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Published by Reuters By Natalie Grover, Niklas Pollard and Johan Ahlander STOCKHOLM/LONDON (Reuters) -Swedish geneticist Svante Paabo won the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for discoveries that underpin our understanding of how modern day people evolved from extinct ancestors at the dawn of human history. Paabo’s work demonstrated practical implications during the COVID-19 pandemic when he found that people infected with the virus who carry a gene variant inherited from Neanderthals are more at risk of severe illness than whose who do not. Paabo, director at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, won the prize for “discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution,” the Award committee said. “The thing that’s amazing to me is that you now have some ability to go back in time and actually follow genetic history and genetic changes over time,” Paabo told a news conference at the Max Planck Institute. “It’s a possibility to begin to actually look on evolution in real time, if you like.” Paabo, 67, said he thought the call from Sweden was a prank or something to do with his summer house there. “So I was just gulping down the last cup of tea to go and pick up my daughter at her nanny where she has had an overnight stay,” Paabo said in a recording posted on the Nobel website. “And then I got this call from Sweden and I of course thought it had something to do with our little summer house … I thought the lawn mower had broken down or something.” Asked if he thought he would get the award, he said: “No, I have received a couple of prizes before but I somehow did not think that this really would qualify for a Nobel Prize.” Paabo, son of a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist, has been credited with transforming the study of human origins after developing ways to allow for the examination of DNA sequences from archaeological and paleontological remains. Not only did he help uncover the existence of a previously unknown human species called the Denisovans, from a 40,000-year-old fragment of a finger bone discovered in Siberia, his crowning achievement is considered to be the methods developed to allow for the sequencing of an entire Neanderthal genome. ‘GENETIC DIFFERENCES’ This research, which showed that certain genes of Neanderthal origin are preserved in the genomes of people today, was once considered impossible, given that Neanderthal DNA on bones has shrivelled up over thousands of years into short fragments that have to be assembled like a gigantic puzzle, and are also heavily contaminated with microbial DNA. “This ancient flow of genes to present-day humans has physiological relevance today, for example affecting how our immune system reacts to infections,” the Nobel Committee said. The prize, among the most prestigious in the scientific world, is awarded by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute and is worth 10 million Swedish crowns ($900,357). It is the first of this year’s batch of prizes. Born in Stockholm, Paabo studied medicine and biochemistry at Uppsala University before creating a scientific discipline called “paleogenomics”, which helped show genetic differences that distinguish living humans from extinct hominins. “His discoveries provide the basis for exploring what makes us uniquely human,” the Committee said. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed medical research centre stage, with many expecting that the development of the vaccines that have allowed the world to regain some sense of normality may eventually be rewarded. Still, it typically takes many years for any given research to be honoured, with the committees charged with picking the winners looking to determine its full value with some certainty amongst what is always a packed field of contenders. PANDEMIC When asked why the prize did not go to advances in combating COVID, Thomas Perlmann, secretary for the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine, said the committee would only talk about prize winners, not those who had not won, or had not yet won. However, Paabo’s ancient forensics work did offer insight on why some people are at higher risk of severe COVID. In 2020, a report from Paabo and colleagues found that a gene variant inherited by modern humans from Neanderthals when they interbred some 60,000 years ago made those that carry the variant more likely to require artificial ventilation if infected by the COVID-causing virus. “We can make an average gauge of the number of the extra deaths we have had in the pandemic due to the contribution from the Neanderthals. It is quite substantial, it’s more than one million extra individuals who have died due to this Neanderthal variant that they carry,” Paabo said in 2022 lecture. Paabo’s most cited paper in the Web of Science was published in 1989, with 4,077 citations, said David Pendlebury, from UK-based scientific data analytics provider Clarivate. “Only some 2,000 papers out of 55 million published since 1970 have been cited this many times,” he said. “It is, however, not an award for a discovery relevant to clinical medicine, which many anticipated this year after a Nobel Prize focusing on physiology last year.” Past winners in the field include a string of famous researchers, notably Alexander Fleming, who shared the 1945 prize for the discovery of penicillin, and Robert Koch, who won already in 1905 for his investigations of tuberculosis. ($1 = 11.1067 Swedish crowns) (Reporting by Niklas Pollard, Johan Ahlander, Simon Johnson in Stockholm and Natalie Grover in London; additional reporting by Terje Solsvik in Oslo, Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm, Marie Mannes in Gdansk and Kristi Knolle and Riham Alkousaa in Berlin; Editing by William Maclean) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Sarah N. Lynch and Chris Gallagher WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Prosecutors urged members of a jury to convict Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four others for their roles in storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, saying they formed an “armed rebellion” to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. “They concocted a plan for an armed rebellion to shatter a bedrock of American democracy,” prosecutor Jeff Nestler said in an opening statement at their trial. Rhodes told his followers during the planning stage that “it will be torches and pitchforks time if they (Congress) don’t do the right thing,” according to a text message shown to the jury by prosecutors. Rhodes and his co-defendants Kelly Meggs, Thomas Caldwell, Jessica Watkins and Kenneth Harrelson are accused of plotting to forcefully prevent Congress from certifying Democratic President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory in a failed bid to keep then-President Donald Trump, a Republican, in power. Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol after Trump falsely claimed the election had been stolen from him through widespread fraud. Five people died during and shortly after the riot, and about 140 police were injured. The five on trial face numerous felony charges, including seditious conspiracy – a Civil War-era statute that is rarely prosecuted and carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Prosecutors have said the five defendants trained and planned for Jan. 6 and stockpiled weapons at a northern Virginia hotel outside the capital for a so-called “quick reaction force” that would be ready if called upon to transport arms into Washington. As lawmakers met on Jan. 6 to certify Biden’s election victory, some Oath Keepers charged into the Capitol building, clad in paramilitary gear. They are not accused of carrying firearms onto Capitol grounds. “On that day, as required, Congress met inside the Capitol building … These defendants seized upon that opportunity to disrupt Congress from meeting inside the Capitol building. That was their goal: to stop by whatever means necessary to stop the transfer of power including by taking up arms,” Nestler told a jury of 12 members and four alternates. ‘WILLING TO DIE?’ Watkins told members of her local Ohio chapter that “I need you fighting fit by (inauguration),” while Meggs told followers from the Florida Oath Keepers that “the time for talk is over. The real question is who’s willing to DIE?” according to text messages shown by the prosecution. On the day of the assault, Nestler said Watkins led a group of seven Oath Keepers toward the Senate side of the Capitol. As she stormed down the hallway with the “power of the mob with her,” Nestler said she yelled “Push, push, push!” He said that Watkins added: “They can’t hold us.” Meggs and Harrelson, meanwhile, led a group of seven Oath Keepers toward the House of Representatives side of the Capitol where Nestler said they looked specifically for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress. Nestler said that on Election Day, Meggs had told his wife Connie, who is criminally charged in a separate case, “I’m gonna go on a killing spree. Pelosi first.” The government has characterized the Oath Keepers as a far-right anti-government group, some of whose members have ties to militias. Some of the members include current and former military and law enforcement personnel. Rhodes, a Yale-educated attorney and former U.S. Army paratrooper, has disputed that government’s characterization, saying it’s a non-partisan group whose members have pledged to defend the U.S. Constitution. Although Trump’s shadow will loom large over the trial, he is not expected to be a central figure in the case. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who is presiding over the trial, previously restricted the defendants from using a “public authority” defense, meaning they cannot claim they stormed the Capitol at Trump’s direction. However, attorneys for some of the defendants are expected to argue that their clients believed they could be called to action if Trump invoked the Insurrection Act, a law that empowers the president to deploy troops to suppress civil disorder. (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Chris Gallagher, editing by Ross Colvin and Grant McCool) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Beyonce has called her sister Solange Knowles a “visionary” after she became the first African American woman to compose music for the New York City Ballet. The pop star took to her Instagram page to share a picture of her sibling holding a large bunch of flowers – and Beyonce revealed she is celebrating Solange’s historic accomplishment after she was brought on board to collaboration with the dance company for its 10th annual Fall Fashion Gala. Beyonce called her sister’s work ” phenomenal” and added: “I love you deep”. In the message posted online, she wrote: “My beloved sister, there are no words to express the pride and admiration I have for you. You are a visionary and one of one. Congratulations on being the first African American woman to compose for the New York City Ballet. The piece you composed is phenomenal. I love you deep.” The ‘Crazy In Love’ singer then added: “Might I suggest you don’t f*** with my sis.” Along with a picture of Solange holding flowers, Beyonce also sharedf a snap which showed the singer outside the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York where the gala took place on Wednesday (28.09.22). Sarah Jessica Parker was set to have been honoured at the event, but the actress had to leave the event just minutes after arriving – putting her exit down to a “sudden devastating family situation”. It was later revealed Sarah’s step-father Paul Giffin Forste – who married her mum, Barbara, in 1969 – died on Wednesday (28.09.22). The family said in a statement: “Our family is sad to announce that after an unexpected and rapid illness, Paul Giffin Forste passed away yesterday at age 76.” The statement also confirmed that various family members, including Sarah, were present when he passed away. They said: “In his last moments he was surrounded with the love and gratitude of his adored wife Barbara of 54 years, and children, including Sarah Jessica Parker.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English AJ McLean is supporting his nine-year-old daughter’s decision to change her name. The Backstreet Boys star’s little girl Ava – who he shares with wife Rochelle Karidis along with a second daughter five-year-old Lyric – has decided she now wants to be known as Elliott and AJ has insisted it’s her right to change her name and the family are totally behind her. He told People.com: “It is her body, it’s her name, it’s her everything. And she’s still Ava. She’ll always be Ava to me.” AJ went on to explain Elliott’s name change is not linked to gender identity – she still identifies as female but she wanted to be called by a different name. He went on: “When my daughter asked to change her name to Elliott, initially, I didn’t know if it was a transgender thing, which it is not, but it is a personal choice. Whatever reasoning it is, that’s hers, and I’m going to support it a million percent, my wife will [too].” The pop star added that her reasoning seemed to be that there are too many girls named Ava in her social circle. AJ said Elliott told him: “Dad, I just feel like my name is not that unique and not that original, and there’s a lot of Avas at dance and a lot of Avas at school.” He also suggested she got the idea for her new name after watching classic kids’ film ‘Pete’s Dragon’ which features a dragon named Eliot. AJ and Rochelle got together in 2009 and married in 2011 before welcoming their first child together – Elliott – in 2012 with her sister Lyric following in 2017. View the full article

