Sisi says in first speech to nation fighting terrorism will be top priority

(Reuters) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said in his first speech to the nation on Sunday that he will focus on fighting terrorism in the "coming phase". "Defeating terrorism and achieving security is the top priority in our coming phase," said Sisi hours after being sworn in, referring to his Islamist opponents.

Egypt's Sisi takes office to cool reception from West

Egyptians celebrate after the swearing-in ceremony of President elect Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, in front of the Presidential Palace in Cairo, June 8, 2014.

Credit: Reuters/Asmaa Waguih

(Reuters) - Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promised to rule Egypt in an inclusive manner after he was sworn in as president on Sunday but gave no indication he would reconcile with the Muslim Brotherhood movement he removed from power nearly a year ago. In an inauguration ceremony with low-key attendance by Western allies concerned by a crackdown on dissent, the former army chief called for hard work and the development of freedom "in a responsible framework away from chaos". Last month's election, which officials said Sisi won with 97 percent of the vote, followed three years of upheaval since a popular uprising ended 30 years of rule by former air force commander Hosni Mubarak. Security in Cairo was extra tight, with armoured personnel carriers and tanks positioned in strategic locations. Sisi said combating terrorism would be his top priority for the time being, a reference to Islamist foes he describes as a threat to national security. "As for those who shed the blood of the innocents, there will be no place for them in this path," Sisi said in his first speech to the nation. "And I say it loud and clear, there will be no soft stand with anyone who resorts to violence or whoever wants to delay our march towards the future that we want for our children." Sisi toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Brotherhood last July after mass protests against his rule. Security forces then killed hundreds of Brotherhood supporters in the streets and jailed thousands of others in a crackdown that polarised the biggest Arab state, which controls the strategic Suez Canal and has a peace treaty with Israel. In an earlier speech to foreign dignitaries, Sisi called for "an inclusive national march" in an apparent bid to heal political divisions and put an end to street protests that have hammered the economy. Critics fear Sisi will become yet another authoritarian leader who will preserve the interests of the military and the Mubarak-era establishment, crushing the hopes of democracy. Near Tahrir Square, the symbolic heart of the revolt against Mubarak where protesters now rarely tread, young men sold t-shirts with the image of Sisi in his trademark dark sunglasses. Commentators on state and private media heaped praise on him, turning a blind eye to what human rights groups say are widespread abuses, in the hope that he can deliver stability and rescue state finances. Many Egyptians share that hope, but they have limited patience, staging street demonstrations that toppled two leaders in the past three years, and the election turnout of just 47 percent shows Sisi is not as popular as when he toppled Mursi. "Sisi has to do something in his first 100 days, people will watch closely and there might be another revolution. That's what people are like in this country," said theology student Israa Youssef, 21. Western countries, who hoped the overthrow of Mubarak in 2011 would usher in a new era of democracy, have watched Egypt's political transition stumble. Mursi was the country's first freely elected president, but his year in power was tarnished by accusations that he usurped power, imposed the Brotherhood's views on Islam and mismanaged the economy, allegations he denied. GULF LIFELINE Mursi's ouster was applauded by Egypt's Gulf Arab allies, who were alarmed by the rise of the Brotherhood, the international standard-bearer of mainstream Sunni political Islam. The 86-year-old movement with branches in many countries, is seen as a threat to Gulf dynasties. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait extended a lifeline exceeding $12 billion in cash and petroleum products to help Egypt stave off economic collapse after Sisi appeared on television and announced that the Brotherhood was finished. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia urged Egyptians this week to back Sisi and said they should disown "the strange chaos" of the Arab uprisings. Kuwait's Emir, the King of Bahrain, the Crown Princes of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi are attending Sisi's inauguration, according to a list provided by the Egyptian presidency. In contrast, the United States only sent a senior advisor to Secretary of State John Kerry and most European countries only planned to send ambassadors. "Just having ambassadors shows very clearly that while the governments are recognising the new transfer of power they are certainly not doing so with a huge amount of enthusiasm," said H.A. Hellyer, non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. Diplomatic manoeuvring's pale as a problem for Sisi compared with an urgent need to fix state finances and tackle an Islamist insurgency to lure back tourists and investors. The economy is suffering from corruption, bureaucracy and a widening budget deficit aggravated by fuel subsidies that cost nearly $19 billion a year. Officials forecast economic growth at just 3.2 percent in the fiscal year that begins July 1, well below levels needed to create enough jobs for a rapidly growing population and ease widespread poverty. Child nursery employee Kamal Mahmoud, 25, said he was optimistic but would give Sisi only two years to bring change. If he doesn't succeed "he has no right to hold that position and he should join the others sitting in prison", he said. Sisi has no strong political opponents, with the Brotherhood forced underground. Parliamentary elections are expected later this year, but government opponents have been crushed and political parties weakened. Only one other candidate contested the presidential election. The military is unlikely to turn against Sisi unless mass street protests erupt. "Sisi was the best option we had, so even if I still have worries about his stand on freedoms and even if he lets Mubarak people come back, he is still the best candidate for now," said Mohamed Ahmed, an employee in a private firm. The world knew little of Sisi before he appeared on television on July 3 to announce the removal of Mursi after vast crowds demanded he resign, and to promise democracy. Sisi had kept a low profile as Mubarak's head of military intelligence. That approach dates back to his childhood in the run-down Cairo neighbourhood of Gamaliya. While most boys played along alleys, Sisi kept to himself, focusing on his studies, working in his father's shop after school and weightlifting, people who knew him say. But Sisi will need more than iron discipline to come up with solutions for Egyptians like Fathi Bayoumi, 60, who had hoped the 2011 revolt would ease hardships in his slum, where there are puddles of open sewage. “He will do his best but it is not in his hands because the country has fallen. He does not have a magic wand… May God be with him," said Bayoumi. Poverty is just one of the challenges facing Sisi. He is likely to face the same protracted challenge from Islamists as his predecessors. The Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist group and weakened but it has survived repression before. "Sisi does not enjoy legitimacy or support from the people," said Mursi supporter Wael Kamel, a physician who lives in the town of Fayoum, south of Cairo. "The election was a farce." Radical Islamist groups, who have threatened to bomb their way into power, have proven resilient despite army offensives. Militants based in the Sinai Peninsula have stepped up attacks on police and soldiers since Mursi's ouster, killing hundreds. Other militants operating along the border with chaotic Libya are now seen by Sisi as a major threat. (Reporting by Cairo bureau; writing by Michael Georgy; editing by Philippa Fletcher and Anna Willard)

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Six governments tap Vodafone calls

Vodafone branding is seen outside a retail store in London November 12, 2013.

