President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, and during their call expressed support for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and encouraged Netanyahu “to make every effort to ensure the protection of innocent civilians,” the White House said. Over the last week, Israel has been conducting airstrike after airstrike in Gaza, and in return, Hamas has fired thousands of rockets into Israel. This is the worst fighting between the two sides since 2014, and so far, at least 200 Palestinians and eight Israelis have been killed. The Biden administration said it is focusing on “quiet, intensive diplomacy,” but some Democrats, including Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), are calling on the president to “push harder” on Israel and Hamas to stop the violence. “We can’t continue to see this loss of civilian life,” Schiff said Sunday during an appearance on Face the Nation. “It’s got to come to an end.”
British actor Helen McCrory, who starred in the television show “Peaky Blinders” and the “Harry Potter” movies, has died, her husband said Friday. She was 52 and had been suffering from cancer.
Her husband, fellow actor Damian Lewis, said McCrory died “peacefully at home” after a “heroic battle with cancer.”
“She died as she lived. Fearlessly,” Lewis wrote on Twitter. “God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She blazed so brightly. Go now, Little One, into the air, and thank you.”
McCrory was one of Britain’s most respected actors, making her mark by playing a succession of formidable and sometimes fearsome women.
She played the matriarch of a crime family on ”Peaky Blinders” and the scheming Voldemort ally Narcissa Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” movies.
Onstage, her roles included the vengeful Greek heroine “Medea” at the National Theatre in 2014. At the same theater, she excelled as a woman caught between a dull husband and a feckless lover in Terence Rattigan’s “The Deep Blue Sea” in 2016.
While many performers struggle to find meaty female roles in film and television, McCrory played a string of them.
“Having said that, there are a lot of things I turn down,” she told The Associated Press in 2016, describing the sort of roles where “all your lines are ‘But what did you do at work?’ ‘That’s so clever, darling.′ ‘How did you do that?’ ‘And then what did you do?’”
“Of course, there’s so much sexism within the profession,” McCrory said. “But I think you approach it in different ways, and my approach is just to forge forward.”
With the newest wave of Collectible Minifigures, 71028 Harry Potter Series 2, now available on store shelves, that means it’s time to bring you our Feel Guide, the best way to know what you’re buying before you fork over your hard-earned cash. Veteran fans know that LEGO’s blind bags have plenty of tells, and if you’ve got a little bit of patience you can determine each and every figure without opening a single pack. This means you can buy a full set of 16 unique figures without getting unwanted duplicates, and we’re here to help with a downloadable cheat sheet to get you started.
If you’re not sure if you want a full set or just a few of your favorite characters, be sure to check out our in-depth review of LEGO Harry Potter Series 2. As we mentioned there, our retail case of 60 figures contained three full sets of the 16 unique characters, which is the standard distribution. However, other reviewers have noted that their cases contained different assortments making just two sets, or in one case, a single set. LEGO has verified that they’ve not intentionally altered the standard case distribution (that normally results in three sets per case), so any discrepancies are errors in packing the cases. It’s unknown how widespread those odd distribution cases are. This may make buying a case to split with friends more difficult. At any rate, here’s the distribution we found in our case.
Download a PDF of this handy cheat sheet to keep with you in the store as you seek out your favorite figures. As with our previous guides, we’ve actually already sorted a full case by feel alone, so the guide isn’t based on guesses, but rather on our own direct experience. The elements we call out in the guide aren’t the only way to ID the figures, but we believe they are the easiest for most people.
Please practice responsible minifigure hunting and respect local and store guidelines for touching merchandise. Always sanitize your hands before and after touching packs.
The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick a copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
LONDON, Oct. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Today, we are delighted to announce further details about Wizarding World Gold, an annual, paid subscription which will unlock early access, exclusive benefits and enhanced experiences when it officially launches later this autumn.
(PRNewsfoto/Wizarding World Digital)
This spellbinding, new subscription will offer fans the opportunity to enhance their free Official Harry Potter Fan Club experience and is available to pre-order from today. Subscribers to Wizarding World Gold can look forward to a host of new benefits, including a magical welcome gift, currently not available anywhere else! The gift includes the interactive Keys and Curios journal, featuring a specially designed cover by MinaLima – the graphic design team behind some of the most iconic and memorable visuals from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films.
