Oprah Winfrey receives "unimaginable" Oscar (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? Oprah Winfrey received an honorary Oscar for her charitable work on Saturday in what she called an unimaginable moment for a black woman who grew up poor in Mississippi and rose to the top of Hollywood stardom.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences annually bestows its Governors Awards on people who have made an impact in the industry. This year, the honorary Oscars went to Winfrey, actor James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith at a black-tie affair that brought out stars such as John Travolta, Glenn Close and Alec Baldwin.

Talk show host and film actress Winfrey, who was nominated for a supporting-actress Academy Award in 1985's "The Color Purple," was given a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by a young woman who was sent through high school on a financial grant she earned from Winfrey's foundation.

Winfrey teared up when accepting her honorary Oscar and described the moment as "unimaginable" given her humble roots growing up in Mississippi.

"All of us can make a difference through the life we lead," Winfrey said. "We're all here to help each other."

She talked of her career as a TV chat show host and her movie work, and said it was "The Color Purple" that paved the way to stardom which, ultimately, led to philanthropy.

That movie "door opened to me through the magic and majesty of film," she said.

James Earl Jones was given his honorary Oscar for a body of acting work that ranges from his Academy Award-nominated performance as a boxer in "The Great White Hope" to voicing the role of the villainous Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" movies.

Jones was not on hand because he is in working in London, but he spoke to the Los Angeles audience in a speech that was taped earlier on Saturday.

He said he was "deeply honored, mighty grateful and just plain gobsmacked," using British slang for being astounded.

Finally, the "Godfather of makeup" Dick Simon was given an honorary Oscar for his behind-the-scenes work using makeup and prosthetics to make actors look old, young, sick, dying and dead in films ranging from "The Exorcist" to "The Godfather."

Simon gave a tearful and heartfelt acceptance speech in which he said he has loved every minute of his work in the movie business. "This kind of puts the crowning cap on all that," Simon said.

The Oscars, or Academy Awards, for the films of 2011 will be given out in a ceremony in Los Angeles on February 26.

(Editing by Will Dunham)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111113/en_nm/us_oscars_winfrey

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Eddie Murphy out, Brian Grazer in at Oscars (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? In a day of drama befitting Hollywood, Oscar organizers on Wednesday said comedian Eddie Murphy was bowing out as host of the world's top film honors and producer Brian Grazer was stepping in to run the show.

The dual announcements by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences follows Tuesday's departure of producer Brett Ratner who earned the wrath of academy members after using a gay slur at a weekend screening of his new movie, "Tower Heist," which co-starred Murphy.

Ratner had lured the "Beverly Hills Cop" funnyman into the coveted job as Oscar host and after he quit, Murphy tendered his resignation on Wednesday. It appeared to be the first time a host quit the show that annually is among the most-watched programs on U.S. TV and is seen by tens of millions worldwide.

Murphy's departure paved the way for the academy to bring on "A Beautiful Mind" producer Grazer to guide the show from concept to curtain this coming February. It will be up to Grazer to pick a new host for the awards that honor the top films, performances and other movie work of 2011.

"Brian Grazer is a renowned filmmaker who over the past 25 years has produced a diverse and extraordinary body of work," academy president Tom Sherak, said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, on announcing Murphy's departure, Sherak had said, "I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well."

On Tuesday Ratner resigned from the high-profile job in the face of an industry firestorm over his answer to a question at a "Tower Heist" screening about using rehearsals ahead of the film shoot. Ratner replied, "rehearsing is for fags."

Gay rights groups and some members of the academy took issue with his use of the word that is largely viewed as a slur, and Ratner later apologized publicly. But adding fuel to the fire was an interview he gave on the Howard Stern radio show about his sex life. The damage was done.

In his own statement, Murphy seemed almost apologetic for bowing out of the show.

"First and foremost, I want to say that I completely understand and support each party's decision with regard to a change of producers for this year's Academy Awards ceremony," he said.

"I was truly looking forward to being a part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I'm sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job."

Fortunately for Oscar organizers, the show does not take place until the final Sunday of February, 2012, giving the group plenty of time to put on a show.

(Editing by Chris Michaud and Jill Serjeant)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111111/en_nm/us_oscar_eddiemurphy_f

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Russia court rejects $16 billion claim against BP (AP)

MOSCOW ? A Russian court on Friday rejected a $16 billion claim against BP PLC filed by an obscure minority shareholder in BP's Russian venture, TNK-BP.