Reuters) - The world's second-biggest mobile phone company Vodafone revealed government agencies in six unidentified countries use its network to listen to and record customers' calls, showing the scale of telecom eavesdropping around the world. The United States and Britain both came in for global scrutiny and criticism after Edward Snowden, a former contractor with the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), disclosed their vast phone, email and internet surveillance operations. But Vodafone (VOD.L), which has 400 million customers in countries across Europe, Africa and Asia, said in its "Disclosure Report" on Friday that countries in its reach are using similar practices. While most governments needed legal notices to tap into customers' communications, there were six countries where that was not the case, it said. "In a small number of countries the law dictates that specific agencies and authorities must have direct access to an operator's network, bypassing any form of operational control over lawful interception on the part of the operator," Vodafone said. Vodafone did not name the six for legal reasons. It added that in Albania, Egypt, Hungary, India, Malta, Qatar, Romania, South Africa and Turkey it could not disclose any information related to wiretapping or interception. The Vodafone report, which is incomplete because many governments will not allow it to disclose requests, also linked to already-published national data which showed Britain and Australia making hundreds of thousands of requests. It showed that of the countries in which it operates, EU member Italy made the most requests for communication data. Germany, which expressed outrage when it was revealed last year that U.S. intelligence services had listened into the calls of Angela Merkel, also made requests to listen in to conversations and collect the data around them, such as where the calls were made and how long they lasted. Vodafone received no requests from the government of the United States because it does not have an operating licence there. It exited a joint mobile venture with Verizon last year. The extent of U.S. and British surveillance was laid bare when the NSA's Snowden passed stolen secret documents to newspapers, triggering a spy scandal that caused a standoff between U.S. President Barack Obama and the Kremlin and led to calls for greater scrutiny of Western agents. ACCESS AT THE FLICK OF A SWITCH In the cases of the six countries, the company said government agencies had inserted their own equipment into the Vodafone network, or diverted Vodafone's data traffic through government systems, to enable them to listen into calls, and determine where they were made. "For governments to access phone calls at the flick of a switch is unprecedented and terrifying," said Shami Chakrabarti, Director of human rights group Liberty. "Snowden revealed the internet was already treated as fair game. Bluster that all is well is wearing pretty thin – our analogue laws need a digital overhaul." Western security services say they are fighting a silent war with extremists who are trying to kill their citizens and the head of Britain's MI5 Security Service has said Snowden's revelations were a gift to terrorists. Vodafone runs mobile and some broadband operations in 27 countries and works with partners in 49 more. It also has a small number of local operator businesses in other countries through its acquisition of the Cable & Wireless worldwide business. It said it had received requests in 29 countries. Vodafone linked to data released by national governments, covering either 2013 or the most recent year available. It noted that each country, agency and operator counts requests in different ways and therefore it was difficult to compare them. According to the most recent national reports, which were collated by the Guardian newspaper, Australia made 685,757 requests for details about calls, such as where they were made and to whom. It intercepted 3,389 calls. Britain had similar statistics, with 514,608 requests for details and 2,760 interceptions. Germany made 18,026 requests, with 23,687 interceptions in 2012, the last time data was given. Vodafone is the world's second largest mobile operator in terms of customer numbers, behind China Mobile (0941.HK).

Gunman kills one, three wounded at Christian college in Seattle

A policeman secures the scene at Seattle Pacific University after the campus was evacuated due to a shooting in Seattle, Washington June 5, 2014.

(Reuters) - A man armed with a shotgun opened fire on Thursday at a small Christian college in Seattle, killing one person and wounding two others before he was subdued by a group of students and arrested, Seattle police and hospital officials said. A fourth person was injured in the struggle with the gunman, police said. The Seattle Police Department said via Twitter that Aaron Ybarra, 26, had been booked into King County Jail for the shooting at Seattle Pacific University. The lone suspect, who was not a student, entered an academic building of the university in the late afternoon and shot three people, police said. He was disarmed as he paused to reload his gun and was pepper-sprayed by a student security guard. "Other students jumped on top of them, and they were able to pin the shooter to the ground until police arrived" minutes later, police Captain Chris Fowler told reporters on the scene. Americans are engaged in a protracted debate over gun control regulations after a series of shootings in public places such as schools and theaters. On May 24, a 22-year-old gunman killed six people before taking his own life in a rampage across a California college town. [ID:nL1N0OA09E] One eyewitness in Seattle, Chris Howard, a 22-year-old junior, told Reuters he was in a classroom when one of the male victims rushed in bleeding from the neck and told students to lock the doors. Stepping outside the classroom moments later, Howard said he saw the gunman lying on the floor with the student security monitor on top of him, surrounded by bullet shells, and saw a second victim with a tourniquet tied around a bleeding arm, being assisted by another student. He was armed with a gun and a knife and extra ammunition, police said. The suspect could face a murder charge, Fowler told an evening news conference. A representative of Harborview Medical Center in Seattle said four patients from the shooting were brought to the hospital and that one, a man in his 20s, had died. Two other men, aged 22 and 24, were listed in satisfactory condition, and a 20-year-old woman was listed as critical and undergoing surgery, the hospital official said. One of the men suffered pellet wounds to his neck and chest and the other suffered minor injuries, police said. NO MOTIVE IMMEDIATELY CLEAR Further details of the shooting in the upscale Seattle suburb of Queen Anne, a residential neighborhood, were not immediately clear, and authorities did not offer an explanation for any motive behind the gun violence. Another student, Blake Oliveira, 21, who was taking a physics course in Otto Miller Hall at the time, told Reuters he heard a gunshot outside the classroom, followed by the sound of running footsteps, which he presumed to be the gunman. His professor instructed the students to stay put in the classroom, and the door was locked, Oliveira said. Seattle Pacific University is a Methodist liberal arts college about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Seattle's downtown, with about 4,000 students enrolled. The college website said students are subject to disciplinary action for such behavior as extramarital sex or homosexual activity and for the possession or use of alcohol. Students could be seen embracing and otherwise consoling one another on campus, some crying as they recounted hearing a gunshot. An evening prayer service was being held at a campus church. "We're a community that relies on Jesus Christ for strength and we'll need it at this time," said Seattle Pacific University President Daniel Martin. (Addititional reporting by Bill Rigby, Deepa Seetharaman from Seattle, and Cynthia Johnston from Las Vegas; Writing by Steve Gorman and Eric M. Johnson; Editing by Sandra Maler, Jeremy Laurence and Sonya Hepinstall)

