Category Archives: News

Gravity Back At IMAX By Popular Demand

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gravity returns to the IMAXGravity returns to IMAX cinemas across the UK thanks to overwhelming demand from cinemagoers.

Alfonso Cuarón’s spectacular sci-fi thriller starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney is considered by critics and the public alike as one of the best films of 2013. Since opening in October 2013, the film has become the highest-grossing IMAX release of 2013 in the UK and worldwide and is so far the seventh biggest IMAX release of all time in the UK.

Gravity is dominating awards season, most recently leading the 2014 BAFTA nominations this week where it secured 11 nominations, including Best Film and Outstanding British Film, with Director and Leading Actress nominations for Cuarón and Sandra Bullock.  It is also nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, taking place this Sunday.

Greg Foster, CEO of IMAX Entertainment and Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. said, “We couldn’t be happier with the overwhelming success of Gravity and the continued demand we’re seeing from UK cinemagoers to bring it back in IMAX.  Word of mouth around this film has been tremendous, with fans and critics across the globe demanding that Gravity must be experienced in the most immersive way possible.

“Hats off to our partners Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman and Warner Bros. for delivering this breath-taking and relentless journey that is truly worthy of the big screen. Gravity has surely cemented its place in cinema history and we’re thrilled to provide fans the opportunity to see it again, or to offer anyone who missed it another chance to see what all the fuss is about.”

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BBC To Commercialise World Service

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BBC_TV_CentreThe BBC have unveiled plans to commercialise the 80-year-old World Service, causing anger in some parts.  Coverage of politics will be downplayed. The BBC is to take over funding of the World Service from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It will transfer to licence-fee funding in April. One of the reforms may be advertising on the site, which staff believe that the changes are in part to attract advertisers, outside of the UK the BBC relies on commercials on it’s channels and websites. BBC Global News Ltd lost £800,000 last year, and £21million was lost in the UK operation according to accounts, most of the loss was offset by advertising and sponsorship money made overseas.

A spokesperson for the BBC told The Independent: “The BBC’s reputation for providing impartial and independent news will always take precedence over wider commercial goals. Our experience with World News, bbc.com and some limited World Service commercial activity shows that these forms of funding are generally accepted by audiences outside the UK, and that editorial standards and public service priorities can be maintained.”

 

However Shadow culture minister Helen Goodman said: “The proposed drift away from the core purpose of the World Service is precisely what people feared when this Government said that the Foreign Office would no longer finance it. It’s really important that the World Service stays on mission as a reliable, truthful broadcaster of important news to people in places where this is not otherwise available.”

 

What do you think? Is commercialisation a good or bad thing? Is this just a sign of the times?

 

2013 In Brief

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January

Rail fares rise by 4.3 per cent in the UK, It is revealed that Jimmy Savile is the UK’s most prolific sex offender, making a scandal that rumbles on for the rest of the year. Tesco, Aldi, Lidl and Iceland are forced to remove ‘beef’ products that are contaminated by horse meat. Barack Obama is inaugurated for his second term as US president.

February

The skeleton of King Richard III is discovered under a Leicester car park. He promptly wins hide and seek winner of 1485, Pope Benedict XVI resigns, the first ever pontiff to do so, The House of Commons votes in favour of legislation to introduce same-sex marriage by 400 votes to 175, Oscar Pistorius is charged with murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at his home in Pretoria. He says he shot her because he thought she was a burglar. Daniel Day-Lewis and Jennifer Lawrence win Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the Oscars. Argo wins best film.

March

After having cancer for over a year, Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela, dies at the age of 58, After a nuclear test, UN Security Council passes strict new sanctions against North Korea, 76-year-old Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio becomes the 266th pontiff, Amanda Knox is acquitted of the murder of Meridith Kercher on appeal by Italy’s supreme court.

April

Margaret Thatcher dies aged 87 after a stroke. She was prime minister from 1979 to 1990 and is still the UK’s only female prime minister, Nicolas Maduro becomes Venezuelan president. He is a former bus driver and remains down-to-earth, the 117 Boston marathon is bombed, killing five people and injuring a further 264. An eight-storey building collapses in Bangladesh. It kills 1,129 people and injures another 2,515. Primark and Walmart, are just two of the big brands it produced clothes for.

Angelina Jolie has breasts removed.

May

James McCormick is sent to prison for selling fake bomb detectors. The UN and Iraqi security forces were just two of his buyers, Amanda Berry escapes the clutches of Ariel Castro who had held her captive in his home in Cleveland, Ohio, since 2003 along with two other women and a child, Sir Alex Ferguson retires, Angelina Jolie reveals that she had a double mastectomy, A 295mph tornado strikes Moore, Oklahoma, killing 23 people, Lee Rigby, who was a Drummer of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, is murdered near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, Southeast London, creating shockwaves around the world at the brutality of his murder. His killers are later shot by the police but survive to be charged.

