13 dead in Czech coal mine explosion

A methane gas explosion in a coal mine in the northeast of the Czech Republic has killed 13 miners, the mining company said on Friday.

OKD, the company that operates the CSM mine near the city of Karvina, said 11 of those killed were Polish miners provided by a contractor agency, while two were Czech.
"Due to yesterday's mine disaster, 13 miners lost their lives -- 11 Poles and two Czechs," OKD spokesman Ivo Celechovsky said in a televised statement.
A further 10 miners were injured in the blast, with one in a critical condition, the Czech national news agency CTK reported.

The OKD mining company confirmed that 13 people died in the explosion.
OKD's managing director, Boleslav Kowalczyk, said search and rescue operations had to be called off because of poor conditions in the mine.

Bumblebee’ Review: If John Hughes Made a ‘Transformers’ Movie

Ok, we’re not sure, exactly, how to say this. It’s, um … well … right, fine [deep breath]. We’ll just say it.

So Bumblebee is a spin-off of the Transformers series, those Michael Bay movies of sound and fury and volume and lukewarm metal-on-metal action that are based on a line of toys, because cinema. You probably remember him somewhere within the haze of your post–Transformers-movies-screening memories, as very few human beings can recall much from those trainwreck blockbusters about good ‘bots and bad ‘bots, cars and jets, the fate of the world (we think?), etc. He’s the one who’s yellow and black, hence the name. Good friend of Optimus Prime. Hates Decepticons. Turns into a bitchin’ Camaro.

And the movie … it’s good. Not just “not bad.” It’s actually good.

Imagine if John Hughes made a Transformers movie. Or: Think E.T., but with auto parts. Or, possibly: The Iron Giant, stuck in a world where only ’80s action movies and vintage teen-angst movies exist. Or — and here’s where things admittedly get weird — an extension of a franchise not known for anything besides “big robots make boom,” only one with personality, wit, tenderness, imagination, emotional grounding, performances that don’t get drowned out by din and a soundtrack that favors The Smiths over Imagine Dragons.

We know, it’s a lot to process. Feel free to take a minute.

‘Mary Poppins Returns’ Review: Too Many Spoonfuls of Sugar

It’s no surprise that Mary Poppins Returns, an industrial-strength sugarplum, doesn’t 
live up to the 1964 original; how do you replace the immortal Julie Andrews as the London nanny who drops from the clouds to dispense tough love. Luckily, we have Emily Blunt, an actress who makes her own kind of magic in playing the impatient, imperious fixer once described as looking “like Joan Crawford trying to be nice.”

This sequel, efficiently directed by Rob Marshall, is set 25 years after the first film. But it follows the same beats, including a new score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman that sounds like warmed-over Sherman brothers. There are echoes everywhere of what came before — including a lamplighter named Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda), who’ll remind of you of Dick Van Dyke’s chimney sweep Bert, right down to the unapologetically fake Cockney accent. What’s the radical creator of Hamilton doing in this family-friendly escapism? The answer: having a ball. In his big-screen debut, Miranda has charm to spare and throws in a little rap during a number called “A Cover Is Not the Book.”
Set during the “Great Slump” on the 1930s, the film calls Ms.

‘Aquaman’ Review: D.C. Superhero’s Solo Movie Is a Waterlogged Mess

He’s the laughing stock of the DC Comics Extended Universe — and Aquaman’s solo movie almost gets by on razzle dazzle, since that’s all it has up its waterlogged sleeve. Not that this underwater superhero knows much from sleeves: A shirtless but never humorless Jason Momoa plays Arthur Curry, a.k.a. Aquaman, as if he were born to wield a trident. Yes, he looks nothing like the platinum blondie of the comic books. His half brother, King Orm (Patrick Wilson, in for the fun of it), is the one taking on that visage, complete with a dash of Draco Malfoy villainy. “I am the Ocean Master,” says Orm, seriously and hilariously. Ok, then.

