Takashi Shimura, the Japanese actor, who died last February, played leading parts in films directed by Akira Kurosawa. He was the woodcutter in ''Rashomon,'' the samurai leader in ''Seven Samurai,'' and in ''Ikiru'' he was a bureaucrat dying of cancer who devotes himself to accomplishing a meaningful final task. As a tribute to Mr. Shimura, the Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, will show two movies this weekend in which he was featured. Scheduled tonight at 7:30 is ''Stray Dog'' (1949), in which Mr. Shimura plays a police detective who helps a young colleague (Toshiro Mifune) through a difficult search for the younger man's stolen pistol. ''Ikiru'' (1953) will be shown tomorrow and Sunday at 2 P.M. Tickets are $4 and go on sale at 5:30 tonight and 1 P.M. tomorrow and Sunday. Information: 752-0824.

UPPER WEST SIDE STREET GAMES

The ''First Annual Great Upper West Side Sidewalk, Stoop, Dirt, Curb and Alley Game Festival'' is just what it sounds like. It is free, and it gets under way at 5 P.M. in the yard of Intermediate School 44, Columbus Avenue, between 76th and 77th Streets. Sue Berkman, editor of a new magazine called Columbus Ave., which is sponsoring the event, notes that ''most adults on the Upper West Side were once children'' and says that the event will give them a chance to rekindle their memories of stickball, potsy, marbles, jacks, Red Rover and Double Dutch. She also wants to kindle interest among today's children, many of whom ''spend more time pumping quarters into video games than playing in the sunshine.'' Saturday NEW HAVEN REMEMBERS

Benedict Arnold, best known as a traitor, will be honored in New Haven on Saturday as the hero of Powderhouse Day, which has been celebrated there for 78 years. It commemorates the day in 1775 when Arnold demanded the keys to the New Haven Powderhouse, got munitions and marched off with his troops to fight the British. In full Colonial regalia, the 170-member Governor's Foot Guard, founded by Arnold, will re-enact the confrontation on the New Haven Green. A guard spokesman explained that Arnold's later alleged betrayal was a matter of controversy, but that there was no question of his valor on Powderhouse Day. Festivities start GOG jump at the Goffe Street Armory at about 2 P.M. and continue through the afternoon. CARNIVAL AT COLUMBIA

Columbia University's Center for Italian Studies will present ''La Canzone di Zeza,'' a traditional carnival show from Naples, with folk music, dance and theater in the style of the commedia dell'arte tomorrow night at 7 at Casa Italiana, 1161 Amsterdam Avenue, at 117th Street. The event is part of Italian Heritage and Culture Week, which is being celebrated through Sunday. Contribution: $5 ($2.50 for students). Reservations: 280-2306. NEW MUSIC ON BROADWAY

A daylong festival of today's music, presented by the Composers' Forum and free to the public, will be held Saturday from 2 to 10 P.M. at the Symphony Space, Broadway at 95th Street. In the afternoon, the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble will play pieces by young emerging composers, many of whom will be there to discuss their works with the performers and audience. Starting at 8 P.M., performers will include Ned Rothenberg, saxophonist and composer, playing a solo work; the Electronic Art Ensemble, a quartet that uses synthesizers and amplified instruments, and Meltable Snaps It, an improvisational trio. OPERA ON 92D ST.

''Mikhoels the Wise,'' an opera based on the life of the Russian Yiddish actor Solomon Mikhoels, traces what is described as ''his blind trust in socialism, Stalin and the Soviet Union as a homeland for the Jews.'' It was composed by Bruce Adolphe, has a book by Mel Gordon and will receive its world premiere at the 92d Street Y on Lexington Avenue on Saturday night at 8:30, playing there again Sunday at 2:30 P.M. Tickets are $6 to $9.50. Information: 427-4410. Chargit: 944-9300. Sunday PARK AVE. FESTIVAL

No need to panic if Mothers Day arrives and you're still looking for the right gift. It might be waiting for you on Park Avenue South, between 23d and 33d Streets. That stretch of the avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic from 11 A.M. to dusk and filled with antiques and crafts, bric-a-brac and what have you in the third annual Park Avenue Festival. Jewelry, oak furniture, Depression glass, rare books and quilts are a few of the items to be found. Rain date is May 16. A WALK ACROSS THE BRONX

A guided walk across the Bronx from the highway to the sea will be held by the Bronx County Historical Society on Sunday starting at 9:30 A.M. at 207th Street and 10th Avenue in Manhattan and winding up at 3 P.M. at City Island. It's a 10-mile trek, but you can leave or join the group at any time. The No. 12 bus parallels the entire route in both directions. The cost is $5 for the whole walk, $3 for part of it. Rain or shine. Information: 881-8900. MUMMENSCHANZ UPTOWN

Mummenschanz, the acclaimed Swiss mime trio that wears masks and portrays everything from a blob trying to get on a table to evolution, will be at the Lehman College Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday at 3 P.M. The center is on Bedford Park Boulevard in the west Bronx, reached on the D or No. 4 subway or Liberty Line bus (Information: 960-8833). Tickets are $8 to $12 ($1 off for the elderly; half-price for students buying two tickets on the day of performance). Chargit: 944-9300. PIANO AT EL MUSEO

A Sunday series of free chamber-music concerts at El Museo del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Avenue, at 104th Street, continues this Sunday at 2 P.M. with the Duo Casanova-de la Mata, who play four-hand piano. The artists -Rosita Casanova and Violeta de la Mata - who are from Puerto Rico, will play works by Schubert, Schumann, Ravel, Ortiz and Stravinsky. Eleanor Blau


Over the past few years, the millennial workforce conversation has taken center stage in the media. While this group will be in the workforce for at least 30 more years, there is a new generation on deck causing prospective employers to take notice: Generation Z. Getting ready to step up to the plate, Gen Z will be just as focused and driven as millennials, however, their definition of a “good employer” will vary in some important areas.

Generation Z is classified as those who were born in the mid-90s to early ‘00s. Much like the generation before them, Gen Z is driven, but according to the recent 2015 Way To Work survey by Adecco Staffing USA, their aspirations differ from those of millennials. Despite the stigma around millennial workers feeling entitled, many aspire to be financially stable, a desire that may likely be tied to them entering the workforce in the deepest part of the recession. Gen Z, however, is focused on their dream job. In fact, the majority (32%) of Gen Z surveyed stated their greatest aspiration is to be in their dream job within 10 years from now.

They don’t expect finding a job to be easy though, as many of today’s students (32%) report finding a job as their top concern. Student debt is on the list as well, with 21% of those surveyed being most concerned about the cost of education and the lasting financial impact it can have on their future. In fact, more than half (53%) of current students report that student loan debt is a major consideration in their schooling and career decisions. In spite of this concern, many students (36%) are more focused on the opportunity for growth rather than salary when it comes to their first job.

While many businesses are touting friendly workplace cultures with flexible schedules and transparent salaries in order to lure talent, they may need to offer more career focused perks instead for Gen Z. Today’s college students ranked opportunity for career growth as the most important aspect of their first job (36%) followed by fulfilling work (19%) and stability (19%). Friendly work environments (10%), flexible schedules (7%), and the highest salary (6%) rank lower in priority. To attract the right talent, organizations will have to show how they can help their employees reach their most important career goals.

Yet perhaps the biggest obstacle will be retaining these employees. Any company is susceptible to losing talent if employees aren’t engaged in the work they do or committed to the organization they work for. With Gen Z in particular, job hopping could be a major concern as 83% of today’s students believe that three years or less is the appropriate amount of time to spend at their first job. Furthermore, over a quarter (27%) of students believe you should stay at your first job for a year or less. By providing effective and frequent training, as well as professional development opportunities, employers can help their greatest assets–their employees–find a niche within the company and maintain a high level of engagement and retention.

Encouraging professional development opportunities outside the office can also be beneficial. Giving your employees the opportunity to attend career-focused conferences and expos allows them to step out of their comfort zone, network with other professionals, and bring their learnings back to the organization.

Job shadowing is another way to give employees well-rounded training. Allowing employees to shadow their colleagues in other departments is an easy way for them to learn new skills. It will also give them a greater understanding of the company as a whole and encourage growth within the organization.

Without question, Gen Z has big aspirations for the future and are motivated to climb the ladder. Knowing professional development and growth opportunities are essential to their success, Gen Z will prioritize companies that are engaging and encouraging over those that are not. By appealing to Gen Z’s desire to learn while offering opportunities for substantial growth, employers can successfully attract and retain the next generation of talent stepping up to the plate.

Bob Crouch is the CEO of Adecco Group North America.

Summary: This new generation of employees could vastly change the way employers recruit talent.


Fred Savage and Rob Lowe on The Grinder

, TV lawyer Dean Sanderson Jr. (

) leaves his show to come home, and everyone is completely dazzled by his Hollywood charm.

So are the real Fox comedy's cast and crew.

"He's wonderful," costar Mary Elizabeth Ellis, 36, told PEOPLE on Sunday at the ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas. "He's super professional and fun and funny."

, who plays his brother, actual attorney Stewart Sanderson.

The new series's writers and executive producers agree.

"I find myself not able to concentrate sometimes," Jarrad Paul said. "Like, I'll pause."

