"Aladdin" breakout Marwan Kenzari has boarded the cast of Netflix's action film "The Old Guard".
The 36-year-old actor, who currently plays the villainous Jafar in the Disney film "Aladdin", joins Charlize Theron and Kiki Layne in the project.
The film is based on the comic book series by Greg Rucka and illustrator Leandro Fernandez, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"The Old Guard" focuses on a small group of immortal soldiers who have been working as mercenaries for centuries. But the group, led by a woman named Andy (Theron), get a shock when they find a new immortal woman, not long after they discover an evil group has video evidence of their immortality.
Kenzari will play a man who was once a Moor warrior.
Gina Prince-Bythewood is writing and directing the project with Theron also attached as a producer through her company Denver and Delilah, alongside Skydance's David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger.

Marwan Kenzari joins Charlize Theron's 'The Old Guard'

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Chinese state media on Wednesday dangled the threat of cutting exports of rare earths to the United States as a counter-strike in the trade war, potentially depriving Washington of a key resource used to make everything from smartphones to military hardware.
The warning is the latest salvo in a dispute that has intensified since President Donald Trump ramped up tariffs against China and moved to blacklist telecom giant Huawei earlier this month, while trade talks have apparently stalled.
Huawei stepped up its legal battle on Wednesday, announcing it had filed a motion in US court for summary judgment in its bid to overturn US legislation that bars federal agencies from using its equipment over security concerns.
Beijing had already dropped a big hint that rare earths could be in the firing line by showing images last week of President Xi Jinping visiting a rare earths factory in Ganzhou, central China.
An unnamed official from the National Development and Reform Commission, China's ...

China steps up threat to deprive US of rare earths

Actor-comedian Jack Whitehall is set to star in the film adaptation of classic children's book "Clifford, the Big Red Dog".
The film, which hails from Paramount Pictures, will be led by child actor Darby Camp, best known for starring in "Big Little Lies", according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The book series, penned by Norman Bridwell, follows the misadventures of a giant red dog and his owner, a girl named Emily Elizabeth.
The film, to be directed by Walt Becker, will see Emily (Camp), who is struggling to fit in at home and at school, discover a small red puppy who is destined to become her best friend.
When Clifford magically undergoes one heck of a growth spurt, becomes a gigantic dog and attracts the attention of a genetics company, Emily and her Uncle Casey (Whitehall) have to fight the forces of greed as they go on the run across New York City.
Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Annie Mumolo and Stan Chervin have worked on the film's script.
The project will start shooting next month in .

Jack Whitehall to star in 'Clifford, the Big Red Dog' adaptation

Cosmic energy bombarded by supernovae eight million years ago may have triggered a chain of events that eventually led to ancient humans walk on two legs, a study claims.
The research, published in the Journal of Geology, suggests that the supernovae initiated an avalanche of electrons in the lower atmosphere.
This atmospheric ionization probably triggered an enormous upsurge in cloud-to-ground lightning strikes that ignited forest fires around the globe.
These infernos could be one reason ancestors of Homo sapiens developed bipedalism -- to adapt in savannas that replaced torched forests in northeast Africa.
"It is thought there was already some tendency for hominins to walk on two legs, even before this event," said Adrian Melott, a professor at the University of Kansas in the US.
"But they were mainly adapted for climbing around in trees. After this conversion to savanna, they would much more often have to walk from one tree to another across the grassland, and so they become ...

Ancient supernovae prompted human ancestors to walk upright

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is wooing Japan for aid, trade and investment in a visit that highlights cordial relations with the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Hasina, who is beginning a third consecutive five-year term, arrived late Tuesday and is set to meet Abe and hold a joint news conference Wednesday. A dinner is also being held in her honour.
The leaders will discuss the Bay of Bengal development project and strengthening economic and security partnerships, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.  Japan has been weary of the security and economic threat of neighboring China and has been courting other nations in Asia as well as the U.S. and Europe.
This week alone, Abe is meeting with leaders of the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and Laos in addition to Bangladesh. He just finished playing host to a four-day visit by President Donald Trump, which ended Tuesday.
Hasina has visited five times before, as prime minister and ...