But, wait, no jumping ahead. Aquaman is directed by James Wan, the horrormeister behind Saw and The Conjuring who’s showing off his lighter side. He gives the 143-minute film a propulsive drive, which comes in handy when the light dawns that the plot is going nowhere. The movie is an origin story from co-writers David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall, that starts out with a man having sex with a fish. That’s right. A human lighthouse keeper, Thomas (Temuera Morrison), working out of Amnesty Bay, Massachusetts, falls hard for Atlanna, the queen of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, when she washes up on shore. Nicole Kidman, of all overqualified actresses, plays her. And before long the interspecies couple is raising a son, Arthur, until Mom has to go back to sea on family business. As for the kid, he’s left to wonder whether he belongs to the surf or the turf.

Panic in Lagos suburb as vandals cause explosion

Reports reaching us Wednesday morning indicate that there is a raging fire at Ebule Egba in Lagos caused by activities of pipeline vandals.
Residential and commercial houses are reportedly affected. People are scampering to safety.
It was alleged that vandals had caused an explosion from the pipelines, which extended to Abule Egba Bus Stop.

Fire was said to have started 3:30am.

Details later..

Philippines contestant Catriona Gray named Miss UniversePhilippines contestant Catriona Gray named Miss Universe

Catriona Gray of the Philippines was named winner of the Miss Universe 2018 competition in the Thai capital Bangkok, besting contestants from 93 other countries to claim the prize.

The 24-year-old Gray edged out first runner-up Tamaryn Green of South Africa and third-place Sthefany Gutierrez of Venezuela.
Gray succeeds the 2017 winner, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa.

Nicki Minaj: 'Let's have a little empathy for Pete Davidson after suicide post'

Nicki Minaj has urged her fans to show more empathy for those suffering mental illnesses after comedian Pete Davidson worried followers with a worrying Instagram post.
Ariana Grande's ex-fiance has often spoken publicly about mental illness, and he offered his support to Kanye West on social media after the rapper discussed his bipolar disorder in a series of posts.
"No one would ever choose to end up in a mental hospital and diagnosed with a mental disorder but god chose me to publicly go through this journey and it is beautiful," the Life of Pablo hitmaker tweeted.
Pete praised the father-of-three for speaking candidly about his mental health struggles, but later shared a disturbing message on Instagram: "I really don't want to be on this earth anymore," he wrote. "I'm doing my best to stay here for you but i actually don't know how much longer i can last."

Frenzy as cash rains down on Hong Kong neighbourhood

A hail of banknotes rained down onto the streets of a working-class neighbourhood in Hong Kong, sending bystanders into a frenzy -- but the man who claimed to be behind the stunt was arrested Sunday.
Bills worth thousands of Hong Kong dollars were seen fluttering to the ground from the top of a building, as people tried to grab the falling cash and others filmed the scene on their smartphones.
A man who runs a cryptocurrency Facebook page live-streamed the prank Saturday in the Sham Shui Po district.

Right wing extremists being referred for deradicalisation programme rises by a third as Islamist suspects falls

The number of people flagged up to the authorities for right-wing extremism has surged to a record high, new figures reveal.

There was a 36% increase in the number of referrals to the Government’s Prevent programme over concerns about right wing extremism. It jumped from fewer than 1,000 in 2016/17 to 1,312 in 2017/18.

The Home Office figures also revealed a sharp rise in the number of children and teenagers being referred to the programme, up by a fifth to 2,009 including 297 girls.

More than half of those reported for possible deradicalisation interventions in 2017/18 were 20 or under.

The rise in right-wing extremism accounted for an overall 20% increase in referrals to Prevent, from 6,093 to 7,318 in 2017/18.

While Islamist concerns accounted for a larger proportion of referrals, the number in the category fell by 14% year-on-year.

“The Rise of Right-Wing Extremism, and How U.S. Law Enforcement Missed It”

Despite repeated warnings over the past two decades, federal law enforcement officials in the United States have ignored the threat of violence from far-right extremists. Now, they have no idea how to stop it.

Roughly 22 million Americans found neo-Nazi or white supremacist views “acceptable,” according to a poll taken after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.

White supremacists and other far-right extremists have killed more people in the United States since Sept. 11, 2001, than any other category of domestic extremist — but the country’s counterterrorism strategy has been focused elsewhere. Read Janet Reitman’s article for the New York Times Magazine.