Putin, Ukraine leader break crisis ice at D-Day event

(Reuters) - The leaders of Russia and Ukraine held their first talks on Friday since Moscow annexed Crimea, discussing ways to end their four-month conflict in a brief encounter during commemorations in France of the World War Two D-Day landings. French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel brought together Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian president-elect Petro Poroshenko for a 15-minute meeting before they joined other dignitaries for lunch. The meeting was the culmination of weeks of secret diplomacy by French officials to try to break the ice in the most serious European security crisis since the end of the Cold War. Putin later had an equally short "informal" talk with U.S. President Barack Obama, the White House said. Hollande's office said Putin and Poroshenko shook hands and agreed that detailed talks on a ceasefire between Kiev government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine would begin within a few days. They also discussed steps such as Russian recognition of Poroshenko's election as well as economic relations. Poroshenko was photographed looking unsmiling and earnest as he stood with Putin and Merkel. "It was a normal, serious exchange between two leaders," an official in Hollande's office said. "This marks tentative progress which he (Hollande) welcomes, particularly given this occasion so symbolic for peace." In Moscow, a Kremlin spokesman said the two leaders urged a "speedy end to the bloodshed in southeastern Ukraine as well as to fighting on both sides". "It was confirmed that there is no other alternative to resolve the situation than through peaceful political means," the spokesman said. Hollande had invited Poroshenko to Normandy as his personal guest at the last minute in an effort to break the ice between Moscow and Kiev even as fighting continues in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Russian separatists. A White House official said Putin and Obama, who had avoided contact with the Russian leader while the two were in Paris on Thursday - also spoke to each other before the lunch. "It was an informal conversation - not a formal bilateral meeting," White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said by email, adding the encounter lasted 10-15 minutes. "DEMOCRACY'S BEACHHEAD" World leaders and veterans paid tribute to soldiers who fell in the liberation of Europe from Nazi German rule, at a series of ceremonies around the Normandy beaches where allied forces landed 70 years ago on June 6, 1944. Wreaths, parades and parachute-drops honored history's largest amphibious assault, in which 160,000 U.S., British and Canadian troops waded ashore to confront German forces, hastening its defeat and the advent of peace in Europe. Flanked by stooped war veterans, some in wheelchairs, Obama earlier joined Hollande to commemorate victory and reaffirm U.S-French solidarity before the 9,387 white marble headstones of fallen U.S. soldiers at the Normandy American Cemetery. It will be the last major commemoration for most of the veterans, most of whom are in their late 80s and 90s. Obama said the 50-mile (80 km) stretch of Normandy coastline - where allied soldiers landed under fire on beaches codenamed Omaha, Utah, Gold, Sword and Juno - was a "tiny sliver of sand upon which hung more than the fate of a war, but rather the course of human history." "Omaha - Normandy - this was democracy's beachhead," said Obama. "And our victory in that war decided not just a century, but shaped the security and well-being of all posterity." The president sought to link the sacrifices of World War Two to U.S. servicemen killed in combat since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States by al Qaeda Islamist militants. The "9/11 generation of service members" understood that "people cannot live in freedom unless free people are prepared to die for it", he said. Hollande declared that France "would never forget the solidarity between our two nations, solidarity based on a shared ideal, an aspiration, a passion for freedom". Twenty-one foreign leaders attended the commemorations, including Britain's Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister David Cameron, Canada's Stephen Harper as well as Merkel and Putin, whose country suffered the heaviest casualties and struck decisive blows on the eastern front to defeat the Nazis. But while the unity of allies and their bloody sacrifices were the central theme of D-Day remembrance, private talks among government leaders focused on the most serious security crisis in Europe for more than two decades: Ukraine. Russia's annexation of Crimea in March and the standoff in eastern Ukraine have plunged Moscow's relations with the United States and European Union to a post-Cold War low. Fighting continued in eastern Ukraine as Ukrainian forces fended off an attack by pro-Russian separatists on a border post there late on Thursday. The attack was repelled by air strikes but the insurgency has escalated in the past two weeks, killing scores and prompting some families to flee. Russia announced on Thursday it was sending its ambassador to Poroshenko's inauguration on Saturday. A Group of Seven (G7) summit of industrialized nations in Brussels on Thursday, from which Putin was excluded, urged Russia to work with Kiev's new authorities to restore stability in eastern Ukraine or face possible tougher sanctions. On Thursday, Obama told reporters the West would "have no choice to respond" with new sanctions if Russia failed to recognize Ukraine's new government and work to calm pro-Russian gunmen in its former Soviet neighbor. "There is a path in which Russia has the capacity to engage directly with President Poroshenko now. He should take it." Behind the facade of G7 unity, differences emerged over a 1.2 billion euro ($1.63 billion) French contract to sell two Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia. Obama said Paris should have pressed "the pause button" on the deal but Foreign Minister Fabius said the contracts would be honored. ($1 = 0.7345 Euros) (Additional reporting by Nick Vinocur in Paris, Alexei Anishchuk in Deauville; Writing by Alexandria Sage and Mark John; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Paul Taylor)

A Minute With: Elle Fanning on the spell of 'Maleficent'

Elle Fanning as Aurora in Maleficent from Walt Disney Studios.

(Reuters) - At just 16 years of age, Elle Fanning has spent nearly 90 percent of her life in the movie business, having made her debut as a 2-year-old, younger version of her actress sibling Dakota Fanning. But this is no jaded teen actor. She gets excited about playing a Disney princess opposite Angelina Jolie's villain in "Maleficent," the big-budget retelling of the fairytale classic "Sleeping Beauty" that prevailed at the North American box office in its debut last weekend. With her long blond locks and angelic face, Fanning has starred in independent films like "Somewhere" as well as blockbusters like "Super 8." She was 14 when she played Princess Aurora, who is cursed by Maleficent. Fanning talked to Reuters about playing a princess with more depth and finding the fun in her film roles. Q: Is this the biggest production you've been in? A: This is definitely the biggest scale - set-wise, green screen and Angelina. It's pretty huge. And playing a Disney princess, going on set and being there with so many crew members was very different. But it was exciting to have all the world around you. Q: What is your mind-set on such a big production, in a crucial role? A: This one was very special to me, because Sleeping Beauty was my favorite princess growing up. I felt I looked like her the most. To be able to say I am a part of the Disney princess family...that was huge for me. In the animated (version), she has all those characteristics of a princess; she is very delicate and frolics around in the forest. In ours she does that, but she has more strength to her, there is a little bit more depth. In live action, you can really show those emotions. She feels sadness and betrayal. Q: What did you like about this retelling of "Sleeping Beauty"? A: All the questions you have in the original, this one answers those. You get to the back story, you get to see why she (Maleficent) became this way. I don't think someone is just born evil. I think someone has to push them to be bad. That's what I love about it. She stands up for her home, she is protecting it from mankind as well... She is a powerful lady and she is definitely in charge. There is a prince, but she is definitely the heroine. It's definitely girl power. Q: Your director Robert Stromberg is a famous production designer. What is it like being an actor in a production where your director is a real artist? A: I remember going into rehearsals for the first time and he showed me all these sketches. There was this room with all these mood boards. He was so excited about that, and the vibe of the film he wanted to get right. Even if I didn't know how the characters would look exactly, he had it all set out in his brain. He had to imagine all that and also work with us as characters. He did such an amazing job. Q: How do you choose your roles these days? A: You get scripts and read them. I feel like if you have to deliberate about it - 'should I do this or not?' - it is probably 'no.' Because you are going to have to go do it for three months and play that person so you want to have a huge connection to it. I always try to switch things up. From 'Maleficent,' which is such a huge scale, I went and did 'Young Ones' and 'Low Down' which were real small independent films. I like having different experiences and obviously playing different characters because you don't want to get bored. You want to always look different in films and speak differently. That's the fun of it. It's like dressing up.

Beastie Boys seek $2 million from Monster for copyright infringement

Beastie Boys member Adam Horovitz, a.k.a. 'Ad-Rock,', exits the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in Lower Manhattan with his wife punk singer Kathleen Hanna, May 27, 2014.

(Reuters) - A lawyer for the Beastie Boys on Wednesday urged jurors to make Monster Beverage Corp pay at least $2 million for copyright infringement, saying the energy drink maker used their songs without a license in an online video. Kevin Puvalowski, the Brooklyn-born band's lawyer, said in closing arguments in a trial in Manhattan federal court that Monster's unauthorized use of its music in a 2012 promotional video was "absolutely egregious." Beastie Boys members Michael Diamond, or "Mike D," and Adam Horovitz, or "Ad-Rock," sat as spectators in the courtroom as Puvalowski told jurors Monster had hoped to benefit from how "cool" his clients' had become, without their permission. "They didn't care if their employees were stealing from the Beastie Boys," he said. Reid Kahn, Monster's lawyer, acknowledged the energy drink maker had infringed the Beastie Boys' copyrights but said it was because an employee thought the company had permission to use the music. He said the band's demands for damages and claims Monster intended to steal the music to make it look as if the Beastie Boys endorsed the drink were "contrary to common sense." "The plaintiffs try to take the undisputed evidence and spin some tale of an insidious corporate conspiracy," Kahn said. Monster has asked jurors to award the band no more than $125,000. The lawsuit, filed in August 2012, centers on a video promoting an annual snowboarding competition the company organizes and sponsors in Canada called "Ruckus in the Rockies." The video, posted on Monster's YouTube channel, featured the competition and an after-party attended by DJs, including Z-Trip. It included a remix by Z-Trip of Beastie Boys songs, including "Sabotage" and "Make Some Noise." The four-minute video concluded with a sentence saying "RIP MCA." Adam Yauch, a Beastie Boys member who went by "MCA," died a day before the snowboarding event after a battle with cancer. The Beastie Boys complained to Monster in June 2012, saying it did not have permission to use its music. The lawsuit followed. Diamond and Horovitz, who both testified, have been regularly seen in the Manhattan courthouse since the trial began on May 27. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Steve Orlofsky)

SoftBank to start selling personal robots next year

A man holding an umbrella walks past the logo of Softbank Corp at its branch in Tokyo April 22, 2014.

