Jim Broadbent has signed up to play a "significant role" in the seventh season of Game of Thrones.
Details of the character the Oscar-winning British actor will play in the hit HBO series, shown on Sky Atlantic in the UK, are being kept under wraps.
The penultimate series is to be filmed in Northern Ireland, Iceland and Spain and the seven episodes - three short of the usual 10 - will premiere next summer.
News that Broadbent, 67, is joining the cast prompted excitement among Games of Thrones fans, with filming in Northern Ireland expected to start imminently.
Tell-tale GOT signs have been spotted near Titanic Studios in Belfast in recent days and cast member Maisie Williams hinted at her arrival with a tweet about visiting a popular Mexican restaurant in the city.
Williams, 19, teased fans earlier this month - telling them "nothing will prepare" them for the plot twists to come as she read through her scripts.
She tweeted: "Holy BALLS. Just finished reading season 7. I'd start preparing yourselves now.
"Scratch that, nothing will prepare you for this. S*** gets REAL."
Broadbent won his best supporting actor Oscar in 2002 for his role as John Bayley in Iris.
He has also picked up Golden Globes and BAFTAs for Moulin Rouge! and Longford and has past form in a fantasy series - having played Horace Slughorn in the Harry Potter films.
In fact he is the third actor to move from the wizard films to Westeros.
David Bradley played Argus Filch in the Harry Potter films before joining Game of Thrones as villain Walder Frey.
Ciaran Hinds was Albus Dumbledore's brother Aberforth in the Potter series before appearing as Night's Watch member Mance Ryder in Game of Thrones.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Gourmet Burger Kitchen Swallowed By Wimpy Owner Famous Brands
The high-end UK burger chain Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) is to change hands in a £120m deal.
The company is to be bought by the owner of Wimpy, Famous Brands, which said it viewed the purchase as an opportunity to go upmarket.
GBK has grown to 75 restaurants since it was bought from its founders in 2010 by South African private equity vehicle Yellowwoods.
It was confirmed that the chain's current management team and staff would remain in place.
Famous Brands added that it saw plenty of scope to double GBK's footprint through the opening of more outlets over the next five years - with 10-15 new restaurants in the UK alone annually.
"The low interest environment in the UK is supportive of continued consumer spend, while the impact of fears of Brexit on this sector appear negligible - endorsed by a recent survey which confirms that despite the generally subdued economy, household spend in the Eating Out category is up 4% year on year in June 2016."
GBK recently secured an agreement to buy back five franchises in Ireland and Famous Brands said it was considering opening up in South Africa.
Its group strategic adviser, Kevin Hedderwick, said: "We've been looking to expand our presence in the UK market for some time, and the acquisition of GBK was the perfect opportunity for us to do this.
"Not only will this enhance our existing income stream with currency earned outside of Africa, it simultaneously up-weighs Famous Brand to a higher league."
The company is to be bought by the owner of Wimpy, Famous Brands, which said it viewed the purchase as an opportunity to go upmarket.
GBK has grown to 75 restaurants since it was bought from its founders in 2010 by South African private equity vehicle Yellowwoods.
It was confirmed that the chain's current management team and staff would remain in place.
Famous Brands added that it saw plenty of scope to double GBK's footprint through the opening of more outlets over the next five years - with 10-15 new restaurants in the UK alone annually.
"The low interest environment in the UK is supportive of continued consumer spend, while the impact of fears of Brexit on this sector appear negligible - endorsed by a recent survey which confirms that despite the generally subdued economy, household spend in the Eating Out category is up 4% year on year in June 2016."
GBK recently secured an agreement to buy back five franchises in Ireland and Famous Brands said it was considering opening up in South Africa.
Its group strategic adviser, Kevin Hedderwick, said: "We've been looking to expand our presence in the UK market for some time, and the acquisition of GBK was the perfect opportunity for us to do this.
"Not only will this enhance our existing income stream with currency earned outside of Africa, it simultaneously up-weighs Famous Brand to a higher league."
Twin Stars Orbited By Three Giant Planets Discovered
Astronomers have discovered a trio of giant planets orbiting a pair of stellar 'twins' similar to our sun.
The twin stars - known as HD 133121A and HD 133131B - circle each other just 33.5 billion miles apart, a third of the distance of other binary systems.
Because of this, the three giant planets which they host are likely to have been scorched by their immense heat.
