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Published by Raw Story By Matthew Chapman On Tuesday, writing for MSNBC’s ReidOutBlog, Ja’han Jones outlined how the Christian Right is facing renewed moral scrutiny and a crisis of “credibility” — at exactly the moment they have captured the Supreme Court and have begun striking down rights and protections they have long declared to be counter to moral society. Specifically, he argued, the latest rash of sex abuse allegations against conservative Christian institutions puts their moral authority on the line. The Catholic Church has long faced criticism for overlooking and shielding priests accused of molesting chil… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News NEW YORK — Monkeypox cases have doubled in New York City over the past week, according to local health authorities. A week ago, only a few dozen cases had been detected in the five boroughs, but the Health Department wrote on Twitter Tuesday that it has confirmed at least 111 people infected with the virus, which is known to cause blisters, fever and other symptoms. That’s up from 87 known cases this past Friday. “While anyone can get monkeypox, current cases are primarily spreading among social networks of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men,” the department tweeted. The city fa… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Eric Beech and Katharine Jackson WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday sued the state of Arizona to block a state law that requires voters to provide proof of citizenship for some federal elections. Due to take effect in January, the law violates the National Voter Registration Act by requiring proof of citizenship to vote in presidential elections or vote by mail in any federal election, the department said. “This lawsuit reflects our deep commitment to using every available tool to protect all Americans’ right to vote and to ensure that their voices are heard in our democracy,” Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, told a press briefing. Arizona has been a flashpoint in the U.S. battle over voting rights. A Republican-led review of the 2020 presidential election failed to find that irregularities marred Democrat Joe Biden’s narrow victory over Republican Donald Trump. The suit said a 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision rejected an earlier attempt by Arizona to impose a similar documentary proof of citizenship requirement on applicants seeking to vote in federal elections. It contends the state law violates the 1964 Civil Rights Act by requiring election officials to reject voter registration forms based “on errors or omissions that are not material to establishing a voter’s eligibility to cast a ballot,” the department said in a statement. (Reporting by Katherine Jackson and Eric Beech; editing by Andy Sullivan and Leslie Adler) View the full article

Published by Orlando Sentinel ORLANDO, Fla. — Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $100,000 Fox News ad on Monday urging Floridians to “join the fight” against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis “or join us in California” has drawn a muted response from state Democrats and dismissals from Republicans. But it’s just the latest signal that as DeSantis’ national profile as a potential GOP presidential candidate increases, he can expect more attention from national Democrats and possible presidential opponents, whether in 2024 or 2028. “It’s an acknowledgement that DeSantis is a is a serious political threat to the Democrats,” … Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Marta Kauffman has admitted ‘Friends’ bosses made a “mistake” by using the wrong pronouns to describe a transgender character. In the show, Chandler Bing’s parent is referred to as his “dad” despite identifying as a woman and executive producer Marta has insisted bosses on the show should have done better but errors were made due to a lack of understanding at the time. Speaking on BBC World Service, Marta said: “We kept referring to her (Chandler’s transgender parent) as ‘Chandler’s father’, even though Chandler’s father was trans. Pronouns were not yet something that I understood. So we didn’t refer to that character as ‘she’. That was a mistake.” Marta went on to discuss the show’s lack of diversity which has attracted plenty of criticism over the years – describing the comments as “valid” and insisting she “feels stupid” for not recognising the problems. She said: “Friends has been criticised in a number of ways. The biggest one being that we did not have enough representation of Black people. And over the course of the last few years I’ve gotten to the point where I can say unfortunately yes, I am guilty of that. And I’ll never make that mistake again. I was clearly part of systemic racism in our business. I was unaware of that, which makes me feel stupid.” Marta went on to insist criticism of the show’s lack of diversity was justified, adding: “That was a very valid, extremely difficult criticism which still … I get emotional about. If I knew then what I know now, there are certain things I would have changed. But I didn’t know them and I have since learned.” View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune CHICAGO — Speaking through tears, Rosemary Gamble returns again and again to the questions she would like to ask her granddaughter’s killer: Why did you do this? What could she have possibly done to you? Did you act out of hatred? Have you killed anyone else? “Before I leave this earth, I would just like to look them in the face and ask them, ‘Why? Why would you take my baby from me like this?’” said Gamble, 66, of Chicago. But five years after Gamble’s granddaughter, a transgender woman named Tiara Richmond, was shot to death at age 24, Gamble has yet to see justice, and a new analysis by the… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Darren Hayes was in a “dark place” before he came out as gay. The 50-year-old star – who is best known as frontman and singer of the pop duo Savage Garden alongside Daniel Jones – penned an op-ed for The Huff Post at the start of July explaining that he had been on the “brink of suicide” before coming out and has now claimed that his new album “saved [his] life.” He said: “I would say my new album honestly saved my life. I was in a dark place, emotionally, not understanding that just like my sexuality, my creative outlet is a huge part of the person I am, and by denying that, I was denying an essential part of me.” The ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ hitmaker – who has been married to Richard Cullen since 2013 and was previously married to Colby Taylor – released his comeback single ‘Let’s Try Being in Love’ in early 2022 and explained that his return to the public eye has been “more authentic” than in his initial heyday. He told PEOPLE: “I realized that I had never truly been myself at the height of my fame and commercial success. would have been a huge regret of mine to have retired from the public eye without having come back to the world as my true authentic self. Because I have embraced myself fully in my art, I no longer feel the shame and stigma around my sexuality or my mental health. I openly speak about both because I believe they are connected, and by speaking about what most embarrasses us, it’s my hope that bringing light to sadness drives away the darkness.