(Reuters) - Japan's SoftBank Corp said on Thursday it will start selling human-like robots for personal use by February, expanding into a sector seen key to addressing labour shortages in one of the world's fastest ageing societies. The robots, which the mobile phone and Internet conglomerate envisions serving as baby-sitters, nurses, emergency medical workers or even party companions, will sell for 198,000 yen ($1,900) and are capable of learning and expressing emotions, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son told a news conference. A prototype will be deployed this week, serving customers at SoftBank mobile phone stores in Japan, he added. The sleek, waist-high robot, named Pepper, accompanied Son to the briefing, speaking to reporters in a high-pitched, boyish voice. "People describe others as being robots because they have no emotions, no heart. For the first time in human history, we're giving a robot a heart, emotions," Son said. The robots were developed by French robotics company Aldebaran, in which SoftBank took a stake in 2012, and will be manufactured by Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd. They will use cloud computing to share data that can develop their own emotional capabilities. Son said they would not share an owner's personal information. Japan's population is one of the most rapidly ageing in the world and the government hopes companies can offset a decline in the labour force by utilising robotics. Several Japanese technology manufacturers are targeting robotics for growth. Panasonic Corp and robotics research subsidiary ActiveLink Co Ltd this week showcased robotic suits and vests to assist in arduous manual tasks such as carrying heavy loads or picking fruit from trees. Personal or household robots, such as the Asimo robot that Honda Motor Co has been developing for more than a decade, are seen as potential elderly care providers. Japan's overall robotics market was worth about 860 billion yen ($8.38 billion) in 2012 and is forecast to more than triple in value to 2.85 trillion yen by 2020, according to a trade ministry report last year. A draft government growth strategy obtained by Reuters calls for a "robotic revolution" that would increase the use of robots in agriculture 20-fold and double manufacturing use. [ID:nL3N0OK2JQ] ($1 = 102.6400 Japanese Yen) (Additional reporting by Faith Hung in Taipei; Editing by Edmund Klamann and Miral Fahmy)

China lodges protest with U.S. over Tiananmen remarks

A police car guards in front of a giant portrait of China's late Chairman Mao Zedong at Tiananmen Square in Beijing June 4, 2014

(Reuters) - China has lodged a diplomatic protest over U.S. remarks on the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, issuing a sterner rejection of Washington's call for it to account for those killed in pro-democracy protests. Tens of thousands of people held a candlelight vigil in Hong Kong on Wednesday to mark the anniversary of the crackdown, while mainland China authorities sought to whitewash the 1989 event. The White House had honored those who gave their lives in the action to crush the protests and said in a statement that it would always speak out in support of the fundamental rights that the protesters sought. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China was "strongly dissatisfied" and "firmly opposed" to the U.S. statement, the official Xinhua news agency said in an English-language report late on Wednesday, adding that it had "lodged solemn representations" with Washington. "The U.S. statement on that incident shows a total disregard of fact. It blames the Chinese government for no reason, gravely interferes in China's internal affairs and violates the basic norms guiding international relations," Hong said. Hong's comments marked an intensification of an earlier response to the White House statement, which called on Washington to respect China's judicial sovereignty and not interfere in its internal affairs. For the ruling Communist Party, the 1989 demonstrations that clogged Tiananmen Square in Beijing and spread to other cities remain taboo. The government has never released a death toll for the crackdown, but estimates from human rights groups and witnesses range from several hundred to several thousand. Chinese leaders have defended the use of the army to quell the protests and said they had chosen the correct path for the sake of the people. China had stepped up its detention of rights advocates before the anniversary and was incensed by an outpouring of criticism from governments and rights groups. Amnesty International said two of its employees were assaulted by Chinese officials on Wednesday after they tried to lay flowers on the steps of China's embassy in London to commemorate the anniversary. A video from the BBC posted to Amnesty's website showed an official shoving UK Director Kate Allen and Wang Ti-Anna, the daughter of an imprisoned Chinese dissident, into a crowd and hurling a bouquet of roses off the steps. (Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Ron Popeski)

Sterling agrees to Clippers sale, will drop NBA lawsuit

Real estate mogul and Los Angeles Clippers NBA basketball team owner Donald Sterling attends the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California May 1, 2012.

(Reuters) - Donald Sterling, the embattled owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, has agreed to sell the team for $2 billion and will drop his lawsuit against the National Basketball Association, his lawyer, Maxwell Blecher, said on Wednesday. Sterling, 80, has been banned for life and fined $2.5 million by the NBA for racist remarks he made in a taped recording that were leaked to the media in April. Most of the players in the NBA are black. His estranged wife, Shelly Sterling, last week agreed to sell the franchise to former Microsoft Corp chief executive Steve Ballmer for an NBA record price of $2 billion. Sterling sued the NBA and league commissioner Adam Silver last week for at least $1 billion in damages, alleging the NBA forced him to sell the franchise based on a recording illegal under California law. The lawsuit was filed at the same time as the NBA tentatively agreed to the Clippers sale and announced that Shelly Sterling agreed that neither she nor the trust that owns the team would sue the league. By dropping his lawsuit and any opposition to the sale, Sterling, who had owned the Clippers for 33 years, brings a close to a crisis that brought shame on the league, caused sponsors to drop the team and led players to consider a boycott. (Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Military jet crashes in Southern California, damages homes

A damaged house is seen at the scene of a U.S. military jet crash in Imperial, California June 4, 2014.