Astronomers also believe that one of the stars may have swallowed some smaller planets in the past.
HD 133121A has two planets - one about 1.5 times the size of Jupiter and another half the size of Jupiter.
Its twin hosts a third planet that is 2.5 times the mass of Jupiter. Finding such huge planets is extremely rare.
Dr Johanna Teske, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington DC, said: "We are trying to figure out if giant planets like Jupiter often have long and eccentric orbits.
"If this is the case, it would be an important clue to figuring out the process by which our Solar System formed, and might help us understand where habitable planets are likely to be found."
The stars were first spotted by the Planet Finder Spectrograph on the Magellan Clay Telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.
They are relatively old stars, at about 9.5 billion years old, and are mainly composed of hydrogen and helium.
Details of the system are published in The Astronomical Journal, including the theory that one of the stars could have swallowed up some baby planets early in its life.
The twin stars - known as HD 133121A and HD 133131B - circle each other just 33.5 billion miles apart, a third of the distance of other binary systems.
Because of this, the three giant planets which they host are likely to have been scorched by their immense heat.
Astronomers also believe that one of the stars may have swallowed some smaller planets in the past.
HD 133121A has two planets - one about 1.5 times the size of Jupiter and another half the size of Jupiter.
Its twin hosts a third planet that is 2.5 times the mass of Jupiter. Finding such huge planets is extremely rare.
Dr Johanna Teske, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington DC, said: "We are trying to figure out if giant planets like Jupiter often have long and eccentric orbits.
"If this is the case, it would be an important clue to figuring out the process by which our Solar System formed, and might help us understand where habitable planets are likely to be found."
The stars were first spotted by the Planet Finder Spectrograph on the Magellan Clay Telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.
They are relatively old stars, at about 9.5 billion years old, and are mainly composed of hydrogen and helium.
Details of the system are published in The Astronomical Journal, including the theory that one of the stars could have swallowed up some baby planets early in its life.
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Donald Trump In War Of Words With Mexico Over 'The Wall'
Donald Trump has dismissed the Mexican President's warning that his country will not pay for a wall along the US border to clamp down on illegal immigration, saying: "They don't know it yet, but they're going to pay for it."
Hours after the Republican nominee made a surprise visit to Mexico, and appeared uncharacteristically toned down as he shared a stage with President Enrique Pena Nieto, Mr Trump was in bombastic form as he unveiled a hard-hitting plan to curb illegal immigration from the Americas.
Back on home soil in Arizona, he told cheering crowds of his plan to fit the wall along the US southern border with sensors to detect tunnels used for trafficking people and drugs - vowing to significantly increase patrol staff along the border.
His 10-point plan includes an end to "catch and release" - the practice of letting illegal immigrants go immediately after they are detained.
Instead, Mr Trump pledged to "take them great distances" in their home country to deter them from attempting to cross into the US again.
The candidate also devoted considerable time in his landmark speech to the millions of illegal immigrants already in the US.
Mr Trump poured scorn on Barack Obama's amnesty for law-abiding illegal immigrants who live and work in the US, and said those who have overstayed their visas will be returned back to their home country and made to re-apply for citizenship.
biometric visa system would also be reintroduced to end visa overstays for good - and he said two of the attackers on 9/11 could have been thwarted if such a system had been introduced sooner.
He pledged there would be a "zero tolerance" for migrants who commit crime in the US - and he would force their home countries to take them back, even if they didn't want to.
Criminals who attempted to re-enter the US would then be given "strong" sentences.
Visas for countries where adequate screening cannot occur would also be suspended, Mr Trump said.
He warned it was dangerous to offer an open door to refugees from the likes of Syria and Libya where there was no paperwork and little detail on their background.
Even though Mr Trump and Mexico's President appeared to end their meeting on good terms, Mr Pena Nieto later said some of the policies detailed in the Republican's speech represented a threat to Mexico.
May's Crusade To Help Britons 'Who Just About Manage'
The Prime Minister is to launch her social reform crusade with a pledge to make life easier for people "who just about manage".
Theresa May will chair the first meeting of a new cabinet committee which she says will focus on making the UK better for everyone, not just the privileged few.
According to Number 10, she will highlight the progress made in recent years on issues such as school choice and employment, but make clear her new government plans to go much further.
