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Published by Radar Online Mega Jussie Smollett, who is spending 150 days in jail in addition to 30 months’ probation after he claimed that he was part of a racist and homophobic hate crime by two brothers in Chicago, has one person in his corner: Beyoncé‘s mom, Tina Knowles. On Wednesday, March 16, Knowles stuck up for the Empire actor, who was found guilty on five counts of felony disorderly conduct for lying to the police, and he was also charged with a sixth count of felony disorderly conduct for lying to a detective in the weeks following the “attack.” Mega “No matter what opinion you have of whether or not Jussie Smollet did what he is accused of or not. The punishment does not fit the crime,” she began via Instagram. “People walk away free from killing our people everyday. How many instances of our young Black people have been murdered in the last year, and the people whom they were with are walking free! And what about the people involved in the treason at the White House? Most went unpunished!” She continued, “And then they give this man five months in Jail. Are you kidding me? This is unjust. This man is not a threat to society. This is an example of the disparities between how we are treated as opposed to our white counterparts. Black people we cannot afford to let this slide! Trust me you and your family might be next! So let’s make some noise about this and ask for probation! The judge was obviously biased and very disrespectful and they wanted to disrespect and discredit the previous District Attorney Kim Fox, who was a Black woman. Please do your research about the case and look at the crime he is accused of and look at the time given him. They want to destroy this man. BTW If you have a difference in opinion I totally understand that but keep it positive .” Mega Of course, people immediately backed up Knowles’ statement. One person wrote, “FREE JUSSIE!!!” while another added, “The punishment definitely doesn’t fit the crime, but I do believe he lied and probation & fines are enough.” A third user stated, “I so agree Mama Tina. This is terrible and I’m praying for him!! #FreeJussieSmollet.” One day earlier, Smollett’s brother Jocqui Smollet revealed that his brother is no longer in the psych ward, and he was moved to a different jail cell. “I just got to see him. I just want to give you all an update. Thank you so much for the support, for the #FreeJussie movement. It’s working. He has now been moved to a new jail cell, out of the psych ward that has a bed. Before he was sleeping on a restrained bed and now he has moved into a jail cell that actually has a bed, so thank you so much, that is really because of all the #FreeJussie that has been going on. It’s all the pressure that we’re applying on Cook County Jail,” he told his followers. Mega He added, “There is no evidence linking Jussie to this crime. There is absolutely no evidence, no emails, no letters, no phone calls, no text messages, none of that, of Jussie saying, ‘I am planning an attack on myself.’ There is none of that happening, so please continue to fact check people, to fact check the media wherever possible, and thank you so much for the folks who have sent letters to him. You have no idea how great that is to keep him going and keep him strong and keep him focused on the task at hand. He is so, so grateful for the letters. He has read all of them, and he is going to reply to every single one of them.” View the full article

Published by DPA Before becoming real-life president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky (right) acted out the role in a show that is now being picked up on streaming platforms around the world. Arte/dpa The TV comedy that launched the political career of Ukraine’s president is fast becoming a global streaming hit amid the prolonged international focus on actor-turned-president Volodymyr Zelensky, the main player resisting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “You asked and it’s back,” Netflix wrote on Wednesday, announcing the return of the 2015 satirical show “Servant of the People”, which stars Zelenksy as a teacher who unexpectedly becomes president after becoming famous on YouTube. Zelenksy, whose character is elected president after a clip in which he complains about corruption goes viral, was himself elected president in real life after the show was widely watched across Ukraine. While Netflix is launching the show for US viewers, in Europe, the French-German broadcaster Arte says it has registered an increasing interest in the TV show. “Due to the high level of public interest in the person of Volodymyr Zelensky, Arte decided to buy the series in autumn 2021,” the broadcaster told dpa. “The current developments in Ukraine have significantly increased this interest.” In the UK, broadcaster Channel 4 has snapped up the series and has been streaming it online to viewers. Distributor Eccho Rights has also sold the show to MBC in the Middle East, ANT 1 in Greece and PRO TV in Romania, according to entertainment industry news website Deadline. The show loaned its name to Zelensky’s political party, the Servant of the People party, whose pro-NATO and pro-EU policies have become the target of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The first two seasons of “Servant of the People” are also available free to watch on YouTube. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jeff Mason and Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden on Wednesday said it is time to change the culture and not just U.S. law to stop violence against women as he celebrated expanded protections for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. A day earlier, Biden signed a spending bill that included a renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, which also provides more resources and training programs for law enforcement, among other steps. Every month, an average of 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner in the United States, according to a new report https://everytownresearch.org/report/guns-and-violence-against-women-americas-uniquely-lethal-intimate-partner-violence-problem/#the-nexus-of-intimate-partner-violence-and-guns that claims intimate partner violence and gun violence in the U.S. are inextricably linked. Experts say stay-at-home orders linked to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak appear to have contributed to a spike in domestic violence. “Change the culture, not just the law,” Biden said at a White House event attended by advocates, survivors of abuse and lawmakers. “It really wasn’t so long ago this country didn’t want to talk about violence against women, let alone it being a national epidemic – something government had to address. As a society, we literally looked away.” Biden said the law will now do more for survivors in rural areas and in underserved communities. For example, tribal courts will now be able to exercise jurisdiction over non-native perpetrators of sexual assault and sex trafficking, he said. As a senator, Biden helped craft the bill, which was originally signed into law in 1994. It expired under then-President Donald Trump in 2019. In 2018, the United States was named as the only Western nation among the 10 most dangerous countries for women in a Thomson Reuters Foundation survey of global experts, after the #MeToo campaign triggered a flood of complaints about sexual harassment and assault. (Reporting by Nandita Bose and Jeff Mason in Washington; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – Idaho’s Senate has blocked a controversial bill that would have outlawed gender-affirming healthcare for transgender children under the age of 18. Republican leaders in the Idaho Senate halted the advancement of the bill on Tuesday, saying it undermined parental rights and amounted to government overreach, even as they affirmed their staunch opposition to any kind of trans-related medical care. “We believe in parents’ rights and that the best decisions regarding medical treatment options for children are made by parents, with the benefit of their physician’s advice and expertise,” Republican Senate leaders said in a statement https://idahocapitalsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Idaho-Senate-Republicans-Statement-on-HB-675-4.pdf released late on Tuesday. The Republican-sponsored legislation would have made it a felony for anyone to provide gender-affirming surgeries and medications like puberty-blockers by amending existing provisions on female genital mutilation. It also would have criminalized taking a child across state lines to receive that care. Idaho’s House had overwhelmingly passed the bill last week. The Senate’s action marked a victory for LGBTQ groups, medical professionals and civil liberties advocates opposing moves by conservative politicians in dozens of states to criminalize gender-affirming treatments for trans youth. Numerous medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, support these treatments, calling them potentially life saving. Republican lawmakers have sought this year to pass a number of measures limiting trans healthcare, an issue that has emerged as a key front in the culture wars ahead of the November mid-term congressional elections. Last week, a Texas judge temporarily blocked the state from investigating parents who provide their transgender children with gender-affirming care. Governor Greg Abbott has called such care “child abuse.” The state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, appealed the injunction. It remains unclear whether investigations into parents are continuing while the matter rests with the courts. In Alabama, legislation seeking to criminalize anyone who provides gender-affirming healthcare to minors could be voted on in the state’s House this week. (Reporting by Maria Caspani; Editing by Tim Ahmann) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jaden Smith thought everything was “so beautiful” when he took psychedelic mushrooms. The 23-year-old actor told how he took psilocybin with a group of friends in a park and felt like he “went inside of a tree”, which “looked like a rainbow” and felt just as “alive” as he did. He said: “I was with people who I really loved dearly. We go to a park, which was the best decision that we could have ever made. Everything just becomes so beautiful. “We look at the sky and everybody starts feeling like they want to cry, but no one says anything. We were running in the park. We’re sprinting. We’re talking fast. We decided to hug a tree and felt like we actually went inside of the tree. “I saw the inner workings of the tree and it looked like a rainbow. I could tell in that moment that trees were alive, but more alive than anyone could ever think. As alive as humans are.” The ‘Karate Kid’ actor’s experience with psychedelics has influenced his latest clothing collection, ‘Trippy Summer’, and he explained how the collection has “taken advantage” of what happens when people are in an altered state. He told Mr. Porter journal: “I believe that mushrooms are going to help us expand consciousness. The collection is not just clothes to sell. “It’s loaded with spiritual experiences and mystical states. We’re just making clothes that can go along with people’s journeys.’ “When you’re in that sensitive space, the wrong shirt can ruin things. “Whether the shirt says, “Oh, f*** you, you f****** f***,’ or, ‘Go to hell and die,’ it might scare somebody… We’re taking advantage of the certain visual cues that happen when you’re on mushrooms. Things slightly move. “If you give something the feeling of motion, when you’re on mushrooms and you look at it, your brain will finish the work and put it in motion so that you’re like, “Holy f***! His pants are moving.”‘ View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jussie Smollett has been moved out of a prison psychiatric ward. The former ‘Empire’ star’s brother, Jocqui Smollett, raised concerns over the weekend about his sibling’s incarceration but he’s now thanked fans for backing his campaign for the 39-year-old actor to be transferred to a different part of Cook County Jail and urged them to continue to “apply pressure” to officials at the prison. Offering an update on social media, Jocqui said: “I just got to see him. I just want to give you all an update. Thank you so much for the support, for the #FreeJussie movement. It’s working. “He has now been moved to a new jail cell, out of the psych ward that has a bed. Before he was sleeping on a restrained bed and now he has moved into a jail cell that actually has a bed, so thank you so much, that is really because of all the #FreeJussie that has been going on. It’s all the pressure that we’re applying on Cook County Jail. “Unfortunately, the county doesn’t really move until they get bad publicity, so we just have to keep applying pressure y’all. Keep reposting with #FreeJussie, keep continuing to call Cook County Jail, checking in on him and continue saying that he should be free.” The former ‘Empire’ star was convicted last December of lying to police over a hate crime attack and last week was jailed for 150 days, as well as ordered to pay over $120,000 in restitution and a $25,000 fine and placed on probation for 30 months. Jussie has denied the allegations against him, and his brother insisted it is “absolutely ridiculous” that he is in jail because there is “absolutely no evidence” to prove he orchestrated the attack on himself. He continued: “It’s absolutely ridiculous that he’s in there. This means that you could just be associated with two liars, and that is all it takes is their word to get you locked up. The state could lock you up, that should leave you terrified. “There is no evidence linking Jussie to this crime. There is absolutely no evidence, no emails, no letters, no phone calls, no text messages, none of that, of Jussie saying, ‘I am planning an attack on myself.’ “There is none of that happening, so please continue to fact check people, to fact check the media wherever possible, and thank you so much for the folks who have sent letters to him. “You have no idea how great that is to keep him going and keep him strong and keep him focused on the task at hand. He is so, so grateful for the letters. He has read all of them, and he is going to reply to every single one of them.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Billie Lourd honoured her late mother, Carrie Fisher, with her wedding outfit. The ‘Scream Queens’ actress tied the knot with Austen Rydell in an intimate beach ceremony in Mexico on 12 March and the 29-year-old star asked Rodarte’s Kate and Laura Mlleavy to design her off-the-shoulder gown because of their connections to the ‘Star Wars’ actress, who died in 2016. Billie told Vogue magazine: “I discovered Kate and Laura after they interviewed my mom for an article in 2014 and immediately fell in love. “So when I started thinking about who I wanted to design my wedding dress, they were the first people who came to mind. “I have always been a massive fan of their work and thought their elegant, ethereal, unique style was a perfect fit for my — kind of —elegant, ethereal, unique personality. “I also felt a strong connection to them because of their connection to my mom and because they are California gals just like me!” Billie’s dress was teamed with Rene Mancini heels chosen by her father, Bryan Lourd, who had spotted the footwear when out shopping because they “reminded him of the shoes my mom used to wear in the ’90s.” She added: “It was a month before the wedding, and they told him they take four months to make the shoes. He talked to Mohamad, the manager of the store, and told him when the wedding was and asked him if he could somehow rush them, and he magically made it happen! When he came to pick up the shoes, it turned out my dad’s hunch about my mom was right. Mohamad told him that my mom used to shop at their store in New York City in the ’90s. The perfect shoe turned out to literally be the perfect shoe. It was serendipity!” For her jewellery, the ‘Booksmart’ actress wore her engagement ring – a diamond that was originally in her mom’s engagement ring which Austen had reset – Carrie’s favourite blue fire opal band as her something blue, and another ring which her mother had given to one of her closest friends for something borrowed. Billie’s something old came in the form of vintage Neil Lane diamond studs given to her by her dad. Carrie’s two best friends, Gavin DeBecker and Bruce Wagner, officiated the wedding, with the service offering more nods to the bride’s mother. Billie said: “It was the most hysterically brilliant and touching officiating in the history of officiating. And in true Carrie fashion, we threw glitter in the air at the end of the ceremony. It was magical. I could not have dreamed up a more perfect wedding.” At the reception, Billie changed into another Rodarte outfit, which paid tribute to her late grandmother, Debbie Reynolds. The bride said: “It was inspired by my glam-ma Debbie Reynolds’s iconic dance outfits that she used to wear in all of her shows and is probably the most fun party outfit of all time. “I am obsessed beyond belief. I’m probably going to make it into an art piece in my house because it’s way too legendary to just hang on a hanger in a closet. I have never had more fun in any dress ever!” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Britney Spears would rather be “feared” than “loved”. The 40-year-old singer has reflected on her Las Vegas residency after her most recent trip to Sin City, and she insisted now she has “a whole new perspective” on life. She wrote on Instagram: “The only thing I’ve known when I used to go to Vegas was a hour long meet and greets with 40 people every night getting the worst pics of me and then a two hour show!!!! “Let’s just say THIS TIME visiting it gave me a whole new perspective on what it means to live !!!! “Being able to go to the spa was a highlight as well … and you know what ??? Don’t ever pity me like my masseuse does …. “People do love you!” …. Huh ???? Huh ???? “I dont want to be loved … I want to be feared !!! Being loved and being nice got me taken advantage of …… so take ur pity and go f*** yourselves (sic)” Meanwhile, it was recently claimed Britney – who regained control of her affairs in November after her conservatorship was terminated – and her partner Sam Asghari are both “very career focused” at the moment. A source said: “Britney and Sam are very career focused right night, especially Sam. They are both going so hard right now and putting in a lot of work and effort into all areas of their lives, both personally and professionally. “She doesn’t want to have a partner who is just fine being quiet and sitting on the sidelines. “She is equally as motivated and career driven as he is. That’s their focus and the path they are on right now.” However, the couple – who first started dating in 2016 and became engaged when Sam popped the question in September 2021 – are also said to be planning for their upcoming wedding. The source said: “They’re definitely in wedding planning mode too and hyper focused on that, but they also are trying to elevate themselves.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Matt Bomer is reportedly in early talks to join Bradley Cooper’s biopic about Leonard Bernstein. The 47-year-old actor is set to star in and direct the upcoming Netflix movie, ‘Maestro’, which follows the life of the conductor and musical maestro behind ‘West Side Story’ and ‘Candide’. According to Deadline, the ‘White Collar’ star, 44, is yet to strike a deal with the streaming giant and the role he would take on is not known at this time. If he does board the flick – which sees Hollywood heavyweights Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg among the producers – Matt will join Bradley in the titular role and Carey Mulligan as Bernstein’s wife Felicia Montealegre. Bradley previously said: “I was struck by Carey ever since I saw her on stage many years ago and I haven’t missed a performance of hers since. “I am humbled to be working with such a mammoth talent, as well as such a kind person in Carey.” The film spans over 30 years, telling the story of the complicated marriage between the pair. They had three children together, but Felicia knew about Bernstein’s affairs with other men before and after their wedding. The children have given their seal of approval of Carey, 36, portraying their mother. Jamie Bernstein said: “We’re absolutely thrilled that Carey Mulligan will play our mother in ‘Maestro’. “Carey will surely capture Felicia’s unique combination of wit, warmth, elegant beauty, and depth of emotion. We also love the way Carey conveys a kind of storybook European grace, which was something our mother embodied as well.” The script has been penned by Bradley, with the help of Josh Singer, who previously helped to pen ‘Spotlight’. The ‘A Star Is Born’ helmer earned the rights from the Bernstein Estate and has been working closely with his children, Jamie, Alexander and Nina. Previously, it was also confirmed that Jake Gyllenhaal was also set to star in another movie about the late composer titled ‘The American’, which would have been helmed by Cary Fukunaga. However, plans for the movie were eventually scrapped amid concerns Bernstein’s name wouldn’t draw a big enough audience. View the full article

Published by DPA Ukrainian couple Vladimir Ozarkov and Ulyana Kudla get married at the Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv. The couple decided to move their wedding earlier as the groom will be deployed the next day to join the fight against the Russian invasion. Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Since the beginning of the war almost three weeks ago, 10,683 couples across Ukraine have tied the knot, the Justice Ministry in Kiev said. “The war in the country continues, but life does not stop.” It added that 10,767 children had been born in the country since February 24. “Our workers continue to work for you even under war conditions!” the ministry wrote in a statement addressed to Ukrainians late Tuesday. Ukrainian couple Vladimir Ozarkov and Ulyana Kudla get married at the Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv. The couple decided to move their wedding earlier as the groom will be deployed the next day to join the fight against the Russian invasion. Carol Guzy/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa View the full article

