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Published by BANG Showbiz English Ewan McGregor thought he was too “urban grunge” to appear in ‘Star Wars’. The 51-year-old star played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequel trilogy of the sci-fi franchise but revealed that he nearly turned down the part as he wanted more indie roles following his success in ‘Trainspotting’. Ewan told the ‘Smartless’ podcast: “I really had to think about it. Because it came right after that ‘Trainspotting’ period, and by that time I was so full of myself.” The actor quipped: “I was like, ‘I am Danny Boyle’s actor. I am f****** urban grunge. I am the Oasis of the British movie industry’, and then when ‘Star Wars’ came around, I felt, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this. This isn’t me.’ “I was so into being this sort of antihero. I felt like an indie British actor. I felt like that defined me.” McGregor revealed that it was a childhood love of the franchise that ultimately persuaded him to take the part. The ‘Moulin Rouge!’ star recalled: “In the end, it just got closer and closer. By that time, I was just so attached to the idea of it from where I was a kid. To get a chance to be that character and play the younger Alec Guinness was pretty awesome. “I was almost grateful to be involved in something that big and to be part of the legend of it, because I loved it. When I was a kid, I loved those films. I was six or seven when the first one came out. It’s in me somehow.” Ewan, who reprised his role as the Jedi for the Disney+ spin-off series ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’, says that making the sci-fi films was hugely different from featuring in indie projects. He said: “It’s a different process. Those prequels, it was very much the challenge of trying to be believable in front of a blue curtain for four months.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – Jackson, Mississippi, will go without reliable drinking water indefinitely, officials said on Monday, after pumps at the main water treatment plant failed, leading to the emergency distribution of bottled water and tanker trucks for 180,000 people. The city linked the failure to complications from the flooding of the Pearl River, but Governor Tate Reeves, who declared a state of emergency, said the cause was unknown and that the city-run water treatment plant had been poorly operated and understaffed for years. In any case the capital city of 150,000 people and 30,000 in surrounding communities could go without running water indefinitely, as officials warned anyone with access to tap water should boil it for three minutes. Jackson, the state capital, is more than 80% Black or African American, according to U.S. Census data. “Do not drink the water,” Reeves told a hastily called news conference. “In too many cases, it is raw water from the reservoir being pushed through the pipes.” The city said recent flooding of the Pearl River created complications at the O.B. Curtis water treatment plant, which sits next to a reservoir that drains into the river just north of town. The town has been under a boiled water alert for a month. Reeves said the motors powering the plant’s pumps went out recently, leaving it to operate on backup pumps, which failed on Monday. The state would establish an incident command center at the plant early Tuesday, hoping to re-establish operations. “Until it is if fixed, it means we do not have reliable running water at scale. It means the city cannot produce enough water to fight fires, to reliably flush toilets, and to meet other critical needs,” Reeves said. The crisis exposed a gulf between the Republican governor and the Democratic mayor of Jackson, Chokwe Antar Lumumba. Reeves said he did not invite Lumumba to Monday’s news conference and said, “I can’t comment on what effect the flooding may or may not have had.” The city operates the area’s two water treatment plants, the O.B. Curtis plant, which treats 50 million gallons (227,300 cubic meters) per day, and the Fewell plant, whose normal production of 20 million was increased to 30 million gallons, officials said. Because water pressure dropped system-wide, officials could not guarantee running water, and they did not know how many homes were affected. In the meantime, Jackson Public Schools said they would shift to online learning starting Tuesday. The city and state were both distributing bottled drinking water and non-potable water for toilets, which the governor called a “massively complicated logistical task.” (Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Bradley Perrett and Stephen Coates) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Natalie Grover LONDON (Reuters) -It is possible to eliminate the monkeypox outbreak in Europe, World Health Organization officials said on Tuesday, highlighting evidence that case counts are slowing in a handful of countries. There are encouraging signs of a sustained week-on-week decline in the onset of cases in many European countries, including France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Britain, as well as a slowdown in some parts of the United States, despite scarce vaccine supplies. “We believe we can eliminate sustained human-to-human transmission of monkeypox in the (European) region,” said WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge. “To move towards elimination…we need to urgently step up our efforts.” The rollout of Bavarian Nordic’s monkeypox vaccine has been affected by limited supply of the shot, which is also approved to prevent smallpox, although regulators are taking steps to stretch out existing stocks. U.S., European Union and British regulators have backed changing the way the vaccine is administered by injecting a smaller amount of the shot intradermally, which increases by fivefold the doses that can be used from one vial. In addition to the vaccine supply crunch, given the time it takes to deploy the vaccine and for it to take effect, the significant factors behind the slowdown appear to be earlier detection, which leads to patients isolating themselves sooner, and behavioural changes, Catherine Smallwood, senior emergency officer and monkeypox incident manager at WHO/Europe said in a press briefing. “We do have some pretty good anecdotal evidence that people – particularly men who have sex with men who are in particular risk groups – are much more informed about the disease.” More than 47,600 confirmed cases in 90 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have been reported since early May. The WHO has declared the outbreak a global health emergency. COVID, POLIO Meanwhile, cases of COVID-19 and other respitory viruses are also expected to see an uptick this autumn and winter, as is typically the case in the cooler months, WHO officials said. The preventative measures that kept seasonal flu at bay in 2021 and 2020, for instance, are no longer in place – so it may not be a typical flu season this