Mrs May said: "At the same time as helping the most vulnerable, we must pursue social reform in a much broader sense to help make life easier for the majority of people in this country who just about manage.
"You might have a job but you don't always have job security. You may have your own home, but you worry about paying a mortgage.
"You can just about manage but you worry about the cost of living and getting your kids into a good school.
"So while we continue to help the worst off, we will also be focused on the millions of people for whom life is a struggle and who work all hours to keep their heads above water."
The Prime Minister has already set out her determination to tackle social injustices - and last week, ordered the first-ever audit of racial disparities in public service outcomes.
Theresa May will chair the first meeting of a new cabinet committee which she says will focus on making the UK better for everyone, not just the privileged few.
According to Number 10, she will highlight the progress made in recent years on issues such as school choice and employment, but make clear her new government plans to go much further.
Mrs May said: "At the same time as helping the most vulnerable, we must pursue social reform in a much broader sense to help make life easier for the majority of people in this country who just about manage.
"You might have a job but you don't always have job security. You may have your own home, but you worry about paying a mortgage.
"You can just about manage but you worry about the cost of living and getting your kids into a good school.
"So while we continue to help the worst off, we will also be focused on the millions of people for whom life is a struggle and who work all hours to keep their heads above water."
The Prime Minister has already set out her determination to tackle social injustices - and last week, ordered the first-ever audit of racial disparities in public service outcomes.
The Government says the results of this audit will give every person the ability to check how their race affects the way they are treated by public services, and the information will also help government and the public force poor-performing services to improve.
The Social Reform Committee will meet regularly and will bring together cabinet ministers from nine government departments.
Downing Street says it will oversee and agree social policy reforms and lead the government's work to increase social mobility, deliver social justice and make Britain a country that works for everyone.
The Social Reform Committee will meet regularly and will bring together cabinet ministers from nine government departments.
Downing Street says it will oversee and agree social policy reforms and lead the government's work to increase social mobility, deliver social justice and make Britain a country that works for everyone.
Owner Gives Car Restorer Business To Workers
The owner of a classic car restorer has handed over the company to its employees.
Peter Neumark, 67, said he and co-founder Nick Goldthorp felt they had a "duty to oversee a passing of responsibility" at the company, Classic Motor Cars Ltd, that they started in 1993.
Mr Neumark has transferred his majority stake in the company to an employee shareholder trust.
The trust will own and run the business for the benefit of its staff, who number more than 60.
Based in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, the company had a turnover of £5.2m last year.
It restores classic cars such as Jaguar, Aston Martin and Lancia models.
Mr Neumark said an ownership structure similar to that of the John Lewis Partnership was the best home for the company to ensure its future.
He said it was seen as "safeguarding the jobs of its highly-skilled workforce and providing stability for future jobs and prospects".
Deb Oxley, chief executive of the Employee Ownership Association (EOA), said it was the "perfect example" to other company owners thinking about retirement.
She said these types of businesses "demonstrate their commitment to rewarding the contribution staff make to a company's success by offering all employees a real stake in the company's future".
Britain's 50 largest employee-owned businesses have about 175,000 staff.
The John Lewis Partnership, which owns the John Lewis department stores as well as Waitrose, is by far the largest with more than 90,000.
Peter Neumark, 67, said he and co-founder Nick Goldthorp felt they had a "duty to oversee a passing of responsibility" at the company, Classic Motor Cars Ltd, that they started in 1993.
Mr Neumark has transferred his majority stake in the company to an employee shareholder trust.
The trust will own and run the business for the benefit of its staff, who number more than 60.
Based in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, the company had a turnover of £5.2m last year.
It restores classic cars such as Jaguar, Aston Martin and Lancia models.
Mr Neumark said an ownership structure similar to that of the John Lewis Partnership was the best home for the company to ensure its future.
He said it was seen as "safeguarding the jobs of its highly-skilled workforce and providing stability for future jobs and prospects".
Deb Oxley, chief executive of the Employee Ownership Association (EOA), said it was the "perfect example" to other company owners thinking about retirement.
She said these types of businesses "demonstrate their commitment to rewarding the contribution staff make to a company's success by offering all employees a real stake in the company's future".
Britain's 50 largest employee-owned businesses have about 175,000 staff.
The John Lewis Partnership, which owns the John Lewis department stores as well as Waitrose, is by far the largest with more than 90,000.
