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Todays Secret of Pets

2016-12-15T09:40:00.004-08:00

"The Secret Life of Pets" dominated the weekend box office, racking up a massive $103.2 million and launching the first new franchise of the summer. Its success is a feather in the cap for Illumination chief Chris Meledandri, confirming his status among the ranks of animation giants. The family film, which explores what dogs, cats and other animal companions do while their owners are busy at work, cost an economical $75 million to produce, roughly half of what most studios spend making animated movies. Universal is backing the picture, which launched across 4,370 locations. "Illumination just has a way of creating 'want to see' movies," said Nick Carpou, Universal's domestic distribution chief. "They make movies that resonate with audiences." And ones that spawn toylines. The cuddly creatures that populate "Pets" seem tailor made to sell stuffed animals and t-shirts, creating a financial windfall for the studio. The film deftly exploited dog and cat obsessed moviegoers to appeal to both parents and children. In the United States alone, Americans are expected to spend more than $62 billion in 2016 on their pets. "Somebody at Illumination is popping the champagne and pouring out the Kibble," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at comScore. "The love that people have for their fish, their bird, their dogs, or their hamsters is demonstrated by their insatiable appetite for a movie like this." "The Secret Life of Pets" easily supplanted Disney and Pixar's "Finding Dory" from first place on the box office charts -- a ranking it has held for the three previous weeks. The sequel to "Finding Nemo" slid to second place with $20.4 million, having made $422.6 million to lap "Captain America: Civil War" as the highest-grossing film of the year on a domestic basis. It also ranks as the highest-grossing animated film in North America, unseating "Toy Story 3." The weekend's other new release, Fox's "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates", opened to $16.6 million at 2,982 sites for a fourth place finish. The comedy about a pair of party animal brothers (Zac Efron and Adam DeVine) who enlist two women (Anna Kendrick and Aubrey Plaza) to accompany them to their sister's wedding, cost $33 million to make. Chernin Entertainment produced the film. Its audience was nearly evenly split between the genders, with women making up 52 percent of ticket buyers. "We were very opportunistic about this date," said Chris Aronson, Fox's domestic distribution chief. "This seemed to be a good time to release an R-rated comedy." "Pets" will post the sixth-best opening of 2016 following "Captain America: Civil War", "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice", "Finding Dory", "Deadpool" and "The Jungle Book" -- all members of the elite group of 39 titles that have opened with more than $100 million domestically. It's also a new opening weekend domestic record for an original animated film, topping the $90.4 million launch of "Inside Out" last summer. The "Pets" voice cast includes Louis CK, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Steve Coogan and Albert Brooks. "Despicable Me's" Chris Renaud directs and Yarrow Cheney co-directs from a script by Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio and Brian Lynch. "Pets" is the biggest opening of the year for Universal, which has struggled to replicate last year's record-annihilating results. The studio has fielded some duds, such as "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising" and "The Huntsman: Winter's War", failing to find a substitute for 2015 juggernauts like "Jurassic World" and "Furious 7". It's also another success for Illumination, which opened "Minions" a year ago with $115 million on its way to a $336 million domestic total and $1.16 billion worldwide. Comcast, Universal's parent company, is betting heavily in the animation space. It has a deal in place to buy DreamWorks Animation for $4.1 billion, with the hopes of challenging Disney's dominance of the family film genre. Meledandri's role is unclear -- Universal backs Illumination -- but Jeff Shell, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, has said he hopes that he will be the studio's equivalent of John Lasseter, the creative guru at Pixar. In fourth place, Warner Bros' "The Legend of Tarzan" picked up $20.6 million, bringing its stateside total to $81.4 million. Universal's "The Purge: Election Year" rounded out the top five, adding $11.7 million to its $58.1 million domestic haul. Steven Spielberg's "The BFG" now definitively ranks as one of the year's biggest flops. The $140 million children's book adaptation only managed to pick up $7.6 million in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to a disastrous $38.7 million. In limited release, Bleecker Street debuted the Viggo Mortensen dramedy "Captain Fantastic" to strong reviews and $98,451 from four theatres. That translates into a $24,613 per-screen average. The film, which screened at Cannes and Sundance, will expand next weekend to 11 new markets, including San Francisco, Boston and Seattle. After struggling at the beginning of summer, as sequels such as "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows" and "Alice Through the Looking Glass" failed to gain much traction, ticket sales are on the upswing. Receipts this weekend are up roughly 2 percent over last year when "Minions" debuted. The hope is that upcoming releases such as "Jason Bourne", "Star Trek Beyond" and "Suicide Squad" can continue to forward momentum. "There's a lot of breadth in the marketplace," said Aronson. "I think summer is shaping up to finish strongly with some of the tentpoles left to come."

legends of targan

British singer Cliff Richard is pursuing legal action against the BBC and the police after the broadcaster televised a raid on his house, saying his reputation had been "unnecessarily damaged". One of Britain's best known entertainers, Richard, 75, was investigated over allegations of sexual offences between 1958 and 1983, but the Crown Prosecution Service said last month it would not charge him, due to lack of evidence. Having been cleared of charges, Richard, who maintained his innocence throughout the investigation, has started legal action over the BBC's reporting of the case. The broadcaster televised a police raid on his house in August 2014. Richard said it had been wrong to make his name public before any charges had been brought. "I confirm that I have instructed my lawyers to make formal legal complaints to South Yorkshire Police and the BBC so that in the absence of satisfactory answers a court will determine whether or not their behaviour was justified and proportionate," Richard said in a statement on his website. "It is important not only for me personally but much more widely. My life was effectively turned upside down and my reputation, worldwide, was unnecessarily damaged." The Mail on Sunday newspaper reported that Richard was seeking more than 1 million pounds ($1.30 million) in damages, adding that he believed the police and the BBC "unlawfully colluded" to invade his privacy. The BBC declined comment but referred Reuters to a statement last month in which the broadcaster said it was very sorry that Richard had suffered distress, but stood by its decision to report on the police investigation and the search of his house. A review by lawmakers on the Home Affairs Select Committee in October 2014 criticised what it called the police's "inept handling" of the situation, but said there had been nothing wrong in the BBC's decision to run the story. South Yorkshire police declined comment. Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry collapsed on stage while performing in New York on Sunday and was hospitalised, according to reports. Perry, 65, was playing in Coney Island in Brooklyn with his band the Hollywood Vampires, along with rocker Alice Cooper, when he staggered off-stage and collapsed, media reports said. Cooper said on Twitter hours later that Perry "is stable right now, with family & is under the best care". A Facebook account quoted Cooper as saying from stage "If you notice one of our brothers is not onstage with us, he was very sick before the show," Billboard magazine reported. Perry himself posted on Twitter just hours before being taken ill: "Warming up with Tommy. #HollywoodVampires @ Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk," along with a link to photo of the pair playing.

