Sony's earnings of $35 million (3.5 billion yen) compared with a loss of 24.6 billion yen in the year-ago period. The entertainment and consumer electronics conglomerate, led by CEO Kaz Hirai, posted a higher-than-expected quarterly operating profit of $367 million (36.4 billion yen), up 489 percent compared with 6.3 billion yen in the same period last year helped by the yen and efforts to restructure Sony's businesses and reduce costs.
Revenue rose 13 percent helped by a weaker yen that boosts overseas sales. The fall of the Japanese currency against the dollar and the euro disguised a 2.8 percent fall in sales on a local currency basis.
Activist investor Daniel Loeb has been pushing Sony to consider an IPO of its entertainment business. Sony's management is expected to announce its rejection of the proposal from his hedge fund Third Point to sell off a part of its entertainment business, according to a report by Nikkei.
In its film unit, Sony swung to an operating profit of $38 million (3.7 billion yen) after a year-ago operating loss 4.9 billion yen as revenue rose 3.6 percent. That was driven primarily by a gain of $106 million (10.3 billion yen) realized on the sale of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s music publishing catalog.
Theatrical marketing expenses declined, but that was offset by a decrease in theatrical and home entertainment revenue, including "the theatrical underperformance of After Earth." The year-ago period had benefited from the release of Men in Black 3 and a higher number of home entertainment releases.
“While Sony Pictures, Music and Financial Services have contributed to profits in recent years, more than anything else for Sony, we needed to turnaround the electronics businesses. We take it as very positive that we managed to record a better than expected operating profit,” said Masaru Kato, chief financial officer.
Sony Music saw sales in local currencies grow 1 percent, up 13.3 percent in yen terms, to $1.131 billion (112 billion yen), a solid performance given the decline in the physical music market. Big-selling albums that contributed to earnings included Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories," Pink's "The Truth about Lov"e and Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience."
Sony will continue adjusting its business strategies to meet the shift to digital distribution of both music and film, according to Kato.
“Profitability in the TV manufacturing business has improved due to the concentration on higher-end sets, including 4K models,” said Kato, who added that higher prices for both TV sets and smartphones had boosted earnings.
Film revenue increased 3.6 percent in yen, "primarily due to the favorable impact of the depreciation of the yen against the U.S. dollar," Sony said. But it fell 16 percent on a constant currency basis to come in at $1.61 billion.
Sales at Sony's game division remained flat at $1.19 billion, but losses widened due to the research costs of the PlayStation 4 console, which is due to be launched later this year.
Sony's stock closed up 1.7 percent to 2,104 yen ($21.35) in Tokyo before its earnings announcement as the main Nikkei stock index jumped 2.5 percent. The stock is up 128 percent over the last 12 months.
Twiiter: @GavinJBlair
From the archive, 2 August 1968: Britain is a police state, says Scientology founder
Ron Hubbard hits back as he is declared an undesirable alien by British government,
L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the controversial Church of Scientology, outside his home, Saint Hill Manor, East Grinstead, England, 1960. Photograph: Express Newspapers/Getty Images
Mr Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, American founder of the Scientologymovement, sent a message to the movement's East Grinstead headquarters yesterday saying : "I have finished my work. Now it is up to others." He founded the movement in the early 1950s.
The movement, which was called "socially harmful" by the Minister of Health in the House of Commons, has been described by one scientologist as "an applied religious philosophy, designed to increase the individual's ability within his community."
The news of Mr Hubbard's message was given by Mrs David Gaiman, wife of the movement's chief spokesman. She said the message read: "I retired from directorships over two years ago and have been exploring since. I gave Scientology to the world with hopes of good usage. If it is a decent world, it will use it well. If it is a bad world, it won't. I finished my work. Now it is up to others. Love, Ron."
In another message attributed to Mr Hubbard, there is a rebuke for England "once the light and hope of the world" and now "a police State" which can no longer be trusted. Mr Hubbard's whereabouts is a mystery. Last week he was believed to be somewhere at sea aboard his vessel the Royal Scotsman.
The organisation yesterday also issued writs claiming damage for libel in four newspapers, the "Sunday Express," "News of the World," "Daily Express," and "Sunday Mirror." The writs seek injunctions restraining publication of the "said or any similar libels."
In the writs the organisation is stated to be a non-profit-making corporation incorporated under the laws of California and with a registered office in Fitzroy Street, London W1. Co-plaintiff in two of the actions is Mrs Jane Kember, a senior executive and deputy guardian in the organisation at East Grinstead.
After a private hearing before a vacation judge, Mr Justice Fisher, in the High Court yesterday, the organisation's solicitors issued a statement. It said that following recent Government statements, an application was being prepared on behalf of the organisation for submission to the European Commission of Human Rights.
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Leah Remini fears her taped personal confessionals could be leaked in 'retaliation for stepping away' from Scientology after 37 years with the church
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Revealed: Leah Remini is concerned that decades worth of personal information could be released by the Church of Scientology, fears sparked since her split last month
Last month she joined the crowd of Hollywood heavyweights who have cut off their ties from the Church of Scientology.
But just as Leah Remini, 43, is trying to focus on rebuilding her life outside of the controversial religion, fears have been sparked that she could become the victim of a smear campaign launched by the church itself.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the King of Queens star has taped over 37 years worth of private confessionals, and the church is at will to use them or destroy them -- and some of the confidential information could be published online.
The news outlet chatted with another former Scientologist Karen de la Carriere, a top executive who left in 2010 after 35 years in the system.
'When Leah and her family made the decision to leave the church after having been members for decades, the church immediately used disconnection against them in retaliation,' de la Carriere alleged.
