Tom Cruise on Mission Impossible Rogue Nation: I feel responsible for my cast

Image caption Tom Cruise in London

Tom Cruise has told Newsbeat he felt "responsible" for his cast while filming the latest Mission: Impossible film.
Rogue Nation is the fifth in the franchise which began back in 1996.
The 53-year-old insists on filming his own stunts which often means other cast members have to join him.
Cruise said: "My schedule is constantly around the clock as I'm also working to train these guys [the cast] as I feel responsible."
This time out Cruise's IMF team are cut off by the CIA with lead character Ethan Hunt out in the field on his own.
He's discovered a rogue agency with the power to bring down any nation it wants.

Image caption Tom Cruise went on the roof of the IMAX in Waterloo for photos at the UK Premiere

As well as the action there's also the comedy often brought by Simon Pegg in his third instalment as spy sidekick in the Mission films.
There is also a central performance from Rebecca Ferguson from the BBC's series The White Queen. She plays British spy Ilsa Faust.

Image caption Rebecca Ferguson attends the UK Fan Screening of Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

What you get is some incredible action scenes including the star hanging onto the side of an A400 military transport plane.
What you don't get is much on who bad the bad guys really are and what they are capable of.
Tom Cruise told us: "For everything I've trained my whole life.
"I've done so much to work with them [the cast] to make sure they don't get injured and their performances are wonderful in the film.
"I want to represent them in the best possible light."

Mission: Impossible franchise

• Mission: Impossible 1996
• Mission: Impossible II 2000
• Mission: Impossible III 2006
• Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol 2011
• Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation 2015

The film was shot in the UK as well as Morocco and Austria.
Tom said holding onto the side of a military plane while it took off was one of the trickiest things he's had to do in his career.
To keep his eyes open he was fitted with special contact lenses, but to pick up the audio and get the right shot the scene had to be filmed eight times.
That's eight take offs and landings holding onto the side of a plane.
"It gets your adrenaline going let me tell you. Going down that runway in the A400 the first time," said the actor.
"We spent a lot of time with the engineers, with the pilots. I kept saying to the pilots, when we get that angle of attack, I want my legs slamming on the fuselage.
"I'll never forget that look [of the pilot], then he says to me 'don't worry'".
Known for his lavish walkabouts on the red carpet the star spent over an hour signing autographs at the IMAX in London's Waterloo.
"The first time we are going down the runway I am trying everything to keep my feet on the steps."
He had just one wire on his wrists linked to the plane for safety.
"What I did with the wire though it's just to catch me if I fall.
"I'm really holding myself. When you see it I'm actually holding on."
Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation is released across the UK on Thursday.

Image caption Tom Cruise in London Waterloo for the Rogue Nation film premier  

capped from bbc

Chris Brown gets clearance to leave the Philippines after three-day delay

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Chris Brown has arrived in China after a three-day delay in the Philippines.
The singer had pleaded with authorities to allow him to leave the the capital Manila in a video he posted on Instagram, in which he got down on his knees and begged.
He'd been barred from flying out of the south-east Asian country after missing a New Year's Eve concert last year.
"Please, please, let us leave, please," said Brown in the video, which was later taken down.

Brown went down on his knees in what appeared to be his hotel room and ended the clip with a signature back flip.

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He later posted a video on Twitter in which it appeared he was preparing to fly out of the country on a private jet.

Elaine Tan, spokeswoman of the Immigration Bureau, told the AP news agency that Brown has been able to obtain a certificate allowing him to leave the country.
In his now-deleted Instagram video, the 26-year-old appeared to send a distress signal to US President Barack Obama after captioning the post: "OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!"
In two Twitter posts Brown said: "This is a very serious situation and someone needs to be held accountable for mixing my name up in all this. I've done nothing wrong!!!

Image caption Chris Brown has had a private plane on standby for when he was allowed to leave

"I have nothing to do with anything going on right now. I came back to Manila to do a make-up show for New Year. I did the show three years ago," he said.
Brown performed at an arena in Manila on Tuesday and posted an Instagram video of that show.

He's due to play in Macau, China, on Friday night followed by a gig in Ayia Napa on Tuesday.
A gig in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday has been rescheduled "due to safety concerns".