June

Details of the NSA surveillance programme are leaked and published. They show that Apple, Google, and Microsoft all allow the NSA direct access to their servers. The papers are published by The Guardian and The Washington Post. Edward Snowden later reveals himself as the source and takes refuge in Hong Kong, Charles Saatchi is photographed with his hands around wife Nigella Lawson’s throat, they separate and their divorce turns ugly, Australia’s first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, is forced to step down, Protests across Egypt call for the resignation of President Mohamed Morsi.

July

Mark Carney becomes the new Governor of the Bank of England, President Mohamed Morsi is deposed in a military coup, Andy Murray becomes the first British man to win Wimbledon since 1936, George Zimmerman is acquitted over the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida, Same-sex marriage becomes legal in England and Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge welcome their first child, Prince George of Cambridge.

August

Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos buys The Washington Post for $250m, Edward Snowden is temporarily granted asylum in Russia, Physiologist Mark Post creates the first bovine stem cells lab-grown burger, Supporters of disposed President Morsi are massacred by the security services In what the Human Rights Watch describe as “the most serious incident of mass unlawful killings in modern Egyptian history”, Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning is sentenced for giving confidential government information to WikiLeaks, he gets 35 years imprisonment, The badger cull begins in Somerset and Gloucestershire, Over 1,429 people are killed in chemical attacks in Damascus. Secretary of State John Kerry calls it a “moral obscenity”

September

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee backs military action against Syria, Greenpeace activists are arrested by Russian authorities in the Barents Sea. They become known as The Arctic 30 and a campaign for their release begins, Sixty-two people are killed and another 170 are wounded when Al-Shabaab militants attack the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi, Ed Miliband goes to war against the Daily Mail after it describes his late father as “the man who hated Britain”.

October

A boat carrying migrants from Libya sinks off the Italian island of Lampedusa killing 359 people, The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons win the The Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to Peter Higgs and Francois Englert for their discovery of the Higgs boson, otherwise known as the God Particle, There is a breakthrough in the cure for Alzheimer’s disease after the discovery of a drug-like compound which halts brain cell death in mice, The Royal Mail floats and shares are oversubscribed.

November

Storms cause damage all over the UK, Typhoon Haiyan hits the Philippines, killing over 6000 people, Former chairman of the Co-operative Bank, Paul Flowers, is caught in a sting buying crystal meth and crack cocaine by a newspaper, First members of the Arctic 30 are released, Lostprophets lead singer Ian Watkins pleads guilty to child sex charges. Ten people are killed after a helicopter crashes into the Clutha bar in Glasgow.

Nadezhda_Tolokonnikova_(Pussy_Riot)_at_the_Moscow_Tagansky_District_Court_-_Denis_Bochkarev

December

Nelson Mandela dies aged 95, Jang Song-Thaek, uncle of Kim Jong-un is executed, The UN makes a £4bn aid appeal for Syria its biggest ever appeal, Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs dies aged 84, The ceiling of the London’s Apollo Theatre collapses, injuring 92 people. The acting world mourns as Peter O’Toole and Joan Fontaine die. The Pussy Riots are released.

PR Fired After Racist Aids Tweet

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Justine Sacco, formally the head of corporate communications for Barry Diller’s New York-based internet empire InterActive Corp, has been fired after a racist tweet which went viral while she was in the air for an 11-hour flight from London to Cape Town, where she flew to be with her family over Christmas. Sacco issued a statement on Sunday to the Star newspaper in South Africa. She also deleted the tweet and then her entire twitter account after landing. The tweet (below) was retweeted over 2000 times and went viral after Buzzfeed picked it up and the hashtag #HasJustineLandedYet trended.

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In her statement Sacco said she was in “anguish knowing that my remarks have caused pain to so many people. Words cannot express how sorry I am, and how necessary it is for me to apologize to the people of South Africa, who I have offended due to a needless and careless tweet.

There is an AIDS crisis taking place in this country, that we read about in America, but do not live with or face on a continuous basis. Unfortunately, it is terribly easy to be cavalier about an epidemic that one has never witnessed firsthand.”

Sacco was born in South Africa and her father still lives there.

And the best response is this tweet from Ellie mac @ellenmc

 

What do you think?

