensibly delinquent in acting to protect them. "It is failing to hold itself accountable and the question that haunts me is how can we or parents or anyone trust Facebook."
In the hearing, Ms Davis repeatedly failed to answer the committee's questions and said she would have to check with the relevant Facebook teams “It is simply not accurate that this research demonstrates Instagram is 'toxic' for teen girls," head of research Pratiti Raychoudhury blogged. "The research actually demonstrated that many teens we heard from feel that using Instagram helps them when they are struggling with the kinds of hard moments and issues teenagers have always faced."
But Facebook, releasing slides to illustrate its research, admitted: "One exception was body image". One in three teenage girls who had already experienced body-image issues told Facebook using Instagram made them feel worse. In particular filtered images, posting selfies and viewing content with hashtags affect well-being, the slides suggest. It comes just days after the company paused its scheduled rollout of Instagram Kids, which had been due to launch this year for users aged under 13.
"As every parent knows when it comes to kids and tweens, they're already online," Ms Davis told the committee. "We believe it is better for parents to have the option to give tweens access to a version of Instagram that's designed for them where parents can supervise and manage their experience - rather than to have them lie about their age to access the platform that wasn't built for them." Ms Davis said Instagram was also testing a feature called Take a Break which "would encourage somebody to take a break" from their screen. This would display "when we think [users] may be rabbit hole and down certain kinds of content or are on the app too long." The whistleblower who leaked the documents to the Wall Street Journal will testify in a separate hearing next week and the committee said it would be seeking interviews from other social media companies in regards to children's mental health harms.
Source - BBC
Ford extends production halt at German plant
Ford Motor will extend a production stoppage at its factory in Cologne, Germany, until the end of October because of the global shortage of microchips.
The company will not be able to resume production of the Fiesta small hatchback at the plant as planned, a Ford spokesperson said. The plant will remain idle until Oct. 31, the spokesman continued. "Due to the still tense situation on the global semiconductor market, supply bottlenecks continue to occur," said the spokesman. Fiesta production in Cologne has largely been at a standstill since July.
Ford said it was not yet clear whether production could resume in November. The availability of semiconductors on the world market will remain "very volatile" for the foreseeable future, the spokesman said. Ford therefore assumes "that there may always be production stoppages in the foreseeable future." The Fiesta is the only model built in Cologne. European sales of the hatchback fell 25 percent to 72,276 through August, according to JATO Dynamics market researchers. The Fiesta is Ford's second-bestseller in Europe after the Puma small crossover built in Romania. Puma sales rose 75 percent to 106,360 in the first eight months.
Ford has said it will sell only full-electric passenger cars in Europe by 2030. The automaker is investing $1 billion in the Cologne plant to build electric cars based on Volkswagen Group's MEB platform starting in 2023. Ford's move to extend the production stoppage follows Opel's decision to close its plant in Eisenach, Germany, where the company builds the Grandland X compact SUV, until the end of the year because of the semiconductor shortage.
Source - Autonews
WEATHER AS OF 12 PM EDT, THURSDAY 30TH SEPTEMBER 2021.
VICTOR FORECAST TO STRENGTHEN OVER THE EASTERN TROPICAL
ATLANTIC...
AT 11 AM EDT, THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM VICTOR WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 9.5° NORTH AND LONGITUDE 28.9° WESTOR ABOUT 555 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE CABO VERDE ISLANDS.
VICTOR IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 14 MPH. A WEST-NORTHWEST TO NORTHWEST MOTION OVER THE EASTERN TROPICAL ATLANTIC IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS REMAIN NEAR 45 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. GRADUAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST, AND VICTOR COULD BE NEAR HURRICANE STRENGTH ON FRIDAY. A WEAKENING TREND IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN OVER THE WEEKEND.
Post-Cabinet Statement: 64% OF RECENT POSITIVE CASES ARE RESIDENTS
The most recent TCI Post-Cabinet Statement has revealed that of all the recent COVID cases up to 15 September, 64% of these were residents. According to analysis, the country saw 93 cases of infection between 1 to 15 September, meaning that for this period, the first half of September, 60 of the 93 cases would have been residents, with the remaining 33 cases being visitors.
While we all want to see the end of the COVID pandemic, when compared to the rest of the region where cases are surging significantly, these numbers show that the TCI is managing the pandemic pretty well. If the trend holds, the TCI will end the month of September with just under 200 new infections for the month.
The latest dashboard figures for Wednesday 29 September show 8 new infections and one recovery. The total number of active cases stands at 53, with 48 cases on Providenciales and 5 on Grand Turk.
The Ministry of Health has surely taken its share of criticism over the pandemic but with more than 72% of residents inoculated against the virus, the 5th batch of vaccines now in country, a recovery rate of roughly 97%, and the TCI seeing record breaking tourism numbers this summer, ministry officials must be relieved and surely smiling.
The Honorable Premier Michael Missick, in his national address last Thursday, noted that his administration was committed to creating a much-improved healthcare system during their term. The pandemic will continue to test their ability to do just that.
Cabinet Update
During that same Cabinet meeting on 15 September, a number of approvals were given and other matters discussed.
These include:
The approval of amendments to the COVID-19 Arriving Passengers Health Clearance Regulations to include persons arriving in TCI aboard naval and coast guard vessels.
The approval of a Cemetery Policy to support the drafting of new Cemetery Legislation.
The approval of the establishment of a force to assist with the management of the CDB Consultancy for the Integrated Solid Waste Management.
Cabinet also approved the commencement of negotiations for a development agreement between Beach Enclave Stargazer Ltd. And TCIG.
The approval was given for the purchase of the land and buildings for the Headquarters of the TCI Regiment and a joint Law Enforcement Training Academy.
