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Paolo Duterte, Mans Carpio to attend Senate hearing on drugs

By Mario M. Banzon

THE SENATE blue-ribbon committee has extended its invitation to Davao Vice-Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte and lawyer Manases “Mans” R. Carpio to attend its next hearing on illegal drugs scheduled on Thursday, Sept. 7.

Paolo-Mans
Combination of file photos of  Davao Vice-Mayor Paolo Z. Duterte and Manases  “Mans” R. Carpio — Photos from their Facebook accounts

The committee will continue its investigation on the P6.4 billion worth of shabu shipment last May from China and the “tara” system or systematic bribery at the Bureau of Customs. The latter is based on Senator Panfilo M. Lacson’s Aug. 23 privileged speech, which implicated former Customs commissioner Nicanor E. Faeldon and also mentioned a certain Charlie Tan of the Davao Group.

The agenda for this Thursday’s hearing is specified in the invitation to Messrs. Duterte and Carpio, a son and the son-in-law, respectively, of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

“We duly recognize the coercive powers of the Senate of the Philippines as part of the Legislative branch of government and their authority to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation. We commit to respect the invitation and attend the hearing,” they said in a joint statement.

Senator Richard J. Gordon, committee chairman, said he had already decided on inviting the two during the Aug. 31 hearing, which was marred by tensions with opposition Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV. “There’s no second (motion) so sabi ko ipatawag ninyo,” he said. (There’s no second motion so I said go ahead.)

He also said he expects Messrs. Duterte and Carpio “to be on a higher plane than ordinary citizens.”

“It’s their duty to the public. Haharap sila. Kung anong tanungin, tanungin,” Mr. Gordon said. (It’s their duty to the public. They will face the committee. What will be asked will be asked.)

Mr. Gordon had also earlier announced that he will submit a preliminary report on the committee’s investigation, but said on Monday he will have the report signed by his colleagues.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente C. Sotto III said for his part: “Sabi ko nga, walang koneksyon kaya hindi kailangang imbitahan sila d’un dahil hindi nga konektado yung Davao group d’un. Sinasabi naman ng mga importer na hindi involved pero dito sa tara system lahat ng nabanggit ni Senator Lacson dapat imbitahan,” he said. (Like I said before, there’s no connection, that’s why there is no need to invite them regarding the shipment, because the Davao group is not connected to that. The importers are saying no involvement, but with the tara system, everyone mentioned by Senator Lacson should be invited.)

Mr. Trillanes, who had been pushing for the two presidential relatives to be summoned, said for his part: “Nakaramdam lang si Senator Gordon ng public pressure. Bibigay din pala.” (Senator Gordon felt the public pressure. So he gave in, after all.)

“Anyway, regardless whether they would cooperate or not, I will be prepared to confront them on Thursday,” he added.

Mr. Trillanes, on Aug. 31, accused the committee on Mr. Gordon’s watch of having become a “comite de abswelto” (a committee that clears people), prompting Mr. Gordon to threaten an ethics complaint against Mr. Trillanes.

“I don’t need signatories. I had the support of more than 10, more than 12, more than 14,” Mr. Gordon said following a caucus held Monday by his colleagues.

“You do not do that to the chairman. You do not do that to your fellow senators. And say they are a bunch of puppets or that they cannot do anything, that the Senate is already a damaged institution,” he added.

Mr. Trillanes maintained he did not do anything improper or unparliamentary.

“Naiintindihan ko ‘yung political game (I understand the political game). But we shall see. Mahabang proseso ‘yan (It’s a long process). There would be hearing. Eventually it will be presented to the plenary then it would be voted on,” he said.

Mr. Sotto, who also heads the ethics committee, said the Senate will take up Mr. Gordon’s complaint “as soon as possible.”

For his part, Senate President Senator Aquilino Martin L. Pimentel III told reporters: “Hihintayin natin ‘yung investigation ng committee at saka recommendation ng committee. Basta it will be processed normally just like any other complaint,” he said. (We will wait for the committee’s investigation and its recommendation. It will be processed normally just like any other complaint.)