Published by Reuters LONDON (Reuters) -A Russian woman who burst into a TV studio to denounce the Ukraine war during a live news bulletin told Reuters on Wednesday she was worried for her safety and hoped her protest would open Russians’ eyes to propaganda. In her first television interview since her extraordinary on-air protest on Channel One on Monday evening, Marina Ovsyannikova said that she had no plans to flee Russia and that she hoped she would not face criminal charges. “I believe in what I did but I now understand the scale of the problems that I’ll have to deal with, and, of course, I’m extremely concerned for my safety,” Ovsyannikova, an editor at Channel One, told Reuters. “I absolutely don’t feel like a hero… You know, I really want to feel that this sacrifice was not in vain, and that people will open their eyes.” She was fined 30,000 roubles ($280) on Tuesday hours after the Kremlin denounced her act of protest as “hooliganism”. Reuters has submitted a written request to the interior ministry asking for further comment on her case and whether legal proceedings are now closed. Ovsyannikova told Reuters she wanted not only to protest against the war but also to sent a message to Russians directly: “Don’t be such zombies; don’t listen to this propaganda; learn how to analyse information; learn how to find other sources of information – not just Russian state television.” (Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Mark Trevelyan) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Richard Cowan and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday urged the U.S. Congress to provide more weapons to help his country fight off Russian airstrikes in an invasion that has brought death and destruction and unleashed a wave of refugees. Reacting to concerns by President Joe Biden and many U.S. lawmakers that imposing a no-fly zone could escalate the conflict with nuclear-armed Russia, Zelenskiy asked for more planes and air defense systems. “Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death,” he told a meeting of the House of Representatives and Senate. “I need to protect our skies.” Zelenskiy’s virtual address came a day after he made a plea to Canada’s parliament for more Western sanctions on Russia and the imposition of a no-fly zone over Ukraine amid a conflict that began with Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion. Biden on Tuesday signed into law $13.6 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine to help it obtain more weaponry and for humanitarian assistance. Biden was expected to announce an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine later on Wednesday in remarks on U.S. aid to the country, a White House official said. Zelenskiy has sought in recent weeks to shore up support for his country in various speeches to foreign audiences, also including the European Parliament and the British Parliament. Support for Ukraine is a rare instance in which Republicans and Democrats have aligned in a sharply divided Congress, with some lawmakers in both parties urging Biden to go further in helping Ukraine. There is some bipartisan support in Congress for rushing combat aircraft to Ukraine. On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal. The United Nations estimates that around 3 million people have fled Ukraine, mostly women and children, and are seeking safety in neighboring countries, mainly Poland. Biden has announced a ban on Russian oil and other energy imports and has called for a suspension of Russia’s trading status that affords its exported products lower tariffs in the international arena. The House is attempting to pass legislation responding to Biden’s request this week. HISTORIC VISITS It is rare for foreign leaders to address the U.S. Congress during wartime. A famous example came in 1941, when British Prime Minister Winston Churchill spoke to Congress just weeks after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor that drew the United States into World War Two. Churchill warned that “many disappointments and unpleasant surprises await us.” In 2015, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech to Congress opposing an international deal aimed at discouraging Iran from developing nuclear weapons as the matter was being debated in Washington. The first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of Congress was King Kalakaua of Hawaii in 1874, before Hawaii became a state. Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russian President Boris Yeltsin in 1992 addressed Congress. Yeltsin’s upbeat speech proclaimed: “We have left behind the period when America and Russia looked at each other through gun sights, ready to pull the trigger at any time.” But the sanctions leveled by the United States and its allies against Russia following the invasion and moves to shore up Ukraine’s military capability have brought back memories of the decades-long Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union to which Yeltsin had referred. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation.” (Reporting by Richard Cowan and Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu, David Morgan and Katharine Jackson; Editing by Will Dunham, Scott Malone and Mark Porter) View the full article