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) -The Ohio city of Akron declared a state of emergency on Monday, setting a curfew and canceling Independence Day fireworks, after protests over the police killing of an unarmed Black man turned unruly on Sunday night. The protests broke out after police released body camera video that showed eight officers shooting at Jayland Walker, 25, as he fled a traffic stop last week. Walker’s body was found to have some 60 gunshot wounds. Daytime protests on Sunday were peaceful but, despite pleas from the Walker family that demonstrations remain peaceful, Akron police declared an unlawful assembly once property was damaged. Officers in riot gear fired about a dozen canisters of tear gas to scatter protesters, WKYC-TV said. Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said a curfew for downtown Akron was in effect from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice, and a pair of Fourth of July fireworks displays also were canceled. “There was significant property damage done to downtown Akron. Small businesses up and down Main Street have had their windows broken. We cannot and will not tolerate the destruction of property or violence,” Horrigan said in a statement. The Jayland Walker shooting marks the latest in a series of police killings of unarmed Black men, raising questions about police use of force and equal justice for African Americans, and contributing to increased polarization in the United States. White House spokesman Andrew Bates told Reuters the Justice Department, including the Civil Rights Division and the FBI field office in Akron, is closely monitoring and evaluating the situation surrounding Walker’s death. “This footage is disturbing,” Bates said. “And no family should ever have to endure the horrific pain and loss of a loved one that the Walker family is experiencing right now.” Police said Walker had a gun in his car but left it on the front seat as he fled on foot. Officers believed he fired a round from inside the car before fleeing, police said, and that Walker was “moving into firing position” when he got out of his car, prompting them to react to him as a potential threat, Akron Police Chief Stephen Mylett said. VOW OF ‘FAIR’ INVESTIGATION The mayor praised the peaceful protests, which were led by the Akron chapter of the NAACP. Hundreds of demonstrators marched in the streets of the city of about 200,000 people, waving “Black Lives Matter” flags and chanting, “We are done dying,” and “Justice for Jayland.” Horrigan said the trouble began after nightfall, a pattern that was seen in the turbulent summer of 2020, when protests spread across the United States over the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died when a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for several minutes. Officers were later convicted of various charges including murder and civil rights violations in the Floyd case. On Sunday, the attorney for the Walker family, Bobby DiCello, told reporters he was “very concerned” about the police accusation that Walker had fired at officers from his car, adding that there was no justification for his violent death. “I ask you, as he’s running away, what is reasonable? To gun him down? No, that’s not reasonable,” DiCello said. The Ohio attorney general and Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation are investigating, and the file will be made public at the conclusion of the case, Attorney General Dave Yost said on Sunday. “People want and deserve answers, and they shall have them. BCI will conduct a complete, fair and expert investigation,” Yost said in a statement The eight officers directly involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, the Akron police chief said. (Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason.Editing by Mary Milliken and Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Mega Barbie and Ken never looked so good! Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling took to the streets in Venice Beach, California, on Monday, June 27, as they continued to film scenes for the upcoming Barbie movie. The Suicide Squad star and the La La Land actor hit the ground running in coordinating multicolored neon outfits. Gosling rocked a combo of spandex shorts and a tank top, as Robbie stunned in a one-piece body suit. EVA MENDES & RYAN GOSLING GO ON RARE PUBLIC OUTING WITH THEIR KIDS TO DISNEYLAND The main duo in the film, set to hit movie screens next summer, have been shooting multiple scenes alongside the likes of Will Ferrell and America Ferrera. “People generally hear Barbie and think, ‘I know what that movie is going to be,’ and then they hear that Greta Gerwig is writing and directing it, and they’re like, ‘Oh, well, maybe I don’t…’ ” Robbie told British Vogue about signing on to the project. The blonde beauty added that playing the famous Mattel doll “comes with a lot of baggage,” considering some historical controversy over the doll. “And a lot of nostalgic connections,” Robbie continued. “But with that come a lot of exciting ways to attack it.” MARGOT ROBBIE & RYAN GOSLING DON COWBOY HATS AND WESTERN-INSPIRED COSTUMES WHILE FILMING ‘BARBIE’ MOVIE — SEE PHOTOS Scroll through the gallery to see Margot Robbie & Ryan Gosling rocking matching looks as they film the Barbie movie: Mega Gosling looked handsome from head to toe as he turned heads in the eccentric short, tank top and vest combo. Mega The Notebook star and the I, Tonya actress were joined by another costar as the two stayed in step while rocking matching roller skating gear. Mega Robbie smiled for the cameras as photographers snapped away at the two Hollywood stars filming their upcoming flick. Mega The Wolf of Wall Street actress stunned as she threw a white button-up over her multicolored workout set. Mega The two appeared to be deep in character as they seemed to be listening to a director in front of them. View the full article

