German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble says a deal between debt-racked Greece and its creditors won't be possible before its referendum on bailout terms as the Greek PM prepared to address the nation.

Athens has sent an "amended" proposal to creditors in the hope of staving off financial ruin, but Schaeuble said "before the referendum there is indeed no basis" to strike an agreement.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was set to address the nation on television on Wednesday, after submitting a new bailout deal proposal to the country's international creditors.

The government earlier Wednesday confirmed it had sent an "amended" proposal to the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund in the hope of sealing a deal to stave off financial ruin.

In angry comments after Greece crashed out of its EU aid program and defaulted on an IMF loan on Tuesday, Schaeuble accused the left-wing government of misleading the Greek people.

"They aren't doing any favours to their people if they keep misrepresenting the facts," he fumed on Wednesday. "It's not others who are to blame for their problems."

Protesters supporting a 'Yes' to the referendum and demanding Greece to remain in the Eurozone gathered outside the Greek Parliament in Athens, Greece. (AAP)

After months of frustrating talks, he accused the government of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of making "incredibly untruthful claims that are not remotely related with reality".

Schaeuble also said Greece was sending mixed signals in debt talks and called on its government to "clarify its position" before negotiations with creditors can resume.

He pointed to recent conflicting reports on whether Athens still plans a referendum on Sunday on the bailout terms and whether it would support a yes or no vote, noting that "all of this is no basis for discussions on serious measures".

"That's why first of all Greece must clarify its position on what it wants, and then we will have to talk about it, under conditions that are now far more difficult," Schaeuble told a Berlin press conference.

Schaeuble pointed out that the proposal "to be rejected or accepted doesn't exist anymore and never existed" because the European offer in question was rejected by Athens last week and the aid program formally expired on Tuesday night.

Since the program ended at the stroke of midnight, "the legal and actual facts" had entirely changed, he said.

"We are ready for any eventuality, but we are in a really difficult situation," he said, blaming "entirely the behaviour of the Greek leaders, which is no longer comprehensible to anyone".

Meanwhile, the European Commission vice-president for the euro, Valdis Dombrovskis, said the eurozone can "weather" the effects of the debt crisis in Greece because of steps taken in recent years to make it stronger.

"Whatever the course of events in Greece take, I am convinced the EU Economic and Monetary Union will be able to weather them," the former Latvian prime minister told a news conference in Brussels.

Many Greeks are angry at the government's stonewalling of a bailout package. (AAP)

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Summary: Greece has put forward a two-year bailout plan to the EU, hours before its rescue deal is due to expire.


Copper has been on a massive downtrend for months now, but when Garner looked at the charts she thought that maybe the downward slide could be coming to an end. Copper has traded above $2.40 for the past decade, with exception of the financial crisis in 2008.

However, this week brought some volatile action which resulted in the price dropping to $2.38 and quickly reversed into the mid $2.50s. What does this mean?

"For now I'm thinking that $2.40 is going to hold, and if it does then we will run into some resistance at $2.80," Garner said.

Additionally, if the price gets above $2.80, then Garner predicts a massive rally for the bulls, up to even the $3.80s.

One of the reasons why Garner thinks copper could be on an uptrend is because of the seasonal tendencies of it in the past 20 years. Copper has a tendency to trade weaker in the beginning of June, and bottom by early July. Looking at the monthly chart, Garner also sees that it is poised to rally until the end of August.

And while gold obviously has much different fundamentals, Garner saw good news ahead for this precious metal as well. Many investors steer clear of gold because it doesn't have much activity or pay dividends.

---------------------------------------------------------- Read more from Mad Money with Jim Cramer Cramer Remix: After Receptos, here's what's next General Mills goes natural & gluten-free Cramer: Mind blowing instant portfolio plays ----------------------------------------------------------

However, Garner thinks that what is important to note about it is the fact that speculators are always long gold and rarely hold a short position. At the moment, there is a small bullish position building in gold, which tells Garner that the market could start heating up again.

"A lot of the weakness in gold has been 100 percent due to the dollar. So, that is a big factor here," Garner added.

Ultimately, Garner said the key level to watch for gold is the support around $1,125 to $1,120. If the price can break above $1,230, that could trigger to make the bulls happy all the way up to $1,305 or $1,400.

Summary: Jim Cramer continues Chart Week by looking into the future of copper and gold. Will investors need a stomach of steel for this one?


"Innovation ... it's everywhere. It's unbelievable," Dimon said. "From nanotechnology to solar ... the technologies that are going to benefit the global economy are going to be huge."

He added, though, that policymakers are going to have to find a way to solve income inequality, which he said is causing the most negative feelings about the economy.

"A lot of people got hurt, obviously, in this global recession. I do think there's a true issue in income inequality," Dimon said. "It's a serious issue for politicians. It's not something we want."

Read MoreJamie Dimon's cancer sparks successor question

He suggested earned income tax credits, better education and job training as ways to remedy inequality.

"Until we are doing better for everybody you are going to have this sour attitude and hostility toward banks and businesses," Dimon said.

Dimon's appearance comes just a month after he wrapped up treatments for a throat cancer diagnosis in July and is his first since the company's last earnings call.

It's all part of a busy month for Dimon, who is expected to lead JPMorgan's conference call when it reports earnings Oct. 14, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Summary: The JPMorgan CEO sees one thing that could derail the recovery: The $3.2 trillion nonbank financial system, or "shadow banks."


Social media and Internet stocks have been some of this year's hottest investments. Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook have all outperformed the broader market this year, up a respective 40, 11 and 7 percent. But there's one company missing out on the rally: Yelp.

The stock is down 15 percent this year, and according to Cowen & Co.'s head of sales trading, David Seaburg, it could be in for some serious trouble down the road. Yelp "is not a stock you should buy [at current levels]. It's not a stock you should own. It's a trade, not something you invest in, I think it's dead money," he told CNBC's "Trading Nation" on Friday.

Despite Seaburg's negative view on the stock, Cowen has an outperform rating and $65 price target on Yelp, which was trading at $47.18 Friday afternoon.

Seaburg pointed out that Yelp shares have fallen 40 percent from the 52-week high set in September. Despite the selloff, the stock is still not cheap in his view.

"When you look at price to sales, Yelp versus its comps, it looks relatively cheap. It looks like it's trading at a discount or in line to most of its peers," said Seaburg. "But when you look at the breakdown in the stock in a price perspective, and the performance to its comps, you see the outlook for growth isn't there."

Summary: Despite this social media company's sharp fall in share prices, don't be tempted to buy, Cowen's David Seaburg warns.


Other federal agencies are responsible for the supervision and regulation of the rest of the financial system.

And then there is the principle of caveat emptor – the key institutional mechanism in free markets and free economies.

Never mind – blame the Fed

This, however, sounds too complicated to most observers looking for impressive punch-lines. Even those who should understand the difference tend to "explain" everything as a direct consequence of Fed's policies.

So, let's put them in Fed's shoes and ask them the following question: How would they respond – within the policy mandate – to a situation of sluggish economic growth, an actual unemployment rate of 11 percent, an inflation rate of 0 percent, tightening fiscal policy and the dollar's punishing 20 percent trade-weighted appreciation over the last twelve months?

Under these circumstances, how would they justify to the American public an interest rate hike?

Argue in favor of a "preemptive strike" to prevent future inflation flare-ups? In that case, here is what they would have to show.

Read MoreFed members torn over rate hike timing, with some seeing 2016,minutes show

First, they would have to produce credible evidence indicating rising wages and prices as a result of growing capacity pressures in labor and product markets. Second, they would have to demonstrate that the economy's current cyclical conditions are strong enough to support these rising capacity pressures over the relevant policy horizon.

Yes, serious public policy is not made on hunches "this reminds me of …", or on loose talk of "I don't know how we get out of this …"

But just in case you think I am too soft on my former colleagues, let me remind you of what I firmly believe: The extraordinary monetary policy we have now had for about six years is a result of Fed's huge and unforgivable errors leading up to the last financial crisis. The four-fold increase of the Fed's balance sheet over that period was necessary to bail out a poorly supervised banking system and to prevent the country's economic collapse.

Watch the Fed – and the Congress

That is the unprecedented situation we have now – a totally uncharted territory with no Ariadne's thread to lead us to clear exit signs.

Eventually, we shall find our way out, but it is important to remember the horrible lesson we are still going through.

Summary: Fears of low corporate earnings when liquidity-driven equity market valuations are the highest in a decade are raising doubts about the Fed.


Banking stocks received a flurry of upgrades Tuesday, as the market selloff in the past week reset valuations for the group, Wall Street analysts said.

Veteran bank analyst Mike Mayo of CLSA was among the bulls, upgrading shares of JPMorgan Chase to a "buy," while others like John McDonald from Bernstein and David George from Baird chimed in, issuing upgrades for their favorite stocks in the sector.

"Investors should use this pullback/sentiment shift to close short positions and selectively buy banks," said George in a note to clients Tuesday, pointing to valuations as one of the main catalysts for some of these names to move higher.

Among the top picks from the Street, here are the two financial stocks receiving the most love.

Summary: Banks stocks received a flurry of upgrades Tuesday, as the market selloff in the past week reset valuations for the group, Wall Street analyst said.


Branson did the interview from his private island in the Caribbean, Necker Island, where the rebuilding project of his luxury home is now complete. The previous one burned down two years ago. "It's rebuilt. It's beautiful," he said. "We've actually got 30 astronauts who signed up to go to space here at the moment."

Before the CNBC interview, Branson tweeted:

Many bitcoin users are the type of people who will buy tickets for space travel, Branson told CNBC via a Skype video connection with a cellphone for audio pressed to his ear. "Virgin Galactic is a bold entrepreneurial technology. It's driving a revolution. And bitcoin is doing just the same when it comes to inventing a new currency."

