Much of that buying may come from retail investors, it said, estimating they will pour around $350 billion into bond funds this year after buying $500 billion last year. In the fourth quarter of last year, bond mutual funds received higher inflows than equity funds for a third quarter, JPMorgan said, citing ICI data.

"In other words, the supply/demand picture for 2015 continues to look supportive for bonds globally," JPMorgan said.

For the week ending April 11, global bond funds saw a net $4.7 billion worth of inflows, marking a 15th week of injections, according to data from Jefferies.

But all that money isn't making bond funds well-liked. A net 54 percent of fund managers remain underweight on the segment in April, according to Bank of America-Merrill Lynch's monthly survey. A net 84 percent say bonds are overvalued, the highest in the survey's history, it said.

Read More Paulson joins chorus of concern about liquidity

"The people who are buying bonds today are not price sensitive buyers," said Hans Goetti, head of investment for Asia at Banque Internationale a Luxembourg. "If I [buy bonds at low or negative yields] for my clients, seriously, I'd have some explaining to do."

He calls buying bonds at negative yields "a greater fool theory," of hoping to sell it later at a higher price.

To be sure, some bond buyers might just be taking prudent steps to balance their portfolios.

Summary: It's a conundrum: bonds aren't likely to win a popularity contest any time soon, but analysts don't expect investor demand will slack off.


09/10/2015 AT 02:35 PM EDT

Donald Trump has been playing R.E.M.'s song "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" on the campaign trail and the band isn't too happy about it.

"Go f--- yourselves, the lot of you – you sad, attention-grabbing, power-hungry little men," frontman Michael Stipe said in an email to

. "Do not use our music or my voice for your moronic charade of a campaign."

The Republican presidential hopeful was invited by rival Texas Sen.

against President Barack Obama's proposed Iran nuclear deal on Wednesday. As Trump took to the podium, the song blasted.

Left to right: Donald Trump and Michael Stipe

Bill Pugliano / Getty; James Devaney / WireImage

Later that night, the band posted a more eloquent statement on

"While we do not authorize or condone the use of our music at this political event, and do ask that these candidates cease and desist from doing so, let us remember that there are things of greater importance at stake here. The media and the American voter should focus on the bigger picture, and not allow grandstanding politicians to distract us from the pressing issues of the day and of the current Presidential campaign," they wrote.

for using Neil Young's "Rockin' In the Free World" song on the campaign trail.

"Donald Trump was not authorized to use 'Rockin' in the Free World' in his presidential candidacy announcement," Young, 69, said in an official statement to PEOPLE. "Neil Young, a Canadian citizen, is a supporter of

for President of the United States of America." Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont,

that he's seeking the Democratic nomination.

The latest objections from R.E.M. come on the heels of another Trump rival, GOP presidential candidate

, running into trouble with

for blaring that group's song, "Eye of the Tiger," at a rally on Tuesday when Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, was released from jail.

"I have not authorized the use of 'Eye of the Tiger' for use by Kim Davis and my publisher will issue a C&D," Survivor founding member Jim Peterik

theme song in reference to a cease and desist letter. "This does not reflect my views."

I have not authorized the use of Eye of the Tiger for use by Kim Davis and my publisher will issue a C&D. This does not reflect my views.

Bandmate Frankie Sullivan, the producer who co-wrote the song also,

. "I would not grant her the rights to use Charmin! C'mom Mike, you are not The Donald but you can do better than that."

Sullivan previously sued and settled a case against then-Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich for

in 2012 for allegedly using the same song during campaign stops.

Sullivan has not decided if he'll pursue legal action against Huckabee,

He made clear to the magazine he does not agree with Davis. "I do not like mixing rock and roll with politics; they do not go hand in hand," he said.

Summary: Donald Trump gets reprimanded for using an R.E.M. song in the latest wrist-slap over music rights


It's midnight in a burger bar in St Petersburg. Three youngish, dishevelled men sit at a table; a two-year-old boy called Kasper runs excitedly towards a video screen at the end of the cafe. Waitresses look disapprovingly as his mother, Natalia Sokol (known as Koza), chases after him, laughing, and invites him to press the buttons on the ice dispenser.

Believe it or not, this is a clandestine meeting of Russia's most radical art collective, Voina (Russian for "war"). Since starting their political street art three years ago, Voina have kept strictly under the radar. No mobile phones, no bank accounts, no permanent address, and ad hoc gatherings where they hope not to attract the authorities' attention. This has become progressively harder as their activity has become more acclaimed – and more noted by the organs of the Russian state, invariably the butt of their controversial actions.

Three years ago, the group staged a real orgy in the Moscow Zoological Museum to mock the meaninglessness of Russian elections. They then projected a huge skull and crossbones on to the Russian government building, and re-enacted Eisenstein's epic about the Bolshevik revolution, October, by scaling its towering gates.

Last June, Voina mounted their most provocative project yet: painting a 60-metre penis on St Petersburg's Liteiny Bridge just in time for it to be raised in mocking glory over the town's FSB (ex-KGB) headquarters. Entitled Dick Captured By the FSB, it remained in raised position for hours. Improbably, the action has just been awarded the 400,000-rouble (£8,700) 2010 Innovation prize by the National Centre for Contemporary Arts in Moscow, demonstrating the Russian art world's current appetite for protest.

"It took 23 seconds to paint, timed to perfection between the bridge being closed to traffic and it being raised," says Sokol. "You'll have noticed the left bollock is rather malformed. That's because the police targeted the smallest girl we had with us, and Leonid had to rush over to save her before it was finished."

She nods to her friend Leonid Nikolaev. He is deep in conversation with his lawyer, Dmitri Dinze, preparing for a court appearance. "It's only an administrative charge – taking part in an unsanctioned demonstration," he tells me. "But I can't afford to lose it."

If he does, he'll end up back in jail. Last November, he and fellow member Oleg Vorotnikov – Sokol's partner and Kasper's father – were arrested when police raided the Moscow apartment where they were staying. They spent three months in prison, awaiting trial for overturning two police cars and charged with aggravated hooliganism and incitement of hatred of a "social group" – the police. Only when Banksy intervened, raising £80,000 for the group he approvingly calls "art terrorists", were they granted bail.

The pair face a sentence of up to seven years. But, although Russia's acquittal rate in trials by judge is around 1%, Dinze thinks the prosecution's case is unravelling. Emboldened, Voina are using the remnants of Banksy's grant to hire lawyers for other artists and political activists facing trial. "Banksy is financing the next generation of Russian revolutionaries," Vorotnikov says. "And I think he'd be pleased."

The next day, Nikolaev is outside St Petersburg's 199th district court for his hearing. Days before, on 31 March, protests were held across the country to defend the right to demonstrate. Voina blocked St Petersburg's main road. When the police tried to stop them, Voina sprayed them with urine, a strategy prepared in advance. In the ensuing violence, Nikolaev and Sokol were detained; Vorotnikov was knocked to the ground, Kasper taken into custody for a night.

In court, we are asked for cameras to be switched off. Nikolaev is told the case has been adjourned and will be taken up again in Moscow, where he lives. He is delighted. "They need to get this to court within two months, and when cases are transferred to different towns, it takes ages. More often than not, they just get lost."

As we leave, Nikolaev and Dinze notice imposing men they recognise from the police. "They try to keep tabs on us, but they're not much good at it," says Nikolaev. He takes a back route from the court and, with extraordinary ease, seems to lose the agents. He jumps over the barrier at the metro station and disappears into the crowd.

When I next see Sokol, Vorotnikov and their son, Kasper, it is on the banks of the icy Neva. "Time for a time-honoured ceremony!" announces Vorotnikov. By a hole in the ice waits another arrestee from Voina's latest action, the political activist Maxim Gromov. The men strip off, Gromov revealing a tattoo of a hand grenade. Then they leap into the freezing water.

"It's a way of washing off time spent in jail," says Sokol. "Our lawyer says we should prepare for more trouble. He thinks they might now try to prove my lifestyle means I am not able to be a proper parent."

Vorotnikov and Gromov emerge invigorated. "St Petersburg – cradle of the revolution!" says Vorotnikov, ironically repeating the Soviet-era slogan. He laughs. But for how long he is able to keep his freedom while mocking the Russian state – bucking the fate of generations of Russian revolutionaries – is anyone's guess.

• Nick Sturdee is currently making a film about Voina. More details: en.free-voina.org

Summary: Banksy has decided to finance the activities of Russia's leading 'art terrorists' – which have included painting a giant phallus in front of the secret service's headquarters. By Nick Sturdee


09/22/2015 AT 11:30 PM EDT

was a creature of habit. Anytime the 66-year-old former Mexicana Airlines clerk and art collector would go on an extended trip to Mexico he would always contact his close friend and well-known Mexican actress Ofelia Medina. So when Medina received an email from Medellin's boyfriend telling her he went on a spur of the moment business trip to Tijuana and never returned, a sense of suspicion overcame her.

"Hervey wasn't the type of person who made quick decisions in the moment," Medina testified in the trial of Medellin's boyfriend, Gabriel Campos-Martinez, who is accused of killing Medellin.

walking her dogs discovered Medellin's head on Jan. 17, 2012 along a wooded trail near the famed "Hollywood" sign. Police later found his feet and hands about 50 yards away.

The case generated widespread speculation, including theories Medellin's death was tied to a Mexican drug cartel or even to Luka Magnotta, a Canadian porn actor convicted last December of dismembering a Chinese exchange student and sending some of his body parts to members of the Canadian Parliament. But authorities zeroed in on Campos-Martinez, who was charged with one count of murder in 2014.

At the Tuesday trial, Medina testified that she last spoke to Medellin on the morning of Dec. 26, 2011 to notify him of the death of her ex-husband, actor Pedro Armendariz Jr. "He was very saddened by Pedro's death," she said. Medina said she expected to hear from Medellin on New Year's Day but never heard from him.

On Jan. 6, Medina said she received an email from Campos-Martinez informing her that Medellin had gone to Tijuana on a business trip and hadn't returned. "The subject line was something like Hervey is Missing," she testified. The emails about Medellin's disappearance, she said, had come from Medellin's own email address.