"He talks, I don't hear anything," Andrew Mogel added. "I'm just staring."

Their conclusion? When the Brat Packer speaks, "You just hear birds chirping," Savage, 38, said. "Angels laughing!"

Fan-girling aside, all four admit there's more to

than Lowe's gorgeous looks. It's a family and workplace show that's genuinely funny and speaks to father-son dynamics sure to resonate with viewers.

After working hard his whole life, Stewart finds his future threatened when Dean decides to take a stab at the lawyer thing off screen – and their dad (William Devane) may not turn over the firm to Stewart just yet.

"Rob's character's approach to law, he probably knows more of the words, more of the dramatic aspects of law. Because most law, at least in their firm, most law in general is kind of boring. It's a lot of drudgery, it's a lot of paperwork, it's a lot of settling and a lot of arbitration," Savage explained.

"You never want to go to court! And so there's not a lot of grandstanding for Stewart's legal practice. But Rob, it's all about the performance, because on TV, no one wants to see people just grinding out paperwork. You want to see the big closing argument or the surprise witness or those moments that make you gasp as you cut to commercial."

There's also the meta aspect: a successful actor playing a successful actor, a TV show existing within a TV show.

"We found it was so fun to shoot the fake show, we could do that all the time," Paul said. "And just the fact that this guy lives in this TV drama and brings that TV drama to this small-town, mundane world, we find very enjoyable."

Paul and Mogel riff on almost every procedural imaginable in the script, listing

"I think that's something that adds to the freshness of the show. It doesn't pretend that there's not a world of television out there," Savage said. "There's so many times where I'll watch a movie or a television show and I'll be like, 'But that's Rob Lowe! Why is no one saying, I know who you are?' "

Or, as Paul posited: "Like in

not exist in that world?"

"I don't know why people are so afraid of that world, of acknowledging that it exists," Mogel said. "It's to Fox's credit, for letting us do that. Because there's a lot of people that don't like that."

"You get a lot of, 'Oh, it's too inside,' or something like that," Savage finished. "But everyone watches television! We consume media like nobody's business."

premieres this fall on Fox.

Summary: When Lowe speaks, "you just hear birds chirping, angels laughing," Savage jokes


can't help but think about her dad, who lost his battle with lung cancer seven years ago.

"It's still very tough for me and my whole family,"

This Father's Day, Daniel, 39, who battled and overcame cancer herself, is remembering her father in a very special way, in a touching blog post on

as an ambassador for the non-profit,

"I wanted to honor him," she says. "We were all very close as a family."

She said she wrote the blog because she wanted to thank her dad, Charlton Bradford (C.B.) Daniel, for the strength he gave her to fight her own battle with Stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which she learned she had in 2011, three years after her father died at age 69.

"We lost him and then I found out I had cancer, so that was tough on our family," she says.

"He was the strongest man I know. He was like, 'I'm fine. I'll get through this.' My dad's motto was, 'You can get through anything once you set your mind to it."

It was a motto she took to heart when she fought cancer herself.

"When you have cancer, you are pretty scared," she says. "You think you are going to die. I was Stage IV. I was really bad off. But I remember thinking, 'I am getting through this. I am not dying from this.' And I think that that is so my dad. That is my dad's strength.

"I remember just going into this warrior mode. I just feel like that was my dad. I feel like he was a big part of me getting through it, even though he wasnât there."

She underwent chemotherapy – and beat the cancer. "What I've found is that life is so much better than it was before," she says. "I live life to the fullest. My perspective is very different than it was before."

She didnât speak publicly about her bout with cancer until 2014. "We were all so raw from my dad passing away that we kept it private for a while."

She has come forward now because she wants to help raise awareness about the need for cancer research and to help others, just as others helped her during her darkest moments.

"I remember when I was in the waiting room waiting to get a check up while I was undergoing my treatment," she says. "I was at my lowest point. I had no hair and was so sick.

"One of the patients put her hand on my shoulder and said, 'You're going to be okay.' A lot of other people had said that to me, but having that woman who had gone through it say that to me meant so much to me. She gave me so much hope and now I want to give other people hope."

In between working – she is on the current season of the BET series

and is in the upcoming movie

, which comes out next month – she has been working with organizations like Stand Up to Cancer.

She said she was thrilled to attend the American Association for Cancer Research's annual meeting in April, when Stand Up To Cancer and the American Cancer Society announced the formation of a $20 million Dream Team, which will focus on researching new therapies in the battle against lung cancer, which claimed the life of her father and her grandfather.

"Stand Up to Cancer is amazing," she says. "They are doing a lot with immunotherapy and are putting together these dream teams by getting all these top scientists and researchers from all over the world to work together and collaborate.

"I have to say right now it's been a really beautiful experience to be speaking up about lung cancer. It feels very healing to talk about my dad and to be helping others."

Summary: The Game star honors her late father in a touching blog for giving her strength when she battled cancer in 2011


Running a union and battling for workers' pay and benefits is a full-time job for the typical American labor boss. But the president of the court officers union also runs ice skating rinks, food concessions, beachside parking lots and political campaigns. Dennis Quirk draws no union salary, accepts barely $5,000 in annual expenses and makes $56,625-a-year from his job as a state court officer. But he's also landed numerous New York City contracts and parlayed them into a family-owned business fiefdom he says grosses $1.

8 million a year. "I don't hide it," he told the Daily News. "I've got a head for business.

" Known as president for life because of his unchallenged 29-year reign as chief of the New York State Court Officers Association, Quirk is also regarded as the King of Courts. A hugely influential player in the politically charged court system, he's got a reputation for making judges quake - and a record of successfully running four campaigns for Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes, mostly from his union office. "This is a guy who could probably run General Motors - and maybe Ford and Chrysler at the same time," said Hynes. "Everyone in labor, politics and business should keep a picture of Dennis Quirk in their wallet," said former Gov. Mario Cuomo. "He's a reminder you can be successful without people saying you're greedy, unethical or dishonest.

" The detractors Not everyone agrees, including the leadership of the State Supreme Court Officers Association, which represents court officers who are not in Quirk's union and have clashed with him for decades over turf and personality issues. "He's built a business empire and become a rich man, and his role as president for life of his union helped make it possible," said Jimmy Carr, the head of the State Supreme Court Officers Association. Adds Charles Compton, a past president of the rival union, "Dennis is the modern-day Tammany Hall boss of the New York State court system.

" Loud, proud, gregarious and foul-mouthed, Quirk seems to know each of his 1,500 members by name, fights ferociously to better their lives, attends their weddings, christenings and wakes and pays for their funerals with union funds. In 12 hours of interviews over a week, he told The News how he tied up one alcoholic court officer with rope to deliver him to a detox center. He personally examined the dental charts or X-rays of several members to determine how much his union's health plan would shell out in benefits. He also told of the rough-and-tumble of union life: How his car was firebombed on Staten Island by disgruntled ex-court officers, and how he'd once hung a judge in effigy, black robes and all, from a Columbus Circle lamppost to protest his treatment of court officers. "To me, a union is just like a business," he said. "My customers are the court officers, and I've got to perform for them by giving the best service I possibly can.

" Old-style power Ample in girth and skilled in blarney, the 53-year-old, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn-born Quirk is a throwback to a vanished era of the streetwise union chief who ruled by force of personality and cut an enormous swath in the life of the city. Yet few New Yorkers are aware of the extent of his power and influence in the arenas of politics, the judiciary and business. Quirk's privately held company, Staten Island-based City Ice Sports Inc., has run the World's Fair Ice Skating Rink in Queens since 1980, the War Memorial Rink on Staten Island since 1981 and the Abe Stark Rink in Coney Island since 1992. Elected union president in 1974 when he was just 24 years old, Quirk won his first city contract three years later, a concession from the Parks Department to run a snack bar in Manhattan Beach. He also operates mobile food carts and a 950-car parking lot at the site, and under the terms of a contract renewal inked in 2002 for seven years, he'll pay $2.

1 million to the city by 2008 to lease the property. The principal stockholders of City Ice - which employs 45 people in the winter and 25 in the summer - are Quirk, his wife, Doreen, and three of his daughters, Janet, Keri and Susan, according to corporate filings. An ex-stockholder is his mother, Alice. Quirk says the firm grosses $1.

8 million annually and will pay the Parks Department $615,000 for leases this year. Deduct $250,000 for payroll, take out for taxes, insurance and maintenance, and he claims profits of about $170,000 a year, a figure that couldn't be independently confirmed. "I'm no millionaire," he said. So much to do While acknowledging he's probably the only union leader who owns five Zambonis, or ice-smoothing machines, Quirk says his Parks contracts were all bid competitively and City Ice was the highest bidder in each case, which records confirm. "It raises questions about how many hats one person can wear," said Rachel Leon, executive director of Common Cause/New York. "He's a union leader who is also a state employee, who runs a local political campaign - while receiving city contracts for private business interests.