DFA cancels passport express lane slots for travel agencies

THE DEPARTMENT of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has cancelled the privilege of fixed passport appointments allotted to travel agencies, thus freeing up 1,200 slots for applicants daily.

In a statement on Monday, the DFA said that with the new policy that took effect Aug. 1, clients of travel agencies will now undergo the same process as all other applicants for a new passport or renewal.

The new policy also affects DFA employees as only their immediate family are now allowed to use the express lane.

“We really want to give back the courtesy lane to those who are entitled to it. These are the senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, children 7 years and below and Overseas Filipino Workers,” said Ricarte B. Abejuela III, acting director of the Passport Division of the Office of the Consular Affairs.

The Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA), in an earlier statement, said the new policy affects the business of its members, especially as peak season nears.

The PTAA said while it supports government initiatives, it is hoping that the DFA will grant travel agencies a once-a-week access to its mobile passport service, which will be rolled out in October within Metro Manila.

In a previously released statement, the PTAA pointed out that under “Section 6 of The Philippine Passport Act of 1996, travel agencies are allowed to process passport renewals provided that they are responsible for the authenticity of the supporting documents being presented to meet the requirements for the application of passports.”

Tourism Secretary Wanda C. Teo, according to PTAA, had committed to the group’s president, Marlene Dado Jante, that she will personally hold a meeting with DFA Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano to resolve the concerns of travel agencies. She also wants the PTAA represented during the meeting. — Mario M. Banzon

P24.4-M worth of abortion pills seized at airport

THE BUREAU of Customs on Monday intercepted an estimated P24.4 million worth of abortion pills at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3. NAIA Customs personnel stopped two Filipino passengers, identified as Reuben Jesse Bautista and Glenn More Gaddi, coming from Singapore on flight SQ918 after their baggage showed image irregularity during the x-ray examination. Upon inspection, authorities found 34,910 tablets of Pfizer Cytotec Misoprostol 200 UG, 40,000 tablets of oral Pfizer Cytotec Comprimidos Misoprostol 200 MCG, and 3,500 tablets of Augmentin 625 MF Film Tablet Co-Amoxiclav. Customs Anti-Illegal Drugs Task Force agents confirmed that the seized tablets are used for illegal abortion. According to the Customs examiner, Messrs. Bautista and Gaddi “failed to declare their importation and the corresponding FDA (Food and Drug Administration) import permit which led to the seizure of the baggage.” Based on a Bureau of Food and Drugs advisory, Misoprostol (Cytotec) is an unregistered product and thus illegal to sell, dispense or use. The two arrested will be charged for violation of Republic Act 3720, or the the Food, Drugs, Devices and Cosmetics Act.

Love, wrinkles and all conquers Venice

VENICE – Love conquers all, even when wrinkles become part of the equation.

That’s the message from Helen Mirren and from Venice, appropriately the world’s oldest film festival.

An art form that for decades was constructed around the dynamics of youthful sexuality has belatedly discovered that, when it comes to love and sex, there are other stories to tell, and audiences waiting to hear them.

After Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, 81 and 79 respectively, hooked up for the fourth time in their illustrious careers in Netflix drama Our Souls at Night, now it is the turn of Mirren, 72, and Donald Sutherland, 82, to fly the flag for love in later life.

In The Leisure Seeker, Italian director Paolo Virzi’s first English language film, the duo play a retired couple who decide to flee their stifling existence and its cast of doctors and bossy grown-up children, for a final road trip in their vintage 1970s camper van.

Mirren said she had been drawn to the “funny, natural story” after some initial hesitation.

“Of course I love watching movies with young beautiful people in them,” she told AFPTV in an interview in Venice.

“But the wonderful thing about film as an art form is that it has this ability to show us culture and life and humanity in all its different ways of being.

“And it had Donald Sutherland in it!”