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry stable in hospital after collapsing on stage

2016-07-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry collapsed

on stage while performing in New York on Sunday and was hospitalised, according to reports. Perry, 65, was playing in Coney Island in Brooklyn with his band the Hollywood Vampires, along with rocker Alice Cooper, when he staggered off-stage and collapsed, media reports said. Cooper said on Twitter hours later that Perry "is stable right now, with family & is under the best care". A Facebook account quoted Cooper as saying from stage "If you notice one of our brothers is not onstage with us, he was very sick before the show," Billboard magazine reported. Perry himself posted on Twitter just hours before being taken ill: "Warming up with Tommy. #HollywoodVampires @ Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk," along with a link to photo of the pair playing.British singer Cliff Richard is pursuing legal action against the BBC and the police after the broadcaster televised a raid on his house, saying his reputation had been "unnecessarily damaged". One of Britain's best known entertainers, Richard, 75, was investigated over allegations of sexual offences between 1958 and 1983, but the Crown Prosecution Service said last month it would not charge him, due to lack of evidence. Having been cleared of charges, Richard, who maintained his innocence throughout the investigation, has started legal action over the BBC's reporting of the case. The broadcaster televised a police raid on his house in August 2014. Richard said it had been wrong to make his name public before any charges had been brought. "I confirm that I have instructed my lawyers to make formal legal complaints to South Yorkshire Police and the BBC so that in the absence of satisfactory answers a court will determine whether or not their behaviour was justified and proportionate," Richard said in a statement on his website. "It is important not only for me personally but much more widely. My life was effectively turned upside down and my reputation, worldwide, was unnecessarily damaged." The Mail on Sunday newspaper reported that Richard was seeking more than 1 million pounds ($1.30 million) in damages, adding that he believed the police and the BBC "unlawfully colluded" to invade his privacy. The BBC declined comment but referred Reuters to a statement last month in which the broadcaster said it was very sorry that Richard had suffered distress, but stood by its decision to report on the police investigation and the search of his house. A review by lawmakers on the Home Affairs Select Committee in October 2014 criticised what it called the police's "inept handling" of the situation, but said there had been nothing wrong in the BBC's decision to run the story. South Yorkshire police declined comment. Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry collapsed on stage while performing in New York on Sunday and was hospitalised, according to reports. Perry, 65, was playing in Coney Island in Brooklyn with his band the Hollywood Vampires, along with rocker Alice Cooper, when he staggered off-stage and collapsed, media reports said. Cooper said on Twitter hours later that Perry "is stable right now, with family & is under the best care". A Facebook account quoted Cooper as saying from stage "If you notice one of our brothers is not onstage with us, he was very sick before the show," Billboard magazine reported. Perry himself posted on Twitter just hours before being taken ill: "Warming up with Tommy. #HollywoodVampires @ Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk," along with a link to photo of the pair playing.

British singer Cliff Richard pursues legal action over raid

2016-07-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

The legendary British singer-songwriter’s official Facebook page confirmed the news late Sunday night.

“David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief,” read the post.

Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones also confirmed his father’s death, tweeting, “Very sorry and sad to say it’s true. I’ll be offline for a while. Love to all,” along with a childhood photo of them both.

Very sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all. pic.twitter.com/Kh2fq3tf9m

— Duncan Jones (@ManMadeMoon) January 11, 2016

News of Bowie’s death quickly spread to the Golden Globes after parties, which were taking place in Beverly Hills.

The DJ at Fox’s official party made a tribute over the mic by playing “Fame,” while Globes winners Lady Gaga, Leonardo DiCaprio and “The Revenant” director Alejandro González Iñárritu were in attendance.

Globes host and fellow Englishman Ricky Gervais tweeted his remorse just hours after the show.

“I just lost a hero. RIP David Bowie,” he wrote.

I just lost a hero. RIP David Bowie.

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) January 11, 2016

'Lazarus' Theater Review: David Bowie Revisits 'The Man Who Fell to Earth'

Bowie continued to be professionally active right up until his death, with his latest album “Blackstar” released Friday, January 8 — on his 69th birthday. It is set to be honored at a concert at Carnegie Hall on March 31 featuring the Roots, Cyndi Lauper and the Mountain Goats.

The multi-talented artist also has a stage musical, “Lazarus,” running Off Broadway, which features his musical catalogue and stars “Dexter” actor Michael C. Hall. The show, which made many critics’ top 10 lists, runs through Jan. 20 and is based on the book that inspired his 1976 movie “The Man Who Fell to Earth.”

Bowie’s last live performance was at a New York charity concert in 2006, according to Reuters

Top 9 David Bowie Songs to Commemorate a Rock Legend (Video)

Born David Robert Jones in London, England, Bowie (pictured above in 2004) had dominated the world music scene for over four decades. He first found success with “Space Oddity” in July 1969 and went on to become one of the biggest stars of the glam rock era partially thanks to his flamboyant, androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust.

Bowie continued to achieve massive success throughout the ’70s with “Starman,” “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars,” “Fame” and “Young Americans.”

In the 1980s, he crossed over to electronic pop, collaborating with Queen for “Under Pressure” and then achieving a new commercial peak with “Let’s Dance” in 1983.

Other notable hits include “China Girl,” “Modern Love,” “Rebel, Rebel,” “All the Young Dudes,” “Panic in Detroit,” “Fashion,” “Life on Mars” “Suffragette City” “Ashes to Ashes” and “Thursday’s Child.

Bowie proved to be as equally as talented onscreen as he was in the recording studio. He starred in multiple films including “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” “Labyrinth,” “Absolute Beginners,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “Basquiat” (as Andy Warhol) and “Zoolander,” in a cameo as himself for which he won an MTV Movie Award.

Bowie is survived by his two children, director Duncan Jones and Alexandria “Lexi” Zahra Jones, and wife, model Iman, whom he married in 1992.

Ronaldo is a special footballer of his generation: Ferguson

2016-07-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

Portugal's European Championship winning captain Cristiano Ronaldo is a "special footballer" of his generation, according to former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson. The legendary coach was on hand to witness Ronaldo finally convert his phenomenal club success into international honours as the injured Portugal captain rallied his country from the sidelines to Euro 2016 glory on Sunday against hosts France. And Ferguson insisted that Ronaldo's work rate and hunger -- part of the reason why he brought the forward to Old Trafford as an 18-year-old in 2003 -- is what sets him apart from his contemporaries and makes him the best player of his era. "Every generation has its special footballer, Cristiano is currently. He has an incredible desire for football, Cristiano is looking forward to each workout," Ferguson was quoted as saying by German newspaper Bild on Wednesday. "He always wants to be better, to win. He especially loves these big games." Ferguson-Ronaldo-2.jpg"During my time at Manchester United, Cristiano was the player who developed the most. Through much hard work. He constantly worked on his shooting technique, with the right, left, his heading ability, his bounce," the 74-year-old added. Ronaldo was forced off with an anterior cruciate ligament injury after a challenge from Dmitri Payet in the 24th minute as Portugal beat hosts France 1-0 to win the Euro 2016 final at the Stade de France in Paris. "His performance improvement is incredible. And what is remarkable, today's football is so athletic, so fast." "Usually top players can only play for about five or six years at the highest level, then it's over. Cristiano has been doing this for over 10 years. That makes him so exceptional," Ferguson concluded.

