MIAMI - No one seemed to notice when a large white crane that had been working at the doomed Florida International University bridge lurched away down Tamiami Trail shortly after the span collapsed. There was a disaster to respond to: Mountains of concrete. Horribly mangled cars. Dead and injured people. It wasn't until some time later that authorities began wondering what happened to the crane and its operator, a close eyewitness who might help the investigation into the collapse. But he, and the crane, were gone. "He drove away in the crane and nobody stopped him," said Carl Robertson, 73, a homeless man who lives near the site of the bridge. Robertson was right there and saw it fall down. He was the first person to call 911, using his aging cell phone. Photos and video taken immediately after the March 15 accident show the crane - rented from a Sweetwater firm called George's Crane - still present on the downed bridge's northwest side. When a Miami Herald photographer took a wide-frame aerial shot of the disaster about an hour later, the crane was nowhere in sight. As the public tries to piece together what happened that chaotic day - at a time when government entities investigating the collapse have squeezed shut the flow of crucial information - the crane has become a source of speculation for amateur sleuths and online theorists. Readers asked the Herald: What was the crane doing and where did it go? In the absence of official explanations, some even wondered if the crane itself could have bumped the 950-ton bridge and caused the catastrophe. Did the operator then flee the scene in the most ungainly of getaway vehicles? Here is what is known: Police don't seem to believe the crane man fled the scene or caused the collapse, which independent engineers suspect was the result of structural and design flaws. They say the unidentified operator drove the crane a short distance away and stuck around to offer help - but for how long isn't clear. The crane - with the name "George's" emblazoned prominently on the boom - had been used to lift a piece of equipment for adjusting the span's internal steel supports around the time the bridge came crashing down at 1:47 p.m., killing six people. Robertson was a short distance west at his encampment. Within minutes of the bridge coming down, Robertson said, the crane's operator jumped out of the cab to untie a strand of caution tape that police coming from nearby FIU and Sweetwater had quickly anchored on the machine as they rushed to save lives. Then he started up his rig and rumbled west down Tamiami and out of sight. "I didn't think about it until later that day," Robertson said of the crane's disappearance. "I didn't have my wits about me because they were pulling people out." Although he was the first person to call 911, police recordings show, he says the cops never followed up to take a formal interview. After the Herald published a piece last week on FIU engineers discovering potentially problematic cracks in the bridge days before the collapse, Robertson called reporters to recount his story - and to ask if anyone had figured out where the crane and the crane man went. A lawyer for George's Crane - which rents hydraulic cranes as large as 170 tons - offered an explanation to the Herald. Far from fleeing, the operator needed to move the lumbering contraption out of the way, said the attorney, Bryant Blevins. Rescuers had shown up right away. "The emergency vehicles needed access," Blevins said. "They were getting there pretty quickly after the collapse. At that point, he had to move the crane." So, Blevins said, the crane man drove the boom mounted on a six-wheel trailer out of the way and then - what time exactly Blevins couldn't say - took it about 30 blocks north to the George's Crane lot in Sweetwater. That's where the crane stayed. The operator, however, returned to the scene "later that night" and was interviewed by police and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a federal agency that investigates on-the-job accidents, according to Blevins. A spokesman for OSHA declined to comment. The public knows very little about why the bridge came down. The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the cause of the accident, has forbidden the release of potentially critical public records that might shed some light. The Herald is suing the Florida Department of Transportation to compel their release. George Bremer, who owns the crane company, could not be reached. Whatever happened, the operator's behavior is puzzling - and angers some attorneys who are involved in the case and learned of the crane's disappearance independently of the Herald. "Why would he leave the scene?" asked Alan Goldfarb, who is representing the family of Alexa Duran, an FIU student crushed to death in her vehicle during the collapse. "It doesn't make any sense. ... How could you remove equipment from an investigative scene?" The Miami-Dade Police Department, which is investigating the deaths as homicides, has its own version of where the crane and the crane man went. Capt. Alex Acosta says investigators believe the operator simply drove a few hundred feet from the collapsed bridge, parking the machine nearby. "He moved it right there on site, off to the side," Acosta said. "He must have just got nervous." The captain said the man - whose name the department is not willing to release - then went back to the accident scene to "render aid." After that, he went home. But police figured out who he was and got in touch. "He came back voluntarily (to the scene) and was interviewed," Acosta said. The crane operator spoke willingly with police, according to Acosta, and no action was taken against him.

ZEITOUN, Gaza Strip — Israeli soldiers on Monday killed 52 Palestinians demonstrating along the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip and wounded more than 2,400 in the bloodiest day in the enclave since the 2014 war with Israel, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. An estimated 35,000 Palestinians gathered on the edges of Gaza as the U.S. Embassy opened in Jerusalem, fanning out along the fence in the largest demonstrations yet. At a gathering point east of Gaza City, organizers urged demonstrators to burst through the fence, telling them Israeli soldiers were fleeing their positions, even as they were reinforcing them. At the barrier, young men threw stones and tried to launch kites carrying flames in hopes of burning crops on the other side. Most of the demonstrators, though, were peaceful, protesting the loss of their homes and villages during the creation of the state of Israel 70 years ago and the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. Occasional sporadic gunfire could be heard over the noise of the crowd, and a constant stream of ambulances roared back and forth from the fence, ferrying away the wounded. Hospital workers said they were overwhelmed. “We are at a critical point now,” said Ayman al-Sahbani, the head of the emergency department at al-Shifaa hospital in Gaza City. “I don’t know how we will manage this number of people. How long can this go on? How long?” Earlier in the day, he said that his hospital could cope with about 200 or 300 gunshot injuries. By 6 p.m., around 400 had been brought in. “A lot of people need operations, but the operation rooms are full.” Nirma Attalah, 29, said the deaths were just galvanizing Gaza residents to keep on demonstrating despite weeks of losses. “My brother was shot in the head in this place,” she said, adding it was two weeks earlier. She had come on Monday with her whole extended family to the protest. “We are here for Jerusalem, for Palestinian land,” she said.

Meghan Markle's father will no longer attend the royal wedding this weekend, where he was set to walk his daughter down the aisle, according to a new report. The change comes amid a brewing scandal and news that he secretly suffered a heart attack last week. But it appears Thomas Markle Sr.'s health wasn't the overriding factor in his decision to skip the nuptials. Instead, it's over the fallout from reportedly selling photos of himself to a paparazzi agency. Thomas simply "doesn't want to embarrass the Royal Family or his daughter," TMZ said. In recent weeks, Thomas has been snapped by a paparazzi photographer prepping for the wedding in various ways. He was pictured doing everything from being measured for a suit by a purported tailor to lifting weights while walking outdoors to reading a story about his daughter and Harry on a computer at an internet cafe. © REX/Shutterstock Meghan Markle attends the Anzac Day Dawn Service in London on April 25, 2018. The whole thing was allegedly set up for financial gain, The MailOnline reported, adding that Thomas stood to make more than $100,000 from the pictures, although he says the number was far south of that. Thomas' daughter Samantha has taken the blame for the staged pics. TMZ reportedly spoke to Thomas who told them he didn't strike up the deal primary with money on his mind. The 73-year-old should he thought the photos would help "recast" his image in the public eye, but he now admits the pictures "stupid and hammy." Thomas said he's been offered up to $100,000 to do interviews about Meghan ever since she started dating Prince Harry, but he's turned down all of them. This time, though, he felt as though no harm could come from a few photos. The couple will wed on May 19. (Eddie Mulholland/Pool via AP, File) He "now deeply regrets" the agreement with the paparazzi agency, TMZ says. To complicate matters, Thomas said he suffered a heart attack six days ago but checked himself out of the hospital so he could attend the wedding. Now, though, it seems that he'll stay on the sidelines when Meghan formally becomes a royal.