year, Smallwood said. Separately, polio, a deadly disease that used to paralyze tens of thousands of children every year, is spreading in London, New York and Jerusalem for the first time in decades, spurring catch-up vaccination campaigns. The cases appear to be linked to so-called vaccine-derived polio, which rarely stems from the use of an oral polio vaccine containing weakened live virus. After children are vaccinated, they shed virus in their faeces for a few weeks. In under-vaccinated communities, this can lead to a spread of the disease, which may mutate back to a harmful version of the virus. While countries like Britain and the United States no longer use this live vaccine, others do – particularly to stop outbreaks – which allows for polio to spread globally. The evidence suggests the polio virus detected in all three locations appears to be genetically linked, said WHO/Europe’s vaccination expert, Siddhartha Datta. But what remains to be investigated is whether there are links around the cases, he said. (Reporting by Natalie Grover in London; Editing by Robert Birsel and Bernadette Baum) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Charli XCX was “always up for getting down and dirty” during her younger years. The 30-year-old pop star began her career at warehouse parties and small clubs when she was still a teenager, and Charli has confessed to missing the chaos of the early days. The ‘Boom Clap’ hitmaker said: “When I was younger, I was always up for getting down and dirty. I miss the ease and the fun of those shows, for sure.” Charli has even made a concerted effort to recapture the feeling she had during her teens. She told the BBC: “Five years ago, I used to request that my dressing room be trashed, like there’d just been a party in there. It was fun for about two weeks and then we were kind of just sitting in a literal mess. “Now it’s definitely a lot more health-orientated backstage – Kombucha and echinacea tablets. Real rock star stuff.” Charli’s stage shows have evolved markedly over the years. And she’s now feeling much more confident about her dance moves. The chart-topping star shared: “Now I’m 30, I realised I’d never learned a new skill and mastered it from the ground up. “So, whilst dancing isn’t exactly a giant leap away from music, I really was not a good dancer at all, so I spent months and months learning and training. “And I’m just really proud of myself for being able to start from nothing and end up with something that’s really cool.” Charli – whose real name is Charlotte Aitchison – also tried, and failed, to master another skill during the COVID-19 lockdown. The singer explained: “I had a brief cooking phase in the lockdown. I’m afraid that didn’t really get past the beginner stages.” View the full article

Published by DPA As Germany's three-month affordable mobility experiment ends, figures show many of those buying the €9 monthly ticket were using rail and bus options instead of cars. Transport officials and commuters are now calling for the one-time-only campaign to be continued. Christoph Soeder/dpa After tens of millions of ticket sales, Germany’s mobility experiment allowing travellers unlimited access to regional and urban trains and buses has been deemed a success in reducing the number of people driving cars. The €9 ($9) monthly ticket, which allowed people to use all of Germany’s regional and local transportation networks – but not high-speed trains – in June, July and August, was sold 52 million times nationwide, transport officials have announced. The Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), announcing the final tally at the end of the three months of reduced mobility costs, hailed the campaign as a complete success. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been among those praising his government’s €9 transport pass, calling it “one of the best ideas we had,” earlier in August. Against the backdrop of rising fuel prices, inflation rates, climate change and city spaces crowded with cars, the ticket was introduced in June as a historic one-off experiment designed to help citizens keep costs down. In addition, Berlin wants to encourage people to switch to public transport in the interests of climate protection. Indeed, a recent poll showed that almost one in three people were using the ticket for transport on routes they normally used by car. Some 31% of adults said they frequently used the promotional ticket on routes they would otherwise have taken by car, according to a YouGov survey conducted for dpa. A further 18% said they had totally replaced their vehicle with local public transport. In contrast, 22% used the discounted ticket only rarely on routes where they would otherwise have travelled by car. According to the survey, 28% of Germans have bought a €9 ticket at least once. A further 22% already had a local transport subscription and benefited from a corresponding discount. VDV officials are among a chorus of people in Germany now calling for a swift follow-up solution for the ticket. “If we are serious about the transport transition and climate change, we must act now,” said VDV Managing Director Oliver Wolff. Environmental groups have also called for the experiment to be made permanent, given the likelihood of reduced carbon emissions from fewer cars on the roads. According to research by Greenpeace, the mobility shift from continuing such an affordable ticket would reduce CO2 emissions by 2 to 6 million tonnes per year, given the assumption that such a ticket would increase the incentive to travel longer distances by regional trains and not by car. At the same time, households would save between €224 and €474 per month with such a ticket, compared to the exclusive use of a car. Affordable mobility also impacted across a wide variety of trips, and was not just limited to daily commuters ditching their cars for bus and rail. According to the poll, one in two used the €9-ticket primarily for private journeys. Just under a quarter of those surveyed used it mainly to travel to work, while just as many used it primarily for tourist trips and excursions. Survey results showed that the majority of Germans – 55% – only want to continue regular use of public transport if a similarly priced ticket is available again. Despite calls for more affordable mobility, public transit costs are initially set to return to their previous levels, however. Monthly travel tickets typically cost many multiples more than €9 (a standard monthly Berlin urban transit ticket costs €86) and, unlike the limited €9 ticket, are valid only in one German city or region. View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Ghislaine Maxwell has reportedly become best friends with a convicted double murderer being imprisoned in the same Florida prison as the convicted sex offender, Radar has learned. Maxwell and Narcy Novak – an infamous double killer who murdered her millionaire ex-husband, Ben Novack Jr., and his mother, Bernice Novack, in 2009 – have reportedly developed a close friendship in FCI Tallahassee. Mega According to an FCI Tallahassee source who recently dished on the pair’s friendship, Maxwell “gravitated” towards Novak in July and the two “spend hours talking, laughing and joking.” “Once inside, Ghislaine gravitated towards Narcy,” the source told The Mirror on Monday. “Because of her length of time inside and the brutality of her crime, she is treated like a female don.” “Ghislaine will have a modicum of protection through her friendship, but given their ages and millionaire backgrounds, they were always destined to get on well,” the source added. “Together, they spend hours talking, laughing and joking.” Novak was jailed in FCI Tallahassee in 2012, shortly after being convicted of her ex-husband and former mother-in-law’s July 2009 murders. Mega As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Maxwell was convicted on December 29 for five out of six charges connected to recruiting, grooming and trafficking underage girls over a ten-year period between 1994 and 2004. Maxwell was moved to the Federal Correctional Institute on July 25, nearly one month after she was sentenced to 20 years in prison for recruiting and grooming the underage girls for the late billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “Ms. Maxwell worked with Epstein to select young victims who were vulnerable and played a pivotal role in facilitating sexual abuse,” Judge Alison Nathan said during the sentencing trial in June. “The damage done to these young girls was incalculable.” But despite Maxwell and Novak’s long prison sentences, sources have compared FCI Tallahassee to a “holiday camp” because the inmates can partake in a series of activities, including: exercise sessions, work periods, softball, flag football, and frisbee. Mega Maxwell is reportedly expected to teach her fellow inmates both yoga and English, although she will also be offered the opportunity to take part in apprenticeships focused on electricity, plumbing, horticulture, and baking. Novak is currently serving a life-sentence at FCI Tallahassee for her crimes, while Maxwell is expected to complete her sentence around 2042. She will be 80-years-old when released. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Ross Kerber (Reuters) -Top New York City and California pension officials want payments processors Visa Inc, Mastercard Inc and American Express to create a new tool to track suspicious gun purchases. Staff for New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who oversees pension funds, said he has filed shareholder resolutions at Mastercard and American Express asking their boards to explain their views on whether to add a new “merchant category code” for firearms stores. Lander and a California State Teachers’ Retirement System portfolio manager made a similar request to Visa, whose deadline for 2023 shareholder proposals has passed. In Aug. 29 letters to the three companies seen by Reuters, the pension officials wrote such codes would help financial firms meet obligations to report suspicious purchases, and noted the four-digit codes are already assigned to specialized businesses like bowling alleys. Currently, “banks and payment networks cannot readily identify sales made by standalone gun and ammunition retailers,” the officials wrote. A Mastercard representative said it is reviewing the issue and that it aims to support “all legal purchases while protecting the privacy and decisions of individual cardholders.” Representatives for Visa and American Express did not immediately comment. U.S. gun-rights activists say new codes could open the door to unauthorized police surveillance. An international standards body would implement code changes. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, with representatives on pension fund boards, supports calls for the new codes, a representative said. Mass shootings this year including an April 12 attack in New York’s subway system that left 23 injured have continued a long-running U.S. debate over gun control. While still subject to investor approval, the resolutions mark a new tactic for activists who have successfully pressed firearms makers directly in some cases. But a measure in April asking Mastercard to report on payments involving untraceable “ghost guns” won support from only 10% of shareholder votes cast. (Reporting by Ross Kerber in Boston; Editing by Lincoln Feast) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Beanie Feldstein taught her ‘Funny Girl’ co-star “so much” about coping with “ups and downs”. The ‘Booksmart’ actress cut short her run in the Broadway production at the end of July amid lukewarm reviews and a lack of recognition in the Tony Awards nominations but Jared Grimes has praised the 29-year-old star for refusing to be a “victim” and showing her strength. Speaking on the Broadway Podcast network’s ‘The Art of Kindness’, he said: “She’s super strong. I mean she’s super duper strong and she’s been through a lot and you would never even know. I think to see somebody that’s battle tested in that way and is still able to be secure with themselves and lead with kindness. I mean I learned so much. You really see what somebody’s made of by the way that they handle those ups and downs. “You can choose to be a victim or you can choose to use those ups and those downs to fuel you in the direction of your dreams even more. She’s an example of somebody who’s had all the weight of the world on her since she stepped into the industry and she’s handled it in some of the most stand-up ways that I’ve ever seen anybody handle anything. “I’ve learned so much from Beanie Feldstein and I hope that we all can learn from how strong of a person she is and will continue to be.” Beanie previously insisted it was an “extremely difficult decision'” to walk away from the show. In a statement, she explained: “Playing Fanny Brice on Broadway has been a lifelong dream of mine, and doing so for the last few months has been a great joy and true honour. “Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated.” Beanie went on: “I will never forget this experience and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every single person who came to the August Wilson (theatre) for the love and support you have shown me and our amazing cast and crew. “ It later emerged Beanie had been due to continue in ‘Funny Girl’ for another six months beyond September, but show bosses trimmed her contract and the actress then made the decision to leave at the end of July. A representative for the show told PEOPLE: “The producers decided to take the show in a different direction and end Beanie’s contract on September 25th, six months earlier than anticipated. A month after that decision, Beanie decided it was best for her to leave on July 31st. The producers were aware of and in support of her decision. The producers and Beanie worked on this together professionally, respectfully, and graciously.