Britney Spears has teased that new music could be on the way.

The 40-year-old popstar took to Instagram to share a throwback clip of herself dancing in high heels to her 2007 song ‘Get Naked (I Got a Plan)’, which she called a “tease of what’s to come.”

Alongside the clip, she wrote: “This is 13 seconds of me in heels before I dyed my hair purple. This is a tease of what’s to come !!!! My song “Get Naked” !!! Hope you guys are having a great day !!!!! Pss No hair and make up !!! Just PLAYING around folks !!!!”(sic)

The iconic popstar has released nine studio albums over the course of her career but has not dropped a record since 2016’s ‘Glory.’

It comes just days after the ‘…Baby One More Time’ hitmaker – who regained control of her multimillion dollar fortune back in November 2021 when the conservatorship governed by her family was terminated – publicly thanked her lawyer Mathew Rosengart for “turning [her] life around” and teased that there are “so many exciting projects ahead.”

Alongside a photo of the pair wearing pink outfits for a lunch date, she wrote: “This man has turned my life around … So many exciting projects ahead. We accidentally matched for lunch !!!! Thank you for being so kind and respectful to me always!!!!! Pssss Mathew Rosengart … I simply adore you!!!!”(sic)

Back in December, insider told of how the ‘Womanizer’ hitmaker is also looking forward to shaping her own career in 2022.

The source told ‘Entertainment Tonight’: “Britney is her own decisionmaker now and she wants to expand her professional horizons. She’s just waiting for the right time for everything.”

Washington (AFP) – President Joe Biden declared victory too early the last time that Covid seemed to be ending in the United States. This time, he risks being late.

The Democrat, elected on a promise to defeat the pandemic, finds himself in an increasingly tricky position as the receding Omicron virus spurs Americans into dreaming of a return to normal life.

Many leaders in Republican-controlled states have long tried to act as if Covid-19 was already over, even as their hospitals filled with sick and dying voters.

Now, though, with cases truly plummeting, Biden allies are joining in.

California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island: in just a few days, the list of Democratic-led states declaring an end or relaxation to two years of mask rules has flipped from a trickle to a flood.

Biden? He’s still waiting for the word from the Centers for Disease Control — and the CDC wants Americans to stay masked.

“At this time, we continue to recommend masking in areas of high and substantial transmission — that’s much of the country right now in public indoor settings,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters Wednesday.

Biden’s chief spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, defended the president’s caution.

“As a federal government we have a responsibility to rely on data, on science,” the press secretary told reporters. “He will make the decision based on what the CDC advises.”

Burned by premature declaration

The White House insists that Biden is led by medical facts, in contrast to his Republican predecessor Donald Trump’s repeated attempts early on in the pandemic to downplay the global crisis and to ignore warnings from science staff.

“He has made the commitment to the American people… (to) listen to the data, listen to the science,” Psaki said.

But Biden is also haunted by a premature declaration of victory last summer.

Back then, the coronavirus seemed to be under control, with the virus retreating and vaccination drives going strong. He even declared the July 4th national holiday a day of “independence from Covid-19” and held a White House barbecue for 1,000 guests.

However, a frightening new variant, Delta, was just taking hold and the even more transmissible Omicron variant had yet to come. Hundreds of thousands more Americans would still die from the disease.

Today, the positive trends appear undeniable.

The seven day average of daily cases is down 44 percent from a week ago, according to the CDC. Average daily hospital admissions are down nearly 25 percent.

Those kinds of figures have many politicians saying it’s time to listen to voters, not just scientists.

“We have to learn how to live with Covid as we move from a pandemic to an endemic phase,” New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy, a Democrat, said Monday when he announced the imminent end to mask mandates for school children.

Psaki said the White House understands the competing demands.

“We recognize that people are tired of the pandemic. I bet all of you are. I certainly know I am,” she said.

But “our focus continues to be that everyone follow CDC guidance… and we know that wearing masks effectively reduces transmission.”

Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas were invited to the White House by “long-time fan” President Joe Biden on Tuesday (09.02.22).

The ‘Lost Cause’ singer and her sibling – who co-writes and produces his sister’s songs – were joined by their parents Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell when they met the world leader while in Washington D.C. for Billie’s ‘Happier Than Ever’ concert at the Capital One Arena.

Alongside a photograph with the music stars, Biden tweeted: “When I heard my friends @billieeilish and @finneas were in town for a show, I knew I had to invite them over to the White House. “Great to see you and your family — and I’m glad you got to meet Commander.”