(Reuters) - A U.S. military jet crashed in a Southern California desert town on Wednesday, damaging homes, according to military officials and local media. An AV-8B Harrier jet from the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona, crashed at about 4:20 p.m. local time in Imperial, California, said Corporal Melissa Lee of the San-Diego based Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. As of Wednesday night, eight homes were evacuated, but no injuries had been reported, the Miramar air station said in a statement. The pilot of the downed plane ejected safely and was transported to a hospital for evaluation, Lee said. She said that civilian homes were damaged by the crash, adding that an investigation was being conducted to uncover the cause of the crash. Local television reports showed images of at least one house engulfed in flames and billows of black smoke reaching into the sky. "I heard a large explosion, and it felt like an earthquake," Patricia Roblas, a resident near the crash site, told NBC 7 San Diego. "It was really scary. After they put the fires out, a few minutes later, we saw another huge fire so we didn’t know if there was an explosion because of gas or what." Imperial is a city of nearly 16,000 people that sits about 100 miles (160 km) east of San Diego and only a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. In May, a AV-8B harrier stationed at the same Yuma airbase crashed in a remote desert area on the Gila River Indian Community outside of Phoenix, The Arizona Republic reported. The paper reported that the pilot suffered only a minor injury to his nose, and no community members were hurt. The Harrier jet was the first in the U.S. Marine arsenal capable of vertical or short distance takeoff and landing, and is equipped with thrusters that allow the plane to "hover like a helicopter," according to the Marine's website. (Reporting by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Peter Cooney and Michael Perry)

Florida facing threat from two mosquito-borne diseases

(Reuters) - Two mosquito-borne diseases - dengue fever and chikungunya - are posing a serious threat to Florida and residents should take steps to control mosquito populations to try to limit the danger, a leading health expert said on Wednesday. The Florida Department of Health, in its latest weekly report, said that through last week dengue fever had been confirmed in 24 people in Florida and chikungunya confirmed in 18 people. Both are viral diseases spread by mosquito bites. All of the infected people in Florida have traveled to the Caribbean or South America and could have become infected there, according to Walter Tabachnick, director of the Florida Medical Entomological Laboratory in Vero Beach, which is part of the University of Florida. Epidemiologists are worried that mosquitoes in Florida may have picked up the diseases by biting infected people, which could kick off an epidemic in the state, Tabachnick said. "The threat is greater than I've seen in my lifetime," said Tabachnick, who has worked in the field for 30 years. "Sooner or later, our mosquitoes will pick it up and transmit it to us. That is the imminent threat," he added. Tabachnick urged the public to eliminate standing water including in buckets and rain barrels where mosquitoes can breed. "If there is public apathy and people don't clean up the yards, we're going to have a problem," Tabachnick said. Dengue is potentially fatal, and both diseases cause serious and lingering symptoms. The most common symptoms of chikungunya infection are fever and joint pain, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tabachnick said the last statewide epidemics in Florida of dengue occurred in the 1930s. Localized epidemics of dengue occurred in 2013 in a small neighborhood in Jensen Beach where 24 people were infected, and in 2009 and 2010 in Key West where 28 people were infected, according to state and federal reports. The Caribbean Public Health Agency said this week that authorities in 18 Caribbean countries or territories had reported more than 100,000 confirmed or suspected cases of chikungunya. In the Dominican Republic, where health officials reported more than 53,000 suspected cases, hospitals in hard-hit areas are treating hundreds of new patients per day. (Additional reporting by Ezra Fieser in Santo Domingo; Editing by David Adams and Will Dunham)

As IPO nears, Alibaba prepares employees for $40 billion windfall

A woman stands next to a door inside the headquarters of Alibaba in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, April 23, 2014.

(Reuters) - As Alibaba prepares for what could be the biggest tech company IPO to date, the Chinese e-commerce giant has been counseling employees on how to deal with the roughly $41 billion they could unlock through a New York listing. While some staffers have enquired if premium brand BMW (BMWG.DE) sells cars in Alibaba's corporate orange, others may invest windfall stock gains in property in North America or channel funds back into start-up ventures in China, hoping to build future Alibabas, bankers and financial planners say. The company, though, has been preparing employees for years on how to manage the avalanche of cash, warning them not to be carried away and splurge on material goods. While Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's (IPO-ALIB.N) co-founders Jack Ma and Joseph Tsai are already billionaires, many more paper millionaires could be minted once employees are free to sell shares some time after the IPO. Current and former Alibaba employees hold 26.7 percent of the company, having built up their holdings through stock options and other incentives awarded since 1999, according to securities filings, though these didn't detail the number of employee shareholders. The IPO windfall - Alibaba could be worth $152 billion, according to the average from a Reuters survey of 25 analysts - will be larger than anything China has seen because of the depth of the group's employee ownership and the size of the company. Not just managers, but software engineers and staff from sales and marketing and related companies such as Alipay also stand to benefit from selling shares after the IPO. Some of the 20,000 employees have already had the opportunity to sell part of their stakes during previous Alibaba structured share sales through so called liquidity programs. "The thinking was that if sudden wealth is like venom, giving small doses every now and then was a bit like anti-venom because your company isn't thrown into chaos," said a person familiar with Alibaba's incentive plans who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. MOVING ON In its IPO prospectus, Alibaba acknowledged its concerns about employee shareholders coming into new-found wealth, and maybe wanting to move on. "It may be difficult for us to continue to retain and motivate these employees, and this wealth could affect their decisions about whether or not they remain with us," it said. Over recent years, Alibaba executives have discussed with employees how the windfall gains could change their lives, warning them not to splash it all on "glitzy things", said people familiar with those discussions. Former Chief Operating Officer Savio Kwan was one of the executives who took part in the talks, the people said, along with external speakers and academics brought in to talk about leadership, personal development and business goals. "One thing Jack (Ma) and Savio did was from the early days prepare employees for the effects of having wealth," said Porter Erisman, a former Alibaba vice president and director of "Crocodile in the Yangtze," a documentary about Alibaba's first decade. "I remember Savio giving a speech about what money means, and he encouraged people to think of money as something that offered more choices. Those choices don't have to be material goods," he added. Alibaba declined to comment for this article. HOW TO SPEND IT As happened after Facebook Inc's (FB.O) IPO in 2012, the new Alibaba millionaires are seen driving up demand for luxury cars and apartments, giving a boost to the economy of China's eastern city of Hangzhou, where the company is based. Facebook millionaires spent some of their cash booking a trip with a private space tourism company and on an exploration of ancient Mayan ruins in Central America, while some Google Inc (GOOGL.O) shareholders cashed in during the internet firm's IPO to travel around the world, start a documentary film business and open a health-conscious cafe, media reported at the time. BMW dealerships in Hangzhou have fielded enquiries from Alibaba employees asking if they have models in orange, Reuters Insider television has reported. But the Chinese government's austerity campaign is likely to keep a lid on too much ostentatious spending, and because the stock listing will be in the United States most of the money employees receive from eventual stake sales would likely be kept offshore rather than flow back to Alibaba's Chinese base. "Check real estate in Vancouver, not so much Ferraris and real estate in China," said a person closely involved with the IPO who was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue. Investment bankers and financial consultants predicted that much of the IPO windfall that does return to China would likely go into new technology ventures. Hangzhou is in a part of China already known as a hotbed for entrepreneurship. As of last year, the city had more than 560 multi-millionaires and in a decade is expected to rival Los Angeles in the number of so-called ultra high net worth individuals, according to property consultant Knight Frank. "There aren't many cases in China where a private company scales from an apartment to more than 20,000 people like that," said another person with direct knowledge of the IPO process. "More than anything, the impact might be in start-ups, with people coming out with money who have been through this and learned." LOCKED-UP Much of the Alibaba wealth is in the hands of Ma, Tsai and a group of senior executives who make up the so-called Alibaba Partnership. These 28 people - 22 from Alibaba and 6 from related companies and affiliates - own a combined 14 percent of Alibaba, according to the company's filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission - worth over $21 billion. The filing doesn't detail the holdings of top executives such as CEO Jonathan Lu, Chief Financial Officer Maggie Wu, Chief Operating Officer Daniel Zhang, Chief Technology Officer Jian Wan and General Counsel Timothy Steinert. Those five, who with Ma and Tsai are among the 28 partners, appear only as owning less than 1 percent of Alibaba. The IPO will provide employees their biggest opportunity yet to cash out of their vested stocks once share lock-ups expire. The largest previous sell-down was in 2011 when employees sold about $2 billion worth of stakes to investors including private equity firms DST Global and Silver Lake [SILAK.UL], according to a statement from those firms and the IPO filing. Ma sold $162 million worth of shares that year, while Tsai raised $108 million from selling part of his stake. In the same year, CEO Lu raised $37.7 million, CFO Wu sold $4.99 million worth of shares, and former COO Kwan sold a stake worth $40.5 million. Sabrina Peng, an early Alibaba employee and former vice president of its business department, raised $4.6 million in the 2011 sell-down. Alibaba's biggest single shareholder, with a 34.4 percent stake, is Japanese telecoms firm SoftBank Corp (9984.T), followed by U.S. internet group Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O), with 22.6 percent. Other large shareholders include Silver Lake, DST Global and Singapore state investor Temasek [TEM.UL]. Employees will not be able to cash out of their holdings entirely through the IPO, as most employee stock is likely to be locked up for months, maybe years, people familiar with the listing process said. When Alibaba listed its Alibaba.com business-to-business unit in 2007, it was six months before stockholders could sell 40 percent of the shares held in an employee equity exchange program. For the remaining 60 percent, the lock-up was for one year. (Additional reporting by Paul Carsten in Beijing; Editing by Denny Thomas and Ian Geoghegan)