Juventus set to sign defender Benatia from Bayern Munich

2016-07-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

Morocco defender Mehdi Benatia has arrived in Turin for a medical as he looks to complete a switch from Bayern Munich to Juventus, the Serie A champions said on Thursday. "Having touched down in Turin this morning... Medhi Benatia made his way immediately to J-Medical, where he is carrying out routine tests ahead of a proposed move to Juventus," the Italian club said in a statement on Thursday. The 29-year-old, who played for Udinese and Roma in the Serie A before signing for Bayern in 2014, made 23 appearances for the German club last season.

Barcelona sign France defender Digne from Paris St Germain

2016-07-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

Barcelona have signed France international Lucas Digne from Paris St Germain on a five-year contract for an initial fee of 16.5 million euros ($18.27 million), the Spanish champions said on Wednesday. The 22-year-old left back spent last season on loan at AS Roma, where he scored once in 32 Serie A appearances as the Italian club finished third in the table. "FC Barcelona have reached an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain FC to sign the 22-year-old French player Lucas Digne for the next five seasons," the club said on their website (www.fcbarcelona.com). Digne-1.jpg"Barca have paid an initial 16.5 million euros with another four (million) possible according to individual and team results. Digne's buy-out clause is 60 million euros." Digne, who also had a spell with French club Lille, was in his country's squad at the European Championship, where they lost in the final to Portugal in extra time. He has 13 caps. Digne-2.jpgBarcelona also signed centre back Samuel Umtiti from Olympique Lyonnais for 25 million euros on Tuesday. ($1 0.9031 euros)

I was afraid of Messi and Barca stars, says Neymar

2016-07-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

Brazilian superstar Neymar has admitted that he was quite overwhelmed when he first saw Lionel Messi and other FC Barcelona icons before his debut for the Catalan giants. The 24-year-old joined Barcelona from Santos in 2013 and has developed into one of the best in the business. "I was afraid when I saw Messi and the others before my first Barcelona game," Neymar was quoted as saying by TV Globo on Wednesday. "I got into the dressing room and Messi, Xavi, (Andres) Iniesta, (Gerard) Pique and Dani Alves were all there. These guys were my idols. It was almost as if I was playing on the Playstation. It was very difficult in the beginning," he added. 2 NEYMAR WITH MESSI.JPGNeymar said it was his Brazilian teammate Dani Alves who helped him settle down at Camp Nou. "Dani Alves was fundamental for me when I came to Barcelona to help me adapt and become what I am now," he said. "I have a lot of time for him and for what he did for me at Barcelona."

Barcelona confident Messi will stay, urge fans to support him

2016-07-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

Lionel Messi is not interested in leaving Barcelona in the wake of his sentencing for tax fraud, according to club spokesman Josep Vives. A Barcelona court last week handed Messi and his father 21-month prison sentences and fined the former 2.0 million euros ($2.2 million) and the latter 1.5 million euros ($1.65 million) for tax fraud. They are unlikely to go to prison because under Spanish law, a first-time offender who receives a sentence of less two years for a non-violent crime does not serve jail time. Both have already appealed to the supreme court. Media reports in England recently claimed Messi's father and agent Jorge had met with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich aboard his yacht, raising concerns over whether the star would remain with Barca. "We have maintained contact with his entourage and we are not aware Leo wants to leave the club, we simply don't get that feeling," Vives told reporters in Spain on Monday. "We are not worried about this, nothing has reached us to suggest this is the case." Vives, meanwhile, asked the fans to "express sympathy" for the Argentine by joining via social media a campaign launched by the club called "We are all Leo Messi." "It is a simple campaign, but we hope that it will show how much we support him," Vives then told the club's official website. "We are talking about Messi, a player who was 19 when he signed all those contracts and it has been proven that he had no knowledge of all their details. He just focused on football and signed the contracts he was told to sign by his advisers. "Messi is being treated unfairly and the club are putting themselves in a position to defend him. We have a clear conscience and will not back down. We are inviting supporters to join our campaign." Vives believes the state prosecutor attempted to discredit Messi. "The club cannot tolerate this," he said. "There are other well known personalities who have not been subject to this type of situation as Messi has been. "This shows lack of respect and we don't want that for any fan, for any member and neither for Messi. That is why we are putting this campaign of support together."

ET phone home: China eyes hunt for alien life with giant telescope

2016-07-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

China on Sunday hoisted the final piece into position on what will be the world's largest radio telescope, which it will use to explore space and help in the hunt for extraterrestrial life, state media said. The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST, is the size of 30 football fields and has been hewed out of a mountain in the poor southwestern province of Guizhou. Scientists will now start debugging and trials of the telescope, Zheng Xiaonian, deputy head of the National Astronomical Observation under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which built the telescope, told the official Xinhua news agency. "The project has the potential to search for more strange objects to better understand the origin of the universe and boost the global hunt for extraterrestrial life," the report paraphrased Zheng as saying. The 1.2-billion yuan ($180 million) radio telescope would be a global leader for the next one to two decades, Zheng added. The telescope, which has taken about five years to build, is expected to begin operations in September. Advancing China's space program is a priority for Beijing, with President Xi Jinping calling for the country to establish itself as a space power. China's ambitions include putting a man on the moon by 2036 and building a space station, work on which has already begun. China insists its program is for peaceful purposes, but the US Defense Department has highlighted China's increasing space capabilities, saying it is pursuing activities aimed to prevent adversaries from using space-based assets in a crisis.

Human flights to Mars still at least 15 years off: ESA head

2016-07-14T00:46:00.000-07:00

Dreaming of a trip to Mars? You will have to wait at least 15 years for the technology to be developed, the head of the European Space Agency (ESA) said, putting doubt on claims that the journey could happen sooner.

"If there was enough money then we could possibly do it earlier but there is not as much now as the Apollo programme had," ESA Director-General Jan Woerner said, referring to the US project which landed the first people on the moon.

Woerner says a permanent human settlement on the moon, where 3D printers could be used to turn moon rock into essential items needed for the two-year trip to Mars, would be a major step toward the red planet.

US space agency NASA hopes to send astronauts to Mars in the mid-2030s and businessman Elon Musk, head of electric car maker Tesla Motors, says he plans to put unmanned spacecraft on Mars from as early as 2018 and have humans there by 2030.

The ESA's Woerner said it would take longer.

A spacecraft sent to Mars would need rockets and fuel powerful enough to lift back off for the return trip and the humans would need protection from unprecedented physical and mental challenges as well as deep-space radiation.

Woerner would like to see a cluster of research laboratories on the moon, at what he calls a "moon village", to replace the International Space Station when its lifetime ends and to test technologies needed to make the trip to Mars.

That could be funded and operated by a collection of private and public bodies from around the world, he said in an interview at the ESA's Operations Centre.

"There are various companies and public agencies asking to join the club now, so they want to do different things, resource mining, in situ research, tourism and that kind of stuff. There is a big community interested," he told Reuters.

"The moon village is a pit stop on the way to Mars," Woerner said, adding that new 3D printing technology could be used to build material and structures out of rocks and dust, doing away with the cost of transporting everything needed for a mission.