Digital Detoxes to Celebrity Chefs, Experience Next Year’s Biggest Travel Trends

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Digital detoxes, farm-to-fork cuisine and opulent spa treatments are just a few of the travel trends predicted to attract holidaymakers in 2014. With travellers demanding more than ever from their well-earned holidays, Orient-Express Hotels Ltd.’s luxury hotels, trains and cruises offer a range of on-trend experiences and packages to cater to the 21st-century traveller’s every whim.

travel trends

Holidays are no longer seen as an excuse to over-indulge, with an increasing number of travellers looking to maintain their exercise regime during a ‘Fitness Fusion’ break. Guests at Napasai on Koh Samui, Thailand can discover the ancient art of Muay Thai in the hotel’s authentic Thai boxing ring; La Residencé Phou Vao in Luang Prabang, Laos has introduced archery lessons in its UNESCO World Heritage garden; and golf enthusiasts can improve their swing during a golf tour on The Royal Scotsman, the UK’s only luxury sleeper train. Athletic types can discover local sites during a jogging tour with a personal trainer at Hotel Caruso in Ravello, Italy or take on even tougher fitness challenges such as the Angkor Wat Half Marathon at La Residencé d’Angkor in Siem Reap, Cambodia and the Madrid Marathon at Hotel Ritz Madrid in Spain.

Given that many people now sleep next to their mobile phones, it’s unsurprising they crave a ‘Digital Detox’ to escape the demands of modern technology while on holiday. Luxury river cruisers Orcaella and Road to Mandalay in remote Myanmar offer the ultimate switch-off experience, with no Wi-Fi or phone reception to distract guests from the spectacular backdrop of golden temples and remote villages. Limited internet access on board the barges of Afloat in France also encourages quality family time, as children abandon their iPads to help the crew navigate through scenic Burgundy.

The public’s passion for ‘Celebrity Chefs’ shows no signs of waning in 2014 and travellers can now engage with their favourite culinary masterminds on holiday. Next year, some of the UK’s most celebrated chefs including Marcus Wareing, James Martin, Tom Kerridge and Raymond Blanc are set to create pop-up dinners on board luxury UK day train the British Pullman, while Ken Hom will front a new Pan Asian restaurant at the iconic Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janerio, Brazil.

Travellers are increasingly eager to broaden their skillset on holiday with ‘Brain-Boosting Experiences’ led by experts. Next November, acclaimed author Alexander McCall Smith will lead an intimate six-day safari through the setting of his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series at Eagle Island Camp, Savute Elephant Camp and Khwai River Lodge in Botswana, Southern Africa. Guests at Jimbaran Puri Bali in Jimbaran Bay, Bali can create their own scent during a perfume making workshop, while drink connoisseurs can meet winemakers during Afloat in France’s week-long Grands Crus Cruise and take a four-night whisky tour on board The Royal Scotsman, partnered with The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Back in the UK, budding chefs can spend a day in the Michelin starred kitchen at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire.

People have never been more conscious of what they eat, with an increasing focus on locally produced, ‘Farm to Fork’ cuisine that extends to their holiday. Guests at Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa can experience the trend first hand during an urban foraging experience, collecting culinary treats from the local landscape which are then prepared by the hotel chefs. In another nod to sustainable produce, El Encanto in Santa Barbara, California produces branded cheese using milk from the hotel’s own cow, Ellie, and prepares restaurant dishes using ingredients from an on-site organic garden.

Spas are getting even more creative with their treatments, with a focus on opulent and unusual ‘Treasure Treatments’ in 2014. Charleston Place in South Carolina, USA offers an exclusive 24-carat gold facial, guests at Reid’s Palace on Madeira, Portugal can indulge in a luxurious body treatment using caviar and the spa menu at La Residencia in Deia, Mallorca includes a purifying treatment containing diamond dust.

Once-in-a-lifetime experiences are more popular than ever as travellers strive to make the most of their time away with ‘YOLO’ (‘you only live once’) and ‘FOMO’ (‘fear of missing out’) activities. Guests at La Residencé d’Angkor can capture the ultimate Kodak moment during an open-sided helicopter ride over Cambodia’s world-famous Angkor temple complex. Hotel das Cataratas in Iguassu, Brazil, offers a thrilling flight over the spectacular Iguassu Falls and luxury sleeper train, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, evokes the golden age of travel during an unforgettable journey from Venice to Istanbul, passing through Bulgaria, Bucharest, Budapest and Vienna.

Further details or to book, please call the UK Reservations team on 0845 077 2222 or visit www.orient-express.com.

Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines: Eye Witness Report

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Typhoon Haiyan, phillipines, Aid worker, Sandra Bulling, CARE International, is with CARE’s Emergency Team in the areas affected by the Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Nov. 11, 2013, 19:00 local time

 

“We arrived by boat at the port in Ormoc City. As soon as we stepped onto the port, we were in the middle of a disaster zone. Everything was destroyed. Tin roofing sheets were hanging off trees like wet blankets.