Published by AFP First responders at the scene of a shooting at a parade on July 4, 2022 in Highland Park, Illinois Highland Park (United States) (AFP) – A gunman armed with a high-powered rifle shot dead at least six people at a parade to mark US Independence Day in a wealthy Chicago suburb on Monday — the latest in a series of shocking mass shootings on a holiday meant to celebrate all things American. Police launched a manhunt in the city of Highland Park for the gunman, who was still on the loose, while authorities rushed to cancel July 4 celebrations there and in the nearby town of Evanston. Along the parade route, abandoned chairs and other belongings could be seen scattered after panicked spectators fled for their lives. “Everyone thought it was fireworks,” one parade-goer, identified only as Zoe, told CNN. “My dad thought it was part of the show, and I’m like, ‘Dad, no… something is wrong.’ And I grabbed him. And I looked back at him, and then it was just a sea of panic, and people just falling and falling.” As they ran, she said that some 20 feet behind her, “I saw a girl shot and killed… saw her die.” Zoe said they first hid behind a dumpster before police pulled them into the basement of a sporting goods store with some other people, several of whom were injured, including a man who appeared to have been shot in the ear and a girl who was shot in the leg. When they were finally able to leave, she told CNN, the parade route resembled “a battle zone. And it’s disgusting.” Commander Chris O’Neill of the city’s police said the shooting began around 10:14 am, as the parade was “approximately three-quarters of the way through.” “It sounds like spectators were targeted… So, very random, very intentional and very sad,” he said. He said two dozen people had been hospitalized and six confirmed dead, adding that “several” of them had died at the scene, which was “very large.” The suspected shooter has been described as a white male aged 18-20 with longer black hair, and was using a “high-powered rifle,” O’Neill said. He said that “firearm evidence” had been located on a nearby rooftop, adding: “All indications is he was discreet, he was very difficult to see.” “All individuals are still urged to shelter in place at this time,” he said. Nancy Rotering — the mayor of Highland Park, a wealthy suburb north of Chicago in the Midwestern state of Illinois — gave the same toll and condemned the holiday violence. “On a day that we came together to celebrate community and freedom, we’re instead mourning the tragic loss of life and struggling with the terror that was brought upon us,” she said. ‘Enough is enough’ Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the state police and the local sheriff’s office, are assisting with the response. Highland Park announced that all July 4 festivities had been canceled as a result of the violence, as did nearby Evanston. “While there is no known threat to Evanston residents, the shooter is still at large; therefore, cancelations are taking place in an abundance of caution,” the city said. US Representative Brad Schneider, who was at the parade, said on Twitter that “a shooter struck in Highland Park during the Independence Day parade.” “Hearing of loss of life and others injured. My condolences to the family and loved ones; my prayers for the injured and for my community,” he wrote, adding: “Enough is enough!” The shooting is part of a wave of gun violence plaguing the United States, where approximately 40,000 deaths a year are caused by firearms, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive website. The debate over gun control — a deeply divisive issue in the country — was reignited by two massacres in May that saw 10 Black supermarket shoppers gunned down in upstate New York and 21 people, mostly young children, slain at an elementary school in Texas. Congress passed the first significant bill on gun safety in decades in the wake of those killings. President Joe Biden signed it into law in late June, saying that while it falls short of what is really needed, it will still save lives. But a day earlier, proponents of tougher firearms laws suffered a setback when the US Supreme Court ruled that Americans have a fundamental right to carry a handgun in public, a landmark decision with far-reaching implications for states and cities across the country trying to rein in gun violence. View the full article

Published by AFP A rusted metal barrel, near the location of where a different drum was found containing a human body, sits exposed on the shore of Lake Mead, in Boulder City, Nevada outside Las Vegas Las Vegas (AFP) – Mobsters who end up sleeping with the fishes are usually never seen again. But climate change has a way of messing even with the mafia, and a watery grave outside Las Vegas is starting to cough up Sin City’s darkest secrets. Lake Mead, which can be reached from the Las Vegas Strip by a short ride in the trunk of a car with your hands and feet bound, is drying up in a grueling decades-long drought. Its receding waters are leaving behind the usual flotsam and jetsam of a lake heavily trafficked by weekend boaters. But also bodies. One particular find caught the attention of mob-watchers: the skeletal remains of a man who had been shot in the head, stuffed in a barrel and tossed in the lake four decades ago. “The mob had a propensity to put people in barrels, whether they’re burying them in a lake, or dumping them out in the field,” said Geoff Schumacher of The Mob Museum in Las Vegas. “That’s number one. Number two, the person was shot in the head, typical mob hit style. “And third, we know that this happened in the late ’70s, early ’80s (when) the mob was very prominent in Las Vegas.” Oasis An improbable oasis of hotels, casinos and vice sprouted in the baking Nevada desert in the 20th century. Las Vegas had been founded in 1905, but it wasn’t until work began on the nearby Hoover Dam in the 1930s that its population swelled. The influx of construction workers — mostly single men — created a market for entertainment, which was filled by sex workers, showgirls and legalized gambling. And where there is flesh, casinos and booze, organized crime is lurking in the background. “The mob played a pretty big role