"I think the fact that there's going to be a limited number of bitcoins out there and it will ultimately be capped—unlike normal currencies where governments can print more currencies—gives it a sense of security," he said, but acknowledged the risk. "There have been spikes and lows. But I think one day it will settle at a price that, I personally believe, is higher than the price today."

For bitcoin's latest price, (click here.)

(Read more: Winklevosses: Bitcoin worth at least 100 times more)

Summary: Sir Richard Branson appeared on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday and announced that his commercial space flight venture will accept bitcoin as payment, "a new exciting currency."


(Rewrites throughout, updates prices, changes byline, moves dateline from previous LONDON)

* U.S. crude inventories rise 2.5 mln barrels - EIA

* Weak U.S., global equities, stronger dollar weigh on oil

* OPEC members say expect price fall to be short-lived

NEW YORK, July 22 (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Wednesday as U.S. government data showed crude inventories rose last week and as a stronger dollar and weaker global equities applied pressure.

U.S. crude oil stocks rose 2.5 million barrels, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its weekly report, contrasting with expectations inventories would be down 2.3 million barrels.

"The crude oil inventory rise was driven by a strong rebound in crude oil imports, which neared 8 million barrels per day," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.

Crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia rose to 1.44 million barrels per day (bpd), up from 1.32 million the previous week, according to EIA data. Imports from several other OPEC-member countries also rose.

Equity markets were pulled lower by a weak revenue forecast at Apple Inc, the world's largest company, while the dollar rebounded from its biggest decline in a month.

A stronger dollar increases profits for producers selling dollar-denominated oil and more expensive for consumers using other currencies.

U.S. September crude was down $1 at $49.86 a barrel at 12:55 p.m. EDT (1655 GMT). It fell intraday after the EIA data to $49.67, two cents below the previous contract low from March.

U.S. crude dropped below $50 on Monday for the first time since April and its 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) is below 30. A reading below 30 is considered an indication of an oversold condition by technical traders.

Brent September crude was down 52 cents at $56.52, off its session low of $56.16.

Pressure has been rising on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to adjust production in the face of an expected rise in Iranian exports if sanctions are loosened. A sharp fall in the Chinese stock market and concerns about the Greek debt crisis have also added to worries about demand for petroleum.

OPEC delegates indicated this week they expected the recent price drop to be short-lived and that they would not defer from a strategy of keeping output high to maintain market share.

U.S. August RBOB gasoline pared losses on EIA data showing stockpiles fell last week and data showing distillate stocks fell less than expected lent support to ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) futures.

Headwinds could be developing for diesel prices, with China's August diesel exports expected to reach their highest since at least 1999 as the domestic market cannot absorb high output from refineries.

Saudi Arabia has also been stepping up diesel exports.

(Additional reporting by Karolin Schaps in London and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

Summary: *OPEC members say expect price fall to be short-lived.  "The crude oil inventory rise was driven by a strong rebound in crude oil imports, which neared 8 million barrels per day," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York. Imports from several other OPEC- member countries also rose.


Media reports say ministers will ask all Internet service providers (ISPs) to block pornography sites, a daunting mission given the sheer number of them floating online. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) puts the figure at 40 million, the majority of which are located outside India. Experts are skeptical that officials lack the capability to strictly enforce the censorship.

Read MoreMore opponents ofInternet regulation emerge

"Despite India's IT sector making tremendous progress, authorities remain ill-equipped to enforce the ban, particularly in terms of digital forensics and also the numerous websites that the banned ones may spawn," said Gateway House's Patil.

Moreover, access to blocked portals will still be possible, Duggal noted, as people will turn to a variety of indirect methods, including proxy servers, to bypass filters. One example of this is the torrent website 'The Pirate Bay,' which is banned on over 20 countries but remains accessible via multiple proxy servers.

So, will India embrace a Chinese-style censorship police to enforce the ban? The Communist country employs one of the world's most rigorous content-filtering Internet systems, including the 'Great Firewall of China,' a large-scale surveillance network that can block websites containing taboo keywords such as Tiananmen, Tibet or Falun Gong.

Read MoreUS pollution data on Beijing blocked on mobile app

"As a whole, India is a very systemic country, it's not like anything cannot be blocked," Duggal told CNBC. "The chances of a Chinese experiment being replicated in India are extremely low given our robust constitution."

Summary: India is trying to block access to online pornography in a move that has triggered fears over digital freedoms in the world's largest democracy.


Wealthfront, the Palo Alto-based automated online investment services company, has passed the $2 billion mark as defined by assets under management. That's impressive for a company that was doing one-quarter of that a year ago. Wealthfront is setting itself apart from other financial services firms and robo-advisors by stressing the intelligence of its own proprietary algorithms to select low-cost exchange-traded funds. The minimum account size is just $5,000, and the company will manage the first $10,000 for free. After that it costs just 0.25 percent per year.

Read MoreFULL LIST: 2015 DISRUPTOR 50

Wealthfront is banking on the belief that smart, math-savvy millennials—whose net worth, according to the company, is projected to reach $7 trillion in the next five years—will trust the company's algorithms to manage their money better than a more expensive, human advisor. Accounts are accessible 24/7 from any computer, tablet or smartphone.

The company's management team is chock full of tech talent, led by CEO Adam Nash, who helped build LinkedIn and eBay. So far, the company has raised $129.5 million from venture firms Index Ventures, Greylock and Ribbit Capital.

Summary: This online investment company has passed the $2B mark for assets under management—focusing on Gen Y with its proprietary algorithms.


09/21/2015 AT 03:00 PM EDT

After losing 208 lbs. through diet and exercise, PEOPLE.com blogger

underwent her third surgery to remove excess skin on Sunday. "The scars don't bother me," she says of the culmination of her journey. "They just show how far I've come."

Smith, who turned 20 in August, spoke to PEOPLE as she prepared for her final operation. "I'm nervous and anxious, but ready," said the Portland, Tenn.-based Smith. "There are a lot of emotions."

Like the first two procedures performed earlier this year – which removed excess skin from her stomach, arms and more – Sunday's operation was performed by Dr. Michael Salzhauer. The Miami surgeon, (known as

), originally agreed to perform Kaitlyn's surgeries

after reading about the teen's amazing, all-natural

in PEOPLE's "Half Their Size" issue.

Sunday's surgery took five hours and removed roughly 20 lbs. of skin. "It's the hardest for her to recover from because it's such a big incision along the legs," says Salzhauer.

Before going under, Smith shared how the

has changed her, as well as some new experiences she has had along the way. On this trip she actually got all the way into the ocean for the first time. "I'd never been far out where it covered my whole body," she says. And it was her first time in a bathing suit since she was a little girl. While she was nervous to be so exposed, all went well. "In your mind I guess you think people are going to stare at you and laugh and make comments, but no one cared," she says.

Recuperation from this surgery will take 8 to 10 weeks and will require four drainage tubes. Thankfully, she will have a support network by her side, including her sister Kristen, her mom Kim, her trainer-coach Kina Wald and her boyfriend. While Smith knows it will be a long road, she can't wait until this is all behind her. "It's exciting to think after this recovery I'll be back to working out and toning this body that I've worked so hard for."

Kaitlyn Smith (left) and her sister Kristen

Smith is also eager to begin the next phase of life after spending the last three years so committed to her health. "I was going to start college, but instead I focused on my weight loss. Now I'm ready to start my career," she explains. Smith has been so motivated by her journey, in fact, that she plans to study to become a personal trainer and dietician.

She won't have to wait long to help others, though – she's already started an online weight-loss coaching group to aid people with their own transformations. And with 55,000

followers, she says she receives hundreds of messages a day from people inspired by her story and her courage. "Throughout my journey I've been open and honest. I put the raw material out there, and people connect with it," she explains.

Smith doesn't shy away from the emotional aspect of weight loss, either. "The hardest part for me isn't the physical work or eating healthy, it's working through the inner demons and critical thoughts about myself." Recently she started speaking at high schools. Healthy living, she says, "starts when you are younger. There's no reason a high schooler can't start to take control of his or her own life."

Smith is so sympathetic to the challenges that accompany weight issues than she offered a compassionate opinion on the recent

from comedian Nicole Arbour. "When these negative videos come out, people don't realize that you're already so hard on yourself, you don't need someone else doing it," she explains. "A lot of people want to start their journeys, but feel like they aren't worthy enough or they don't mean enough to do it."

Luckily, Smith's own future is looking bright. In addition to her educational plans, she's working on a book and hopes to one day start a family. "I want to be one of those active, fun moms," she says. "I feel like this chapter of my journey is closing, and the next one is opening."

Summary: After losing 208 lbs. naturally, Smith gets her last skin removal surgery – and discusses her journey, her future and fat shaming


This month's food photography assignment winner is Andrew Smith. Congratulations to Andrew on his imaginative shot of spaghetti. Top food photographer Diana Miller said: "The shot has a mood and atmosphere and a sense of drama with the overhead angle. The pasta looks natural and the colour contrasts well with the black background. The photographer has clearly considered the composition and lighting in order to create an unusual food shot."

The assignment proved popular during the festive season and a good contrast to the autumn colours assignment coming as bit of a relief to members able to come in from the cold. Other notable entries to the competition were Rachel Wooldridge's close up image of steaming cranberries, shot during the cooking process.

Another entry shortlisted was Radek Zadora's shimmering smoked kippers which had a beautiful symmetry and was shot under a golden, warm light.

More successful macro this time was Seamo66's raw eggs. It used the natural shapes in a startling geometric way.

Thanks again to all who entered the competition.

Summary: Food photographer Diana Miller chooses her favourite image from last month's competition


At Sprüth Magers London, a bijou gallery just off Bond Street, you can see Cindy Sherman's first UK show since 2007. Actually, this is an exaggeration. You can see five photographs from Sherman's latest series; the rest of the new portraits are to be found at Sprüth Magers Berlin. Is this very select sample worth the effort of a visit? I'm not sure. The nature of her work means that it reproduces well in magazines and catalogues, so all you are really getting when you see it hanging on a gallery wall is a sense of its scale, though admittedly this is immense: the largest of the London works is 254cm high by 174cm wide.