The court victory may have softened the blow that BP sustained when Rosneft dropped it as a partner in developing Russia's untapped Arctic oil and gas riches. The multibillion dollar deal broke down after TNK-BP's Russian billionaire shareholders blocked it, claiming that BP should be pursuing it through TNK-BP.

The Arbitration Court in the Tyumen region in Siberia on Friday dismissed two motions filed by a group of minority shareholders led by Andrei Prokhorov, who owns 0.0000106 percent in TNK-BP. The lawsuits are a $13 billion claim against BP and a $2.8 billion suit against two BP-nominated directors on TNK-BP's board.

Prokhorov and other shareholders claimed that BP and its representatives damaged TNK-BP's interests by failing to include the Russian venture in the Arctic deal with Rosneft.

BP's Russian partners in TNK-BP have denied any connection to the minority shareholder's suit. The claim was the reason why Russian police raided BP's office in August, which happened just days after Rosneft teamed up with ExxonMobil to develop the Arctic.

BP's Moscow office argued in an emailed statement that the lawsuit has no merit and said it is pleased with the ruling. Jeremy Huck, the president of BP Russia, said: "Today's decision is a positive contribution to the investment climate in Russia."

But lawyers for the minority shareholders vowed to appeal the ruling.

Dmitry Chepurenko, an attorney for the plaintiff, said in a statement that the court ruled against the shareholders because they had failed to gather the 1 percent of shares required for a valid lawsuit against members of a board.

"These court proceedings have showed Russia still has a long way to go to meet international standards in corporate law," Chepurenko said. Lawyers also complained that they had been given less than two hours to present their case in the $13 billion claim.

The Fitch Ratings agency warned last month that the lawsuit could be damaging for BP's credit rating.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/russia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111111/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_russia_bp

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Low rates can lead to risk buildup: Fed's Yellen (Reuters)

CHICAGO (Reuters) ? Central bankers should be "heavily involved" in assessing threats to financial stability, particularly when interest rates are so low, the Federal Reserve's vice chair, Janet Yellen, said on Friday.

"It's important for those making monetary policy to keep in mind trends affecting financial stability," Yellen said at a conference on the role of central banks in financial stability, sponsored by the Chicago Fed and the European Central Bank.

Policymakers should be aware that "these very low levels of interest rates can potentially touch off a buildup of financial risk in the system," she said.

(Reporting by Ann Saphir)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111111/bs_nm/us_usa_fed_yellen

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Greece turns to Iranian oil as default fears deter trade (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? Greece is relying on Iran for most of its oil as traders pull the plug on supplies and banks refuse to provide financing for fear that Athens will default on its debt.

Traders said Greece has turned to Iran as the supplier of last resort despite rising pressure from Washington and Brussels to stifle trade as part of a campaign against Tehran's nuclear program.

The near paralysis of oil dealings with Greece, which has four refineries, shows how trade in Europe could stall due to a breakdown in trust caused by the euro zone debt crisis, which is threatening to spread to further countries.

"Companies like us cannot deal with them. There is too much risk. Maybe independent traders are more geared up for that," said a trader with a major international oil company.

"Our finance department just refuses to deal with them. Not that they didn't pay. It is just a precaution," said a trader with a major trading house.

"We couldn't find any bank willing to finance us. No bank wants to finance a deal for them. We missed some good opportunities there," said a third trader.

More than two dozen European traders contacted by Reuters at oil majors and trading houses said the lack of bank financing has forced Greece to stop purchasing crude from Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in recent months.

Greece, with no domestic production, relies on oil imports and in 2010 imported 46 percent of its crude from Russia and 16 percent from Iran. Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan provided 10 percent each, Libya 9 percent and Iraq 7 percent, according to data from the European Union.

"They are really making no secret when you speak to them and say they are surviving on Iranian stuff because others will simply not sell to them in the current environment," one trader in the Mediterranean said.

Leading Greek refiner Hellenic Petroleum denied having any difficulty in buying crude and declined to comment on the exact breakdown of oil supplies. Greece's second biggest refiner Motor Oil Hellas declined to comment.

Greece's four refineries, belonging to Hellenic and Motor Oil, together can process around 400,000 barrels per day. That figure has fallen to around 330,000 bpd in recent months due to maintenances and upgrades.

"Our crude slate is broadly unchanged over the last few months and we are always viewing to optimize our refining operations," a Hellenic spokesman said.