Published by Hong Kong Free Press Hongkongers aged 18 to 40 are mostly supportive of LGBTQ+ equality, a recent survey has revealed. However, nearly half of respondents said they have experienced or learned of discriminatory acts against the LGBTQ+ community. Commissioned by the LGBT+ rights group Pink Alliance, the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute interviewed 2,120 residents aged between 18 and 40 in August. The survey’s findings were released on Monday. Eighty-six per cent said they agreed that LGBTQ+ people should be treated fairly and should not be discriminated against. In addition, 63 per cent said Hong Kong sh… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters UK By Victor Borges and Gram Slattery BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazil’s presidential election is headed for a run-off vote, electoral authorities said on Sunday, after President Jair Bolsonaro’s surprising strength in a first-round vote spoiled rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s hopes of winning outright. With 95% of electronic votes counted, Lula was ahead with 47.6% of votes versus 43.9% for Bolsonaro, the national electoral authority reported. As neither got a majority of support, the race will go to a second-round vote on Oct. 30. Several opinion surveys had shown Lula leading Bolso… Read More View the full article

Published by The Philadelphia Inquirer PHILADELPHIA — A local Republican Party in Southwestern Pennsylvania has a quote attributed to Samuel Adams on its website: “It does not take a majority to prevail … but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.” The Fayette County GOP might consider an update. Registered Republicans surpassed Democrats in Fayette this summer, making it the last county in the rapidly reddening region to flip to a GOP voter edge. The inversion reflects and continues yearslong changes to voter registration across the battleground state. And despite close inter… Read More View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Tom Boggioni On Monday the Supreme Court will reconvene with the newest addition, Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, taking the seat previously occupied by retired Stephen Breyer and legal experts are warning that the new session will likelybe as tumultuous as the last. As Ed Pilkington of the Guardian wrote, the last term saw a conservative supermajority overturn Roe v. Wade, relax already loose gun laws and hand the religious right huge victories. The slate of new cases to be considered by the court, which features three justices appointed to the court by former president Donald Tru… Read More View the full article

Published by OK Magazine MEGA Taylor Swift‘s big plans for summer 2023 were revealed not long after she shockingly turned down the NFL’s exciting offer to play on the Super Bowl Halftime Show. “Taylor has some really ambitious plans in place,” an insider said. “She’s excited to get back on the road after such a long but fruitful break.” MEGA Another source shared several shows featuring the pop star have already been booked. Rumors of a new world tour have swirled since she had to cancel her 2020 tour plans as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world. NOT A RING OF TRUTH TO IT: TAYLOR SWIFT RUNS AROUND NEW YORK WITH LONGTIME BEAU JOE ALWYN AMID SPLIT RUMORS “This is an unprecedented pandemic that has changed everyone’s plans and no one knows what the touring landscape is going to look like in the near future,” the star had tweeted. Swift’s last world tour was in 2018, when she promoted her sixth studio album, Reputation, one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. MEGA So much has happened since 2018. The Grammy winner released two new albums titled Folklore and Evermore and even re-recorded some of her previous records. Her latest album, Midnights, will be released on October 21 — an update she shared with her fans during the MTV Video Music Awards. The “Enchanted” singer disclosed that her new project would be a collection of music written during the middle of the night — “a journey through terrors and sweet dreams.” JOE JONAS, HARRY STYLES & MORE! TAYLOR SWIFT’S MOST FAMOUS BOYFRIENDS & THE SONGS FANS BELIEVE THEY INSPIRED The upcoming tour would be a big relief for Swifties after news broke that she would not be headlining the Super Bowl halftime next year due to her priorities around re-recording her albums. However, sources have learned that a Superbowl performance is not entirely off-charts. @TAYLORSWIFT/INSTAGRAM Sources close to Super Bowl noted that there would be a possibility for her to perform in 2024, only if she manages to finish the re-records. Meanwhile, the “Don’t Blame Me” singer has been filled with gratitude for her fans — something she got candid about while announcing her new album. “I wouldn’t be able to re-record my albums if it weren’t for you. You embolden me to do that, and I had sort of made up my mind that if you were going to be this generous and give us this, I thought it might be a fun moment to tell you that my brand new album comes out Oct. 21,” the artist said while accepting an award at the MTV Video Awards. Sources spoke to Page Six and TMZ. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Bella Hadid wore a spray on dress for Paris Fashion Week. The 25-year-old model was appearing at the annual fashion event in the French capital on Friday (30.09.22) where she could be seen at the top of the runway almost nude before Dr Manel Torres – who is managing director of Fabrican Ltd and inventor of the spray-on fabric – sprayed a layer of white latex onto her body to form the shape of a Coperni slip dress. Designer Arnaud Vaillant said: “It’s our celebration of women’s silhouettes from centuries past. And we wanted to update our aesthetic in a more grown-up and scientific way, too. We wanted to dedicate this moment to Dr Torres, because we respect what he does so much. We felt that it was absolutely necessary that he led the performance – to us, that makes the experience even more magical..” The Vogue cover star stood perfectly still whilst a score of triumphant music played and the dress formed around her figure before she strutted down the catwalk and posed for the cameras. Back in May, Bella – who at the time was gearing up to appear at the Met Gala – explained that while she used to get “so much anxiety” at the thought of appearing at high-profile events, she is now able to take “a lot of the pressure off.” She said: “Honestly, I used to get so much anxiety and it would, like, ruin my whole day. But I really take a lot of pressure off of myself now, I don’t feel like there’s as much to lose, so it’s just fun for me at this point. We spend a lot of time—designing the dress and with my glam team—figuring out the creative part before I actually get to the hotel on Met day. So by the time, it’s Met day, we’re just like living, listening to music, dancing. But 20 minutes beforehand it gets kind of stressful because I’m a Libra and I’m always late. I try to not be late, but I always am anyway.