Published by SI Swim By Jordi Lippe-McGraw The power of Rapinoe’s game is matched only by the power of her voice. “I feel a responsibility to do what I can with what I have to try to make the world better in whatever way I’m able to.” Megan Rapinoe is one of the world’s best soccer players. But what makes her even more impressive is that she takes the same passion she shows on the sporting field to the forum of activism. She began playing organized soccer at age 5, joining a boys’ team in her hometown of Redding, Calif., because there were no girls’ squads. That was just the start. Rapinoe won an NCAA championship… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) -Russian prosecutors asked a court on Tuesday to sentence jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to an additional 13 years on fraud and contempt of court charges and to move him to a maximum security prison, Navalny’s spokeswoman said. Navalny is already serving a two-and-a-half year sentence at a prison camp east of Moscow for parole violations related to charges he says were trumped up to thwart his political ambitions. In a Twitter post, his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, cited a judge of the Lefortovo court in Moscow as saying the sentence would be announced on March 22. Navalny used his appearance at the hearing, which was transmitted live from prison to reporters covering the case, to renew his call for an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine but the transmission of his statement was blocked, she added. “We’ve been saying that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin wants to keep Navalny in prison forever. The upcoming sentence has nothing to do with the law,” Yarmysh wrote. Navalny himself later struck a typically defiant tone, saying on Instagram: “If the prison term is the price of my human right to say things that need to be said… then they can ask for 113 years. I will not renounce my words or deeds.” The prosecutors asked for the transfer to a maximum security prison because they said Navalny had committed crimes in the prison camp, thus becoming a repeat offender, Yarmysh said. Officials at the prosecutor general’s office did not reply to a request for comment. FIGHTING ‘DESPOTISM’ Navalny, who is able to publish social media posts through his lawyers and allies, renewed his call for protests against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began on Feb. 24. In Tuesday’s Instagram post, he said the war had become “the direct consequence of corruption and degradation, a bloody cover-up of the failure of Putin’s regime”. Last week Russian authorities put Yarmysh on a wanted list. She left Russia last year after a court imposed 18 months of restrictions on her freedom of movement for breaching COVID-19 safety rules. Russian authorities have cracked down hard on the opposition, and many of Navalny’s most prominent allies have left Russia rather than face restrictions or jail at home. Navalny was jailed last year when he returned to Russia after receiving medical treatment in Germany following a poison attack with a nerve agent during a visit to Siberia in 2020. Navalny blamed Putin for the attack, a charge the Kremlin denies. (Reporting by ReutersEditing by Gareth Jones) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English David Bailey accidentally called Queen Elizabeth “girl”. The 95-year-old monarch sat for the legendary photographer in 2014 and he recalled trying to put her at ease by asking if “the jewels” were real and admitted he forgot about the formality that usually surrounds his subject and they “had a laugh” together. He recalled: “I said, ‘I bet that cost a few bob, girl’. “It just came out. I call everyone ‘girl’. But she was girlish. Made a real effort. We had a laugh. Beautiful skin, the Queen.” The 84-year-old photographer also joked about the “terrible hair” Princess Diana sported when he took her picture in 1988. He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “Terrible hair. You know, from the hairspray – solid as a plastic dummy.” During the shoot, David’s assistant accidentally dropped a light on Diana’s head, and the photographer recalled how “magnanimous” the princess – who died in 1997 in a car accident – was about the mishap, making a point of reassuring the woman afterwards. He recalled: “I thought, oh f***! “She said, ‘Don’t think about it; it was a terrible accident’. I told her she had been very magnanimous – that’s right, because she asked me what magnanimous meant.” According to the photographer, Diana was an easy subject, happy to do what she was directed to, although he made an effort to get her to laugh so the images didn’t look forced. He said: “This one is probably where I was trying to loosen her up. “Everything she is doing here is what I told her to do, though if I want to make them laugh, I tell them something funny. I don’t say ‘F****** laugh’.” David was diagnosed with vascular dementia after a stroke four years ago and he thinks there are advantages and disadvantages to his condition. He said: “I just get on with it. I’ve always been dyslexic so it didn’t make much difference. “[My family] joke, ‘Oh, don’t tell Bailey, he’ll forget, hee hee’. “It has its advantages because I forget the bad times, but sometimes I forget the good times too.” View the full article