 

“All the houses along the coast are completely flattened. Everything is destroyed. Further inland, about 80 percent of the houses are roofless. About five percent of the houses are completely collapsed – these are mainly wooden houses. It seems like everyone we’ve seen has a hammer or tools in their hands, trying to repair their houses and their roofs. People are picking up poles and pieces of wood from the street. There are long queues at hardware stores, pharmacies. We waited in line for two hours to get fuel. So far the roads are okay, but it’s taking a long time to get anywhere.

 

“I talked to a shop owner whose shop was destroyed; he lost everything. He’s wondering how he’s going to feed his five children. I also met a little girl, who was trying to dry out her books. Her house was totally destroyed, but there she was, worried about her school books, because she wants to go to school. And it’s the only thing she has left.

 

“We just arrived in Jaro, a small town on the way to Tacloban. It’s dark now, so we can’t go any further. We’re staying in the police station tonight – not sure where we’ll sleep, maybe in the car, or outside. There’s an electricity pole that’s leaning dangerously over the police station, so everyone is trying to steer clear of that. Thank  you to the police for letting us use their toilets! Our plan is to go to Dulag, just south of Tacloban. Our driver just came from there, and says it’s very bad, and they need help.

 

“People are becoming quite desperate. Some officials just came and told us that there has been looting in the area, people trying to get rice for their families. People haven’t had food for three days, and they’re trying to feed their families. That’s why it’s so important to get food and emergency supplies in to these areas as soon as possible. In Ormoc, there was food; we could buy chicken and rice. But there were big queues at the food stalls and shops. We’re in an urban area now, and I don’t even want to think what it’s like the rural areas. We’ll start moving again at first light. I don’t think anyone is going to get any sleep tonight.”

 

The Great Wings Challenge London

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FRANK’S RedHot present The Ultimate Eating Competition in London!

 

Fancy a tasty challenge? With the rise of food challenges, following the success of TV programs such as Man V Food, we would all like to think we can get our teeth stuck into an eating competition! Well, FRANK’S RedHot is hosting one and asking how many Buffalo wings you can eat in five minutes? Taking place at StickyWings on Brick Lane on Sunday 13th of October, FRANK’S RedHot will be opening its doors between 1pm and 10pm to host a five minute four-person battle on the hour every hour. People will be treated to an afternoon and evening of eating, great fun and a healthy level of competitive spirit!

 

Competitions have already taken place in Bristol and Manchester where regional winners have been selected. Following the event on the 13th, two London winners will complete the four person line-up for an epic wing eating competition final which will be held on the 14th of November at 7pm at StickyWings. One person will be crowned ‘The Official FRANK’S RedHot Wings Eating Champion 2013’ and will be awarded a prize of £1500.

 

Come along and enjoy the original mouth-watering FRANK’S RedHot Buffalo wings, served exactly as they were in Anchor Bar back in ’64 in the UK’s very own Buffalo Wing Shack.

 

There is a small fee of £10 to enter so sign up at https://battleofbones.eventbrite.co.uk/ or in person at StickyWings Restaurant, 40 Brick Lane, to take part in one of the five minute London slots and be in with a chance of holding the ultimate title of FRANK’S RedHot Wings Eating Champion.

 

Lima Becomes Europe’s First Michelin Starred Peruvian Restaurant

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It was announced this morning in the 2014 Michelin Guide for UK & Ireland that LIMA restaurant in London’s Fitzrovia has achieved the distinction of becoming the first ever Peruvian restaurant in the UK and Europe to be awarded a coveted Michelin star.

 

The announcement was made at 7.00am this morning by Michelin which is arguably the most revered of all restaurant guides.   Having opened in August 2012 to critical acclaim, LIMA is the creation of executive chef Virgilio Martinez and the Gonzalez brothers. The menu, overseen by Martinez and head chef Robert Ortiz, integrates both traditional and contemporary Peruvian cuisine, representing the gastronomic expansion that has taken place in Peru in recent years.

 

Gabriel Gonzalez, co-owner of LIMA, said, “A Michelin star is an incredible accomplishment. I am so proud of Robert Ortiz and the team at LIMA who work to exceptional standards at every service, and feel this really is a testament to all of our hard work over the past year. To be the first Peruvian restaurant to achieve a star in UK and Europe is a huge accolade.”

 

Having opened only 13 months ago, Lima has undoubtedly played a huge part in the growing recognition and popularity of Peruvian food in the UK.

 

LIMA

31 Rathbone Place

London

W1T 1JH

www.limalondon.com

@Lima_London