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Lance Bass is “so happy” for Britney Spears. The 40-year-old pop star – who regained control of her multimillion-dollar fortune and various aspects of her life when a conservatorship governed by her family was terminated back in 2021 – returned to music with fellow legend Sir Elton John back in August with ‘Hold Me Closer’, and NSYNC star Lance, 43, admitted that he is so “glad” to see Britney back in the charts. He told ExtraTV: “As soon as I heard the new duet, I loved it and I was so happy to hear to back on the radio. And I’m just so glad she’s back doing her thing.” Back in June, the ‘Bye Bye Bye’ hitmaker – who was part of NYSNC along with Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Britney’s ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake – explained that while he and the ‘Womanizer’ songstress had any contact “for a while” he is keen to wish his fellow star luck and noted that she seems to be “very happy” since the termination of the conservatorship. He said: “We’ve been kept away from each other for quite a while. We’ve been kept away from each other for quite a while. But I just wish her luck. She seems very happy, so I’m happy that she’s happy.” Meanwhile, Lance welcomed twins Alexander and Violet with husband Michael Turchin via a surrogate back in October 2021 and the pair have plans to throw a Haloween themed birthday bash for the children as they reach turn one. He said: “The first birthday, they’re not gonna remember a thing, so we’ll do something here in Los Angeles and that has to be Halloween-themed because they’re born on October 13.” View the full article

Published by uInterview.com A tiny little indie starlet you may not have heard of decided to give modeling a try. Cher appeared alongside designer Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain, at the brand’s Womenswear Paris Fashion Week show. Rocking down the runway to one of her own songs in a gorgeous bodysuit, Cher looked joyful and excited as she embraced Rousteing in the middle and then walked along with him. The Goddess of Pop and current legendary Twitter poster provoked a huge, positive reaction both in the room and online. Her last studio album, Dancing Queen was released in 2018 and she has also been wo… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English The 2023 Met Gala will have a Karl Lagerfeld theme. The annual exhibition in New York City has been given the title of ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’, and organisers have confirmed that the event will feature 150 creations by the legendary fashion designer. The Metropolitan Museum of Art – which hosts the star-studded gala – wrote on Twitter: “Coming May 2023—explore the artistic methodology and stylistic vocabulary of Karl Lagerfeld’s designs in “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” at The Met’s #CostumeInstitute. (sic)” Max Hollein, the director of the Met, explained that the upcoming exhibition will explore “Lagerfeld’s boundless imagination and passion for innovation”. Max said: “Karl Lagerfeld was one of the most captivating, prolific, and recognisable forces in fashion and culture, known as much for his extraordinary designs and tireless creative output as for his legendary persona. “This immersive exhibition will unpack his singular artistic practice, inviting the public to experience an essential part of Lagerfeld’s boundless imagination and passion for innovation.” Lagerfeld – who died in February 2019, aged 85 – worked for the likes of Balmain, Patou, Chloe, Fendi and Chanel during his legendary career. The designer was also admired by some of the world’s biggest stars, including Madonna and Gisele Bundchen, and the exhibition is set to shine a light on his “prolific body of work”. Andrew Bolton, the museum curator, said in a statement: “The exhibition will explore Lagerfeld’s complex working methodology, tracing the evolution of his fashions from the two dimensional to the three dimensional. “The fluid lines of his sketches found expression in recurring aesthetic themes in his fashions, uniting his designs for Balmain, Patou, Chloe, Fendi, Chanel, and his eponymous label, Karl Lagerfeld, creating a diverse and prolific body of work unparalleled in the history of fashion.” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Actors, musicians and television personalities make a living out of impressing and entertaining their fans — and some of them even break world records while doing it! The 2023 edition of the Guinness World Records book, which was released on Thursday, September 15, features a wide array of entertainers from Rihanna to Reese Witherspoon. REESE WITHERSPOON, KELLY CLARKSON & MORE: SEE THE COUPLES WHOSE MARRIAGES HAVE BEEN PLAGUED BY HOLLYWOOD LIFE Scroll through the gallery below to see celebrities who broke big records this year. Rihanna mega It’s been a big year for RiRi. The “SOS” singer not only became a new mom, but she is also set to headline the Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show. She earned a spot in Guinness World Records for being a female performer with the “most US No.1 singles in a year.” Dolly Parton mega Dolly Parton is truly an icon! She made the list for “most decades with a Top 20 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson mega Dwayne Johnson has entertained fans for decades, from his performances in the Fast & Furious franchise to Disney’s Moana. He has also starred in several hit television programs, including WWE Smackdown, Ballers and Young Rock. Johnson broke a world record for being a male actor with the “highest annual earnings for a television actor in a current series.” Billie Eilish mega Billie Eilish broke more than one record this year, taking home the title of “youngest person to win the film music awards ‘triple crown'” (which entails winning an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Grammy). She also broke a second record for being a female performer with the “most consecutive Grammy nominations for Record of the Year.” Drake mega Drake smashed records for being an artist with the “most simultaneous Top 10 entries on the US singles chart.” Some of his previous Top 10 singles include “Hotline Bling” in 2015 and “Laugh Now Cry Later (feat Lil Durk)” in 