Image caption Dana Mengote from the Philippine Bureau of Immigration holds a copy of a bulletin issued about Chris Brown

He was held in Manila after he failed to show up on 31 December last year for a concert sponsored by the indigenous Christian group Iglesia ni Cristo at its 55,000-seater indoor stadium on the outskirts of the city.
He reportedly said that he'd lost his passport, so he couldn't travel.

Both Twitter posts were retweeted around 2,000 times minutes after the star uploaded them.
He has more than 14 million followers and 12 million on Instagram.
Brown posted his rant on his Instagram on Thursday as he break-danced, apparently making fun of his situation.
But his tone was more serious on Friday, as he realised it could affect his world tour.
Brown is also scheduled to perform in Israel and Beirut next week before returning to the US for more concerts, starting in Kansas City on 12 August.
Asked about Brown's case, US embassy spokesman Kurt Hoyer told the AFP news agency: "The embassy assists its citizens who are in need."
Philippine immigration officials as well as Brown's promoter and spokeswoman were unavailable for comment on Friday.        capped from bbc news

Taylor Swift Bows Down to Nicki Minaj

Taylor Swift

Bows Down to Nicki Minaj

7/23/2015 9:18 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

breaking news

Taylor Swift blinked first ... giving Nicki Minaj a full-on apology in an attempt to squash their Twitter war. There's hope for world peace, after all.
Taylor tried to dismiss the whole mess, saying ... "I thought I was being called out. I missed the point, I misunderstood, then misspoke."
Swift took the high road, and seemed to accept Nicki's explanation that her initial Twitter rant about a VMAs snub was not an attack on Taylor ... although she never explained who she WAS targeting.
Anyway, Nicki thanked Taylor for the apology ... and now everyone can play nice.
First Meek and now Taylor? Nicki's not just queen of the Barbs. 

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2015/07/23/taylor-swift-apologizes-nicki-minaj-twitter-war-feud/#ixzz3gxPRzN4M

WWE terminates contract with Hulk Hogan; wrestler sorry he used 'N-word'

Hulk Hogan is down for a three count. And then some.
The WWE killed its contract with the wrestling icon on Friday, a rep for the organization told FOX411.

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"WWE terminated its contract with Terry Bollea (aka Hulk Hogan). WWE is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide."
The WWE would not comment as to the reason it booted Hogan, but TMZ reports the wrestler was fired for using the N-word to describe a man involved with his daughter, Brooke, in a leaked transcript of a sex tape that is the center of a multimillion dollar lawsuit with the gossip site Gawker.
Following the WWE's announcement, Hogan apologized for the remarks he made. His lawyer said Hogan resigned from the organization "because he didn't want to put them or his family through this."

"Eight years ago I used offensive language during a conversation. It was unacceptable for me to have used that offensive language; there is no excuse for it; and I apologize for having done it," Hogan told People magazine. "This not who I am. I believe very strongly that every person in the world is important and should not be treated differently based on race, gender, orientation, religious beliefs or otherwise."

More on this...

• Hulk Hogan returns to the ring

According to the transcript obtained by Radar Online and the National Inquirer, Hogan said on the tape, referring to his daughter: "I mean, I’d rather if she was going to f--k some n----r, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall n----r worth a hundred million dollars! Like a basketball player...I guess we’re all a little racist. F--king n----r."

Initial news reports indicated the wrestler was kicked out of the WWE for comments he made during a 2012 radio interview in which he, again, uses the N-word.
In the 2012 interview, Hogan's interviewer, DJ Whoo Kidd, asks him: "You've been saying 'brother' for years, any black guy ever say, 'Yo, you my n----r, you my n----r Hulk."
Hogan responded: "Well Booker T used to say that to me on TV and you know, every time I pull up YouTube there's that famous thing that Booker T...goes, 'I'm coming for you my n----r." He added, "They're all calling me n----r and then I started saying it and you know, I always said it but now all of a sudden I get heat when I said it."
DJ Whoo Kidd told FOX411 he was not offended by Hogan's use of the N-word in the 2012 interview.
"It was never used in a hate way...as long as he’s not using the n-word in a hateful way he doesn’t deserve to be fired," the radio personality said.
Hogan, 61, has been removed from the WWE website. When you search for Hogan on the site, he is no longer listed on the WWE Hall of Fame page, and all of his merchandise has been removed from the WWE shop.