SHARED MEMORIES
Sutherland, whose career has ranged from 1967 World War II epic The Dirty Dozen to the recent Hunger Games franchise, plays a retired teacher who can still recite pages of Hemingway but is losing his short-term memory and is no longer entirely reliable at the wheel of a vehicle.

Mirren’s character is battling cancer but remains the couple’s driving force and the actress says the charm of the story lies in its universal quality.

“Every single family on this planet today will go through a version of this,” she said.

The couple’s journey takes them from Boston to Key West in Florida, allowing them time to nurture each other, discuss what comes after this life, and go over a shared stock of memories, not all of which have been previously shared.

“Obviously we are dealing with people – as we are – who are towards the ends of our lives not the beginning of their lives,” Mirren said.

“And with that comes all of our history of experience and all the film festivals we’ve been to, and all the roles that we’ve had and the successes we’ve had, and the failures we’ve had, the disasters, the families, the relationships.

“It’s wonderful to be able to find a role and a film where you simply kind of be who you are.”

Sutherland concurred, “It was an opportunity to get to the center of some kind of truth and use our persons as a vehicle for it,” he said.

“Being old does not in any way diminish love and desire.”

It can however lead to confusion: one of the road trip’s most endearing moments features Sutherland jovially participating in a pro-Trump demonstration and his wife reminding him of his lifelong support for the Democrats.

DONALD SUTHERLAND and Helen Mirren attend the premiere of the movie The Leisure Seeker at the 74th Venice Film Festival on Sept. 3. — AFP

THE GREY DOLLAR
“It’s a film about being free to choose how to live your life right up to the last moment,” said Virzi, whose film was presented here in competition for the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion.

Redford and Fonda have received rave reviews for their measured performances in Our Souls at Night, which tells the story of widowed neighbors who begin sharing a bed, for company and conversation.

Half a century after they simmered with youthful sexuality in Barefoot in the Park, Fonda and Redford have teamed up again in a tale of love and sex in later life.

“He’s a great kisser so it was fun to kiss him in my 20s and it was fun to kiss him against at almost 80,” Fonda said Friday of her famously handsome co-star in Our Souls at Night.

“The way the film biz was going it was very much towards the younger audience and there were very few opportunities for films to be made that would satisfy the older audience,” Redford said.

“And I wanted to do another film with Jane before I died. We’ve had a long history in film and I wanted us to be able to have another chance. We were getting older, and I thought ‘wait a minute here is a film that can satisfy our genuine age.’”

Fonda said the film sends an important message about the potential for love and sex to improve with age.

“I think it gets better because we are brave, what the heck do we have to lose,” the multiple Oscar winner said.

“So my skin sags! So does his. I know what my body needs and I am not afraid to ask for it,” she said, chiding the director for cutting the film’s solitary sex scene too short.

“It will be in the DVD extras!” Indian director Ritesh Batra responded.

Redford, a major voice in US independent cinema through his Sundance Institute, said he had chosen the project specifically because not enough films were being made for and about his now-retired baby-boomer generation – arguably the last that will be regular cinema goers in the age of streaming and digital home projectors.

The power of the grey dollar, euro, and pound has been underlined in recent years by the success of the Marigold Hotel films about British retirees in India.

The issue of loneliness after bereavement provides the backdrop to Victoria & Abdul, Stephen Frears’s handling of the true story of the elderly Queen Victoria’s friendship with an Indian clerk.

Love in the twilight years was also addressed in Andrew Haigh’s acclaimed 45 Years, for which Charlotte Rampling, 71, was nominated for the 2016 Best Actress Oscar for her performance as a long-married woman destabilized by revelations about a passionate relationship her husband had in his youth.

Rampling returns to the screen here this week in the premiere of Hannah, 35-year-old Italian director Andrea Pallaoro’s drama about a woman unhinged by her husband being sent to prison.

Our Souls at Night, which was shown out of competition here, will be released by Netflix on Sept. 29. – AFP

BB-8’s Evil Twin here to help Disney strike back

TWO YEARS after a $150 rolling robot captured the hearts of Stars Wars devotees, Walt Disney Co. is betting fans will shell out the same price for the droid’s dark, evil twin.