in the development of Las Vegas from the 1940s through the 1980s,” said Schumacher. “There was a lot of behind-the-scenes activity where the mob was controlling the management of the casinos, but also building and expanding the casinos, using in many cases, Teamsters union money.” The city grew rich in the post-World War II boom that fueled the American dream, becoming the global capital of gambling. And for every $100 that a hapless tourist lost at the blackjack table in a fug of free booze, a mafia boss in Chicago or New York wanted his cut. The skimming, which doubtless cost the city millions of dollars in lost taxes, was a double-edged sword. “They also sort of created this mystique about Las Vegas,” said Schumacher. “People wanted to come to Las Vegas, on the idea that ‘oh, maybe when I sit down at the bar, there’s going to be a mob guy sitting next to me.'” ‘Cold-blooded killers’ But it wasn’t all glamour. “The reality was that these guys were cold-blooded killers; they were thieves. If you were to cross the mob in some way… there definitely were consequences.” Las Vegas police are still investigating the body found in the barrel at Lake Mead earlier this year, and in response to AFP inquiries would only say there is an ongoing probe. But Schumacher has his theories about the identity of the dead man. One suggestion is that he was Jay Vandermark, who worked at the Stardust Hotel, an operation run by Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal on behalf of the Chicago Mob. Rosenthal — who was played by Robert De Niro in the movie “Casino” — was funneling cash back to his bosses, until the scheme drew the attention of local authorities. Vandermark disappeared shortly thereafter. A more likely candidate for the body in the barrel, however, is a man named Harry Pappas who was also connected to the Chicago Mob. “One of the extra perks for visitors to Las Vegas, if you were a high roller… was they would take you out on the boat at Lake Mead,” Schumacher said. “The Stardust had a boat out there and Harry Pappas was in charge of that whole operation. “Right before he disappeared, he told his wife he was going to lunch with someone who was interested in buying his boat. We’ve never seen Harry Pappas again.” Lake Mead is a massive reservoir on the Colorado River created by the Hoover Dam. It is now just a quarter full — the result of a drought and warming temperatures fueled by man-made climate change — and shows no sign of stabilising. As its shoreline retreats, revealing more of the lake bed, it may yield more mob secrets, said Schumacher. “I don’t know if we find another body in a barrel, but I have to believe that there could very well be a second murder victim out there.” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega When it comes to movie stars who are equal parts handsome and successful, Brad Pitt is undeniably at the top of the list. The actor, 58, has proved time and time again he’s more than just a pretty face, having earned countless awards and dabbling in activism. Scroll down to relive his rise to the top! mega Raised in Missouri, the actor moved to Los Angeles to pursue his acting dreams in the ’80s — and much like his peers, he struggled to get work at first. He eventually nabbed recurring roles in shows like Dallas, and by 1992, his flick A River Runs Through It premiered, and critics, as well as moviegoers, began taking notice. mega By the mid-90’s, the father-of-six had achieved man of the hour status thanks to iconic films like Legends of the Fall, Interview with the Vampire and Seven. While working on the latter, he struck up a romance with costar Gwyneth Paltrow. The pair got engaged but called it off in 1997. mega Pitt soon became a bonafide A-list movie star, putting out star-studded movies like Fight Club and Ocean’s Eleven. It was around that time that he and Jennifer Aniston got together, but after five years of marriage, they parted ways in 2005 — the same year his and Angelina Jolie‘s flick Mr. & Mrs. Smith debuted. Shortly after he and the Friends actress filed for divorce, Pitt and Jolie became inseparable. mega In 2006, Brangelina confirmed they were expecting their first child together, Shiloh. They welcomed twins Vivienne and Knox in 2008, and Pitt formally adopted her three other kids, Maddox, Pax and Zahara, as well. His career kept up at its steady pace, with box office blockbusters like Inglourious Basterds. He and Jolie tied the knot in 2014, but had a messy split in 2016 that involved the Hollywood hunk being investigated by child services and the FBI, though he was ultimately cleared. The exes are still embroiled in a custody case, and it’s believed the actor doesn’t get to see the children very often. mega Pitt eventually revealed he had a drinking problem, and in 2016, he decided to get sober. Over the past few years, he’s retreated a bit from the spotlight, but that hasn’t stopped him from doing what he loves, and he finally received the coveted Best Actor Oscar win for 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. In a recent candid interview with GQ, he said that he spent “years with a low-grade depression,” but he’s now feeling better, explaining, “It’s not until coming to terms with that, trying to embrace all sides of self — the beauty and the ugly — that I’ve been able to catch those moments of joy.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Elliot Page has shared his new passport photograph. The ‘Umbrella Academy’ actor – who announced he was transgender in 2020 – took to Instagram to share his updated passport picture and revealed how much it meant to him. He wrote: “Never thought I would love a passport photo.” Meanwhile, Elliot, 35 – who separated from Emma Portner in January 2021 after three years of marriage – recently revealed that he is looking for love online and thanked his ‘Umbrella Academy’ co-star Ritu Arya, 28, for “guiding me on my first dating app ever”. Elliot previously explained he always knew he was a boy and couldn’t understand when people told him he wasn’t. He said: “All trans people are so different, and my story’s absolutely just my story. But yes, when I was a little kid, absolutely, 100 percent, I was a boy. I knew I was a boy when I was a toddler. I was writing fake love letters and signing them ‘Jason.’ Every little aspect of my life, that is who I was, who I am, and who I knew myself to be. “I just couldn’t understand when I’d be told, ‘No, you’re not. No, you can’t be that when you’re older’. You feel it. Now I’m finally getting myself back to feeling like who I am, and it’s so beautiful and extraordinary, and there’s a grief to it in a way.