Amazon Is Making a Lord of the Rings Prequel Series

Given that Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy won a combined 17 Oscars and, when you throw in the three Hobbit movies, grossed nearly $6 billion worldwide, you would think that the entertainment industry might be inclined to leave it way-more-than-well-enough alone. But that would be true only if you didn’t live in the entertainment universe that LOTR helped create, where single films become trilogies and trilogies become multipart series and no potential revenue stream is left undammed.

The mysterious sudden resignation of Lebanon’s prime minister, explained

The mysterious sudden resignation of Lebanon’s prime minister has sparked a political crisis that is escalating longstanding tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran — and raises the real prospect of open warfare between the two Middle Eastern powers.

The intrigue began on November 4, when Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri suddenly announced his resignation — but he did it by reading a statement on live television from Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. That immediately fueled speculation in Lebanon that the Saudi government, which has deep, longstanding ties to Hariri, had forced him to resign against his will and was holding him under house arrest.

In his resignation speech, Hariri explained he was stepping down because rising Iranian influence in his country had made him fearful he would suffer the same fate as his father, Rafik Hariri, who was assassinated by a car bomb in 2005 by agents believed to be affiliated with the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Hariri is still in Saudi Arabia, and Lebanese officials are demanding his return. At the same time, rumors swirl that Saudi leadership hopes to replace Hariri with his brother, Bahaa. But on Sunday, in his first interview since his resignation, Saad Hariri spoke from his home in Riyadh to say that he was “free” to move about the country and that he would return to Lebanon “very soon.”

Deadly earthquake hits Iran-Iraq border: what we know

On Sunday, at 9:48 pm local time, a powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck northwest Iran near the border with Iraq. As of Monday, more than 400 people had been reported dead — with most of the reported deaths in the Iranian province of Kermanshah. Thousands more are injured, according to Iranian state media. There are also eight people reported dead in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region. Overall, 70,000 people may be in need of temporary shelter.

10 traits the best bosses have in common

Everyone loves to complain about their boss, and a classic Gallup study found that 50% of current employees have left at least one job in their career to get away from a bad manager.

When asked for clarification, the most common reason seems to be a managers lack of clarity in setting expectations, which is obviously one of the most basic of employee needs.

On the other hand, almost every one of us in business can remember that one special manager in their career who exemplifies the norm, who commanded our trust, and treated us with respect, even in the toughest of business crises.

In an effort to be a better business advisor, and recognizing that the answer is not usually as simple as a single dimension, I have asked my own sample of employees at all levels for a list of key traits or attributes they see in great managers, resulting in the following list of ten top positive traits of a good boss:

Train crash 'kills 33' in Democratic Republic of Congo

A train crash in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 33 people, UN radio station Okapi reports.
It happened in Buyofwe in the province Lualaba, in the south of the country.
Radio Okapi said that the train caught fire after crashing into a ravine. According to reports, it was carrying flammable material.
The train was running between Lubumbashi, the second-largest city, and the town of Luena, 2,000km (1,200 miles) from the capital, Kinshasa.
The province's Governor Richard Muyej told the BBC there had been an accident but he could not confirm deaths.

A top Democratic lobbying firm caught up in Mueller's Russia probe is on the verge of shutting down

Podesta Group, a well-known lobbying firm with close ties to the Democratic Party and the Obama administration, might close its doors after being caught in the crosshairs of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, CNN reported on Saturday.
Podesta Group — which was founded by brothers John and Anthony Podesta — got roped into the investigation over work it did for Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort.
Manafort was recently indicted, along with his associate Rick Gates, on 12 counts related to money laundering and his work as a foreign agent primarily associated with Ukraine's pro-Russia Party of Regions.

World-famous Russian basejumper dies in Himalayas after leaping 22,000ft off mountain

A renowned Russian basejumper has been killed in a horror plunge after leaping 22,000ft (7,000m) from a Himalayan mountain, according to reports.
Valery Rozov, 52, fell to his death in a tragic wingsuit accident on Mount Ama-Dablam, eastern Nepal.
The extreme sportsman held the record for the highest ever basejump from an altitude of 25,200ft from Tibet's Mount Cho-Oyu last year.
He smashed into a cliff during his latest stunt and leaves behind a wife and sons.

Texas town of Sutherland Springs holds first Sunday service since church attack

Hundreds of people gathered in the tiny town of Sutherland Springs for the first Sunday service since a gunman stormed the First Baptist Church and killed more than two dozen people in the worst mass shooting in Texas history.

Pastor Frank Pomeroy led an emotional sermon that called on mourners to worship in the face of evil.

"Rather than choose darkness as that young man did that day, we choose life," said Mr Pomeroy, whose 14-year-old daughter was among those killed in the 5 November rampage. His voice cracked as he spoke about losing his child.

"I know everyone who gave their life that day," he said, pausing to gather himself. "Some of whom where my best friends and my daughter." He paused to wipe his eyes. "I guarantee they are dancing with Jesus today."