Medina said she urged Campos-Martinez to file a missing persons report in Los Angeles where they lived. "He said Hervey left on Dec. 27 for Tijuana and he thought he should be searched for in Tijuana not Los Angeles," she testified. "I asked people in the know here and they said people should be searched where they are from and not from where they said they were going."

Los Angeles Police Department detective Susan Brandstetter testified that LAPD Hollywood Station received a tip from Crime Stoppers about Medellin's disappearance on Jan. 16, the day before Medellin's remains were found in the Hollywood Hills. The detective went to Medellin's home and spoke to Campos-Martinez who told her that he last saw his boyfriend on Dec. 27 when he was on his way to Tijuana.

"He said the last time he spoke to him was Jan. 4," Brandstetter testified.

Campos-Martinez told Brandstetter that he attempted to file a missing persons report at the LAPD's Hollywood station but was told he had to make the report at LAPD's downtown headquarters. Brandstetter said she drove Campos-Martinez to LAPD's Hollywood Station to make the report.

Medina also testified that she recognized two medallions Medellin kept in a safe in his bedroom closet that police later discovered were pawned by Campos-Martinez at a pawn shop.

Authorities further became suspicious of Campos-Martinez after they checked the Internet history of one of the couple's computers and discovered a search for sausage-making tools and meat-saws. Two days later, the user accessed an article entitled, "Butchering of the Human Carcass for Human Consumption."

"The article talked, gave directions on how to cut up a human body," testified Los Angeles Police Department detective Lisa Sanchez-Padilla at a 2014 preliminary hearing. "It gave directions on how high to go on the neck, where to cut on the wrist, the ankles, different parts of the body, and how to actually, in reading it, also how to drain it of blood."

Summary: Mexican actress suspicious when friend disappears


Form left: Christina Ricci, Anjelica Huston in The Addams Family

09/21/2015 AT 09:00 PM EDT

On Monday, the internet responded with a resounding "Cara mia!" to an image that appeared to show

dressed up as Morticia Addams from

. The catch, however, was that if Ricci saw the image, she would have been as surprised as anyone to see herself dressed up like that.

According to some detective work done

, the image was photoshopped, based on a promotional image of

in character as Morticia Addams for either 1991's

. The image seems to have come to the internet's attention after appearing on

. Below, see the original image of Huston as Morticia.

Ricci starred in those movies as well, as Morticia's daughter, Wednesday. But the Photoshopped image didn't stop many fans from positing that Ricci, 35, could easily play the Addams family matriarch today.

Everything now comes to a screeching halt because Christina Ricci is dressed like Morticia Addams pic.twitter.com/Ju6NKNPzfC

"Christina Ricci dressed as Morticia Addams" Facebook, you have finally found a trending topic pertinent to my interests

I mean... Christina Ricci as Morticia Addams. Can it get any better. pic.twitter.com/T7EsH75Q66

with husband James Heerdegen in August, but in case she's wanting to line up roles in the future, she should know that the internet seems to support her playing Morticia. At the very least it's a Halloween costume option for her.

Summary: The image appears to be the result of Photoshopping, but it set the internet on fire anyway


Modern British Sculpture opens with a model and some photographs. The model is a three-quarter-size replica of Edwin Lutyens's 1919 Whitehall Cenotaph. The photographs blown up on the surrounding walls depict the controversial but largely decorous naked and semi-naked figures with which, in 1908, Jacob Epstein once decorated the exterior of the British Medical Association building on the Strand, and which were removed before the second world war.

The mocked-up Cenotaph is pale, serious, and somehow irrefutable. I have long thought it a great sculpture, with its slightly inclined vertical planes, which, if projected, would meet a thousand feet above the earth's surface. Photographed in grainy black and white, Epstein's high-relief sculptures are naked, grubby with London soot, ruined temporary plaster figures.

Temporary like us. This space has the feel of a mausoleum, a place of death and commemoration. Then, through a doorway, we are tantalised by things displayed in spotlit gloom: a black basalt Easter Island figure, an ancient Egyptian baboon, a phallic woman carved by the overheated Eric Gill. Is this going to be a fun show, or what?

British British Sculpture Sculpture is the title of the essay by curator (and recently appointed director of Tate Britain) Penelope Curtis that opens the catalogue. The same title adorns the essay by her co-curator, British sculptor Keith Wilson at the end of the book. Is it me, or is there an echo in here? One cannot but wonder to what degree this exhibition indicates Curtis's future direction of Tate Britain. It tries to tell one among many stories of modern art, in a limited space, and is no worse for bringing less well known artists and works to the foreground, while ignoring others. And who needs another coffee-table pop-up sculpture show and catalogue of the usual big names?

The show is full of echoes: of ancient African, Egyptian and oceanic art, Greek sculpture, the fragile clatter of Chinese porcelains and Bernard Leach pots, the pomp of Victorian Britain and of the imperialist mindset that filled the British Museum with artefacts from other cultures and other times, influencing generations of sculptors.

Britain bought, looted and collected from the world, wherever navy and empire went. Artists in their turn – Moore to Gill, Barbara Hepworth, the almost forgotten Maurice Lambert and Leon Underwood – stole from the treasure horde in the British Museum, as well as from their European peers. Their demonstrable craft and frequent self-regarding preciosity is wearying. They wished to be original, but mostly turned into mannerists.

And what, in this entire exhibition, could be more modern or more timeless than the 4,000-year-old neo-Sumerian stone, a great, grey, carved weight like a giant, weather-smoothed pebble, whose form is neither more or less than that of a sleeping duck? It declares without trying those perennially ancient and modern dicta about "truth to materials" and "less is more".

Going through the show I thought less Henry Moore would be good, too, but I suppose he is unavoidable. The Sumerian duck also finds an echo, much later on, in a single-bar electric fire whose backplate has been snipped into the form of a yellow fish, a tench swimming in the grate, by Bill Woodrow. Next to the Woodrow is a small, worrying sculpture by the late Lucia Nogueira, a polished Coke can connected to a length of rubber tubing. It's almost nothing, but takes on a disconcerting air of human plumbing, a desperate surgical experiment in connecting insides and outsides, the world with the body, and a thing to a wall. Nearby, John Latham does something inexplicable with plaster, paint and books. Its like a head exploding with ill-digested words.

Also included here are a few more recent examples of key European and American art – a Jeff Koons basketball exactly half-submerged in a fishtank stands near a huge Damien Hirst vitrine. This is just an aside about influence, but there's a real conversation going on between Carl Andre's 1966 Equivalent VIII, his once-notorious bricks, Richard Long's line of white lumps of chalk from 1984, and a 1966 work, a wall-bound cast of a patch of London wasteground, which itself includes stray bits of brick rubble, by the Boyle Family. But maybe it's too nice, too neat a conjunction.

There's nothing nice about the Hirst, with its flyblown, abandoned picnic-table lunch, a barbecue with rotting steaks, maggots and flies heaving among the charcoal, the cow's head leaking blood under a chair. The horror! The horror! At least the Koons is clean. Nearby, a small Urs Fischer sculpture dangles in mid-air, half an apple and half a pear conjoined at the end of a length of nylon fishing line. We are being reminded, once again, what British art owes to both the past and to bloody foreigners. Fischer's sculpture is forbidden fruit. But we've all tasted it now.

What connects Albert Gilbert's Jubilee Memorial (1887) to Queen Victoria and Phillip King's mad, somehow Batman-like, purple Genghis Khan (1963) in a room called The Establishment Figure? Is it form (both are essentially conical) or inadvertent sculptural stupidity (both are comical), or is it that both Queen Victoria and Genghis Khan were emperors? Gilbert's Queen ignores Genghis Khan, and stares unamused through a doorway towards the huge balls and semi-engorged penis of Jacob Epstein's Adam (1938), in the next gallery. Phew, you say, and go for a quick restorative lie down on the hessian-covered bench that, a wall panel tells us, "is here to offer temporary repose to a wilting public". Adam's certainly not wilting. The text goes on to inform us that the bench disrupted "the quite different aesthetic occasion of Anthony Caro's solo Whitechapel exhibition in 1963". What's with this arch wit? Who needs it?

But we do need Caro, and his great, bright-red steel work from 1962, Early One Morning, has a gallery all its own. I always think of this as a figurative composition – a cross-like figure at one end, a sort of red blackboard or mirror at the other, with various complications occurring inbetween. This reading is of course antithetical to the high, Greenbergian modernist terms that Caro adhered to when he made the sculpture. But there's no accounting for what an audience might think, ignoring an artist's intentions. Once, Caro was seen as the world's most radical sculptor. Then minimalism and arte povera came along, with their mutually incompatible boxes and grids, their poetry and images. British art learned to live with them all.

What – and whom – is omitted or ignored is as interesting as what is included. Certain important aspects of British sculpture are missing altogether. What of the Geometry of Fear, Britain's answer to French postwar existentialism and angst? There's none here. No tortured bronze and steel. No British pop sculpture, no systems art or British backing-into-minimalism-via-constructivism and other routes. There's no Eduardo Paolozzi, no Elizabeth Frink, another thankful omission. Tony Cragg is here, but not Richard Deacon, neither Anish Kapoor nor Antony Gormley, no William Tucker, no Rachel Whiteread. Perhaps they are dispensable to the story of British art's struggle with modernity. We move instead away from sculpture as a fully embodied object, or one that wrestles with big ideas and grand themes, towards fragility, impermanence, an anxiety of making things that count.

In any case, it isn't always easy to distinguish major from minor, the canonical from the curiosity, mainstream from backwater. There are millennium-old Chinese ceramics here that could have been made yesterday, and new things that look antedeluvian. And nothing ages quicker than the temporarily modish. Liam Gillick meets Julian Opie (Ah! The gleam of aluminium, the emptiness and disaffected estrangements of modern life!) and a little Rebecca Warren homage to Helmut Newton and Robert Crumb – all legs and bums and vulvas. Some things were never meant to co-exist, but they do.

For much of the past century – let alone beyond – British art has been secondary on the world stage, however Moore, Caro and Hirst have been lauded and reviled. We are good at taking other people's radical advances and extreme positions and taming them, effecting peculiarly diplomatic compromises on unruly foreign extremes. We Brits domesticate other people's art. We are good at oddball individuals though – from Gill to John Latham, Richard Long to Sarah Lucas to Richard Wentworth – whose own takes on modernity and their times are as distinctive as they are eccentric. They also, this show posits, might be important in ways some of their better-recognised and more lauded peers, smooth operators on the international stage as they may well be, are not. In the end you have to ask yourself what matters. Modern British Sculpture is only temporary. One day it will all be old.