Iconsider myself a slightly skeptical person, but I’ll also try most anything once, and I’m always willing to listen to someone who’s benefited from something. Which is how I ended up being recruited by NXIVM — the organization that’s recently been accused of sex trafficking and forced branding, and resulted in the arrests of founder Keith Raniere and Smallville actress Allison Mack, among others. I was recruited by a friend; at first, I thought all the people he introduced me to were fairly interesting, and certainly smart. It wasn’t until I read those headlines that I thought, “Holy s--t. Perhaps that party was sketchy.” So how does one actually get recruited by a now-infamous sex cult? For me, it began with a professional development workshop a former job of mine paid for, aimed at “optimizing our potential.” This group had no affiliation with NXIVM, but it opened a gateway into a community of self-improvement aficionados. I went for a pretty standard reason: the free wine and cured meats. But the workshop itself delved deep into our egos, sense of empathy, and mental and behavioral patterns. I even tried a turmeric-oat muffin. This was the stuff of real growth! After the workshop, a smaller group of us who’d hit it off got in touch and decided to form a book club. This lasted for over two years, and it consisted of people of different ages, races, careers, and nationalities. As it goes, half the time people forgot to read the book. But that didn’t matter. Usually, the conversation just veered off to other topics — from new jobs to painfully atrophying careers, from promising flings to refusing-to-die zombie loves, we became good friends outside of the norms of our everyday lives. So when I got an email from one member of the group — we’ll call him Michael — about a gathering at his house to introduce us to another personal-growth program, I didn’t think twice about accepting. Michael is incredibly successful with an Important Job™, wildly kind and intelligent, and his apartment is so nice my jaw unhinges from my skull every time I step into it (he has bookshelves with a sliding ladder). My point is, he’s got his shit together more than almost anyone I know. And I’d come to consider him a good friend. When I arrived, there were about 10 to 15 people clustered in little groups around the fine pottery and photographs Michael had snapped of himself from places around the world. There were a few people from the book club, but most I didn’t know. As I made the rounds of small talk, I learned everyone else was as accomplished as Michael. So I did what one always does at a party where you’re kind of a schlub and everyone else is impressive: I ate stacks upon stacks of salami. By the time we gathered for a presentation, my brain was filled with at least two Riojas and my fingerprints laced with congealed brie. Meaning, I was amenable to most anything. Michael briefly recapped his experience with Executive Success Programs (ESP) — the flagship series of workshops and community meetings that NXIVM operates, though it apparently offers other seminars, workshops, and pyramid scheme-y things, too. When finished, he introduced Matt, a representative from ESP. Matt began fulsomely. “What if I told you you could get exactly what you want in life?” He took a beat and surveyed the room. “Our patented technology is designed to help you reveal your full potential — and utilize it.” Despite the overtures, Matt came across as pragmatic and down to earth. And most of all, he obviously believed in his pitch. I found it endearing. He shared individual stories of those who’d benefited from the program — most notably, how one of his siblings had cured his speech disorder through ESP, all thanks to Keith Raniere’s technology. He even preemptively addressed criticisms. “Some people think we’re a pyramid scheme, some people think we’re a cult. But we’re really none of those things. We’ve got CEOs, entrepreneurs, politicians …” and he named some fairly high-profile people that I won’t mention here, because, y’know, sex-trafficking affiliations. (Because he’d mentioned cults, I went home and went way deep into ESP Googleland afterward. There were freaky rumors bubbling up, but nothing like what’s now come to light.) I immediately noticed how important pedigree seemed to be to this crew. Over and over, they named Harvard Business School and Wharton, Deloitte and McKinsey, Broadway and Hollywood. It put a sour taste in my mouth. But then again, I’d just dunked cornichons into a tangy mustard. So I remained an attentive listener. That is, until it dawned on me that I’d been there for 45 minutes, and still had zero clue as to what the hell ESP actually was.When Matt dropped the price point — something like $3,000 for a five-day intensive program or $7,500 for 16 days — the Gouda nearly came back up. “I’m sorry if I missed this, but can you explain more about what the technology is?” I asked. “We can’t go into specifics, because our technology is proprietary. Instead, we want to focus on what you’ll gain,” Matt answered. Sure. But proprietary shmoprietary when we’re talking over $3K. Also, the term “technology” seemed to skew more toward “Sporcle personality quiz” and less toward “code” or “software” or “any actual technology.” When the presentation ended, Matt asked us to come to him and sign up if we were ready. At that point, two other reps who had been sitting among us made a beeline to those of us who were having any hesitations. A rep cornered me and started interrogating me. “Look, if it was free, I’d definitely go,” I admitted. “But I just don’t have that kind of money right now.” “You’re just like me. I totally get it,” he said. “My advice is that you just need to take a leap and invest in yourself. There’s nothing more important.” This went on back and forth for awhile, until he said, “You know, my sister was really struggling. She has two kids, single mom, woman of color trying to make it out of debt. But she sold her car to take ESP because she valued her own potential. And now she’s getting promotions, and hasn’t looked back.” It was at this point that some real alarm bells broke through the wine-and-cheese fog. What kind of program would advise someone really struggling with debt to spend thousands on a professional development workshop? I’m not sure if anyone at the party signed up. I told the reps I’d think about it, and hung around to continue my gluttony until only Michael, the book club friend, and the ESP reps remained. It was then that everyone kind of dropped their hard sells, and we began getting to know each other better. We somehow began talking about Britney Spears and I went on to break down why I believe she is the goddess of our times. One rep suddenly slammed down her glass with glee and said, “Remember when you asked what ESP does? This. It makes you talk about all aspects of your life the way you’re talking about Britney right now.” They all screamed yes!, and I laughed and felt my cheeks glow pink, and we poured yet another round. It hit a nerve. It made me feel eager, like there was something more for me, and also some kind of sorrow. What would it be like to boast about all facets of my life — my work, my love life, my projects, my new Spanx — with a such a fire and tenacity that it leaves rooms stunned? I thought about it for weeks. But I never could take the plunge, all praises be to my English-major bank account. The day I read the New York Times story about the forced branding, I felt my guts seize up in total horror — and I thought of how Michael and those reps must have felt when uncovering the same words. I can’t say for sure that none of them knew. It would shock me to learn they had, but also, what can you really know? I’ve seen Michael several times since, but I can’t broach the subject. To even skirt near the shame and indignity is too much. What I believe is that these smart, complex people were evangelizing a system from the lower rungs, and it coiled up into something unimaginably ghastly at the epicenter. And I believe it was a mind---k to discover that they had helped propel such abhorrence. Though these people did, you know, try to recruit me into a pyramid-scheme-y cult, I fear for the stigma they may face as the truth continues to unfurl. As a society, we tend to commend all the qualities these groups claim to offer — purpose, fulfillment, community — but we then demonize huge swaths of people for having chosen unwisely. My point is not to absolve cults, but to honestly face a painful duality: While cults can be evil, the people within them are human. No one is immune from being swindled. There’s usually a cozy setting and lovely little party to kick things off. What I learned from my brief, almost foray into sex-culting: Cults aren’t exclusively made up of freaks or damaged, desperate people (though they may leave that way). They consist of relatively normal individuals — and it’s for this reason that they’re so frightening.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday told employees the company plans to "flatten" its structure as it works to improve communication and trim activities "that are not vital" to its success. "To ensure that Tesla is well prepared for the future, we have been undertaking a thorough reorganization of our company," Musk said in a copy of the memo obtained by CNBC. Tesla will "continue to hire rapidly in critical hourly and salaried positions to support the Model 3 production ramp and future product development," he added. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report about the memo. When contacted by CNBC, Tesla declined to comment. On a recent conference call, Musk warned the electric car maker would make some changes to improve its financial health. Tesla has been burning through billions in cash, and some analysts think the company will need to raise capital again by early 2019. "We are going to conduct a sort of reorganization, restructuring of the company this month, and make sure we're well set up to achieve that goal," said Musk during the call in early May, after the company reported first-quarter earnings. "And in particular," he said, "the number of sort of third-party contracting companies that we're using has really gotten out of control, so we're going to scrub the barnacles on that front. It's pretty crazy. We've got barnacles on barnacles. So there's going to be a lot of barnacle removal." That was not the first time Musk said he wanted to trim Tesla's fat. Prior to earnings, a leaked email revealed the company will be more rigorous about expenditures, including its relationship with suppliers and contractors.