Then again, the secret of these studies - such as it is - lies in their detail, so the more clogged Max Factor and crayoned kohl you can see on the women's faces, the more, in theory, their horror and pathos will work on you. These tragic creatures, with their lacquered foreheads and their fussy evening wear, have all the trappings of a certain kind of wealth. But their make-up, close to, belongs to the mad old lady you saw waiting at the bus stop: clown-like, childish, effortful and terribly sad.

As usual, Sherman has acted as her own model. The artist is now 55 and thinking - or so she has said in interviews - about wrinkles: how they can be disguised; how they grow and multiply all the same. Ostensibly, then, these images, for which she has painted latex on to her skin to replicate lines more dramatic than her own, and then covered it with orange pancake and cherry rouge, are a meditation on ageing. The women she is playing, however, are rich: at one glance, we can tell that they are exactly the kind of females who might have sunk just a little too much of someone else's money into a now infamous Ponzi scheme.

Sherman found most of their outfits - gaudy yet oddly girlish - in an Upper East Side charity store much favoured by bony-shouldered New York matriarchs. So the story she is telling is in fact about what happens when past-it skin and cash collide. Do the wealthy cling more desperately to their youth? Are they more deluded than those who cannot afford to listen to the blandishments of the cosmetic surgeon as he makes his pitch? According to Sherman, it would seem so. They share a common artifice, one that makes them seem, in spite of their Technicolor pluck and gargantuan proportions, precarious. You could flick your finger against them and they'd crumble to dust.

Perhaps this is also why they bore me half to death. Though there is no doubting Sherman's industry, I cannot subscribe to the view (of ARTnews magazine and others) that she is one of the world's 10 greatest living artists. In the gallery, I noticed all the small things - the tea stains that gathered, like rust, between a set of protruding teeth; the thick moustache of foundation on an upper lip; the toe peeking out from beneath an embroidered kaftan, sheathed in nylon and an ugly pink mule, and thought, not for the first time, how beady she is; at her best, Sherman has an almost novelistic eye for the way such things can betray a personality.

But once you've noted all this effort, your eyes flick away, disdainfully. There is nothing to draw you back: no mystery, no transformation, no beauty. It's not only that her portraits are phony, the result only of her own solipsistic adventures in the dressing-up box. There's something flat about them, too: it's the way they're lit and the way they're composed. They push you away, charmlessly, and even if this is deliberate - and I am not convinced that it is - the effect is such that no sooner have you left the gallery than you have quite forgotten what it was that you were staring at.

Some critics insist that this is precisely her point: that modern life is concerned only with surfaces and thus is entirely ephemeral. I think that Sherman longs to provoke, to stir up, to make some kind of grand statement, but that she lacks the skills, technical and intellectual, to pull such a trick off. Sure, she can strike a pose; she can give Madonna a run for her money on that score. But there's more to art than mere posturing. Even a good wig can only take a girl so far.

• A selection of Cindy Sherman's latest work will be on display at the Sprüth Magers gallery in London until 27 May 2009.

Born in New Jersey on 19 January 1954. As a child, often dressed up as old women.

1976 Studies art at Buffalo State College, at first failing the photography course.

1977-80 Creates Untitled Film Stills, 69 self-portraits of female movie stereotypes.

1981 Begins Centrefolds, series parodying soft-core porn magazines.

She says "I want to look like just an average, ordinary person."

They say "Since she started dressing up for her camera, her lead has been followed ad infinitum." - US art critic Roberta Smith

Summary: Rachel Cooke reviews Cindy Sherman at Sprüth Magers


Team YP specializes in games like "HearthStone: Heroes of Warcraft," "League of Legends" and the popular "Warcraft III" offshoot, "Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) 2." That could make its new sponsor problematic in future tournaments. Many tournaments have policies that prohibit any advertising content promoting sites or products of a sexual nature.

To avoid that, the Team YP jerseys don't mention the YouPorn name—or have the site's URL or branding on them.

"We don't want the to steal the thunder from the actual team by exploiting our logo all over the place, so we're choosing to stick onlyTeam YP, that way the focus is on the actual gameplay, and what YP stands for is implied in the branding and logo itself," Burns says.

Even with the subdued branding, though, TeamYP may have to reduce the focus on one of its specialty titles. Riot Games says the team would not be allowed to play in either the professional or talent-building tiers of its League of Legends tournaments.

"Our rules prevent any [League Challenger Series] or Challenger teams from sponsorship agreements with companies who represent pornographic material," the company told CNBC.com.

Additionally, the increased focus on sexism in games and surrounding the game industry in recent months could add another layer of difficulty for the team. As developers reassess how women are portrayed in their games and tournaments strive to become more inclusive, a team sponsored by a company that features graphic videos where women are often dominated by men may not be welcome.

While the company won't be branded at tournaments, the viral nature of the Internet and word of mouth will likely help spread the word of its involvement in the field. And should Team YP start to chalk up victories, it could be a lucrative endorsement.

Read More Despite heavy shorts, GameStop still a buy

The best eSports athletes earn a level of celebrity on par with traditional pro athletes—and many earn a health living doing so. Lee "Jaedong" Jae Dong, a 25-year-old South Korean who specializes in "StarCraft II," has earned more than $504,000 over 47 tournaments. And Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel has pocketed over $450,000 in tournaments (and a lot more in endorsement deals).

The eSports audience largely tends to be made up of people in their 20s and 30s who spend a lot of time in front of their computers—and is the sort of audience the porn industry covets, which gives some insight into YouPorn's decision.

And with the number of game tournaments out there, that's plenty of exposure—though the team and YouPorn haven't yet decided where their next stop will be.

"Gamergy is step one," Burns says. "We'll definitely be attending more tournaments and events moving forward, but we have yet to discuss with the team what's next on the radar for competition participation."

Summary: YouPorn, one of the largest streaming porn sites, extends its reach into the video game world with a six-month sponsorship of a Madrid-based team.


Read MoreThe UK's Madoff? Trader vanishes with $200M of client cash

The British company and its executives have denied any wrongdoing. HP, which bought Autonomy to lead a shift into software, alleged "some former members of Autonomy's management team used accounting improprieties, misrepresentations and disclosure failures" to inflate the company's apparent worth.

Autonomy's former chief executive Mike Lynch, an Irish-born mathematics whiz who led the firm when it was sold, has blamed the fall in its valuation on HP's mismanagement.

Fallout from the purchase included the departure of two Hewlett-Packard directors, and prompted Chairman Ray Lane to give up that post. It also included criminal and civil probes by authorities in the United States and United Kingdom.

HP, based in Palo Alto, California, said it passed information from an unidentified whistleblower to the U.S. Department of Justice, the SEC and the SFO.

"In respect of some aspects of the allegations, the SFO has concluded that, on the information available to it, there is insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction," the British authority said in Monday.

It said it had ceded jurisdiction over the case to U.S. authorities, whose investigation is ongoing.

Last year, HP reached a deal over litigation with shareholders over the botched acquisition, that involved shareholder attorneys agreeing to drop all claims against HP's current and former executives, including Chief Executive Meg Whitman.

In return, HP said it would pursue claims against former Autonomy executives, including Lynch. A federal judge later rejected the proposed settlement.

Follow us on Twitter: @CNBCWorld

Summary: UK's Serious Fraud Office said it had closed its investigation into the sale of British IT firm Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.


10/27/2015 AT 09:50 AM EDT

is on the road to recovery.

star has checked himself into a Florida center for 90 days to treat depression, he announced Monday night on

"I love you all so much and I truly do appreciate all of your love and support," he said in a final message to fans. "We're going to beat this."

that he has "had failed attempts at suicide" and has been in a dark place over the past three years.

Brendon was arrested four times in 2015, the latest earlier this month after an

with his girlfriend in Saratoga Springs, New York. He

in June for depression and substance abuse after being arrested in South Carolina in

for trashing hotel rooms and public intoxication.

Summary: "I love you all so much and I truly do appreciate all of your love and support," the actor tells his fans


Still, with so much brewing now on the domestic and international front, at some point the president and the Speaker will have to find ways to work together again, for the good of the country.

There are a few signs of a slight thawing in their relationship.

For instance, Boehner hinted broadly that he would go after the president in his law suit with guns blazing, citing Obama for everything from repeatedly revising the timetable for the Affordable Care Act on his own to unilaterally imposing tough new air pollution standards, to negotiating the release of five Taliban prisoners in return for U.S. soldier Bowe Bergdahl without first consulting with Congress.

Read MoreLawsuit against Obama to focus on Obamacare

Yet when Boehner unveiled a draft resolution last week authorizing the litigation, he and his lawyers had narrowed the "indictment" to just one complaint – Obama's decision last summer to unilaterally delay the employer mandate in Obamacare for a year.

That hardly seemed like the guts of an historic, constitutional challenge to the presidency, especially since the delay was favored by many Republicans and business leaders at the time Obama announced it.

Boehner steered clear of Obama's unilateral actions on immigration reform, suggesting that he might be open to a deal with the president to cope with the tens of thousands of unaccompanied children from Central America who have swarmed across the U.S.-Mexico border into this country in recent months.

Finally, while some in both parties have speculated that Boehner's threatened legal action is a precursor to a conservative drive to impeach the president, Boehner has denied this from the start. And when former Alaska governor and unsuccessful GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin called for Obama's impeachment and told Fox News, "You don't bring a lawsuit to a gunfight," the taciturn speaker merely shrugged and replied, "I disagree."

Read MoreIs it even possible? Congress deadlock worsens

Ray LaHood, the former U.S. Transportation Secretary and long-time Republican House member who knows Obama and Boehner well, doesn't expect to see any major improvement in their relationship -- at least until after the November mid-term election.