The crowd stood, clapped and raised their hands to heaven as he spoke.
The initial plan was to hold the service at the community center next to the First Baptist Church. But it can only accommodate a few dozen people, and when organisers realised hundreds planned to attend, the service was moved to a massive white tent erected in a baseball field.

Hackers steal at least 250,000 web logins each week - Google

Tech giant, Google is digging into the dark corners of the web to better secure people's accounts. Looking at cybercriminal black markets and public forums, the company found millions of usernames and passwords stolen directly through hacking.

Google published its research, conducted between March 2016 and March 2017 last week and It also uncovered billions usernames and passwords indirectly exposed in third-party data breaches. For one year, Google researchers investigated the different ways hackers steal personal information and take over Google accounts.

Cristiano Ronaldo & girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez welcome their daughter, Alana Martina

Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez have welcomed their daughter, Alana Martina. The Real Madrid superstar took to Instagram to break the news and share a photo of the new family, including his eldest son Cristiano Jr.

This would be the fourth and only child not born through surrogacy for the Real Madrid superstar.

The $850 million airplane bed revolution

It's been nearly 38 years since Philippine Airlines unveiled the first fully flat bed on a commercial jet in the shape of slim, bunk-style "Skybeds" on the first class upper deck of its Boeing 747.
That luxury was short-lived, and airlines mostly spent the ensuing decades plotting ways to stuff more and more passengers onto their planes, no matter the class.
Luckily trends change, and the past few years has seen a resurgence in airlines providing for personal space, privacy, and -- yes -- a quality rest.
Singapore Airlines has now revealed the latest luxury sleeps in the sky, thanks to an investment of $850 million dollars in its aircraft interiors, bringing about "Suites" that look more like hotel rooms, and business class seats that convert to double beds.

Will Iran and Saudi Arabia Go Into War?

First, it was the Egyptian embassy, second the American embassy, later Denmark, then the British embassy was ransacked by mostly Basijis, and now, it is the turn of Saudi Arabia’s embassy to be attacked by crowds of Iranians. What kind of diplomacy is Rowhani’s government referring to?

These kinds of assaults on foreign embassies and diplomats have several dimensions; they appear to be a systematic reaction as they follow strong remarks from Iran’s Supreme Leader. Iranian media outlets normally refer to these attackers as passionate young people or “followers of the Imam’s route,” rather than aggressors.

In addition, it is intriguing that Iranian forces which are very quick at identifying demonstrations, are always late to act when it comes to these types of pre-organized and sophisticated attacks on embassies. Moreover, the perpetrators of these attacks generally attempt to show their loyalty to the ideals of the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Republic’s revolutionary principles. As a member of Iran’s semi-militia group, the Basiji, pointed out: “We will stand by the Supreme Leader against any country which he views as the enemy.”

China is facing a historic corruption battle

China must win its battle against corruption or face being erased by history, its new top graft buster said in an editorial on Saturday, underscoring the ruling Communist Party's focus on eliminating corrupt behavior.

Zhao Leji, appointed to the new seven-member Politburo Standing Committee last month and tasked to lead President Xi Jinping's signature war on corruption, wrote in the state-run People's Daily that failure would lead to the party's downfall.

"If our control of the party is not strong and party governance is not strict, then the party won't be able to avoid being erased by history and the historic task the party carries will not be able to be fulfilled," Zhao wrote.

Xi has previously warned that rampant official corruption could weaken the party's grip on power.

Russia remains unfazed by US oil sanctions

Western energy sanctions vis-à-vis Russia have become a steady phenomenon of the global oil and gas market.

Most Russian oil companies don’t expect sanctions to be scrapped anytime soon—an assessment espoused by the political elites of the country, too. The sides even seem to have resigned their minds to the current frosty relations.

The Russian economy has swung back to growth this year, with an anticipated 1.7 percent GDP increase this year, and the ruble solidified following a disastrous 2015-2016 period.

Russian oil companies have mostly overcome the lending obstructions U.S. sanctions present by finding new partners in Asia and taking use of their free cash flow, and were it not for the OPEC+ agreement, they would ramp up production even more swiftly than the 4-5 percent since the sanctions regime kicked in. As a consequence, the current consolidation will soon move to a new phase: testing the sanctions unity of the United States and European Union.

'Accident' at nuclear facility sends cloud of radioactive pollution over Europe

An accident at a nuclear facility in Russia or Kazakhstan has been blamed for a cloud of radioactive pollution over Europe in recent weeks, officials have said.

French nuclear safety institute IRSN said the incident likely happened in the last week of September.

The IRSN ruled out an accident in a nuclear reactor, saying it was likely to be in a nuclear fuel treatment site or centre for radioactive medicine.

There has been no impact on human health or the environment in Europe, the IRSN said.

IRSN, the technical arm of French nuclear regulator ASN, said it could not pinpoint the location of the release of radioactive material but that based on weather patterns, the most plausible zone lay south of the Ural mountains, between the Urals and the Volga river.