Bollywood as an industry has always been riding on the concept of stardom. Every decade has seen the rise and fall of stars in the industry. While the industry has its own share of BIG STARS, not many in the past 60 years have attained the tag of being a Super-Star. While the trade in today’s time uses the word Superstar vaguely, there are very few who indeed have attained that level of fan following and stardom to bag the tag of being a Superstar. The criteria used to find a place in the list over here is simple i.e. a culmination of two factors – Volume of Hit Films and magnitude of the success. While the list mentioned below does not discredit any actor, who doesn’t find a place in the list, taking numbers as a parameter, it merely highlights the people whose achievements in terms of success is a little more than the others in the industry. Here’s a look at the seven people who deserve the Superstar tag: (Names Mentioned Below Alphabetically) Aamir Khan Aamir Khan When we hear the term superstar, the first thing that comes to our mind is a large number of people gathering to get a glimpse of their stylish star. Aamir Khan is someone who doesn’t fit into the conventional image of a superstar. However, the actor over the years with his work has gained the reputation of being the most trusted brand in the industry. His films marry content driven and commercial cinema in a way that often sets the Box-Office on fire. The trust factor among the audience is so high that I have overheard the cine-going audience say “Aamir Khan Ki Film Hai, Achi Hi Hogi.” In the last 9 years, Aamir Khan has delivered 5 All-Time Grossers in the form of Ghajini, 3 Idiots, Dhoom 3, PK and Dangal. In fact, he holds this unique record of delivering maximum All Time Grossers among all actors since the inception of Bollywood. While a lot of people often discredit Aamir Khan’s stardom stating that it is the content which has done the talking, it is essential to realize that Khan is someone who sits on the script for hours to make sure he doesn’t cheat the audience and no one is stopping other actors to do films that are high on content to win over the audiences time and again. Although Aamir Khan doesn’t have the volume in terms of hit films, the sheer magnitude of his success makes him a deserving candidate to be a part of this list. Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan is someone who has delivered a large volume of hit films and even his magnitude of success was unbelievable. The megastar in his career has been a part of 46 Hit films and 11 of them have proved to be blockbusters. Unlike Aamir Khan, who is a part of the list because of the high magnitude of success, Bachchan is someone who qualifies by matching both the criteria’s. Apart from successful films, the hysteria that Bachchan used to create by his mere appearance is unmatchable. The inside theatre reactions on entry sequences of Bachchan had to be witnessed to be believed. Even at the age of 75, Amitabh Bachchan commands a solid fan following as you would see 100’s of people standing outside his bungalow in Juhu to get a glimpse of the star. Dharmendra Dharmendra As mentioned by us in one of the earlier articles, Dharmendra is someone who never quite got the due from the media and trade since he took up a lot of B-Grade films in the later stage of his career. However, that amount of successful films that he has been a part of in his career spanning over 3 decades makes him a bonafide superstar. Just like Bachchan, even Dharmendra fulfils both the criteria for being a part of this list as the actor has been a part of approximately 49 Hit films, and 6 out of them have proved to be massive blockbusters. Apart from the Box-Office numbers, the craze of Dharmendra in the northern belt of India has always been at a different level. Even when Bachchan was the top star of the industry, his films often used to fall short of the collections of Dharmendra films in Punjab and at times even Delhi. In the olden era, people in north were not fans, but devotees of Dharmendra. Dilip Kumar Dilip Kumar Just like Aamir Khan, even Dilip Kumar was not a part of a huge volume of successful films, however, like the former, even Dilip Kumar delivered success of humongous magnitude. Another factor which qualifies him to this list is his consistency. The superstar commanded a solid success ratio of 65%, which means that he was a part of 37 successful films, out of which 24 were outright hits (A detailed article on hits and flops of Dilip Kumar will follow soon). With 24 Hit Films and solid hold over the Box-Office for a long period of time, Dilip Kumar is indeed a deserving candidate for the superstar tag. He was, in fact, the first superstar of Bollywood, however back then the superstar tag was not introduced, and hence he wasn’t labelled as a superstar back then. Rajesh Khanna Rajesh Khanna Rajesh Khanna is often referred to as the first superstar of Indian Cinema. While he may have only enjoyed a short period of five to six years as the reigning superstar, at his peak, Kaka enjoyed a cult following that is still every aspiring actor’s dream. Khanna holds the record of delivering 14 hit films in a span of 5 years, and the same stands unchallenged till date. Rajesh Khanna was loved by viewers of all ages i.e. from 6 to 60. It is impossible to talk about his fan following without a mention to his appeal among the female viewers. His portrayal of a lover in variety of shades, helped him gain a lot of crazy female fans. Well, to put an end to the legacy of Rajesh Khanna, all I would like to say is that the term “Superstar” was invented in Bollywood after the success streak witnessed by Rajesh Khanna. The superstar has been a part of approximately 25 Hit films, and thereby finds a place in this list. Salman Khan Dilip Kumar Salman Khan is the most complex Bollywood superstar of all time. Despite being surrounded by ample of controversies, he has managed to stand tall in this industry for over 3 decades. Salman has been a part of around 30 Hit films in his career till date and the count is expected to go above 35. Out of the 30 Hit films, 14 of them are massive blockbusters and Khan thereby qualifies to be a part of this list by meeting both the criteria’s. If there is someone who has come close to the mass hysteria that fans used to create on the entry scenes of Amitabh Bachchan in the cinema hall, it is undoubtedly Salman Khan. While the superstar has had his own share of ups and downs, the current phase witnessed by Salman is probably the best-ever witnessed by any actor in Bollywood. In last 8 years, Khan has delivered 9 Blockbuster films in the form of Dabangg, Ready, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Dabangg 2, Kick, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hai. The blockbuster count of Khan this decade is probably higher than the total blockbuster of 99% of the Bollywood stars, such has been the domination. Khan has always been one of the most bankable stars of the industry despite the low phase last decade due to poor choice of films. Shah Rukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan If there is one Bollywood superstar who has put the name of Bollywood on the global map, it has to be Shah Rukh Khan. The superstar can boast of something that no one apart from him can i.e. the pride of being the most recognized Bollywood star outside India. While the films of other actors from the industry work outside India owing to several factors such as content and packaging, the name Shah Rukh Khan is enough to get the NRI’s in the cinema hall. His domination outside India aside, Shah Rukh Khan has been a part of 27 Hit Films in his career, and the count is expected to move above 30 by the end of his career. Like all others, even SRK qualifies both the criteria to be a part of this list i.e. he has delivered a large volume of hugely successful films. The best phase of Shah Rukh Khan’s career was the last decade where he consistently delivered hits and super-hits at regular intervals. In fact, Shah Rukh Khan had attained the tag of being the Mr. Consistent at the Box-Office. Although this decade hasn’t been as encouraging as the 90’s and 2000’s, Khan’s stardom has not taken a backseat as of now. Even in today’s time, his films are opening to good numbers, which defines stardom, however, the content is not supporting in the long run. It is just a matter of the right film that gets Khan back in action. Apart from the above-mentioned superstars, another person who is touted as an under-rated superstar is Rajendra Kumar, however owing to lack of data available, we were not quite able to get exact statistics on his career graph. While making a list of top 10 superstars of all time would have been an ideal scenario, however they are a lot of contenders to fight for the last 3 position and there is not enough data available to analyse and come up with the list of top 10 greatest superstars of all time (In no particular order). While the top 7 stars would be the above-mentioned one in any order, to give a rough idea, spot number 8, 9 and 10 would be occupied by any 3 of the following: Rajendra Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Akshay Kumar, Dev Anand, Mithun Chakraborty, and Shammi Kapoor. Even Hrithik Roshan was in a contention to be a part of top 10 all-time superstars, however, this decade wasn’t quite promising for him. The coming few years will decide if he can find a place in the top 10 list or no, as he already has the magnitude, but falls very short in terms of volume.