Cabinet approved the implementation of the National Teaching Standards Framework.
HE the Deputy Governor, Anya Williams, has been appointed as co-chair of the Information Technology Steering Committee.
And at the meeting the Cabinet discussed the country’s financial performance for the first quarter of the fiscal year and approved publication of the first quarter financial report. The first quarter financial report for statutory bodies was also discussed and approved for publication.
Beijing 2022 Olympics, Non-vaccinated athletes must serve 21-day quarantine
Athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics who are not fully vaccinated against coronavirus will have to serve a 21-day quarantine upon arrival in Beijing.
Participants at the Games who are fully vaccinated will enter a "closed-loop management system" when they arrive.
Athletes who have a justified medical exemption for the vaccine will have their cases considered.
The Winter Olympics run next February, the Paralympics in March.
Games organisers said that tickets will be sold "exclusively to spectators residing in China's mainland" who meet the coronavirus countermeasures.
Vaccinated athletes will be allowed to move only between Games-related venues for training, competitions and work.
All those involved in the Games within the closed-loop system will be tested daily.
Competitors at the summer Games in Tokyo this year were given daily tests and served a three-day quarantine on their arrival.
Those Games were largely held behind closed doors, with up to 10,000 Japanese fans permitted at venues.
The International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee said it welcomed the decision to sell tickets to those in China's mainland.
"It will facilitate the growth of winter sports in China by giving those spectators a first-hand Olympic and Paralympic experience of elite winter sports," a statement read.
"However, all parties feel for the athletes and the spectators from around the world, knowing that the restriction on spectators had to be put in place to ensure the safe holding of the Games this winter."
Source - BBC
Ecuador riot: Police storm jail where 116 died in gang war
Four hundred police officers have entered a prison in the Ecuadorean port city of Guayaquil where at least 116 inmates have been killed in a gang war. The brutal prison fight first broke out on Tuesday and officials had said on Wednesday that the jail was back under their control. But early on Thursday, neighbours said they had heard explosions and gunshots. Shortly afterwards, police said it was sending 400 officers back in to "maintain order".
Ecuador's police force posted video on its Twitter account of officers moving back into the Guayas prison complex, also known as the Litoral Penitentiary.
How did the deadly fight unfold?
The fight first broke out on Tuesday when inmates from one wing of the prison crawled through a hole to gain access to a different wing, where they attacked rival gang members.
At least six prisoners were decapitated, others were shot and some were killed by grenades.
Police managed to get six cooks, who were trapped in the wing where the fight happened, to safety and only two police officers were injured.
Ecuador's prison director, Bolívar Garzón, said that police had entered the prison at 14:00 local time (19:00GMT) on Tuesday and found 24 bodies. According to Mr Garzón, there was renewed shooting inside the prison overnight Tuesday into Wednesday and as police went through the prison wings one by one, they found scores more bodies, bringing the death toll to 116. Four hundred officers were again sent into Litoral Penitentiary on Thursday morning amid reports of renewed gunfire and explosions.
Who's fighting whom?
The fact that only two police officers have been injured but more than 100 inmates killed strongly suggests this is a war among inmates rather than an attempt at a prison uprising.
Local media are reporting that the brutal killings could have been ordered from outside the prison mirroring a power struggle between Mexican cartels currently under way in Ecuador.
The Litoral Penitentiary holds inmates from Los Choneros, an Ecuadorean gang which is thought to have links with Mexico's powerful Sinaloa drugs cartel.
But another Mexican criminal group, the Jalisco New Generation cartel (CJNG), is also trying to forge alliances with Ecuadorean gangs to seize control of drug smuggling routes leading from Ecuador to Central America from its Sinaloa rivals.
The decapitations and the brutal nature of the violence seen inside the Litoral prison are hallmarks of the Mexican cartels, which often kill their rivals in the most gruesome ways to spread further terror.
Source - BBC
UN chief to open UNCTAD 15th Session in Barbados
The Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator of Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean said on Wednesday that United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres will open the 15th Session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD15) in Bridgetown, Barbados on October 4.
The Office said the conference, hosted by the Government of Barbados, will be held in a hybrid format with events in Barbados, Geneva and across the world until October 7 under the theme “From inequality and vulnerability to prosperity for all”.
“The UN Secretary-General’s opening of UNCTAD’s 15th quadrennial session signals the great importance that the United Nations places on addressing the urgent trade and development needs of developing countries as they work to recover from the COVID-19 crisis,” said UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan.
She said UNCTAD15’s opening ceremony will feature welcome addresses by her, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, and Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados, among others.
The Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator said Guterres will deliver a keynote address on the urgent work required to accelerate global economic recovery and help all countries – especially developing countries – make progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Heads of state and government, senior UN officials, leaders of intergovernmental organizations, top trade experts, prominent development principals and thinkers from around the world will share their vision of the solutions required, including the role of trade, in forging a more inclusive and sustainable way forward, the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator.
In UNCTAD15’s high-level segment, it said world leaders will analyze global vulnerabilities and inequalities and how to build a more prosperous trade and development path.
It will also comprise ministerial round-table discussions on scaling up financing for development, reshaping global and regional value chains, harnessing frontier technologies for shared prosperity and supporting productive transformation for greater resilience in a post-pandemic world.
“With economies all over the world ravaged by COVID-19, the landmark event will offer UNCTAD’s 195 member States an opportunity to devise new ways to ensure trade delivers for all and can address the massive unmet trade, finance, investment and technology needs of developing countries,” the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator said.
It said the quadrennial UN event is the highest decision-making body of UNCTAD.
“It sets priorities for the next four years and formulates global policy recommendations on trade and development,” the Office said.
Source - CMC