LaHood said in an interview this week that Obama and Boehner have a "cordial relationship" and "both understand they have important leadership positions."

"But they're not going to be able to do business before the election, that's very clear," LaHood said. "Everything now is about the mid-terms, everything now is about Republicans winning the Senate; everything is about the November election. Every statement, every move, every speech, it's all about posturing for the mid-terms, and the country suffers as a result of it."

"Nothing gets done, whether it's on veterans, whether it's on transportation – everyone is worried about the election and not dealing with the issues."

—By Eric Pianin, Fiscal Times

Summary: The one-time golfing buddies now practically seethe with contempt whenever they talk about one another. The Fiscal Times reports.


July 23 (Reuters) - United Continental Holdings Inc on Thursday reported a 51 percent rise in quarterly profit, helped by lower fuel and maintenance costs, and announced a $3 billion buyback plan.

The Chicago-based airline earned $1.19 billion, or $3.14 cents per share, for the second quarter ended June 30, up from $789 million, or $2.01 per share, in the year ago period.

Excluding special items, it earned $3.31 per share, in line with analysts' average estimate, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Total operating costs, including a charge, fell 10 percent to $8.47 billion. Fuel expense fell 32 percent to $2.11 billion.

U.S.-based airlines are poised to save hundreds of millions of dollars more on fuel compared with last year since global crude oil prices have fallen about 50 percent from June last year.

Fuel is typically an airline's largest variable cost, representing a third or more of operating expenses.

(Reporting by Sweta Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

Summary: July 23- United Continental Holdings Inc on Thursday reported a 51 percent rise in quarterly profit, helped by lower fuel and maintenance costs, and announced a $3 billion buyback plan. The Chicago- based airline earned $1.19 billion, or $3.14 cents per share, for the second quarter ended June 30, up from $789 million, or $2.01 per share, in the year ago period.


03/11/2016 AT 12:00 PM EST

taught a whole new generation about what

revealed to the world in her infamous tell-all

– the so-called "Brentwood Hello."

stole a scene playing Resnick (now a

guest-star) explaining her friend Brown Simpson's allegedly naughty habit to her book publishers.

explained a censored version of the sex act Thursday night on

admitted he'd never heard the term.

"This was a shock to me, because I live in Brentwood, and no one said hello to me," Corden, 37, cracked as Britton and Cuban laughed. "No one said hello to me, period."

"People don't really say hello in Brentwood unless it's like this," said Britton, 49, with a sly smile.

For the few TV viewers who

, Corden delicately described the move.

"A man is asleep in his bed, and a lady would go in, and she would wake him up with her ... " he said, pointing to his mouth. "Hello!" cried Cuban, 57. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story airs Tuesday at 10 p.m. on FX.

Summary: "I live in Brentwood, and no one said hello to me," James Corden jokes


By Philip Boucher and Jeff Nelson

updated 03/21/2016 AT 09:30 AM EDT

•originally published 03/21/2016 AT 07:00 AM EDT

A British judge has admonished

over 15-year-old son Rocco or risk missing the last years of his childhood locked in a divisive legal battle.

"As I observed during the course of the hearing, summer does not last forever. The boy very quickly becomes the man. It would be a very great tragedy for Rocco if any more of the precious and fast receding days of his childhood were to be taken up by this dispute," U.K. High Court Judge Alistair MacDonald wrote in a ruling released on Monday.

"Far better for each of his parents to spend that time enjoying, in turn, the company of the mature, articulate and reflective young man who is their son and who is a very great credit to them both."

The London judge ruled that Madonna can drop her legal proceedings in England so that the legal battle can continue in the U.S. judicial system. He did not rule on whether Rocco should be returned to New York to be with Madonna – but did return the teen's passport so he could visit his mother over the Easter holiday, if he so wished.

MacDonald's ruling pointed out that despite the A-list exes stars involved and the international headlines, the issue at hand was a break-down in trust between Madonna and Ritchie.

"For all the media coverage, comment and analysis, this is a case born out of circumstances that arise for countless separated parents the world over," the judge wrote in his ruling, continuing, "I renew, one final time, my plea for the parents to seek, and to find an amicable resolution to the dispute between them."

The parents are already hashing out a custody agreement in New York courts, however Madonna had previously launched proceedings in the U.K. under the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction. She later decided to stop the litigation to concentrate solely on the U.S. lawsuit.

The judge's ruling comes after proceedings first began on March 3, when he began to consider whether the pop star, 57, could withdraw her complaint.

"It is her desire that this is resolved as quickly as possible," her attorney David Williams said during initial proceedings,

At the time, Judge MacDonald reiterated New York judge Deborah Kaplan's sentiments,

an "amicable settlement" after the "highly unfortunate and deeply regrettable" family dispute.

The international squabble began in December, after Rocco left Madonna's

Tour to live with his father, 47, in England but refused to return to his mother in New York for the holidays,

on March 2, the judge and Madonna, Ritchie and Rocco's attorneys agreed that Rocco will remain in London, where he's attending school, for the time being, until his estranged parents come to a custody agreement. The judge urged the parents to work toward the agreement privately but scheduled a tentative hearing for June 1 if they've yet to settle the dispute.

Summary: The judge also ruled that the custody battle should be decided in New York courts


PHOENIX -- A 15-game improvement in the standings with a core of talented young players and an aggressive style has the Arizona Diamondbacks believing they are headed in the right direction.

A year after finishing with the worst record in baseball, Arizona made a significant turnaround under first-year manager Chip Hale.

"It's a work in progress," Hale said, "and I think we made some progress this year."

Arizona finished 79-83, third in the NL West.

Here are some things to note following Arizona's turnaround season.

CASH COMING: A new local television deal will bring considerable revenue to the franchise, but Stewart downplayed the idea of acquiring a high-priced, free-agent pitcher.

"I'm not sure what we want to do in that," he said. "It really comes back to doing a strong evaluation of what we have here. If Patrick Corbin one year from now is healthy, and we did get him through this season healthy, throwing the ball well, showing great signs of the pitcher he was in the past, then I'm not too sure there is a necessity to go out and get that guy.

"But if it makes sense ... then we'll do what's necessary, I guess would be the best way to put it."

NEW CLOSER?: Sidearm pitcher Brad Ziegler took over the closer role from ineffective Addison Reed early in the season and finished with 30 saves and a 1.84 ERA.

Stewart doesn't see the need to find a more traditional closer.

"Ziegler, while not the strikeout pitcher your typical closer is, the bottom line is he gets results," Stewart said.

MEDICAL REPORT: Four pitchers were coming off Tommy John surgery: Corbin, Daniel Hudson, Matt Reynolds and David Hernandez.

"We wanted to get to the end of the season with those guys pitching competitively, but being careful so that we ended the season with each of those guys being healthy, excited and ready to get into a full winter of working out with a clear feeling about coming into 2016," La Russa said.

All four finished the season in good shape.

Of particular concern was Hudson, who came back from two operations. He had a strong year, hitting the high-90s (mph) regularly in a relief role. In 64 relief appearances, he went 4-3 with a 3.86 ERA.

La Russa said it has not been determined whether Hudson will return to the rotation or stay in the bullpen next season.

"We just know that he's a terrific asset," La Russa said.

YOUNG STARTERS: The Diamondbacks are counting heavily on Corbin returning to pre-injury form after a solid comeback season. He was 6-5 with a 3.60 ERA.

Stewart identified Corbin, Rubby De La Rosa and Robbie Ray as the team's three top starters. De La Rosa (14-9, 4.67 ERA) led the staff in wins and is 26. Ray (5-12, 3.52) is just 24.

CROWDED OUTFIELD: The Diamondbacks have three outfielders who will compete to play alongside Pollock: Ender Inciarte, David Peralta and Yasmany Tomas.

La Russa said that's a good problem to have.

La Russa said the team has Tomas on an improved nutrition diet in hopes of having his weight down as the Cuban player enters his second season.

Summary: A year after finishing with the worst record in baseball, Arizona made a significant turnaround under first-year manager Chip Hale. Arizona finished 79-83, third in the NL West.


INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Less than six minutes after the opening bell, Gennady Golovkin left another contender for his middleweight belts crumpled on the canvas.

Golovkin appears determined to keep on brutalizing overmatched opponents and racking up knockouts until no 160-pound fighters remain upright.

Golovkin defended his middleweight titles in devastating fashion again Saturday night, finishing Wade in the second round for his 22nd straight stoppage victory.

Golovkin (35-0, 32 KOs) knocked down Wade three times in the short fight, punishing the previously undefeated challenger before ending the bout on a right to the chin with 23 seconds left in the second. A sold-out Forum roared for its adopted champion in his 16th consecutive title defense.

''This is a big present for my fans,'' Golovkin said. ''I'm here now and I'm here to stay. I'm not going anywhere.''

Roman ''Chocolatito'' Gonzalez also defended his WBC 112-pound title with a unanimous decision over McWilliams Arroyo.

Golovkin and Gonzalez combined to pack the famous arena south of downtown Los Angeles for the second time in a year, attracting 16,353 savvy boxing fans who understand the sublime brutality of the Kazakh 160-pound champion and the Nicaraguan flyweight.

Wearing blue-and-gold trunks to celebrate the Los Angeles Rams' NFL return to a future stadium across the street from the Forum, Golovkin opened his bout in his new hometown with the crowd repeatedly chanting ''Triple G!''

And Golovkin was relentless from the bell, knocking down Wade (18-1) with a punch to the ear in the final seconds of the opening round. After absorbing a few punches from Wade with negligible impact, Golovkin landed a dynamite combination in the second round, flooring Wade with a left uppercut and a right to the body.

''I was not able to get comfortable once he started hitting me,'' Wade said. ''He's a great champion, and he does everything well. His power is real.''

Golovkin finished his woozy opponent with a right hand that left Wade face-down on his knees. Golovkin, who idolizes the same Mexican boxers beloved in Los Angeles, got another enormous cheer when he greeted the fans with ''Muchas gracias!''