Donald Trump’s high-risk, low-reward trip to Mexico is sort of baffling
It is barely worth pointing out that Donald Trump's surprise visit to Mexico on Wednesday won't do President Enrique Peña Nieto much good. Peña Nieto is deeply unpopular in his home country, with a quarterly survey from the newspaper Reforma putting his favorability at 23 percent — a figure so low that it makes Trump himself, at 35 percent, seems positively embraced.
That 35 percent is in the United States, of course. In Mexico, Trump's a lot less popular. A June survey showed Trump at 75 percent unfavorability in the country — compared with Hillary Clinton's 6 percent. When Ipsos asked people around the world in June who they'd pick in the American presidential contest, no country saw a wider gap than Mexico. Mexico preferred Clinton to Trump by an 88-to-1 margin — an 87-point spread. (The only countries that preferred Trump were China and Russia.) The next-closest countries were Belgium and Sweden, where Clinton was preferred by 66 points. There's a correlation between Trump's poll numbers and the Mexican economy: When he does better, the value of the peso has dropped.
Less than 12 hours after the news of Trump's visit broke, other Mexican politicians had already weighed in to oppose welcoming Trump to the country. Politico collected some examples. "We are threatened with war and walls, but we open the National Palace," the president of the Mexican Senate wrote, adding that the invitation approved of Trump's "proposal of demagogy and hate." A former diplomat tweeted, "I feel embarrassed as a Mexican thanks to my president." On CNN on Wednesday morning, former president Vicente Fox (who has been outspoken about Trump) disparaged Peña Nieto's decision.
This response is not surprising. From the first moments of his candidacy, Trump railed against Mexico. Even before that, he complained about Mexico on Twitter, in part because he won a lawsuit in the country but hasn't been able to collect.
From our standpoint, though, the bigger question is how this benefits Trump.
In the past, Peña Nieto has criticized Trump and his proposals. In March, Peña Nieto compared Trump to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, saying thatTrump's "strident" rhetoric was of a piece with the arguments those leaders used to gain power. Peña Nieto has also flatly rejected Trump's signature policy proposal, to build a wall on the border and have Mexico pay for it. Not going to happen, Peña Nieto said to Fareed Zakaria of The Washington Post and CNN: "There is no way that Mexico can pay [for] a wall like that."
After Trump and Peña Nieto meet, that will be the first question that's asked of Trump. Did Peña Nieto agree to pay for the wall? (Unless, of course, Trump's arrival is met with the sort of demonstrations that his appearances have earned in the past in San Jose and San Diego.) Peña Nieto — unpopular! — has a clear political incentive to embarrass Trump on the issue, a sort of I-invited-him-here-to-boss-him-around sort of thing. It's perhaps Peña Nieto's only possible positive political outcome. But even if things progress quietly, it forces the issue: Trump says he'll make Mexico pay, and Mexico says it won't. Now what? Trump has never been able to answer that question.
(One deeply optimistic Trump supporter, former congressman Joe Walsh,figures that Trump obtaining a promise to pay for the wall would be "game, set, match," which is true. It is also true that if Peña Nieto gives Trump proof that Clinton was a space alien intent on destroying the globe that it would benefit Trump. Neither is likely to happen.)
What does Trump get out of it? We assume that Peña Nieto will pose for photos with the visiting dignitary (though that seems like a political miscalculation for him). Trump-as-statesman is a new one, and it will be interesting to see how it's handled. That photo itself encapsulates a lot of the risk-reward calculus for Trump: At best he gets a dull picture of himself standing next to a person with whom most Americans aren't familiar; at worst, he gets an awkward picture posing in front of the Mexican flag — something that some part of his base probably won't be thrilled about.
The trip will, at best, show that Trump can go to a foreign country and meet with leaders without incident, a fairly low item on the presidential checklist. (A subject for another time: Do voters actually care about a grip-and-greet?) At worst? Who knows.
The move feels a bit like John McCain's decision in September 2008 to suspend his campaign to deal with the economy. It felt gimmicky and didn't do much — and reinforced that McCain was in the sort of political position that necessitated gimmicks that might not do much. Barring a Joe-Walsh-esque miracle, Trump's trip to Mexico instills a lot of risk with the potential upside for Trump being that he proved he can do something fairly simple without incident. For Peña Nieto, the potential upside is that he can score points off an unpopular visitor; the downside is that he is seen as embracing someone his constituents vehemently dislike.