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English The “whole world” has struggled to accept that Princess Diana died in a “mundane accident”, according to a French investigator. The princess died in a car accident in Paris in August 1997, aged 36, and Martine Monteil – the head of the Brigade Criminelle – acknowledges that the incident continues to attract conspiracy theories 25 years later. Martine told the Channel 4 documentary ‘Investigating Diana: Death In Paris’: “The whole of the world has struggled to accept that the Princess of Wales died in a mundane accident.” French investigators also remain frustrated by their inability to track down a white Fiat Uno that reportedly clipped Diana’s car on the night of her death. She said: “I have frustration about the Fiat Uno because I like a well-finished business. “For sure, it’s out there. Unfortunately we don’t have it. But you know the driver of the Fiat Uno, he’s not the real culprit. “He’s driving along quietly and then a Mercedes arrives at high speed and bumps into him. The responsibility remains with the Mercedes.” Diana, Dodi Fayed – her boyfriend – and their driver, Henri Paul, all died in the high-speed crash. Mohamed Al Fayed previously alleged that British secret agents might have been involved in the death of his son and the princess. However, a coroner’s jury decided that Diana and Dodi actually died because of reckless speed and drinking by their driver. Princes William and Harry also endorsed the jury’s verdict. They said in a statement at the time: “We agree with their verdicts, and are both hugely grateful to each and every one of them for the forbearance they have shown in accepting such significant disruption to their lives over the past six months.” View the full article

Published by Knewz By Alex Lang New York (Knewz) — Three people were arrested outside a “Straight Pride” event in California as protestors from both sides clashed with each other. The incident happened on Aug. 27, and various videos from the event were posted online. Outside of a Planned Parenthood facility in Modesto, California, protestors and counterprotestors came to a “Straight Pride” event, according to the Los Angeles Times. That led to objects being thrown from crowds and a fire started, according to the report. That led to police ordering the crowd to disperse. When three people didn’t, they were arrest… Read More View the full article

Published by Kyodo News Tokai Nexus women’s baseball team manager Minoru Ikari came out as transgender last year, identifying as male after being assigned female at birth. Things have not been the same for the 35-year-old Japanese since, in a good way. “Life is a lot more fun,” Ikari told Kyodo News. It is not difficult to imagine how coming out as transgender to friends and family is scary, but it is even more daunting for someone working in sports in a country known for its struggles with gender inequality. Japan remains near the bottom of the World Economic Forum’s rankings in the 2022 Global Gender Gap Report, at… Read More View the full article

Published by uInterview.com During his Sunday night MTV Video Music Awards performance at Yankee Stadium, rapper and singer Bad Bunny kissed a female backup dancer and a male backup dancer. The Puerto Rican reggaeton musician shared both smooches mid-performance of his hit tune, “Tití Me Preguntò.” He was likely in good spirits after becoming the first non-English-language artist to take home the Artist of the Year award. Bad Bunny is also only the second Latin artist to win the award — Camila Cabello won back in 2018. Bad Bunny has been an advocate for challenging traditional masculinity and heteronormativity throughout… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online eanddjgang/tiktok;unsplash OnlyFans star Eric Dodds passionately defended his boyfriend, Johntae Kavon Collier, and proclaimed his innocence in a final TikTok post before his own arrest and murder charges linked to the same killing, Radar can confirm. Collier and Dodds, both 23, were arrested days apart on August 10 and August 16, in connection to the shooting death of 29-year-old Dakota Bradshaw inside of his Rossville, Georgia, residence on August 1. eanddjgang/tiktok After his boyfriend was brought into custody, Dodds took to their joint TikTok account with an emotional message, revealing that he was fighting back tears over the ordeal. “So, for the past couple of days, in the media I’ve been seeing a lot of things about John and y’all are concerned about [him],” the social media personality told their 800k followers on the platform, assuring listeners that Collier was being falsely blamed. “No, he has not done anything to no one,” Dodds continued. “Y’all know John. John would not harm a soul. He’s the most free-spirited, caring person that I know to myself. He loves me even more than I even love myself you guys.” Dodds said he believed Collier would soon be released as he concluded the video. “I just wanted to get on here and update you that John is OK. I am OK, you guys,” the Alabama local shared. “Everything is good. My baby will be home soon … I just wanted to clear the air.” eanddjgang/tiktok;unsplash Dodds and Collier rose to fame on the platform for their pro-LGBTQ+ videos and have garnered nearly 6 million likes on their content. The former, who was ultimately named as a second suspect in the murder of Bradshaw, had even created a GoFundMe page in an effort to prove his boyfriend’s innocence. RadarOnline.com previously confirmed that Walker County Sheriff’s deputies and Rossville Police Department officers responded to a shots fired call at 1:17 PM that day. Bradshaw was found shot inside his home and quickly rushed to Erlanger Hospital where he was officially pronounced dead. Witnesses reported seeing a red truck, which the shooter allegedly got into, and a blue Dodge Challenger leaving the home. The United States Marshals Task Force worked together with special agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the Huntsville Police Department SWAT team to execute the search warrant and took Collier into custody after raiding his home. unsplash RadarOnline.com can confirm Collier is now in the Walker County Jail while Dodds was initially taken to Alabama’s Limestone County Jail. A press release revealed he was going to be moved to Walker County. View the full article