Golovkin was an enormous favorite to beat Wade, his mandatory challenger for one of his belts. Although Golovkin has dominated the middleweight division, he still covets a superfight with Canelo Alvarez, who holds the WBC version of the 160-pound belt after beating Miguel Cotto at a 155-pound catch weight last year.

Alvarez has said he is willing to fight Golovkin, but Alvarez's promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, appears less interested in making it happen right away. Alvarez will be forced to vacate the WBC belt if he doesn't take the fight later this year, giving three of the four major titles to Golovkin.

When asked if he had a message for Alvarez, Golovkin said: ''Give me my belt! Hey, I need my belt! I'm ready!''

Gonzalez (45-0) is widely considered the world's top pound-for-pound fighter since the retirement of Floyd Mayweather, and the 112-pound dynamo put on another impressive display in his fourth straight title defense.

Yet the Nicaraguan champion's streak of 10 consecutive stoppage victories was ended by Arroyo (16-3), whose gritty effort on a damaged shoe earned him respect from a crowd supporting Gonzalez.

Nobody had gone the distance with Gonzalez since Juan Francisco Estrada in November 2012. Two judges scored the bout 119-109 for Gonzalez, and a third gave every round to the champion, 120-108. The Associated Press scored it 119-109 for Gonzalez.

''This shows that I can win either by knockout or by going the distance,'' Gonzalez said through a translator. ''It was a very difficult fight, but McWilliams moves very well, and he knows how to avoid the punches.''

Summary: INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP)  Less than six minutes after the opening bell, Gennady Golovkin left another contender for his middleweight belts crumpled on the canvas.


A devastating earthquake in Ecuador has become a topic of discussion at a meeting in Doha, Qatar with some of the world’s largest oil producers.

The meeting brings together about 18 OPEC and non-OPEC countries to discuss a possible agreement to cap oil output and sustain prices. The New York Times reports that an ambassador from Ecuador, an OPEC country, to Qatar has said about the earthquake, “It’s a big disaster. We are very worried about the situation.” Ecuador’s main oil refinery is located near the epicenter of the earthquake, according to Business Insider. The refinery has been closed, but officials say that production remains unaffected.

The magnitude-7.8 earthquake took place on Saturday night. At the time of writing, 235 people have been reported dead and 1,557 injured. Ecuadorian Vice President John Glas, standing in for President Rafael Correa until he returns from a visit to Rome, assured locals in a press conference that the earthquake will not be followed up by a tsunami.

The Ecuadorian natural disaster is said to be about six times stronger than two that occurred in Japan earlier this week, killing 41 people. One professor of planetary geosciences, David Rothery, told the Times that it was “probably about 20 times grater” than the second Japan quake. He added that “there is no causal relationship between the earthquakes in Ecuador and Japan.”

Summary: The country has shut down its principal oil refinery.


A Jewish organization is petitioning French officials that a small hamlet outside of Paris change its name from what translates in English as “Death to Jews.”

“[The fact that the name] was unnoticed during seventy years since the liberation of France from the Nazis and Vichy is most shocking,” Shimon Samuels, director of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre’s international relations, wrote to France’s Interior Minister.

Here’s the town on Yahoo! Maps:

But the deputy mayor of Courtemaux, the village of 289 people that oversees the contested hamlet, is resistant to a name change, arguing that the tradition should be respected.

“It’s ridiculous. This name has always existed,” Marie-Elizabeth Secretand told AFP. “No one has anything against the Jews, of course. It doesn’t surprise me that this is coming up again. Why change a name that goes back to the Middle Ages or even further? We should respect these old names.”

Secretand also noted that the municipal council was petitioned to change the name of the town, which consists of two houses and a farm, 20 years ago, but that request was denied.

Still, Samuels urges a name change due to “the current surge in public and violent expressions of anti-Semitism” — Europe has seen a dramatic uptick of anti-Semitism ranging from protests to acts of violence in the past month — and for the town’s own monetary gains. Samuels noted that home values in La-Mort-Aux-Juifs is 14.1% less than the Courtemaux average.

In May, a Spanish town called Castrillo Matajudios (Little Hill Fort of Jew Killers) changed its name to Mota de Judios (Hill of the Jews).

Summary: A Jewish group has petitioned to change the name of La-mort-aux-Juifs


Lorena Ros, a Spain-based photojournalist, has been documenting abuse of power in various countries around the world. Her first book, Unspoken, a testimony in pictures and words of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, brings her home to a widespread human tragedy that has rarely been photographed.

In the car, on our way to the train-station, my aunt asked me if I had mentioned anything to my mother about the ‘incident…’ I was shocked. It was something that had remained unspoken for years and I had blocked it out of my mind. My uncle and my aunt were afraid that “the secret” was about to be revealed to the family and they were trying to persuade me to be silent – as I had been for the last 30 years…

It was the summer of 2000 – a bomb was about to go off in my life, a bomb that would forever change my relationship with my family, relationships within the family itself and, of course, the rest of my life.

Five years later, I was selected as a participant of the World Press Master class and asked to develop an essay around the concept “Ordinary”. I decided to photograph survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, starting with my own city. Over the years I had focused on stories related to “the abuse of power”- it was a recurrent subject -In my stories I was seeking the truth; there was a story that was very close to us and widespread and yet hardly documented – it was very much a taboo subject.

In 2008, Raquel’s photograph was part of an exhibit in Barcelona (she was abused by her father for years, her mother never believed her and she was forced to leave home.) Raquel hadn’t spoken to her mother in years but invited her for coffee that evening. And without telling her where they were going, brought her to the exhibition. When Raquel’s mother saw and heard other similar stories, it changed both their lives for ever.

As I begun my work on child sex abuse, what first struck me was how vulnerable and fearless my subjects were. Opening their lives, talking about it, was the only way, I realized to fight child sexual abuse.

As I met more and more ‘survivors’, I felt that my essay on ‘Ordinary,’ could, should be a longer-term project, perhaps even a book. Through bearing witness, I was also telling my own story – something which I had never done publicly.

It has been an eight-year journey of growth both as a photographer and as a woman. A journey of self-discovery. Through the survivors I’ve photographed, I found the courage to confront my own ghosts and tell my own story. I realized that I was not alone. It was my life and my work coming together. It has been an often a painful exercise in honesty, a cathartic process of knowing who I am; to understand why I was drawn to the subjects I was drawn to over the years.

In many ways, Unspoken, my first book has helped me to understand Who I am? Why I take pictures and why I do it well.

Lorena Ros is a photojournalist whose work has appeared in Newsweek, El Pais And The Sunday Times Magazine, among others. Unspoken is available now.

Summary: Photographer Lorena Ros survived sexual abuse, now her newest project highlights the strength and dignity of other survivors.


Celine Dion needed all the support Thursday as she left her late husband Rene Angelil's public wake.

Celine was guided out of the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal by her son Rene-Charles and another family member after thousands came to pay their respects.

Angelil died last week after a long battle with cancer.

Summary: Celine Dion needed all the support Thursday as she left her late husband Rene Angelil's public wake. Celine was guided out of the Notre-Dame Basilica…


The Justice Department asked a judge on Monday to postpone a hearing scheduled for the next day about whether Apple should be compelled to help unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

The surprise last minute filing said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation would try to access the data stored on the iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook through alternate means, without specifying exactly how. It raises the possibility of a truce between the federal government and Apple, which have waged a public war over the propriety of the company helping law enforcement access the data.

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“On Sunday, March 20, 2016, an outside party demonstrated to the FBI a possible method for unlocking Farook’s iPhone,” the federal prosecutors wrote. “Testing is required to determine whether it is a viable method that will not compromise data on Farook’s iPhone. If the method is viable, it should eliminate the need for assistance from Apple.”

Melanie Newman, spokeswoman for the Justice Department, said in a statement emailed to Fortune that the agency needs time to explore the new option. “We must first test this method to ensure that it doesn’t destroy the data on the phone, but we remain cautiously optimistic,” she said.

“That is why we asked the court to give us some time to explore this option,” Newman continued. “If this solution works, it will allow us to search the phone and continue our investigation into the terrorist attack that killed 14 people and wounded 22 people.”

The move comes on the same day that Apple held an event on the company’s campus to unveil a series of updates to its products. In his opening remarks, CEO Tim Cook reiterated his commitment to battling the FBI’s legal request to unlock the iPhone, which he and other tech companies have described as a threat to customer privacy and an open invitation to hackers.

“We believe strongly that we have a responsibility to help you protect your data and protect your privacy,” he said. “This is an issue that impacts all of us, and we will not shrink from this responsibility.”

For more about Tim Cook’s remarks, watch:

On Monday, news also broke that a team of computer security researchers at Johns Hopkins University had found a security flaw in Apple’s iMessage, an application through which iPhone users may chat. The vulnerability, fixed in the company’s newly released iOS 9.3 software update, could let hackers steal users’ photos and video correspondence.

An Apple spokesperson told Fortune in an email that the company is waiting to hear whether the judge would accept the government’s request to postpone the hearing. The Justice Department’s latest court filing proposes an April 5 deadline for the government to update the court about its progress in unlocking the phone without Apple’s help.

Summary: The federal government has a new lead.


03/28/2016 AT 03:45 PM EDT

Hoping to ease visitors' concerns over the

, Brazil's health ministry will launch a smartphone app to help detect the disease during this summer's

The app will provide information on preventing the mosquito-borne illness, help users determine if they are exhibiting symptoms and if necessary direct them to the nearest hospital or pharmacy, according to

The health ministry said the app that launches in May will be available in English, Portuguese Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese and Russian.

In February, the World Health Organization

Zika virus "a public health emergency of international concern." The rare declaration was spurred by growing concern that the Zika infection in pregnant women is linked to

â a birth defect that causes small head and brain abnormalities.