Inside the White House's decision to free Bergdahl

U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl (R) talks to a Taliban militant as he waits in a pick-up truck before his release at the Afghan border, in this still image from video released June 4, 2014.

(Reuters) - For President Barack Obama, it seemed like the right thing to do, according to officials in his administration: Release five Taliban detainees at Guantanamo Bay prison in return for Bowe Bergdahl, the only known American prisoner of war in Afghanistan. As a political firestorm engulfs the White House over that deal, Reuters interviews with current and former Obama administration officials involved in the negotiations, along with U.S. lawmakers, reveal how a close-knit circle in the Obama administration pursued the plan despite intense discord in the past over similar proposals. The White House was ultimately persuaded to go ahead, in part, after Qatar agreed to take the Taliban detainees and said it would allow the United States to track the five men in the Gulf emirate. Under that arrangement, the United States installed extensive surveillance equipment to monitor their movements and communications, the officials said. The deal, however, has caused an uproar among Republicans in Congress, who have questioned both the secrecy of the prisoner swap and the wisdom of freeing five Taliban prisoners. Some of Bergdahl's former comrades have also accused him of deserting his post before his capture by the Taliban in June 2009. The Pentagon has declined to comment on those allegations. While they were prepared for some political blowback, Obama administration officials said they felt the outcry would have been fiercer if in six months' time, as the United States wraps up its mission in Afghanistan, it emerged that Obama had missed an opportunity to secure Bergdahl's freedom. The officials said Obama himself decided to make the swap and chose to broadcast the news on national television with Bergdahl's parents at the White House. He wanted to send a clear signal to Americans that this was his decision and that he would uphold the maxim that the United States will always bring home all its troops from the battlefield, the officials said. "The United States has always had a pretty sacred rule, and that is we don’t leave our men or women in uniform behind," Obama told reporters in Warsaw on Tuesday. Obama was aware that Bergdahl had been accused of desertion in Afghanistan. But the vitriolic nature of the criticism has surprised some in the Obama administration, the officials said. CLINTON'S DOUBTS The idea of swapping Bergdahl for Taliban detainees wasn't new. It was first raised nearly four years ago and quickly ran into opposition in the administration and Congress. "There were real big, serious issues here about whether we should exchange people, whether it would do any good” in terms of the broader Afghan peace effort, said David Sedney, a deputy assistant secretary of defense responsible for Afghanistan, who left government in May 2013. Sedney said he was skeptical of the deal while in government. Officials involved in the diplomacy told Reuters that then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and his predecessor, Robert Gates, along with then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, initially raised strong objections to exchanging Bergdahl for the five Taliban detainees. At first, Clinton was deeply skeptical of talks with the Taliban, but then supported a prisoner swap as a "confidence-building measure" that would help start peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, the officials said. Those broader talks never fully got under way, and Saturday’s prisoner exchange was all that survived of that effort. In public remarks this week, Clinton did not criticize Obama's decision and said she supported the tradition of not leaving soldiers behind on the battlefield. It was Clinton who authorized the State Department-led talks with the Taliban, but "she set a high bar and insisted on strict conditions for any deal," her spokesman Nick Merrill said. While Vice President Joe Biden was neutral on the prisoner swap, Obama and two top White House advisers, then-national security adviser Thomas Donilon and his deputy Denis McDonough, were all in favor, one official said. Donilon resigned a year ago, but McDonough went on to become Obama's chief of staff. Obama oversees what many U.S. officials and independent political analysts regard as one of the most insular national security teams in modern times. Key decisions - and often, information - are centralized at the White House with the president and a handful of aides, some of whom have been with him since his first presidential campaign. Gates, Panetta and Clinton raised numerous issues regarding the sequencing of any prisoner release, the need to consult Congress and conditions for monitoring the Taliban detainees, two officials said. Panetta was not immediately available for comment on that account, a firm that handles his communications said on Wednesday. A spokesman for Gates declined to comment. An earlier version of the deal, which U.S. envoys discussed directly and indirectly with Taliban interlocutors, would have had two of the five Taliban released at the same time as Bergdahl, two officials said. The other three would be freed 90 days later. The Taliban rejected that proposal, the officials said. Washington also balked at some Taliban demands, refusing requests that the five be allowed to travel outside Qatar post-release to Saudi Arabia for religious purposes and to Europe for medical care. The Taliban's chief negotiator, Tayeb Agha, noted at one point during the talks that Israel had traded more than 1,000 prisoners for a single Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, two officials said. The Taliban, he said, was asking only for five. TALKS WITH QATAR The possibility of a deal emerged just after Obama returned from a lightning visit to Afghanistan on May 25, where he reiterated that the U.S. combat mission would conclude by year-end. Clinching it was a phone call Obama made two days later, on May 27, with the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, who said Qatari officials had agreed to measures to prevent at least an immediate return to the battlefield of the five Taliban prisoners, the officials said. Those measures included the U.S. surveillance and a minimum one-year ban on the released detainees leaving Qatar. On May 28, Obama met with former Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York, where the president was making a speech. It is not clear whether they discussed the impending prisoner swap. While a rescue operation to snatch Bergdahl – believed by the U.S. government to have been held in Pakistan’s tribal territories – was discussed in the years after his capture, current and former U.S. officials said the Obama administration never had enough reliable intelligence on the soldier’s location to stage a raid. Moreover, the geopolitical costs of doing so climbed steeply after the May 2011 raid into Pakistan that killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, which sparked a rapid downturn in U.S.-Pakistani relations. Another raid into Pakistani territory would have severely damaged that relationship further.

Detoxify, sleep well for radiant skin

Hectic work schedules often keep women away from spending any time on nurturing their skin. But it's easy to do it at home by detoxifying the body and getting proper beauty sleep.
Sun, stress, pollution and dirt leads to several skin concerns like uneven skin tone, blemishes and dull looking skin.