"To test how to use lunar material to build some structures, not only houses, but also for a telescope or whatever, will teach us also how to do it on Mars," he said.

Science-01.jpgThe ESA, working with Russia, in March sent a spacecraft on a seven-month journey as part of the agency's ExoMars mission, which will use an atmospheric probe to sniff out signs of life on Mars and deploy a lander to test technologies needed for a rover scheduled to follow in 2020.

Woerner said Europe was looking at ways to lower the cost of launches but did not plan to copy Elon Musk's SpaceX, which is trying to develop relatively cheap, reusable launch vehicles.

"We should not copy. To follow and copy does not bring you into the lead. We are looking for totally different approaches," Woerner said, adding the ESA was examining all manner of new technologies, including air-breathing engines that do not need to tap into oxygen from a spacecraft's tank.

NASA's Juno spacecraft loops into orbit around Jupiter

2016-07-14T00:26:00.000-07:00

NASA's Juno spacecraft capped a five-year journey to Jupiter late Monday with a do-or-die engine burn to sling itself into orbit, setting the stage for a 20-month dance around the biggest planet in the solar system to learn how and where it formed.

"We're there. We're in orbit. We conquered Jupiter," lead mission scientist Scott Bolton, with the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, told reporters on Tuesday. "Now the fun begins."

Juno will spend the next three months getting into position to begin studying what lies beneath Jupiter's thick clouds and mapping the planet's gargantuan magnetic fields.

Flying in egg-shaped orbits, each one lasting 14 days, Juno also will look for evidence that Jupiter has a dense inner core and measure how much water is in the atmosphere, a key yardstick for figuring out how far away from the sun the gas giant formed.

Jupiter's origins, in turn, affected the development and position of the rest of the planets, including Earth and its fortuitous location conducive to the evolution of life.

"The question I've had my whole life that I'm hoping we get an answer to is 'How'd we get here?' That's really pretty fundamental to me," Bolton said.

Jupiter orbits five times farther from the sun than Earth, but it may have started out elsewhere and migrated, jostling its smaller sibling planets as it moved.

Jupiter's immense gravity also diverts many asteroids and comets from potentially catastrophic collisions with Earth and the rest of the inner solar system.

Juno-02.jpgJuno-03.jpgLaunched from Florida nearly five years ago, Juno needed to be precisely positioned, ignite its main engine at exactly the right time and keep it firing for 35 minutes to become only the second spacecraft to orbit Jupiter.

If anything had gone even slightly awry, Juno would have sailed helplessly past Jupiter, unable to complete a $1 billion mission.

The risky manoeuvre began as planned at 11:18pm EDT/0318 Tuesday GMT as Juno soared through the vacuum of space at more than 160,000 mph (257,500 kph).

NASA expects Juno to be in position for its first close-up images of Jupiter on Aug 27, the same day its science instruments are turned on for a test run.

Only one other spacecraft, Galileo, has ever circled Jupiter, which is itself orbited by 67 known moons. Bolton said Juno is likely to discover even more.

Seven other US space probes have sailed past the gas giant on brief reconnaissance missions before heading elsewhere in the solar system.

The risks to the spacecraft are not over. Juno will fly in highly elliptical orbits that will pass within 3,000 miles (4,800 km) of the tops of Jupiter's clouds and inside the planet's powerful radiation belts.

Juno's computers and sensitive science instruments are housed in a 400-pound (180-kg) titanium vault for protection. But during its 37 orbits around Jupiter, Juno will be exposed to the equivalent of 100 million dental X-rays, said Bill McAlpine, radiation control manager for the mission.

The spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin, is expected to last for 20 months. On its final orbit, Juno will dive into Jupiter's atmosphere, where it will be crushed and vaporised.

Like Galileo, which circled Jupiter for eight years before crashing into the planet in 2003, Juno's demise is designed to prevent any hitchhiking microbes from Earth from inadvertently contaminating Jupiter's ocean-bearing moon Europa, a target of future study for extraterrestrial life.

Bangladesh sees remittance dive even as export earnings jump

2016-07-14T00:18:00.000-07:00

Export earnings have registered growth despite plummeting remittance in the 2014-15 fiscal that ended on June 30.

Export earnings jumped 10 percent compared with the previous fiscal.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said that the continued demand for readymade garment in the US and European markets made the uptick in ecport earnings possible.

"Export health is the best among the economic indicators," said AB Mirza Azizul Islam, a former finance advisor to the caretaker government.

He added that a 10 percent growth was a positive indicator.

But he warned that repeated terror attacks may scare buyers away from Bangladesh.

Bangladesh earned $3.57 billion from exports in the last fiscal.

As much as 82.04 percent of the earnings came from the readymade apparel sector alone.

Cut in tax at source for exports likely to be reduced

2016-07-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

A Tk 3.4 trillion budget for the new financial year is about to be passed with a reduction in tax at source for readymade garment exports and other changes in the tax structure.

Besides, a cut in the tax at source for exporters of jute and jute products, leather and leather goods, packaged food, frozen food, and vegetables is also likely.

Finance minister AMA Muhith gave this indication to newsboys24.blogspot.com with the budget for the 2016-17 financial year about to be passed in Parliament.

Each year, changes are made to the budget proposals in the light of suggestion made by MPs during debates before they are passed by the House.

When asked about the changes in the offing, Muhith told newsboys24.blogspot.com.com: “There will be no major changes to my budget proposals this year. There will be some minor changes concerning taxes.”

Asked of a possible cut in the tax at source for readymade garment exports, Muhith said: “There is a strong demand for this; let us see.”

Muhith, happy with the budget debates in a House devoid of BNP representation, said: “There have been criticisms on some counts; there have been praises for others. Certain additions and alterations have been suggested.”

The finance bill on Wednesday and the main budget on Thursday would be passed by taking these into consideration, he added.

Muhith presented a Tk 3.4 trillion budget on Jun 2 for the 2016-17 financial year starting on Jul 1.

Senior ministers and MPs have already given their views on the proposals. There will be further discussion on Wednesday and Thursday.

The last word will come from Prime Minister and Leader of the House Sheikh Hasina.

The finance bill will be passed on Wednesday with the parliament session commencing at 10am. Sheikh Hasina, the head of the government, will speak before the bill is passed.

Next, the finance minister would deliver is closing address and place the finance bill for passing.

As per tradition, the prime minister requests the finance minister after he makes his closing remarks and before the finance bill is placed for passing to introduce amendments if any.

Muhith, who has presented his eighth budget in a row, faced sharp criticism from apex business body FBCCI.

Its president AM Ahmad said in a press conference: “We had made 447 suggestions after painstaking work. Of them, only 53 have been accepted or just about 10 percent.

“As the FBCC president I am ashamed of this.”

Moreover, forums of readymade garment manufacturers such as the BGMI, BTMA, BKME and other bodies connected with the trade have been demanding a cut in the tax at source for garment exports.

The budget proposed a 1.5 percent tax at source on garment export prices (FOB), but Muhith has stepped back in the face of a stiff opposition from manufacturers.