An official told People: “Billie Eilish, Finneas and their parents Maggie and Patrick were invited to pay a visit to the White House today to meet President Biden.

“Billie and Finneas were supporters during Biden’s campaign and the Biden family have been long time fans of their music. Billie is in D.C. for her world tour, playing at the Capital One Arena tonight.”

In November, Biden supporter Billie signed a petition requesting the 79-year-old president send a pardoned turkey to stay at Farm Sanctuary for Thanksgiving.

The 20-year-old Grammy-winner joined celebrities, including Joaquin Phoenix, Ricky Gervais and Dave Bautista – in asking others to step away from the tradition of eating turkey for the traditional dinner in favour of trying a vegetarian alternative.

She wrote on Instagram: “turkeys are some of the most gentle creatures in the world. and 46 million of them are killed every thanksgiving.

“I know it’s hard to change traditions but just keep it in mind (sic)”

Farm Sanctuary said in a letter: “As we approach the holiday season — meant to be a time of gratitude and goodwill — we hope you’ll accept our offer to provide sanctuary and the best life possible for pardoned turkeys.”

Billie also shared her recipe for vegan and gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with fans on Instagram shortly before the holiday season kicked off.

She captioned a video tutorial: “These cookies are fully vegan and GF and AMAZING. The flour is literally just oats blended up and they work perfectly. (sic)”

Meanwhile, the ‘when the party’s over’ singer recently called for “urgent action” to save the planet amid a “critical decade for our planet”.

In a video message, Billie called on world leaders and everyone on Earth to do their bit to limit climate change.

She said: “This year our leaders are deciding the global actions required on the environment climate emergency in a critical decade for our planet.

“We must stand together and speak up to save our planet, not just for us, but for our future generations and we need urgent, urgent action now and to work together as one.”

Ottawa (AFP) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lambasted trucker-led protests that have shut down central Ottawa in anger at Covid-19 health rules, as France and New Zealand moved Thursday to stop their own copycat convoys.

Police in Canada have threatened to arrest protesters who have joined the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge that links Windsor and the US city of Detroit in solidarity with the two-week-long truckers’ protest in the capital. 

Trudeau told parliament the convoys threaten the country’s economic recovery.

“Blockades, illegal demonstrations are unacceptable and are negatively impacting businesses and manufacturers,” Trudeau said in the House of Commons on Wednesday. “We must do everything to bring them to an end.”

To the protesters, he said: “You can’t end a pandemic with blockades… You need to end it with science. You need to end it with public health measures.”

Earlier, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said US officials were “in very close contact” with Canadian border agencies about the bridge blockade.

Psaki also expressed concern about the impact of the protests on the US economy, saying the action “poses a risk to supply chains, to the auto industry.”

The suspension bridge is a key trade corridor, used daily by more than 40,000 commuters and tourists, and trucks carrying US$323 million worth of goods on average.

Several Canadian and American chambers of commerce and industry associations demanded the bridge be cleared.

“As our economies emerge from the impacts of the pandemic we cannot allow any group to undermine the cross-border trade,” the groups said in a joint statement.

‘Freedom Convoy’

A Canadian court on Monday ordered the truckers to stop incessant honking that has upset residents and made sleep difficult.

But the noise is spreading. Similar movements have hatched everywhere from New York to New Zealand. 

On Thursday, police and anti-vaccine protesters clashed on the grounds of Wellington’s parliament, with dozens arrested.

In France, thousands of protesters inspired by the Canadian truckers plan to converge Friday evening on Paris, with some aiming to move onwards to Brussels on Monday.

Paris police on Thursday moved to prevent the protest from taking place, saying they would ban the so-called “freedom convoys” by deploying to prevent major roads from being blocked and threatening anyone who does so with a hefty fine or jail sentence. 

The night before, the atmosphere on the streets of downtown Ottawa was one of defiance and celebration.

“We’re not going anywhere,” said trucker John Deelstra, smiling from behind the wheel of his big rig, which has been at the demonstration since day one.

Planted not far away, Ontario trucker Lloyd Brubacher offered up the same steely resolve.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he told AFP, adding that he planned “to fight to the bitter end.”

Some 400 vehicles are still camped on Parliament Hill below Trudeau’s offices, against a backdrop of barbecues, campfires and music.

“This is a dramatic situation that is impacting the well-being of Canada’s relationship with the United States and impacts immensely how business is able to conduct its operations,” University of Ottawa professor Gilles LeVasseur told AFP.

‘Illegal economic blockade’

The so-called Freedom Convoy began last month in western Canada — launched in anger at requirements that truckers either be vaccinated, or test and isolate, when crossing the US-Canada border.