• This article was amended on 20 January 2011. The original referred to Ghengis Khan. This has been corrected.

Summary: Inspired by artefacts plundered from around the world, Britain's sculptors, from Moore to Hepworth to Hirst, let their visions run riot. Adrian Searle applauds a heavyweight new show


Federal Investigators say it was one of most planned and intricate cons they've ever seen.

The swindlers, a mother-daughter team, used disguises, a phony headstone and even a baby to sway their victim—the sole heir to a family tree farm fortune, according to investigators.

Donna Maddux, assistant United States attorney, District of Oregon, tells CNBC: "It was incredible dedication. But the payoff they knew they had at the end was even more incredible."

Maddux says the con artists built trust with the victim over years and wound up stealing at least $15 million.

Summary: How a mother-daughter duo conned their victim, sole heir to a family tree farm fortune, according to investigators.


Anousheh Ansari, 40, an Iranian-American telecommunications entrepreneur, joined a Russian cosmonaut and a US astronaut in the Soyuz TMA-9 for a flight to the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday.

The Soviet-designed spacecraft lifted off into a clear blue sky at 0409 GMT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

"The flight is normal, the crew feel fine," a flight controller at mission control near Moscow said.

Unlike American Michael Lopez-Alegria and Russian Mikhail Tyurin, who are starting a six-month stint in space, Ansari will return to earth in 10 days with the outgoing US-Russian crew.

Ansari, a US citizen based in Dallas, Texas, who left Iran in 1984, has said she wants to be an example to her compatriots.

"I think my flight has become a sort of ray of hope for young Iranians living in Iran, helping them to look forward to something positive, because everything they've been hearing is all so very depressing and talks of war and talks of bloodshed," Ansari said last week.

But she was told to remove an Iranian flag from her spacesuit and, at the insistence of the Russian and US governments, promised that there would be no political messages during her trip.

A video grab of the Soyuz rocket lifting off in KazakhstanLooking relaxed and smiling at a pre-launch news conference at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Sunday, Ansari said she would still pack an Iranian flag for her trip.

A video grab of the Soyuz rocket lifting off in Kazakhstan

Ansari has not said how much her ticket cost but previous space tourists have paid the Russian space programme about $20 million.

She had originally been scheduled to join a later Soyuz mission but took the place of Japanese businessman Daisuke Enomoto when Russian space officials said last month he was not able to fly for unspecified medical reasons.

Several hours before the Soyuz blast off, the US space Shuttle Atlantis undocked from the ISS.

The Soyuz craft will dock with the space station early on Wednesday. Atlantis is scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida a few hours later.

Summary: A Russian Soyuz spacecraft has blasted off carrying a woman set to notch up three space records: The first female tourist, first female Muslim, and first Iranian in orbit.


SEOUL, Aug 6 (Reuters) - South Korea's president called on Thursday for "major sugery" on the economy, which faces slowing growth and increasing challenges as she approaches the half-way point of her single five-year term.

Park Geun-hye, whose popularity has dipped below 40 percent, has fallen short on pledges to breathe fresh momentum into Asia's fourth-largest economy and seen her push for labor market reforms and job creation sputter.

"Major surgery across the entire economy is inevitable for us to fundamentally solve chronic and structural problems and make a fresh leap as a major global player," Park said.

South Korea's economy recorded its weakest growth in six years in the second quarter, battered by a deadly outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Sybdrome (MERS) and poor exports, prompting the government to scramble to put together a stimulus package with a supplementary budget.

In a 20-minute speech from the presidential Blue House, Park made a plea for support for her reform drive across the labor market, public corporations, education and the financial sector.

"The reform that the government is pursuing is not to benefit any particular group or generation but is a matter of life and death, where the future of all of us and our descendants is at stake."

Park laid out a similar blueprint for structural changes to the economy early in the year, but a joint commission set up to seek a compromise between labor and employers broke down, highlighting the challenge of trying to reform a highly rigid labor market.

South Korea will implement a salary cap this year on older and more experienced employees working for the government and state companies, Park said.

She urged companies to do the same, which she said would free up resources for employers to increase hiring of younger workers and address youth unemployment, which is near a record high.

Park also called for a more merit-based pay system, urged businesses to increase hiring and promised the government will tighten the social safety net by improving unemployment benefits.

She pledged to further deregulate the financial services sector and to restructure the public sector to reduce waste and improve efficiency to the tune of 1 trillion won ($853 million) in tax savings a year.

The economy grew just 0.3 percent in April-June over the previous quarter, according to the Bank of Korea, the slowest since the first quarter of 2009 as consumption was pummel by the MERS outbreak. ($1 = 1,171.8000 won)

(Reporting by Choonsik Yoo and Jack Kim; Editing by Kim Coghill)

Summary: SEOUL, Aug 6- South Korea's president called on Thursday for "major sugery" on the economy, which faces slowing growth and increasing challenges as she approaches the half-way point of her single five-year term. Park Geun-hye, whose popularity has dipped below 40 percent, has fallen short on pledges to breathe fresh momentum into Asia's fourth-largest economy...


Faber attributed a "massive speculative bubble" to easy money stimulus policies and called steep rises in assets prices a symptom of the same excess liquidity affecting bitcoin prices.

"I have no idea whether a bitcoin is worth $10,000, a million dollars, or $50," Faber said. "It shows that there is a lot of liquidity that just flushes into one speculative sector of the market to another one."

Bitcoin, the volatile digital currency that this month sparked growing public attention as well as wild fluctuations in price, finished October at a price around $210, according to bitcoin exchange Mt.Gox.com.

(Read more: Faber: 'We are in a massive speculative bubble')

— By CNBC's Jeff Morganteen. Follow him on Twitter at @jmorganteen.

Summary: "Dr. Doom" Marc Faber told CNBC on Friday that bitcoin's price surge was a sign of too much money.


The U.K. economy has seen robust growth over the last year when compared to its euro zone counterparts, although output slowed slightly in the third quarter. Britain's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.7 percent in the three months to September from the previous quarter, the Office for National Statistics said in late October. Year-on-year, the economy grew 3 percent, with both figures meeting analyst expectations.

Read more: Britain's GDP growthslows in third quarter

In the euro zone it's a different matter, however, with the single currency region stagnating in the second quarter. Most worrying has been the loss of momentum in the region's largest economy Germany, the growth driver for the rest of the euro zone.

Flash third quarter GDP data is due on Thursday and if a continued slowdown is seen, the European Central Bank will be under more pressure to aggressively stimulate the economy, although it has so far not launched a full-blown quantitative easing (QE) program like that seen in the U.S.

Read more: Euro zone growth stagnates, Germany contracts

Cridland said Germany needed to reflate its economy by investing in infrastructure and France needed "to move faster on structural reforms in its labor markets and in its pension system"

"If those two euro zone economies take action, then I think the European Central Bank will need to be able to take action to buy government bonds, to go for full quantitative easing. In that way, European growth will not stall, and the British economy will continue to fly."

Summary: The U.K. economy might have shown robust growth this year but it's not immune to a slowdown in the euro zone, the head of the CBI said.


U.S. stocks jumped on Wednesday, bouncing back from the prior day's sharp fall, after minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting had central bankers discussing ways to normalize interest rates.

"The conversation is clearly shifting from this unprecedented accommodation to policy firming. For equity markets, this is a positive signal, because the economic momentum is more upbeat, but at the same time tightening is not imminent," said Anastasia Amoroso, a Houston-based global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Funds.

Read MoreFed minutes: discussion does not signal action soon

The central bank last month trimmed its monthly asset buying to $45 billion, its fourth consecutive $10 billion reduction. Fed officials also said the economy was picking up steam and the labor market improving.

Tiffany climbed after the high-end jeweler posted quarterly profit that topped expectations; Netflix gained after saying it would broaden its online-video offerings in Europe. Target gained after the discount retailer reported a 0.3 percent decline in U.S. same-store sales, better than the 1.1 percent drop expected by analysts polled by Consensus Metrix. Lorillard rallied after Reuters reported Reynolds American was in advanced talks to acquire the cigarette company.

Also rebounding after its recent battering, the Russell 2000 climbed 0.6 percent, but the gauge of small companies still remained roughly 9 percent from its all-time high.

"I'm actually somewhat gratified to see the Russell 2000 get hammered; it's so expensive, and I don't like to see that amount of speculation going on in the market, so I would like to see it cool off. A 10 to 15 percent correction sets it on a more stable glide path," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at BMO Private Bank.

Summary: Stocks rose on Wednesday, as investors cheered the latest release from the Fed.


Trader disclosure: On September 15, 2015 , the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: Pete Najarian is long AMAT, BAC, BMY, BP, CSX, DISCA, DKS, FOXA, GE, KKR, KO, LLY, MRK, PEP, PFE, he is long calls AA, AAL, ABX, ALK, BEE, BUP, CRM, CSX, CVC, DAL, ETFC, HIG, HIMX, INTC, LM, MPEL, PFE, QCOM, VLO, XLF, XOM, ZIOP, he is long puts DISH, FCX. Steve Grasso is long AAPL, BA, BAC, CC, DD, DIS, DECK, EVGN, FIT, KBH, MJNA, MU, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, GDX, firm is long GLD, IBM His kids own EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY. Karen Finerman is long BAC, C, FINL, FL, GOOG, GOOGL, IBB, JPM, KORS, KORS call spreads, M, SUNE, SUNE puts, URI, she is short SPY, Her firm is long ANTM, AAPL, BAC, C, DIS, FBT, FINL, FL, GOOG, GOOGL, GPS, IBB, JPM, KORS, KORs calls, M, M calls, SUNE, SUNE calls, URI, URI long puts, XBI, KORS call spreads, M call spreads, SUNE calls, SUNE puts, her firm is short IWM, SPY, MDY, USO, Karen Finerman is on the board of GrafTech International. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck.

Summary: The "Fast Money" traders reveal the areas they're watching heading into Wednesday's trading.


That decision frustrated some clients, who complained to Coatue that the move would lock in losses as opposed to giving the money manager a chance to make up some of the losing trades, according to a person familiar with the situation.