Bangladeshi leader visits Japan to talk economy, partnership

An international organization that advocates for the rights of journalists has urged Pakistan to immediately release a reporter who was arrested for his coverage of this week's violent clash between minority Pashtuns and troops in a northwestern region near the Afghan border.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based group, in Tuesday's statement says Gohar Wazir, a reporter working for the private TV station Khyber News, was detained in the town of Bannu after reporting on the demonstration of the Pashtun Protection Movement, a group campaigning against the perceived high-handedness by security forces.
The arrest came days after the group led by two lawmakers clashed with troops at an army post in the North Waziristan district, setting off a shootout that wounded five troops and killed three activists.

International group asks Pakistan to release journalist

Papua New Guinea's embattled prime minister stepped down on Wednesday, capping a months-long political crisis and calling a multi-billion-dollar French and US-backed gas deal into question.
Facing a string of cabinet resignations and a vote of no confidence he looked sure to lose, veteran leader Peter O'Neill told parliament he had handed his letter of resignation to the country's governor general.
"I hereby tender my resignation as Prime Minister of the independent state of Papua New Guinea, effective immediately" read the letter that was obtained by AFP.
O'Neill said he had decided to step down "in the interests of ongoing political stability in our country" citing the need for "economic confidence and social unity." For eight years O'Neill had led the rugged and ethnically diverse nation, which is home to over 800 languages.
But he had been heavily criticised for endemic corruption and chronic underdevelopment, in a country that has increasingly become a venue for US-China ...

Papua New Guinea PM resigns, throwing gas deal into doubt

Huawei said Wednesday the tech giant has asked a US court to throw out US legislation that bars federal agencies from buying its products.
The tech giant filed suit against the US bill in March, calling it "unconstitutional" and saying the US Congress had failed to provide evidence to support its restrictions on Huawei products.
The company said it filed the motion for summary judgment on Wednesday (Tuesday in the United States).
"The US government has provided no evidence to show that Huawei is a security threat. There is no gun, no smoke. Only speculation," Huawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping said in a statement.  A motion for summary judgment aims to seek a judge's decision without going to a full trial.
The court case comes as Huawei also faces a broader US executive order preventing the use of its equipment in the United States and a more damaging US action to blacklist the company, cutting it off from critical American-made components for its products, though a 90-day ...

Huawei asks US court to throw out federal ban

Attacks on schools in Afghanistan tripled in 2018, surging from 68 in 2017 to 192, the United Nations agency for children said in a report, as the Taliban and other extremist groups in the war-torn country continue to wage a campaign of violence against softer targets.
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday said in a report that it was the first time since 2015 that a rise in attacks had been recorded.
"Education is under fire in Afghanistan," said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.
"The senseless attacks on schools; the killing, injury and abduction of teachers; and the threats against education are destroying the hopes and dreams of an entire generation of children."
More than 1,000 schools across the country remain closed because of security threats from groups such as the Taliban and Islamic State, which have sought soft targets for attacks aimed at extending and consolidating their influence through intimidation. Half a million children were denied their right to ...

Attacks by extremists on Afghan schools triple: UNICEF

Amazon Studios has given a series order to young adult drama "The Wilds".
The show, which hails from Sarah Streicher, follows a group of teenage girls from radically different backgrounds after an airplane crash strands them on a deserted island, reported Variety.
Streicher, who has Marvel-Netflix series "Daredevil" to her writing credits, will serve as the writer and executive producer on the new show.
Amy B Harris will be the showrunner and she will also executive produce alongside Jamie Tarses' Fanfare and Dylan Clark and Brian Williams of Dylan Clark Productions.
"We are thrilled to share this exciting original vision with our global audience," said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios.
"We are proud to be the home for this authentically voiced, high stakes show brought to life by the talented Sarah Streicher, Amy Harris and our ABC Signature Studios partners," she added.

YA drama 'The Wilds' receives series order from Amazon

/ -- In recent years, with the deepening cooperation between PHNIX and emerging markets such as India, PHNIX has made some major adjustments in product development direction. For example, PHNIX's recent Commercial Heat Pump Water Heater, specially developed for the Indian market, is a decisive attempt, said Mr. Peter Wang, Deputy General Manager in charge of PHNIX global overseas business, recently during an exclusive interview at ISH China & CIHE 2019. In addition to ensuring energy-saving and environmental protection, the HeatStar series for Indian market also shows outstanding cost-effectiveness advantages.
Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190528/2478849-1
In the past several years, PHNIX heat pump water heater has been successfully applied in India and has been well received by local users. The HeatStar series, which was launched specifically for the Indian market, is the most cost-effective heat pump product offered by PHNIX. The HeatStar series is priced around 30% ...