Published by Raw Story By Sarah K. Burris Atlantic editor Ron Brownstein joined former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-FL) in discussing the dramatic evolution from a few fringe conservatives being violent to it being a dominant force in the Republican Party. Behind closed doors, President Joe Biden said that MAGA Republicans have gone semi-fascist in their philosophy. The level of lawlessness seen by MAGA Republicans has included the insurrection and violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, the attempt to overthrow the government and 2020 election, voter fraud, a kidnapping attempt, bombing plots, assassination threats, slaying of an… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet By Brandon Gage Former President Donald Trump spent Sunday evening griping on his Twitter knockoff app Truth Social about a variety of topics that appear to be eating away at his psyche following a weekend full of potentially devastating personal legal developments. The first post appeared at 6:15 p.m., wherein Trump maintained his innocence in the multitude of criminal probes that are underway into his post-presidency behavior: Here we go again! The Radical Left Dems fraudulently created the now fully debunked Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, they got caught and failed, but tried to get me with ‘… Read More View the full article

Published by DPA Look up at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington and you see planes above you. Jim Preston/Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum/dpa As NASA’s ambitions for lunar exploration are returning, Washington is regaining one of the continent’s biggest landmarks for fans of space travel and aviation in general. The US capitol is gearing up to reopen its National Air and Space Museum to visitors after a six-month closure for renovation work to add several new exhibitions. Known for its collection of space travel artefacts from the fabled Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions, the museum is home to exhibits from the history of aviation and space travel, distributed over eight exhibition worlds. It’s not only historic airplanes and space travel to which the museum pays homage. A major highlight for Star Wars fans is likely to be the sight of a full-size, real-life X-Wing star fighter, which is one of the newly added exhibits. “This is one of the most exciting times in the National Air and Space Museum’s history,” said Chris Browne, director of the museum. “When we open the first reimagined galleries, we hope all visitors are inspired by artefacts on display for the first time, favourite icons of aerospace presented in new ways and diverse storytelling.” The museum, located on Washington’s National Mall, is set to be open again from October 14. Admission is free, but tickets must be reserved online in advance, which will be possible from one month before the reopening (September 14). View the full article

Published by Radar Online MOAB CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT The Moab Police Department came under fire last year after failing to save Gabby Petito‘s life. The cops refused to arrest her then-fiancé, Brian Laundrie, after a worried 911 caller told authorities they had seen the 23-year-old hit her during an argument. Weeks later, the budding social media influencer died at Laundrie’s hands. Her body was discovered near Grand Teton National Park on Friday, September 19. One year later, the tragic situation has far from impressed Moab locals, several of which admitted to not trusting the small town’s police force. MOAB CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT “I’ve had bad experiences in the past,” a shop owner by the name of Barbara Lawley said in a recent interview. “I think it’s been a good old boys situation, and it’s still a good old boys situation.” Added Lawley, “The Moab [PD], everyone in town thinks they’re jerks. If I had a problem, I would want to call the Grand County Sheriff’s Department.” Jared Sanford, a tour guide for the Moab area had similar concerns, explaining they are very “old school police officers” who run a “good boys’ group” amongst themselves. 50-year-old Moab local Lesley Parker shared that the town’s police are known to cause disturbances at restaurants after their shifts end. “They’ll just sit at the bar and be loud and obnoxious. They put out a bad vibe,” Parker said. “It’s like, ‘I’m bigger. I’m better. I’m untouchable.’ So the locals, we don’t trust them, we don’t like them.” MOAB CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT Addressing the bungled traffic stop that left Petito in tears, Parker thought it was clear the cops were “buddy-buddying with Brian,” noting how they had fist-bumped him in the footage and commiserated over their own relationship troubles. “I felt sorry for her [Gabby], especially [with] the tears, you could see the emotion coming through her,” she continued. “I wish the police would’ve contacted the parents knowing that they were so young. I know they were over 18 [but] they weren’t that old.” @gabspetito/Instagram As Radar previously reported, a separate eyewitness to Petito and Laundrie’s argument claimed he had seen the man hit her in the head with a closed fist. “I was just driving by in my truck. I saw them at the back of their vehicle,” the witness recalled. “They were kind of yelling and then Brian swung at her, I believe it was his left hand … She fell a little bit into the side of the van. She definitely felt it.” The city later launched an investigation into how the police officers on the scene handled the traffic stop situation. Despite finding the cops made several mistakes, including failing to get a statement from the original 911 caller, one of the officers was later promoted. The Moab residents exclusively spoke to The Sun. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English ABBA have extended their run of shows in London. ABBA Voyage – the pop group’s state-of-the-art concerts – are currently booked up until May next year, and the show’s run has now been extended until spring 2026, amid huge demand from fans. A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “Everyone knows ABBA has a seriously loyal fan base but the show was always a bit of a gamble. “No one really knew how the ABBA-tars were going to be received, as similar hologram-style concerts were a mixed bag. But for ABBA the reaction was amazing. Even those most sceptical about the tech have walked away impressed. “The plan is to refresh the show with new songs that have already been shot by the group.” The 90-minute show opened in May and has been staged at a purpose-built arena in east London. According to an insider, talks are ongoing about the possibility of taking the show to Las Vegas for a residency. Meanwhile, ABBA’s Benny Andersson previously revealed that he feared his bandmates might’ve lost their singing skills before they launched their comeback. The pop group – which also features Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad – reunited for their long-awaited ninth studio album, ‘Voyage’ – but Benny confessed to having some doubts before they started recording. Benny shared: “I think what I felt was Agnetha and Frida were so happy about doing this. And it’s sort of understandable, isn’t it? “I mean, they haven’t been doing much for the last 40 years: they’ve done a couple of albums each, but they haven’t really been singing much, so doing this was … seeing them being happy about what we were doing, them liking the tunes. That was perfect.” View the full article