Amitabh Bachchan as 102-year-old father and Rishi Kapoor as 75-year-old son have been spreading their love and magic with 102 Not Out. The movie has crossed the 35 crore mark at the box office and it has enjoyed a great second weekend. It started its 2nd week by collecting 1.85 crores on its 2nd Friday and showed growth collecting 3.05 crores on its 2nd Saturday. The movie has soared further and earned 4.30 crores on its 2nd Sunday. 102 Not Out now stands at the grand total of 36.90 crores. 102 Not Out Box Office Collections Day 10 The growth has been great given the condition movie has been facing at the box office. Avengers: Infinity War is still at the box office and Alia Bhatt’s Raazi is also performing well. Despite these factors, 102 Not Out has been making its way to its target audience. The film, based on a Gujarati play written by Saumya Joshi, revolves around a 75-year-old son and his 102-year-old father, who wishes to break the world record of being the oldest man alive held by a 118-year-old Chinese man. “It is great to see how our audience is excited about the combination of these two iconic actors (Amitabh and Rishi) coming together. The fact is that our film is a youthful film narrated by an old father-son duo. And we could not have got it better than this… This is the best cast,” director Umesh Shukla told IANS. “The story would not have been so interesting if pitched between a 40-year-old father and 10-year-old son. Since these old men already lived their lives, it is interesting to know how they deal with old age. The film talks about how one should be a learner all their life and keep the curiosity alive to get rid of boredom and find a new purpose of living life to the fullest,” he added.

Vaani Kapoor is set to sizzle like never before in Karan Malhotra’s mega action adventure Shamshera starring Ranbir Kapoor. Vaani will play the character of the most desirable and sought after travelling performer from heartland India. Karan says, “Vaani plays Ranbir’s love interest in the film and is a very important collaborator in his character’s journey. Her character graph is interlinked to the plot of the film making her a crucial catalyst in our hero’s rebellious mission.” Ranbir Kapoor To Romance Vaani Kapoor In Shamshera; Here’s What Her Role Is! He adds, “Vaani is a perfect fit for the role. She is a fine actor, a fabulous dancer and a gorgeous Hindi film heroine. We wanted someone absolutely fresh to wow audiences on the big screen and she beautifully fits that brief.” YRF’s high-octane, larger-than-life entertainer will have jaw-dropping action sequences and Ranbir Kapoor in a never seen before avatar. Sanjay Dutt plays the merciless nemesis of Ranbir in the project. Shamshera is set to go on floors end of this year and shooting will wrap by mid 2019.

Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan on Sunday said educating girls should be the first step towards empowering women. “There is a direct link between a girl being educated and empowered,” the 37-year-old actress said, adding education would enable a woman to shoulder the responsibilities of motherhood. Kareena Kapoor Khan Kareena was speaking at an event here organized by Unicef India to discuss the importance of celebrating mothers and their newborns. “There is a very important need to stress on education of the girl child. Pregnancy during adolescence puts both the mother and child in danger and proper education will help put a check on it,” she said. The event was organized to mark Mother’s Day against the backdrop of Unicef’s ‘Every Child Alive’, a signature neonatal campaign that supports and accelerates Unicef’s efforts to eliminate preventable neonatal deaths by 2030, with a focus on the girl child. “We need to give more emphasis of girl education. They are on their way to become mothers, they need to be given right guidance and right education – this is something we all need to look for,” Kareena said. The actress who will soon be seen in Veere Di Wedding also emphasized on the role of the father in parenthood and talked about her husband Saif Ali Khan’s contribution in bringing up their first child. “It is said what a mother can do father can’t but there are a lot of things that a father can do. And I am lucky to get the support from Saif. Even when I was exhausted after giving birth, I still insisted Saif to keep Taimur attached to his chest, give him the Kangaroo love. “A father should step in when a mother undergoes changes post delivery. We must champion those fathers and give a shout out to them for their support,” she said.

Recently, a lot of interesting projects were announced which we are excited to watch for! The next gen actors – Varun Dhawan, Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor will soon be seen in period drama films Kalank, Shamshera and Panipat respectively. Apart from these gems, Akshay Kumar is too all ready to bring the magic on the big screen with Kesari. These are one of the most highly awaited and anticipated films of the year 2018 and 2019. Kalank Talking about Varun Dhawan’s Kalank, the film consists of an ensemble cast which includes Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sanjay Dutt. This film also marks the collaboration of Fox Star Studios, Dharma Productions and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment – the 3 best producers of this time. The film which was incepted 15 years ago by Karan Johar and his dad Yash Johar, has found its way and will be now released on 19th April 2019. Well, not much of the plot has been revealed but we are sure that it will quite interesting to see such bundle of joy coming together. Shamshera Ranbir Kapoor’s Shamshera was announced recently by Yash Raj Films. This announcement was one of the most unexpected one which came out. There was no speculations or rumours about this Ranbir starrer. In the first look we saw Ranbir in and as Shamshera, and he looks kickass in it! After 9 long years, Ranbir has collaborated again with YRF and we are sure that this will be a treat for all the fans. Directed by Karan Malhotra, this high octane adventure will see Ranbir Kapoor as a dacoit and he totally looked raw and rugged in the first look. Not only this, but we will also see Sanjay Dutt in the film who will be seen playing a ruthless and merciless villain. This will be the first outing between Sanjay and YRF. Well, Ranbir will now be seen as Sanju in the biopic and later he will be seen with Sanjay Dutt in an all-new avatar! This will definitely be a treat for Ranbir and Sanjay’s fans! The film will go on floors by the end of this year. Panipat Arjun Kapoor too is all set for some action! Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker is back with another historical drama. The film is titled Panipat which is a story about what led to the third war of Panipat. Apart from Arjun, the film also stars Sanjay Dutt and Kriti Sanon. The posters which have been released looks like a complete treat for all the fans! Kesari Akshay Kumar’s Kesari is also one of the most awaited films of 2019. Akki is surely the box office king! He is quite jam-packed with his super amazing movie line-ups in the year 2018 and 2019. His film Kesari is about the 1897 Battle of Saragarhi fought between the Sikh soldiers and Pashtun Orakzai. Akshay will portray the role of Commander Havildar Ishar Singh and is directed by Anurag Singh. He will be seen donning a turban look in the film. The film also stars Parineeti Chopra and it is set to release on Holi 2019.