" Quirk is unapologetic: He's been in business since age 17 when he bought his first Mister Softee ice cream truck, and his investments have put his four daughters through college. Another business venture: He was a co-owner of a restaurant and catering hall in Bay Ridge, now called Thristino's. Although he's no longer involved in the restaurant, his name remains on the state liquor license. "I learned at an early age to wear many hats, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it," he said. He has also been careful to get approvals for his ventures outside the court system over a 25-year period, said David Bookstaver, a spokesman for the state Office of Court Administration. "There appears to be no conflict with his extracurricular activities," he said. Among them is Quirk's No. 1 political calling - the career of the Brooklyn district attorney. Since 1989, he has been chief campaign strategist for Hynes, running all four district attorney races, plus his unsuccessful 1998 gubernatorial bid, often from the union's headquarters at 321 Broadway. The court officers union rents a small desk to Friends of Charles Hynes, charging $200 a month, and Quirk says he runs the campaign checkbook from both his office and home. Quirk says he spends just two hours a week on Friends of Hynes matters, five to 10 hours on his private company - and 50 to 70 hours on union business, representing the court officers who serve in the Civil, Criminal and Family Courts. In his day job, he negotiated a sick leave bank in which members are required to donate, or bank, six sick days in their first year on the job. With thousands of days on deposit, court officers are now eligible for five years of full pay in case of serious sickness or injury. "It saved my life and the lives of our two autistic kids," said Celeste Cataudella, whose husband, George, stayed on the court payroll from the day he got sick with cancer to the day he died six months later. "It was a miracle.

" Quirk hasn't faced a contested election since the late '70s under bylaws that call for only 20 delegates, not all 1,500 members, to elect the union's president and other officers. Turning nuts and bolts Quirk say he didn't create the system, he inherited it. The King of Courts also plays an outsized role in how the judicial system is managed. He has great sway over such classic management functions as the transfers of employees and the awarding of overtime. And while the Democratic political machines control who becomes an elected judge, he's got a long record of dispensing political counsel, support and endorsements to judges and wanna-be judges - and he's not shy about dressing them down when they cross him. His court officers have been known to paint judicial chambers and haul judges' furniture on weekends. But Quirk also has confronted jurists in their robing rooms over their treatment of his officers - and he's branded some as "psychos," "wackos" and "turkeys.

" In 1995, he was suspended without pay for 45 days for shouting profanities at then-Manhattan Civil Court Judge Margaret Taylor, who allegedly called two black court officers "gorillas.

" Though he issued a public apology, Quirk said he's got no regrets: "I'd do it again tomorrow ... I'm not afraid of any judge.

" "Over a lifetime in the courts we've had our rocky spots," said Chief Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippman. "But in the best sense of the words, Dennis is a person you can do business with.

" Giving According to retired Staten Island Bishop Patrick Ahern, he's also made life a little easier for more than 100 developmentally disabled kids in the borough. Getting court officers to volunteer their time on weekends and rounding up like-minded electricians, carpenters and bricklayers, Quirk help build a Catholic preschool in 1994, high school in 1999 and grammar school in 2001. "The only honor he ever wanted was the joy of meeting the needs of these kids," said Ahern. "We couldn't have developed the schools without Dennis.

" Zelig-like, Quirk also has featured in some of the more prominent chapters in the city's recent history: He advised Donald Trump on how to rebuild Central Park's Wollman Memorial Rink after the developer pledged to do, in six months, what the city failed to do in six years. He was threatened by friends of mob boss John Gotti on a Staten Island expressway after he was named as a possible prosecution witness in Gotti's racketeering trial because of his conversations with a court officer the day before he was murdered by the Don's crew. He stashed in the garage of his Staten Island home the car, driven by a court officer, that killed Michael Griffith, who'd been chased onto the Belt Parkway by a Howard Beach, Queens, mob. After holding the death car for three weeks to protect the evidence and the officer, he turned it over to Hynes, who was prosecuting the case. "I've had a few escapades," the union boss said. "But I'll defend my members to the end of the world.

Summary:
HE'S $1.8M KING OF  THE COURTS   A union boss, biz whiz & political animal
   KEITH BEDFORD Dennis Quirk has been sitting pretty as head of the state Court Officers Association for 29 years.
   JIM HUGHES DAILY NEWS Ready, set, go. Quirk starts youngsters off on a preschool
   Olympics race in 1989.
   KEITH TORRIE DAILY NEWS In 1997, Quirk announces the court officers union is backing
   Rudy Giuliani for mayor.
   Quirk gets up close and personal


The Vatican has officially recognised the state of Palestine in a new treaty.

The treaty, which was finalised on Wednesday but still has to be signed, makes clear that the Holy See has switched its diplomatic relations from the Palestinian Liberation Organisation to the state of Palestine.

The Vatican had welcomed the decision by the UN General Assembly in 2012 to recognise a Palestinian state. But the treaty is the first legal document negotiated between the Holy See and the Palestinian state and constitutes an official recognition.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is due to see Pope Francis on Saturday before the canonisation of two new saints from the Holy Land a day later.

Do you have any news photos or videos?

Summary: The Vatican has switched its diplomatic relations from the Palestinian Liberation Organisation to the state of Palestine.


LENOX — If pioneering African-American Shakespearean actor Ira Aldridge (1807-67) hadn’t existed, admirers of John Douglas Thompson’s award-winning stage portrayals might have been tempted to invent him.

The pairing of actor and role could not be more fortuitous. Lolita Chakrabarti’s bio-play “Red Velvet” (alluding to the lure of theaters’ lush interiors) provides a perfect showcase for Thompson’s formidable gifts. Under Daniela Varon’s inspired direction, Thompson brings out resonances in the script that somehow failed to surface during the play’s first US production, by a British company, at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn, N.Y., last year.

We first encounter Aldridge during the poignant twilight of his career. On tour in Poland, he’s interrogated by an ambitious but inept young woman reporter (Christianna Nelson), occasioning a flashback to what was surely his finest hour. For two nights, in 1833, Aldridge stepped in for an ailing Edmund Kean during a London run of “Othello.” Not only did he thereby break a color barrier which, unbelievably, persists to this day (the Metropolitan Opera’s decision to forgo blackface for an upcoming production recently made headlines), but also Aldridge is credited — at least in this fictionalized rendering — with trying to nudge his fellow practitioners toward a more naturalistic acting style.

Varon establishes the norms of the day brilliantly, starting with a stylized company salute (en déshabille) and continuing with balletic scene changes set to piano adagios. These interludes, replacing the usual rushed, apologetic shuffle, suggest an era of greater leisure and formality. And yes, the company, once assembled, proves hilariously grandiose in both word and gesture — especially young Charles Kean (Ben Chase), who naturally assumes that, in his famous father’s absence, he’ll be promoted to the title role. Every good drama needs a powerful villain, and Chase’s Charles — the embodiment of unbridled racist animus, as well as a big, spoiled baby — ably shoulders the task.

One premise of the play is that Aldridge’s more realistic, less robotically physicalized portrayal proved too intense for the times: audiences apparently loved him (attendance spiked), but the critics were merciless. Their objections — relayed verbatim — constitute a time capsule of odious stereotype. These passages are shocking to hear, and it’s tempting to relegate such slurs to the distant past — yet one has only to think back to New York theater critic John Simon’s racist commentary from the 1970s, when color-blind casting was just coming to the fore.

In Chakrabarti’s retelling, another touchpoint arousing public censure in London (the production shut down after only two performances) was Aldridge’s apparent success in getting his Desdemona — here, the luminous Kelley Curran — to appear more responsive. One problem with the British cast (which featured a rather mature Desdemona — true to the standards of the day, but distracting) is that they never fully shed their stiffness. In Curran’s sensitive rendition, a staid, formulaic actress gradually softens, professionally and personally. The upshot is that Desdemona’s reaction to the Moor’s murderous embrace ends up so rapturous, slanderous insinuations are certain to ensue.

Even under Varon’s enlivening hand, the play starts on a bumpy note: Why allot so much stage time to the Polish reporter’s interrogation, except to stuff it with clumsy exposition? But there’s another reason, revealed only when the framing device is picked up again at play’s end. Prepare to discover your heart lurching into your throat. Thompson, having masterfully portrayed a young man at the height of his furious, insistent powers, retains an ember of that passion as an old, not entirely defeated trouper still dedicated to his craft, whatever the cost.

Lights, Matthew Miller. Costumes, Moria Sine Clinton.

Produced by Shakespeare & Co.

At: Tina Packer Playhouse, Lenox, through Sept 13.

Summary: Lolita Chakrabarti’s bio-play “Red Velvet” provides a perfect showcase for John Douglas Thompson’s formidable gifts under Daniela Varon’s inspired direction at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox.


The deadly bombing in Bangkok, which has killed at least 21 people, does “not match” the tactics typically employed by the separatist rebels who have been fighting a long-running terror campaign against the Thai government, according to Thailand’s military.

A bomb blast tore through the area around the Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok about 6.30pm local time last night (8.30pm AEST), killing 21 and injuring more than 100.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Embassy in Bangkok is working with Thai authorities to assist any injured Australians, but it is believed no Australians were killed in the blast.

DFAT today said it “deplores” the attack and will continue to work with the Thai government.

Horror video emerges of Bangkok blast

Aussie singer Jimmy Barnes narrowly avoided deadly blast

IN PICTURES: Scenes of terror in Bangkok

No one has claimed responsibility for the blast and Thai officials are yet to point the finger at any group, but they do believe it was planted to directly target tourists gathering at the popular spot.