Published by DPA Growers worldwide experiment with a number of seeds to find the right mix of sativa or indica. They look for the desired level of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in weed (33% would be very high), and terpenes, chemical compounds that produce unique combinations of flavor, aroma, and color. Sebastian Kahnert/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa Volley Hayhurst had just finished donning a disposable lab coat when he glanced at his mobile phone and let out an enthusiastic “Yes!” “My phone is blowing up. The results just came back,” said Hayhurst, vice president of operations at Columbia Care’s new 270,000-square-foot cannabis growing and packaging facility in Vineland, New Jersey. “We have something fun and new for the market.” It’s THC-infused salt water taffy, a Shore favorite that the company will launch soon in Delaware, likely to follow eventually in New Jersey. Demand has proved so strong for recreational weed in New Jersey since sales began in April 2021 that there are still lines each day outsidemost of the 17 stores that sell it. Adults are allowed to buy up to one ounce of cannabis in a visit. They can buy dried flower, concentrated oils, resin, vape formulas, tinctures, topicals, syringes, lozenges and soft chews. But perishable edibles like brownies are not allowed. Another nine stores sell marijuana only for medical use. By state law, all marijuana sold in New Jersey must be grown in state by licensed growers; homeowners can’t cultivate their own. For Columbia Care, plants get their start at the publicly traded company’s two facilities in Vineland, Cumberland County: Its original 50,000-square-foot plant and the one that opened in June that’s the equivalent of just under five football fields. Most commercial pot is grown indoors where security, cleanliness, temperature, humidity, light and water flow can all be controlled with precision. Columbia Care, a publicly traded company based in New York, describes itself as one of the largest and most experienced cultivators and manufacturers in the industry, operating in both the U.S. and Europe. It is currently being bought by Chicago-based Cresco Labs, which has cannabis operations in 10 states. Columbia Care sells through its Cannabist stores in Deptford and Vineland, with plans to open a third in Mays Landing. Other marijuana companies operating in New Jersey include the Apothecarium, founded in San Francisco, which operates three stores. Curaleaf operates two stores, and Miami-based Ayr Wellness operates three stores under the Garden State Dispensary Brand. Hayhurst, along with Cori Griffith, operations manager, and Alex Anthony, cultivation manager, gave The Inquirer a tour of the Columbia Care plant at the end of July to explain the growing process. The Inquirer agreed to not shoot pictures or video of certain proprietary methods or machinery. The first literal step inside the Columbia Care includes a shoe bath. All workers and visitors must wear lab coats, hair nets, and shoe protectors to keep out contamination. And each steps into a sterilizing bath before entering any of the cavernous rooms. The inside of the facility resembles a clean computer chip plant, or even a hospital with long, wide, white corridors and secure doors. Anthony, who studied agriculture at Iowa State University, said fungi, viruses and other contaminants can sneak into the building. And once they’re in, he said, they are difficult to remove. If someone, for example, stepped on a cigarette butt outside, Anthony said, “it could be a vector for the tobacco mosaic virus.” That virus is known to attack and stunt the growth of plants and is often spread by agricultural workers. Once a plant is infected, there is no chemical cure. And there’s a lot of ground for shoes to cover: The former shipping and logistics warehouse on West Park Avenue has been renovated specifically for weed operations and employs 35 people full-time. About 50,000 square feet is currently being used, with about 20,000 square feet now devoted to plants as the company ramps up its production. All the weed-related products start as a combination of two cannabis species: sativa, known for a stimulating high, or indica, known for a more mellow experience. Growers experiment with a number of seeds to find the right mix of sativa or indica. They look for the desired level of THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in weed (33% would be very high), and terpenes, chemical compounds that produce unique combinations of flavor, aroma, and color. For example, 10 seeds might yield one plant that has the genetic qualities a grower wants or customers demand. That seed grows into a mother plant — a mature marijuana plant that can become part of a grower’s proprietary strain and can yield hundreds of clones. At Columbia Care’s facility, workers examine rows and rows of mother plants, stored on movable, white, steel framed, multitiered racks, resembling something used inside a library archive. Workers take small cuttings off the plants and place them in a nutrient solution as clones. Eventually, the cuttings are transplanted to soil in plastic terrariums and labeled by strain, or genotypes known to produce traits unique to a brand. Anthony said using cuttings from a mother plant ensures customers get the same experience for a particular strain each time. The company grows up to 12 strains but mostly relies on four to eight. Mother plants typically grow about 3 feet tall in the facility, Anthony said. Workers are careful not to take too many cuttings from the same tree, but eventually, the genetic properties of a mother plant degrades, and the cycle starts over with a new mother plant. Griffith said that in larger states with well established markets, a single mother plant can be worth millions because of all the cuttings it yields and are sold to other companies. Licensed cultivators in New Jersey can transport seeds across state lines because they do not contain TCH, but any plant or cutting must remain within state borders. Consider that a 3.5 gram jar (1/8 ounce) of Runtz Muffin flower, used to roll joints, was selling last week at the Columbia Care’s Cannabist store in Vineland for about $47. It’s part of the company’s Triple 7 line, which includes other hybrids such as Hot Rod, and, the newest, Watermelon Sorbet. Cuttings from the mother tree are moved to a room equipped with powerful grow lights that shine eight to 14 hours a day. “This is where the light cycle starts to change everything,” Anthony said. The light is calibrated to ensure the proper amount of photosynthesis for the plants to flower. Workers part racks by turning cranks, allowing them to reach upper tiers. It can take eight to 12 weeks for a flower to achieve the size and color needed for harvesting. The flowers are taken to a high-tech sorting and packaging machine where they are dropped in a silver steel hopper that resembles a futuristic disco chandelier. The hopper contains 