A jury has recommended that the man who drove into a crowd of anti-racism protesters at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., last year spend the rest of his life in prison.

Victoria Beckham, Kendall Jenner, Cindy Crawford, Kaia Gerber and other celebrities at the British Fashion Awards

  

The British Fashion Awards held on Monday night at the Royal Albert Hall.

It was a star-studded event with celebrities like Meghan Markle, Victoria Beckham, Kendall Jenner, Kaia Gerber and more present.

Also present was David Beckham and his son Brooklyn Beckham, Cindy Crawford, her husband Randy Gerber, and their son Presley Gerber were all present to Support Kaia Gerber.

See more photos below.

Stan Lee, Marvel Comics' Real-Life Superhero, Dies at 95

Stan Lee, the Marvel Comics legend who co-created some of its most famous heroes like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the Fantastic Four, died Monday in Los Angeles at the age of 95. Lee was reportedly rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he later died, according to 3m360. The cause of death has not been immediately released.

Lee’s legacy is defined by his numerous popular comic book character creations for Marvel Comics, where he began working in 1939 at age 18 when the company was called Timely Comics. The company changed its name to Marvel Comics in 1961 when Lee and artist Jack Kirby co-created the Fantastic Four and saw it go on to become a hit.

Lee’s birth name was “Stanley Martin Lieber,” but used “Stan Lee” as his pen name and then later had it legally changed.

With the success of Marvel’s First Family came more Lee/Kirby creations throughout the 1960s, including Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and the X-Men. Lee co-created Daredevil with Bill Everett, and Doctor Strange and Spider-Man with Steve Ditko. The characters all lived in a shared universe that mirrors our own, with most heroes residing in Lee’s home of New York City. The common factor that proved to be Lee’s key to success was giving superheroes relatable flaws as opposed to making them perfect, infallible beings.                

AFRIFF 2018 Kicks off @GenesisCinemas The Palms Lagos

   
AFRIFF 2018   is a world class showcase that presents a complete immersion into the world of film making with participation from local and international filmmakers and professionals, celebrities, actors, directors, film critics, buyers, distributors, visual artists, film students, amateurs, equipment manufacturers, and international press.
Maintaining its inaugural theme “Africa Unites”, the vision is to raise awareness in Africa about the vast potential the entertainment industry holds and the impact it can generate in the economy. To establish bridges for partnership with international counterparts to ensure quality, expertise and global standards access the local industry, accelerating its sustainable development. AFRIFF also aims to re-establish Africa’s significance as the original birth home of civilization and indeed the last frontier for unique film stories and content development.     

THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB

Lisbeth Salander, the cult figure and title character of the acclaimed Millennium book series created by Stieg Larsson, will return to the screen in The Girl in the Spider’s Web, a first-time adaptation of the recent global bestseller. Golden Globe winner Claire Foy, the star of “The Crown,” will play the outcast vigilante defender under the direction of Fede Alvarez, the director of 2016’s breakout thriller Don’t Breathe; the screenplay adaptation is by Jay Basu & Fede Alvarez and Steven Knight. The past never forgets.#ClaireFoy is Lisbeth Salander in #girlinthespidersweb         

Good Health Reasons To Drink Coffee

There are good reasons to drink coffee and there are a few reasons not to. This article is for those that are looking for reasons to keep drinking it.

After all, you may have a caffeine-hater in your life. You know the type – they’re always telling you what’s bad for your health.

Here’s a list of some good reasons to drink coffee. Memorize this list – so the next time you encounter your favorite coffee-hater you can pull out one of these babies.

While you’re at it, you can add the words “from a peer-reviewed scientific journal” — that’ll really get your pet coffee-hater frothing at the mouth.

1. Cut the Pain
   Two cups of coffee can cut post-workout muscle pain by up to 48%. From the Journal of Pain, 

Ralph Breaks The Internet 2 @GenesisCinemas

The first Wreck-It Ralph movie was packed with surprising appearances from many popular characters throughout gaming's biggest franchises. But now that Ralph and Vanellope have made it to the Internet, it seems like there's no limit to who can be included in the sequel.
But that doesn't mean video game characters will be forgotten in Ralph Breaks the Internet, as the new TV spot for the movie reveals. Check it out above and see who all you recognize from your gaming habits. Main characters returning from the first movie include Sergeant Calhoun and Fix-It Felix Jr., and there are a ton of other familiar faces from popular games.