New PHNIX Commercial Heat Pump Water Heater with High Cost-effectiveness to Launch in India

It seems like the end of "Game of Thrones" has hit Kit Harington really hard as the actor has checked into a rehabilitation centre to receive treatment for stress, exhaustion and alcohol use.
According to PageSix, the 32-year-old checked into a luxury health retreat in Connecticut weeks before the finale aired on May 19. He played Jon Snow across eight seasons on the HBO's epic fantasy show.
Harington has been doing cognitive behavioral therapy, meditating, and practising other psychological exercises to better cope with stress related to the "Game of Thrones" ending.
Rose Leslie, the actor's wife and former co-star, is "extremely supportive" of Harington.
"The end of 'GoT' really hit Kit hard... He realized, 'This is it, this is the end'. It was something they had all worked so hard on for so many years. He had a moment of, what next?
"He's in the clinic predominantly for stress and exhaustion and also alcohol. His wife Rose is being extremely supportive. Everyone close to him really 

Kit Harington checks into wellness centre

/ -- The 2019 EB-5 Innovation Summit, hosted by Behring Co., will be held on June 15, 2019 from 2pm to 5pm at Bishop Ranch in San Ramon, California. There is no cost to attend, but there is a max capacity of 300 seats for the event. With over 73 seats reserved in first 3-hours of announcement, this event is expected to sell out.
Behring Companies is assembling 9 of EB-5's top experts including immigration attorneys, EB-5 economists and even a former USCIS adjudicator to host a "first-of-its-kind" private special EB-5 investor event to discuss what's happening to the market. In addition to introducing EB-5, we will host an advanced discussion about the evolution of the EB-5 market, what investors need to know, and how an investor can "Future Proof" their EB-5 Investment.
The 2019 EB-5 Innovation Summit
When: 2pm 5 pm, June 15, 2019
Where: Roundhouse Bishop Ranch - Roundhouse Market & Conference Center - Tahoe Auditorium, 2600 Camino Ramon, San Ramon, CA 94583
Why: Get Updated on ...

The 2019 EB-5 Innovation Summit on June 15 in San Ramon, California

The Trump administration once again refused to label China as a currency manipulator, even though on Tuesday it kept Beijing on a list of countries whose trade surpluses with the US and other indicators are closely tracked.
In its semi-annual report on macroeconomic and foreign exchange policies of major trading partners of the US, sent to the Congress, the Treasury department said that no country meets the criteria to be labelled as one seeking to gain unfair trade advantages over the US by manipulating its currency.
However, the report placed nine nations  China, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam  on the monitoring list.
India and Switzerland  that had been on the previous watch list issued in October were removed.
The Treasury said while China does not meet the standards to be declared a currency manipulator, it will carefully monitor and review this determination over the following 6-month period in light of the exceptionally large and ...

US again refuses to label China as currency manipulator

An Australian man who kidnapped and repeatedly raped a British backpacker during a month-long ordeal in the country's Outback has been jailed for 10 years.
Marcus Allyn Keith Martin, 25, had pleaded guilty in the District Court of Cairns, in the far north of Queensland state, to charges of rape and deprivation of liberty against the 22-year-old woman from Liverpool, England.
Prosecutors told the court the pair met in Cairns in January 2017 and had begun a relationship.
When the relationship soured, Martin subjected the woman to weeks of physical abuse while forcing her to drive him hundreds of miles (kilometers) south and then into the west of the state.
Police intercepted the pair after the woman drove off from a gas station in the town of Mitchell, 380 miles (600 kilometers) west of Brisbane, without paying for fuel. They found Martin hiding in the back of their 4x4 vehicle.
The gas station's manager, Beverley Page, told reporters at the time that the woman was bruised and battered, 

Australian jailed to 10 years over British backpacker rape

Japanese police on Wednesday searched the home of the man behind a stabbing rampage in the town of Kawasaki a day earlier that killed two people, including a child.
The 51-year-old attacker, identified by police as Ryuichi Iwasaki, died after stabbing himself during the rampage, and his motives for the horrifying assault remain unclear.
On Wednesday morning, police searched his home, not far from the scene of the morning attack, seizing unspecified material, public broadcaster NHK reported.
Local media said Iwasaki was living with relatives in their 80s, but gave no further details.
Police had no comment on the investigation and declined to offer any further details about the attacker.
The rampage in the town south of Tokyo on Tuesday morning killed two people -- 11-year-old schoolgirl Hanako Kuribayashi and a 39-year-old parent, identified as government official Satoshi Oyama, a Myanmar specialist.
Seventeen more people, mainly young children, were injured, according to ...