A member of the National Revenue Board had hinted that the tax might be reduced to 0.8 percent at the time of passing the finance bill.

The budget proposes a 1.5 tax at source for jute and jute products, leather and leather goods, packaged food, frozen food, and vegetables as well. But indications are that the rate might be brought down to one percent.

A proposal to reintroduce VAT on Hawaii slippers and plastic shoes worth up to Tk 120 may also be withdrawn.

VAT exemption on biscuits, cakes and bread priced Tk 100 per kg may continue, though the budged proposed the scrapping of such exemption.

Officials of National Board of Revenue hinted of revoking the decision to impose VAT on meditation services.

IMF cuts euro zone growth outlook on Brexit, warns it may get worse

2016-07-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

The International Monetary Fund on Friday cut its euro zone growth outlook for the next two years over uncertainties sparked by Britain's vote to leave the European Union, and warned that the conditions could worsen if confusion continues to reign in financial markets.

In its annual policy review of the 19-country euro currency bloc, the IMF said it now expects 2016 growth of 1.6 percent, down from the previous forecast of 1.7 percent, while the 2017 growth forecast will drop to 1.4 percent from 1.7 percent previously.

In its annual policy review of the 19-country bloc, the IMF said a further global growth slowdown could derail the euro area's domestic demand-led recovery, and further Brexit spillovers, the refugee surge, increased security concerns and banking weakness all could take their toll on growth.

But IMF European Department Deputy Director Mahmood Pradhan said that if the separation negotiations drag out between the EU and the UK and continue to cause risk reductions in financial markets, euro area growth would slow further.

"If that risk aversion is prolonged, we think the growth impact could be larger and at this point, it is very difficult to tell how long that period lasts," Pradhan told reporters on a conference call.

He added that the 1.4 percent growth scenario for 2017 assumes a relatively swift negotiation of a deal that would preserve full tariff-free access to the European Union common market for Britain.

Even this "best-case" scenario will cause a slowdown in investment and weigh on consumer and market confidence, he said.

The IMF has not fully calculated the drag on growth that would result from a full arm's-length relationship that would revert Britain's EU status to basic World Trade Organisation tariff and access rules.

Pradhan said that would be a "significant change" for Britain, which sends some 40 percent of its exports to the EU.

"If you went to the WTO option, just getting there would take a very long time — and that itself will be very damaging," Pradhan said.

In its report, the IMF said medium-term prospects for the euro zone are "mediocre", constrained by crisis legacy problems from high unemployment, elevated public and private debt and deep-rooted structural weakness.

"As a result growth five years ahead is expected to be about 1.5 percent, with headline inflation reaching only 1.7 percent," the IMF said.

Video game makers plunge deeper into virtual reality at E3

2016-07-13T04:49:00.000-07:00

Virtual reality has yet to take off with the bulk of video gamers, but the industry is doubling down on its bet that one day it will.

At the annual E3 video game showcase in Los Angeles this week, attendees strapped on VR headsets to peer into fantasy worlds, battle robotic creatures and command starships.

Meanwhile, game publishers announced investments that showed they believe VR is ready to go mainstream.

"This is clearly the coming-out party for VR," said PJ McNealy, chief executive officer and founder of Digital World Research. "The interest is there, the hardware is coming to market, and the content developers are figuring out how to take advantage of it."

Game makers plunge deeper into VR-02.jpgGame makers plunge deeper into VR-04.jpgE3, or the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is an annual spectacle devoted to serious gaming.

Sales of games played on consoles or PCs still lead the $99.6 billion global gaming industry, according to data from research firm Newzoo.

But an explosion in mobile games, plus a shift toward virtual reality hardware and software, could change that.

Sony Corp unveiled a $399 PlayStation VR headset at E3 that will hit stores in October. Fifty games will be available by year's end, including VR versions of blockbuster franchises "Resident Evil" and "Batman".

Some games will be exclusive to PlayStation VR, including "Star Wars: Battlefront X-Wing VR Mission".

Star Trek fans can command a Starfleet vessel "Star Trek: Bridge Crew", which will be playable on PlayStation VR, Facebook's Oculus Rift headset, and the HTC Vive VR device.

Microsoft Corp let potential buyers know that it will have a new version of its Xbox, dubbed Project Scorpio, that will support VR in time for the 2017 holiday season.

The company is also is developing its HoloLens augmented reality glasses, which overlay images as holograms onto a user's real-life field of vision.

Many in the industry are still sceptical about VR's potential. They question how many gamers will shell out hundreds of dollars for a headset after investing in a gaming console.

"We're going to find out what's good and bad about virtual reality in the months and years to come," said Steve Boxer, a gaming journalist from Britain who tried out games at E3.

Game makers plunge deeper into VR-06.jpgGame makers plunge deeper into VR-07.jpg"Personally I don't want to have to sit there wearing a virtual reality helmet for more than 20 minutes."

Sony is working with developers to adapt console games to a VR environment, said John Koller, a vice president for Sony Interactive Entertainment America.

"VR is going to be shorter, very intense bursts," Koller said. "We see it chopped up into these experiences that are very exciting and emotionally driven."

The industry isn't abandoning traditional games.

While companies are trying to build a new market in VR, "even more time and more money is being spent to maintain the cash cow of the business with new titles," said Mark Goodman, an analyst with Strategy Analytics.

Among the games generating buzz at E3 were Horizon Zero Dawn, a role-playing game featuring a female hunter, and a new instalment in the God of War franchise, analysts said.

Companies staged over-the-top booths with pulsating music, flashing lights, and giant video screens. Organisers limited decibel levels to keep the noise in check.

Developer 2K Czech set up a two-story, New Orleans-style bar and sent a live jazz band marching through the convention halls to promote its game, "Mafia".

Nintendo erected a makeshift cave to mimic the world of the new Legend of Zelda game, attracting a line of hundreds of people and earning positive reviews.

Zelda could be a big enough hit to entice people to buy Nintendo's next-generation console called NX when it comes out next year, McNealy said.

"Anybody who's going to buy a console may buy one for that," he said. "It's a new version of a huge franchise for them." Instagram now boasts more than 500 million users, more than 80 percent of whom are outside the United States, the company said on Tuesday, in a sign of the photo-sharing app's rapidly growing global reach. The company owned by Facebook Inc had 400 million users last September. It has seen its user base more than double over the past two years. Instagram added that 300 million people used the app every day. Instagram has quickly eclipsed its rivals, notably Twitter Inc, which has seen its user base stall at just above 300 million. Facebook has about 1.6 billion users. Facebook bought Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion, its first large acquisition, a deal initially met with scepticism. Instagram has grown into one of the most popular social media apps worldwide and is expected to contribute significantly to Facebook's revenue, with research firm eMarketer predicting the company will generate $1.5 billion in ad revenue this year. It is able to leverage Facebook's popular advertising technology and resources to target highly specific audiences. Instagram said users shared on average more than 95 million photos and videos every day, with posts garnering 4.2 billion "likes" each day.