A spokesman for Coatue declined to comment.

Coatue appears to have listened. The firm recently told investors that the capital return will likely be delayed until the end of the year, according to the person. The amount of money given back will also be reduced: Coatue will downsize the flagship fund to between $5.5 billion and $6 billion, not $5 billion as previously announced.

Read MoreGoldman'stop tech banker jumps ship for Coatue

So far, the plan is working. The firm's flagship fund gained 5.1 percent from May 1 to May 23, according to a person with direct knowledge of the returns. It's still down 6.6 percent overall in 2014. By comparison, the Absolute Return Technology Index—which tracks hedge funds that invest in the sector—is up 0.16 percent through April.

Coatue has also told investors that there were no significant redemptions—requests from clients for their money—for the June 30 withdrawal period, according to the person.

Read MoreHedge funds burned by favorite stocks

Part of the rationale for decreasing the amount returned is that Coatue has delayed fundraising for a new $500 million "hybrid" fund that plans to invest in both public and private companies. New money for the venture-capital style vehicle would have added to the size of the main hedge fund.

Summary: Philippe Laffont's Coatue Management hedge fund may not be giving back $2 billion after all.


* Impala seeks cash from investors to fund projects

* Shares punished by the market, down as much as 15 pct

* Company sees savings of 1.3 bln rand in 2016

(Adds impact of platinum price, analyst)

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Impala Platinum plans to raise 4 billion rand ($299 million) to fund the development of two shafts at its strike-ridden South African operations, the company said on Thursday, news that sent shares tumbling to 12-year lows.

Investors hammered shares in the world's second-largest producer of the precious metal, sending them down as much as 15 percent before they pared loses to be down 7.2 percent at 43 rand by 0858 GMT.

Impala, along with rivals Lonmin and Anglo American Platinum, is still recovering from last year's record five-month strike that cost the industry billions in lost output, damaged the viability of some mines and led to job cuts.

Impala said it would use the capital raised, which would be done through an accelerated book-building, to complete two shafts in Rustenburg, the epicentre of last year's strike.

"We think this is just the beginning and that others, not least of which Lonmin, are also short of capital given the weak PGM market," Investec Securities said.

The chief executive of its rival Lonmin said last month mines were not responding to cash injections and that investors were unlikely to look favourably on capital requests from mining firms.

While re-balancing its focus to cash-saving because of deteriorating platinum prices and the effects of the strike, Implats will spend 3.9 billion rand over the next three years on shaft 16 and 20.

The shafts contain higher grade ore and will help with the more efficient use of smelters due to the elevated quality of the platinum mined and replace ounces lost from older mines.

"Implats expects both shafts to be value accretive and replace the decline in output from other shafts with cost effective production," it said.

"It is critical at this stage to safeguard the completion of key capital projects, the suspension or abandonment of which would have a materially adverse impact on the long term value of the Group," Impala said.

At the same time Impala planned to shave 1.3 billion rand from 2016 capital expenditure to 4.2 billion rand through closing some unprofitable shafts, increasing output and delaying capital projects.

Following efforts to return to normal production that were plagued by numerous safety stoppages and operational issues, Implats posted a 58 percent drop in full-year headline earnings per share to 36 cents.

Headline EPS is widely watched measure in South Africa that strips out some one-off items

Platinum's spot price is pinned near 6-1/2 year lows just above $1,000 an ounce.

Gross refined platinum production reached 1.276 million ounces in the year to end-June from 1.178 million ounces last year.

(Additional reporting by Peroshni Govender; Editing by William Hardy)

Summary: JOHANNESBURG, Sept 3- Impala Platinum plans to raise 4 billion rand to fund the development of two shafts at its strike-ridden South African operations, the company said on Thursday, news that sent shares tumbling to 12- year lows. Impala, along with rivals Lonmin and Anglo American Platinum, is still recovering from last year's record five-month strike that...


The full extent of the destruction caused by the enormous tornado that ripped through Oklahoma was still being determined on Tuesday. At least two dozen people were killed. Entire blocks of homes were flattened. At one hospital alone 85 patients, including 65 children, were being treated for injuries. And many were still missing. Here's a look at how this horrific storm, pictured here, compares to some of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history.

- By Andrew Rafferty, Staff Writer, NBC News

Summary: Here's a look at how the devastating Oklahoma storm compared to some of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history.


California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom explains how technology can make government better.

Fortune: You call Citizenville, your new book, an attempt to “radically rethink the relationship between citizens and government.”

Newsom: My sense of government today is that we’re treated as subjects, not citizens — that things are done to us, not with us. That’s the framework and relationship that I think has to radically change.

And you think that digital technology in particular can be used to foster a two-way conversation.

Technology, more than anything else, democratizes voices. It allows people to share. The opportunity now to meet people where they are and to engage in a platform of real, active citizen engagement, as opposed to the inert citizenship that we have, is what I’m promoting.

You see rating site Yelp as a role model for government.

I love competition. I’m in the restaurant business, and when Yelp YELP came along, it was disruptive. As a consequence, we had to get better. We can begin to rate our DMV services compared with your DMV services in your neighborhood, or rate the interaction at the parks department.

You advocate games and contests as a way of getting people involved. Citizenville, in fact, is a play on Zynga’s FarmVille. Aren’t you concerned that this is faddish?

Any way you can meet people where they are and educate and entertain is, I think, a healthy thing. I’ve been just mesmerized by how many people are playing games, and not just young folks. This is one tool in the policy tool kit that I think government should use.

Your proposals to use technology to reduce government bloat sound startlingly Republican, especially for the politician most famous for advancing the cause of gay marriage.

Newt Gingrich has actually reached out directly, and we’ve had some interesting e-mail exchanges on this. As a Democrat, I’m so used to the idea that more is always better — that if you have a problem we just need more government and more money. Now I’m convinced that better is better, and we need to find a different relationship.

You’ve written a book where you went out and interviewed interesting people. You also had a talk show on Current TV until that network was bought by Al Jazeera. Are you looking to continue your journalism career?

I’m available, and I’m cheap because I’m in government, so you can’t pay me. I’m a good deal.

–Connected is an interview series with leaders of innovative organizations. Conversations are condensed and edited. For more Q&A and video, go to fortune.com/connected.

This story is from the April 8, 2013 issue of Fortune.

Summary: California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom explains how technology like Yelp can make government better.


By Gabrielle Olya and Julie Mazziotta

12/28/2015 AT 11:00 AM EST

On A&E's new reality show,

, 10 personal trainers aim to prove their weight loss strategies really work by taking their own advice â after intentionally gaining weight to lose it with their clients.

"I feel this deep need to help people," trainer JJ Peterson – who intentionally gains 60 lbs. for the show – says in an exclusive sneak peek. "I have done difficult things. I don't think any of those things are going to compare to this journey. I'm going to throw away years of fitness to adopt the lifestyle of my new client."

How will he lose the weight after intentionally gaining it? Peterson and other

trainers are sharing their best tips to effectively drop pounds and keep them off.

I'm never hungry and I'm never full. I'm constantly feeding my body what it needs all day long. This helps a ton with digestion and absorption. It also helps eliminate the peaks and valleys of energy some of us experience day to day.

If you're feeling unmotivated, follow your feet. Just walk into the gym, or start your run, or head to a class. Once you're there, you might as well start. Start off doing what you can do, and then slowly challenge yourself. Can you do 10 squats? Awesome! Then ask yourself, "Could I do two more?"

The best fitness equipment you have is your body. Putting together a circuit of body weight exercises like jumping jacks, high knees, leg lifts and squats for 15 minutes in the morning may seem simple, but it's highly effective. Ditch the equipment and be your own tool.

Always log your food! Sometimes you don't realize how much you actually eat until it's in black and white right in front of you. Food journals keep you in check by making you realize even the little things add up.

Eating a protein with every meal is extremely important for weight loss. It changes how your body metabolizes all the food you consume, keeps your energy levels more stable throughout the day, and gives you satiety longer.

You can't compete with what you eat. Too many people rely on exercise for weight loss. The best way to lose weight is to restrict calories. The best way to get in shape is to work out.

The most effective workout is a deadlift session. It's the most bang for your buck exercise, and almost anyone can do them. Total body compound movement is the most effective at building muscle and burning fat.

premieres January 19 at 10 p.m. ET on A&E.

Summary: On the new A&E reality show, personal trainers will intentionally gain weight to lose it again along with their clients


updated 01/26/2016 AT 05:45 PM EST

•originally published 01/26/2016 AT 10:45 AM EST

is certain that the world is flat – and that acclaimed astrophysicist

about the curvature of the earth, but is also being paid by NASA to perpetuate a vast cover-up.

On Tuesday morning, B.o.B dropped a diss track calling out Tyson, NASA and everyone else who believes in a round planet ... so the scientist did the only thing he could do. He recruited a rapper and dropped a diss track of his own – "Flat to Fact" – just hours later. (The track is set to the beat of Drake's infamous, Grammy-nominated diss against Meek Mill, "Back to Back.")

"He learned the game from Carl Sagan you can never check him," rapper Tyson (not the scientist himself) raps. "You say the earth is flat and then you try to disrespect him."

Other highlights of the song include, but aren't limited to: "I'm in the Hayden Planetarium getting shoulder rubs" "I'm far from famous but I got an education," and "I'm

of teaching B.o.B about the sun."

But how did the rap battle begin?

explaining the existence of a flat earth, drawing from personal anecdotes and poorly Photoshopped images posing as proof, the rapper was met with significant schooling from Tyson, who offered the precise dimensions of the Earth's curve and the reasons B.o.B hadn't been able to see it when he was in a plane. (Tyson also added: "Duuude – to be clear: Being five centuries regressed in your reasoning doesn't mean we all can't still like your music.")

So he responded in the best way he knew how: By dropping a diss track.

The track – "Flatline - feat. Neil Tyson" – is sort of incredible.

"Hah, am I paranoid? Picture Malcolm X/In a room full of pigs, trying not to bust a sweat/Aye, Neil Tyson need to loosen up his vest/They'll probably write that man one hell of a check," B.o.B raps.

The song gets even weirder as B.o.B. brings lizards into the feud.

