Friday, October 25, 2013

Japan industrial output expected to recover on domestic demand


By Stanley White


TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese industrial output is expected to have rebounded in September, fuelled by strong domestic demand and business investment, a Reuters poll showed, highlighting the strength of the economy as government policies bolster growth.


Indicators of Labor demand, consumer spending and real estate investment next week are also likely to come in strong, showing that Japan is making steady progress towards beating deflation.


"Companies are going to start building up inventories to meet demand brought forward before the sales tax hike in April," said Hiroshi Miyazaki, senior economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.


"They will also produce more capital goods as capital expenditure plans are strong," he said.


Industrial production is forecast to have risen 1.8 percent in September, according to the Reuters poll, following a 0.9 percent decline in August. The data is due at 8:50 a.m. on Wednesday in Tokyo (1950 ET Tuesday).


Manufacturers, surveyed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, will also give forecasts for production in October and November, which will help measure how quickly output will grow as the year-end approaches.


The jobs-to-applicants ratio, a measure of Labor demand, is expected to have risen to a five-year high of 0.96 in September from 0.95 in the previous month, the survey also showed.


Growing demand for workers is a positive sign in Japan's battle to end 15 years of deflation as this should push wages higher and spur consumption.


Household spending in September likely rose 0.5 percent from a year earlier, recovering from a 1.6 percent slide in August, the poll showed. Retail sales are forecast to have risen 1.9 percent year-on-year in September, up for the second straight month in a sign of solid consumer sentiment.


The employment, household spending and retail statistics are all scheduled for release on Tuesday morning in Tokyo.


Japan's property market has been another bright spot as people rush to buy homes and apartments before an increase in the sales tax in April to 8 percent from 5 percent.


Data due at 2 p.m. (0100 ET) on Thursday is expected to show that housing starts jumped an annual 12.2 percent in September after a 12.0 percent rise in August.


Japan's economic growth has outpaced its Group of 7 rich-country peers so far this year as stock market gains stoked personal consumption, prompting some companies in the service sector to expand payrolls.


There is also growing evidence that companies are more willing to raise wages and invest in factories and equipment, two steps that many government officials say are necessary for Japan to end deflation and shift its economy into a higher gear.


(Editing by Chris Gallagher)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/japan-industrial-output-expected-recover-domestic-demand-093247471--business.html
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Engadget Eurocast 040 - 10.24.13

This week's Eurocast is all about the numbers. Nokia's 1520, 2520, 1320 and 1520. Phew! Our host Daniel Cooper feels they've gone in the wrong direction with all those digits, but its new pal and partner Microsoft, on the other hand, chose to keep it simple, dropping the RT and going with the ...


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/w59V6vlvjJ4/
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50 Shades Of Grey Casting Not Complete! Who Will Play Elliot Grey And Kate Kavanagh??!


jamie dornan 50 gallery edit


The search for seksi Christian Grey appears to be over!


Now that Jamie Dornan is tied down to take Dakota Johnson to Poundtown, it's only a matter of time before the rest of the Fifty Shades Of Grey cast gets filled out!


But who do you want to see in these roles?!


Don't you think Blake Lively would be oh so delectable as Anastasia drop dead gorgeous roommate, Kate Kavanagh?


Or how dreamy would Chris Hemsworth be as Christian's hunky big brother Elliot Grey?


We've lined up all of our own personal frontrunners for these supporting parts! And we're hoping our fantasies become reality real soon!


CLICK HERE to see the gallery, "50 Shades Of Grey: Who Will Be Cast As Elliot Grey And Kate Kavanagh??!"


CLICK HERE to see the gallery, "50 Shades Of Grey: Who Will Be Cast As Elliot Grey And Kate Kavanagh??!"


CLICK HERE to see the gallery, "50 Shades Of Grey: Who Will Be Cast As Elliot Grey And Kate Kavanagh??!"


CLICK HERE to see the gallery, "50 Shades Of Grey: Who Will Be Cast As Elliot Grey And Kate Kavanagh??!"


CLICK HERE to see the gallery, "50 Shades Of Grey: Who Will Be Cast As Elliot Grey And Kate Kavanagh??!"



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Source: http://perezhilton.com/2013-10-24-50-shades-of-grey-casting-not-over-who-will-play-elliot-grey-and-kate-kavanagh
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Met Museum, NYC amend lease over admission fees

(AP) — The Metropolitan Museum of Art says it has signed an amendment to its lease with New York City that confirms the museum can set its own admission fees.

The amendment comes as the museum faces lawsuits filed earlier this year that accuse the Met of fooling visitors into thinking they have to pay.

The museum says a policy requiring visitors to pay at least something has been around for four decades, and the amendment codifies it in the lease and also gives the museum the ability to consider any other price modifications it might need in the future.