Patients greeted by robot at Belgian hospital

2016-07-13T04:37:00.000-07:00

A Belgian hospital has just welcomed its newest staff member: Pepper, a humanoid robot that speaks 19 languages.

Developed to improve social and health care by the Belgian company Zora Bots, Pepper joined the medical team as a receptionist at Ostend hospital AZ Damiaan.

Pepper will introduce visitors to the hospital, provide information and guide visitors and patients to the correct floor and room.

With a speed of just 3 km/h (1.8 mph), Pepper is also able to guide slower patients. Fully charged, it can work for up to 20 hours on its own.

"The robot itself is a meter 20 high, so it is not like Arnold Schwarzenegger with a leather jacket and an 'I will be back' robot," said Zora Bots' co-chief executive, Fabrice Goffin. "It is a quite nice robot and the reactions are positive for the moment."

During the first week, Pepper was mainly used on the hospital’s maternity department.

Bieke Vandeputte, the mother of a newborn baby, was amazed.

"it is another way of making contact and maybe it is reassuring that it is a robot for some people," she said. “The baby was really sure. He did not mind putting his hands on it. It did not frighten him so I think it will be important. Especially for children."

Pepper is not the first robot used at the AZ Damiaan hospital, but it is the first to communicate with patients and to have the ability to guide them.

Before the arrival of Pepper, the staff had already worked with a predecessor, Zora, for about a year. Zora is smaller and slower than Pepper and used mainly in physical therapy classes.

At a price of 30,000 euros, Pepper is expensive. So far, only Japanese customers have bought one to use at home.

Instagram's user base grows to more than 500 million

2016-07-13T04:27:00.000-07:00

Instagram now boasts more than 500 million users, more than 80 percent of whom are outside the United States, the company said on Tuesday, in a sign of the photo-sharing app's rapidly growing global reach.

The company owned by Facebook Inc had 400 million users last September. It has seen its user base more than double over the past two years. Instagram added that 300 million people used the app every day.

Instagram has quickly eclipsed its rivals, notably Twitter Inc, which has seen its user base stall at just above 300 million. Facebook has about 1.6 billion users.

Facebook bought Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion, its first large acquisition, a deal initially met with scepticism.

Instagram has grown into one of the most popular social media apps worldwide and is expected to contribute significantly to Facebook's revenue, with research firm eMarketer predicting the company will generate $1.5 billion in ad revenue this year.

It is able to leverage Facebook's popular advertising technology and resources to target highly specific audiences.

Instagram said users shared on average more than 95 million photos and videos every day, with posts garnering 4.2 billion "likes" each day.

Final investigation report on Bangladesh Bank cyber heist will be released in a few days, Muhith says

2016-07-12T21:02:00.000-07:00

The final probe report on the Bangladesh Bank cyber heist submitted by a government-commissioned probe committee will be made public ‘in a few days’, says Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith.

The investigation team, headed by former Bangladesh bank governor Mohammed Farashuddin, had hinted at the involvement of bank insiders in its report.

It was handed in to Muhith on May 30. The minister at the time had said that he would be able to make public the contents of the report after ‘going through it’.

On Monday, he told reporters at his ministry, “They have finalised the report. Action is also being taken according to that. In a few days’ time, I shall release the report.”

In an audacious bank heist using information technology, hackers tried to swindle $1 billion belonging to Bangladesh from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York using forged commands through Swift Messaging system.

The hackers siphoned off $81 million to an account in the Philippines using five messages. Another $20 million were moved to Sri Lanka through another command.

Though the Sri Lankan transfer was stopped successfully, the Philippines transfer was successful and after conversion into the local currency, the money made its way to gambling dens, making it impossible to be recovered.

People in Bangladesh could learn about the largest cyber heist in the world through reports published in a Filipino newspaper a month after the incident.

Atiur Rahman had to quit the position of governor of Bangladesh Bank after drawing flak for keeping the theft under wraps. It was followed by a major overhaul of the top brass of Bangladesh Bank.

On Mar 25, the government appointed a three member probe team headed by former governor of Bangladesh Bank Mohammed Farashuddin.

The committee has been entrusted to look into various angles related to the theft including tracing the ones at whose behest the forged messages to transfer the funds were sent, to ascertain the logic behind keeping the incident under wraps for up to a month by Bangladesh Bank authorities, to see if the personnel of the bank were negligent in their duty and other vital areas.

The interim report was submitted to the minister on Apr 20 and the final report was handed in on May 30.

Having received the report just ahead of the budget for the 2016-17 fiscal, the finance minister expressed confidence that he could make the report public within the next 15 to 20 days.

After submitting the report Committee head Farashuddin said that the committee had “deviated slightly” from their initial stand declaring that no bank employee was involved in the incident.

Neither the Finance Minister nor Farashuddin divulged details as to who was involved in the theft or what punitive actions would be taken.

Replying to queries from journalists Farashuddin merely said, “SWIFT cannot evade responsibility. Whether SWIFT is mainly responsible or not is mentioned in the report. However, our future problems can be solved only in collaboration with Swift.”

He also said that the report contains an assessment on how much money could be recovered from the theft.

“We have given a much optimistic picture”, Farashuddin said.

Solar plane lands in Spain after three-day Atlantic crossing

2016-07-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

An airplane powered solely by the sun landed safely in Seville in Spain early on Thursday after an almost three-day flight across the Atlantic from New York in one of the longest legs of the first ever fuel-less flight around the world.

The single-seat Solar Impulse 2 touched down shortly after 7:30am local time in Seville after leaving John F Kennedy International Airport at about 2:30am EDT on Jun 20.

The flight of just over 71 hours was the 15th leg of the round-the-world journey by the plane piloted in turns by Swiss aviators Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg.

"Oh-la-la, absolutely perfect," Piccard said after landing, thanking his engineering crew for their efforts.

With a cruising speed of around 70 kilometres an hour (43 miles per hour), similar to an average car, the plane has more than 17,0000 solar cells built in to wings with a span bigger than that of a Boeing 747.

US IRS probes Facebook over Ireland asset transfer

2016-07-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

The US Internal Revenue Service is examining Facebook Inc over its transfer of various rights associated with its worldwide business to a holding company in Ireland, according to court papers.

The US Justice Department filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco seeking to enforce IRS summonses served on Facebook and to force the world's largest social network to produce various documents as part of the probe.

The lawsuit said the documents relate to an IRS examination of the company's tax liability for 2010, when Facebook's tax return reported royalty income from transfers of intangible property to Facebook Ireland Holdings Unlimited.

"Facebook complies with all applicable rules and regulations in the countries where we operate," Anteneh Daniel, a spokesperson for the company, said in a statement on Thursday.

Facebook transferred to the Irish company rights associated with its worldwide business, with the exception of the United States and Canada, the lawsuit said.

Facebook reduces its tax bill by having non-US clients pay advertising fees directly to an Irish subsidiary called Facebook Ireland Ltd.

This subsidiary reported revenues of 4.8 billion euros in 2014, the last year for which accounts are available.

But Facebook Ireland Ltd reports low taxable profit, of just 13 million euros in 2014, because it pays a significant chunk of its revenue to another Irish-registered company called Facebook Ireland Holdings, in return for the use of the Facebook platform.