"Now the mirror lizard's breath got the clones scared cuz/Woo, use your, use your common sense/Why is NASA department of defense?/They divided up the seas into thirty-three degrees/Feeding kids masonry, bruh, be careful what you read."

B.o.B. and Neil deGrasse Tyson

Before dropping the track, the rapper cleared up some speculation that he's crazy.

No I'm not crazy , Yes I'm feeling fine, no I'm not doing anything stronger than weed, am I doing this to promote my music .. No...

I'm going up against the greatest liars in history ... you've been tremendously deceived

We hope Tyson's track has officially settled the feud, but we have a feeling B.o.B isn't going to let it slide.

Summary: This has escalated into a veritable rap feud


02/18/2016 AT 04:30 PM EST

Six more criminal charges have been filed in Maine against Don McLean, the songwriter known for the 1971 folk classic "American Pie," PEOPLE confirms.

A prosecution source tells PEOPLE the new charges were filed against McLean on Wednesday – a little less than a month after

The new charges include criminal threatening, terrorizing, criminal restraint, obstruction and criminal mischief, the source says.

McLean, 70, has pleaded not guilty to all seven counts and has a next court hearing scheduled for early April.

McLean was arrested on Jan. 18 in his home in Camden, Maine, following an incident with his wife, Patrisha.

Patrisha, who was granted an order of protection late last month, alleges in court filings that McLean "pressed the palms of his hands against my temples and squeezed as though my head were in a vice." She says that she has suffered from headaches since the alleged incident.

In papers, Patrisha claims her husband has a "violent temper" and has been physical with her throughout much of their marriage. She also alleges McLean has threatened to kill her.

, saying, "Don is not a monster. This is a very sad time for me and for him."

Summary: Prosecutors have tacked on six more counts, including criminal threatening, terrorizing, and criminal restraint


Jakarta police have defended their actions in the high profile cyanide murder case involving two former Australian students, saying the ongoing detention of their prime suspect is justified.

In a case that has dominated headlines in Indonesia, Jessica Kumala is accused of killing 27-year-old Wayan Mirna Salihin, whom she studied with in Australia.

It is alleged the pair, along with their friend Hani, met up at a popular Jakarta cafe on January 6 and that Jessica laced Mirna's Vietnamese iced coffee with cyanide.

Moments after sipping it Mirna collapsed and began convulsing before she was confirmed dead a short time later in hospital.

But Jessica, who denies the charges, has launched a pre-trial motion in court claiming her ongoing detention is a "gross violation" of human rights and that a search warrant of her home last month was done without the correct legal documentation.

Her legal team has called on Central Jakarta District Court to find her arrest was illegal and order she be released from custody immediately.

They have also pushed the court to lift her six-month travelling ban.

But on Wednesday, lawyers representing police told the court that "the investigation process has complied with legal procedure".

Mirna and Jessica reportedly studied together at Sydney's Billy Blue College before graduating in 2008.

Late last month Jessica was arrested over the alleged premeditated murder and named by police as a suspect.

The court is expected to rule on the pre-trial motion before March 2.

Summary: Jakarta police have defended their arrest of a young Indonesian woman accused of the cyanide murder of a friend whom she studied with in Australia.


The deal, the first to value a user-participation web site at more than $1 billion, combines two of the most popular Internet brands: Google, synonymous with web search and rapid innovation, and YouTube, a Silicon Valley upstart that has spearheaded the video-sharing craze.

In anticipation of the acquisition, investors pushed shares of Google up $8.50, or 2 per cent, on the Nasdaq on Monday to a closing price of $429.00 - a level not seen since late April. In extended-hours trade following the announcement of the deal, Google stock dipped to $427.63.Â Â Â The stock had already gained about 2 per cent on Friday when reports emerged that a Google-YouTube deal might be in the works. In the last two trading days, Google has added nearly $4 billion in market capitalisation, or more than twice what the company has agreed to pay for YouTube.

Ahead of the gameÂ Â Â

For Google, the acquisition of YouTube would thrust the web search leader quickly into the emerging market for video advertising, where it has only a tiny foothold compared with YahooÂ and various Web start-ups, analysts said.Â Â Â Sasa Zorovic, an analyst at Oppenheimer, said:"YouTube is phenomenally valuable in terms of traffic and in the internet sector this is important just like location is important in real estate." Â Â Â "YouTube has almost 50 per cent of the online video market and combined with Google Video, they'll have close to 60 per cent of traffic," Zorovic said, adding the $1.65 billion price tag was in line with valuations for internet businesses.Â Â

YouTube was founded in February 2005 as one of dozens of internet video start-ups. It has exploded in popularity since last November by letting users share short clips of home videos and programming copied from television.Â Â Â YouTube has been the subject of acquisition speculation for much of this year. Potential buyers included internet rivals of Google such as Yahoo, as well as media companies like News Corp, owner of MySpace.com, and MTV owner Viacom.Â Â Â "This is a very good move for Google, strategically, as it opens up to them the possibility to grow in one internet area where they were not very big - that is video," said Steve Neimeth, portfolio manager for AIG SunAmerica Asset Management.

Summary: Web search leader Google has agreed to acquire top video entertainment site YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock, putting a lofty new value on consumer-generated media sites.


04/18/2016 AT 09:55 PM EDT

$21,000 a month alimony bill is making it impossible for the actor to consider retirement, and now he's asking a judge to let him off the hook for the payments.

actor filed legal documents to either completely cut off or significantly reduce spousal support to his ex-wife, Pamela Bach, whom he divorced after 16 years of marriage in 2006.

According to the docs obtained by PEOPLE, Hasselhoff has paid in excess of $2.3 million to his ex-wife since they divorced ten years ago, not including the money he has spent supporting his daughters, who were teenagers at the time of the split.

"I am 63 years of age, and am at an age when I should be preparing for retirement and not having to continue working in order to pay [Bach's] support," Hasselhoff explained in the legal docs.

With his monthly gross, listed in the docs as $112,000, the actor said it would be impossible for him to continue covering his expenses and spousal support.

In addition, Hasselhoff notes that Bach, whom he describes as "an attractive woman in excellent physical health" has done little to find work to support herself.

A working actress through the 80s and 90s, she only has one acting credit since their divorce, on

in 2011, according to the docs. Described by Hasselhoff in the docs as "very capable, resourceful, and talented," Bach continues to enjoy a "privileged lifestyle" without having made a "reasonable efforts" to support herself.

Summary: David Hasselhoff filed legal docs to reduce his alimony payments to his ex-wife, Pamela Bach


In the book that "Captain Phillips" was based on, the merchant mariner Richard Phillips notes Mark Twain's remark that going to sea is like going to jail with a chance of drowning. For the man whose container ship was hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009, going to sea was like going to prison with a strong chance of dying. His story is extraordinary, and it's told by two perfectly matched collaborators— Tom Hanks, the Hollywood embodiment of American decency and self-effacing courage, and Paul Greengrass, the virtuoso director of action adventures with a documentary feel and a fidelity to facts. The film succeeds on its own terms—an exciting entertainment that makes us feel good about the outcome, and about the reach of American power, rather than its limits. Yet the narrative container is far from full. There isn't enough incident or complexity to sustain the entire length of this elaborately produced star vehicle.

The story starts with its instantly appealing hero leaving home in Vermont— Catherine Keener plays his wife—to go to work off the coast of Somalia. Rich Phillips is appealing not only because he's played by Mr. Hanks, but because he's a high-tech, globalized version of a venerable archetype, the quietly competent Yankee seafarer. It's fascinating to follow him aboard his vessel, the Maersk Alabama, as he takes command of the huge thing, but his comfortingly familiar routines don't last for long. A collision lies ahead—not with a ship, but with a third-world culture represented by new versions of the corsair archetype: four young desperados with deadly weapons, at least one of them tech-savvy and all of them determined to make a killing that will, in the best case, be purely monetary.

The leader of the Somalis, who board the Alabama from a scruffy skiff, comes to be called Skinny—Skeletal wouldn't have had the same ring. He's played with such ferocious charisma that it's almost impossible to believe that Somalia-born Barkhad Abdi, who lives in Minnesota, is making his acting debut in the role. (Mr. Greengrass also excels at directing actors.) Skinny insists that the raid is "just business—we want money; when everybody paid we go home." He also insists that he and his cohorts are fishermen who've been driven to crime by the predatory practices of Western fishing fleets. It may be more complicated than that, even if Billy Ray's script chooses not to explore the complications. But whoever Skinny may be, he's a captain, too, and the film's dramatic core—as distinct from its much hotter action core—concerns the two men's struggle for dominance, and for control of a ship being held for ransom.

Phillips tests, prods and observes his rival shrewdly. He is, by turns, affable and tough, fearless while appropriately fearful. The Somali is fearless too, but with dangerous displays of bravado. Having taken Phillips hostage, he's unfazed by the prospect of taking on America as well. All of this is suspenseful, as far as it goes, but it can't go further because, in an odd way, the film has fallen hostage to its own integrity.

Apart from the inevitable telescoping and heightening for dramatic purposes, plus some minor—and in a couple of cases foolish—spasms of invented heroics, "Captain Phillips," hews fairly closely to the events set forth in the book. The movie is essentially what it claims to be, based on a true story that happens to culminate in a display of U.S. naval power and Navy SEAL expertise. ( Barry Ackroyd did the spectacular cinematography. The film was edited by Christopher Rouse. )

That sets it in sharp contrast to a recent film on the same subject, one that is, not coincidentally, coming out next week on DVD and Blu-ray. Tobias Lindholm's "A Hijacking," from Denmark in Danish, English and Somali, is a fiction film that barely registered as a blip on the scope of the international movie market. Yet "A Highjacking" is wonderfully dramatic in its interweaving of disparate elements—enthralling characters; intricate negotiations with startlingly sophisticated pirates; explorations of geopolitics and corporate imperatives; and, through it all, a question of life or death that's answered from the start in "Captain Phillips," a Hollywood action adventure with a beloved star in the title role.