A lawyer for the museum visitors who sued said Thursday the change is actually an admission that the museum didn't have the authority to charge fees over those years.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-10-24-Museum%20Admissions/id-559906b9b90c46c5abff19647336b8d6
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Thursday, October 24, 2013

Zac Hanson, Wife Kate Welcome Third Child, Baby Boy George Abraham Walker


MMMBaby! Zac Hanson has become a dad for the third time, a rep for the musician confirms to Us Weekly. The "MMMBop" singer and his wife Kate welcomed a baby boy on Thursday, Oct. 17.


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"We are very excited to share the addition of George Abraham Walker Hanson to our growing family," Zac tells Us. "Abraham is healthy and we are happily sharing a little down time together as a family." The couple's new baby boy arrived weighing 8 lbs. and 7 oz.


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Hanson, 27, confirmed to Us in May that he and his wife were expecting again. "We are so happy and thankful to add more life and love to our family!" the singer said.


He added: "It's fun this time to watch the little ones so excitedly anticipating their new sibling."


PHOTOS: Young celebrity parents


Zac and Kate, 29, married in 2006 and already have two children together -- son Shepherd, 5, and daughter Junia Rosa Ruth, 2.


The couple's new addition will sure have plenty of cousins to call his playmates. The new bundle of joy now joins Zac's nieces and nephews. His brother Isaac, 32, has two kids with his wife Nicole -- daughter Everett, 6, and son James Monroe, 4. Frontman Taylor, 30, has five kids with his wife Natalie -- Ezra, 10, Penelope, 8, River, 6, Viggo, 4, and Wilhelmina Jane, 12 months.


Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/zac-hanson-wife-kate-welcome-third-child-baby-boy-george-abraham-walker-20132410
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British newspapers to seek judicial review of tougher regulation


LONDON (Reuters) - A newspaper industry group will go to court on Friday to seek a judicial review of plans by the British government for tougher press regulation following a string of high-profile scandals.


Last November, senior judge Brian Leveson concluded a year-long public inquiry into press ethics with a 1,987-page report denouncing some newspaper tactics and calling for an industry watchdog, enshrined in law, to regulate journalists' behavior.


Earlier this month the three main political parties reached a deal after months of fraught debate, announcing a new set of rules to regulate the often rough-and-tumble press.


The government said the parties had agreed a system to be enshrined under a Royal Charter setting out a code of practice to editors, with an arbitration system to deal with complaints.


Some proposals were amended in response to press lobbying, including one that would require those wishing to complain about the media to pay a small fee, and another that would allow editors to play a greater role on the regulatory committee.


But the newspaper industry remained concerned that the current package could curtail press freedom, and so decided to ask for judges to check the legal basis of the decision to reject their own counter-proposal.


The Press Standards Board of Finance, which funds the current system, blamed the government for their decision to launch a legal challenge, saying it should have done more to protect press freedom in its new proposals.


"They singularly failed to do so, and that is why - as the issues at stake are so extraordinarily high - we are having to take this course of action," Chairman Guy Black said in a statement on Thursday.


The group will apply for a judicial review at London's High Court on Friday. This could delay implementation of the new rules despite opposition from high-profile celebrity victims and members of the public who have fallen foul of press abuse.


Hacked Off, a group set up on behalf of those who feel mistreated by the press, faulted Thursday's decision, accusing parts of the newspaper industry of being "desperate and deaf".


In a statement, the government defended its proposals, arguing they struck the right balance press freedom and safeguards for victims.


(Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/british-newspapers-seek-judicial-review-tougher-regulation-210031233--finance.html
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Jamie Dornan replaces Hunnam in 'Fifty Shades'

In this photo released by ABC, Jamie Dornan guest stars as Sheriff Graham on ABC's "Once Upon a Time." “Fifty Shades of Grey” has its male lead, again. Dornan has been cast as Christian Grey, the lead role that Charlie Hunnam withdrew from recently. (AP Photo/ABC, Craig Sjodin/Kharen Hill)







In this photo released by ABC, Jamie Dornan guest stars as Sheriff Graham on ABC's "Once Upon a Time." “Fifty Shades of Grey” has its male lead, again. Dornan has been cast as Christian Grey, the lead role that Charlie Hunnam withdrew from recently. (AP Photo/ABC, Craig Sjodin/Kharen Hill)







(AP) — "Fifty Shades of Grey" has its male lead, again.

Jamie Dornan has been cast as Christian Grey, the lead role that Charlie Hunnam withdrew from recently. Dornan will star alongside female lead Dakota Johnson, with Sam Taylor-Johnson directing. Shooting is planned to begin in November, with a release in August next year.

Hunnam's departure left the project momentarily reeling. The big-screen adaption of E L James' bestselling erotic novel has been carefully followed by its fans, who were critical of Hunnam's casting.

The 31-year-old Dornan, a former model from Northern Ireland, is relatively unknown. He's starred in the British TV series "The Fall" and the ABC series "Once Upon a Time."

Unlike with Hunnam, social media reaction to Dornan's casting was generally positive.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-10-24-Film-50%20Shades%20of%20Grey/id-e195d72b155e4e4c8f16bac76c52acbc
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