Having snowballed into an occupation of Canada’s capital, the protest has sparked solidarity rallies across the nation and abroad.

On Wednesday, Ottawa police warned protesters they could face criminal charges and their trucks could be seized if they continue their “unlawful” clogging of downtown streets.

Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association president Brian Kingston said the Ambassador Bridge blockade was “threatening fragile supply chains already under pressure due to pandemic-related shortages and backlogs.”

Officials pointed to 5,000 factory workers in Windsor, Ontario being sent home early Tuesday because of the blockade, and several auto assembly plants preparing to close, as Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens expressed fears about the lasting impact on Canadian businesses.

Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst with Autotrader in Detroit, said North American assembly plants rely on timely parts deliveries across the bridge.

The auto sector “is a significant portion of the economy and an important portion of consumer spending” that has been hard hit over the past year, she said.

Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino warned of “serious dangers for the economy” and called on protesters to “go home!”

“This is an illegal economic blockade… against all Canadians,” added Transport Minister Omar Alghabra.

Several provinces including Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan this week announced a gradual lifting or loosening of Covid-19 restrictions.

Prince Harry has vowed to continue his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales’ “unfinished” work to help end the HIV crisis.

The Duke of Sussex was joined by his friend, former rugby captain Gareth Thomas, 47, for a discussion to raise awareness this National HIV Testing Week.

The 37-year-old royal urged that getting tested for the viral infection that causes AIDS will play a vital role in the UK’s goal to end HIV cases by 2030.

He said: “Every single one of us has a duty, or at least an opportunity, to get tested ourselves or to make it easier for everybody else to get tested. And then it just becomes a regular thing like anything else.

“This testing week, especially in the UK, or wherever you are in the world, go and get a test. Let people know that you know your status. Do it!”

Harry insisted he could never “fill” his mother’s shoes, but he feels “obligated” to do his best to help “fix things”.

He added: “Once you get to meet people and you see the suffering around the world, I certainly can’t turn my back on that.

“Then add in the fact that my mum’s work was unfinished, I feel obligated to try and continue that as much as possible.

“I could never fill her shoes, especially in this particular space, but because of what she did and what she stood for and how vocal she was about this issue … it’s a converging of all these different pieces.

“There’s a way out of it, and if there’s a way out of it and we know there’s a solution, I’m like a typical guy. I just want to help fix things.”

Diana worked for years working to change perceptions of HIV/AIDS through her activism.

The late princess’ close friend, Sir Elton John – who founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in the 1990s – recently hailed Diana for her efforts.

The 74-year-old music legend said: “She did not distinguish between ‘us’ and ‘them.'”

Diana – who tragically died in a car crash in Paris, France aged 36 in 1997 – began her work with AIDS patients in the 1980s, and would make physical contact with those with the disease in order to de-stigmatise the condition.

She once said: “HIV does not make people dangerous to know. You can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it. What’s more, you can share their homes, their workplaces, and their playgrounds and toys.”

Dolly Parton has offered to cover 100 per cent of Dollywood employees’ college fees.

The 76-year-old country music legend and humanitarian has been praised after her Dollywood Parks & Resorts in Tennessee announced that from February 24, it will foot the bill for the tuition and book expenses “for any employee who chooses to pursue further education.”

Dollywood has 11,000 full and part-time and seasonal workers of all ages at their 25 attractions in the US.

President Eugene Naughton said: “When our hosts strive to grow themselves, it makes our business and our community a truly better place.”

Dollywood is co-owned by Herschend Enterprises and CEO Andrew Wexler insisted: “We care about our hosts’ development and we want their future to grow because of love, not loans.”

In 2018, Dollywood announced a $37 million expansion.

The ‘9 to 5’ hitmaker’s theme park near Knoxville opened a new nature-themed land, Wildwood Grove, in 2019, which cost more than the whole park did when it was first built three decades ago.

Wildwood Grove was the first new area to be added to Dollywood since Wilderness Pass in 2008, and was part of the $300 million investment commitment the Dollywood Company made in 2013.

Dollywood President Craig Ross said at the time: “We’ve been investing heavily. This will be one of the final pieces to the $300 million commitment we made over 10 years’ time. We’re actually a few years ahead of schedule.”

And Dolly jokingly added: “Yeah we are, and I’m going to have to get out there and make some more money.”

The recent addition was heavily influenced by Dolly herself.

She said: “I’m not in every meeting of course, and they work without me, but they also like to draw on my childhood, my background and talk about what was important to me as a kid, the kind of things we did as children living in the mountains.