JAMB Explains Admission Procedure To Protesting Candidates, Parents

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has said that the national cut off point for screening of candidates for admission remained the minimum expectation that each candidate desirous of university admission should have.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the board, Dr Fabian Benjamin, made available to newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos.
According to the statement, the attention of the board has been drawn to the challenge experienced by some candidates who could not access the University of Lagos site to register for the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The statement said that the board sincerely sympathised with their frustration.
“We want to seize this opportunity to state that our attention has been drawn to the agitation by some parents and students who turned out for the registration for the post JAMB screening exercise for the candidates. “We sympathise with them but wish to state categorically that the national cut off point is just the minimum expectation that each candidate desirous of university admission should have.
“However, universities are at liberty to go higher than 180, depending on their peculiarities and the performance of candidates who chose them.
“For instance, if over 10,000 candidates who made Unilag their first choice scored 250 and above, it will be difficult for them to go lower than 250 when they are to admit only about 7000.
“I wish to state that a time will come when some universities will go up to 300 as their cut off mark, depending on the performance,’’ the statement said.

It explained that because of the development, the board decided that some of the candidates who chose such institutions but fall below their cut off marks should not miss out, hence the need to send them to other schools.
The statement added that such a gesture should rather be applauded, instead of condemning the Dibu Ojerinde-led JAMB management.

Source: Vanguard

REPORT: Why Oshiomhole Is Witch-Hunting Okonjo-Iweala

Facts have emerged on the reason Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has been throwing tirades at immediate past finance minister, Dr. Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The pair have been throwing banters at each other in the past few weeks over issues bothering on misappropriation of funds, especially those of the Excess Crude Account and the NNPC accruals.

READ ALSO: Oshiomhole Indicts Okonjo-Iweala ‘Stole’ $1bn For Jonathan
A report by Thisday has now shown that the recent allegations may not be unconnected to the refusal by Okonjo-Iweala to grant loan requests by the governor to pursue financial obligations, which the then minister considered unfavourable to the interest of Edo state.
According to some documents obtained from some sources at the Debt Management Office (DMO), the Edo state governor had in a letter dated December 9, 2014, requested a “No Objection” for facilities totalling N15.37 billion, which were turned down by DMO and the minister.
It was further revealed that the Edo State Government asked for a “No Objection” for a N13.2 billion term loan from Ecobank Plc to enable the state government meet its payment obligations to contractors; a N1.03 billion term loan from Fidelity Bank Plc to meet the Edo government’s State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) 50 per cent counterpart funding obligations; and yet another N1.14 billion term loan from Ecobank Plc to meet the state’s 50 per cent counterpart funding obligations to SUBEB.
But all the requests were reportedly turned down by the ministry of finance under Okonjo-Iweala directive following the assessment and guidance provided by DMO, which observed that the loans would be inappropriate and ran contrary to the existing guidelines.
READ ALSO: Falana Calls On Okonjo-Iweala To Apologise To Nigerians
She allegedly claimed at the time, that approving the requests could put the state in a very difficult position, because it was wrong for the state government to obtain a commercial loan and repay same via a World Bank disbursement, which Edo state was expecting.
She had, through the DMO, communicated her reservations, that using a concessional World Bank facility with a 25-year tenor and a five-year grace period at 1.25 per interest rate to pay for a commercial bank loan of 23 months tenor and 18 per cent interest rate, was not only irregular but was not economically sustainable.
“In fact, World Bank rules abhor the use of the institution’s facilities to offset commercial loans,” the DMO reportedly informed in another letter in response to the Edo state government.
Thisday investigations have further revealed that Okonjo-Iweala did not just reject the loan applications, but actually offered some other solutions, including borrowing a smaller amount through a N5 billion bond with a lower interest rate than a bank loan. But Oshiomhole rejected this option.
READ ALSO: Oshiomhole Slams GEJ, Okonjo-Iweala For Denying Edo N10B
It was gathered also that Edo state was not the only state whose loan applications were not approved by the former minister. Several other states also had their applications rejected based on the results of the Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) carried out by the DMO.
Thisday sources have now stated that Oshiomhole’s sudden repeated attacks against Okonjo-Iweala were indicative of the fact that he took the minister’s rejection of the application very personally, as he desperately needed the funds before the 2015 elections.
He was also reportedly displeased with the publication of what the states as well as the federal government got from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) between 2011 and 2014 because it put the information into the hands of Edo citizens to whom he had been crying that he did not have enough money because the government at the centre was denying the state its due from the ECA.
When confronted with the documents in Thisday’s possession, the media aide to the governor, Kassim Afegbua, dismissed the reference to the loans requested by the governor, describing it as a weak attempt to whip up sentiments with the intent of masking the real issue which was the illegality perpetrated by Okonjo-Iweala “who was dipping her hand in collusion with the president into the ECA and spending money against the provision of our laws which make it mandatory for the National Economic Council (NEC) to approve withdrawals from the ECA.
READ ALSO: $2bn From ECA Was Used For Fuel Subsidy – Okonjo-Iweala
“Oshiomhole has not been making reckless accusations. Why are the minister and her co-travellers begging the issue? Are they saying Okonjo-Iweala’s dipping her hands into the ECA is acceptable under our laws?
“Are they saying that the former minister is at liberty to take money from the ECA to pay subsidy claims without the required approvals? Does she have the right to take money from the ECA running into several billions?
“Oshiomhole is not raising dust over nothing; the funds in the ECA is owned by the federal government to the tune of 52 per cent, while the states and the local governments own the balance 48 per cent.
“Under our laws, the president can’t spend the federal government’s funds without the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).”
READ ALSO: FAAC Says Okonjo-Iweala Is To Balme For $2Bn Theft
He argued further that Okonjo-Iweala had changed her position on this issue up to four times, indicating that she must have something to hide, stating: “this is simple logic, since you have been publishing the disbursement of the funds to the various state governments from the ECA, what stops you from also publishing the accruals into the same account?
“She needs to tell us the law that allows you to spend the funds in the ECA without permission. She initially said FAAC gave the approvals and FAAC said they did not and the she changed her position and said it was the president who gave the permission, but is the president permitted to do that? The answer is no.
“Instead of addressing these important issues and addressing these violations her spokesperson is feigning ignorance and begging the issue.
“They mismanaged the economy and plundered our collective patrimony with reckless abandon. She was indeed the coordinating minister of economic fraud and financial malfeasance.”
The ex-minister, in one of her replies to the governor, stated that he was suffering from numerical diarrhea.