One of the key steps to looking healthy, beautiful and happy is making sure your skin shows

However, an expert at cosmetic brand Lakme has shared tips on how one can get the desired flawless and radiant skin in the comfort of your home, said a statement. Detox your body
Your body is a result of what is going on inside it. Skin problems develop when your skin can't do its job of eliminating toxins efficiently. Drink warm water with lemon every morning to help flush toxins from the body. Reduce your intake of alcohol for a few days to give your body and skin a break. Up your intake of fresh fruits, vegetables and water to boost the amount of skin-saving nutrients you're getting.
Get some beauty sleep
Sleep affects your physical and mental well-being. When you sleep, you're allowing your body to begin the healing process. Good sleep directly leads to fresh looking skin. Try and hit the sack earlier than you usually do and you will see the result within no time on your skin.
Skin serum is in
Gone are the days when serum was only for your hair. Skin serums are the latest trend in skin care. Whoever thought skin serums were only used by experts at the salon, think again. You can now use skin serums even in the comfort of your home with ease. Vitamins in these serums help make your skin even and radiant.
Don't forget to apply sunscreen We know, you've heard it a million times, but stepping out of the house during the day without wearing sunscreen is like directly forcing your skin to dullness. Sunscreen not only prevents your skin from tanning but also keeps it moisturized and hydrated throughout the day. Applying sunscreen everyday helps your skin retrieve its natural moisture.
Strip off your make-up before going to bed
Leaving make-up and dirt on skin doesn't just clog pores but it also causes skin dullness. Always wipe off your make up and wash your face with a face wash to remove all the dirt and grime that your skin has collected throughout the day. Massage your face with a hydrating creme after you wash your face to help replenish your skin while you sleep.

Lily Allen unveils her unofficial World Cup song

The 'Hard Out Here' hitmaker has debuted a new track on her SoundCloud page, and although it doesn't refer to soccer or the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil, she has dubbed it her "unofficial" ode to the tournament on her Twitter account.

Lily Allen has unveils a new track on SoundCloud.

Alongside a link to the song, she tweeted: "My unofficial #worldcup song BASS LIKE HOME (sic)."
'Bass Like Home', which is not featured on her latest album 'Sheezus', may not mention the competition, but it does refer to a number of English exports, including legendary England soccer player Paul Gascoigne.
The 29-year-old pop star sings : "Who gave you [William] Shakespeare? Who gave you melons? We gave you Gazza [Paul Gascoigne], twisted your melons.
"God Save The Queen with a pint of lager. I've been around, there's no where I'd rather be.
"Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves. We've been doing this since way back in the day. (sic)"
Lily's latest musical venture is tagged on SoundCloud as "Kid Harpoon ideas", referring to the producer and songwriter behind tracks for artists including Jessie Ware, Shakira and Florence + the Machine.
England's official 2014 World Cup single is titled 'Greatest Day' and was recorded by celebrities and soccer players including Gary Barlow, Gary Lineker, Michael Owen, Kimberley Walsh and Katy B.
Lily's father, actor-and-comedian Keith Allen, recorded his own unofficial World Cup single for the 1998 World Cup in France.
The music for 'Vindaloo' was penned by Blur bassist Alex James while Allen wrote the lyrics and although it was originally written as a parody of soccer chants it went on to become a cult classic.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/lily-allen-unveils-her-unofficial-world-cup-song/1/365178.html

Samsung set to sell first Tizen phone in Q3

Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday it will begin selling a smartphone using its Tizen operating system in the third quarter of this year, advancing the company's plans to reduce dependence on Google's Android software..

Samsung, the world's top smartphone maker by sales volume, said in a statement that the smartphone called Samsung Z will go on sale in Russia first. It said there are plans to sell the phone in other countries but didn't name them.Unlike Apple Inc. with its own operating system, Samsung's popular Galaxy smartphones and tablets use Google's open source Android platform, a reliance that prevents Samsung from challenging the dominance of Apple's App Store and Google Play in the lucrative market for smartphone apps.
The Tizen phone will have preinstalled apps and users will have access to additional apps through Tizen Store.
Samsung has been encouraging the development of Tizen apps but the numbers available are likely to be small in comparison to the App Store and Google Play.
The South Korean company said the Tizen smartphone has a 4.8-inch high definition display, a fingerprint sensor for security and a "slim, angular" design.
It said the operating system will allow users to browse the Internet faster and utilize applications more effectively.
Superficially, users may not perceive much difference from the Android operating system because it and Tizen share Linux as the underlying framework.
The Samsung Z will be shown at a Tizen developer conference in San Francisco this week.

Whoa! Deepika Padukone to get Rs.8 crore for Bajirao Mastani?

Sticking with Sanjay Leela Bhansali has paid Deepika Padukone handsomely. If rumours are to be believed, Deepika Padukone will get a whopping Rs.8 crore for Bajirao Mastani, thus becoming first actress in Bollywood to be paid such an amount for a film.

Bajirao Mastani also stars Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra

Remember, Deepika had a tough time choosing between Karan Johar's Shuddhi and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Bajirao Mastani. After much deliberation, Deepika chose SLB's magnum opus opposite rumoured boyfriend Ranveer Singh.

What next? Angelina Jolie hints Cleopatra might be her last film role

The 'Maleficent' actress has revealed she's in line to take on the part of the iconic Egyptian queen in an Eric Roth-scripted movie. She confessed during a BBC Radio 5 Live interview: "There's been lots of different ideas of directors and a lot of different discussions. The script has been written by Eric Roth, who is a dear friend and a brilliant writer.

Angelina Jolie may turn into politics.

Angelina has big shoes to fill, since Cleopatra - who was the last active pharaoh of Ancient Egypt - was last played by the late Elizabeth Taylor in the classic 1963 film. And the 38-year-old star has hinted the challenging role will be her very last before retiring from Hollywood in order to focus on her humanitarian work and directing. She said: "That's where you finish, in a great way. You kind of go, 'What could you do beyond that one?' Put it all into that one." Angelina also let slip that Oscar-winning directors Ang Lee and David Fincher had expressed an interest in the upcoming movie project. \

Dame Helen Mirren wins Glamour Icon award

Dame Helen Mirren won the Icon award at the annual Glamour Women of the Year Awards in London on Tuesday night (03.06.14). The Oscar-winning actress, 68, was thrilled to be presented with the prize by Ryan Reynolds, with whom she is currently filming 'The Woman In Gold,' and used her moment on stage to urge young stars not to be afraid of getting older. She said: "There are a lot of really young women here who are very beautiful, incredibly talented, and I salute you and respect you all. I'm so proud to be a member of your sex. "Your 40s are good. Your 50s are great. Your 60s are fab. And 70 is f**king awesome. I'm not quite there yet, but almost."

Dame Helen Mirren won the Icon award at the annual Glamour Women of the Year Awards in London.

Davina McCall was named Glamour Hero for her gruelling 500-mile cycle, swim and running journey from Edinburgh to London in February, which raised 1 million pounds for Sports Relief, and 'Orange Is The New Black' actress Taylor Schilling, 29, won the Editor's Special Award. Other big winners included 'Grace of Monaco' actress Nicole Kidman, who won the Outstanding Contribution award, and Taylor Swift, who was awarded Best International Solo Artist, but neither of them were able to attend the glittering ceremony. Supermodel Naomi Campbell, Little Mix, singer Paloma Faith, presenter Emma Willis, 'Modern Family' star Sarah Hyland and 'Godzilla' actress Sally Hawkins also picked up prizes. 'The Hunger Games' star Sam Claflin - who plays Finnick Odair in the franchise - was named the Man of the Year at the ceremony, which was presented by Graham Norton in London's Berkeley Square Gardens.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher enjoy babymoon

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher enjoyed a romantic babymoon in French Polynesia last week before the arrival of their first child in October. The couple, who are set to welcome their first child, a baby girl, into the world in October, spent a week soaking up the sun at the exclusive La Taha'a Island Resort & Spa on the island of Tahaa, near Bora Bora, in French Polynesia. A source told E! News that the 'Black Swan' actress, 30, and her 36-year-old fiance checked into a private over-water bungalow on May 25. The couple spent much of their holiday relaxing on the resort's private beach, instead of taking advantage of the adventurous activities on offer, including snorkelling, hiking and jet-skiing.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcherenjoyed a romantic babymoon in French Polynesia.