This beautiful and intricate journal will arrive personalised with your name, Hogwarts house and more – meaning no two journals will be the same. Inside, you’ll discover interactive secrets and surprises, which are updated monthly and are unlocked as you explore the new Wizarding World app.
Also included in the gift is a postcard print of J.K. Rowling’s original Hogwarts sketch and an exclusive collectible pin badge, which features the Enchanted Key emblem!
As well as your welcome gift, a year’s Wizarding World Gold subscription will unlock:
Wizarding World Originals – Immerse yourself in our new video series which is set to unravel the mysteries and uncover the secrets from all corners of the Wizarding World. Learn about the creative talent and craftspeople who bring you closer to the magic in The Workshop and discover our pick of behind-the-scenes content in From The Archive.
eBooks – Take the magic of J.K. Rowling wherever you go with all seven eBooks of the original Harry Potter stories, available on the Wizarding World app for the duration of your subscription.
Collectible pin badges – You’ll receive the first pin badge in your welcome gift. Plus, claim collectible pin badges from selected Wizarding World UK and US locations including: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child theatres in London, New YorkSan Francisco, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London and Hollywood as well as at the iconic Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 ¾ in King’s Cross Station, London.
Special events – Get access to Gold subscriber events throughout the year, such as the Wizarding World Christmas Party in the Great Hall at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London later this year.
Exclusive discounts – Enjoy discounts from the new Wizarding World.com shop, the Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 ¾ in King’s Cross Station, London, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ Exclusive Vacation Package at Universal Orlando Resort, as well as Warner Bros. Studio Tour stores in both London and Hollywood.
Priority booking – Look forward to priority access to tickets for the most popular Wizarding World events and locations, including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child shows in London, New York and San Francisco as well as Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.
Early access – Unlock early access to limited-edition Wizarding World Gold merchandise ranges and curious collectibles – before they go on general release.
Plus, plenty of perks – including new quizzes and puzzles, chances to win once in-a-lifetime experiences and much, much more!
Fans can enjoy all this for just $74.99 (US) or £59.99 (UK) per year. In addition, Wizarding World Gold will soon be available to purchase as a gift box subscription – the perfect present for any Harry Potter fan! It launches this autumn online at WizardingWorld.com, the Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station in Londonas well as Warner Bros Studio Tour Gift Shops in London and Hollywood.
Want to be among the first to get your hands on a Keys and Curios journal? Fans can pre-order their Wizarding World Gold subscription from today on WizardingWorld.com, with full benefits unlocked later this autumn.
About Wizarding World Digital Wizarding World Digital is a joint venture between Pottermore Ltd and Warner Bros. and is dedicated to delivering innovative and digital experiences for all fans of the Wizarding World. Since May 2019, it has launched the Wizarding Passport, Wizarding World mobile app, WizardingWorld.com,The Official Harry Potter Fan Club and Wizarding World Gold.
Wizarding World More than two decades ago, a young Harry Potter was whisked onto platform nine and three-quarters at King’s Cross Station, and readers everywhere were swept along with him into a magical universe, created by J.K. Rowling. In the years since, the seven Harry Potterbestsellers have inspired eight Blockbuster movies, an award-winning stage play, and, more recently, the start of the Fantastic Beasts five-film series. People of all ages have been enthralled by these extraordinary adventures, set within an expanding universe, inspired by the vision of J.K. Rowling. For today’s growing worldwide fan community, and for generations to come, the Wizarding World welcomes everyone to explore more of this magical universe — past, present and future. The Wizarding World also provides fans with an instant, trusted kite-mark of quality and authenticity.