Same Sex Marriage: More On Mugabe's Statement

Since the United States has legalized same sex, various reactions have
come up as to how good and bad the new development is.
Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe few days ago also lent his voice to
the gay marriage in a sarcastic way.
In an attempt to drive home his point concerning how bad he thinks the
same sex marriage is, the Zimbabwean president proposed to President
Barrack Obama, asking for her hands in marriage.
During the interview, he was also said to have allegedly said:
“Even satan wasn’t Gay, he chose to approach naked Eve instead of
naked Adam.”
Recall that when the then President Jonathan signed the Same-Sex Marriage
(Prohibition) Act into law in January 2014, Obama had threatened to cut off
foreign aid to Nigeria.
There was jubilation in the USA recently, following the announcement by the
Supreme Court that the country had legalised same sex marriage throughout
the federation.

UEFA eases restrictions on Manchester City, PSG

UEFA eases restrictions on Manchester City, PSG

Berlin - UEFA has eased restrictions placed last year on big-spending Manchester City and Paris St Germain as part of its break-even financial fair play rules, European soccer's governing body said on Friday.

UEFA said it had lifted a number of restrictions on transfer activity, employee expenses and number of players in UEFA club competitions which had been placed on the clubs last season.
The decision was taken after City and PSG "reached certain targets towards break-even compliance", UEFA added.
UEFA said that, in both cases, the clubs remained "under strict monitoring and has still to meet break-even targets and is therefore subject to some limitations in 2016."
UEFA did not give any further details.
- Reuters

13 parties back Buhari on appointment of new INEC Chairman

Abuja - The Coalition of Progressive Political Parties, the umbrella organisation for 13 registered political parties in Nigeria has welcomed the appointment of Amina Zakari as the Acting National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), reports Punch.
The parties applauded President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing Zakari being the most senior INEC National Commissioner when the tenure of former Chairman of the commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega expired on Tuesday.
Bashir Ibrahim, the Chairman of the Coalition and National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), condemned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for rejecting the appointment of Zakari.
He noted that the PDP is trying to lay a dangerous precedence by trying to decide for the country who becomes the INEC chairman.
He stated that the PDP criticism of the appointment is tantamount to politicising the process and the commission itself, which is capable of creating dangerous schism in the commission and generating unnecessary tension in the country.
Read more at Punch.