Given how low the reward is for Trump and how high the possibility that something might go wrong, there’s a decent chance that the politician for whom Trump’s trip is beneficial is his opponent.
That 35 percent is in the United States, of course. In Mexico, Trump's a lot less popular. A June survey showed Trump at 75 percent unfavorability in the country — compared with Hillary Clinton's 6 percent. When Ipsos asked people around the world in June who they'd pick in the American presidential contest, no country saw a wider gap than Mexico. Mexico preferred Clinton to Trump by an 88-to-1 margin — an 87-point spread. (The only countries that preferred Trump were China and Russia.) The next-closest countries were Belgium and Sweden, where Clinton was preferred by 66 points. There's a correlation between Trump's poll numbers and the Mexican economy: When he does better, the value of the peso has dropped.
Less than 12 hours after the news of Trump's visit broke, other Mexican politicians had already weighed in to oppose welcoming Trump to the country. Politico collected some examples. "We are threatened with war and walls, but we open the National Palace," the president of the Mexican Senate wrote, adding that the invitation approved of Trump's "proposal of demagogy and hate." A former diplomat tweeted, "I feel embarrassed as a Mexican thanks to my president." On CNN on Wednesday morning, former president Vicente Fox (who has been outspoken about Trump) disparaged Peña Nieto's decision.
This response is not surprising. From the first moments of his candidacy, Trump railed against Mexico. Even before that, he complained about Mexico on Twitter, in part because he won a lawsuit in the country but hasn't been able to collect.
From our standpoint, though, the bigger question is how this benefits Trump.
In the past, Peña Nieto has criticized Trump and his proposals. In March, Peña Nieto compared Trump to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, saying thatTrump's "strident" rhetoric was of a piece with the arguments those leaders used to gain power. Peña Nieto has also flatly rejected Trump's signature policy proposal, to build a wall on the border and have Mexico pay for it. Not going to happen, Peña Nieto said to Fareed Zakaria of The Washington Post and CNN: "There is no way that Mexico can pay [for] a wall like that."
After Trump and Peña Nieto meet, that will be the first question that's asked of Trump. Did Peña Nieto agree to pay for the wall? (Unless, of course, Trump's arrival is met with the sort of demonstrations that his appearances have earned in the past in San Jose and San Diego.) Peña Nieto — unpopular! — has a clear political incentive to embarrass Trump on the issue, a sort of I-invited-him-here-to-boss-him-around sort of thing. It's perhaps Peña Nieto's only possible positive political outcome. But even if things progress quietly, it forces the issue: Trump says he'll make Mexico pay, and Mexico says it won't. Now what? Trump has never been able to answer that question.
(One deeply optimistic Trump supporter, former congressman Joe Walsh,figures that Trump obtaining a promise to pay for the wall would be "game, set, match," which is true. It is also true that if Peña Nieto gives Trump proof that Clinton was a space alien intent on destroying the globe that it would benefit Trump. Neither is likely to happen.)
What does Trump get out of it? We assume that Peña Nieto will pose for photos with the visiting dignitary (though that seems like a political miscalculation for him). Trump-as-statesman is a new one, and it will be interesting to see how it's handled. That photo itself encapsulates a lot of the risk-reward calculus for Trump: At best he gets a dull picture of himself standing next to a person with whom most Americans aren't familiar; at worst, he gets an awkward picture posing in front of the Mexican flag — something that some part of his base probably won't be thrilled about.
The trip will, at best, show that Trump can go to a foreign country and meet with leaders without incident, a fairly low item on the presidential checklist. (A subject for another time: Do voters actually care about a grip-and-greet?) At worst? Who knows.
The move feels a bit like John McCain's decision in September 2008 to suspend his campaign to deal with the economy. It felt gimmicky and didn't do much — and reinforced that McCain was in the sort of political position that necessitated gimmicks that might not do much. Barring a Joe-Walsh-esque miracle, Trump's trip to Mexico instills a lot of risk with the potential upside for Trump being that he proved he can do something fairly simple without incident. For Peña Nieto, the potential upside is that he can score points off an unpopular visitor; the downside is that he is seen as embracing someone his constituents vehemently dislike.
Given how low the reward is for Trump and how high the possibility that something might go wrong, there’s a decent chance that the politician for whom Trump’s trip is beneficial is his opponent.
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