“And this is about like kids just exploring nature, and we were part of that because we didn’t have a lot of things like Dollywood and places like that to go then, so we really were part of nature and all the things that this area is all about, so it’s fun to actually sit and throw my ideas out and get excited about theirs.

“We were talking about the fact that kids don’t get out in nature enough anymore. Everybody’s so caught up in all their gadgets, all the social media, all the things that they do in their games, their video games and all the stuff that they do that they don’t actually even know there’s an outdoors hardly anymore.

“So we felt like this was a great thing that we could do for kids to really explore and to be adventurous and to find their own little true self, their own little natural selves, rather than all the technical stuff.”

The generous gesture comes after the Hollywood star made a $1 million donation to help fund the Modena COVID-19 vaccine.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Donald Trump has told associates he has remained in contact with North Korea’s reclusive leader Kim Jong Un since leaving the White House, according to a report on Thursday, as Pyongyang’s recent ballistic missile tests have raised international tensions.

“As we know, he had a fixation on this relationship,” New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman told CNN. The revelation is contained in her upcoming book on Trump, “The Confidence Man.”

Trump famously declared in 2018 that he and Kim “fell in love” after exchanging letters, but two meetings with the North Korean leader aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula failed to stem the country’s missile testing and harsh rhetoric.

Trump’s claims could not be verified and may not be true, Haberman said.

“What he says and what’s actually happening are not always in concert, but he has been telling people that he has maintained some kind of a correspondence or discussion with Kim Jong Un,” she said.

It is the only foreign leader Trump has said he remains in contact with, she added.

Correspondences with Kim were among the presidential records in 15 boxes the National Archives said it retrieved last month from Trump’s Florida residence, The Washington Post reported.

An exchange with Kim would be unusual for a former president, given Pyongyang’s escalating missile tests. North Korea boasted on Tuesday that it is one of only a handful of countries in the world to field nuclear weapons and advanced missiles and the only one standing up to the United States by “shaking the world” with missile tests.

A representative for Trump did not immediately return a request for comment.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. House panel is investigating former President Donald Trump’s handling of White House records after 15 boxes of official documents were retrieved from his private Florida property in what lawmakers said was a potential violation of the law.

House oversight panel chairwoman Carolyn Maloney on Thursday said she was “deeply concerned” the records were not promptly turned over to the National Archives when Trump’s term ended in January 2021 “and that they appear to have been removed from the White House in violation of the Presidential Records Act.”

Maloney said she was also concerned by recent media reports that Trump “repeatedly attempted to destroy presidential records, which could constitute additional serious violations” of the law, which requires the preservation of written communications related to the president’s official duties.

Separately, a report on Thursday said that White House staff periodically found documents clogging Trump’s toilet in the White House during his tenure.

“Staff in the White House would periodically find the toilet clogged” and would then find “wads of clumped up, wet printed paper … either notes or some other piece of paper that they believe he had thrown down the toilet,” in his bathroom, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman told CNN, citing reporting in her forthcoming book and adding it was unclear what types of documents were found.

In a statement, Trump acknowledged the boxes of records were transported to the Archives after “discussions” he called “collaborative” and said he had been told he “was under no obligation” to hand over any White House materials, though he did not say who gave him that directive.

“The papers were given easily and without conflict and on a very friendly basis,” he said.

Trump also denied the Haberman report as “categorically untrue.”

On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported the National Archives and Records Administration had asked the U.S. Department of Justice to probe the former Republican president’s handling of White House records.

The New York Times, citing a person briefed on the matter, reported U.S. archivists found possibly classified material from the boxes recovered in January.

It was unclear whether the Justice Department would open an investigation, and a its representative did not respond to a request from Reuters.

The Archives earlier this week said it retrieved 15 boxes of memos, letters and other documents from Trump’s his private resort in Florida.

The Washington Post over the weekend also reported that Trump’s ripping up of documents during his presidency was more extensive than previously known.

Maloney, a Democrat, in her letter to the Archives dated Wednesday, asked the agency for more information by Feb. 18.

Representatives for the Archives could not be immediately reached for comment.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu; editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Nick Zieminski)

Caitlyn Jenner thinks Kylie Jenner “did a great job” giving birth to her baby boy.

The 24-year-old make-up mogul – who already has four-year-old daughter Stormi with rap star Travis Scott – recently announced the arrival of her second child and Caitlyn has heaped praise on Kylie.

After if she’d met Kylie’s baby boy, Caitlyn told Capital FM’s ‘Capital Breakfast’ show: “Yes. We don’t have a name but it is a boy. There’s a lot of secrets in my family, I have to be very, very careful.

