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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

Published by AFP The US Capitol is seen at sunrise from Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC, on January 31, 2022 Washington (AFP) – The US Senate advanced a bill Tuesday that would bring an end to the twice-yearly changing of clocks, in favor of a “new, permanent standard time” that would mean brighter winter evenings. The Sunshine Protection Act, which still needs the backing of the House of Representatives, would mean no more losing an hour in bed every spring and fewer journeys home in the dark for school children and office workers. It was introduced last year by Republican Marco Rubio — a senator from the “Sunshine State” of Florida — who said studies had shown a permanent daylight saving time (DST) could benefit the economy. “It’s really straightforward. Cutting back on the sun during the fall and winter is a drain on the American people and does little to nothing to help them,” Rubio said in a statement ahead of the vote. “It’s time we retire this tired tradition.” Rubio told colleagues on the Senate floor the United States sees an increase in heart attacks and road accidents in the week that follow the changing of the clocks. DST was first adopted by the federal government during World War I but repealed after seven months while tweaks were made. Senators agreed unanimously to do away with the current version, which lasts from March until November. The clamor has increased in recent years to make DST permanent, especially among politicians and lobbyists from the Northeast, where frigid conditions are normal in the early winter mornings. Rubio said he’d sought input from the business community and it was agreed that the change should not take place until November 2023. “This is a big, sensible step forward,” added Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a co-sponsor of the bill who had earlier appealed on Twitter for fellow legislators to “brighten the coldest months with an extra hour of afternoon sun.” The legislation won’t affect Hawaii and most of Arizona, the Navajo Nation, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, which do not spring forward in summer. View the full article

Published by Reuters UK (Reuters) – The latest on Russia’s oligarchs and their assets: ALISHER USMANOV Alisher Usmanov, 68, a metals and telecoms tycoon with an estimated $16.2 billion net worth, has been sanctioned by the United States and European Union. Seized: – A villa in Golfo del Pevero, on the island of Sardinia, worth approximately $19 million, was seized by Italian authorities. Suspended: – The $600 million Dilbar superyacht is sitting in a Hamburg shipyard with authorities saying they have no plans to deliver it to the owner. – Everton F.C. suspended its $15 million plus naming rights deal with Usmanov’… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Christina Aguilera is headlining ‘L.A Pride in the Park’. The ‘Genie in a Bottle’ hitmaker has been given the top spot at the 2022 edition of the annual multi-stage festival celebrating the LGBT community – which was paused for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic – at its “iconic new” 25,000 capacity venue Los Angeles Historic State Park on 11 June. Gerald Garth, the vice president of programmes and initiatives at charity St Christopher’s Street said: “The inaugural L.A. Pride in 1970 set the foundation for what would become an annual celebration of the Greater Los Angeles LGBTQIA+ community. Over the course of those 50 years, it has been inspiring to see neighborhoods throughout L.A. organize their own Pride celebrations. As we return to in-person events, L.A. Pride is honored to continue the tradition that we started 50 years ago, this time with the iconic Christina Aguilera in an iconic new location.” Gerald promised – despite the attacks on LGBT rights and freedoms – they “will continue being loud” at the event, which tickets will go on sale on Tuesday (15.03.22) with more performer announcements to follow. He continued: “Given the LGBTQIA+ oppression that’s horrifyingly making its way into legal reality, putting our younger community’s visibility and truth at risk, there’s an even bigger reason for us to come together across the country and tell our youths to Love Your Pride. We will continue being loud and say gay. We will continue to come together to support you. To the lawmakers who are pushing this agenda: don’t come for family.” View the full article

Published by Reuters LONDON (Reuters) – Russia said on Tuesday it had put U.S. President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a dozen top U.S. officials on a “stop list” that bars them from entering the country. Alongside Biden, U.S. officials on the list included Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, CIA chief William Burns, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and former secretary of state and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The ban was in response to sanctions imposed by Washington on Russian officials. The foreign ministry later added Trudeau to the list of sanctioned individuals. The measures appeared to be mainly symbolic, as the Foreign Ministry said it was maintaining official relations and if necessary would make sure that high-level contacts with the people on the list could take place. (Reporting by Sujata Rao, Editing by Mark Trevelyan) View the full article