The Chief of the Royal Thai Army General Udomdej Sitabutr, who is also the country’s Deputy Defence Minister, said the bombing did not fit the mould of earlier attacks carried out by Muslim separatists.

Emergency services rush the injured from the scene. (Getty Images)

“This does not match with incidents in southern Thailand, the type of bomb used is also not in keeping with the south,” he said in a televised interview.

Thailand, a predominantly Buddhist country, has been fighting a wide-spread Muslim insurgency in the southern provinces of Songkhla, Pattani,Yala and Narathiwat since 1960, although the separatists have stepped up the tempo of their attacks since 2001.

The blast caught on camera. (Supplied)

The fighting has been mostly confined to the southern regions, which make up the historical Malay Patani region, with the Islamist rebels mainly targeting symbols of Thai authority, including schools, police stations, military installations and local officials – not tourists.

AFP reports that more than 6,500 people have been killed in the region since 2004. While the rebels typically confine their attacks to “legitimate” government-affiliated targets, they have gone after tourism hubs before.

In December last year 27 people were injured after a series of explosions in the downtown area of Songkhla and tourist hotspot Phuket was put on high alert after a car bomb was discovered parked outside a police station.

But General Sitabutr’s comments open up the possibility of a new group.

Police are still investigating yesterday’s blast, and national police chief Somyot Poompummuang said a pipe bomb was probably used in the attack.

Members of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Thai forensic police officers inspect a bomb blast scene near Erawan Shrine.

“Whoever planted this bomb is cruel and aimed to kill,” he said.

“Planting a bomb there means they want to see a lot of people dead.”

Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Prawat Wongsuwan said the attack was designed to destroy the country’s tourism sector, according to The Bangkok Post.

“It was clear that the perpetrators intended to destroy the economy and tourism, because it occurred in the heart of (Bangkok’s) business district,” he said.

The nationalities of all the dead are yet to be confirmed, although it is understood to include 10 Thais and one Filipino.

Hong Kong authorities have claimed two Hong Kong residents are among the dead.

Were you there? Send an email to contact@9news.com.au

Do you have any news photos or videos?


Travelers looking for a cheap winter getaway are likely to find there's plenty that works in their favor this year—provided they're willing to be flexible.

"There are some great deals out there, just staggering deals," said George Hobica, founder of deal sites AirfareWatchdog.com and Tingo.com. Some stem from the strengthening dollar, which is up almost 22 percent against the euro over the past year, and up 15 percent against the yen. Others reflect cheaper oil prices, with airlines slashing fuel surcharges.

Read MoreGet an extra $5K from your boss—no raise required

Bottom line: You might find that a wider array of destinations is now in budget. (See the chart below for some of the cities with the biggest price drops.) To scout the deals, try a flexible travel engine like Hopper, Adioso or Hipmunk. They'll tell you the best-priced destinations based on your home airport and when you're hoping to depart. Flexible timing can help, too, to avoid price spikes when everyone in the area is on spring break.

Summary: Escaping the cold doesn't have to cost a fortune. A stronger dollar has made for bargain winter getaways.


The nationwide measles outbreak that started at Disneyland in Southern California is now hitting home in the tech community in Northern California, with word this week that a LinkedIn employee in the San Francisco office may have exposed hundreds of Bay Area commuters to the disease. Meantime, at least one operator of day care centers in Silicon Valley is urging parents to make sure their children's vaccines are up to date.

LinkedIn said it learned on February 10 that one of its employees had been diagnosed, and immediately notified all of its 7,000 employees worldwide. But the unidentified employee had already made multiple trips on Bay Area Rapid Transit between February 4th and 6th, and had eaten in a San Francisco restaurant on the 4th.

"We are working very closely with the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and following their recommended protocol for managing this situation," LinkedIn spokesman Hani Durzi said in a statement. "The health and well-being of our employees is our absolute top priority, and we will take whatever steps are advised to ensure their safety and the safety of the general public."

The large concentration of young parents working at the region's technology firms has brought the measles outbreak into focus.

Wired Magazine, citing California Department of Health data, reported this week that several on-site day care facilities at technology firms have vaccination rates too low to provide the so-called "herd immunity" that is supposed to keep the disease from spreading.

Experts generally say if 92 percent of the community is vaccinated, it should be enough to protect the general population, though some caution the figure should be more than 95 percent.

But Wired found rates as low as 59 percent at a Cisco Systems facility in San Jose, and 68 percent at a Google facility in Mountain View. CNBC verified the figures in the state database.

Both companies say the numbers represent a snapshot of data, and may not reflect the most recent immunization history reported by parents. Google notes that in 2013-14, the facility in question had an 81 percent immunization rate. And Cisco says it continually works with its employees and daycare contractors to make certain records are up to date.

Read MoreSome African nations better vaccinated than the US

Summary: The nationwide measles outbreak that started at Disneyland in Southern California is now hitting home in the tech community in Northern California.


Just weeks ahead of parliamentary elections in the U.K., one closely-watched financial analyst has launched a scathing attack on the country's finances and predicted another crisis for its currency.

"The U.K. economy stands alone, up to its eyeballs in macro manure. Eventually the stench will fill the nostrils of currency markets with the inevitable result – another sterling crisis," Societe Generale's notoriously bearish strategist, Albert Edwards, warned in a research note on Tuesday.

The analyst from the French bank highlighted that the U.K. government - currently led by the Conservative Party - has not been able to deliver on its promises to reduce the country's spending levels, leaving "grotesquely wide deficits" and external imbalances.

Effectively, the Conservatives have kicked the can into the next parliament, Edwards added, with the public sector deficit and current account deficit - the measurement of the country's trade - both exceeding 5 percent of the U.K.'s GDP (gross domestic product).

"That is a poor legacy indeed," he said. "What is so shocking is how little progress has been made since the 2008 Great Recession. Going into the general election it is difficult to separate fact from fiction as both main parties trade insults and make claim and counterclaim."

Edwards' comments echo those of Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, who told CNBC in January that sterling risked a "very big move of very dramatic proportions" as a result of this deficit.

The pound has slipped over 5 percent against the greenback over the year to date as the general election looms.

On Wednesday morning, it was trading at 1.4701 against the dollar -- a far cry from peaks seen in the middle of last year of more than 1.70. Meanwhile, the euro was trading at 0.7191 against the pound on Wednesday morning.

Read MoreUK election: Battle for center ground heats up

A weaker currency may boost revenues for export-led companies in a country, but is usually seen as a sign of a weak economy if it falls too far. The last time the U.K. had a genuine currency crisis was on September 16, 1992 - now known as "Black Wednesday" – when sterling fell amid frantic selling on global currency markets.

Summary: One closely-watched financial analyst has launched a scathing attack on the country's finances and predicted another crisis for its currency.


As the issue has come to the fore, several recent polls have found that more than 60 percent of the public oppose paying college players, including a recent Washington Post/ABC Poll. But the CNBC poll found that a substantial 61 percent majority of those who watch would still tune in if players were paid. Yet in the big-money business of college hoops, the poll points to high stakes for the NCAA in possibly alienating up to a third of its most loyal viewership.

Read MoreNCAA president: Indiana law against our core values

Non-whites and the poorest Americans along with women are most likely to say paying players would make no difference in their interest in the tournament. These are also the demographics least likely to be watching.

While Republicans and Democrats are equally likely to be watching the games, 27 percent of Republicans say they would be less likely to watch if players were paid, compared to 17 percent of Democrats.

Summary: A new CNBC polls find that about a third of college hoop fans would think twice about tuning in if players were paid.


Two employees tie up steel bars at a steel-making plant in Ganyu, China. ThyssenKrupp has seen an increase in exports from China.

Analysts have questioned whether China is on track to meet its 7 percent growth target this year, but Bain forecast an upturn in the economy, potentially in the last three months of 2015.

China reported its economy grew by a stronger-than-expected 7 percent in the second quarter year-on-year. This was stronger than analysts had expected, leading to some speculation about the reliability of official Chinese data.

"We probably suspect that the current numbers are overestimating the state of growth in China," Bain told CNBC on Thursday.

"But as the stimulus starts to feed into the economy – we expect probably in the fourth quarter of this year, which is a seasonal upturn in activity – that we will start to see better numbers come out of China."

She added this would "ultimately be the catalyst for quite a bounce in industrial commodity prices."

Read MoreWarning: China may trigger fresh rout in commodities

Even with Thursday's gains, prices of both Brent and WTI crude are around 20 percent lower since the start of 2015.

Bain told CNBC that the worst pressure on commodity prices from the rally in the U.S. dollar during 2015 was over.

"In our view, we see a little more appreciation of the dollar, but the main run of it is behind us now and the bad news for commodities is probably behind us as well," she concluded.

Summary: With oil prices surging after the global market turmoil of "Black Monday," could investors regain their faith in commodities?


Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group and King Digital Entertainment, maker of hit mobile phone game "Candy Crush Saga," are the top initial public offerings to watch in the days and weeks to come, Eric Jackson, founder of Ironfire Capital, said Monday on CNBC.

"Alibaba would be tops on my list ... I think it's a very special company. It's got some unique characteristics going for it with its huge growth in China," Jackson told "Squawk on the Street," adding King Digital is a "solid company."