On the big screen, BB-9E will face off against the beloved BB-8 in a new Star Wars installment in December from Disney’s movie studio. The toy, made by Sphero, is part of a collection of fancier gadgets Disney expects will help give its flagging consumer-products business a boost.

Get ready for a $200 goggles-and-light saber combo developed by Disney and Lenovo Group Ltd. that lets customers duel and play holographic chess; $200 fighter drones from Propel; and a $100 programmable robot kit from manufacturer littleBits Electronics, Inc.

“These are all products at a higher price point that we believe are going to help us continue to expand our audience,” said Jimmy Pitaro, the chairman of Disney’s consumer products arm. Pitaro said his strategy is to offer merchandise for customers at all income levels, to reach as many people as possible.

Burbank, California-based Disney is pulling out all the stops for its new line of products tied to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which hits theaters Dec. 15. The rollout has included early reveals of new characters, a big focus on high-tech toys and product releases at 20,000 stores around the world Sept. 1, an event it calls “Force Friday.”

Pitaro’s division, the largest entertainment licensing operation in the world, could use a shot in the arm. Sales peaked with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in late 2015, and they’re down 15% in the first nine months of this fiscal year, as other kid-friendly films such as Beauty and the Beast and Cars 3 failed to deliver the sales surge of predecessors Frozen and Force Awakens. Lower costs have allowed the unit to show increased profit for the past two quarters.

Disney, like other companies, has come to realize that modern consumers are looking for experiences as much as things. This year’s marketing effort includes an augmented reality function on the Star Wars app that lets people see images of star fighters in the sky above 20 worldwide sites like the Eiffel Tower and the Hollywood sign. It also lets shoppers track virtual images in stores.

STAR WARS Force Friday II kicked off in the USA with midnight store openings in New York City on Sept. 1. Hundreds of fans showed up to be the first to get their hands on new merchandise celebrating Star Wars: The Last Jedi at the Disney Store on Times Square. – AFP

There’s also on ongoing push for women characters, in particular Last Jedi heroine Rey. Hasbro, Inc. this year released Forces of Destiny, an all-female line of $22, 11-inch poseable figures based on Star Wars characters that are also featured in short films viewable online.

“We’re basically partnering with Hasbro here to create a new category,” Pitaro said. “It’s not really a doll and it’s not really an action figure, it’s what we’re calling adventure figures.”

Whether all this allows Disney to top its previous Star Wars merchandise sales and reignite growth in its consumer products business remains to be seen. Force Awakens was the first Star Wars film in 10 years, so there was a lot of pent-up demand from longtime fans for new items. Last Jedi is the third film in three years.

“It’s ludicrous to think this will do the same volume levels as Force Awakens, but it will still be quite a huge number,” said Marty Brochstein, who heads industry relations at the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association. “Most companies would love to have Disney’s level of success.”

Most would like to have customers like Harrison Tanji and his wife Danielle Jack, who were among the 30 people waiting in line at a Toys “R” Us store in Los Angeles at midnight Friday morning, when the new products were first available for sale. They spent $240 picking up a Porg plush toy, Funko bobblehead, and several Luke Skywalker action figures to add to a collection that already fills a room in their house. Tanji said the crowd wasn’t nearly what it was 18 years ago when he and friends waited outside a Toys “R” Us for a “Midnight Madness” event tied to the released of Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace.

There are more stores selling Star Wars products these days, he said, and it’s harder to find an item that will rise in value like the earlier merchandise has.

Like Tanji and Jack, many passionate Star Wars toy buyers are collectors who look to eventually profit off at least some of their purchases. And given the hour, a lot of the people showing up for an early crack at the new merchandise on Friday were adults.

Mario Santiago, a 22-year-old background actor, arrived at a Target store in West Hollywood, California, at 9:30 p.m. and was fourth place in a line of about 20 people awaiting the midnight debut. He hoped to score some of Hasbro’s Black Series action figures and a Porg, a cuddly new creature he thinks will be a big hit.