“No, Kylie, she did a great job.”

Caitlyn also praised Kim Kardashian during the interview, describing the brunette beauty as “the most amazing human being”.

The ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ star also can’t wait to meet Kim’s new boyfriend, comedian Pete Davidson.

She shared: “He hasn’t been at any function that I’ve been at. And she goes, ‘Oh my God! You’ll love him! We have to go to dinner!’ So anyway that’s going to happen pretty soon. Honestly, I like to see Kim happy.

“Kim is the most amazing human being I know out there.”

Caitlyn hailed Kim, 41, as being “smart” and “articulate”, and admitted to being wowed by her business skills.

She said: “I mean, she’s smart, articulate, highly motivated – you know, how she starts her own companies … She started her first company when she was 18 years old, and she’s continued to do that throughout her life.

“You know, she had KKW with her cosmetic company, she built that up. Then she started Skims, which has absolutely taken off…”

Tune into Capital Breakfast with Roman Kemp, weekdays from 6am – 10am, on FM, DAB digital radio and Global Player.

‘Futurama’ is being revived.

Matt Groening and David X. Cohen’s animated sci-fi comedy is set to make a return on Disney+ and Hulu in 2023, after a ten-year hiatus.

Billy West (Philip Fry), Katey Sagal (Turanga Leela), Tress MacNeille (Carol), Maurice LaMarche (Kif Kroke), Lauren Tom (Amy Wong) and Phil LaMarr (Hermes Conrad) are among returning cast members.

However, John DiMaggio – who voiced Bender in the show’s original run – has not yet been added to the cast.

Looking forward to the new episodes, David said: “I’m thrilled to have another chance to think about the future … or really anything other than the present.

“It’s a true honour to announce the triumphant return of ‘Futurama’ one more time before we get cancelled abruptly again.”

Marci Proietto, the head of 20th Television Animation, added: “What I love about animation is that it’s possible for a successful show to take a pause and then resume years later, even on a different platform, and pick up right where it left off. ‘Futurama’ is one of those shows.

“The excitement about returning Matt and David’s genius creation for all-new episodes has been off the charts. I’m thrilled that this incredible team will get to tell more stories, and that our Planet Express crew will have more adventures together.

“It’s a win for the fans who have loved the show since the beginning, and for the ones who will now discover it for the very first time.”

‘Futurama’ first aired on Fox from 1999 to 2003, and was revived in 2007 with four direct-to-DVD movies that subsequently aired as 30-minute episodes on Comedy Central.

The new episodes will join the 140 original episodes, with production work beginning later this month.

Washington (AFP) – Swelling mobilization by American conservatives over what is taught in schools has led several states to push for new curbs on what educators can discuss related to sexual and gender identity — opening yet another front in the country’s rolling culture wars.

Schools have increasingly become flashpoints for political confrontation in the United States, with heated standoffs throughout the pandemic over masking policies, and regular flare-ups over sensitive questions of race, history and sexuality.

The most recent battle is playing out in Florida, where a bill that passed a key hurdle in the Senate Tuesday would ban teachers from discussing questions of gender identity or sexual orientation with students below a certain age.

Derided by its opponents as the “Don’t say gay” bill, it has the backing of Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to run for president in the next election.

Groups from the local level up have condemned the bill as anti-LGBTQ, while the White House weighed in Tuesday by vowing to protect students from such “harmful” legislation.

“Across the country, we’re seeing Republican leaders take actions to regulate what students can or cannot read, what they can or cannot learn, and most troubling, who they can or cannot be,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters.

Republicans say they too are motivated by a desire to protect children — from subjects they believe to be inappropriate for a young age.

But Brandon Wolf, press secretary of the non-profit Equality Florida, believes that by framing these questions in such a way, the new law would harm children beginning to identify as LGBTQ, by suggesting that “just by their existence, they are inappropriate.”

“This will kill kids,” warned Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, in a tweet directed at Governor DeSantis.

Buttigieg cited a survey from the Trevor Project indicating that 42 percent of LGBTQ youth seriously considered suicide last year, asking: “Now they can’t talk to their teachers?”

Natasha Poulopoulos, a pediatric psychologist in Miami, makes the case that being able to discuss sex and gender issues “in a safe and open space is actually reducing suicide attempts.”

“It’s not to encourage kids to be talking about sexual activity,” she says, but rather have them “reflect on what they feel internally and who they may be attracted to,” and that “it’s okay to talk about these things.”