 Here's who all we've spotted so far:
Sonic the Hedgehog Dr. Robotnik, Q*Bert, Pac-Man, Inky and Clyde from Pac-Man, the frog from Frogger, Ryu, Chun-Li, Ken, Zangief and M. Bison from Street Fighter, and probably a ton more that we missed.
Unfortunately, it will not include a cameo from Mario, as Nintendo is likely trying to save his appearance for their own future film.

Five Key Benefits of Probiotics For Men

In order to live the healthiest life possible, it’s vital to listen to advice and do your best to eat a healthy, balanced diet, and incorporate plenty of exercise into your week. Of course, you also need to banish smoking, and do your best to keep alcohol to a minimum, but have you heard about taking a men’s probiotic supplement too?

Probiotics have been in the health news for the last few years at the very least, and show no signs of disappearing. Probiotics are healthy bacteria, ensuring that the bad stuff is balanced up sufficiently, avoiding illness and conditions from developing. Whilst there is ongoing research into just how effective probiotics are, they have been shown to have a plethora of fantastic health benefits, as well as ensuring your gut functions to the best of its ability.

Look at it this way – a healthy gut is a healthy and happy you. There is no joy to be had when your stomach feels bloated and you feel like you’ve swallowed a brick every time you eat something. With the busy and stressful lives most of us lead, there has been a distinct increase in the number of people suffering with stomach-related complaints, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diverticular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, as well as general bloating and discomfort after food. Probiotics can help all of that, either by taking a supplement, or by increasing the amount of natural probiotic in your diet.

7 Reasons Why You Should Quit Smoking

you are here looking for reasons to quit smoking, then chances are that you have already tried before and failed. I know from my personal experience that quitting smoking is not an easy task and it will take a lot of courage and mindset.

It has been 2 years since I had my last puff and I can assure you that it was totally worth quitting. A few years ago, I used to think that was not really a big deal, but now I know it is, so it is worth taking a risk.

Since I stopped, I cannot express what kind of a positive impact it has put on my life. Today, I am here to give you 7 reasons why you should Quit Smoking.

7 Reasons Why You Should Quit Smoking: –

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald…

        

Production of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald started this summer and we already know quite a lot about the second Fantastic Beasts film. So, if you want to go into the film not knowing much, we suggest you look away now…

It’s called Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Straight away the title says that Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) will be a big focus in the second film, after having been unmasked in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Clearly his capture by MACUSA won’t last for very long, and Grindelwald is still intent on exposing the wizarding community to the non-magical world.

So, what will he do next? As the title suggests, not nice things. Grindelwald escapes custody and sets about gathering followers to his cause. What many of his new devotees don’t suspect is that his true intention is to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings.

We know from the Harry Potter books that Grindelwald’s ascent represented a dark time for the wizarding world – much like the rise of Lord Voldemort. So, things are about to get serious.

Jude Law makes his debut as Albus Dumbledore
After being name-checked in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the future headmaster of Hogwarts makes his debut in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.       

Today we got our first look at Jude Law in costume as Albus Dumbledore, complete with a short beard, long, grey corduroy coat and some very nicely embellished shoes. To echo the words of Kingsley Shacklebolt – you’ve got to hand it to Dumbledore: he’s got style.

Dumbledore will ask his former student Newt for his help, and the two do seem to have a history: Dumbledore argued against Newt’s expulsion from Hogwarts years earlier. And in the latest edition of the textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a new foreword from Newt says that Dumbledore was ‘more than a school teacher to me’.

Why people stay in unhappy relationships

People continue to stay in unsatisfying romantic relationships because they believe that leaving would be bad for their partners, a study suggests. Published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the study explored the possibility that people deciding whether to end a relationship consider not only their own desires but also how much they think their partner wants and needs the relationship to continue.