Japan police search home of stabbing attacker

A United States marine has died in Australia after succumbing to injuries received during a training accident, the force's commanding officer said Wednesday.
Lance Corporal Hans Sandoval-Pereyra was injured during a vehicle accident during the drill on Saturday near the northern Australia regional hub of Darwin.
He was airlifted to hospital but was unable to be saved.
Thousands of marines have passed through the rotation in Darwin since 2012, in an annual arrangement between long-time defence allies Washington and Canberra.
Commanding officer for the rotation in Darwin, Colonel Russ Boyce, said the marines were saddened by the loss of Sandoval-Pereyra.
"He was a beloved member of our community and our deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends," Boyce said.
"We are extremely grateful to our Australian partners for their valiant efforts to save this young marine's life." A fellow marine received minor injuries during the accident but has since been released from hospital. An ..

US marine dies in Australia training accident

Nida Mohammed drove for more than an hour from Fujairah to Sharjah in the UAE just to buy special Iraqi sweets and juices for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
"Over there (in Fujairah) you can't find Iraqi stuff," Mohammed says, as she picks up her order of sharbet zbeeb, or raisin juice, a special Iraqi drink taken to break the day-long fast.
The oil-rich United Arab Emirates is home to more than nine million expatriates who hail from well over 100 countries and form 90 percent of the population.
During Ramadan, immigrants in the Gulf state reconnect with traditions from their homeland, especially the rituals of breaking the fast and taking lots of traditional desserts and juices.
Shops like this help "me remember the country we came from," says Mohammed, who made the journey with family members and stocked large quantities of Iraqi sweets.
Muslims around the world refrain from eating and drinking, as well as from sex, between sunrise and sunset during Ramadan.
Far away from ...

UAE expats get taste of Ramadan traditional sweets

Ohio residents inspected destroyed homes and debris-strewn streets Tuesday after powerful tornadoes ripped through the US state overnight, killing at least one person and causing widespread damage and power outages.
One twister that barreled through the city of Dayton left 80,000 people without power as day broke, the city's assistant fire chief Nicholas Hosford told ABC News.
"We have homes flattened, entire apartment complexes destroyed, businesses throughout our community where walls have collapsed," Hosford said.
"I don't know that any community that is fully prepared for this type of devastation," he added.
That twister was one of many -- up to 52, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration -- that touched down Monday night and roared through eight US states.
As the scope of the damage became visible with daylight, rescue teams searching for tornado victims in Dayton went door-to-door in areas particularly hard hit by the storm.
Hosford said an unknown 

Tornadoes in Ohio leave at least one dead, widespread damage

Three Indians have been charged in a million-dollar fraud scheme in the US in which they remotely accessed computers belonging to senior citizens without authorisation, caused the machines to malfunction and lured the victims' into purchasing phony computer repair services.
Gunjit Malhotra, 30, Gurjeet Singh 22 and Jas Pal 54, have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to access a protected computer in furtherance of fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman said.
Berman said that for several years the three exploited elderly victims by remotely accessing their computers and convincing them to pay for computer support services they did not need, and which were never actually provided. The conspiracy netted at least USD 1.3 million for the three men, who were arrested ...

Three Indians charged in million-dollar fraud scheme in US

The Maldives' parliament has overwhelmingly voted the country's first democratically elected president as the speaker of the house.
Mohamed Nasheed received 67 votes from among 87 members. His rival received 17 votes past midnight Tuesday.
The speaker also has a role in the Judicial Services Commission that regulates the Supreme Court, and is third in line should the positions of the president and vice president become vacant.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's Maldivian Democratic Party has swept the parliamentary elections, winning 65 out of 87 seats. Last year, Solih defeated strongman Yameen Abdul Gayoom in the presidential vote.
The elections paved the way for Nasheed's return home after years in exile. Nasheed, a former pro-democracy activist was elected president of the Indian Ocean archipelago in 2008, ending a 30-year autocratic government. He resigned in 2012 amid public upheaval over his decision to arrest a senior judge.
He lost the 2013 presidential election to Yameen, and 

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