“I’m going to be a geek for tonight,” he said. – Bloomberg

Fuel prices up this week with lower supply after Hurricane Harvey

Fuel prices up this week with lower supply after Hurricane Harvey

PRICES OF petroleum products are set to increase this week in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, which pulled down supply in the US and built up demand in the international oil market, the Department of Energy (DoE) said on Monday. Gasoline and diesel prices will both increase by P0.40 per liter (/L), while kerosene will rise by P0.50/L, oil companies said. For most retailers, the price hike will take effect at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 5. In a briefing, DoE officials said oil supply was reduced primarily because of Hurricane Harvey, which caused the shutdown of 11 refineries in Texas and pared down supply by three million barrels per day or almost 16% of US demand. They said even before the shutdown, US demand was already higher than its production, thus it turned to the international market to make up for the difference. In the coming weeks, the DoE said the hurricane might continue to have an impact on supply and prices, depending on the scale of devastation in the US. The agency also cited refinery outages in China as adding to the supply shortfall. Last week, gasoline, diesel and kerosene per liter prices went up by P0.35, P0.20 and P0.20, respectively. — Victor V. Saulon

Azkals shoot for third win in AFC Asian Cup qualifiers

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Reporter

THE Philippine national men’s football team, undefeated to date in group play in the final round of the qualifiers for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, looks to stay unblemished when it plays Yemen today at the Pana-ad Park and Football Stadium in Bacolod City.

Azkals shoot for third win in AFC Asian Cup qualifiers
The Philippine Azkals play Yemen today in Group F AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers action in Bacolod City. — AFC ASIAN CUP WEB SITE

Boasting of a 2-0 record and six points in Group F, the Philippine Azkals enter their home turf looking to create further distance from the rest of the chasing pack in their group and position themselves better to advance to the main draw of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup that will take place in the United Arab Emirates.

The latest of the victories of the Thomas Dooley-coached Azkals in the qualifiers came at the expense of Tajikistan, 4-3, on June 13 in Dushanbe.

A brace from forward Javier Patiño and late heroics from defender Daisuke Sato helped the Philippines notch the key Asian Cup Qualifier win.

Skipper Phil Younghusband got the scoring parade going for the Philippines as he scored on a free kick 28 minutes into the match played at the Republican Central Stadium in Tajikistan.

Mr. Patiño then added a second goal for the Azkals in the 41st minute that helped his team to a 2-0 lead at the halftime break.

The Filipino-Spanish forward was once again on the scoring end for the Azkals in the 48th minute to take what was seemingly a commanding 3-0 lead.

Showing so much pride, however, Tajikistan would fight its way back in the match, reducing the Azkals’ lead to just a solitary point, 3-2, in the 61st minute.

But Mr. Sato would nip Tajikistan’s rally in the 79th minute with a strike off the left foot from the side to give the Azkals added breathing space.

Tajikistan tried to rally back anew but the closest it could get was 4-3 as the Philippines held on for the win.

The victory by the Azkals was in follow-up to their 4-1 Asian Cup Qualifier conquest of Nepal on home soil in March.

Against Yemen (1-1), which is coming off a 0-0 draw against Nepal in its last game, the Azkals are parading a mix of old and new faces in the absence of some key players, notably Messrs. Patiño (injury) and Sato (cards).

Seeing action for the Azkals today are Misagh Bahadoran (Global Cebu FC), Dylan De Bruycker (Davao Aguilas FC), Carlos De Murga (Ceres Negros FC), Patrick Deyto (Global Cebu FC), Neil Etheridge (Cardiff City FC) Harry Foll (FC Hansa Rostock), Joshua Grommen (Ceres Negros FC), Kevin Ingreso (Ceres Negros FC), Tyler Matas (FC Meralco Manila), Hikaru Minegishi (Global Cebu FC), Jim Junior Muñoz (Ceres Negros FC) and Paul Mulders (Global Cebu FC).