I mention the Danish film not to suggest what "Captain Phillips" should have been, but to suggest why it is what it is. The script was based on a book that doesn't lack for personal heroism, or a thrilling climax. But the book recounts a string of factual events that, by their repetitive nature, lack the density of first-rate fiction. That's why the film plods along so perplexingly while the pirates search the Alabama from top to bottom for its apparently vanished crew; why its portraits of the pirates are as shallow as they are striking, and why so much time is given over to the pirates yelling and screaming at Rich Phillips, or at each other. It also sheds light on why Mr. Hanks's most powerful scene—you'll know it when you see it—is in fact a piece of fiction. That's not a bad thing, mind you, but a good thing. It's based on true feelings.

Ever so calmly, sometimes languorously, Kalyanee Mam's documentary feature reveals the anguishing sense of loss behind a profusion of ravishingly beautiful images. Ms. Mam was born in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime; she and her family fled that shattered nation's refugee camps and emigrated to the U.S., where she was educated, became a lawyer and a gifted cinematographer. In recent years she has returned to her homeland several times to film "A River Changes Course." Beautiful images can be a distraction in a serious documentary, but that's hardly the case here. They draw us in so we can better understand the hurtling changes that endanger the future of Cambodia and, by extension, much of the developing world.

The story is told through three families connected only by pressures they understand imperfectly, if at all. Khieu Mok and her mother cultivate rice in a small village outside the capital, Phnom Penh. Mired in debt, they're forced to borrow more money to buy a buffalo and additional land that they need to survive. Sari Math and his family live in a floating village on central Cambodia's Tonlé Sap River. He's forced to quit school and go to work when the family's livelihood is threatened by dwindling catches that result from large fish traps they can't afford, and by the proliferation of illegal fishing. Sav Samourn and her family live high in the remote mountains of northeast Cambodia in what could pass for a jungle Eden—butterflies, orchids, cashew orchards, rice paddies, dense forest—except that the forests are being devoured by corporate loggers.

Ms. Mam follows these families and their distinctive ways of life with her eyes wide open. What's so unusual about her approach is that she sees just as clearly as an artist, a journalist and a de facto anthropologist. (Her film is enhanced by David Mendez's haunting music.)

The pastoral and littoral scenes are lovely, but the loveliness masks a degrading environment. The children's faces are photographed luminously, but the kids' well-being is shadowed by pollution and the lure of urbanization. Khieu, who goes to work in a Phnom Penh garment factory, thinks of herself as "divided in half." She fantasizes that someone will bring employment to her village by building a factory, but that the village will somehow remain unspoiled, an idyllic idealization of Phnom Penh. Sav has an undivided fear of what has already happened, and what's to come. "Before," she says of her cherished surroundings, "we wouldn't dare walk through here. There were tigers, bears and elephants. Now, all the wild animals are gone. We're no longer afraid of wild animals, and ghosts. Now we're afraid of people. The elders say they're afraid of people cutting down the forests."

An air of fatefulness suffuses "Bloody Sunday," Paul Greengrass's stunning re-creation of the day in September 1972, when 13 unarmed civilians were killed by British soldiers during a peace march in Northern Ireland. Thirty years later, the bloodbath is still surrounded by controversy, so the film can't be taken as a definitive factual account. Yet it makes a powerful case for the contention that 3,000 British paratroopers, presumably sent to keep the peace, were looking for a fight when they arrived, and that their contingency plan was nothing more than a sequence of ghastly blunders waiting to happen.

For his Hollywood debut, Paul Greengrass directed this impressive sequel in which Matt Damon's haunted assassin, Jason Bourne, is still trying to figure out who he is. He starts out in Goa, a photogenic state on the western coast of India, and he remains on the goa from start to finish. The movie keeps you in a state of reasonably contented attentiveness. Still, the nonstop action reminded me of George Carlin's alarmed response to the ticket agent who tells him he's on a nonstop flight. At some point you yearn for solid ground.

"Captain Phillips" isn't Paul Greengrass's first fact-inspired film about a hijacking. Five years after the fact, he directed this literally spellbinding vision of what happened on the ground as the twin towers of the World Trade Center were struck, and what may have happened in the cockpit and cabin of the hijacked airliner that was diverted, by a passenger revolt, from its flight path to the U.S. Capitol. The filmmaker's mosaic—and lapidary—technique is similar to the one he employed in "Bloody Sunday." It worked superbly then, and just as superbly here.

Write to Joe Morgenstern at joe.morgenstern@wsj.com

Summary: "Captain Phillips," starring Tom Hanks, is an exciting new film about a container ship hijacked by Somali pirates. It's based on a true story—and that's part of the problem.


Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said Sunday that Puerto Rico’s government will not make a $420 million bond payment due Monday, following a failure to negotiate a solution to the island’s public debt crisis. Garcia Padilla, by executive order, suspended payments on debt owed by the Government Development Bank, a default that’s likely to prompt lawsuits from creditors and could limit the island’s access to capital markets. Congress has so far been unable to pass a debt restructuring bill for Puerto Rico. ‘‘Let me be very clear, this was a painful decision,’’ Garcia Padilla said in a speech. ‘‘We would have preferred to have had a legal framework to restructure our debts in an orderly manner.’’ He said the government can’t make the payment without sacrificing basic necessities for 3.5 million residents, including keeping schools and public hospitals open. ‘‘We will continue working to try to reach a consensual solution with our creditors,’’ he said. The governor had been warning since last year that the island’s overall public debt of more than $70 billion is unpayable. Puerto Rico has been suffering through more than a decade of economic decline. Garcia Padilla’s predecessors and the legislature borrowed heavily to cover deficits. Creditors have accused the government of exaggerating the crisis to avoid upcoming payments, such as $780 million due July 1 that includes general obligation bonds, which are guaranteed by the constitution.

Amazon.com Inc. will bring free same-day deliveries to the Bronx — the only New York City borough now excluded — following criticism that the company’s data-driven service boundaries unfairly left out minority communities. Last week, Amazon pledged to serve the predominantly black Boston neighborhood of Roxbury. An analysis by Bloomberg Businessweek recently highlighted the service’s racial disparities in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York, and Washington, D.C. Amazon started free same-day deliveries last year as a perk of Amazon Prime membership, which costs $99 a year. Service boundaries were determined by the concentration of Prime members, proximity to warehouses, and the availability of delivery partners. Race played no role, Amazon said. In numerous cities, including Philadelphia, Amazon provided the service in all sections and there were no disparities.

Passengers set sail on Sunday from Miami on a historic cruise to Cuba. Carnival Corp.’s 704-passenger Adonia left at 4:24 p.m., bound for Havana. Carnival’s Cuba cruises will visit Havana, Cienfuegos, and Santiago de Cuba. Cuba loosened its policy banning Cuban-born people from arriving by sea, a rule that threatened to prevent the cruises from restarting after decades without them. Carnival had planned to bar Cuban-born passengers, but Cuban-Americans in Miami filed a discrimination lawsuit. The company said it would sail to Cuba only if the policy was changed, which Cuba did April 22. The Adonia will cruise every other week to Cuba. Bookings start at $1,800 per person and feature cultural and educational activities. Restarting cruises was part of the Obama administration’s plan after a Dec. 17, 2014, decision to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba and move toward normalization.

Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes Inc. have abandoned their $34 billion merger, the Justice Department said. The department sued April 6 to block the merger, claiming it would unlawfully eliminate competition in almost two dozen markets crucial to the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. ‘‘The companies’ decision to abandon this transaction — which would have left many oilfield service markets in the hands of a duopoly — is a victory for the US economy and for all Americans,’’ Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch said Sunday. Officials said a merger would have raised prices, decreased output, and lessened innovation in at least 23 oilfield products and services. Halliburton will pay Baker Hughes a termination fee of $3.5 billion, according to the companies, which “expected the proposed merger to result in compelling benefits to shareholders, customers and other stakeholders.” But the challenge of obtaining regulatory approvals “and general industry conditions” led to a decision to cancel the deal, Halliburton said.

Massachusetts lawmakers have advanced a proposal to require insurance companies to cover Lyme disease treatments. It was tacked on to the nearly $40 billion state budget approved Wednesday by the House, which now goes to the Senate. Representative David Linsky, a Natick Democrat who filed the amendment, calls the tick-borne illness an epidemic that is spreading at an alarming rate. He said some Massachusetts residents have run up more than $50,000 in out-of-pocket costs. The measure would require insurers to provide coverage but doesn’t specify the type of treatment. Linsky said a study by the Center for Health Insurance Analysis found the requirement would add no more than 13 cents per policy.

Summary:
ECONOMY

Puerto Rico defaults on $420 million payment

Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla said Sunday that Puerto Rico’s government will not make a $420 million bond payment due Monday, following a failure to negotiate a solution to the island’s public debt crisis. Garcia Padilla, by executive order, suspended payments on debt owed by the Government Development Bank, a default that’s likely to prompt lawsuits from creditors and could limit the island’s access to capital markets.


Security was tight as mourners packed a Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall on Sunday evening for a memorial for megastar Prince, who worshipped there before he died last month.

Traffic cones lined the streets in front of the church in the Minneapolis suburb of Minnetonka, and media and fans were kept well back from the invitation-only event. City spokeswoman Kari Spreeman said last week that police were preparing for up to 500 people, including up to 50 high-profile guests.

Some people who weren’t able to get inside before the church filled up were able to obtain programs, which they shared with reporters outside.

The program said the service was to begin with the song “He Will Call,” followed by an opening prayer. It also included an “interview” with Larry Graham, the former Sly and the Family Stone bassist who was Prince’s spiritual mentor and introduced him to the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith. The program was to conclude with the song “See Yourself When All Is New” and a closing prayer.

On the back was a quote from the Prince song, “Beautiful, Loved and Blessed,” from his 2006 album “3121.” It read, “If I were to ever write down my life story, I could truly say with all the fame and glory, I was just a piece of clay in need of the potter’s hand.”

In an interview with The Associated Press two weeks ago, Graham said it was important to Prince to give his fans joy with his music. But the most important thing to Prince was being able to share scripture, he said.

“His joy — his biggest joy — was sharing the hope of everlasting life,” Graham said.

Prince was known at the Kingdom Hall as “Brother Nelson.” He was found dead at age 57 in his Paisley Park recording complex in Chanhassen on April 21. Authorities are still investigating.

The artist’s two ex-wives held a star-studded memorial in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

Summary: It included an interview with ex-Sly and the Family Stone bassist Larry Graham, Prince's mentor.