Pottermore Publishing Pottermore Publishing is the global digital publisher of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts series as well as other audiobooks and eBooks from the Wizarding World. It leads the way in innovative digital publishing and brings new generations of readers together with long-standing fans, celebrating and bringing to life the stories that first began with the Boy Who Lived. Visit www.PottermorePublishing.com for the full range of publishing, including language availability as well as forthcoming releases.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. is a fully integrated, broad-based entertainment company and a global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing of all forms of entertainment and their related businesses. A WarnerMedia company, Studio is home to one of the most successful collections of brands in the world and stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry, from feature film, television and home entertainment production and worldwide distribution to dvd and Blu-ray, digital distribution, animation, comic books, videogames, product and brand licensing, and broadcasting. The company’s vast library, one of the most prestigious and valuable in the world, consists of more than 100,000 hours of programming, 8,600 feature films and 5,000 television programs comprised of tens of thousands of individual episodes.
In celebrating 20 years of LEGO Harry Potter, LEGO reveals 6 exclusive Golden Minifigures featuring Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Professor Severus Snape, Voldemort and Quirinus Quirrell.
Each figure wields a wand and stands on the standard collectable minifigure base with the same golden shade. They each feature a different backdrop which is likely to represent the various LEGO sets that will be released in due course. Based on the Ninjago experience, each set will only feature a single golden minifigure, this means to complete the collection at this point, you will need to acquire 6 sets at the minimum to complete your golden Harry Potter minifigure collection.
The golden minifigures approach was first introduced as a way to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of LEGO Ninjago earlier this year. The slight difference here is that they’re totally golden as opposed to coloured highlights for the Ninjago minifigures.
Stay tuned to TBB’s regular feeds as we will update the details of the LEGO Harry Potter sets as they are revealed to us.
Mohammad Ghulam Rabbani, who is a Minister of State for Labour in the West Bengal government, on Thursday was caught spreading false propaganda targeting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) by claiming that the organisation had a role to play in the violent protests that erupted on the outskirts of Capitol Hill in the Washington DC on Wednesday.
Taking to Twitter, the West Bengal minister said that the covert force of Reserved Secret Service (RSS), after ‘demolishing secularism’ on December 6 in India, has now gone to Capitol Hill with an Indian flag to show how democracy can be destroyed in the United States.
Rabbani shared a video of an Indian flag being waved at the Capitol Hill in Washington which is juxtaposed next to the image of the 1992 demolition of the Babri disputed structure at the Ram Janmabhoomi to claim that RSS had ‘demolished’ democracy in the United States by actively participating in the protests
After demolishing ?????????? on ??? ??? in India, the covert force of Reserved Secret Service (RSS) went to Capitol Hill, with Indian flag ?? on ??? ??? to reece how to demolish ?????????#Shameful
— Md Ghulam Rabbani (রাব্বানী) (@GhulamRabbani_) January 7, 2021
According to Rabbani, RSS workers not only participated in the US protests but also unfurled Indian flags during the protests. Minister Rabbani insinuates that waving Indian flags was akin to destroying democracy.
However, in his hurry to target and abuse RSS, the West Bengal minister resorted to spreading fake news about the incident that took place outside Capitol Hill on Wednesday.
Did RSS involve in the protests in Washington DC?
Contrary to the false propaganda by Mohammad Ghulam Rabbani, neither RSS nor any Hindu groups were there holding Indian flag outside Capitol Hill during the protests against the alleged rigged US Presidential elections.
Continuing to share similar lies just as left-liberals and Islamists in the country, who had alleged that it was one of those ‘Hindu supremacists’ who had waved the tricolour in the US bringing ‘shame’ to the country, Rabbani declared at that it was Hindu organisation RSS which was behind the incident.
However, it was an engineer named Vincent Xavier from Kerala, a fan and follower of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and a Republican Party member who had held the Indian Tricolour at the Capitol Hill yesterday. We had reported in detail regarding the presence of Vincent Xavier in the Capitol Hill protests, where he had unfurled the tricolour in support of outgoing US President Donald Trump.
Vincent Xavier, the man in question, on Friday, busted the ‘liberal-secular’ propaganda by confirming that he was the one who participated in the protest and waved the Indian tricolour. Speaking to CNN-News18, the 54-year-old Francis Xavier said he was part of the peaceful protests and waved the tricolour to protest against the alleged election fraud during the US Presidential elections leading to the defeat of incumbent President Donald Trump.