Actress Alia Bhatt felt happy to work with her mother Soni Razdan in her latest release Raazi but admits to getting nervous for the veteran actress. During an appearance on the dance, reality show High Fever…Dance ka Naya Tevar, Alia spoke about her mother, read a statement. The Time When Alia Bhatt Felt Nervous For Her Mother “To me, Mother’s Day is one of those days when I get to see a lot of Mother’s Day greeting cards. I believe Mother’s Day should not be just a one-day celebration rather must be celebrated every day,” said Alia. “We always look at this day as one of those days when we should take out time for our mothers. I don’t think any day and any amount of celebration can really make up for what mothers do for us.” Talking about working with her mother, Alia said: “I don’t get enough time to spend with my mother. It gets really difficult for me to take out time for her and I feel really bad about that.” “With Raazi, I have managed to get to spend eight days straight with her because I was working with her and she is playing the role of my mother in the film as well.” “I was actually nervous for my mother and hoping that she has memorized her lines well. I wanted her to be superb. But I forgot that my mother has way more experience with films than me.” “I am just like her. Me and my mother were often told that we look like twins because we have a similar way of talking,” she shared. Alia also dedicated a message for her mother on the show saying: “I want to thank you and also apologize for all those moments when I get irritated and angry with you. This is my way of showing love to you.” High Fever… Dance Ka Naya Tevar is aired on &TV channel.

Deadpool 2 Box Office Predictions: It released back in 2016 in India and did reasonably well at the box office. The movie received a mixed word of mouth as some really loved it and some find it just about an average superhero flick. One real disadvantage this movie had was the restriction of being a R-Rated movie. The major chunk of families and kids get limited with these kind of films. Despite this and a limited exposure for superhero films back then, Deapool managed to gross approximately in the range of 30 crores in its lifetime. Deadpool 2 is releasing this week and has already piqued the interest of many. Deadpool 2 Box Office Predictions: In How Many Days It Will Cross Deadpool? With the addition of Ranveer Singh, the movie has seriously garnered some immense buzz amongst the Bollywood fans. Success of movies like The Jungle Book, Furious series and latest explosion with Avengers: Infinity War, Hollywood movies are the new trend in India. There is no question about whether Deapool 2 will cross the lifetime collections of Deadpool but the question is how many days it will take. The best bet we can make is, it will take a weekend to cross the 30 crore mark because there is no major Bollywood movie releasing with it. “Deadpool is one of the most favourite and unconventional superheroes from Marvel. Deadpool 2 has being generating tremendous buzz and the bookings are huge across portals and theatre windows. We have also received lots of early booking requests from fans and cinema owners,” Vijay Singh, CEO Fox Star Studios, said in a statement to IANS. The film tells the story of an adult superhero with a twisted sense of humour. Based on Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, Deadpool is the original story of a former Special Forces operative who turns into a mercenary. The sequel also features Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Karan Soni, Zazie Beetz, Brianna Hildebrand, Stefan Kapicic and Leslie Uggam.

Dharma Productions and Junglee Films have a Hit in hands. They have scored well with their Raazi which has done quite well over the weekend. The film actually benefitted a lot from a very good start and that allowed it to gain much better when compared to the scenario when such genre of films start slow and then gain from word of mouth. In case of Raazi, the start by itself gave a very good platform to the Meghna Gulzar film and then the job was more than just done when further growth took place on Saturday and Sunday. Currently standing at 32.94 crores, the film has done the kind of business which would otherwise have been expected from the entire week. If one looks at other films in comparison, 102 Not Out had brought in 27.70 crores in its first week while Hichki stood at 26.10 crores. October was also lower at 30.24 crores and here we are talking about the first weekend business of Raazi, which pretty much tells the tale. Box Office Collections: Raazi Weekend Is Better Than Entire First Week Numbers Of October, 102 Not Out & Hichki What has to be seen though is how well does the Alia Bhatt starrer capitalize now from this point on? The stage has been set and while it is a given that a 60 crore plus lifetime is a given, an even higher number could well take it from a Hit to Superhit zone. The only word of caution though is the competition that awaits the film in just a few days from now. Deadpool 2 releases on Friday and that means Raazi has a free run primarily just for this week. It has to bring in maximum business during next four days and whatever comes post that should be looked at as an added bonus.

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says he went to watch the latest Marvel Studios’ movie Avengers: Infinity War, which he failed to understand. The 75-year-old cine icon tweeted on Sunday: “Okay brother, don’t feel bad. Went to watch a film called ‘Avengers’, but didn’t understand what was happening in the movie.” Amitabh Bachchan Reviews Avengers: Infinity War & It’s Funny! Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Avengers: Infinity War is the 19th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The superhero film revolves around Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Spider-Man, Dr. Strange and the rest of the Avengers who unite to battle their most powerful enemy Thanos. It has an ensemble cast comprising actors like Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Don Cheadle, Sebastian Stan, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston.

2018 started off in terms of movies! We’ve got some mind-blowing movies. These movies not only showed great stories but also earned a lot of moolah at the box office! Now, the new cross-border drama Raazi starring Alia Bhatt has stunned us with it’s opening weekend collections! The box office collections of 2018 are very interesting! It released this week has now entered the list of highest opening weekend. Alia Bhatt has give a brilliant performance and the audiences are loving it. Raazi Box Office Collections Weekend 1: Alia Bhatt Joins The Major League! If we only consider Bollywood movies, then Raazi has taken the 5th spot with a collection of 32.94 crores. The top five movies include Padmaavat (114 crores – 4 Day Weekend), Baaghi 2 (73.10 crores), Raid (41.01 crores), PadMan (40.05 crores) and the fifth position has now been taken by the Alia Bhatt starrer. However, if we consider Hollywood films too, Avengers:Infinity War will be on the 2nd position with 94.30 crores and Raazi will shift to number 6. Here’s the latest update on the Highest opening weekend grossers of 2018 so far. Raazi has now entered the list! (Please rotate your mobile screen for best viewing) Rank Collections Padmaavat 114.00 Cr (4 Day Weekend ) Avengers: Infinity War 94.30 Cr Baaghi 2 73.10 Cr Raid 41.01 Cr PadMan 40.05 Cr Raazi 32.94 Cr Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety 26.57 Cr It is helmed by Talvar director Meghna Gulzar, Raazi has been bankrolled by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. The film also stars Vicky Kaushal, Soni Razdan, Rajit Kapur and Jaideep Ahlawat in significant roles. It is based on the novel Calling Sehmat by Harinder Sikka. After this, Alia has an impressive line-up of films which includes Gully Boy, Kalank and Brahmastra.

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Every vision begins with a visionary and a zeal to realise it. Namrata Goyal, follows her passion with starting her production house, FilmStoc. A film graduate from Queen Mary College, University of London, Namrata produced her first short film at the age of 18. The film, Sunaina was based on female infanticide. It was screened at BAFTA. She performed as a lead actor in ‘Black Pearl’ a film on marital rape. She has also produced a docudrama ‘There is no one like him’ on her father, Mr. Naresh Goyal’s inspirational and incredible journey. Namrata Goyal is the Youth President of Mijwan Welfare Society and is actively involved in carrying forward the legacy of the grandfather the poet, Kaifi Azmi through education and empowerment of rural India with a focus on the girl child. She is also the Goodwill Ambassador of Jet Airways for carrying out social initiatives under CSR such as the Chennai Rehabilitation program in association with Action Aid. Enthusiastic about art, her company named, FilmStoc is inspired from the thought that films communicate a powerful message to the world. 50 percent of the population of India is under the age of 35 years and she believes that cinema must provide a definite direction to the youth. Cinema must channelise their energies to be active participants in society. As FilmStoc’s first feature film Namrata is proud to bring Manto’s story to life and believes what he stood for is of such relevance in today’s times. She says that cinema in India has huge potential which must be explored. She recognises that now is the time when lives across borders must connect, experiences and personal journeys must be shared. Namrata through films seeks to bring about cultural unity, celebrate diversity and give a voice to the voiceless