Writer and host, “Studio 360″

The novelist, radio host and former editor of New York magazine has been a stalwart figure in American journalism since he co-founded Spy magazine in 1986. His writing maps the contours of Obama’s America, and his is a quietly consequential voice in the nation’s culture wars.

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Summary: Writers, bloggers and TV journalists whose voices will define the Obama era.


People who take popular heartburn pills known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) may be more likely to develop chronic kidney disease than individuals who don't use these drugs, a study suggests.

The side effect is rare, and the study doesn't prove the drugs cause kidney failure. But earlier studies have also linked the pills to this side effect, and the association is worrisome because tens of millions of people a year take these pills, sold by prescription and over-the-counter in some countries, with brand names including Prilosec, Prevacid and Zegerid. SEE ALSO: Heartburn pills may help grow infection-causing bacteria in gut

"There appears to be mounting observational evidence that PPIs - historically a class thought to be extremely safe - have some adverse effects," said lead author Dr. Morgan Grams of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

"Given the widespread use of PPIs, even relatively rare adverse effects can impact large numbers of people," Grams added by email. "Thus, I think it wise to be judicious in the use of PPIs."

PPIs stop cells in the stomach lining from producing too much acid. In that way, they help prevent ulcers and reduce reflux symptoms such as heartburn. While scientists aren't certain how the drugs affect the kidneys, prior research has tied PPIs to a form of kidney inflammation known as interstitial nephritis. Related: See at-home, natural remedies for heartburn:

Heartburn pills linked to increased risk of kidney disease

(Photo by Shingo Tosha via Getty Images)

(Photo by Svetlana Lukienko, Shutterstock)

(Photo by Tom Merton via Getty Images)

Apples and apple cider vinegar

For the study, Grams and colleagues analyzed two large sets of data to examine the connection between PPI use and kidney disease in the general population.

The analysis linked PPI use to an increased risk of chronic kidney disease in both data sets, although PPI users were also more likely than non-users to be overweight or on medication to lower blood pressure or cholesterol. High blood pressure can also increase the risk for kidney disease.

First, the researchers reviewed data on 10,482 people who were part of a study on atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, tracking half of them for more than 14 years.

They found 56 incidents of chronic kidney disease among 322 people taking PPIs, compared with 1,382 incidents among 10,160 individuals who didn't use the pills. In other words, if 1,000 PPI users were tracked for one year, researchers would see 14.2 new cases of chronic kidney disease, compared to a rate of 10.7 new cases if 1,000 non-PPI-users were followed for a year.

Researchers estimated that over 10 years, the absolute risk of chronic kidney disease was 11.8 percent among PPI users, versus 8.5 percent among nonusers.

In a second analysis, researchers examined data on 248,751 patients in the Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania, with half of participants followed for at least six years.

This time, there were 1,921 incidents of chronic kidney disease among 16,900 PPI users, compared with 28,226 incidents among 231,851 non-users. The incident rate for PPIs was 20.1 per 1,000 person-years, compared with 18.3 per 1,000 person-years without the medication.

Researchers estimated that over 10 years, the absolute risk of chronic kidney disease among the Geisinger patients was 15.6 percent among PPI users, but just 13.9 percent if they didn't take the pills.

It's possible that the PPI users had other risk factors for kidney disease that were unrelated to the medications, the authors acknowledge in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Even so, the findings add to growing evidence suggesting that some patients may experience dangerous side effects from PPIs, Dr. Adam Schoenfeld and Dr. Deborah Grady of the University of California, San Francisco, note in an editorial.

Earlier research has linked the pills to kidney damage, heart problems, infections and fractures, they wrote.

"Doctors must weigh the risks and benefits before recommending PPIs and this study adds chronic kidney disease to the risk of rare, but serious side effects associated with PPI use," Schoenfeld said by email.

Many patients with heartburn and indigestion don't need PPIs, Schoenfeld added, noting that behavior and lifestyle changes such as getting more exercise and drinking less alcohol may have the same effect as PPIs for mild stomach symptoms.

More from AOL.com: Physicians' body language said to reveal racial bias Gunmen enter Baghdad mall after explosion that kills seven: sources Your driver's license will work at airport security until at least 2018

Summary: A new study found that people who take popular proton pump inhibitors may be more likely to develop kidney disease.


There's the woman who designed her cover letter like the Google's ad materials (she got an interview, no job). There's the man who created an entire website to land a job there (he got an interview, no job). Forums are filled with frustrated applicants to Google, with Ph.D.s and decades of experience, who did the dance for months, only to get a "no thank you" message in their inbox.

Tales of "world-shaking innovation" and "free sushi" lure a million applicants a year, but only 0.5 percent of them make it through Google's mystical gate. Some applicants have had multiple interviews, only to be told that they'll be contacted when a job becomes available -- sitting for months on the waitlist for the hippest party in town.

It's a party with golden goody bags: Software engineer interns at Google can earn between $5,000 and $8,800 a month,

, and those engineers who go on to become employees can earn as much as $250,000 yearly. Even

, like those of account manager and AdWords associate, are handsomely compensated ($68,000 and $53,000 a year, respectively).

To find your in, Google hopefuls should scan their alumni networks for current employees or try to hunt down recruiters on LinkedIn -- the personal touch never hurts when a company receives thousands of applicants a day. And Google has a soft spot for the unconventional resume and cover letter, if it's done well. Just don't make it "too big, too bulky and too boring," advises Gayle McDowell, a former Google recruiter and author of "The Google Resume."

More: 10 Highest Paying Entry-Level Jobs

The process usually involves two phone interviews, followed by one or more interviews on-site -- although sometimes applicants go through five or six rounds of grilling. In the earlier stages applicants are lobbed Google's notorious brainteasers, like "How many cows are there in Canada?" or "How many tears are shed between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the Southwestern United States?"

Fearlessness is the key to these questions, according to McDowell. There's no point stuttering and squinting and squeezing your brain for the right answer -- there isn't one. Applicants should just open their mouths and start talking through a reasonable way of solving the puzzle.

Yes, Google has a predilection for Ivy Leaguers, and a stellar grade point average will give you a bump. But McDowell emphasizes that Google just wants to know that you're smart and hardworking, and a lofty GPA is just one way to prove that. Another former recruiter, writing on Indeed.com, says that applicants from top tier schools need at least a 3.0, and from less well-known institutions, grades that are a notch higher.

More: 7 Gigs That Make Good Second Jobs

"It is frustrating to find the 'perfect' candidate," the former Googler writes, "only to be told by the hiring manager to not even bring the person in to interview because a 3.2 from San Jose State is not hireable."

Depending on the position you're vying for, you may receive a writing and logic test, or be asked to scribble up some code in a Google doc or on a whiteboard, so your interviewers can watch the way that your brain cogs turn. And unless you're a wunderkind software engineer, ushered into the fold on a unicorn-led chariot, you also need to prove your "Googliness" -- an intricate combination of quirkiness, passion, ambition, wacky creativity, and obsession with Google.

More: 7 Part-Time Jobs That Pay Up To $40 An Hour

Interviewers will often ask applicants to give examples of a time they led a team or influenced people, according to McDowell. "I led through fear and threats of violence" and "I influenced my team by running to upper management" are not Googly answers.

Not all Google employees wax romantic about their time there. There's the ex-Google engineer who slammed the company on Microsoft's blog, and it's evolution from an "innovation factory" to "an advertising company" fixated on competing with Facebook. And there's the former contractor who was traumatized after a year of watching the most heinous, illegal smut on Google products, only to be given one free therapy session and shown the door.

More: Top 10 Worst And Best Jobs This Year

But your average Google employee is very happy, and getting happier. Employee satisfaction there in fact leapt up by over a third last year, according to CareerBliss, more than at any other U.S. company. This may be partly due to a generous new death benefit -- paying 50 percent of the deceased employee's salary to the spouse for a decade -- and changing it's maternity leave from three months partial pay to five months full pay.

They say the acceptance rate at Harvard is so impossibly small that scores of qualified applicants won't make it out of sheer bad luck. The same could be said of Google -- except the company's acceptance rate is nine times smaller.

Looking for a job at Google? Start your search here.


FORTUNE — Last month, Windows Phone 8 launched with Nokia Lumia 920 devices. More recently, HTC launched its own Windows 8 Phone line to be available around the official Windows 8 product launch in late October. These brightly colored devices are standard smartphone fare: slim, lightweight, Gorilla glass, 8 MP cameras, 4G LTE, dual Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, etc.

But let’s be frank, Microsoft MSFT has little chance of becoming the number one mobile operating system. To do that, it would have to displace Apple AAPL and Google GOOG , a task far beyond Hercules. At nearly 4% market share, Microsoft is facing the steepest vertical climb of its life. Google has over 50% and Apple over 30%.

MORE: The iPhone 5’s overlooked killer feature

But that won’t stop Microsoft from playing to its software and business-to-business strengths. According to ComScore and IDC, Microsoft is squarely in fourth place behind troubled Blackberry-maker RIM (RIMM) but has seen its numbers grow in the last year — mostly outside the U.S. Still, Microsoft is a unique position to play for third place — a position that should be enough to keep its operating system dominance in the workplace, and with time, give more acceptance to Windows 8 as a mobile OS for average consumers.

So what can Microsoft do in the meantime? Here are four key ways Microsoft could play its position:

Large contracts with Fortune 1000 companies Also know as “keep doing what you are good at.” Also also known as, Windows in the workplace. Disrupting consumer habits is easier for Google and Apple than disrupting Windows servers, desktops and management software and people trained to use those systems for their livelihood. Analysts talk up this idea of the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to work, but the reality is that for major corporations with global reach, managing the smartphone flavor of the month is still incredibly challenging. Most CIOs and CTOs care little what you want to use and more about what they have to protect: company data and their budgets.nWith Windows 8 on the desktop, and upcoming the Surface tablet hybrid, it could be easier for CIOs to see the cost benefit of Windows across devices. .

Foster an enterprise apps economy Selling Microsoft software is the priority, but allowing key mobile apps that work across a Windows OS environment could up the ante for Windows adoption. Some software will simply be too challenging to condense in to an app, but functional extensions of complex software as apps make sense, especially when better integrated with email and other internal systems. A more seamless experience across devices would be welcome, as are devices designed more specifically for business users. Microsoft’s forthcoming Surface tablet-laptop hybrid could be that device.