14 scales that sorts flowers by size and weight down to the gram. During the tour, they were being manually sorted and packaged as the machine was being reset. The flowers drop into jars, which are capped, sealed and labeled. The machine “was originally made for other food packaging,” Griffith said. “It’s been sort of tweaked a little bit to do cannabis as well. These do flower, and they can do gummies and tablets. … This is usually running all day every day.” As he spoke, a line at least 10-deep had formed outside the company’s store on Delsea Drive in Vineland to buy the finished product. Pot growers from Germany to the US experiment with a number of seeds to create the right marijuana plant. A seed then grows into a mother plant that can become part of a grower’s proprietary strain and can yield hundreds of clones. Martin Schutt/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa-tmn All weed-related products start as a combination of two cannabis species: sativa, known for a stimulating high, or indica, known for a more mellow experience. Oliver Berg/dpa View the full article

Published by Reuters By Katanga Johnson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House said it will hold a summit aimed to address issues around U.S. hunger, nutrition and health on Sept. 28 in Washington, D.C. U.S. President Joe Biden said in May that the event will help realize his administration’s goal to end U.S. hunger and reduce diet-related diseases in a majority of Americans by 2030. The previous U.S. event of this kind was held in 1969, the White House said. “Lack of access to healthy and affordable foods is one of many factors impacting hunger and diet-related diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these challenges further,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a statement. The summit – which is expected to bring together government leaders, academics and activists – will yield a national strategy that identifies actions the government will take to “catalyze the public and private sectors to drive transformative change and address the intersections between food, hunger, nutrition and health,” Jean-Pierre added. The White House added that the summit would aim to address ways the United States can reduce disparities among the communities who are impacted the most by these issues. A venue for the event and a specific list of attendees has yet to be announced. (Reporting by Katanga Johnson in Washington; Editing by Stephen Coates) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Britney Spears doesn’t want to do a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey. The 40-year-old pop star gained control of her multimillion-dollar fortune and various aspects of her life when a conservatorship governed by her family was terminated back in 2021 after 13 years but despite receiving several lucrative offers, she thinks her story is “beyond” the concept of a sit-down interview. She said: “I really don’t think any of that is relevant, getting paid to tell your story. I feel like it’s kind of silly. I have offers to interview with Oprah and so many people, lots and lots of money, but it’s insane. I don’t want any of it. For me, it’s beyond a sit-down, proper interview.” The ‘…Baby One More Time’ hitmaker was placed under the arrangement back in 2008 after suffering a number of personal problems and although she is “embarrassed” by the situation, she feels more “confident” these days in sharing her story and claimed the whole conservatorship was “pre-meditated” and that she hasn’t told the world “the half of it.” Speaking in a lengthy voice note initially posted to YouTube on Sunday (28.08.22), she added: “I’ve always been scared of the judgment and definitely the embarrassment of the whole thing, period, and the skepticism and the cynical people and their opinions of what people would actually think. [I’m] in a place now where I’m a little bit more confident that I can be willing to share openly my thoughts and what I’ve been through. “There were over 200 paparazzi outside my house videotaping me through a window of an ambulance, holding me down on a gurney. I know now it was all premeditated. A woman introduced the idea [of a conservatorship] to my dad, and my mom actually helped him follow through and made it all happen. It was all basically set up. There were no drugs in my system, no alcohol, nothing. It was pure abuse. And I haven’t even really shared half of it.” The ‘Circus’ singer then went on to allege that she was forced to go back to work “right away” and was made to “feel like nothing” despite being treated “like a superstar.” She added: “I started working right away. I had to do what I was told. I was told I was fat every day. I had to go to the gym… I never remember feeling so demoralized. They made me feel like nothing,” she said. “And I went along with it because I was scared. I was scared and fearful. I didn’t even really do anything, and I had like a SWAT team [show up] — none of it made sense to me. “I didn’t give a f*** anymore because I couldn’t go where I wanted to go, I couldn’t have the nannies that I wanted to have, I couldn’t have cash,” she alleged. “It was just demoralizing. I was kind of like in this conspiracy thing of people claiming and treating me like a superstar, but yet they treated me like nothing.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Lizzo has urged Americans to vote for change. The 34-year-old singer urged her fans to overturn “oppressing laws” in the US, as she collected the Music Video for Good accolade at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday (28.08.22). The ‘Truth Hurts’ hitmaker – who won the award for her ‘About Damn Time’ video – said: “Thank you so much, thank you to Christian [Breslauer], who directed the video, Kenny. I don’t know what Music Video for Good means, but I do know what your vote means, and that’s a f****** lot. Your vote means everything to me, it means everything to making a change in this country. “So remember, when you’re voting for your favourite artist, vote to change some of these laws that are oppressing us.” Lizzo – who is a high-profile advocate for body positivity – also took the opportunity to hit back at her critics. She said: “Now, to the b****** that got something to say about me in this dress … you know what? I’m not going to say nothing. They be like ‘Lizzo, why don’t you clap back? Why don’t you clap back?’ Because b**** this is winning ho!” Meanwhile, Lizzo previously claimed that her voice has always been “deeply rooted in a political nature”. The pop star explained: “I think my voice is always so deeply rooted in a political nature because of who I am. I am black – if you wanted to characterise me in the ways that we characterise people and black women – and I grew up in Detroit and Houston and didn’t have the privilege of the upper class, do you know what I’m saying? “We all have privilege, but I think that when I tell my story, coming from that place and giving you that perspective, I think that by default that makes me political.