Also part of the team are Nicholas O’Donnell (Davao Aguilas FC), Manuel Ott (Ceres Negros FC), Mike Rigoberto Ott (Angthong United), Stephan Palla (Wolfsberger AC), Iain Ramsay (Ceres Negros FC), Patrick Reichelt (Ceres Negros FC), Simone Rota (Davao Aguilas FC), Dennis Villanueva (Global Cebu FC), Luke Woodland (Ceres Negros FC), James Younghusband (Davao Aguilas FC) and Phil Younghusband (Davao Aguilas FC).

Mr. Dooley will be assisted by coaches Kurt Kowarz and Chieffy Caligdong.

Asked for his thoughts on the Azkals’ game today, local football observer and writer Lorenzo del Carmen said the Philippine lineup against Yemen is a competitive lot albeit presents an interesting dynamic with the changes that took place.

“I’m curious to see how Dooley will set up his defense. He shuffles between a back four or a three-man backline. Daisuke Sato (cards) and Amani Aguinaldo (injury) are unavailable so the likes of Carli De Murga and Simone Rota have been recalled while young players such as Tyler Matas and Joshua Grommen are given chances to impress… One big worry for me is Javier Patiño’s absence due to injury. He scored in the last two qualifiers and his absence will be a big blow on the offensive end,” Mr. Del Carmen said.

The Philippines-Yemen match in Bacolod City will kick off at 7:30 p.m.

DoF expects P21 billion from Mighty settlement this month

By Melissa Luz T. Lopez,
Senior Reporter

THE GOVERNMENT will be able to collect around P21 billion from Mighty Corp. this month, the Department of Finance (DoF) said, following the approval given by the competition regulator for the cigarette firm’s acquisition.

Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III said the embattled cigarette producer will be paying its outstanding tax liabilities later this month, while some P500 million will be settled by April 2018 representing dues for this year.

“By September, we will start to get the bulk of it,” Mr. Dominguez told reporters last week, referring to the settlement offered by the Bulacan-based firm.

Mighty’s tax settlement results from its decision to pay a penalty rather than face multiple charges relating to alleged tax evasion and the use of fake tax stamps for its cigarette products, as discovered after the Bureau of Customs raided several warehouses around the country.

The cases filed against Mighty are worth a total of P37.88 billion, according to the DoF.

The P25-billion settlement offer is said to cover P3.5 billion in unpaid excise taxes, and P21.5 billion worth of internal revenue taxes of the company and its shareholders.

In July, Mighty paid P3.44 billion to the Philippine government as an initial settlement. It committed to pay P21.5 billion more once it closes the sale to Japan Tobacco International (JTI), which was priced at $936 million or P46.8 billion.

Last week, the Philippine Competition Commission approved JTI’s acquisition of Mighty Corp. and Wong Chu King Holdings, Inc. after the body found that the sale would not lead to a “substantial lessening of competition” in the market.

“We insisted that the bulk of the money be in Landbank… We want to make sure we [get] ours first… that we get paid first before anybody gets paid,” Mr. Dominguez said.

The DoF said that the closing of the deal between Mighty and JTI may occur this week, which would facilitate the transfer of funds.

Mr. Dominguez said the Executive branch plans to use the tax windfall for rehabilitation efforts in Marawi City estimated to cost P30 billion, together with an additional P5 billion in value-added tax from Mighty’s sale.

Widening of 2 Leyte bridges completed soon; work on 6 flood control projects starts

THE WIDENING of two bridges along the busy Palo-Carigara-Ormoc Road — one of Leyte’s major and busiest highway linking the cities of Tacloban and Ormoc in the Eastern Visayas Region — is expected to be completed soon, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). In a statement yesterday, DPWH Region 8 Director Edgar B. Tabacon said work on the 12.66-meter Jugaban Bridge in Carigara town, costing P4.606 million is expected to be completed this month, while the improvement of the 23.4-meter Pinamitinan Bridge in Capoocan town, with a budget of P21.46 million, will be done by the last quarter this year. Meanwhile, the DPWH has also started work on the P240-million flood control system that is seen to alleviate the problem of overflowing and erosions along Subang Daku River in Southern Leyte. “The DPWH-Southern Leyte District Engineering Office (SLDEO) is prioritizing the implementation of these (six) flood control projects which are strategically prioritized in critical sections and populated villages along Subang Daku River to protect the growing community of Sogod town,” Mr. Tabacon said. The DPWH-SLDEO is also planning to extend the flood control system to the whole stretch of Subang Daku River to protect other villages vulnerable to flooding.