The flu-like disease that can spread via mosquito bites and sexual contact has also been linked to

, a severe neurological disorder that causes temporary paralysis. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

that 80 percent of people infected with the virus experience no symptoms.

Last month, the United States OIympic Committee told U.S. sports federations that athletes who fear for their health amid the Zika virus outbreak should

to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio this August.

U.S. health officials have also told pregnant women to avoid travel to places where the virus is being transmitted.

Brazil's Health Minister Marcelo Castro said that "the risk of infection will be considerably reduced" during the Olympics, which will be held during the southern hemisphere's winter season, when there are fewer mosquitoes, AFP reported. He conceded that the situation remains "very worrying."

Summary: The app will provide information on preventing the mosquito-borne illness, help users determine if they are exhibiting symptoms and provide directions to hospitals


Japan’s Sony Corp on Thursday reported an annual loss in its image sensors business, raising fears the firm’s revival of recent years may be losing momentum, even as cost cuts helped it book its biggest annual operating profit in eight years.

Annual operating profit more than quadrupled to 294.2 billion yen ($2.70 billion) for the year ended March due to cost cuts in its struggling smartphone business and brisk demand for PlayStation 4 videogames.

But the electronics maker said its devices business, including image sensors which have been central to its recovery, swung to a loss of 29 billion yen from a profit of 89 billion yen a year prior.

Sony sne has been shifting attention over the past two years to higher-margin products such as sensors from consumer electronics such as televisions and mobile phones, under an overhaul led by Chief Financial Officer Kenichiro Yoshida.

But a global slowdown since late last year in the market for high-end smartphones—which feature high-spec cameras—has dented sensor sales. Its major clients include Apple aapl , which on Tuesday reported its first-ever decline in iPhone sales as it struggles with an increasingly saturated market.

“We have placed image sensors at the core of our growth story, so we take the deterioration in results there very seriously,” Yoshida told a news conference on Thursday. “The smartphone market has entered a stage of slow growth.”

As it had previously flagged, Sony did not issue any earnings guidance for this business year as it continued to assess the impact of earthquakes this month that halted production at its image sensor plant in southern Japan.

On Thursday, it said it expects production to resume around the end of May. The disruption, it said, could cause “major” opportunity losses.

In another worrying sign for the country’s recovering tech names, Panasonic forecast profit to fall in the current business year while growth in emerging markets slows and as it spends on high-end electronics and increasingly lucrative automotive technologies.

The company said it expects operating profit of 375 billion yen, down from 416 billion yen in the previous year under U.S. accounting standards.

It had flagged the weaker outlook last month, showing that even one of the strongest of Japan’s consumer electronics companies is struggling to grow as the domestic economy grapples with weak consumer spending and slowing exports to China.

Summary: But a loss in its image sensors business raised fears the firm's revival may be losing momentum.


TOKYO, Dec. 27— December in Japan is a festive season, filled with gift-giving, prayers for the new year, bamboo and pine branches in front of houses, office parties and Beethoven's Ninth.

No one is sure how it happened, but indeed, Ludwig van Beethoven's Choral Symphony is as much a staple of the season as dry weather and maddeningly short days. The symphony is being performed at least 170 times this month by professional and amateur groups throughout the country.

Some orchestras play it several times in a row. The NHK Symphony Orchestra has performed what the Japanese call the Daiku, or Big Nine, five times this month, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra 13 times and the Japan Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra 11 times.

"For Japanese, listening to Beethoven's Ninth at the end of the year is a semi-religious experience," said Naoyuki Miura, the artistic director of Music from Japan, which sponsors concerts abroad. "People feel they have not completed the year spiritually until they hear it."

Like the Christmastime sing-alongs of Handel's "Messiah" in the West, Beethoven's Ninth also draws audiences to sing-along performances at which the audiences lustily join in the choruses of Schiller's "Ode to Joy," singing German words they barely understand. Curious Memory Aid

And talk about bathos. When the first notes of "O Freude!" ring out in the final movement, Japanese memorizing the German have a favorite mnemonic device to recall the words. They memorize them as "o furo ide," which means, roughly, "getting out of the bathtub."

The concerts are like elaborate versions of Japanese karaoke bars, favorite nighttime hangouts of Japanese who like to get drunk and sing popular songs like "My Way" using microphones to a recorded orchestral background. But by all accounts, Beethoven's Ninth is transcendental karaoke.

"When the music ended last Sunday, the lights in the hall were blurred by tears," said Izumi Yoshida, a 40-year-old housewife and jewelry designer describing a recent sing-along performance. "It totally removed all my stresses in life, and I felt great."

The performance she was describing took place at a municipal auditorium in the city of Urayasu, northeast of Tokyo, where 1,000 people paid $15 a ticket to sing and listen while the Ninth Symphony was performed.

If nothing else, the Beethoven's Ninth phenomenon proves that for many Japanese, there is no such concept as too much of a good thing. Sometimes entire radio programs are given over to different versions of Beethoven's Ninth. This, in turn, inspires some cynicism among serious musicians. Art or Big Business?

"I hate it," said Hiroyuki Iwaki, conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, which is affiliated with Japan's semiofficial broadcasting network. "This is a typical crazy Japanese love of what's fashionable. I think that by now it has lost its meaning and simply become big business."

Mr. Iwaki, who has been a guest conductor with many foreign orchestras, said many professional singers in Japan earned as much as half their income for the year simply by performing Beethoven's Ninth in December. The big orchestras, in turn, make money because they use amateurs for the chorus, he said.

"It was about 20 years ago that I decided that I loved Beethoven's Ninth so much I could not conduct it in December," Mr. Iwaki said. "Let me tell you what it's like. The audience is waiting, waiting, waiting for that big moment: 'O Freude!' And they're thinking of a bathtub!"

How did this fad happen? Some people say that audiences love Beethoven's Ninth because of the image of a penniless, deaf and solitary composer producing a sublime masterpiece. Others say it reflects the Japanese love of what is No. 1: the No. 1 symphony of the No. 1 composer.

"I think Beethoven is like a brand name for the Japanese," said Tairyo Wakayama, an amateur singer who performed at the Urayasu concert. "But at the end, I was very moved and had to swallow to clear my throat of emotion." Bigger in February

Actually, the most famous Beethoven's Ninth in Japan is performed in February, at which 5,000 people join in the chorus, including everyone from schoolchildren to white-faced geishas dressed in elaborate kimonos. Nowadays people from all over Japan come to this concert in Tokyo.

The phenomenon is all the more remarkable because Western music was not introduced in Japan until the late 19th century, and then it consisted mostly of military music and children's educational songs. Not until a prominent musician returned from study in Boston in 1875 did Japan have its first music conservatory.

Mr. Iwaki, the NHK Symphony conductor, said the Beethoven's Ninth fad began in the years before World War II, when Daigoro Arima, the conductor of Japan's only major orchestra, studied in Vienna and brought back news of the occasional German practice of performing the Ninth on Dec. 31. The practice was picked up and grew steadily.

But music lovers, beware. Beethoven may have some competition next year. The Japanese are preparing for the bicentennial of the death of a Beethoven contemporary. Already two top manufacturers of sake are planning to bring out "Mozart" bottles next year, and plans are being made for Mozart dolls, busts and countless recordings. Another fad may be in the making, but presumably without a bathtub.

Photo: Geishas performing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Tokyo. The symphony, which has become a staple of the season in Japan, will be performed at least 170 times this month by professionals and amateurs. (Asahi Shimbun)

Summary: December in Japan is a festive season, filled with gift-giving, prayers for the new year, bamboo and pine branches in front of houses, office parties and Beethoven's Ninth.   Beethoven's Ninth?


Scientists are taking an all-new technology to help solve an age-old problem: animal extinction. Virtual reality is being adapted to help scientists collaborate on ways to improve remote animal environments to support their survival.

Kerrie Mengersen, a professor at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia, has been one of the researchers pioneering this approach, reported Mashable. She led a recent expedition to Peru to help track endangered jaguars, whose population is declining thanks to shrinking habitats and other threats. Along with her, Mengersen brought a bunch of GoPro cameras to capture 360-degree video of the remote areas she visited.

The purpose is two-fold. It can be used to engage the public and then can be shared across researchers, according to Mashable:

By viewing the virtual environments, scientists can share whether a jaguar would live in certain locations without actually having to travel to Peru. Potential signs of a jaguar population could include whether fruiting trees are present that could attract jaguar prey, or whether there is access to water or human habitation nearby.

The idea is to use these detailed videos to find ways to support jaguar repopulation by using the videos and statistical analysis to outline appropriate corridors for the animals to travel from one large swath of wilderness to another. That would help jaguars avoid human populations where they are in greater danger from poachers, logging, or human self-protection.

“We want the message to be: [Virtual reality] can be for more than the ‘ooh ahh’ of the technology, but also the ‘aha’ of science,” Mengersen told Mashable Australia.

Summary: It can do more than dazzle


Some things simply aren’t worth the trouble.

And now billionaire hedge funder Bill Ackman wishes that he’d never gotten involved with Valeant vrx in the first place, according to a Monday interview with CNBC.

When asked if he regretted investing in Valeant at all, Ackman said, “of course, no one wants to have an investment down 85% or 90%. There’s been a lot of brain damage in the last five weeks, working with the board to fix the problems.”

Over the course of roughly nine months, Valeant Pharmaceuticals has transformed from hedge fund darling into an investor’s nightmare after allegations of price gouging and questionable accounting practices were brought to light. Despite the deluge of criticism however, Ackman stood by the company and became its strongest proponent—even after the stock had shed 80% since mid-2015. Earlier this year, the hedge funder even hopped on deck as a member of the board of directors and helped drop former CEO Michael Pearson and recruit a new chief, Joe Papa, from Perrigo.

Meanwhile, holding onto Valeant has cratered Ackman’s returns for 2016. His hedge fund, Pershing Square, posted a year-to-date loss of 17.5% as of April 26.