Alibaba is expected to hold its IPO within the next few weeks. King Digital is one of 10 companies thought to go public this week, along with 2U, Aerohive Networks, Applied Genetic Technologies, Bluerock Residential Growth, CBS Outdoor Americas, Everyday Health, Nord Anglia Education, Square 1 Financial and TriNet Group.

(Read more: IPOs swamp market, swim against 'bubble' tide)

But Investors might be smart to sit these IPOs out, Jackson said.

"In general, I think, IPOs, and we've seen this over the last few years, really have not been uniformly strong performers out of the gate," he said. "I think most investors have been better served sitting back and waiting six months post-IPO before they really get into the stock when valuations tend to settle down."

To make his point, Jackson pointed to Pandora and Yelp as examples. Both stocks languished and were nearly forgotten after their IPOs, only to finally rebound when the companies reported several quarters of strong earnings results. Anyone who bought these stocks at their bottom, though, has enjoyed a healthy return, he said.

(Read more: This IPO trend really worries me: Cramer)

Jackson sees a similar opportunity in Chegg, a textbook-rental business that went public in November. Chegg's IPO of 15 million shares priced at $12.50 each, higher than the expected range of $9.50 to $11.50. The stock has only struggled since its IPO, though. It currently trades at around $7 a share, which Jackson noted is nearly half off the IPO price.

—By CNBC's Drew Sandholm. Follow him on Twitter @DrewSandholm.

Summary: But don't be quick to invest in these newly public companies, Eric Jackson, founder of Ironfire Capital, told CNBC.


FORTUNE — In The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep’s character Miranda Priestly says she lives on hope. I know what she means. But sometimes, I wonder how long we can live that way. We keep paying for the bank’s messes. We pay for the government hearings and investigations, the losses in our retirement accounts, the negative impact on the economy, and in many other ways.

J.P. Morgan JPM CEO Jamie Dimon testified before the Senate Banking Committee this morning. But in all the hullabaloo and consternation about the bank’s oversized bets, only a minute or two was spent on incentives. Sure, J.P. Morgan’s proxy has something to say about pay and risk. The company is required to address such things now. And what it says is that “regardless of the motivation,” the bank’s “risk discipline” and “frequent risk reporting” has “excessive risk-taking” under control. Well, that didn’t work so well at Fortune’s most admired megabank and No. 22 most admired company in the world.

Despite what Dimon said this morning, it’s important to remember this is not an isolated mistake. Bloomberg reported last week that a court appointed monitor is seeking consumer input related to ongoing foreclosure abuses. And the senators at the hearing asked for help for constituents that are being told their paperwork is missing. To his credit, Dimon said the bank would look into the paperwork issues.

But poor oversight is a management and governance deficiency. The billions of dollars in trading losses is merely the most recent example of poor risk oversight at the largest banks

On May 10, J.P. Morgan disclosed its immense trading losses. But on April 6, a hedge fund manager told the Financial Times: “The thing I’d be questioning, though, is why JPMorgan has such a big directional position when banks aren’t supposed to be prop trading any more.” And Bloomberg reported on April 9 that “four hedge-fund managers and dealers say the trades are big enough to move indexes and resemble proprietary bets, or wagers made with the bank’s own money.” If outsiders understood the size of the gambles back then, where were the bank’s senior managers and its board? Why on April 13 did they not understand the magnitude, as Dimon testified this morning was the case?

MORE: Dimon hearing raises questions about risk models

When I speak with board directors, risk managers, and consultants who work with some of the largest banks, they agree that there is still a lot of work to do when it comes to risk oversight. And if Congress wanted to get the real picture, that’s who they’d be talking to — along with other observers who know the score. Not that everyone would be forthcoming, but if Congress asked the right questions, they would get the facts about the bailed out banks soon enough.

Exec pay days, for all the wrong reasons

But let’s focus instead on motive and the all too obvious fact: incentives matter. If you pay for the wrong reasons in the wrong form, you’ll get the risky behaviors you encourage. We shouldn’t be surprised.

Jamie Dimon became CEO of J.P. Morgan on January 1, 2006. The latest J.P. Morgan proxy shows that Jamie Dimon holds shares (and equivalents) worth over $200 million based on the company’s closing price June 8. If the stock price rose to where it was just five years ago, his net worth would jump by $75 million.

A similar pop would net Ina Drew, former chief investment officer at the bank, over $23 million, if you include her deferred compensation and unvested shares. Drew oversaw the unit responsible for the large losses and reported directly to Dimon according to the testimony this morning. As in years past, the board gave Dimon and Drew’s pay primarily in stock and options-based awards. Those items alone totaled $17 million and $8.5 million in 2011, respectively.

So what really drives their behavior? And what message is the board sending when they pay their executives this way?

This kind of high pay is exactly what a December New York Fed staff report warned could encourage risky CEO behavior and create economic distress. (Ironically, Dimon sits on the NY Fed’s board, although a petition for his removal has garnered over 36,000 signatures.)

In contrast, sound compensation guidance from the regulators recommends risk-based measures, which put a company’s and its employees’ performance in the context of the quantity and quality of the risk that’s taken on. Though banks claim to use risk-based measures, stock price is still the biggest determining factor in top bank executives’ actual rewards. But goosing a company’s stock price and taking rational risks are not exactly close companions. Former CEO Dick Fuld at Lehman Brothers was the poster child for this issue.

MORE: 3 ways to take control of your retirement

Even the measures cited in the proxy for rewarding Dimon and Drew are not risk-based. While a spokesperson for Citi c (which received a no vote on pay this year) wrote in an email that “Citi has continued to enhance the ability of the firm to reduce risks through its compensation programs,” J. P. Morgan, Goldman GS , Bank of America bac , and Morgan Stanley ms declined to discuss their pay practices for this article. No wonder. An October 2011 report by the Federal Reserve confirms that the use of risk-based measures at the large banks is “uneven” and every bank has more work to do. “Substantial work remains to be done to achieve consistency and effectiveness … in providing balanced risk-taking incentives,” the report states. Put simply, bank boards need a kick in the pants.

The FDIC put out an advanced notice over two years ago asking for comments on proposing a rule that would charge banks more for depository insurance if their pay programs were risky. Such a measure could have been a real impetus to fix pay. But, “to date, there has been no follow-up to the advance notice of proposed rulemaking,” an FDIC spokesperson recently emailed me. And Martin Gruenberg, acting chair of the FDIC, did not address pay or such a proposed rule in his prepared testimony before the Senate last week.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is getting beat up these days. They had staff in London where the J.P. Morgan traders were located. An OCC spokesperson explained to me by email that while their staffers review trading data daily or weekly, “even a strong risk management culture could have surprises or breaks, but they should not be of significant magnitude relative to the banks business.” Regarding pay, “the [sound compensation] guidance stands as what the examiners are using to supervise banks.”

Last week, in his remarks before the banking committee, OCC head Thomas Curry mentioned “the need to ensure that incentive compensation structures balance risk and financial rewards and are compatible with effective controls and risk management.”

Daniel Tarullo testified on behalf of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. But his prepared remarks did not mention compensation. This, despite the fact that the Fed has oversight responsibility for top executives’ pay. The Fed’s October 2011 report outlines that bank pay “should achieve substantial conformance with the interagency guidance by the end of 2011 (affecting the award of incentive compensation awards for the 2011 performance year), and should fully conform thereafter.” Neither the OCC nor Federal Reserve would comment, however, on their examinations and assessments.

MORE: David Herro: Why I’m betting big on Europe

The silence, especially from the Fed, is deafening, particularly since the banks’ compensation fixes seem to have been done for only some managers rather than the top executives.

But pay programs for top executives matter most because their motives will influence their instructions and other managers’ actions. (While the reverse is not necessarily true.)

The October 2011 report by the Federal Reserve states that incentives “were a contributing factor to the financial crisis that began in 2007.” The M.O. among do-nothings is that losing billions isn’t necessarily concerning for a bank the size of J.P. Morgan. I don’t agree. Just because this isn’t the 100-year flood doesn’t mean we shouldn’t repair the levy. How many breaks will we tolerate until we fix it?

Eleanor Bloxham is CEO of The Value Alliance and Corporate Governance Alliance (http://thevaluealliance.com), a board advisory firm.

Summary: In all the hullabaloo and consternation about J.P. Morgan’s oversized bets, we have glossed over the elephant in the room: executive pay at banks is in need of a major makeover.


The State of New York is weighing a raft of new rules to regulate bitcoin and other virtual currencies, the state's financial regulators announced on Thursday, proposing to issue a "BitLicense" that would protect consumers, prevent money laundering and enforce cyber security.

All firms who transact in crypto-currencies will be required to hold BitLicenses, New York State's Department of Financial Services said. The requirements include ensuring that all firms hold the entire amount of whatever virtual coin owed to a third party, and keep receipts of all transactions. The new rules also impose strict demands on license holders to report any instances of fraud or "illicit activity" within 24 hours.

Although wildly popular among alternative currency enthusiasts, bitcoin has endured several high profile setbacks, including the implosion of Mt.Gox. Additionally, critics have argued that virtual coin is susceptible to fraud and illegal transactions, while others doubt it can serve as a long-term store of value.