When Avengers released back in 2012, the superhero genre was on a raise in India and when Avengers: Age Of Ultron released in 2015 there was enough audience to watch such films. But this year’s Avengers: Infinity War has crashed every barricade crossing the 200 crore mark at the Indian box office. By now the majority of people in India are aware of what these 20+ odd superheroes do and what’s the basic storyline of these films. Those who haven’t watched even a single of them are calling this one a visual delight leaving the cinema hall with satisfaction. Avengers: Infinity War Box Office Collections Weekend 3: Towards A Monumental Total! The movie is larger than life and appeals to many set of audiences. Even the pre-90s people are accepting this magnum opus on the grounds of technical wonder. The movie collected 4.37crores on its 3rd Sunday. It collected 10 crores in its 3rd weekend and now stands at the grand total of 213.94 crores. Avengers: Infinity War surpassed Aamir Khan’s 3 Idiots yesterday. Yes, 3 Idiots released back in 2009 but still for a Hollywood movie this still is an achievement to proudly boast for. Anthony and Joe Russo returned to direct Avengers: Infinity War, which also sees stars Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Chadwick Boseman, Tom Holland, and Mark Ruffalo reprising their roles. In this latest instalment, the Avengers also teams up with the Guardians of the Galaxy, lead by Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord. The Russo brothers directed Captain America: Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, which became 2016’s top worldwide grosser with $1.16 billion. Joss Whedon directed 2012’s The Avengers and 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. The two Avengers films have grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide. The Avengers is the fifth-highest grosser of all time at $1.52 billion and Age of Ultron is the seventh-highest at $1.41 billion.

Veteran stage, TV and Malayalam film artiste Kalashala Babu passed away here in Kerala early on Monday at a private hospital, family sources said. He was 68. Apart from donning the grease paint in close to 150 films, mostly in small character roles, the multifaceted Babu was also a hugely popular stage artiste, who began his own drama group in the mid 1970s. Malayalam Actor Kalashala Babu Passes Away At 68 Babu was not keeping well since the beginning of the year. He breathed his last just past midnight. Born to Kathakali maestro Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Mohiniyattam exponent Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma, Babu was a naturally gifted artiste. He started his acting career soon after his graduation in the early 1970s and since then had ensured that he was a presence in the cultural milieu of the state be it through, stage, TV, and films. What surprised many was that despite his parents’ prominence in classical arts, Babu did not take it up. He is survived by his wife and a son and a daughter who are both abroad.

PICTURES: After wrapping up the shoot of Race 3 in Jodhpur, Salman Khan and Jacqueline Fernandez have arrived back to Mumbai. The duo is all set to release the trailer of Race 3 in an event in Mumbai tomorrow. As usual, both of them look cool and stylish in these airport pictures! Now, we can’t them to see on the big screen. Directed by Remo D’Souza, Race 3 is all set to release on Eid 2018. Celeb Spotting: Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez Celeb Spotting: Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez Celeb Spotting: Salman Khan

Avengers: Infinity War Box Office: It is on a record breaking streak in India! This has definitely been one of the most anticipated movies of this year and the response from Indian fans says it all. The movie has achieved another milestone by crossing many biggies including some of Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn & Salman Khan. The movie has surpassed movies like Golmaal Again (205.72 crores), Happy New Year (205 crores) and many more. Now, the the Hollywood flick has surpassed the collections of Salman Khan and Sonam Kapoor’s Prem Ratan Dhan Payo! PRDP had earned 207.40 at the Indian box office and Avengers:Infinity War has collected a total of 213.94 crores! Avengers: Infinity War Box Office: Beats These Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn & Shah Rukh Khan Biggies! It’s interesting to see how a Hollywood movie has broken records by crossing some of the biggest movies of Bollywood. The 19th film in MCU, Avengers: Infinity War is a unique one in the superhero genre as none of the heroes save the day despite their cool gadgets and powers. The next target on it’s list is Shah Rulh Khan’s Chennai Express which stands with a total of 226.70 crores. The newest addition to the Marvel cinematic universe opened in 2,000 Indian screens in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Anthony and Joe Russo have brought the story alive on the big screen with actors like Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Benedict Cumberbatch and Scarlett Johansson. The film also features Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Chadwick Boseman and Tom Holland.

While final results for Iraq's parliamentary election expected on Monday, preliminary figures point towards the two main Shia lists as the leading contenders. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's list appears to be in the lead, followed by influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's alliance, an election commission source and a security official told Reuters news agency on Sunday. Commenting on the preliminary results, Ibrahim Marashi, associate professor at the Department of History, California State University, San Marcos, told Al Jazeera: "If these two lists are in the lead, it would indicate that both leaders, who ran on a cross-sectarian platform, developed electoral strategies that resonated among voters." Although it is still too early to call, "it would also seem a setback for the Iranian-backed candidates", he added. Iraqis voted on Saturday in the first election since the defeat of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) inside the country. The votewas widely seen as a verdict on Abadi's tenure and his pledge to be more inclusive of Iraq's Sunni minority. Turnout was 44.52 percent with 92 percent of votes counted, the Independent High Electoral Commission said - significantly lower than in previous elections. Haider al-Abadi Abadi heads the Nasr Coalition (Victory of Iraq), its name capitalising on his government's victory over ISIL in 2017. Many analysts have seen the British-educated Abadi, a Shia who as prime minister nurtured ties with Washington and Tehran,as potentially winning a second term as prime minister. "The country has just overcome ISIL which has affected the way voters see the election. Everyone is hoping for change and they see Abadi as a possible force for that change because of his victory over ISIL," Ahmed Tariq, an Iraqi professor of international relations at Mosul University, told Al Jazeera ahead of the vote. According to a recent nation-wide poll conducted in March, 79 percent of Iraqis accepted Abadi as prime minister. Because he is seen as a rare ally of both the United States and Iran, some analysts say his continuation in government would nurture Iraq's regional and international ties. "Abadi is acceptable to all major stakeholders including regional powers, Iran and the US," Fanar al-Hadad, a research fellow at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore, told Al Jazeera before the vote. "Everyone feels they can do business with him." Abadi has been mainly concerned with fending off Shia Muslim groups other than Sadr's alliance, which are seeking to pull the country closer to Tehran. He has therefore faced stiff competition from Hadi al-Amiri, a paramilitary commander heading the Fatah alliance, and Nouri al-Maliki, a former prime minister who is seen as a possible kingmaker in the vote. Both leaders are closer than Abadi is to Iran, which has wide sway in Iraq as the primary Shia power in the region. Muqtada al-Sadr Sadr, who led uprisings against US troops, appeared to make a remarkable comeback in Iraq's parliamentary election after being sidelined for years by Iranian-backed rivals. He leads the al-Sairoon Coalition (The Marchers) that brings together his Sadrist Movement and the Iraqi Communist Party. The coalition has pushed an anti-corruption and anti-sectarian campaign. According to the nation-wide poll conducted in March, 66 percent of the Iraqi people viewed Sadr favourably across most of Iraq's provinces. Sadr made his name leading two revolts against US forces in Iraq, drawing support from poor neighbourhoods of Baghdad and other cities. Washington called the Mehdi Army, the Shia militia loyal to Sadr, the biggest threat to Iraq's security. Sadr is one of the few Shia leaders to keep a distance from Iran, and instead shares Saudi interest in countering Iranian influence in Iraq. Sadr sought to broaden his regional support, meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah last year. Sadr, of Lebanese ancestry, comes from a family of Shia scholars. He is the fourth son of the late Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr, a highly regarded scholar throughout the Shia Muslim world. Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr was murdered, along with two of his sons, allegedly by the government of Saddam Hussein - the former Iraqi president. Sadr is also the son-in-law of Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr. His father-in-law was executed by Iraqi authorities in 1980. Sadr's cousin is Moussa al-Sadr, the Iranian-Lebanese founder of the Amal movement. Despite his lineage and connections, he lacks the religious education and degrees required by Shia doctrine to take the title mujtahid - or a senior religious scholar - and he lacks the authority to issue religious edicts known as fatwas. He rose to prominence in the unrest and chaos that erupted in Iraq after US troops toppled Saddam in 2003. Armed mostly with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, Sadr's militia challenged the world's most powerful military as it tried to stabilise Iraq. Government formation No one group is expected to win the 165 seats required for an outright majority. Instead, the bloc that wins the most seats will have to bring together a majority by getting the support of smaller alliances. The process of choosing the next prime minister is expected to take months and will likely result in power being dispersed across different political parties with clashing interests. If initial results are confirmed, Abadi may have to form a coalition with Sadr. Abadi will, in any case, remain in office retaining all his powers until a new prime minister is confirmed. In the past, forming a government has taken up to eight months. In 2005, allegations of vote-rigging delayed the ratification of election results for weeks

