Author: Rahul M

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — The failure of a steel cable and maintenance flaws contributed to the crash of a streetcar in the Portuguese capital Lisbon last month that killed 16 people and injured 21 others, according to an official preliminary report published Monday.The streetcar’s derailment is one of Lisbon’s worst tragedies in recent memory. The century-old streetcar, called a funicular because it travels up an down a steep hill in tandem with a second car, is a popular city tourist attraction. The streetcar at the time hurtled down the hill before coming off the rails on a bend and smashing…

Universal Pictures Horror factory Blumhouse Productions has been on a cold streak lately. Flops like “M3gan 2.0” and “Wolf Man” have inspired many to wonder whether or not the days of this outfit cranking out non-stop hits like “Get Out” and “The Purge” are over. However, Blumhouse just roared back to life with the mighty opening of “Black Phone 2,” which bowed to $27.3 million domestically. This impressive debut wasn’t just ahead of the original “Black Phone’s” North American opening. It was also, as of this writing, the 21st biggest domestic launch of…

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s parliament is set to elect ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister Tuesday, one day after her struggling party struck a coalition deal with a new partner that would pull her governing bloc further to the right. Takaichi will replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, ending a three-month political vacuum and wrangling since the Liberal Democratic Party’s disastrous election loss in July.Ishiba, who lasted only one year in office, resigned with his Cabinet earlier Tuesday, paving the way for his successor.The LDP’s off-the-cuff alliance with the Osaka-based rightwing Japan Innovation Party, or Ishin no…

Sergei Bachlakov/CBS Contains spoilers for “Fire Country” Season 4, Episode 1 — “Goodbye For Now” Gabriela Perez (Stephanie Arcila) has had a long, tortured history on “Fire Country,” with the character nearly being ruined by her Season 3 arc. But her exit in “Goodbye for Now” is rather short and sweet.  After nursing Bode Leone (Max Thieriot) through the death of his father, Vince (Billy Burke), she explains to Bode that she’s leaving town to become a recruiter for the fire department. That’s one loss too many for Bode. They…

QUITO (AP) — The survivor of a U.S. strike on a submersible vessel accused by the Trump administration of transporting drugs in the Caribbean was released by authorities in Ecuador after prosecutors said they had no evidence he committed a crime in the South American nation, a government official said Monday.The official, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the matter, told The Associated Press that the Ecuadorian man, identified as Andrés Fernando Tufiño, was in good health after medical evaluations.A document from the Ecuadorian government obtained by AP said “there is no…

The Horsemen are getting the band back together. Last seen in 2016’s “Now You See Me 2,” the group of mentalists, magicians, and daring Robin Hoods is set to put on their most shocking and elaborate magic tricks yet in the forthcoming “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t.” Want more information on what they’ve been up to over the course of the past two films? Click the video linked above for everything you need to know about the “Now You See Me” universe in one fell swoop. The “Now You See…

Jfizzy/Star Max/Getty Images While she might be best known as the perpetually-perky Flo from the Progressive insurance commercials, Stephanie Courtney is actually a multifaceted actress with a background in comedy and drama who has plenty of experience in the Hollywood game. As a matter of fact, she had a regular gig on the first season of a super famous, critically acclaimed drama: “Mad Men.” Courtney played the wisecracking Marge, who co-operates the switchboard down at Sterling Cooper & Partners. Though she only appeared in five episodes during the first season, Marge’s presence…

Universal Pictures The words “failure” and “Clint Eastwood” don’t often appear in the same sentence. After all, Eastwood is not only one of the best-known actors in Hollywood history, he’s also a prestigious director. He’s an industry great without a doubt, though rarely does someone go through a career in the movies without at least one picture that they have some regrets over. In Eastwood’s case, that film is “The Beguiled.” Directed by Don Siegel, one of Eastwood’s most notable collaborators, the 1971 thriller takes place during the American Civil War.…

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that the U.S. commands “great respect” from Beijing and that he will reach a “fantastic deal” with Chinese President Xi Jinping when the two leaders meet soon.Trump’s remarks come after Beijing infuriated him by expanding export controls on rare earth products that are used in smartphones, fighter jets, electric vehicles and more. Trump spoke as he hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House, celebrating an agreement with the U.S. ally as a potential counterpoint to China’s near-monopoly in processing those critical minerals.“I think we’re going to end up having…

Nicolas Sarkozy will become the first former French president in living memory to be imprisoned when he is expected to begin a five-year sentence Tuesday in Paris’ La Santé prison.Convicted of criminal conspiracy in a scheme to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya, Sarkozy maintains his innocence. Regardless, he will be admitted to serve his time in a prison that has held some of the most high-profile inmates since the 19th century. They include Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, wrongly convicted of treason because he was Jewish, and the Venezuelan militant known as Carlos the Jackal, who carried out…