La La Land’s Chazelle partners with Netflix for TV musical

LOS ANGELES – Damien Chazelle, the Oscar-winning director of hit movie La La Land, has another musical in the works, this time a multilingual television series set in Paris.

Streaming company Netflix said on Friday it was teaming up with Chazelle on The Eddy, an eight-part series that will be shot in France with dialogue in French, English, and Arabic.

It described The Eddy as a musical drama set in contemporary multicultural Paris revolving around a club, its owner, the house band, and the chaotic city that surrounds them.

“I’ve always dreamed of shooting in Paris,” Chazelle, 32, whose father is French, said in a statement.

The project marks the latest coup for Netflix, which has upended the television industry in the past five years by investing in bold original content that has attracted big names and won multiple awards.

Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos told Hollywood trade paper Variety last month that the company plans to spend $7 billion on television and film content next year.

La La Land, a romantic musical set in modern-day Los Angeles about the dreams and challenges of a struggling young actress and a jazz musician, wowed audiences worldwide and won six Oscars in February, including for directing, music and for Emma Stone’s lead actress role.

No casting was announced for The Eddy, which will be executive produced by Chazelle, who will also direct two episodes. The music will be written by Glen Ballard, a six-time Grammy winner who worked on the Michael Jackson album Bad and Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill, Netflix said.

Chazelle’s next project is a feature film about the life of US astronaut Neil Armstrong, who was the first man to walk on the moon in 1969. Called First Man, the Universal Pictures release is expected to arrive in movie theaters in October 2018. – Reuters

China makes diplomatic protest to North Korea over nuke test

BEIJING — China said on Monday it had lodged an official protest with North Korea following Pyongyang’s largest-ever nuclear weapons test.

China has “launched stern representations with the person in charge of the DPRK embassy in China,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular press briefing, using an acronym for the North’s official name.

“China opposes the DPRK in carrying out nuclear missile development and we are committed to denuclearization of the peninsula. This position is well-known and the DPRK also knows this position perfectly well,” he said.

On Sunday North Korea said it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, an announcement that provoked strong condemnation from the international community.

The resulting blast was considerably larger than the country’s previous tests and could be felt in Chinese cities hundreds of kilometers from the North’s border.

BRICS COMMUNIQUE
On Monday, the nations of the BRICS grouping strongly deplore North Korea’s nuclear test but the problem over its nuclear program should only be settled through peaceful means and dialogue, they said in a draft communique seen by Reuters.

In its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sunday, North Korea detonated what it said was an advanced hydrogen bomb for a long-range missile, prompting a vow of “massive” military response from the United States if it or its allies were threatened.

“We express deep concern over the ongoing tension and prolonged nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula,” the draft communique said.

A formal communique, known as the “Xiamen Declaration,” is expected to be issued at a meeting attended by heads of state from the five major emerging economies in the grouping — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — in the Chinese coastal city of Xiamen.

BRICS countries will continue to firmly oppose protectionism as they are committed to an “open and inclusive” multilateral trading system, the draft communique said.

It emphasized the need to be vigilant in guarding against “inward-looking policies” that could hurt global market confidence, calling for BRICS countries to strengthen macroeconomic and structural policy coordination.

It also called upon all countries to fully implement the Paris climate agreement, while pledging to enhance BRICS cooperation on climate change and energy and to expand green financing.