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Meta is to turn all Instagram videos into Reels. The social media giant – which is the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp – launched the 90-second video feature back in 2020 after the rise of rival TikTok and is now trialling a feature that will see all of its videos take on the Reels format. Alongside a screenshot that read “video posts are now shared as reels”, industry analyst Matt Navara wrote on Twitter: “Instagram is now making EVERY video a Reel!” His claims were then backed up by Meta, who claimed that the feature was being “tested out” gradually amongst random users. A Meta spokesperson told The Verge: “We’re testing this feature as part of our efforts to simplify and improve the video experience on Instagram. The news comes a year on from claims that the social media app – which is used by an estimated 5.2 billion people worldwide and serves as a major platform for several celebrities – is “no longer” just a photo-sharing app, according to Instagram Head Adam Mosseri. Back n July 2021, he said: “Changes are coming to video. We’re no longer just a square photo-sharing app. At Instagram we’re always trying to build new features that help you get the most out of your experience. Right now we’re focused on four key areas: Creators, Video, Shopping, and Messaging. “Let’ be honest -there’s some really serious competition right now. TikTok is huge and YouTube is even biger. People are looking to Instagram to be entertained, there is stiff competition and we have to embrace that.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Drake became the “sixth member” of the Backstreet Boys when he joined the band onstage to perform his favourite song. The music star made a guest appearance at the boyband’s show in Toronto, Canada on Saturday (02.07.22) to sing on their hit track ‘I Want It That Way’ – and Drake gave a moving speech to the audience telling them why the track means so much to him. According to People.com, he said: “At 13 years old, I had a bar mitzvah, and at my bar mitzvah, for the first time in my life, this girl I was in love with came up to me while one of the greatest songs in the world was playing, and she asked me if I would dance with her. “It was the first time I ever felt acknowledged, and it was the first time I ever felt like, you know, I had a shot at being cool.” The star then joked: “If she can see me now, you know what I’m talking about?” The publication reports the band referred to Drake as their “sixth member” during the special one-off appearance together. Drake recently released his new album ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ to mixed reviews and he seemingly hit back at the criticism of the record by insisting haters “don’t get it yet”. The rapper’s latest release debuted on June 17, but was hit with lacklustre reviews with some critics branding the album “dull”. However, Drake appeared to have responded during a speech at a subsequent release party in Miami, Florida. According to Fox News, he said: “It’s all good if you don’t get it yet. That’s what we do! We wait for you to catch up. We in here, though, we caught up already. On to the next. My goodness!” A clip of the moment circulated online showing Drake making the comments while the song ‘Calling My Name’ played in the background. It’s believed to have been filmed during a bash at Miami nightclub Gala. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Adele gave a fan VIP access to her concert, in exchange for borrowing their Pride flag. The 34-year-old star draped herself in a rainbow flag at her concert at British Summer Time in Hyde Park, London on Saturday (02.07.22) to celebrate Pride and Dean William, a teacher from Essex, revealed the story behind the special moment. He wrote in a heartwarming thread on Twitter: “Last night I was invited by @Adele to sit side of stage for her performance at @BSTHydePark. Here’s how the most random night of my life happened! A thread… “I arrived with my general admission ticket at about 6pm and went straight to the toilet at the furthest point away from the stage. As I left, a woman approached my friend and I and said she saw I was wearing a pride flag, and they @Adele needed one for her performance… “She asked if she could borrow mine so…OF COURSE I SAID YES! Then we were whisked away into the Diamond VIP section and given a LOT of drinks tokens. “After we got our wristbands and drinks, we watched a bit of the amazing Gabrielle and bumped into the lovely @Charlottegshore. “We were stunned. This was a dream! Before long @adele came on stage and blew our socks off! Of course, singing Hello. “Then, after two songs the MOST BIZARRE moment of my life happened. @Adele, in front of 65,000 people asks where Jack and Dean are and calls us over to the barrier! I of course, have no footage of this as I was losing my mind!!! “We were pulled over the barrier, and told by @adele that she wanted to give us the best seats in the house… they certainly were! “Then, during When We Were Young, @adele appeared wearing the very flag we bought for eight quid at Holborn station just hours before! I cried. “To end the most magical, perfect, mind-blowing pride @adele sung Love Is A Game, looked at us directly in the eyes and blew us a kiss. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ADELE!!!! I’ll never ever forget this night and this pride!!!!” And Dean revealed that the superstar even made sure he got his Pride flag back following the performance. During the show at American Express presents BST Hyde Park, Adele played the Great Oak Stage and wowed the crowd with a 19-track headline set. Wearing a glistening black off-the-shoulder Louis Vuitton gown, she told the crowd: “It has been an absolute pleasure to be here this weekend… There’s no place like London in the summer. I can’t wait to come back. I love coming home. And happy Pride!” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega She got it from her mama! Lourdes Leon never fails to wow her followers with the sultriest of snaps on social media. The ultra famous daughter of Madonna knows how to get all eyes on her with her artistic photoshoots and high fashion ensembles. The 25-year-old model appears to take after her famous mother as she is always pushing the envelope with her risqué looks and daring aesthetic. MADONNA’S DAUGHTER LOURDES LEON BRINGS THE HEAT IN MARC JACOBS SPRING COLLECTION — AND EVEN SHOWS OFF HER UNSHAVEN ARMPITS However, Leon still gets a bit embarrassed by the “Material Girl” singer’s attention0seeking ways. As OK! exclusively reported, Madonna’s kids, who also include Rocco Ritchie, 21, Mercy James, 16, David Banda, 15, as well as 8-year-old twins Stelle and Estere Ciccone “cringe” at the way their mother provocatively dresses herself. “They can’t understand why [her behavior] needs to be so hyper and gratuitous,” a source revealed. “She’s constantly looking for ways to push the envelope, and the kids worry among themselves about where it’s all going to end.” The source noted her children love her “but it makes them cringe to see her writhing around naked and making a fool of herself,” explaining that Lordes and Ritchie have “struggled for years” with her attention-seeking behavior. MADONNA’S DAUGHTER LOURDES LEON SHARES SERIES OF RISQUE SNAPS AFTER SHADING MATERIAL GIRL FOR DRESSING PROVOCATIVELY FOR HER AGE Scroll through the gallery to see Lordes Leon’s top social media thirst traps: @SAVAGEXFENTY /@lourdesleon/instagram Madonna’s first born showed off her assets in a black bra ensemble complete with tall leather socks and a wild hairdo as she smiled for the camera. @lourdesleon/instagram Leon left little to the imagination in a light blue bikini as she lounged on the hood of a car. @SWAROVSKI ;@lourdesleon/instagram; The model posed for a Cher inspired shoot rocking a pair of jeans and a turquoise halter top as she wore her long pin straight hair down. @thisismayan / @lourdesleon/instagram Leon rocked a pair of clear glasses and showed off her unique manicure as she lounged in the pool. @indiana420bitch/@lourdesleon/instagram The super famous offspring sported a white mini skirt along with a jean bralette as she went high glamour with her makeup for the snap. View the full article

Published by DPA Media experts have warned that unhealthy body images on social media can be particularly dangerous for younger users, who are discovering their own bodies and are often dissatisfied with their looks. Benjamin Nolte/dpa Norway is now making influencers and other advertisers inform viewers when they have digitally altered the appearance of someone in an ad, in an effort to limit the negative body image promoted on Instagram and other social media platforms. A change in the law coming into force in July stipulates that digitally manipulated appearances in paid advertisements must be marked with a special kind of notice. This includes any changes to body shape, size and skin, for example changes in facial shape, broader shoulders and narrower hips – some of the most common manipulations offered by “beauty filters” and apps designed to “beautify” selfies. Pictures and videos of extremely thin people still show up on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube without warning, and often in an explicitly positive context. Media experts have warned that unhealthy body images on social media can be particularly dangerous for younger teenagers, who are discovering their own bodies and are often dissatisfied with their looks. Norway’s measure is intended to help make consumers aware that people are not always shown in advertising as they look in reality. Ultimately, the aim is to portray less idealised bodies in advertising and thus protect younger people in particular. “Finally we are getting a powerful measure against unhealthy body pressure that especially children and young people are exposed to,” said the Norwegian Minister for Children and Family Affairs, Kjersti Toppe. The labelling obligation applies to all traditional and social media and explicitly also to influencers and other people who post advertisements online on the internet and in social media. Those who do not comply with it will face a fine. The notice should take up about 7% of the image area and be placed clearly visible in the upper left corner of the advertisement. Both those who have created the advertisement and the advertisers who want to earn money with it can be held responsible. View the full article

Published by DPA Monkeypox, which has been detected worldwide with several thousand cases in recent weeks, is believed to be mainly transmitted from person to person through close physical contact. Cynthia S. Goldsmith/Russell Regnery/CDC/dpa New research has found that a surface that has been touched by someone infected with monkeypox can be highly contaminated with the virus that has spread around the world in recent weeks. And yet the study, published in July, said that the chances of people becoming infected by touching a contaminated surface were limited to certain scenarios. “We assume that surfaces would have to be very heavily contaminated in order for somone to become infected through contact with this surface,” said Johannes Knobloch, head of the study at Germany’s University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). This probably primarily affects people working in the care of monkeypox patients as well as people who live together with an infected person, Knobloch said. “According to the findings to date, there is no risk from publicly accessible hand contact surfaces such as door handles or lift buttons.” This viral disease, which has been detected worldwide with several thousand cases in recent weeks, is believed to be mainly transmitted from person to person through close physical contact. Although experts do not believe the impact of monkeypox will be on a similar scale to Covid-19, doctors are nevertheless warning people, particularly pregnant women and parents of babies, to watch for the symptoms. According to guidance from the CDC health experts in the US, the monkeypox rash can look like pimples or blisters and typically appears on the face, inside the mouth, hands and feet. If you notice this kind of rash in combination with a fever, aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills and/or exhaustion, then seek medical help immediately. View the full article