Parents’ rights

On the other side of the debate, Tina Descovich, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, a group that supports the Florida bill, denies it amounts to “discrimination.” 

“It is allowing parents to raise their children.”

Descovich cited the example of a woman whose 13-year-old had met with school counselors about their gender identity without notifying her, including to decide “which restroom she was going to use”

“We think that is wrong,” Descovich told AFP.

“I think that that is a discussion for the home, and I think there’s age appropriate discussions,” she added.

Sign of the tensions around the issue, a California mother named Jessica Konen has sued her local school district, arguing that two teachers encouraged her daughter, then in sixth grade, to use a male name and pronouns without discussing the issue with her.

The California Teachers Association, which refused to discuss specifics of the lawsuit, noted that it is “concerned about a political climate right now in which outside political forces fuel chaos and misinformation and seek to divide parents, educators and school communities.”

‘Recruited’

Bills similar to the Florida measure have been introduced across the country.

In southwestern Arizona, teachers would be required to tell parents if their child brings up their gender identity.

In midwestern Indiana, a bill would make schools ask parents’ permission before discussing sexual orientation or transgender issues.

In the central state of Oklahoma, proposed legislation seeks to ban school library books focused on “sexual preferences” or “gender identity.”

Activists have seen this playbook before: In the late 1980s, after sex-ed courses were updated to address the HIV epidemic, similar legislation spread across the country, out of fear children would be “recruited into homosexuality,” recalls Clifford Rosky, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Utah.

Despite a trend in recent years of repealing such laws, Rosky says, they remain in place in six states including Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.

In Florida itself, meanwhile, the law today is clear: schools are instructed to teach “the benefits of monogamous heterosexual marriage.”

Houston (AFP) – “You get used to it. The walls shake,” says Sam, a resident of Midland, a town in west Texas where hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas — known as “fracking” — is causing more and more earthquakes.

“Then another tremor comes a second later, like a truck passing nearby,” said the 44-year-old, who did not wish to disclose his last name.

Echoing his words, three quakes rocked the ground in just one day on February 4.

This region of the Permian Basin, from which 40 percent of US oil and 15 percent of its gas are extracted, experienced nine earthquakes greater than three-magnitude in 2019, 51 in 2020 and 176 in 2021, according to market intelligence firm Sourcenergy.

What causes earthquakes is not fracking itself, but injecting the wastewater into wells. The Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates oil activities, has had to impose new rules on water disposal.

Drilling companies must deal with huge quantities of water that come up when fracking — water makes up about 80 percent of the fluid pumped out of the ground.

Almost 4,000 active wells have been drilled specifically to collect the wastewater in the Permian Basin.

“As you get more and more water getting pumped into the ground… you’re filling up these spaces,” said Joshua Adler, CEO of Sourcenergy, which helps oil companies improve water management. 

“In some of these spaces, you got these cracks or fault lines. You’re pushing it harder and harder, and maybe you hit that fault line and maybe it makes it slip and that’s an earthquake.”

Since 2012, daily oil production have multiplied five-fold in the Permian Basin, so water injections into wells has also multiplied.

“In Oklahoma, they basically kind of dragged their feet for years and denied that there was any problem” when earthquakes increased in the 2010s, Adler said.

In Texas, as soon as earthquakes increased, the Railroad Commission started to study the issue, he said. “They didn’t wait until it was a giant problem.”

Between September and January, it defined three geographical areas at risk.

In the most populous, Gardendale, where the cities of Midland and Odessa are located, it ordered the suspension of deep injections of water into seven wells in mid-December.

After four more earthquakes of magnitudes between 3.1 and 3.7, it extended the measure to 26 more wells.

The regulator is waiting for industry proposals in the two other areas identified, Stanton and Northern Culberson-Reeves.

But Neta Rhyne, 72, who lives near Northern Culberson-Reeves, believes that “it’s like asking the fox to guard the chicken coop.”

Locals divided

Last week, she again asked the Railroad Commission, as she has been doing since 2016, for a hearing following new requests to drill water disposal wells in her region.

She fears an earthquake could affect the source of one of the largest natural spring-fed pools in the world, a stone’s throw from her home in Balmorhea Nature Park, Toyahvale.

The Texas Parks Department declined to respond to AFP’s questions, but press officer Stephanie Salinas Garcia acknowledged “concerns that earthquakes could affect the spring system.” 

“Here, it’s small communities. People don’t want to cause problems, they don’t want to voice their concerns,” said Rhyne, who owns a dive shop near the Balmorhea natural pool.

Suspending water injection is set to impose hefty costs on oil companies, who will have to transport water off site via pipeline, or even by truck.