"The more dependent people believed their partner was on the relationship, the less likely they were to initiate a breakup," said Samantha Joel, who was an assistant professor at the University of Utah in the US at the time of the research.

Virgil Abloh's men's collection and debut for Louis Vuitton now in London

The first designs from Virgil Abloh’s debut men’s collection for Louis Vuitton -- presented for the first time in June in Paris’s Jardin du Palais-Royal -- have now landed at a pop-up store in London, Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) reports.

The pop-up store -- located on Bruton Street, a stone’s throw from the British capital’s Hyde Park -- showcases a selection of pieces from the first, eagerly awaited men’s collection designed by Virgil Abloh for the French fashion house. The Louis Vuitton Instagram page shows pristine white garments as well as much more colorful creations, including lots of streetwear-inspired jackets.

At the London pop-up, several decors have been designed to present this debut men’s collection, with the Louis Vuitton monogram featured in rainbow colors and decors inspired by the musical, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

The pop-up is open until October 25.

Gerard Butler says upcoming film Hunter Killer will revive submarine thrillers

 
Actor Gerard Butler says submarine thriller Hunter Killer tells a classic story, but it is very relevant. "When I first read this script a few years ago, I loved it immediately. It's a classic story with a heck of a lot of great action, a heck of an intricate plot and a whole cast of fantastic characters who are heroes from different walks of life," Butler said in a statement to IANS. "It felt like an exciting way to revive the submarine thriller for these times. And right now, this story couldn't feel more relevant," he added.                           

Now Showing: THE HATE U GIVE

Starr Carter is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer.  Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what's right. THE HATE U GIVE is based on the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller by Angie Thomas and stars Amandla Stenberg as Starr, with Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Issa Rae, KJ Apa, Algee Smith, Sabrina Carpenter, Common and Anthony Mackie.

Bumblebee Prepares for a New Transformers Adventure

Paramount has released a new poster and photo from Bumblebee. The upcoming Transformers spin-off has a pretty big hill to climb, in terms of what it needs to accomplish. The previous movie in the franchise, 2017's The Last Knight, was rejected by critics and saw a lot of moviegoers abandon ship and opt not to check it out in theaters. Now, the studio has decided to scale things back and give everyone's favorite yellow Autobot a chance to shine. This new poster and the latest image continue to serve as encouragement that this may be just what the franchise needs right now.

This latest poster has a similar vibe to the previously released theatrical poster. It's very much a "girl and her car" sort of thing with some old school Amblin vibes going on. Bumblebee and Hailee Steinfeld's Charlie are overlooking a city at night from a vantage point in the mountains. It's hard not to think of E.T. just a little bit. And if you must compare a movie to something, that's not a bad place to start.
As for the new image, it's pretty charming. We see Bumblebee hanging out in a very 80s house and doing his best to politely fit in, quite literally. He's sitting on a couch but, as you can see, it's not going perfectly well. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura also had this to say about the spin-off, emphasizing that this movie is going to be much smaller in scope than the previous few Transformers movies have been.

Bumblebee Prepares for a New Transformers Adventure

Paramount has released a new poster and photo from Bumblebee. The upcoming Transformers spin-off has a pretty big hill to climb, in terms of what it needs to accomplish. The previous movie in the franchise, 2017's The Last Knight, was rejected by critics and saw a lot of moviegoers abandon ship and opt not to check it out in theaters. Now, the studio has decided to scale things back and give everyone's favorite yellow Autobot a chance to shine. This new poster and the latest image continue to serve as encouragement that this may be just what the franchise needs right now.

This latest poster has a similar vibe to the previously released theatrical poster. It's very much a "girl and her car" sort of thing with some old school Amblin vibes going on. Bumblebee and Hailee Steinfeld's Charlie are overlooking a city at night from a vantage point in the mountains. It's hard not to think of E.T. just a little bit. And if you must compare a movie to something, that's not a bad place to start.
As for the new image, it's pretty charming. We see Bumblebee hanging out in a very 80s house and doing his best to politely fit in, quite literally. He's sitting on a couch but, as you can see, it's not going perfectly well. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura also had this to say about the spin-off, emphasizing that this movie is going to be much smaller in scope than the previous few Transformers movies have been.