The five emerging economies agreed to jointly establish a BRICS local currency bond fund, the draft communique added. — AFP and Reuters

Sharapova ousted at US Open while Venus, Kvitova advance

NEW YORK — Maria Sharapova’s Grand Slam return after a 15-month doping ban ended Sunday with a fourth-round defeat at the US Open but the former world number one considered it a major step in her comeback.

Sharapova ousted at US Open while Venus, Kvitova advance
This combination of four pictures shows Venus Williams of the US playing wearing her earrings and after she lost one of them during her 2017 US Open Women’s Singles match against Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on Sept. 3. — AFP

Latvian 16th seed Anastasija Sevastova rallied to eliminate the five-time Grand Slam champion 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium, booking a quarterfinal against American Sloane Stephens, who ousted Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Sharapova, the 2006 US Open winner, was able to find the positives after making 51 unforced errors to only 14 by Sevastova, whose 21 winners were half the 30-year-old Russian’s total.

“Reflecting back on the week, I can be happy,” Sharapova said. “It has been a really great ride. Ultimately, I can take a lot from this week.”

Tuesday’s other quarter-final will match Czech 13th seed Petra Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, against US ninth seed Venus Williams, seeking her eighth Slam title and third US Open crown.

Kvitova eliminated Spanish third seed and two-time Slam winner Garbine Muguruza 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 while Williams beat 35th-ranked Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

In Sharapova’s first Slam since she tested positive for the banned blood booster meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open, she ousted second-ranked Simona Halep in the first round and served notice to any contender her game remains formidable.

“She played unbelievable throughout the first and second set and I just kept fighting, running for every ball,” Sevastova said.

“I was confident. I was feeling it. But still you have to beat her. She was playing one of the best matches here.”

Sharapova returned from her suspension in April, was snubbed for a French Open wildcard and missed Wimbledon with a thigh injury but received a US Open wildcard despite only one hardcourt tune-up match due to a left forearm injury.

“It’s great to get that major out of the way,” Sharapova said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity. I did my best and I can be proud of that.”

Sharapova is expected to jump from 146th to around 100th in the world rankings.

KVITOVA 4-1 AGAINST VENUS
Williams is the oldest woman entered at 37 but was this year’s Wimbledon and Australian Open runner-up. She hasn’t reached three Slam finals in a year since 2002.

“I’m focused on myself and trying to be as aggressive as possible,” Williams said. “Nobody ever gives you a Slam. You’ve got to take it and I’m going to try and take it.”

Kvitova, 4-1 all-time against Williams, missed five months after a knife-wielding home intruder injured her left hand last December.

Muguruza still leads the fight for world number one after the Open but will be overtaken if fourth seed Elina Svitolina makes the semifinals or top seed Karolina Pliskova reaches the final.

Stephens missed 11 months with a foot injury and returned only at Wimbledon, but has won 12 of her past 14 matches for her deepest US Open run in six tries.

“I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better comeback,” Stephens said. “Making it to the quarter-finals here is unbelievable.”

TEEN SHAPOVALOV OUSTED
In a men’s draw assured of producing a first-time Slam finalist, Spanish 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta meets Argentine 29th seed Diego Schwartzman in the last-eight while South African 28th seed Kevin Anderson meets US 17th seed Sam Querrey, who beat German 23rd seed Mischa Zverev 6-2, 6-2, 6-1.

Anderson matched his best Slam run from the 2015 US Open by beating Italy’s Paolo Lorenzi 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4.

“I got off to a great start the first two sets and imposed my game,” Anderson said. “I had to dig deep and it feels absolutely fantastic to get through.”

Carreno Busta, who has not dropped a set, ended Canadian 18-year-old qualifier Denis Shapovalov’s dream run 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3).

Shapovalov would have been the youngest Slam quarterfinalist since Michael Chang at the 1990 French Open and youngest at the US Open since Andre Agassi in 1988.

Schwartzman eliminated French 16th seed Lucas Pouille 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 2-6, 6-2. At 5ft 7in. (1.70m.), he is the shortest Grand Slam quarter-finalist since Peruvian Jaime Yzaga at the 1994 US Open. — AFP

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