When Daniel Hahn became Sacramento's police chief last August — the first African-American to hold the job — his top priority was to restore faith in a department that had come under fire for police shootings and use of excessive force against black men. The mayor welcomed Hahn — who grew up in a mostly black Sacramento neighborhood, and spent his career working to improve the black community's trust in the police — as "a new beginning" for Sacramento. Less than eight months later, the city erupted, adding even more urgency to the challenges Hahn faced. On March 28, two officers ─ one black, one white ─ shot to death a young black man in his grandmother's backyard in the mistaken belief that he was armed. The killing of Stephon Clark ignited weeks of protests, turning the city into the latest national symbol of police brutality. The demonstrations are ongoing, with protesters demanding that the officers who shot Clark be charged with murder. "It was another piece of evidence that our relationship with the community was not where it needed to be," Hahn said in a recent interview. As high-profile police shootings continue to shake the country, Hahn, 49, s among a growing number of black police leaders who are grappling with a crisis in their officers' treatment of young men of color. These police chiefs face high expectations, from their cities at large but particularly from minority residents within, as they work to attract a more diverse team of officers, curb deadly confrontations with the public they serve, and rebuild relationships with black, Hispanic and other minority neighborhoods. In interviews with NBC News, several black police executives spoke about their personal and professional experience in confronting the problem of police disproportionately targeting minority communities, an issue with deep institutional roots. "Diversity is important and valuable, but it can't be separated from the police culture, from the way we view what our job is, the way we view the community and the way we are viewed by the community," Hahn said. "It's a complicated problem that takes a nuanced solution." Confronting a 'dark history' In recent weeks, the police chiefs in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia — all black and reform-minded, all appointed in the past three years — have faced pressure to answer for their officers' actions. On April 13, Cambridge officers tackled, punched and arrested a 21-year-old black Harvard student who police say had been acting erratically and resisted attempts to restrain him. In Philadelphia, two black men waiting at a Starbucks to meet a white man were arrested for trespassing. Video of both confrontations was captured by bystanders and went viral online, prompting outrage around the country. These protests have little to do with the race of the cities' police chiefs, or the race of the officers involved, activists say. The real problem is the systemic police practices that lead to the "harassment and intimidation" of minority communities, said Tanya Faison of Black Lives Matter Sacramento. She wants to see more community oversight of policing, including civilian oversight boards with power to fire officers who act inappropriately. Cambridge Police Commissioner Branville Bard Jr., who arrived on the job last summer, supported the officers ─ two white, one Hispanic ─ saying they were justified in using force to subdue the student. But Bard, 47, said in a recent interview that he recognized why the incident was being portrayed as part of a "dark history" of police targeting minorities. "Especially in light of what's going on around the country with videos of unarmed minorities being taken down, sometimes without cause or with outright abuses of authority," he said, "it's easy to see it as one in a long line of abuses." Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross also defended his officers, saying those involved in the Starbucks arrests "did absolutely nothing wrong." But after facing a torrent of criticism on social media, he later apologized to the two men who were arrested, and for his choice of words immediately after the incident, saying he had inflamed the situation. Ross, 54, who became commissioner in 2016, stressed in a Facebook video after the incident that his officers were trained to prevent biased behavior and learn the history of "atrocities committed by policing around the world." He also promised to examine the Starbucks case to see "what we can do better." Ross declined to be interviewed for this article. An 'institutionalized' problem American police departments have been struggling for decades with allegations of racism and issues of brutality and trust — and with becoming more diverse. But protests in 2014 after two black men, Eric Garner in New York and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, died in confrontations with white officers, and riots a year later after another black man, Freddie Gray, died of wounds suffered in the custody of Baltimore police, touched off a renewed sense of urgency. In 2015, President Barack Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing issued a list of recommendations, including expanding diversity among the ranks, letting outside agencies investigate officer use-of-force cases, embracing community partnerships and collecting better data on the types of suspects who are stopped and arrested. Researchers also began looking anew into the link between diversity and the use of force, with mixed results: Some found that having significantly more black officers could ease tensions between police and black communities, while others found that increasing the number of black officers may drive down police killings of black people, but only when black representation on the force reached a "sufficiently high" critical mass of 35 percent or more. Nationally, the most recently available government report from 2013 found that local police departments were 12 percent black and 73 percent white. What diversity alone does not solve are the biases many officers bring to their work — perceptions of black men as more threatening, for example — which are heightened by a police culture that emphasizes strength and power. That drives racially disparate arrests and the use of force, researchers say. For example: The more an officer feels threatened, whether the officer is in legitimate danger or not, the more likely that officer is to use force on a suspect, particularly if an encounter occurs as part of a "zero-tolerance" approach to crime and disorder. "It's institutionalized," said Nelson Lim, a RAND sociologist who studies recruitment and diversity. "You can swap out the people but the system itself is set up that way." Bard, the Cambridge chief, agreed. "Even if we recruit a diverse population of officers, it's still incumbent on us to train them to be the types of officers we want them to be," he said. That means training and elevating the types of officers Bard describes as "the social service promoters" as opposed to "the crime enforcers." Better training was among the changes Cambridge initiated nearly a decade ago after the national uproar over the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. in 2009 outside his own home on suspicion he was breaking in. The police department now trains officers to de-escalate tense situations, and embraces what's called "procedural justice," which involves managing rather than controlling situations, treating people with dignity and respect, and giving citizens a voice during encounters. Bard, who holds a doctorate in public administration and has written about eliminating racial profiling, said that police culture has to change to send a message to officers that departments "won't tolerate the slightest amount of abuse" of civilians. "And then you have to increase the costs for bad behavior, including use of excessive force," he said. Diversity's limits Critics say change within departments across the country has been too slow, despite all the focus on high-profile accusations of police violence. Benjamin Crump, who represented the family of Michael Brown and who now represents Stephon Clark's family in Sacramento, said he has found poor training to be at the root of many cases of police abuse. Crump and other activists want to see more departments address "implicit bias" ─ the subtle or unconscious discrimination that can taint officers' interactions with young black men. Crump is also concerned about an ingrained police culture in which officers "shoot first and ask questions later" — including black officers who use deadly force on black suspects, he said. He cited Cameron Brewer, a black sheriff's deputy in Harris County, Texas, who was fired in April after fatally shooting an unarmed black man, Danny Ray Thomas, in Houston (Crump is also representing the Thomas family). Crump also pointed to the Freddie Gray case in Baltimore, in which six officers, three of them black, were charged in his death, but all were eventually cleared. African-American police chiefs told NBC News that their personal experiences helped them understand the need to earn trust from the public. But they also cautioned against giving race too much weight. "I don't see any correlation between the race of these chiefs and these recent incidents," said Vera Bumpers, the chief of Houston's transit police and first vice president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. "We all wear uniforms." She warned against drawing quick conclusions about encounters captured on video. Gina Hawkins, the police chief in Fayetteville, North Carolina, said her ability to empathize as an officer stems from her struggles growing up black and Hispanic, including encountering discrimination. And while that alone doesn't mean she's going to solve her department's problems, she does see it as her purpose. "It's an extreme honor and opportunity, and I know the weight that comes with it," Hawkins said of the expectations she feels as an African-American police chief. "I know people are always watching." Hahn said he was troubled by the notion, expressed in many black neighborhoods, that "when you're blue you're not black anymore." That "erases" his upbringing and identity, he said, and undermines the goals of increased diversity. At the same time, he sees diversity "for diversity's sake" as worthless. "There are bad black officers, bad gay officers, bad female officers," Hahn said. "Just because you're a certain race or have a certain experience doesn't automatically mean you have the character to be a good police officer." An unclear path America, Bumpers said, still doesn't understand a fundamental question about its police: Why, and how often, officers use force. She repeated a call, often heard during the Obama administration, for a central national database that keeps track of incidents of police use of force by the race of officers and suspects and other demographic indicators. "We don't know the totality of the situation," Bumpers said. The Justice Department says it is reviewing the proposal for such a national data collection system, even as it has backed away from Obama-era efforts to investigate and sue police departments for violating minorities' civil rights. Vanita Gupta, who ran the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division under Obama and oversaw a post-Ferguson report on police diversity, said more research is also needed to understand the impact of diversity on police culture. "But I'm not sure there remains a commitment to do that kind of research in this Justice Department," said Gupta, who now heads The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of civil rights groups. Gupta also led with the Obama administration's efforts to investigate and reform police departments. She negotiated dozens of court-enforced "consent decrees" with local departments aimed at improving how cops dealt with citizens, including use of force, stops and searches and discriminatory enforcement.The Trump administration has said local departments should control their own affairs. With efforts stalled at the federal level, overhauling police practices remains, in many ways, a local issue. Hahn sees his own story as a lesson on how police departments can rebuild trust. In the largely black Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento where he grew up, no one talked about becoming a police officer. He says he was arrested at 16, for assaulting an officer. Three years later, he became an officer there himself. "Someone gave me a chance," Hahn said. He led efforts to bring more officers into neglected neighborhoods, and after a stint as chief in a nearby suburb, Hahn was asked to return to his hometown to continue that work. By then, the city had embraced reforms aimed at reducing the use of force, including expanding the use of body cameras, and had increased transparency by quickly releasing video of serious incidents. The department has also emphasized using non-lethal weapons, trained officers to de-escalate situations and focused on recruiting more minority applicants, by visiting local high schools. Clark's killing, however, showed that Sacramento "still has a long way to go," Hahn said. "We have to work really hard to change the way we partner with communities, or we will still struggle," he said. "If things don't get better," he added, "my being black doesn't make a bit of difference."