Ackman noted to CNBC that dropping his stake at “any price would be better than the current price.” Valeant is currently trading around $32, though it reached as high as $263 a share mid-2015.

Though Pershing Square considered exiting its stake in Valeant when shares were trading much higher than now, the hedge fund ultimately decided to try and fix Valeant. Whether he made the right decision is still yet to be seen.

But now that Ackman is in deep with the company, he seems to have every intention of defending it.

In the same interview, Ackman rebutted Charlie Munger’s words from the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting over the weekend that said Valeant is a “sewer.”

“We’ve made a lot of changes in the last few weeks,” Ackman said. “The company has made some mistakes, but I think where Munger is wrong is to indict a company on the basis of a few mistakes and a leader [Pearson] that is no longer with the business now… I think this is a great company.”

Summary: But he also defended the company in a recent interview.


doesn't want to record with

anymore, but you can -- ON NEW YEAR'S EVE!!!! -- if you've got six-figures burning a hole in your pocket.

Yes ... for the low, low price of $100,000 ... you can purchase an incredible NYE party package that starts with you in the famed YMCMB studio in Miami Beach.

You'll get to record a song with Birdman himself ... in the same studio where Weezy and Drake lay down tracks. After that you'll really start living like a rap star -- because you and your entourage (up to 50 deep) will get into Cameo nightclub where you'll be treated to:

-- 50 bottle of Ace of Spades Champagne

-- 10 bottles of Don Julio 1942 Tequila

-- 10 bottles of Grey Goose Vodka

-- 5 Bottles of D’Usse VSOP Cognac

The bottles of Ace alone would you run you $50k ... so it's a pretty sweet NYE deal.

The coveted package is still up for sale. Just think of all the great Instagram pics you'd have ...

Summary: Lil Wayne doesn't want to record with Birdman anymore, but you can -- ON NEW YEAR'S EVE!!!! -- if you've got six-figures burning a hole in your…


Make 550-some episodes of any TV show, and some unusual coincidences start to turn up. Tuesday, I was playing around with Simpsons World, the immersive website/app that allows cable subscribers access to every Simpsons episode ever made. The very first two episodes I watched–one randomly served for me by the site, the other chosen after I did a search on “Marvin Monroe”–both began with Homer wrecking his car after a toy got lodged under the brake pedal. As one does. (The episodes: season 21’s “Rednecks and Broomsticks” and season 15’s “Diatribe of a Mad Housewife.” You can check it for yourself.)

I mention this not to criticize The Simpsons as repetitive–again, 550-some episodes–but as an example of the different kind of experience that this new kind of TV streaming promises. Put hundreds of hours of TV programming online in a searchable, customizable form, with 25 years of TV equally accessible, and you’re going to find yourself discovering some strange connections.

One of the major influences on TV’s current cultural glory days is “binge-watching”–the marathon viewing of a show first enabled by VHS and DVD sets, which really took off after services like Netflix made it frictionless. Bingeing allowed new audiences to discover great serials like Friday Night Lights, while turning dramas like Breaking Bad from cult shows to blockbusters as they addicted viewers between seasons.

Besides bringing in viewers, bingeing helped elevate TV’s cultural status, by underscoring its similarity to the novel. If the original airing of The Wire, week by week, recalled Dickens’ publishing serial novels in English newspapers, bingeing it several episodes at a time allowed you to go through it the way we read Dickens now.

Bingeing, however, tends to confer that prestige on a particular kind of show: the ambitious serial drama, which compels you to begin the next episode after the last ends. This is one genre that has taken advantage of the TV medium’s strength for telling linear stories, which begin at a beginning and can take much more time than movies to drive forward toward an end.

But that’s not the only kind of expansive storytelling that TV’s open-endedness makes possible. Sitcoms, in particular, don’t generally drive in a straight line from a beginning to an end–not even, necessarily, more serial recent ones like The Office. Comedies, like The Simpsons, create immersive worlds rather than propulsive narratives. You can certainly binge a sitcom as much as you can a drama–Netflix, for instance, is counting on you to do that in the new year with Friends. But you don’t need, or necessarily even want, to do it in a particular order.

If a serial drama creates its effects by driving forward along a track, like a train, something like The Simpsons expands outward, like a cloud, or maybe a spiral galaxy extending from a center. You can live inside it, jumping from point to point, discovering new corners or echoing themes, skipping from season 2 to season 23 as if through a space-time wormhole.

The Simpsons World site is still incomplete; it went live Tuesday but has yet to add features like allowing people to find and share customized clips. (You’ll know when that feature is added, because they will be everywhere on the damn Internet.) Yet you can already see that this kind of format has the potential to do for this kind of TV show what binge-watching did for serials. You can search for terms, for instance–episodes involving the inanimate carbon rod, or Hans Moleman, or gambling. You can skip around and explore the series like a character inside a massively-layer online game universe.

It’s not binge-watching, exactly, though it could be just as time-suckingly immersive. Maybe we can call it graze-watching. (Or gorge-watching, for those with more Homer-like appetites).

And while it’s not every show that could take advantage of this kind of destination viewing, it could work for more than The Simpsons. If Friends hadn’t done a streaming deal with Netflix, for instance, I could easily imagine a Friends World, letting you customize clips, search for favorite quotes and skip around through every possible permutation of who’s dating whom. It doesn’t even need to be comedy-only: imagine creating a Law and Order World, with the rights to each season and spinoff of the franchise, searchable and drilled deeply for data and themes. (I’m envisioning a vast crime map of NYC with everyone murdered by L&O plotted on a block-by-block level.)

TV is still figuring out what it’s going to do with streaming and what streaming will do to it. But one thing that excites me about Simpsons World is that it suggests that different kinds of streaming can work better to show off TV’s different strengths–and thus to celebrate different kinds of TV greatness. Not all “Golden Age” TV–or whatever you want to call it–is about stories that drive in a straight line from this thing to the next thing. Some is about world-building that allows you to skip from this thing to that thing to that thing.

One of the new patron saints of serial drama, Rust Cohle, said that time was a flat circle. In Simpsons World time is, maybe, more like a round doughnut.

Summary: The addictive new Simpsons website proves that there's more than one way to binge on TV. Mmmm.... TV.


played the 'some of my best friends are black' card in his civil lawsuit over the LAX paparazzi attack -- revealing that his dad was once a celebrity photog.

During deposition for the suit filed by Daniel Ramos ... Kanye told Ramos' attorney, "My father was a paparazzo himself." He added that his parents didn't raise him to "be out here wrestling with random paparazzi in front of LAX."

Kanye said he respects some of the paparazzi and gets along with them from time to time, but accused Ramos of asking him about "dumb s**t."

West went on to list a bunch of other jobs his dad did -- marriage counselor, medical illustrator and Black Panther. Maybe explaining why .... as we first told you ... he also

, "the smartest celebrity you've ever f***king dealt with" during the deposition.

Summary: Kanye West played the 'some of my best friends are black' card in his civil lawsuit over the LAX paparazzi attack -- revealing that his dad was once…


Despite Donald J. Trump's financial problems, Random House is optimistic and still plans August publication of his second book, ''Trump: Surviving at the Top.''

''I'm counting on Donald to be true to his title,'' said Joni Evans, publisher of Random House. ''I think the title is a prophetic one.''

Peter Osnos, the book's editor, echoed the sentiment. ''It is our biggest fall book,'' he said. ''We are definitely publishing at the end of August, with an initial printing of 500,000. It's going to be terrific.'' Asked if the title might be changed in light of Mr. Trump's travails, he said no.

Mr. Trump, whose first book, ''Trump: The Art of the Deal'' (Random House), sold more than one million copies in hardcover, failed on Friday to pay about $73 million owed to banks and bondholders. If he does not come up with the money by next Tuesday, he could be held in default and lose one of his three Atlantic City casinos. Bankers have said that much of Mr. Trump's real estate and gambling empire may be at risk.

Mr. Osnos said the book would cover both Mr. Trump's financial and marital problems ''in an astonishingly candid and insightful way.''

Asked what would happen if Mr. Trump went bankrupt, Mr. Osnos said, ''He hasn't gone bankrupt.''

Mr. Trump declined to comment. But two months ago, he said in a interview that he thought the book was ''more poignant'' than his first and would sell more copies. He said then that he was hesitating about whether to include details of his problems with his wife, Ivana.

Asked then why he thought books on the ravages of Wall Street - like ''Barbarians at the Gate'' by John Helyar and Bryan Burrough and ''Liar's Poker'' by Michael Lewis -had done so well, Mr. Trump said: ''People love reading negative things about successful people. It makes them feel better.''

At the American Booksellers Association meeting in Las Vegas Nev., earlier this month, Mr. Trump made an appearance to promote the forthcoming book, and a breakfast held in his honor was attended by 3,200 people. ''That's the biggest breakfast ever at an A.B.A. meeting,'' said Ed Morrow, the chairman of the association's executive committee.

Mr. Morrow said he thought Mr. Trump's domestic and business difficulties were likely to add to the sales of the books. ''He's everywhere -from the tabloids to the serious business pages,'' Mr. Morrow said. ''That is going to generate sales, so long as the issues are addressed in the book.''

Mr. Osnos said the book, written with Charles Learhsen ofNewsweek, was being updated continually. Asked if the publisher was scrambling to keep up with the news, he said: ''Much less than you would imagine. This has always been a book about how difficult it is to survive at the top.''

Ms. Evans said the updating of the book would stop in two to three weeks. ''There comes a point where the story is the story,'' she said.

Summary: LEAD: Despite Donald J. Trump's financial problems, Random House is optimistic and still plans August publication of his second book, ''Trump: Surviving at the Top.''


Before you go, we thought you'd like these...

Revealing the highest-paid players on every NFL team

2015 earnings breakdown: $8.8 million salary, $200,000 workout bonus.

One thing to know: Thomas has started every game of his 9-year NFL career.