The insider said: "[They] enjoyed the tranquil beauty of the resort." The duo returned to Los Angeles on Sunday (01.06.14) and were spotted visiting Mila's family there on Monday (02.06.14). The couple, who got engaged earlier this year and started dating in 2012, recently bought a new $10 million mansion in Beverly Hills and the 'Two and a Half Men' actor put his bachelor pad on the market for $12 million. Ashton, who was previously married to Demi Moore, can't wait to be a father and is doing everything he can to support Mila, whom he first met when she was 14 on the set of their sitcom 'That 70s Show.' A friend previously said: "Ashton has been taking such good care of Mila. He's doting on her and telling her she looks beautiful. He understands she's going through changes and he hasn't judged her for it. "Ashton supports her 100 percent. Ashton was meant to be a father. It's all he can talk about!"

Sony launches Xperia T3 smartphone

Sony Mobile Communications today introduced Xperia T3, a light and ultra-slim smartphone.

 In a press release, the Japanese tech major said, "Despite being crafted with high-end materials, the super-slim Xperia T3 remains light at a mere 148 grams, offering freedom and ease for life on the go. The gorgeous, stainless steel frame 'mirrors' the world around you.  T3 comes in three stylish colours making it a real eye-catcher: white, black and purple."
Built with Sony's BRAVIA technologies, the Xperia T3 has an impressive screen with a high-resolution 5.3-inch HD TRILUMINOS display for mobile with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Quad-core processor and 1 GB of RAM. It runs on Android Kit Kat and has 8GB flash memory, which can be expanded up to 32 GB via a microSD card. It packs a 2500 mAh battery and has a 8-megapixel rear camera.

"Xperia T3 has been crafted with attention to detail for those who know how to appreciate distinctive design in their everyday life. The T3 is packed with the latest beautiful technology from Sony - including leading digital imaging expertise and a vivid HD display - all within a stylish, stainless steel frame. The combination of this beautiful technology and the premium design ensures the T3 immediately stands apart from the competition," says Calum MacDougall, Director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications.
Xperia T3 features: Sony camera expertise, at your service The Xperia T3 is packed with Cyber-shot leading camera expertise and comes with an 8MP camera featuring Exmor RS for mobile, allowing you to take exceptional pictures even in challenging lighting conditions. And HDR for video means you can shoot beautiful films, even when backlit. Thanks to SteadyShot, all your photos will come out smooth and distortion-free. Super-fast speed for superior surfing Xperia T3 supports super-fast 4G networks, allowing you to share every highlight of your day, anytime and anywhere. With its Quad-core CPU with 1.4 GHz processor, Xperia T3 comes with ultra-fast performance and breath-taking graphics, ideal for entertainment on the go. In addition to its long-lasting 2500 mAh battery, the Battery STAMINA Mode also helps you enjoy your entertainment experience for longer. The combination of its powerful processor, super-fast4G networks, and extensive battery life, shows the Xperia T3 truly combines style with power - allowing you to consume the latest entertainment through the Sony Entertainment Network, browse the internet or share pictures and videos instantaneously. Easy transfer Xperia Transfer is an ultra-easy, safe and simple app that'll help you move your contacts, photos, bookmarks, apps, music, messages and much more from your old Android or iOS device to your new Xperia T3. Furthermore, Xperia Transfer Mobile2 makes the switch even easier - no need to use your PC or Mac, you can transfer directly from phone to phone. The new Xperia T3 will launch globally from the end of July 2014.

French Open: Andy Murray's mother calls Maria Sharapova a 'tea bag'

Judy Murray's tweet comparing Sharapova to a tea bag has left the Russian ace puzzled

Wimbledon champion Andy Murray's mother comparing Maria Sharapova to a tea bag in her tweet has left the former world number one puzzled after she made it to the French Open semi-finals on Tuesday.
Judy Murray had tweeted that Sharapova is like a tea bag, adding that one should put her into hot water and they will find out how strong she is, after the Russian star defeated Spaniard Garbine Muguruza 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 to reach fourth successive Roland Garros semi-final and fifth of her career.

judy murray        ✔ @judmoo Follow

Sharapova is like a tea bag. Put her into hot water and ul find out how strong she is.

According to Sport24, when questioned about the tweet, Sharapova said that she is sorry as she did not know who Judy is, adding that she is a big tea drinker and does not understand what she means. However, when it was explained to her what the tweet meant, Sharapova applauded the Wimbledon champion's mother's tweet, saying that it is great, adding that she is very creative.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/maria-sharapova-french-open-semifinals-andy-murray-mother-judy/1/365241.html

 Sharapova also said that Judy could have put it in many different ways, but she chose to go with the English version.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/maria-sharapova-french-open-semifinals-andy-murray-mother-judy/1/365241.html

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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appalled by Badaun rape case

Appalled by the brutal rape and murder of two teenaged girls in India, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has demanded action against sexual violence and appealed to the society to reject the destructive attitude of "boys will be boys". "In just the last two weeks, we have seen despicable attacks against women and girls around the world from Nigeria to Pakistan and from California to India. I was especially appalled by the brutal rape and gruesome murder of two teenaged women in India who had ventured out because they did not have access to a toilet," Ban said on Tuesday. Decrying the recent attacks against women and girls around the world, Ban stressed that "violence against women is a peace and security issue. It is a human rights issue. It is a development issue." He said nations must respond on all fronts and achieve full equality for all women. "We say no to the dismissive, destructive attitude of 'Boys will be boys'. Together, we can empower more people to understand that violence against women degrades us all," Ban said at the launch of a video campaign on ending sexual violence through gender equality. Calling on the society to join the outcry against sexual violence, Ban said, "I will be raising my voice and I count on all of you to join our chorus demanding action around the world." He said violence against women and girls is "totally unacceptable" but is unfortunately happening throughout the world. "We must put an end to these unacceptable, intolerable acts," the UN Chief said. Ban referred to the recent killing of three women in California in a shooting spree by 22-year-old Elliot Rodger who was frustrated over being rejected by women as well as to the tragic killing in Pakistan of a pregnant woman who was stoned to death for marrying the person of her choice. Earlier this week, the UN system in India had condemned the brutal gang rape and murder of the two teenaged girls in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district. They were gang-raped and killed with their assailants hanging their bodies from a mango tree in their?village. The violence against the girls highlighted the dangers, girls and women all over India are exposed to due to the lack of toilets, the world body said. UNICEF's Representative to India Louis-Georges Arsenault said around 65 per cent of rural population in India defecates in the open and women and girls are expected to go out at night. "This?does not only threaten their dignity, but their safety as well," Arsenault had said. Resident Coordinator of the UN system in India Lise Grande had called for immediate action against the perpetrators and to address violence against women and girls across India. "There should be justice for the families of the two teenaged girls and for all the women and girls from lower caste communities who are targeted and raped in rural India. Violence against women is not a women's issue, it's a human rights issue," Grande said.