The lawsuit said Facebook retained accounting firm Ernst & Young to value the transfers for tax purposes, but noted that information gathered by the IRS to date suggested that the valuation approach was "problematic".

Astronomers spy giant planet, three stars in odd celestial ballet

2016-07-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

Astronomers have discovered a planet unlike any other ever found, one that loops widely around one star that is locked in a gravitational embrace with two others in a triple-star system, creating a curious celestial ballet.

The findings, published on Thursday in the journal Science, challenge current notions about what makes a planetary system viable.

With three stars in the system, the massive planet would experience triple sunrises and triple sunsets during one season and all daylight in another. Since the planet's orbit is very long, each season lasts for hundreds of years.

"Depending on which season you were born in, you may never know what night-time is like," lead researcher Kevin Wagner of the University of Arizona said.

The planet, called HD 131399Ab, is about four times bigger than Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, and is orbiting in a three-star system located about 340 light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus.

Scientists are not sure how HD 131399Ab came to exist. It orbits its parent star about twice as far as Pluto circles the sun, needing 550 years to complete a single orbit.

Astronomers have previously discovered planets in multi-star systems, but never one that circles a parent star with such a wide berth. It also is one of the few extrasolar planets - those outside our solar system - to be directly imaged by telescope.

The planet's orbit is akin to the distance more typically seen when a star orbits another star, not a planet orbiting a star.

"This is the first planet that we've found with an orbit that is comparable to that of the stars," Wagner said.

If HD 131399Ab's orbit was just a bit wider, computer simulations show it could be gravitationally elbowed out of the system by the pair of smaller stars that orbit each other and the main star, which is about 80 percent bigger than the sun.

Though the planet is relatively young, around 16 million years old compared to the 4.5-billion-year-old Earth, it likely has had an eventful life.

Scientists suspect it may have started off in a much closer orbit around two parent stars before it was gravitationally bounced to its extreme distance.

Scientists plan additional observations to determine if the planet's orbit is actually stable.

"It is not clear how this planet ended up on its wide orbit in this extreme system ... but it shows there is more variety out there than many would have deemed possible," Wagner said.

The planet was detected using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in northern Chile.

Ratings agencies rip into UK's credit score after Brexit vote

2016-07-12T08:25:00.000-07:00

Britain suffered further blows to its economic standing on Monday as two top ratings agencies downgraded its sovereign credit score, judging last week's vote to leave the European Union would hurt its economy. Standard & Poor's stripped Britain of its last remaining top-notch credit rating, dropping it by two grades from "AAA" to "AA" and warning more downgrades could follow. Fitch Ratings also downgraded its ranking for Britain's creditworthiness by one notch, and similarly said more cuts could follow. The ratings agencies effectively added a rubber stamp to the market's view of the Brexit vote, as sterling tanked to a 31-year low against the US dollar on Monday and stock markets fell for a second trading day since the referendum last Thursday. It was the first time S&P had chopped an AAA-rated sovereign credit rating by two notches in one move. "In our opinion, this (referendum) outcome is a seminal event, and will lead to a less predictable, stable, and effective policy framework in the UK," S&P said in a statement. Finance minister George Osborne said on Monday the British economy was strong enough to cope with the volatility caused by Thursday's referendum. But the vote has plunged the country into a political crisis, with the ruling Conservative Party looking for a new leader after Prime Minister David Cameron said he would stay on until October, delaying the launch of negotiations with the EU and leaving the country's economic prospects under a cloud of uncertainty. The added prospect of a new independence referendum in Scotland, which voted strongly to stay in the EU, threatens the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom, S&P warned. Fitch more than halved its growth forecast for Britain's economy in 2017 and 2018 to just 0.9 percent for both years, from 2 percent previously. Long-dated US Treasury yields fell to session lows after S&P's decision. British 10-year government borrowing costs had already fallen below 1 percent for the first time during European trading hours. S&P warned financial firms, especially foreign ones, might look to other destinations for investment after Britain leaves the EU. The remaining major ratings agency, Moody's, which took away Britain's AAA-rating in 2013 because of the country's high levels of debt and slow growth, said on Friday it could cut the rating further. Moody's will downgrade the credit rating outlook for major British banks to "negative" on Tuesday because of the fallout from the vote to leave the EU, Sky News reported, citing sources. Protecting Britain's credit rating was a top priority of Conservative finance minister George Osborne when he came to power in 2010.

Facebook tests end-to-end encryption on Messenger

2016-07-12T07:46:00.000-07:00

Facebook Inc on Friday said it began testing end-to-end encryption on its popular Messenger application to prevent snooping on digital conversations.

The limited testing on Messenger, which has more than 900 million users, comes three months after Facebook rolled out end-to-end encryption to its more popular WhatsApp, a messaging application with over 1 billion users that it acquired in October 2014.

The move comes amid widespread global debate over the extent to which technology companies should help law enforcement snoop on digital communications.

End-to-end encryption is also offered on Apple Inc's iMessage platform as well as apps including LINE, Signal, Viber, Telegram and Wickr.

Facebook Messenger uses the same encryption technology as WhatsApp, which uses a protocol known as Signal that was developed by privately held Open Whisper Systems.

"It seems well designed," said Matthew Green, a Johns Hopkins University cryptologist who helped review an early version of the protocol for Facebook.

While WhatsApp messages are encrypted by default, Facebook Messenger users must turn on the feature to get the extra additional security protection, which scrambles communications so they can only be read on devices at either end of a conversation.

Facebook said that it was requiring users to opt in to encryption because the extra security is not compatible with some widely used Messenger features.

"Many people want Messenger to work when you switch between devices, such as a tablet, desktop computer or phone," the company said in an announcement on its website.

"Secret conversations can only be read on one device and we recognise that experience may not be right for everyone."

Facebook also said that Messenger users cannot send videos or make payments in encrypted conversations.
Christopher Soghoian, principal technologist at the ACLU, called on Facebook to commit to rolling out encryption by default once it irons out any bugs in the new technology.

"Encryption is best when it is hidden, invisible to the user and turned on by default," said Soghoian.