"Our supply agreements are based on purely commercial considerations, no other factors interfering," he said.

Shipping data obtained by Reuters showed four cargoes taking crude from the Middle East outlet of Sidi Kerir on the Egyptian Mediterranean to Greece in September. Three sailed in October. Traders said all carried Iranian Heavy crude and more was coming in November.

"Iran is the only one who might be working on an "open credit" basis right now, given its own difficulty in selling crude," one trader said.

Imports of Iranian oil to the United States are subject to sanctions but are still fully legal to Europe and Asia. The European Union said this week it may consider oil sanctions against Iran within weeks, after a U.N. agency said Tehran had worked to design nuclear bombs.

Iran denies trying to build atom bombs and an Iranian official, who declined to be named, said Tehran has no difficulty in selling its oil.

However, shipping sources said that interest in Iranian crude, which is cheaper than competing Russian grades but politically sensitive, has prompted the country to continue storing crude in the Red Sea, to make it available for swift delivery.

The rest of the oil industry drastically cut crude storage last year after forward prices for crude moved to a discount to prompt, making such operation loss-making.

Iran is storing crude in four very large crude carriers (VLCCs) in the Red Sea.

(Reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov, Jonathan Saul, Ikuko Kurahone, Humeyra Pamuk, Zaida Espana, Barbara Lewis; Editing by Richard Mably and Anthony Barker)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111111/wl_nm/us_greece_iran_oil

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Timber! iOS and Android take 60 percent cut of mobile gaming dollars

The last time we reported on these figures, paid iOS and Android games were chipping away happily at the US market share of those two old oaks, Sony and Nintendo. Well, peer through the cloud of leaves and sawdust and you'll see that the job is done: the two newcomers will generate $500 million more than DS and PSP titles this year, according to stats from Flurry. Click past the break to see the trend since 2009 crystallized into a cold, hard pie chart.

On the other hand, there's a bit of good news for everybody: the overall American mobile gaming market is growing at a rapid pace -- this year's total revenue of $3.3 billion represents a 25 percent increase on 2010, so new devices like the PlayStation Vita and the Transformer Prime should find plenty of room to take seed.

Continue reading Timber! iOS and Android take 60 percent cut of mobile gaming dollars

Timber! iOS and Android take 60 percent cut of mobile gaming dollars originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Black Rhino declared extinct

GENEVA?? The Western Black Rhino of Africa was declared officially extinct Thursday by a leading conservation group.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature said that two other subspecies of rhinoceros were close to meeting the same fate.

The Northern White Rhino of central Africa is now "possibly extinct" in the wild and the Javan Rhino "probably extinct" in Vietnam, after poachers killed the last animal there in 2010.

A small but declining population survives on the Indonesian island of Java.

Story: Endangered rhinos airlifted to new home

IUCN said Thursday that a quarter of all mammals are at risk of extinction, according to its updated Red List of endangered species.

'Stewards of the Earth'
But the group added that species such as the Southern White Rhino and the Przewalski's Horse have been brought back from the brink with successful conservation programs.

Slideshow: Race to rescue rhinos (on this page)

"Human beings are stewards of the Earth and we are responsible for protecting the species that share our environment," said Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.

"In the case of both the Western Black Rhino and the Northern White Rhino, the situation could have had very different results if the suggested conservation measures had been implemented," he added. "These measures must be strengthened now, specifically managing habitats in order to improve breeding performance, preventing other rhinos from fading into extinction."??

Rhinos get upside-down helicopter ride to safety

The WWF environmental campaign group last month said that the Javan Rhino found dead in Vietnam in 2010 was the country's last, rendering the species all but the extinct.

Video: Hidden camera catches rare rhinos (on this page)

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Genetic analysis of 22 dung samples collected in Vietnam's Cat Tien National Park from 2009 to 2010 affirmed that the animal, found dead with a bullet in its leg and its horn removed in April 2010, was the final wild rhino in Vietnam.

Video: Rhinos: Flight for survival (on this page)

Rhinoceros horns are a coveted ingredient in traditional Eastern medicine and rumored to cure or fend off cancer, although scientists say there is no evidence to support the claim.

WWF said the Javan Rhino was believed to be extinct from mainland Asia until 1988 when one was hunted from the Cat Tien area, leading to the discovery of a small population.

The Associated Press, msnbc.com staff and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45236688/ns/world_news-world_environment/

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