MORE: The RIM video that will make you squirm

Become master retailers You may not have noticed, but Microsoft does have over 20 retail locations in the U.S. and Canada right now. It is opening more this year, including 32 pop-up locations for the holiday season. With its hugely successful Xbox gaming console and the new Surface tablet coming out, getting consumers to buy its gear has never been more important.

Change CEOs and get the stock moving The most radical and unlikely option. One way to help Microsoft’s perception as a technology dinosaur is to make a change-up top. It’s not difficult to imagine a scenario in which Ballmer steps out of the role and the company hires or promotes a new visionary with mobile in the forefront as its leader. Rebooting Windows future management may help Microsoft’s stock price in the short-term and could help its brand for the long haul.

Summary: Will Microsoft's attempt to catch up to Apple and Google succeed? Not likely. If it wants to have any hope of being a strong third, here is what it must do.


Updated October 2, 11:45 a.m. EST

In case there is any debate about whether 1) Republicans really want young women on board for the midterms and 2) they’re confused about how to do it, the College Republican National Committee ad for Rick Scott (produced, ironically, by women) will settle the question once and for all.

The ad features Brittany, a young undecided voter, who appears to be shopping for a wedding dress, but she’s actually shopping for candidates for the Florida Governor’s race, get it? Because women don’t like dirty old politics, women like wedding dresses!

She has her heart set on the “Rick Scott” wedding dress, because “Rick Scott is becoming a trusted brand — he has new ideas that don’t break your budget.” But then, frumpy old mom chimes in with some Democratic drivel and tries to get her to buy an ugly dress with sleeves called “Charlie Crist.” The ugly dress comes with “additional costs” like “$2 billion in taxes, $3.6 billion in debt, and 15% tuition increases” which are represented, of course, by an ugly veil, ugly sash, and ugly necklace. Because veils are easier to understand than debt, obviously.

There’s also an identical ad running in Illinois, to endorse Bruce Rauner for Governor.

And we wonder why women think Republicans don’t get them.

Summary: The College Republicans National Committee ad aimed at women describes Florida Governor Rick Scott as the perfect wedding dress


Women and girls kidnapped by the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram are raped and forced to marry fighters even if they are underage, according to testimonies from women who have escaped the group.

In its latest report, “Those Terrible Weeks in the Camp: Boko Haram Violence Against Women and Girls in Northeast Nigeria,” New York-based Human Rights Watch estimates that the militant group has abducted about 500 women and girls from Northern Nigeria since 2009. Earlier this year Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls from a secondary school in the town of Chibok in the northeast of the country. The mass abduction drew international outrage and sparked a viral social media campaign fuelled by the hashtag #bringbackourgirls. Human Rights Watch spoke to 12 of the 57 of the girls who have escaped; 219 are still missing.

Human Rights Watch explains that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has taken responsibility for abducting women and girls, and has justified the kidnappings as retaliation for the detention of Boko Haram family members held by the Nigerian government. In a 2012 video, Shekau says: “Since you are now holding our women, just wait and see what will happen to your own women … to your own wives according to Sharia law.”

But there’s also another motive for the kidnappings: punishing women who seek education. One victim who was kidnapped while traveling home from school in Konduga said that when the militants found out that she and her friends were students they said, “Aha! These are the people we are looking for. So you are the ones with strong heads who insist on attending school when we have said ‘boko’ is ‘haram.’ We will kill you here today.” Boko Haram’s name roughly translates to “Western education is a sin.”

The report confirms some of the worst fears about Boko Haram’s treatment of the girls they capture, specifically when it comes to sexual violence. According to interviews with survivors, most of the sexual violence and rape occurs within the context of forced marriages, although there are exceptions.

According to the interviews in the report, Boko Haram does not consider any girls too young for marriage. After one 17-year old prisoner complained that she was not yet old enough to marry a Boko Haram commander pointed to his 5-year-old daughter and said, “If she got married last year, and is just waiting till puberty for its consummation, how can you at your age be too young to marry?”

One woman who was raped in 2013 in a Boko Haram camp told Human Rights Watch that other women (specifically wives of Boko Haram leaders) were often complicit in sexual abuse of female prisoners. “I was lying down in the cave pretending to be ill because I did not want the marriage,” the woman told the researchers. “When the insurgent who had paid my dowry came in to force himself on me, the commander’s wife blocked the cave entrance and watched as the man raped me.”

Another girl was only 15 when she was forcibly married off to a Boko Haram commander after her abduction in 2013. “After we were declared married I was ordered to live in his cave but I always managed to avoid him,” the girl told Human Rights Watch. “He soon began to threaten me with a knife to have sex with him, and when I still refused he brought out his gun, warning that he would kill me if I shouted. Then he began to rape me every night. He was a huge man in his mid-30s and I had never had sex before. It was very painful and I cried bitterly because I was bleeding afterwards.”

The report cites numerous other reports of women being sexually assaulted by Boko Haram militants; some were raped within context of a forced marriage, others for being Christian, another was attacked for a perceived slight against the militants. The report acknowledges, however, that the group’s leaders did make some effort to protect kidnapped girls from random sexual abuses outside the context of “marriage.”

Human Rights Watch notes that rapes by Boko Haram are severely under-reported, largely due to the stigma around sexual abuse and the loss of virginity that sometimes occurs during the rapes in the conservative northeastern part of the country.

The report also delves into some of the specifics of the kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls, thanks to testimony from 12 girls who escaped. The escaped girls said that Boko Haram did not discriminate based on religion when they abducted the schoolgirls, and took both Christian and Muslim girls. They said that they believe the militants were originally after the school’s brick-making machine, and only decided to kidnap the girls once they realized they were unguarded — the principal, teachers, administrators were not on campus, and the only guard, an elderly man, had fled. One girl described the night Boko Haram arrived: “Two men told us we should not worry, we should not run. They said they had come to save us from what is happening inside the town, that they are policemen. We did not know that they were from Boko Haram. The rest of the men came and started shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and at that moment we realized, they were Boko Haram. We were told to be quiet. One of them told us that the horrible things we heard happening elsewhere, like burning houses, killing people, killing students, kidnapping people, would happen to us now. We all started crying and he told us to shut up.”

Another woman at the camps told Human Rights Watch she saw some of the Chibok schoolgirls forced to work for other women who were selected for “special treatment because of their beauty.”

The report also specifies that of all the girls who have escaped from Boko Haram interviewed by Human Rights Watch, only the Chibok schoolgirls have received any kind of state-sponsored medical aid or counseling. But one Chibok schoolgirl says the aid they received was more like a religious sermon, which is not what she needs.

“I just want someone who will listen to me and help me to stop the fear that takes over my mind when I think of my sisters (school mates) who are still with Boko Haram,” the girl told Human Rights Watch. “I am so afraid for them. Why can’t the government bring them back?”

Read next: Boko Haram Kidnaps 30 Children in Nigeria

Summary: Some girls forced into marriage and others were raped, Human Rights Watch reports


Today is National Pretzel Day, and for many that means free food.

Chains across the U.S. are giving customers pretzels in honor of the day, which reportedly began in 2003 in Pennsylvania. At Auntie Anne’s, which is the largest pretzel chain in the U.S., customers can get a free pretzel by installing the chain’s “My Pretzel Perks” app, according a company blog post. But that’s not all—five of the program’s “loyalty members” may be lucky enough to win free pretzels for an entire year.

To do so, Auntie Anne’s asks that customers comment on the blog post. “Tell us in the comments below and you could win some seriously sweet pretzel swag. Tell us about your first visit, your favorite pretzel, or what Auntie Anne’s means to you,” the company says. “We’d love to hear your stories, and we have some sweet pretzel swag to share as a reward!” Here are full contest details for the offer.

Auntie Anne’s isn’t the only pretzel maker giving away free food today. New Jersey residents can check out the chain Wetzel’s Pretzels. While supplies lasts, customers can head to a location and collect their free food, according to NJ.com.

For Philadelphia residents, the Philly Pretzel Factory is also handing out pretzels in honor of the celebration. But it’s not so simple. Customers need to say the following tongue twister in order to get the treat: “Pretzelmaker prepares perfectly pleasing pretzels for National Pretzel Day.”

Another chain, Ben’s Soft Pretzels which has locations in the South and Midwest, is also offering a deal. Donate $1 to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes and get a free pretzel at participating locations, according to the company’s website.

Summary: Including at Auntie Anne's and Wetzel's Pretzels


In Julieta, Almódovar’s latest film, the legendary Spanish director explores familiar themes: mother-daughter relationships, grief and loss, all with his characteristic flair and distinctive style. But is the director back on top form?

And as the film festival draws to a close, what were the biggest hits and favourites from the selection? Tom Brook talks with BBC Culture’s Matthew Anderson and Emma Jones.

If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.

And if you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called “If You Only Read 6 Things This Week”. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Earth, Culture, Capital, Travel and Autos, delivered to your inbox every Friday.

Summary: In the final chat from the Cannes Film Festival, the BBC Culture team discuss Pedro Almodóvar’s new film Julieta, and pick out their favourite movies of the week.


As part of the company’s “Un-carrier Unwrapped” program that launched in November, T-Mobile is giving customers a full month of holiday gifts. And not just their own customers.

Gift number four is a full year’s worth of free Hulu for Verizon customers who switch over to T-Mobile. “Verizon customers put up with a lot of sneaky tricks from Big Red these days. Overpriced data, shocking overage penalties and no early upgrade option – just to name a few,” T-Mobile CEO John Legere says in the company’s press release, adding that he wants to show them “why the Un-carrier is better with a real gift.”

Verizon customers who switch to the “un-carrier” between Dec. 11 and Dec. 17 will receive a text message with a $100 Hulu subscription gift code. With that amount, you can purchase more than 12 months worth of Hulu’s Limited Commercial plan which can be streamed for free with T-Mobile’s Binge On. They will also receive a 50% discount on in-store accessories.

Out of the four “Un-carrier Unwrapped” gifts that have so far been announced, this is the third that targets customers of other carriers. T-Mobile’s third holiday gift offered AT&T customers a phone memory upgrade, and its second gift offered Sprint customers $200 per line.

Summary: They also made offers to AT&T and Sprint customers.