With those issues in mind, state regulators are imposing a thicket of new requirements on virtual coin operators —likely to stir consternation among a group of users who fiercely oppose government oversight.

One provision states that licensees will be subject to examinations "whenever the superintendent deems necessary, but no less than once every two calendar years, to determine the licensee's financial condition, safety and soundness," among other things.

Read MoreBitcoin pits gold bugs vs the 'techno geeks'

"We have sought to strike an appropriate balance that helps protect consumers and root out illegal activity—without stifling beneficial innovation," said Benjamin Lawsky, NY's Superintendent of Financial Services.

"Setting up common sense rules of the road is vital to the long-term future of the virtual currency industry, as well as the safety and soundness of customer assets."

Read MoreInvesting in digital currencies: Risks and rewards

In an era of relentless hacking attempts and technological breaches, NY State is also pushing for licencees to toughen cyber-security standards. Recipients of a BitLicense "must...perform a set of core functions" that include risk assessment, firewall systems, and data recovery.

Read MoreHow I'm dodging bitcoin's flaw

"Among other safeguards, each firm shall also conduct penetration testing of its electronic systems, at least annually, and vulnerability assessment of those systems, at least quarterly," the draft reads. The proposal also requires each virtual currency dealer to appoint a "Chief Information Security Officer," that will handle all cyber-related policies.

There will be a 45-day public comment period, after which the rules will be revised before they become final.

--By CNBC's Javier E. David

Summary: New York State is weighing a raft of new rules to regulate bitcoin and other virtual currencies.


An important and rare Renaissance drawing by Raphael that has been in the Devonshire collection at Chatsworth for centuries is to be sold at Sotheby's in December, the auction house announced on Tuesday. The current Duke of Devonshire said its sale, along with two 15th-century illuminated manuscripts, would "now benefit the long-term future of Chatsworth and its collections".

Sotheby's has estimated the black chalk drawing, Head of an Apostle, at £10m-£15m, but it would surprise few people if it went for more. A similar Raphael drawing, Head of a Muse, set the Old Master drawing auction record when it sold at Christie's in 2009 for £29.2m. Cristiana Romalli, Sotheby's senior director of Old Masters, called it "a paramount example of Raphael's draughtsmanship – and shows exactly why he is revered as very possibly the greatest master of drawing who has ever lived".

The drawing was a working "auxiliary cartoon" for a figure in Raphael's greatest late work, Transfiguration, which hangs in the Vatican.

Romalli added: "The sheer beauty of this work is utterly breathtaking and the way it allows us to join Raphael as he created his last great masterpiece is hugely exciting."

Sotheby's says only two Raphael drawings of similar importance have appeared at market in the past 50 years, each setting a record.

Gregory Rubinstein, the auction house's worldwide head of Old Master drawings, said: "It is one of the greatest privileges of my career to be handling the sale of a drawing of such extraordinary importance – and of such incredible power and beauty, too."

While it will no doubt be a disappointment to lose, the Devonshire collection will still be left with 14 Raphael drawings. Only the British Museum and the Ashmolean in Oxford can lay claim to more.

The Devonshires are also selling two illuminated manuscripts produced in Flanders with the Mystère de la Vengeance estimated at £4m-£6m and the Deeds of Sir Gillion de Trazegnies in the Middle East estimated at £3m-£5m.

Summary: Rare Renaissance drawing, a longstanding part of Devonshire collection at Chatsworth, estimated by Sotheby's at £10m-£15m


Ahmadinejad on Saturday broke off from the pack to capture second place and a spot in next week's runoff race for president. Just two years ago Ahmadinejad, 49, was a little-known figure in Iranian politics. Then he became Tehran's mayor, put there by the rigidly conservative city council.

He is a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard commander, unabashedly conservative and loyal to Iran's Supreme leader Ayat Allah Ali Khamenei.

He is seen by many who voted for him as one ready to stand up to the United States. "I picked Ahmadinejad to slap America in the face," Mahdi Mirmalek said after casting a ballot for the Tehran mayor.

US embassy siegeAs a young student, Ahmadinejad joined an ultraconservative faction of the Office for Strengthening Unity, the radical student group spawned by the 1979 Islamic Revolution and staged the capture of the US Embassy. According to reports, Ahmadinejad attended planning meetings for the US Embassy takeover and at these meetings lobbied for a simultaneous takeover of the Soviet Embassy.

"I picked Ahmadinejad to slap America in the face" Mahdi Mirmalek,Â Iranian voter In a wide-ranging interview with the state run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) just days before Friday's elections, Ahmadinejad slammed the United Nations as "one-sided, stacked against the world of Islam".

"I picked Ahmadinejad to slap America in the face" Mahdi Mirmalek,Â Iranian voter

He opposed the veto vote by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Wanting the veto"It is not just for a few states to sit and veto global approvals. Should such a privilege continue to exist, the Muslim world with a population of nearly 1.5 billion should be extended the same privilege," Ahmadinejad was quoted by IRIB as saying.

"Global equations undergo changes, this is their nature, and today the Muslim world is the poorest of the global powers," he told IRIB.

He called for greater ties with Iran's neighbours, an end to visas between states in the region, saying: "People should visit anywhere they wish freely. People should have freedom in their pilgrimages and tours."

He defended Iran's nuclear power programme and accused "a few arrogant powers", a reference meant to include the US, of seeking to limit Iran's industrial and technological development.

Ahmadinejad graduated in civil engineering from Iran University of Science & Technology.

Ahmadinejad is known for his down-to-earth approachHe is best known for his simple attire and unpolished style. One of seven children, he was born to a middle-class family in Garmsar, a neighbourhood southeast of Tehran.

Ahmadinejad is known for his down-to-earth approach

When Iraq invaded Iran, Ahmadinejad volunteered for military service, joined the Revolutionary Guards and was considered a daring soldier, participating in several military operations deep within Iraq, according to information posted on his website.

With the war behind him, Ahmadinejad went into politics, was appointed governor first of Maku in northwestern Iran and later governor of the newly created province of Ardabil.

Tehran's mayorTwo years ago hardliners installed him as Tehran's mayor. After just two years as Tehran mayor, Ahmadinejad was nominated for World Mayor 2005, a UK-based site aimed at raising the profile of mayors worldwide "as well as to honour those who have served their communities", according to the site.

Of the 550 mayors nominated via email, Ahmadinejad made it to a finalist of 65 mayors, of which only nine are from Asia. The finalists are apparently determined by the quality of the comments attached to the nominations.

Summary: <P>The man who said:


Behavioral Economist Gaobo Pang also joins Expanded DC Solutions Team

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sabrina Bailey has joined Northern Trust Asset Management as Global Head of Defined Contribution, a new position created to strengthen Northern Trust’s strategic focus on its growing retirement solutions business. Bailey brings 15 years of experience to the role, most recently as head of the U.S. defined contribution segment for Mercer Investment Consulting.

As part of its Defined Contribution Solutions team expansion, Northern Trust also recently hired Gaobo Pang, Ph.D, as Senior Behavioral Finance Specialist. A recognized conference speaker and academic practitioner, Pang is known for his work at consultant Towers Watson and the World Bank.

“We are pleased to welcome these senior leaders to our growing Defined Contribution practice,” said Stephen N. Potter, President of Northern Trust Asset Management. “At a time when we are developing new products and building assets under management, Sabrina Bailey will be a strong, experienced voice at the helm of our global DC business. Gaobo Pang exemplifies the investment we are making in this team, bringing expertise that will enhance our understanding of investor behavior and translate that knowledge into innovative solutions for DC plan sponsors.”

Bailey comes to Northern Trust from Mercer Investment Consulting in Seattle, where she was responsible for the deployment of innovative solutions and intellectual capital, provided investment consulting services to some of the firm’s largest retirement plan clients, and led internal strategy, research and client service committees. Prior to Mercer, Bailey held senior consulting, client service and management roles at Towers Watson and two other firms. She earned B.A. and M.B.A. degrees from George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon.

Pang’s work for Towers Watson and the World Bank includes macroeconomic and policy research, statistical and econometric analysis of workers’ labor behavior, savings adequacy and investment choices, and developing and evaluating optimal strategies, particularly about qualified default investment alternatives and retirement income solutions. He has published extensively in periodicals including the Journal of Retirement, Journal of Pension Economics and Finance and Financial Analysts Journal. Pang earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, master’s degrees from Tsingua University in Beijing, China, and the University of Maryland, and a B.A. in International Economics at Fudan University in Shanghai, China.

In addition to the external hires, Brian Bursua and Patrick Gaskin have also joined the DC Solutions group in sales and service roles from within Northern Trust, to further align resources and provide focus in serving the recordkeeper channel.

“Northern Trust’s commitment to the defined contribution business has never been stronger, with continued focus on the importance of people and resources dedicated to supporting the rapid growth of our clients in the DC market,” said Jason Tyler, Head of the Institutional Group at Northern Trust Asset Management. “As global leader, Sabrina Bailey will continue to add resources to the team in support of our initiatives to meet the evolving needs of retirement plan sponsors and the DC marketplace.”