Vincent Xavier, when asked about the reason for holding the Indian flag during the protests, further said that he carried the tricolour to show that the Trump supporters were not racists, and the protest rally was not a racist movement.
Welcome to Quick q – Monday Media’s weekly QA series dedicated to finding out more about the personalities that matter most in the Australian media landscape.
Every week, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age ask key figures across corporate media, business, sport, federal politics, radio, television and culture to answer a series of questions about their life, careers, hobbies and news habits.
This week’s questionnaire is with Liz Ellis, former captain of the Australian netball team and commentator, who has worked across Fox Sports, Network Ten and the Nine Network (owner of this masthead).
Liz Ellis named her farm after a Foo Fighters song.Credit:Leigh Henningham
How did you get your big break? I met Adam Spencer in the green room at the ABC while doing some promotion for an upcoming netball tour. We compared wonky eyes. He asked me to do a sports report on Triple J breakfast with him and Wil Anderson a couple of times a week. Over 20 years later people still talk to me about how they loved listening to our ridiculous conversations about anything but sport.
One of India’s greatest engineers E Sreedharan, fondly known as ‘Metro man’, is all set to join the BJP during the Rath Yatra in Kerala. Dr E Sreedharan, who is instrumental in envisioning and designing the country’s modern railway infrastructure, may also contest the upcoming Kerala assembly elections as a BJP candidate.
Nearly a day after expressing his wish to join the BJP, Sreedharan has also revealed interesting details about his past association with the Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in his yesteryears. Disclosing his decades-old association with RSS, Dr Sreedharan said that he is a Swayamsevak from his school days, and Sangh had laid all the foundational values in this life.
Speaking to NDTV, technocrat E Sreedharan said that he has lost faith in all other political parties and decided to join BJP due to its progressive outlook. The Padma Vibhushan awardee engineer also heaped praises on PM Modi and former Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee.
“I got great admiration for PM Modi personally but, that alone is not the thing. I have a good rapport with (Atal) Vajpayee, who was the previous prime minister. Very good rapport with him in fact, he only opened the first section of Delhi Metro.. and his conduct, the way he was behaving was very impressive to me,” said E Sreedharan, speaking to NDTV.
Love Jihad is real, Hindus are tricked in a marriage, says technocrat Sreedharan
One of the major highlights of Dr Sreedharan’s interview was his unequivocal opposition to the menace of “love jihad”. Love Jihad is the barbaric act often carried out by Muslims to forcefully convert the non-Hindus, especially Hindus, by trapping them through marriage because he had seen in Kerala that Hindu girls were tricked into marriage.
Responding to NDTV’s question on the menace of “love jihad”, Dr Sreedharan said, “Love Jihad, yes, I see what is happened in Kerala. How Hindus are being tricked in a marriage and how they suffer… not only Hindus, Muslim, the Christian girls are being tricked in a marriage. Now that sort of a thing I certainly will oppose.”
His comments against ‘Grooming Jihad’ comes amidst the rising instance of religious conversion carried out by Muslims through ways of fraud, coercion or marriage.
‘BJP is party of nation lovers, I don’t like people eating beef’: Dr Sreedharan
Dr Sreedharan also spoke about the controversy surrounding beef in the state of Kerala. “Personally, I am a very, very strict vegetarian. I don’t even eat eggs, so, certainly, I don’t like anybody eating meat. That is certain…” he said, in response to a question on beef-eating in Kerala and the BJP’s campaign against cow meat.
The former chief of Delhi Metro also said that it was wrong to portray BJP as a communal party today in the country. Dr Sreedharan asserted that BJP was a party of nation lover and not a communal party.
“I have got such a long association with people in BJP – it is not a communal party at all. It is a party consisting of nation lovers and who accept that all parties, all communities are alike as far as they’re concerned. That is the attitude of the Modi government. I can see the way he speaks, I have never seen him at any time attacking any religion. This religious bias in an unnecessarily taunt on BJP and very unjust, according to me,” the former technocrat added.
The 88-year-old technocrat said that his aim was to bring the party into power in Kerala and added that he was open to the chief ministership. He also said the focus would be on developing infrastructure if the BJP emerges victorious in the assembly polls, likely to be held in April-May this year.