Sam, the resident in Midland, says local reaction to the quakes is divided.

“Old people complain a bit about earthquakes. But young people never! Three-quarters live off oil. 

“Even when it smells of hydrogen sulfide emitted from the wells, they say it smells of money.”

LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s leadership credentials have been badly tarnished by controversies and missteps in recent months, leading to calls from some of his own lawmakers for him to resign.

Below are some of the troubles Johnson has faced:

Oct. 26 – Lawmaker guilty of paid lobbying

Conservative lawmaker and former minister Owen Paterson faces a 30-day suspension after parliament’s standards committee found he had committed an “egregious case of paid advocacy”.

Nov. 3 – Government changes rules to save lawmaker

Johnson’s Conservatives are accused of corruption after they vote to halt Paterson’s suspension and force through an overhaul of the process of investigating lawmakers.

Nov. 4 – U-turn on Paterson

After unhappiness in his own party and newspaper headlines accusing Johnson’s administration of sleaze, the government U-turns on the plans and Paterson quits parliament.

Nov. 22 – Peppa Pig speech

After losing his place during a speech, Johnson regales business leaders with an anecdote about visiting a Peppa Pig children’s theme park, prompting some to raise concerns about his leadership.

Nov. 30 – Lockdown Christmas party report

The Mirror newspaper publishes the first of many media reports about Christmas parties in government departments, including Johnson’s Downing Street office, in December 2020, when such gatherings were banned under COVID-19 restrictions.

Dec. 7 – Video of staff joking about party

Hours after Johnson says he is satisfied no COVID rules were broken, ITV publishes a leaked video showing his staff joking about a Downing Street gathering during a mock news conference.

Dec. 8 – Johnson apologises, aide resigns

Johnson apologises for the video, saying he is furious. Allegra Stratton, most recently Johnson’s COP26 spokeswoman but his press secretary at the time of the footage, resigns.

Dec. 9 – Conservatives fined over apartment refurbishment

The Conservatives are fined 17,800 pounds ($23,500) by the electoral watchdog for failing to accurately report a donation that helped fund a luxury refurbishment of Johnson’s official residence.

Dec. 14 – Conservative lawmakers rebel

More than 100 Conservatives vote against new coronavirus restrictions, dealing a blow to Johnson’s authority.

Dec. 17 – The Conservatives lose a parliamentary seat

Johnson’s Conservatives lose an election to fill Paterson’s vacant seat, substantiating fears among some that the party’s reputation and electoral prospects are suffering.

Dec. 17 – Lead investigator steps down

Britain’s top civil servant, Simon Case, steps down from leading an investigation into the alleged parties after it emerges an event was held in his own office. Senior civil servant Sue Gray takes over the inquiry.

Dec. 18 – Brexit minister resigns

Brexit minister David Frost, an architect of Johnson’s tumultuous Brexit strategy, resigns, saying he is disillusioned with the government’s direction.

Dec. 19 – Garden party photo published

The Guardian newspaper publishes a photograph of Johnson and more than a dozen others drinking wine in the Downing Street garden that it said was taken during lockdown on May 15, 2020.

Jan. 12 – PM says he attended lockdown gathering

Johnson says he attended a gathering in the Downing Street garden on May 20, 2020 but believed it to be a work event.

Broadcaster ITV say the senior aide who organised the event signed off an invitation email “bring your own booze”.

Jan. 14 – PM apologises to Buckingham Palace

Johnson’s office apologises to Queen Elizabeth after it emerged staff partied in Downing Street on the eve of her husband Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021, when mixing indoors was banned.

Jan. 24 – Report of Johnson birthday gathering

ITV says up to 30 people attended a June 2020 event at which Johnson was presented with a cake while his wife led staff in singing ‘Happy Birthday’. Johnson’s office confirm staff gathered briefly after a meeting but dispute it was a party.

Jan. 25 – Police investigation

Police say they are investigating lockdown events that took place in Downing Street and other government departments after receiving information from Gray’s inquiry.

Jan. 31 – Gray publishes initial findings

Gray publishes a limited report, curtailed by the ongoing police investigation. It condemns some of the behaviour in government as “difficult to justify” and says some of the events should not have taken place. Johnson says sorry.

Jan. 31 – Jimmy Savile accusation

Johnson falsely accuses opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer, a former Director of Public Prosecutions, of failing to prosecute late sex offender Jimmy Savile.

Feb. 3 – Johnson clarifies remarks about Savile

Following calls from opponents and some of his Conservatives to withdraw his Savile remarks, Johnson says he wants to clarify them. His head of policy quits, saying the Savile barb was a “scurrilous accusation”.