Read Why CBN Will Not Devalue Naira

The Central Bank of Nigeria has on Friday, June 3, disclosed that its decision not to undertake a further devaluation of the naira was borne out of the need to safeguard the Nigerian economy from the shocks and negative impact the depreciation will have on the economy.
Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governror
The CBN released the statement which was signed by its Director, Corporate Communications, Mr. Ibrahim Mu’azu, He was said to have  reacted to an article the Economist Magazine had published.
The statement maintained that the CBN does not panic and will not take desperate measures to satisfy few misguided interests in the market, Vanguard reported.
Mu’azu’s statement read that the article seems to ignore the fact that the exchange rate is simply a price that is essentially determined by the forces of supply and demand, adding that the CBN believes that the 48 per cent decline in oil prices may not be transitory and made bold policy changes including closure of the subsidized Official Foreign Exchange (Forex) Window, which resulted in a 22 per cent depreciation in the currency, the Naira.

In his words, the statement stressed that
“because the Nigerian economy is heavily dependent on imports and the exchange rate pass-through to inflation is high, we believe that this adjustment is optimal at this time.
“Contrary to the article’s argument, adjustments to a sharp decline in supply of US Dollars cannot all be borne by an indeterminate depreciation, without considering the full impact on the Nigerian economy.
“The demand side also has to be considered, not just in response to the pressure on the Naira but as an opportunity to change the economy’s structure, resuscitate local manufacturing, and expand job creation for our citizens.
“Take rice imports, for example: why should we keep allocating scarce forex to rice importers when vast amounts of paddy rice of comparable quality produced by poor hardworking local farmers across the rice belts of Nigeria are wasted, and farmers are falling deeper into poverty while we export their jobs and income to rice producing countries?”

He noted that few decades ago, Nigeria was one of the world’s largest producers of palm oil but today the country imports nearly 600,000 Metric Tonnes while Indonesia and Malaysia combine to export over 90 percent of global demand.

Uber hits roadblocks in Brazil's biggest city and capital

Sao Paulo - The Uber ride sharing service is facing roadblocks in Brazil's biggest city and in Brasilia, the country's capital.
The Sao Paulo city council voted 48-1 late Tuesday to prohibit the use of smartphone-based ridesharing applications like Uber in the city of 12 million.
The city council of the capital city of Brasilia also voted to ban taxi service applications like Uber.
The Sao Paulo measure still needs another vote and then the approval of Mayor Fernando Haddad before taking effect.
In Brasilia, the measure goes straight to federal district Gov. Rodrigo Rollemberg for his approval.
On it Facebook page, Uber said the company "defends the right of users to choose the way they want to move about the city."

PMB Tells NAHCON To Address Corruption In Hajj, Umrah

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) should address all corrupt actions that had devalued Hajj and Umrah in Nigeria according to the order of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Nigeria’s leader was speaking while receiving members of NAHCON, led by the Chairperson, Abdullahi Mukhtar, at Aso Rock villa.
Buhari also asked inter-agency cooperation between the Commission and other similar agencies to address the problems and threat of corrupt-related practices.
He said the president had ordered that such actions should be obstructed forthwith.
The chairman added that such practices comprised the matter of pilgrims paying for services not rendered to them.
Mukhtar said in some suits, those who did not have the chance to perform the Hajj or Umrah at all end up losing their money.
The prohibited operators that are not licenced to carry out the activities of either Umrah or Hajj, still playing around and carrying out the activities with impunity also will be addressed.
The chairman also said that Buhari had authorized carriers for the 2015 pilgrimage, continuing that the list would be sent to states for them to select the airlines of their choice.
The airlines comprise Max Air, Medview Airlines, Kabo Air, Planet Air, Skypower Express, Dornier Aviation, Top Brass and Hak Air.
His words: “So with this meeting, it is clear that preparations for 2015 Hajj has reached its climax. “Also, Mr President had directed that we should comply with all regulations laid out by Saudi government to ensure the success of 2015 Hajj.’’
“The Federal Government normally takes responsibility for providing medicals, security services and consular services to pilgrims and that is exactly what the government will do this year.’’
It should be noted that so far, Buhari’s discussion of his plans on corruption has been politically pragmatic, though not always consistent. Most famously, he and his team have repeatedly stated that they will “draw a line” – meaning that they will consider past offenses off limits for investigations and prosecutions.