(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $10.0 million signing bonus, $1.0 million salary.

One thing to know: Hilton's spot on this list will be short-lived as quarterback Andrew Luck is due for a new contract that will likely challenge the all-time records.

(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $11.6 million salary, $100,000 workout bonus.

One thing to know: Peterson's $70.1 million contract is nearly identical to the one signed by Darrelle Revis with the Jets.

(Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $10.4 million salary, $2.0 million roster bonus, $400,000 workout bonus.

One thing to know: Colin Kaepernick's $114 million contract was never as good as it sounded and chances are he will never see the end of it.

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $12.0 million signing bonus, $1.0 million salary.

One thing to know: Levy's $33.8 million contract is a distant fourth when ranking the total value of contracts for Lions players, but he has the benefit of a signing bonus this year. Over the next four years, his salary is a more reasonable $5-7 million per year.

(Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $12.0 million signing bonus, $1.0 million salary

One thing to know: Houston's 6-year, $101 million is $35 million bigger than any other linebacker's contract, but $8.5 million of his $20.5 million signing bonus was deferred until next year.

(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $11.0 million salary, $2.0 million roster bonus.

One thing to know: After missing nearly the entire 2014 season, Peterson is back and already leading the NFL in rushing through the first four weeks. His 3-year, $42 million contract did not come with a signing bonus, so it is basically a year-to-year deal.

(Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $6.5 million roster bonus, $6.0 million signing bonus, $1.0 million salary.

One thing to know: His 6-year, $63 million is fourth among cornerbacks in terms of total value.

(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $6.5 million roster bonus, $5.0 million salary, $2.0 million option bonus.

(Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $13.0 million signing bonus, $1.0 million salary

One thing to know: Smith's contract is a distant second on the Ravens in terms of total value, behind quarterback Joe Flacco, but Flacco will only make $8.8 million this year.

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $10.0 million signing bonus, $4.75 million salary, $250,000 workout bonus.

One thing to know: With the Patriots locking up Gronkowski to a 6-year, $54 million contract in 2012, they got one of the best steals in the NFL. Gronk will have salaries of $2.25 million and $4.25 million the next two years.

(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Position: Quarterback and Wide Receiver

2015 earnings breakdown: Manning: $15 million salary; Thomas: $6.5 million roster bonus, $4.5 million salary, $4.0 million signing bonus.

One thing to know: Manning can also earn a $2 million bonus if the Broncos reach the Super Bowl and another $2 million if they win. Thomas recently signed a 5-year, $70 million contract with exactly half of that ($35 million) fully guaranteed.

2015 earnings breakdown: $13.0 million signing bonus, $1.2 million salary, $500,000 roster bonus, $400,000 workout bonus.

One thing to know: Randall Cobb signed a 4-year, 40.0 million extension this off-season.

(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $6.0 million signing bonus, $9.0 million salary, $100,000 workout bonus.

One thing to know: Thomas signed a 5-year, $46.0 million contract with the Jags as a free agent this summer, but has yet to play in a game because of a hand injury.

(Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $14.7 million signing bonus, $435,000 salary.

One thing to know: Amari Cooper is already looking like he is ready to be the next great wide receiver in the NFL.

(Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $10.2 million roster bonus, $5.6 million salary.

One thing to know: After recording 19 sacks in 2013, Quinn signed a 4-year, $57.0 million extension. He had 10.5 sacks in 2014.

(Photo by Michael Thomas/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $16.0 million salary.

One thing to know: No player has gambled on himself more than Revis, and it keeps paying off, turning a nonguaranteed contract into $68 million.

(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $15.9 million signing bonus, $435,000 salary.

One thing to know: Mariota is actually the highest-paid rookie this year, as top pick Jameis Winston had 35% of his $17.0 million signing bonus deferred until 2016.

(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $16.0 million restructure bonus, $1.0 million salary.

One thing to know: Romo's 6-year, $108 million contract originally called for a $17 million salary this season. By turning $16 million of that into a bonus, the Cowboys are able to spread the impact to the salary cap over several years. The downside is that he will count $21 million against the cap next season despite just an $8.5 million salary, so another restructuring will likely be done.

(Photo by Mike Stone/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $18.75 million salary, $250,000 workout bonus.

One thing to know: Drew Brees is now in Year 4 of his 5-year, $100 million contract, and the back-loaded deal is starting to kill the Saints' salary cap. Brees will take up $26.4 million against the cap this year, more than $5 million more than any other player in the NFL.

(Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $16.0 million signing bonus, $2.8 million salary, $250,000 roster bonus.

One thing to know: Kerrigan is going to be a one-hit wonder on this list, having just signed a 5-year, $57.5 million contract. His total earnings in 2016 will be just $5.3 million.

(Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $10.0 million restructure bonus, $9.97 million salary.

One thing to know: In just the second year of his 6-year, $100 million contract, Watt has already restructured the deal once, converting his $10 million roster bonus this season into a restructure bonus, spreading the cap hit out over the next five years.

(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $15.5 million salary, $5.0 million restructure bonus.

One thing to know: Jay Cutler has already earned $75.7 million heading into the 2015 season, and he has played in just two playoff games, winning one.

(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $12.0 million signing bonus, $11.5 million salary.

One thing to know: Ryan still has four years remaining on his 5-year, $103.75 million contract extension.

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $25.5 million signing bonus, $985,000 salary, $15,000 workout bonus.

One thing to know: Despite all the big contracts for quarterbacks, Suh was arguably the biggest winner, getting a megadeal worth $114 million over six years, including $60 million guaranteed. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, the contract is going to become a nightmare after the second year.

(Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $15.0 million signing bonus, $11.75 million salary.

One thing to know: Green signed a 4-year, $60 million contract just prior to the start of the season. The $15.0 million-per-year average is second only to Calvin Johnson among wide receivers.

2015 earnings breakdown: $25.0 million signing bonus, $2.8 million salary.

One thing to know: Dareus cashed in just before the start of the season with a $96.6 million contract that includes $60 million guaranteed. However, as has become the norm in the NFL, the "real guarantee" is really just his earnings this year with the rest only guaranteed against injury.

(Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $22.5 million signing bonus, $1.0 million salary, $7.5 million roster bonus.

One thing to know: Cam was one of several quarterbacks to cash in this summer, getting a 5-year, $103.8 million deal. It was his deal that set the tone for all the others.

2015 earnings breakdown: $31.0 million signing bonus, $700,000 salary.

One thing to know: Russell Wilson is finally going to get paid, but his contract was not the game changer many were expecting.

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $31 million signing bonus, $1 million salary, $3.25 million roster bonus.

One thing to know: At $87.4 million, the contract signed this off-season by Big Ben doesn't sound as sexy as the other deals signed by quarterbacks. However, it was better than most as he got more than $35 million in Year 1 and a whopping $53 million over the first two seasons.

(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $31.0 million signing bonus, $5.5 million salary, $500,000 workout bonus.

One thing to know: Eli Manning finally agreed to his long-anticipated contract extension that includes an NFL-record-tying $65 million guaranteed and a whopping $37 million in the first year.

(Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)

2015 earnings breakdown: $22.5 million signing bonus, $15.0 million salary.

One thing to know: While everybody was focused on Eli Manning, Russell Wilson, and Ndamukong Suh, it was Rivers who got the surprise monster contract of the off-season. Like Roethlisberger's deal, at $83.3 million, Rivers' new extension doesn't sound as sexy. But he got an NFL-record $65 million in guaranteed money and $54 million over the first two seasons.

With the salary cap on the rise, contracts for the elite NFL players are starting to look like those in other sports.

Because of how the NFL's quirky salary cap system works, large contracts often come with large signing bonuses. The result is that the highest-paid players fluctuate from year-to-year and tends to favor those who signed deals recently.

Still, there is quite a disparity in how much different teams pay their highest-paid players.

Here are the 32 players who will make the most money on their teams this year, ranked by their total 2015 earnings.

FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd believes that pro sports shouldn't have salary caps:

Now check out what happened to the first-round picks in the infamous 2000 NFL Draft:

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The first-round picks from Tom Brady's infamous 2000 NFL DraftMORE ON BUSINESS INSIDER:Kristaps Porzingis is blowing away the NBA worldHow LeBron James spends his money

Summary: %Slideshow-340071%With the salary cap on the rise, contracts for the elite NFL players are starting to look like those in other sports.Because of how the NFL's quirky salary cap system work


06/17/2016 AT 10:10 AM EDT

"Yes, I had my nose done again!"

kept it real on Bravo's

all about her latest plastic surgery procedure .

"It's only day 13, so I'm very swollen," the 48-year-old

co-host told Cohen. "I'm the kind of girl who will give it to you straight – I got my nose done because I can, and I will, and I will get it done again if I want to, okay?"

Leakes previously had her nose done in 2010, along with a liposuction around her waist, smaller breast implants and a breast lift. However she clarified to Cohen and fellow guest

that that procedure was not a full rhinoplasty.

"I only had my nostrils taken in on the side the very first time," she said. "And this time I had more of cartilage moved around in my nose."

"It was a real medical reason why I had to get it done again. My cartilage was going in my nose and the tip of my nose was touching my lip when I smiled," she added.

alum – who is currently appearing on the panel of

reboot – continued that she would never get her nose done "just for the purpose of doing my nose."

"The last time I did it because I didn't love my nose and I wanted to do my nose to make it more beautiful for myself," she explained.

Previously, Leakes told PEOPLE about her plastic surgery, saying "I'm very comfortable and confident in myself. I just wanted a tune up. I still wanted to look like NeNe, the black woman that I am, but a better version."

As for the critics who have been calling her out on social media since the procedure, Leakes tells them to check themselves first.

"People are constantly judging and picking people apart," she says. "It's absolutely horrible. And people don't even know what the purpose is. First of all, educate yourself and get the reason why."

Summary: It's the second nose job for Real Housewives of Atlanta alum NeNe Leakes