Published by DPA Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, delivers a video speech at the International Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano. Christophe Licoppe/European Commission/dpa Ukraine wants to use the Russian assets seized as a result of Western sanctions to finance the country’s reconstruction, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said. “Russia’s frozen assets according to various estimates range from $300 to $500 billion,” Shmyhal told an international conference of potential donors in the Swiss town of Lugano. “Russian authorities unleashed this bloody war, they caused this massive destruction, and they should be held accountable for it,” he added. Ukraine needs an estimated $750 billion, Shmyhal said. However, experts have cautioned that confiscating Russian assets in this way is legally difficult. Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Trade, shakes hands with Denys Shmyhal (R), Prime Minister of Ukraine, during their meeting, ahead of the International Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano. Christophe Licoppe/European Commission/dpa View the full article

Published by AFP Ukraine told a conference in Switzerland that it would cost around $750 billion to rebuild the country Sloviansk (Ukraine) (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered Russian troops to press their offensive deeper into the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine after Moscow’s forces seized the strategic city of Lysychansk. With the war now well into its fifth month after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine told a reconstruction conference in Switzerland that it would already cost $750 billion to rebuild the country. The loss of Lysychansk over the weekend prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to step up calls for an increased supply of weapons from the West so Kyiv can keep up the resistance and regain lost territories. After giving up on its initial war aim of capturing Kyiv following tough Ukrainian resistance, Russia has focused its efforts on securing control of the Donetsk and Lugansk areas which make up the Donbas region. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin at a meeting that Moscow’s forces were now in full control of the Lugansk region. In a sign there would be no let-up in the fighting and that Russia now had its eyes on the entire Donetsk region, Putin told Shoigu that troops stationed there must continue their operations. “Military units, including the East group and the West group, must carry out their tasks according to previously approved plans,” Putin said. “I hope that everything will continue in their direction as has happened in Lugansk so far.” The Ukrainian army said on Sunday it was retreating from Lysychansk to preserve the lives of its troops after finding itself outnumbered and outgunned by Russian forces there. ‘Most modern weapons’ But in a symbolic boost for Ukraine, the Ukrainian flag was raised on Snake Island, an rocky outcrop in the Black Sea, after Russia withdrew from the strategically important Ukrainian territory last week. Moscow’s capture of Lysychansk — one week after the Ukrainian army also retreated from the neighbouring city of Severodonetsk — frees up Russian forces to advance on Kramatorsk and Sloviansk in Donetsk. Lugansk region governor Sergiy Gayday said on Telegram that there was still fighting in the town of Bilogorivka outside Lysychansk. “We keep defending a small part of the Lugansk region so that our army could build protective redoubts,” he added. In an address late Sunday, Zelensky vowed Kyiv would fight on and ensure the military had “the most modern weapons”. “Ukraine will reach the level when the fire superiority of the occupiers will be levelled.” In Sloviansk, about 75 kilometres (45 miles) west of Lysychansk, there were few people on the streets on Monday, the day after Russian strikes that left at least six dead, among them a nine-year-old girl, and 19 injured. In the large downtown market largely ravaged by a fire caused by a Russian strike, a few vendors offered basic goods while others cleared charred debris. Vendors and residents who spoke to AFP, some still in shock, expressed concern for the days and weeks to come, as sounds of shelling were heard again. ‘Task of democratic world’ The city of Siversk, 30 kilometres west of Lysychansk, also saw overnight shelling, residents and an official told AFP. But Zelensky’s address Sunday evening was defiant, pointing to Ukrainian troops would “win back” territory in the Donbas just has they had in other regions earlier in the war. On Monday, leaders from dozens of countries and international organisations met in the Swiss city of Lugano with the aim of hashing out a roadmap for Ukraine’s reconstruction. At the gathering Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal put the cost of rebuilding Ukraine at $750 billion and said: “the key source of recovery should be the confiscated assets of Russia and Russian oligarchs”. Lugano is not a pledging conference but will instead attempt to lay out the principles and priorities for a rebuilding process aimed to begin even as the war rages. The meeting could help usher in a modern version of “The Marshall Plan”, the US-devised giant economic rescue scheme to rebuild Europe after World War II. In a video address to the conference Zelensky described rebuilding Ukraine as the “common task of the whole democratic world” and the “biggest contribution to the support of global peace.” But for residents in Bucha — a Ukrainian town synonymous with war crimes blamed on Moscow’s forces after their retreat in April — fear remains even as talk begins of reconstruction. “We’re going to bed without knowing if we’ll wake up tomorrow,” said Vera Semeniouk, 65. “Everyone has come back, is starting to repair houses, many are putting in new windows. It would be terrible if it started again, and we had to leave everything again.” View the full article

Published by DPA The defendant is brought to the Neuruppin Regional Court for sentencing. A 101-year-old man has appealed the five-year jail sentence he was handed by a German court last week for aiding and abetting the murder of thousands of prisoners at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp during World War II. Fabian Sommer/dpa A 101-year-old man has appealed the five-year jail sentence he was handed by a German court last week for aiding and abetting the murder of thousands of prisoners at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp during World War II. The Brandenburg state court in Neuruppin, to the north-west of Berlin, confirmed his appeal on Monday. Following delivery of the written verdict, he has a month to justify his appeal, court spokesperson Iris le Claire said. The court has until September 27 to finalize its written judgement, she added. It would then be up to the Federal Court of Justice to decide on the appeal. Throughout his trial, the accused denied that he had been a guard at Sachsenhausen concentration camp during the period in question, 1942-45. The prosecution had produced documents identifying a Nazi SS guard with the accused’s name, date of birth and place of birth, among other evidence. Defence lawyer Stefan Waterkamp had said right after the verdict that he would launch an appeal. He argued that, to date, the Federal Court of Justice had not considered activity as a concentration camp guard to be sufficient to convict someone for aiding and abetting Nazi crimes. View the full article