Karen de la Carriere also claimed when she rescinded her membership, the organization used her private auditing sessions to brainwash friends and family into cutting off contact with her -- and fears Leah could be in for the same thing.
While Remini announced this week that she plans on writing about her life growing up within the church in a tell-all book, The Hollywood Reporter claims that the content of those confessionals could end up being used for a website titled WhoIsLeahRemini.com -- with the purpose of disseminating 'unfavourable material' about the actress.
The Hollywood Reported noted that the domain was registered this week and mirrors similar sites created for Crash director Paul Haggis along with former church spokesman Mike Rinder and former high ranking officials Marty Rathbun and Amy Scobe -- all of which feature a handful of disparaging posts and videos about their involvement with the church.
'Thousands of personal files': The Church of Scientology reportedly keeps taped confessional videos from all of its members
'Dozens of WhoIs.com sites have been published over the years, and those that are publicly accessible feature unfavourable material about a number of detractors and former supporters of Scientology,' THR wrote, claiming that the sites could be tied to the Church of Scientology itself.
'Regarding "Who Is…" the church has never hidden the fact it supplied information for the websites.... Despite the chronic whining you hear about the sites, each came about to document the truth about these anti-religious fanatics,' Church spokesperson Karin Pouw told The Hollywood Reporter.
But Pouw claims that the church is not affiliated with the site registered in Remini's name, and as of Friday afternoon, content has yet to be published to the site.
Tell-all: Leah revealed to Us that she plans on writing a memoir
Remini's sister Nicole Remini-Wiskow claimed that Leah is being bullied by current members though she hasn't formally been 'disconnected' or placed on the 'shunned' list -- what the organization calls a 'Supressive Person.'
'Leah hasn't been declared a Supressive Person. She hasn't been declared, or... nobody said she was a Supressive Person,' Remini-Wiskow said in an interview with Minnesota radio station myTalk 107.1.
Remini-Wiskow clarified that when a person is placed on said list they must sign specific paperwork, and that her sister 'has not signed anything.'
'She's just hanging in there. She's in good spirits,' she said.
The Church of Scientology strenuously denied any of the sensational allegations made by Remini-Wiskow.
Church spokesperson Karin Pouw released a statement to Radar Online saying that the organization is not seeking to smear its former parishioner.
'The answer is unequivocally no because we do not release private and confidential information and never will. We have responded countless times to this tired, false and outrageous allegation made by a handful of obsessed self-promoters with transparent agendas.'
Unofficial mouthpiece: Nicole Remini (left) has been speaking out on behalf of her actress sister Nicole, both are ex Scientologists
Fortunately for Remini she still has the support of her family, who quit the organisation in solidarity, despite being members for nearly four decades.
'Everybody left... when this all came down, everybody had to make a choice whether they were going to stick by Leah or stick by the church. So they all left at the same time,' Remini-Wiskow told myTalk 107.1.
'They all had to make a choice of what they were going to do. This is how we are as a family. We stick together.'
Remini-Wiskow continued: 'Soon this will be old news, as long as the church lets it go. Which I don't think will happen.'
Household name: Remini in a still for King of Queens with Kevin James and Jerry Stiller
Meeting place: A-list members of the Church of Scientology are specially cared for at the Celebrity Centre International in Hollywood
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2383944/Leah-Remini-fears-taped-personal-confessionals-leaked-retaliation-stepping-away-Scientology-37-years-church.html#ixzz2awjeoofp
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Mysterious Pentagram
A mysterious pentagram is visible on Google maps, but don’t try to get there by yourself. Its miles away from civilization and is probably driving conspiracy buffs wild worldwide. Is the mysterious pentagram the site of an ancient satanic cabal? Does it point to the doorway to hell? The mysterious pentagram was spotted in Kazakhstan, in central Asia. It looks like miles of design that was carved into the earth’s surface.
The mysterious pentagram, a five pointed star, can be found on Google maps on the south shore of the Upper Tobol Reservoir, about 12 miles east of Lisajovsk, Kazakhstan, which is the closes human settlement in the area. The surrounding area of the mysterious pentagram is home to many ancient archaeological ruins, like cemeteries and burial grounds and early settlements that date to the Bronze Age. Archaeologists have not fully explored the area.
The mysterious pentagram-shaped structure is about 1,200 feet in diameter. It sits near two Google map highlighted areas, one is called Adam and the other is called Lucifer.
The pentagram shape is a fixture of many different cultures, myths and religions. Not all of them Satanic. Not all of them even mystical. The pentagram is a symbol used by the Pythagoreans, who follow the ancient Greek mathematician, Pythagoras, which adds up. The symbol of the pentagram graces illustrations from the Mesopotamians, Christians, Freemasons and Wiccans.
The mysterious Kazakh pentagram is just one bizarre sighting that you can find on Google Maps. Two large diamond shapes that are surrounded by two overlapping circles can be seen in the desert of New Mexico. A book on the Church of Scientology claims that this is where the L. Ron Hubbard followers keep a hidden bunker. Google Map explorers have also found a Yagi antenna ray, which is used for atmospheric research, in the Gobi Desert and a huge Colonel Sanders face smiling up in a really supersized KFC ad.
Emma Usmanova, an archaeologist who has explored the Lisakovsk area for years told LiveScience, "It is the outline of a park made in the form of a star.”
During the Soviet era, mysterious pentagram didn’t hold so much mystery. Pentagrams graced buildings, flags and monuments in the Soviet Union until is broke up in 1991. Kazakhstan used to be part of the Soviet Union. The park sat by a lake and there are roadways leading to it that are now overgrown and lined with trees. The trees make the pentagram shape stand out in aerial photographs.
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