2020. Adele mega Despite Adele‘s failed Las Vegas residency, which was cancelled earlier this year, fans still can’t enough of her soulful lyrics! The “Someone Like You” singer managed to snag a world record for “most streamed track on Spotify in 24 hours.” ‘I MIGHT AS WELL BE MARRIED’: ADELE CONFRONTS RUMORS SHE’S ENGAGED TO BEAU RICH PAUL Reese Witherspoon mega Witherspoon, who is currently starring alongside rumored frenemy Jennifer Aniston in The Morning Show, broke a record for being a television actress with the “highest annual earnings” in 2022. Jay-Z mega Jay-Z broke the record for “most Grammy nominations.” Earlier this year, he also made Forbes list of the world’s richest billionaires, with an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion. Taylor Swift mega Taylor Swift earned herself a world record for “most simultaneous new entries on the US singles chart” in 2022, and that’s not the 32-year-old’s only accomplishment this year. Before Rihanna was offered the gig, the “You Belong With Me” singer turned down an offer from the NFL to headline the Super Bowl. Swift opted out in favor of continuing to re-record her first six albums. Ed Sheeran mega Ed Sheeran can claim he’s now the holder of two Spotify-related world records. He was declared the record holder for the “most streamed track on Spotify,” as well as the “most followers on Spotify.” View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Nikki Blonsky took to social media Thursday to announce her engagement to her partner Hailey Jo Jenson. “I’ve played plenty of characters in love in my life and it has been a blessing, but the greatest blessing in life is real love, true love and I am honored to finally feel unconditional love, and a love that is pure,” the award-winning actress, dancer and singer wrote on an Instagram post in which she shared photos of the happy couple showing off their engagement rings. Blonsky, 33, has appeared in several movies and television shows over the past 15 years. But she’s best known for playing t… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet By Meaghan Ellis Florida Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott recently called on Senate leaders to approve more disaster funding in the wake of Florida’s devastation due to Hurricane Ian. According to Axios, the lawmakers’ request is important because of their previous stance on Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding. “Several members of Congress from Florida previously voted against a short-term spending bill that includes aid for disaster relief,” the news outlet reported. READ MORE: ‘Fact-check me’: Donald Trump Jr. touts ‘firearms’ training in rant against pre-hurricane … Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Tim Cook says there is “no good excuse” for the lack of women in tech. The Apple CEO believes that the key to the the industry reaching it full potential relies on more women to be invited to “the table” as more diversity is always a good thing in the world, particularly in the workplace. The 61-year-old tech executive told BBC News: “I think the the essence of technology and its effect on humanity depends upon women being at the table. “Technology’s a great thing that will accomplish many things, but unless you have diverse views at the table that are working on it, you don’t wind up with great solutions.” According to their 2021 Diversity report, Apple – who invented the iPod and the iPhone – have increased their share of female employees by 89 per cent in seven years to a 34.8 per cent total. At the time, Tim tweeted: “At Apple, we know how important it is to build and maintain a culture where everyone belongs. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made to create a more inclusive workforce and are committed to doing more.” While in conversation with the BBC, he said that firms “can’t cop out” and need to help promote women joining the sector through education and the like. Tim said: “Businesses can’t cop out and say ‘there’s not enough women taking computer science – therefore I can’t hire enough.” “We have to fundamentally change the number of people that are taking computer science and programming.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Leroy Leo (Reuters) -Amylyx Pharmaceuticals Inc on Friday set the list price of its newly approved drug to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at about $158,000 per year in the United States, a discount to its most recently approved competitor. The drug Relyvrio was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday, making it the third ALS treatment to get the regulator’s nod after Japanese firm Mitsubishi Tanabe’s Radicava, priced at around $170,000 per year, and the generic drug riluzole. Amylyx priced the drug at around $12,500 per 28-day prescription, Chief Commercial Officer Margaret Olinger said in an investors’ conference call. The company also plans to provide the drug at no cost to U.S. patients that are uninsured or underinsured, under certain conditions, Olinger said.The drug should have been priced closer to the cost of production until there was clear proof about its efficacy, said David Rind, chief medical officer at independent drug pricing watchdog Institute for Clinical and Economic Review. “We believe the manufacturer in a situation like this has an obligation to price responsibly,” Rind said, adding the drug is currently priced at more than five times higher than the top of a value-based range. Data from a late-stage trial of around 600 patients is expected in 2024, with most patients now being enrolled in Europe, co-chief executive officers Justin Klee and Joshua Cohen told Reuters in an interview. Klee and Cohen said they arrived at the price after discussions with patients, insurers and other stakeholders while also looking at funding future research. ALS, which can lead to progressive paralysis and death, affects more than 30,000 patients in the United States.Relyvrio is the first drug funded by the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ in 2014 to get FDA approval. The challenge helped the patient advocacy group ALS Association raise over $115 million. (Reporting by Leroy Leo and Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; editing by Uttaresh.V and Krishna Chandra Eluri) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Michael Erman NEW YORK (Reuters) – Around two-thirds of adults in the United States do not plan to get updated COVID-19 booster shots soon, according to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a health policy nonprofit organization. Only a third of adults polled said they either already received the updated shots or plan to get the booster as soon as possible, the poll found. The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna Inc shots, updated to target more recently circulating Omicron subvariants of the coronavirus as well as the original strain, were authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration late last month. Around 18% said they would wait and see whether they would get the new booster shot, while 10% said they would only get it if it was required. Around 12% of adults surveyed said they would definitely not get the shot, while 27% said they were not eligible because they were not fully vaccinated. About 7.6 million people received the updated shots over the first four weeks the boosters have been available, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released on Thursday. That represents about 3.5% of the 215.5 million people in the United States aged 12 or older who are eligible to receive the shots because they have completed their primary vaccination series. Awareness of the new vaccines is low, with only half of adults surveyed saying they had heard a lot or some about the boosters, according to the Kaiser survey. Additionally, around 40% of fully vaccinated adults said they were not sure whether the new COVID-19 boosters are recommended for them. The CDC has recommended the shots for all fully vaccinated people aged 12 and older. For the survey, KFF polled 1,534 adults from Sept. 15 to Sept. 26. (Reporting by Michael Erman; Editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Comedian Trevor Noah, host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, said he was going to leave the program after hosting it for seven years, indicating he wanted to dedicate more time to stand-up comedy. The 38-year-old comedian – who moved to the United States in 2011 and was born in Johannesburg, South Africa – had big shoes to fill when he took over in 2015 after the exit of longtime host Jon Stewart. He quickly established himself with his own brand, suited for an era where online influence was often greater than that of content on cable. His reign on The Daily Show required him to delicately cover some crucial moments in American history, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and the 2021 attacks on the U.S. Capitol. “I spent two years in my apartment (during COVID-19), not on the road. Stand-up was done, and when I got back out there again, I realized that there’s another part of my life that I want to carry on exploring,” Noah told his studio audience late on Thursday. The Daily Show posted a clip of Noah’s remarks on social media. “We have laughed together, we have cried together. But after seven years, I feel like it’s time,” Noah said. He ended his remarks by thanking his viewers as his studio audience stood up to applaud him. Noah, who roasted U.S. politicians and the media at the White House Correspondents Association dinner in April, did not mention his exact departure date in his remarks on Thursday. It was not known who would succeed him. The key to addressing current affairs through a comedic lens lies in a comedian’s intention, Noah said in a 2016 interview with Reuters, adding that he learns from his mistakes. “I don’t think I would ever have been ready, but that’s when you must do it, you will not be ready,” the comedian told Reuters in the context of having succeeded his legendary predecessor. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Gerry Doyle) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andrew R.C. Marshall, Joseph Tanfani and Peter Eisler (Reuters) – Two far-right U.S. politicians who want to upend the way votes are cast and counted are tied or leading in races to become the top election administrators in their states, according to recent polls. Republicans Jim Marchant of Nevada and Mark Finchem of Arizona promote wild conspiracy theories about how the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. A victory in November could allow them, as secretaries of state, to restrict voting access or seek to block certification of results in these two critical battlegrounds for presidential elections. Marchant and Finchem want to curtail or abolish early voting, mail-in voting and ballot drop-boxes, claiming without evidence that they breed fraud. Both advocate banning electronic voting machines and returning to hand-counted paper ballots to secure elections. Election experts and officials of both major parties have said such changes would actually make elections more prone to fraud and error, while making it harder for citizens to vote. Finchem and Marchant are among the strongest of 13 secretary-of-state candidates who falsely claim the 2020 election was rigged. Two, in the Republican strongholds of Wyoming and Alabama, are expected to win easily. Four others are running competitive campaigns in Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana and New Mexico. The remainder are long shots. The movement to seize control of election administration is part of a broader phenomenon that makes November’s midterm elections unique in American history. Election deniers are campaigning in every state, according to politics website FiveThirtyEight. Out of 552 Republican nominees for Congress, governor, secretary of state and attorney general, 262 — nearly half — have rejected or questioned the 2020 result. The prospect of controlling state voting offices is bringing national money into once-sleepy secretary-of-state races and drawing support from some of Trump’s most prominent allies. Right-wing provocateur and former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon declared last week on his podcast that Democrats “are not going to be winning anymore” because the likes of Marchant and Finchem will be “in the counting room,” rooting out ballots they deem illegal or illegitimate. At a recent Florida conference featuring right-wing secretary-of-state candidates, Marchant cast himself as an outsider and claimed that “vicious” elements of his own party are scheming to help his Democratic rival. He has claimed Nevada elections have been rigged for the last decade by a “deep state cabal” bent on establishing “a socialist, communist, tyrannical government.” Marchant vowed to “simplify” the election system. “It’s way too complicated,” he told Reuters. Finchem, an Arizona state representative since 2015, appeared at the same conference, sporting a cowboy hat and Old West mustache. In an interview with Reuters, he dismissed accounts that he’s a “far-right fringe” politician as “propaganda crap.” Finchem has been linked to the Oath Keepers, the far-right extremist group, and once accused “a whole lot of elected officials” of being sex-trafficking pedophiles, an apparent reference to the QAnon conspiracy theory. Trump has endorsed Finchem’s campaign, but not Marchant’s. In an interview at the Florida conference, Marchant said Trump has been influenced by