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nerijus Adomaitis and Nora Buli STAVANGER, Norway (Reuters) -Tesla chief Elon Musk said on Monday he aimed to get the electric auto maker’s self-driving technology ready by year-end and hopes it could be in wide release in the United States and possibly in Europe, depending on regulatory approval. Speaking at an energy conference in Norway, Musk said his attention was currently focused on his SpaceX Starship spacecraft and self-driving Tesla electric cars. “The two technologies I am focused on, trying to ideally get done before the end of the year, are getting our Starship into orbit … and then having Tesla cars to be able to do self-driving. “Have self-driving in wide release at least in the U.S., and … potentially in Europe, depending on regulatory approval,” Musk told the audience. OIL AND GAS NEEDED Earlier, Musk said the world must continue to extract oil and gas in order to sustain civilisation, while also developing sustainable sources of energy. “Realistically I think we need to use oil and gas in the short term, because otherwise civilisation will crumble,” Musk told reporters on the sidelines of the conference. Asked if Norway should continue to drill for oil and gas, Musk said: “I think some additional exploration is warranted at this time.” “One of the biggest challenges the world has ever faced is the transition to sustainable energy and to a sustainable economy,” he said. “That will take some decades to complete.” He said offshore wind power generation in the North Sea, combined with stationary battery packs, could become a key source of energy. “It could provide a strong, sustainable energy source in winter,” he said. (Additional reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Gwladys Fouche, Jan Harvey and Louise Heavens) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Balazs Koranyi and Howard Schneider JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (Reuters) -The message from the world’s top finance chiefs is loud and clear: rampant inflation is here to stay and taming it will take an extraordinary effort, most likely a recession with job losses and shockwaves through emerging markets. That price is still worth paying, however. Central banks spent decades building their credibility on inflation fighting skills and losing this battle could shake the foundations of modern monetary policy. “Regaining and preserving trust requires us to bring inflation back to target quickly,” European Central Bank board member Isabel Schnabel said. “The longer inflation stays high, the greater the risk that the public will lose confidence in our determination and ability to preserve purchasing power.” Banks should also keep going even if growth suffers and people start to lose their jobs. “Even if we enter a recession, we have basically little choice but to continue our policy path,” Schnabel said. “If there were a deanchoring of inflation expectations, the effect on the economy would be even worse.” Inflation is near double-digit territory in many of the world’s biggest economies, a level not seen in close to a half century. With the notable exception of the United States, a peak is still months away. The complication is that central banks for the most part appear to have only limited control. For one, high energy prices, a function of Russia’s war in Ukraine, is creating a supply shock on which monetary policy has little effect. Copious spending by governments, also outside central bank control, exacerbates the problem. One study presented at Jackson Hole argues that half of U.S. inflation is fiscally driven and the Fed will fail to control prices without government cooperation. Lastly, a new inflation regime may be setting in that will keep upward pressure on prices for an extended period. Deglobalisation, the realignment of alliances due to Russia’s war, demographic changes and more expensive production in emerging markets could all make supply constraints more permanent. “The global economy seems to be on the cusp of a historic change as many of the aggregate supply tailwinds that have kept a lid on inflation look set to turn into headwinds,” Agustín Carstens, the head of the Bank of International Settlements, said. “If so, the recent pickup in inflationary pressures may prove to be more persistent,” said Carstens, who heads a group often called the central bank of the world’s central banks. All this points to rapid interest rates hikes, led by the Fed with the ECB now trying to catch up, and elevated rates for years to come. EMERGING MARKETS The pain of high U.S. rates will reverberate well beyond the nation’s economy and hit emerging markets hard, especially if high rates prove as lasting as Powell now signals. “For the Fed right now – it is crunch time,” said Peter Blair Henry, a professor and dean emeritus of the New York University Stern School of Business. “The credibility of the last 40 years is on the line, so they are going to bring inflation down no matter what, including if that means collateral damage in the emerging world.” Many emerging market countries borrow in dollars and higher Fed rates hit them on multiple fronts. It pushes up borrowing costs and raises debt sustainability issues. It also channels liquidity to the U.S. markets, pushing up emerging market risk premiums, making borrowing even more difficult. Lastly, the dollar will keep firming against most currencies, pushing up imported inflation in emerging markets. Bigger countries like China and India appear to be well isolated but a host of smaller countries from Turkey to Argentina are clearly suffering. “We have a number of especially frontier economies, and low income countries that have seen their spreads increased to what we call distress or near distress levels, so 700 basis points to 1000 basis points,” IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said. “There is a large number of countries, it’s about 60% of the low income countries, we have about 20 emerging and frontier economies that are in a situation,” he said. “They still have market access, but certainly the borrowing conditions have worsened a lot.” A monitor by S&P Global now considers the funding risk of lenders in South Africa, Argentina and Turkey high or very high. It also sees the credit risk of financial firms high or extremely high in a host of countries, including China, India, and Indonesia. “There are a few frontier economies like Sri Lanka, Turkey and so on that are going to get hammered if the Fed hikes rates and rates stay high,” said Eswar Prasad, an economics professor at Cornell University. “A two to three year horizon will start making things difficult…If it becomes clear the Fed is going to keep rates high for a long time, the pressures could hit home right away,” Prasad added. (Additional reporting by Ann Saphir;Editing by Dan Burns and Chizu Nomiyama) View the full article