Defined Contribution Solutions at Northern Trust includes a team of investment, plan design and operations experts guided by a strategic vision that considers the perspectives of both plan sponsors and the ultimate beneficiaries, plan participants. Defined contribution assets under management have grown to approximately $120 billion as of June 30, 2015, including more than $7.5 billion in target date investments. The asset management team works closely with Northern Trust's global custody unit to provide comprehensive solutions including multi-manager unitization, integration of DB and DC plan investment pools, performance measurement and cross-border pooling. Northern Trust has approximately $290 billion in defined contribution assets under administration as of June 30, 2015. More information can be found at www.northerntrust.com/dcsolutions.

Northern Trust Asset Management is composed of Northern Trust Investments, Inc., Northern Trust Global Investments Limited, 50 South Capital Advisors, LLC, Northern Trust Global Investments Japan, K.K., NT Global Advisors, Inc. and investment personnel of The Northern Trust Company of Hong Kong Limited and The Northern Trust Company.

Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking to corporations, institutions, affluent families and individuals. Founded in Chicago in 1889, Northern Trust has offices in the United States in 19 states and Washington, D.C., and 20 international locations in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region. As of June 30, 2015, Northern Trust had assets under custody of US$6.2 trillion, and assets under management of US$946 billion. For more than 125 years, Northern Trust has earned distinction as an industry leader for exceptional service, financial expertise, integrity and innovation. Visit northerntrust.com or follow us on Twitter @NorthernTrust.

Northern Trust Corporation, Head Office: 50 South La Salle Street, Chicago, Illinois 60603 U.S.A., incorporated with limited liability in the U.S. Global legal and regulatory information can be found at http://www.northerntrust.com/disclosures.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150827005686/en/

Northern Trust CorporationJohn O’Connell, (312) 444-2388John_O'Connell@ntrs.comhttp://www.northerntrust.com

Summary: As part of its Defined Contribution Solutions team expansion, Northern Trust also recently hired Gaobo Pang, Ph.D, as Senior Behavioral Finance Specialist. A recognized conference speaker and academic practitioner, Pang is known for his work at consultant Towers Watson and the World Bank. Bailey comes to Northern Trust from Mercer Investment Consulting in...


* Soybeans down on rainy weather, steady crop condition

Corn firm on spreading, lower crop ratings

* Wheat down on big global supply, weak demand

(Updates with U.S. market open, adds quote, updates prices, changes byline, changes dateline from PARIS/SINGAPORE)

CHICAGO, Aug 18 (Reuters) - U.S. soybean futures fell more than 1 percent on Tuesday, pressured by stable crop conditions and forecasts for rain in the U.S. Midwest at a key point in the crop's development.

Corn firmed as a weekly U.S. Department of Agriculture report showed a slight decline in the crop's condition, while wheat futures declined on weak demand and plentiful global supplies.

Overall, price movements were restrained as grain markets awaited more indications on corn and soybean yields from this week's Pro Farmer Midwest crop tour that started on Monday.

Chicago Board of Trade November soybeans fell 13-3/4 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $9.03-1/4 a bushel by 10:50 a.m. CDT (1550 GMT) after earlier coming within a penny of a two-month low.

Overall ratings for U.S. soybean crops were unchanged on the week with 63 percent considered good or excellent, the USDA said on Monday.

Weather forecasts for the United States are predicting widespread rain in the coming week, which should help soy crops in dry parts of the Midwest.

"August is when you make the beans. Some of the areas were in need of some rain, even the good areas, and we are getting it," said Don Roose, president of U.S. Commodities.

Market sentiment was also dented by a sharp drop in Chinese share prices, stoking concerns about a slowing economy in the world's top commodities importer and No. 1 soy buyer.

CBOT December corn rose 2-1/2 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $3.77 a bushel, drawing support from a fall in the USDA's good-to-excellent crop rating to 69 percent, down one point from the previous week.

Long corn/short soybean spreading added support.

Crop scouts on the first day of the Pro Farmer Midwest crop tour found below-average yield potential in Ohio on Monday and strong prospects in South Dakota.

The four-day tour will release its findings for Indiana and Nebraska on Tuesday. Early field reports indicate surprisingly strong corn and soybean yield potential in central and north-central Indiana.

CBOT September soft red winter wheat fell 4-3/4 cents, or 1 percent, to $4.95-3/4 a bushel. September hard red winter wheat shed 6-1/4 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $4.76 a bushel.

(Additional reporting by Gus Trompiz in Paris, Naveen Thukral in Singapore, Julie Ingwersen in Chicago; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

Summary: Corn firm on spreading, lower crop ratings. Corn firmed as a weekly U.S. Department of Agriculture report showed a slight decline in the crop's condition, while wheat futures declined on weak demand and plentiful global supplies. Chicago Board of Trade November soybeans fell 13-3/ 4 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $9.03-1/ 4 a bushel by 10:50 a.m. CDT after earlier coming...


"It seems China is fairly quick to take note of the recent bitcoin craze," he added. "We are trying to improve our user base in China, right now I think our main market is the English speaking world."

At a U.S. Senate hearing on virtual currencies last month, lawmakers signaled a willingness to accept bitcoin as a legitimate payment alternative. The outcome allayed concerns that the government would take steps that could undercut the mainstream adoption of digital currencies. This in turn helped fuel a rally in bitcoin.

(Read more: Bitcoin breaks $1,000 barrier for first time)

"I am fine with the risks, I mean sure it would be nice that it goes to legal status smoothly but regardless, I think the movement would survive and thrive on its own," King said, talking about regulation of digital currencies.

The design of peercoin began in October 2011 and the cryptocurrency was released in August 2012, King said.

It is ranked the number three cryptocurrency by coinmarkecap.com and has a market value of about $100 million.

Peercoin was trading at $5.049 on the BTC-e exchange on Friday, while bitcoin was at $972.98 and number two ranked virtual currency litecoin was valued at $34.227

King said the growth in peercoin had exceeded his expectations.

"I think it's a step by step process, you get acknowledged as a store-of-value first and then as a medium of exchange, lastly as a unit of account," he added.

(Read more: BofA: Bitcoin can become 'major means of payment' for e-commerce)

In another sign of the growing interest in digital currencies, Bank of America Merrill Lynch on Thursday issued a research note on bitcoin.

—By CNBC.Com's Dhara Ranasinghe; Follow her on Twitter @DharaCNBC

Summary: A ban on the use of cryptocurrencies cannot be ruled out, although China’s latest rulings are an acknowledges the growing use of digital currencies.


While the market is anxiously awaiting Thursday's comments from Fed Chair Janet Yellen and a decision on a potential hike in interest rates, Main Street is quietly going about its business.

The Fed hasn't raised rates from their historically low, near-zero level for nine years, and in that time American small businesses have gone through their ups and downs, chiefly the Great Recession. But what impacts their decisions to borrow, spend and expand much more than rates alone are levels of optimism, available capital and sales outlook, among other factors.

Right now, Ed Menapace and Bill Curtis, owners of The Farmhouse Store in Westfield, New Jersey, say they're paying more attention to what they can control—their inventories and adapting to changes in consumer spending.

"We can shift very quickly and change our product lines, if for example we find customers spending 5 percent less," Menapace said. "We don't worry about things we can't control."

Data compiled for CNBC in May by Manta, a small-business industry researcher, found a similar reaction with 39 percent of 1,000 small-business owners, saying a rate hike wouldn't impact their business at all. In addition, about 64 percent of small-business owners said a rate hike wouldn't pressure them to secure loans for their business quickly.

A potential rate hike comes at a time when smaller companies are feeling decidedly optimistic, by a variety of indicators. The National Federation of Independent Business' optimism index has been holding steady, reading 95.9 in its September report, but still below the average of 98. The report showed a 0.5 percent gain, despite the ups and downs of the stock market in recent weeks, although it may have been too late to register on the index. But the conservative lobbying group does note that uncertainty regarding government policy is always a top concern, and to its membership the Fed's will-they-or-won't-they dance only elevates that issue.

But perhaps another reason smaller companies aren't torn up over a potential increase—capital is readily available for those who need it, says Gene Marks, who runs The Marks Group in Philadelphia, providing tech and financial services to some 600 small-and medium-sized businesses in the Mid-Atlantic region.

"Interest rates are still at historical lows—even if you're borrowing at a point or two higher of a rate," Marks said. "There are plenty of business owners that are borrowing at competitive rates from their banks… but there are a significant number that go to online providers at higher rates because that's their only option," he said, adding a small increase won't have a huge impact.

Summary: While the market anxiously awaits a Thursday Fed decision on interest rates, Main Street is quietly going about its business.


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Summary: Part 2: Ethan Couch had three times the legal blood alcohol limit for an adult three hours after the crash.


Global fashion retailer H&M launched its eleventh designer collaboration yesterday, a partnership with French haute couture label Balmain.

The Balmain x H&M collection attracted thousands of shoppers across the globe who checked their manners at the door as they swarmed into stores to get their hands on the new merchandise.

The new range sold out globally within hours and crashed the brand’s website.

Video showed scenes of chaos in Istanbul, where frenzied shoppers crammed in through the doors and bought whatever random items they could get their hands on without trying them on, according to Turkish media.