Theresa May to become prime minister on Wednesday

2016-07-12T01:58:00.000-07:00

Interior minister Theresa May will become Britain's prime minister on Wednesday, with the task of steering its withdrawal from the European Union, after rival Andrea Leadsom abruptly terminated her disastrous leadership campaign.May, 59, will succeed David Cameron, who announced he was stepping down after Britons unexpectedly voted last month to quit the EU. Britain's planned withdrawal has weakened the 28-nation bloc, created huge uncertainty over trade and investment, and shaken financial markets. May and Leadsom had been due to contest a ballot of grassroots Conservative party members, with the result to be declared by Sep 9. But Leadsom unexpectedly quit on Monday after a campaign dogged by ill-judged comments about her rival's lack of children and questions about whether she had exaggerated her CV. "I am honoured and humbled to have been chosen by the Conservative Party to become its leader," said May, who favoured remaining in the EU but has made clear there is no going back on the result of the June 23 referendum. "Brexit means Brexit, and we're going to make a success of it." Earlier, Cameron told reporters in front of his 10 Downing Street residence that he expected to chair his last Cabinet meeting on Tuesday and take questions in Parliament on Wednesday before tendering his resignation to Queen Elizabeth. "So we will have a new prime minister in that building behind me by Wednesday evening," he said. May will become Britain's second female prime minister, after Margaret Thatcher. Her victory means that the complex process of extricating Britain from the EU will be led by someone from the losing side of the acrimonious referendum campaign. She has said Britain needs time to work out its negotiating strategy and should not initiate formal divorce proceedings before the end of the year. In a speech earlier on Monday in the city of Birmingham, May said there could be no second referendum and no attempt to rejoin the EU by the back door. "As prime minister, I will make sure that we leave the European Union," she said. The White House said US President Barack Obama was confident that the "special relationship" between the United States and Britain would continue after May becomes prime minister. Relative unknown Leadsom, 53, is a junior energy minister who has never served in Cabinet and was barely known to the British public until she emerged as a prominent voice in the successful Leave campaign. She had been strongly criticised over a newspaper interview in which she appeared to suggest that being a mother meant she had more of a stake in the country's future than May, who has no children. Some Conservatives said they were disgusted by the remarks, for which Leadsom later apologised, while others said they showed naivety and a lack of judgment. Leadsom told reporters she was pulling out of the race to avoid nine weeks of campaign uncertainty at a time when strong leadership was needed. She acknowledged that May had secured much greater backing in a vote of Conservative Members of Parliament last week. "I have ... concluded that the interests of our country are best served by the immediate appointment of a strong and well supported prime minister," she said. "I am therefore withdrawing from the leadership election and I wish Theresa May the very greatest success." Graham Brady, head of the Conservative party committee in charge of the leadership contest, confirmed that May had been elected with immediate effect. The pound, which has hit 31-year lows since the referendum on concern about potential damage to the British economy, bounced slightly on the news that the Conservative leadership question would be resolved much sooner than expected. It was trading around $1.2970, up 0.1 percent on the day but still down around 13 percent since the day of the vote. The FTSE 250 index of mid-sized companies rose 3.27 percent. "Welcome news we have 1 candidate with overwhelming support to be next PM. Theresa May has strength, integrity & determination to do the job," finance minister George Osborne tweeted. Forging new role The 52-to-48 percent vote to quit the EU after 43 years of membership was a stunning rebuke to Britain's political leaders and especially Cameron, who had argued that breaking away would bring economic disaster. Britons ignored his warnings, swayed by the arguments of the Leave campaign that 'Brexit' would enable them to regain 'independence' from Brussels and clamp down on high immigration, something hard to achieve under EU rules allowing people to live and work anywhere in the bloc. May's leadership hopes had appeared at risk of being damaged by her failure, in six years as interior minister, to bring immigration down, and the fact she found herself on the losing side of the referendum campaign. Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron makes a statement outside 10 Downing Street in Westminster, London, July 11, 2016. Reuters Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron makes a statement outside 10 Downing Street in Westminster, London, July 11, 2016. Reuters But her two best-known rivals on the Leave side were felled by political back-stabbing when Justice Secretary Michael Gove brought down former London mayor Boris Johnson and was then punished for his perceived treachery by being eliminated from a ballot of Conservative MPs. In her speech in Birmingham on Monday, May set out her vision for the economy, calling for "a country that works for everyone, not just the privileged few". In a pitch for the political centre, she said she would prioritise more house-building, a crackdown on tax evasion by individuals and companies, lower energy costs and a narrowing of the 'unhealthy' gap between the pay of employees and corporate bosses. "Under my leadership, the Conservative Party will put itself completely, absolutely, unequivocally, at the service of ordinary working people ... we will make Britain a country that works for everyone," she said. Labour disarray May's biggest challenge will be to map out the course of Britain's withdrawal, a process still clouded in uncertainty, and to sort out new terms of trade with the other 27 EU nations. "We will have difficult negotiations with Britain, it will not be easy," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel who insisted that Britain would not be able to get free access to the EU's single market without accepting free movement of people. European Economics Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said: "We should open the negotiations as quickly as possible in order to limit uncertainty." More than 1,000 British lawyers said in a letter to Cameron that Members of Parliament should decide whether Britain leaves the EU because the referendum was not legally binding. Opposition members of parliament, responding to the impending appointment of May, demanded a general election. "It is crucial, given the instability caused by the Brexit vote, that the country has a democratically elected prime minister," Labour party election co-ordinator Jon Trickett said. Labour too has been thrown into upheaval by the referendum, with leader Jeremy Corbyn widely criticised for failing to make a sufficiently passionate case in favour of staying in the EU. Minutes before Leadsom's announcement, Labour lawmaker Angela Eagle launched a leadership challenge to Corbyn. "Jeremy Corbyn is unable to provide the leadership that this party needs -- I believe I can," Eagle said. Corbyn was elected last year with overwhelming support from grassroots Labour activists. He has ignored a vote of no confidence from the party's lawmakers, saying he has a responsibility to carry out that mandate.

Actor Takei says making 'Star Trek' character Sulu gay 'unfortunate'

2016-07-10T21:31:00.001-07:00

Veteran "Star Trek" actor George Takei may have been the inspiration to make fan favourite character Hikaru Sulu gay in the franchise's new film, but he called the decision "really unfortunate", media outlets reported on Friday.

Takei, who is gay in real life, told the Hollywood Reporter that while he was "delighted" that "Star Trek Beyond" included a gay character, the new version of Sulu does not reflect the original vision of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, who died in 1991 at age 70.

Sulu was conceived as a heterosexual character, Takei said.

"Unfortunately, it’s a twisting of Gene’s creation, to which he put in so much thought. I think it’s really unfortunate," the 79-year-old Takei told the publication.

Actor John Cho, who plays Sulu, the helmsman of the starship USS Enterprise in "Star Trek Beyond", told Australia's Herald Sun this week that his character is married to a man and is a father to a daughter with his partner.

"Star Trek Beyond" will be released in theatres on July 22.

Cho told the newspaper that the decision to make Sulu gay was to pay homage to Takei, a long-time advocate of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.

Takei's response came as a surprise to actor Simon Pegg, who plays Scotty in "Star Trek Beyond" and co-wrote the script.

Pegg said in a statement to media outlets, "I must respectfully disagree" with Takei, and that by making a franchise staple gay, the character would not be defined by it.

"We could have introduced a new gay character but he or she would have been primarily defined by their sexuality, seen as the ‘gay character’, rather than simply for who they are and isn’t that tokenism?” Pegg said.

"The audience would infer that there has been an LGBT presence in the Trek Universe from the beginning ... that a gay hero isn’t something new or strange," Pegg added.

Representatives for Takei, Pegg and Paramount Pictures, the studio behind the franchise, did not return requests for comment on Friday.

The decision to make the long-time franchise staple character gay comes as Hollywood faces growing pressure to include more diversity in its blockbuster films.

There has yet to be an openly gay superhero or action star leading a film franchise.