TAMPA, Fla. — Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals overcame a major hurdle by reaching the Eastern Conference final. Just like that, they're in a full-on sprint toward the finish. The Capitals scored in the opening minute of the game and twice in the last 1:02 of the second period Sunday night to pull away to a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning and a 2-0 lead in the East final. "It's huge but it's not over yet," Ovechkin said. "We played hard and played smart. You can see all four lines doing their job." BOX SCORE: CAPITALS 6, LIGHTNING 2 Evgeny Kuznetsov and Lars Eller each had a goal and two assists. Ovechkin and Tom Wilson had a goal and an assist apiece for the Caps, who took the first two games of the best-of-seven matchup on the road. Since 1974-75, teams that take a 2-0 lead in the conference final or semifinal have a series record of 39-2 (95.1 percent). "We didn't panic. Just stayed to the system and played the right way," Ovechkin said. "We stayed calm and waited for our opportunities." Devante Smith-Pelly and Brett Connolly also scored, helping Washington improve to 7-1 on the road this postseason. It's their first visit to the conference final during Ovechkin's 13-season career. "You're on the road and it's us against them, and this group has really bonded," coach Barry Trotz said. "They've got a lot of resiliency, and they're having fun." Game 3 is Tuesday night in Washington. The Lightning had the best record in the Eastern Conference this season and breezed through the first rounds of the playoffs against New Jersey and Boston. Little has gone right against the Capitals. "For a team that's been used to being able to make some plays, we sure haven't made them in these two games. It's very uncharacteristic of us. That's the difference. They've made plays, we haven't. And it's cost us," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "We've just played tentative and a little bit slow. We didn't get 113 points by playing that way. We didn't win the first two rounds by playing that way," Cooper added. "For some reason for two games, that's the way we've played." Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos had early power-play goals for Tampa Bay, which rebounded after falling behind on Wilson's goal 28 seconds into the game. Smith-Pelly's one-timer finished an odd-man rush and made it 2-2 at 2:30 of the second period. The Caps took control when Eller scored with 1:02 remaining and Kuznetsov -- with assists from Ovechkin and Eller -- delivered on a power play less than a minute later. Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was called for tripping Andre Burakovsky with 10 seconds left in the period. Kuznetsov scored seven seconds later to make it 4-2, the second time in the series the Caps stunned the Lightning with a power-play goal in the closing seconds of a period. Ovechkin and Connolly finished the rout with third-period goals. Braden Holtby stopped 33 of 35 shots to improve to 10-3 this postseason. "We've defended this entire playoffs up until these last couple of games, and that's why we've had success," Stamkos said. "We haven't defended with the same urgency. We're leaving our goalie out to dry." Ovechkin also had a goal and an assist in Washington's 4-2 victory in Game 1. Vasilevskiy was pulled from the opener after facing 25 shots in two periods, but the Lightning didn't pin the loss on him. Instead, they vowed to play harder in front of the young goaltender, who finished with 31 saves in Game 2. Tampa Bay benefited early from a couple of questionable penalties -- Wilson for goaltender interference and T.J. Oshie for high-sticking Victor Hedman, when the Tampa Bay defenseman actually was struck by the puck -- to score twice in just over three minutes on the power play for a 2-1 lead. Stamkos and Hedman assisted on Point's goal at 7:08 of the first. Stamkos' fourth goal in five games gave Tampa Bay its first lead of the series. The Lightning will have to turn the series around on the road to return to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2015. "We'll prepare for the toughest game that we've played all season," Stamkos said. "It's gut-check time. Let's see who we really are." NOTES: Washington's John Carlson had two assists, giving him 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) this postseason. That's a club record by a defenseman in one playoff year. He had been tied for the most with Kevin Hatcher (5-7-12, 1988), Scott Stevens (1-11-12, 1988) and himself (5-7-12, 2016). ... Before Sunday night, the Lightning had won Game 2 of a series five consecutive times after losing Game 1. They're 4-2 in six previous series in which they lost Game 1, with those series losses coming in the first round in 2014 against Montreal and the 2015 Stanley Cup Final against Chicago. ... Capitals C Nicklas Backstrom, who took a shot from Justin Schultz off his right hand in Game 5 of Washington's second-round series against the Penguins, missed his third straight game. He took part in the morning skate on a limited basis and remains day-to-day. ... Hedman has a franchise-record, seven-game point streak (eight assists). Martin St. Louis had a six-game streak in 2004.

NEW YORK — A New York City nanny who killed two small children in her care is facing life in prison. Yoselyn Ortega (YOH'-sih-lihn ohr-TAY'-guh) is set to be sentenced Monday following her conviction of murder last month in the 2012 deaths of Lucia and Leo Krim. The nanny's lawyer had argued that Ortega was mentally ill and couldn't be held responsible for the children's deaths. Lucia was 6. Leo was 2. Prosecutors say Ortega knew what she was doing and understood "every stab, every slash" as she slaughtered the children. The children's mother found them in a bathroom. The parents' testimony made jurors weep during the emotional trial