Balmain, which usually sells clothing for prices between $3000 - $6000 on net-a-porter.com, sold its H&M collection for between $30 and $500.

Shoppers camped outside the H&M store in Sydney’s Pitt St Mall for more than 24 hours prior to the collection’s launch yesterday morning, determined not to miss out on the range.

The entire collection sold out by mid-morning at both the Pitt St Mall store and the store at the Macquarie Centre, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Many of the sold-out pieces have already made their way onto eBay, with resellers set to make hundreds off of the items.

One dress which sold in store for $199 is up for sale on the bidding site for $799, with 25 keen watchers.

A blazer sold for $499 in store has already made its way up to $1300 and still has five days left on auction.


On Friday, BNY Mellon's Simon Derrick told CNBC TV: "It suddenly starts to look like an awful like Mario Draghi is getting exactly what he wants with the euro."

A strengthening dollar is often seen as a sign of confidence in the U.S. economy—and potentially a bad omen for Federal Reserve members hoping for a later start to interest rate hikes.

This week, both New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley and Atlanta Fed's Dennis Lockhart expressed concern about the strength of the dollar.

Lockhart in particular played down the idea that dollar gains were a vote of confidence in the U.S. recovery, saying they could equally be a vote of low confidence about other countries. He stated in a speech in Jackson, Mississippi this Thursday that capital goods orders could get hit by the strength of the dollar, and exports generally would suffer.

He added that it would be better to raise rates too late, rather than too early and be forced to reverse course.

Winners: Central banks down under

The continuing strength pf the dollar will help central bankers outside the U.S. who are worried their own currencies are uncompetitively high. As the dollar appreciates, these currencies decline.

Both the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand have attempted to talk down their currencies in recent months. This Thursday, New Zealand Governor Graeme Wheeler repeated his warning that the kiwi exchange rate—which hit a three-year peak against the dollar in July—was unsustainable and unjustified.

"The bigger picture is still going to favor dollar gains against these currencies," Simon Smith, chief economist at FxPro, told CNBC on Friday.

Summary: The U.S. dollar held on to its four-year high on Friday, thanks to Thursday’s Wall Street selloff.


* Oil prices fall after Goldman Sachs cuts forecast

* S&P poised for biggest weekly gain since July

* Zumiez falls after cutting third-qtr forecast

* Dow up 0.5 pct, S&P up 0.2 pct, Nasdaq up 0.3 pct

Sept 11 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks edged higher late Friday afternoon, putting the S&P 500 on track for its biggest weekly gain since July, but energy shares dropped after Goldman Sachs cut its oil price forecast through next year.

Eight of the 10 S&P 500 sectors were higher, led by gains in the consumer discretionary index, up 0.6 percent. Shares of homebuilders were up, bouncing back from Thursday's decline after JP Morgan raised price targets on PulteGroup , up 1.9 percent, and Meritage Homes, up 2.5 percent.

Oil prices fell after the Goldman forecast, which cited oversupply and concerns over China's economy. Goldman said crude oil could fall as low as $20 a barrel. ConocoPhillips, down 2.6 percent at $47.17, was the biggest drag on the S&P 500.

Economic data clouded the outlook for interest rates ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting next week.

U.S. consumer sentiment dropped to its lowest level in a year in early September, while unchanged producer prices for August pointed to moderate economic growth and tame inflation.

The Fed has said it will raise rates when it sees a sustained economic recovery, especially in the job market.

"The market overall seems to be shrugging off the decline in oil prices and disappointments from a number of retailers in recent days," said Michael James, managing director of equity trading at Wedbush Securities in Los Angeles.

He said investors could be positioning ahead of the weekend and more economic data from China.

At 3:14 p.m., the Dow Jones industrial average rose 76.57 points, or 0.47 percent, to 16,406.97, the S&P 500 gained 4.39 points, or 0.22 percent, to 1,956.68 and the Nasdaq Composite added 15.55 points, or 0.32 percent, to 4,811.80.

Stocks have been volatile since China devalued its currency in August amid concerns of sputtering growth in the world's second-largest economy. The S&P 500 has had moves of at least 1 percent in 11 sessions since Aug. 20.

Investors pulled another $15.9 billion from U.S. equities over the past week as they sought safety in government bond funds, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said.

Gilead rose 1.9 percent to $109.26 after the company's $10 billion debt offering this week fueled speculation that it was planning a big acquisition.

On the down side, Zumiez fell 27.9 percent to $15.62 after the sports apparel and accessories maker forecast third-quarter sales and profit below analysts' estimates.

(Additional reporting by Tanya Agrawal; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

Summary: *Oil prices fall after Goldman Sachs cuts forecast. Sept 11- U.S. stocks edged higher late Friday afternoon, putting the S&P 500 on track for its biggest weekly gain since July, but energy shares dropped after Goldman Sachs cut its oil price forecast through next year. Shares of homebuilders were up, bouncing back from Thursday's decline after JP Morgan raised...


Eight businesses are kicking in $50,000 each for the city to create a transportation plan for a portion of downtown Boston.

The Boston Redevelopment Authority said the city would hire a consultant to help analyze current and future transportation patterns and options around North Station and Massachusetts General Hospital in a process set to wrap up about a year from now. The plan will estimate the impact of 7.7 million square feet in new construction scheduled to take place in the area over the next 15 years and propose ways for the city’s transportation system absorb the change, the BRA said.

“Downtown Boston is experiencing unprecedented growth, and we must do everything in our power to make sure growth doesn’t come at the expense of gridlock,” Brian Golden, the BRA director, said in a statement.

Massachusetts General Hospital, Equity Residential, AvalonBay Communities, Related Beal, Boston Properties, HYM Investment Group, Trinity Financial, and Delaware North, which owns TD Garden, are funding the study.

Summary: Eight businesses are kicking in $50,000 a piece to fund a planning process for a huge swath of downtown.


(Adds details from statement, background, updates shares)

Aug 5 (Reuters) - Twenty-First Century Fox Inc's reported a 9.3 percent fall in quarterly adjusted revenue as advertising sales fell in its television business and a lack of major film releases weighed on its studio business.

But Fox's adjusted profit beat Wall Street expectations and the company said it would buy back $5 billion Class A shares over the next 12 months.

Fox's shares were down marginally in after-hours trading on Wednesday.

Adjusted revenue, which excluded the sale of the company's direct broadcast satellite television businesses, fell to $6.21 billion. Analysts on average had expected revenue of $6.41 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Revenue in Fox's film studio business fell by a third to $1.91 billion as no major titles released in the quarter. The year-ago quarter was driven mainly by the success of "X-Men: Days of Future Past" and the animation film "Rio 2."

The company in the next few months is slated to release movies such as "Fantastic Four" and sci-fi sequel "Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials."

Fox recorded the lowest ratings among the Big Four broadcasting networks in the 2014-2015 television season, according to Nielsen data. This was reflected in the 4.3 percent decline in the company's television revenue in the fourth quarter.

Revenue in its cable network programming business rose 6.6 percent to $3.57 billion, boosted by coverage of NASCAR and ICC Cricket World Cup sporting events. The business accounts for more than half the company's total revenue.

Domestic advertising sales rose 4 percent, helped by double-digit growth in its sports channels including Star Sports and Fox Sports 1.

Excluding items, the company earned 39 cents per share in the fourth quarter ended June 30, beating the average analyst estimate of 37 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

(Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh)

Summary: Aug 5- Twenty-First Century Fox Inc's reported a 9.3 percent fall in quarterly adjusted revenue as advertising sales fell in its television business and a lack of major film releases weighed on its studio business. But Fox's adjusted profit beat Wall Street expectations and the company said it would buy back $5 billion Class A shares over the next 12 months.


Orang-utans could be playing computer games with Melbourne Zoo visitors by the end of the year.

Learning to adjust the air-conditioning in their exhibits could also be possible one day for the zoo's orang-utans, thanks to a world-first research project.

Researchers for the first time on Tuesday introduced a human participant to work alongside the orang-utans playing interactive games.

The games use interactive motion-sensing technology Microsoft Kinect - commonly used with Xbox - with images projected onto the orang-utans' exhibit and a motion-sensing camera.

The University of Melbourne, Microsoft and Zoo Victoria project aims to give the orang-utans at Melbourne Zoo greater choice and control over how and when they interact with their surroundings.

"What I'm really excited about is that we're not giving them rewards for interacting with this technology - they are doing it because they want to," University of Melbourne researcher Marcus Carter told AAP on Tuesday.

The zoo hopes to let visitors join in the fun and eventually allow the apes more control over their exhibit.

Dr Carter said the technology opened possibilities beyond just enrichment games.

"The challenge comes in how do you design for an orang-utan, rather than what can you do with the technology," he said.

Dr Carter said Malu, the 12-year-old Sumatran orang-utan famous for escaping the exhibit briefly last July, has shown off his problem-solving ability.

"He has understood, in each of the challenges we've been giving him, how to interact," he said.

Malu's sister, five-year-old Dewi, was particularly fond of an application that has videos of her keepers.

If successful, the technology may be introduced for other animals at Melbourne Zoo.

Summary: World-first technology is helping orang-utans at Melbourne Zoo interact with visitors and their keepers in new ways.