the “uniparty,” a derisive right-wing term describing a hostile political bloc of Democrats and mainstream Republicans. “He’s not really helping us,” Marchant said of Trump. “We have decided that we’re just going to do this on our own. . . We don’t need him!” A spokesperson for Trump didn’t respond to requests for comment on Finchem, Marchant or other secretary-of-state candidates echoing his false voter-fraud claims. Recent polls show Marchant and Finchem doing well. An August Reno Gazette/Suffolk University poll put Marchant ahead by nearly five points, with 31.6% compared to 26.6% for Democrat Cisco Aguilar, and 26% undecided. A mid-September survey by the Trafalgar Group has Finchem leading Democrat Adrian Fontes by six points – 47.5% to 41.1%, with 11% undecided. NATIONAL SUPPORT The Florida conference was organized by America First Secretaries of State, a group created by Marchant, and sponsored by a Marchant-led political action committee (PAC) largely funded by The America Project, which was co-founded by millionaire Patrick Byrne. Byrne resigned as CEO of internet retailer Overstock.com in 2019 and has since become one of the top financiers of the election-denial movement. Byrne’s America Project has donated $155,000 to Marchant’s PAC, Conservatives for Election Integrity. Before the conference, Byrne met with Marchant and Finchem at a $500-a-head fundraiser at the same hotel. Byrne took the conference stage the next day and said the 2020 election “heist” was part of a decades-old plot by communist China to turn the United States into a food-producing colony. Byrne didn’t respond to a request for comment. In Arizona, Finchem has raised more than $1.2 million, far exceeding the totals in previous Arizona secretary-of-state races and nearly doubling that of his Democratic opponent, according to his most recent campaign finance disclosure. More than half of that sum came from out-of-state donors. “Secretaries of state have suddenly become the subject of great interest,” Finchem told Reuters. Marchant, who built a fortune in the internet and telecoms industry, has financed much of his campaign himself. As of June 30, he had donated nearly $200,000 in personal funds, leftover funds from a previous congressional campaign and money from his PAC, campaign finance records show. The unusual level of media attention on the controversial campaigns of Finchem and Marchant may help their chances in these typically low-profile races, said Robert Cahaly, chief pollster and strategist for Trafalgar Group. “It may be the only name some voters have ever heard of,” he said. The money and notoriety heaped on those candidates has also galvanized their opponents, who have generated substantial donations by casting themselves as alternatives to extremists. Aguilar, Marchant’s opponent, said his campaign has raised more than $2 million with help from national groups sounding alarms about election deniers. One such group, MoveOn, said it will spend more than $1 million to help Democratic secretary-of-state candidates this year. Semedrian Smith of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, a political organization working to defeat election deniers, said her organization and an affiliated nonprofit have raised a total of $16 million. “If one election denier wins in November, that could easily put us in a constitutional crisis,” Smith said. ‘THE GOLDEN THREAD’ Finchem effectively launched the post-2020 election-denial movement in Arizona by organizing a meeting where Trump’s allies gathered to plan an attempt to overturn the results. During the Nov. 30, 2020 event – held in a Phoenix hotel because Arizona’s legislative leaders wouldn’t allow it in their chambers – Trump’s lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, among others, aired conspiracy theories about machines switching votes and trucks carrying fraudulent ballots. Trump called in to say he had won. Finchem drew a standing ovation for denouncing “tyranny” and urging attendees to “put on the armor of God” to fight Satan. The Arizona lawmaker was outside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot and was subpoenaed by the congressional committee investigating it. Finchem denies participating in the violence and has said the committee called him as a witness. Finchem’s Democratic opponent, Fontes, is the former election administrator in Maricopa County, Arizona’s largest and the target of an expensive vote audit, approved by state senators, that found no fraud evidence. Fontes, in an interview, called Finchem a “wide-eyed conspiracy theorist.” “Elections in America are basically the golden thread that holds the whole fabric together,” he said. “We’re in some really, really unpredictable, scary ground.” Finchem moved to Arizona in 1999 after retiring from the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he worked for 21 years as a firefighter and a police officer. He identified himself as a member of the Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group, on a candidate questionnaire in 2014, according to a news report. Finchem also appears on a leaked membership list for the group, which shows he signed up for an annual membership, according to a spokesman for the Anti-Defamation League, which reviewed the database. Finchem told Reuters he was “not aligned” with the Oath Keepers but did not respond to further questions. On a financial disclosure form required of state legislators, Finchem lists his Kalamazoo pension as his only source of outside income. “I’m a pauper,” Finchem told Reuters at the Florida conference. Then, cradling a bourbon at the hotel bar, he quoted the book of Exodus, urging voters to choose “Godly men disinterested in personal gain.” (Reporting by Andrew R.C. Marshall, Joseph Tanfani and Peter Eisler; editing by Jason Szep and Brian Thevenot) View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Herschel Walker made a series of shocking comments to a group of children this week while campaigning for his upcoming Senate race, RadarOnline.com has learned. The shocking incident took place on Tuesday as the 60-year-old former NFL football player-turned-wannabe politician was at a rally in Georgia alongside Riley Gaines, an outspoken critic of the NCAA’s controversial trans-inclusive policies. Mega But while Gaines argued trans athletes should not be allowed to participate in certain divisions of sports, Walker took the notion a few steps further and suggested trans children will have trouble with Jesus. “Jesus may not recognize you,” the Georgia Senate candidate told the crowd. “Because he made you a boy. He made you a girl.” “When I get to heaven, I want the Lord to recognize me,” Walker continued. “Because I can tell you right now, they’re telling the young kids in school, you can be a boy tomorrow even if you’re a girl.” Walker quickly came under intense scrutiny for his controversial comments, particularly by individuals who realize both the mental health struggles and increased suicide risk members of the transgender community already suffer from. Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, who is facing Walker in Georgia’s Senate race on November 8, made clear that his stance regarding the trans community could not be more different than Walker’s. Mega “As a pastor I believe in the dignity of all human beings. And as a parent I love my children and I’m sure other people love their children and they want to make sure their children are safe from hatred,” Warnock said explained. He added, “I will remain focused on all of our young people and at the same time, trying to create opportunities.” As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Walker’s surprising comments during his rally on Tuesday came as the NFL legend-turned-Senate candidate trails Warnock in the polls by a substantial five points. Walker has also been the target of a series of attack ads in Georgia, particularly by his ex-wife who claims the NFL star once threatened to kill her during their 20-year marriage. Mega “He held the gun to my temple and said he was gonna blow my brains out,” Walker’s ex-wife, Cindy DeAngelis Grossman, said in one particularly shocking campaign ad. Walker has also recently been accused of lying about donations he claimed to have made to a number of different charities. View the full article

Published by Radar Online milwaukee PD,US Army Decades after escaping serial slayer Jeffrey Dahmer‘s clutches, one survivor tells his tale of torment… revealing to RadarOnline.comthat he believes there are 7 more victims unaccounted for. Dahmer — who is the subject of Netflix’s new series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story — was brutally murdered on November 28, 1994, at the Columbia Correctional Institute in Portage, Wis., where he was serving a 936-year sentence for the vicious homosexual torture, murder, and cannibalization of 17 young men. But he still haunts Billy Joe Capshaw to this day. Chillingly, Capshaw claimed that Dahmer’s tour of Army duty in Baumholder, Germany, may have resulted in as many as 7 other deaths, for which he was never punished. “I’ll never get over it, Capshaw told RadarOnline.com. “Dahmer put me through sheer hell for the 18 months we were in the Army in Germany. “We were both medics in the same unit. I was forced to room in the barracks with Dahmer in 1980 and, within two or three days after I arrived, the first attacks began. “Dahmer loved orange vodka or vodka and tonic and he drank pretty much all the time,” he explained. “He would make me drink it, too, and I’m sure it was drugged. I woke up sore and hurting, and I knew I had been beaten. But if I said anything about it, he would beat me again. “Over the next 18 months, Jeffrey Dahmer raped me at least 75 times! US Army “People ask me how I let this go on for so long, but the truth is, I just gave up. He overpowered me in every way. “I would be drugged and, when I woke up, I would be tied to the bunk with motor pool ropes, and Jeff would be standing there, an evil look in his eyes, like he had been taken over by a demon. “He would be holding a bunk-spreader — an iron pipe used to separate two metal military bunk beds — and he would hit me with it. If I yelled, he would hit me harder, so I learned not to yell and just take the pain. “I would pass out from drugs he forced me to drink, and wake up tied down, with him on top of me, beating the back of my head, raping me. It was always very painful.” Sometimes, Capshaw said, “Dahmer would stand in front of me, put his hand on my genitals or my leg and rub me, while he was pleasuring himself. After he was done, he would beat me again, or slap me, pinch me or pull my hair. “I lived in terror of him. He kept me as his sex slave.” And there was no escape. “I tried to get away from him,” Capshaw told RadarOnliine.com. “I spoke to our superiors in the Army, but I was told, ‘You need to toughen up.’ No one would listen to me. “He was 6-foot-2 and very strong. I was 5-foot-10 and weighed about 230 pounds and was overweight. I was just 17 and he was three years older and seemed a lot smarter. I was terrified of this guy. “The Army left me at his mercy. There was no way out for me, and eventually, I just gave up and did whatever Jeff wanted me to do. “All of Dahmer’s victims — the young men he tortured and destroyed — would be alive today, if the Army had listened to me back then,” he insisted. mega “Jeff controlled every minute of my life. The few times that I did escape for a night’s peace, when I returned, I would be drugged, tied up, and beaten again. “I prayed to God to let me die, just so I could get it over with. I think the only reason that Jeff kept me alive is because I was his toy. If I had tried really hard to get away, he would have killed me.” When the evil monster was finally arrested, cops found severed heads in his refrigerator, decaying bodies in acid cats, and an altar made of candles and human skulls. “I believe Dahmer was killing people over in Germany, too, because of the blood,” Capshaw said. “He would go out for a few hours and come back with blood on him. “During the time we were there, there were seven people killed near the base, including one young military woman — a mutilation murder. “Dahmer kept a refrigerator in our room and it was always locked. Now that I know what police found in his apartment, it gives me the creeps to think about what may have been in there. Milwaukee PD “It seemed like a million years, but after 18 months, I was sent to the field, and when I got back, Dahmer was gone. The Army had discharged him for alcohol problems.” Capshaw said that when he was arrested in 1991, Dahmer, dubbed the Milwaukee Cannibal, stated that his one regret was that he had never killed him and eaten his liver. “Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on earth,” he told us. “But I still have nightmares that he is still alive — and I am still his slave.” View the full article

Published by Euronews (English) Stop what you’re doing – there’s a new colour in the gang… Mars, the producer of M&Ms, have introduced their first new character in a decade: Purple. This comes after the company announced a “modern makeover” of their characters earlier this year, as part of a “global commitment to creating a world where everyone feels they belong and society is inclusive.” The new permanent addition to the team is the third female member of the M&Ms team alongside Green and Brown. But is the first female peanut M&M… If you’re the kind of snack-obsessed wunderkind who’s keeping track. The character, voiced by … Read More View the full article