Published by DPA Pope Francis leads a Holy Mass for the Congolese community in Rome at Saint Peter's Basilica. Evandro Inetti/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Pope Francis has defrocked a retired priest in relation to repeated cases of sexual abuse perpetrated from the 1980s to the early 1990s, the Trier diocese in western Germany announced on Monday. The unnamed priest did not face trial in a state court, as the offences were subject to the statute of limitations, but was found guilty in two sets of proceedings under canon law in an ecclesiastical court. The bishop of Trier, Stephan Ackermann, ordered the priest’s dismissal from the clergy following the first proceedings in 2015. The priest then lodged an appeal, with the result that the sentence was reduced at the end of 2017 to a ban on exercising priestly duties. After additional allegations were made in the summer of 2019, the Trier diocese launched a second preliminary investigation, which again found the priest guilty. The pope has now finally defrocked the priest at the request of the congregation of the faithful, informing the parishes where he worked and the affected persons. In April this year, Pope Francis defrocked a retired Trier priest at the priest’s own request after he was found to have committed sexual abuse. The diocese numbers some 1.3 million Catholics in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. View the full article

Published by Al-Araby A coalition of Lebanese civil society organisations published a letter on Monday condemning what it calls a “crackdown” on LGBT rights by authorities. The letter, signed by the Coalition to Defend Freedom of Expression in Lebanon, said that the government had unlawfully banned peaceful gatherings in support of LGBT people. It further said that the move to quash the gatherings violated LGBT people’s constitutional rights to “equality, free expression and free assembly … during a worsening climate for the rights of LGBT people.” On 24 June, Lebanon’s Minister of Interior instructed Lebanon’s sec… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Daniel Trotta (Reuters) – DeShanna Neal’s 7-year-old son stopped standing for the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag in school, questioning whether the United States of America really stood for, as the pledge says, “liberty and justice for all.” “He said, ‘I will only stand when Black lives matter,'” said Delaware native Neal, 40, a Black, queer mother of two transgender girls and a son she describes as gender non-conforming. Neal is also a candidate for a seat in the state House of Representatives. As much of the nation takes a day off for backyard barbecues, Main Street parades and fireworks displays, some Americans see democracy in peril and others see it as ascendant. Another American interviewed ahead of the holiday marking the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, was in a more celebratory mood. “The quote-unquote conservative side has been on the losing side for a very long time,” said CJ Grisham, a founder of the gun rights group Open Carry Texas. “Does it suck to lose? Yeah, it does. But I look at things also from an originalist point of view. So obviously I’m mostly happy.” Conservatives are relishing a series of victories at the U.S. Supreme Court, landmark rulings that ended a constitutional right to abortion, expanded gun rights, and curtailed government authority to regulate power plant emissions. At the same time, congressional hearings are offering testimony about how close former President Donald Trump and a violent mob that supported him may have come on Jan. 6, 2021, to overturning the November 2020 election that put Joe Biden in the White House. Jodie Patterson, 52, of Brooklyn, a Black mother with a transgender child, sees a dominant culture of straight, white, wealthy men too easily overlooking the rest of America. She is on the board of the Human Rights Campaign’s foundation, which supports lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans at a time when legislation in states across the country would block access to healthcare to help young people transition and restrict transgender athletes’ participation in sports. “I’m not turning my back on America,” Patterson said. “This country is as much mine and my family’s, and for people who look like me, as it is anyone else’s.” Only white men signed the Declaration of Independence, and most, like its main author Thomas Jefferson, owned Black slaves. Slaveowners also were among the white men who in 1787 signed the Constitution, when convincing slave states to join the union was prioritized over liberty for Blacks. It took Civil War, constitutional amendments and Supreme Court rulings to extend rights to minorities and women. Today, some conservatives see liberal critiques that extremists are threatening democracy as overblown, noting that Democrats control the White House and both houses of Congress. “Stop blaming it on these boogie men,” said Chuck Warren, a Republican strategist from Arizona. “I don’t think the Supreme Court justices are just sitting around saying, ‘We have to protect the white man.’ I don’t believe that’s happening at all.” Concerns were so great that Biden established a commission to study reforming the Supreme Court. Laurence Tribe, a Harvard law professor, was among those on the commission, and he advocates expanding the court to counter the current conservative bent. “The odds that we will really go down, the way other democracies have, are frighteningly real,” Tribe said. Charles Fried, a Harvard law colleague who once argued cases before the Supreme Court on behalf of the administration of Republican President Ronald Reagan, favors a different change: term limits that would convert the lifetime Supreme Court appointment to 18 years. “There are people around, and I’m afraid some of them are on this Supreme Court, who want to repeal the 20th century,” Fried said. (Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Donna Bryson and Daniel Wallis) View the full article