Feb. 7 – Starmer hounded by protesters

Starmer is confronted by angry protesters, some of whom reference Savile, prompting fresh pressure on Johnson to withdraw his claim.

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Angus MacSwan)

By Joseph Ax and Jason Lange

(Reuters) – Republican and Democratic lawmakers across the United States are drawing political maps that will likely deepen polarization and encourage more extreme candidates by eliminating competitive congressional seats, a new Reuters analysis shows.

Thirty-one states have finalized new congressional maps as part of the once-a-decade redistricting mandated by law. Along with six states that each have only one district, 308 of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives now have boundaries in place for November’s midterm elections.

In 2020, there were 62 districts in those states where the margin in the presidential election was within 10 percentage points, according to the analysis. Under the new maps, that figure drops by one-third to 41.

The erasure of competitive districts is damaging to democracy in multiple ways, electoral experts say.

Congress is already deeply divided, with major legislation frequently drawing support or opposition strictly along party lines. If the fear of losing in the general election is gone, candidates are more likely to move toward the ideological extremes to secure their party’s nomination.

With so many elections predetermined before a ballot is cast, voters – particularly in the minority party – can feel effectively disenfranchised.

“When politicians draw lines that lock in the winners for the rest of the decade, it creates a disillusionment among voters that elections may not matter, because our voices won’t be heard,” said Kathay Feng, the national redistricting director for the good government group Common Cause.

And without the political middle represented in Congress, “you end up with a dysfunctional body,” she said.

Political gerrymandering – the manipulation of district lines to entrench one party in power – has become increasingly weaponized by both parties in recent years, helped along by advances in data and mapping technology. Republicans have used the practice more effectively, however, after making major gains in statehouses in 2010.

Even before this redistricting cycle, close to half of U.S. House races were determined by margins of more than 30 percentage points.

The elimination of swing districts is especially marked when looking only at states where one party held unfettered power over redistricting.

In Texas, there were 14 congressional districts in 2020 where Joe Biden and Donald Trump were separated by fewer than 10 percentage points. The state’s new Republican-drawn map includes only three such districts, leaving 35 seats where the outcome is all but assured before November’s election ever takes place.

New York Democrats last week approved an aggressive map that eliminates three of the state’s five competitive seats in order to give Democrats the edge in a whopping 22 of 26 districts.

Thus far, neither party has emerged from redistricting with a significant edge. Republican-controlled Florida, which has 28 seats, has not completed new lines, and lawsuits in several states could force changes to their maps.

The Reuters analysis relied on PlanScore, a mapping tool developed by the non-partisan Campaign Legal Center, as well as voting totals calculated by the Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. The calculations exclude Kentucky because full precinct-level voting data could not be obtained.

CENTRISTS UNDER FIRE

A lack of competitive races may decrease voter turnout and lessen investment in voter outreach by the national parties in many parts of the country, electoral experts said.

Voters who turn out in primary elections tend to be further left or right than the general electorate. As a result, candidates in heavily partisan districts are incentivized to cater to their base.

“Probably the biggest effect is you really pull the rug out from under centrists in both parties,” said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston. “All the candidates have to worry about is winning the primary.”

In Texas’ 3rd district, for instance, which Trump barely carried over Biden in 2020, two-term Republican congressman Van Taylor won by a double-digit margin in part by touting his bipartisan credentials.

Now, however, his vote last year in support of creating an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters has prompted a right-wing challenge from a former county judge, Keith Self.

Republican legislators redrew the district to make it safer, transforming it from one that Trump won by a single percentage point to one he would have carried by 14. But it may also provide more of an opportunity for Self, who has argued that Taylor is not sufficiently loyal to Trump.

Texas on March 1 holds the country’s first primary of the 2022 midterm election cycle.

In Illinois, Democratic lawmakers pushed through an aggressively gerrymandered map that aimed to secure 14 of the state’s 17 seats. The plan merged two northern Republican districts into one heavily conservative area, prompting incumbent Adam Kinzinger, a moderate who drew Trump’s ire for voting to impeach him, to retire.

In southern Illinois, the map also placed moderate incumbent Rodney Davis in a much more Republican district. Republican Congress member, Mary Miller, a far-right Trump supporter with a penchant for controversy, has announced she will take on Davis in the primary after her own district was merged with another.

Trump has already endorsed Miller, in part because Davis – who had represented a swing district – voted to certify the 2020 election results.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax and Jason Lange; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Alistair Bell)