Published by DPA Kaspersky, the Russia-based multinational behind one of the world's most widely used antivirus software suites, is no longer a safe choice, according to Germany's IT authority. Laura Ludwig/dpa Private and professional users of Kaspersky’s widely installed antivirus software should find an alternative due to the risk of Russian cyber attacks, Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) warns. The German IT authority is warning of a “considerable risk of a successful IT attack” in the context of the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Moscow-based cybersecurity company could either itself carry out offensive operations or be forced to attack certain systems against its will, the German authority said on Tuesday. Russian tech services like Kaspersky could also be spied on without their knowledge or misused as tools for attacks against their own customers, the BSI warned. The Russia-based multinational is behind one of the world’s most widely used antivirus software suites. Like similar programs from Avast, Norton and Avira, Kaspersky’s software is designed to protect users against trojans, spyware and other cyber threats. Kaspersky denied its products posed a cybersecurity risk and said the BSI’s decision was not based on a technical evaluation of its products, but made for political reasons. “Kaspersky is a private global cybersecurity company and, as a private company, does not have any ties to the Russian or any other government.” The company added that it had also moved its data processing infrastructure to Switzerland. “We will continue to assure our partners and customers in the quality and integrity of our products, and we will be working with the BSI for clarification on its decision and for the means to address its and other regulators’ concerns.” Kaspersky added that peaceful dialogue is the only possible tool to resolve conflicts. “War isn’t good for anyone.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has proposed $644,398 in fines for 922 COVID-19 mask violators since February 2021 on commercial flights, in airports and train stations or on public transit services, the government reported on Monday, a dramatic jump in recent months. According to the government report https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-104583?utm_campaign=usgao_email&utm_content=topic_transportation&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery, all but 44 of the TSA fines were for failing to wear masks as required on airplanes or, less often, in airports. The rest covered unmasked passengers in surface transportation like transit, rail and bus. The agency said it has also issued warnings to more than 2,700 travelers after more than 7,000 reported incidents since the transit mask requirements took effect. In late October, TSA said it had proposed $85,990 in fines for 190 mask violators and issued warnings to more than 2,200. Last week, TSA said it was extending mask requirements at airports and on airplanes through April 18. Since the start of 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has investigated reports of 6,800 unruly airplane passengers including about 4,800 for not wearing masks. It has opened 450 investigations and proposed more than $5 million in fines. The TSA fines included $501,388 for 788 onboard air incidents, averaging $636. The TSA has issued 18 civil penalties for not wearing masks at airport checkpoints totaling $57,065 or $3,170 on average, and 160 others at airports totaling $57,795, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report said. Another 44 have been issued for surface transportation incidents totaling $28,150. Last year, two U.S. lawmakers in the House of Representatives disclosed TSA had issued just $2,350 in total fines to 10 passengers through mid-September, despite thousands of reports of travelers failing to comply. TSA in November issued an information circular for aviation transportation operators detailing type of information “needed for an investigation and best practices for obtaining information, such as from witnesses to incidents,” the GAO said. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nancy Lapid (Reuters) – The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. One in four kids with COVID develop lingering problems One in four children with COVID-19 symptoms develop “long COVID,” according to data pooled from 21 earlier studies conducted in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. Among the 80,071 children with COVID-19 in the studies, 25% developed symptoms that lasted at least 4-to-12 weeks or new persistent symptoms that appeared within 12 weeks, researchers reported on Sunday on medRxiv ahead of peer review. The most frequent problems were neuropsychiatric (mood symptoms, fatigue, sleep disorders, headaches, cognitive alterations, dizziness, balance problems), cardiorespiratory (breathing difficulty, congestion, exercise intolerance, chest pain and tightness, cough, irregular heart rhythm), skin-related (excessive sweating, itchiness, hair loss) and gastrointestinal (abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea). Analyses of data pooled from many different studies with different methodologies cannot yield firm conclusions, the researchers acknowledge. What is clear, however, is that “children and adolescents have also physical and mental health consequences derived from COVID-19,” said study coauthor Sonia Villapol of Houston Methodist Research Institute in Texas. “Identifying the main signs and symptoms of pediatric long COVID can help diagnose, develop better treatments, create multidisciplinary teams for optimal clinical management, and find risk factors for prevention.” Vaccine protection in mother’s milk strongest after mRNA shots Women who wish to pass protective antibodies induced by COVID-19 vaccines to their babies via breast milk should opt for the mRNA shots from Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech, according to a study reported on Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. For the study, 124 lactating women each provided 17 milk samples over a period of 100 days. The women had received either an mRNA vaccine or a vector-based vaccine from Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca. Researchers measured two types of antibodies in the milk samples – IgA antibodies and IgG antibodies, both of which are thought to play important roles in protecting breastfed infants. Nearly all – 96% to 97% – of the women who received both doses of an mRNA vaccine had detectable IgA antibodies in their milk, while only 39% had antibodies in their milk after two doses of the AstraZeneca shot and 48% after the one-dose J&J vaccine. All the women who received both doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccines had IgG antibodies, compared to only 28% of women who received J&J’s shot. “An mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine is the optimal choice for lactating women when they want to transfer breast milk antibodies to their infants,” the researchers concluded. Omicron is infectious on surfaces longer than original virus Omicron particles remain infectious on surfaces for longer periods than particles of the original SARS-CoV-2, according to laboratory experiments. Researchers put droplets of infectious virus from the original coronavirus version and the Omicron BA.1 variant on a variety of surfaces at room temperature. On smooth surfaces (glass, stainless steel and plastic sheet), Omicron was still infectious after seven days, whereas particles of the original SARS-CoV-2 were no longer infectious on stainless steel and plastic sheets by day 4 and on glass by day 7, the researchers reported on Thursday on bioRxiv ahead of peer review. On tissue paper and printing paper, the original virus was no longer infectious at 30 minutes. Omicron was still infectious at 30 minutes, but no longer after an hour, the researchers said. For the most part, SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted via respiratory droplets in the air. While infection via contact with contaminated surfaces is less common, the new study “highlights the importance of hand hygiene and cleaning on surfaces that are regularly touched by different persons,” said study coauthor Leo Poon of the University of Hong Kong. “For surfaces and settings contaminated by a COVID-19 patient, proper cleaning should be done.” (Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jim Bourg WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A convoy of trucks attempted to bring a weeks-long, cross-country protest against COVID-19 mandates into Washington, D.C., on Monday, but police blocked numerous bridges, highway exits and city streets, preventing many of the vehicles from entering the heart of the nation’s capital. It was the first time the protesters sought to enter the city since the convoy arrived in the area earlier this month. The procession started out in California in February. Before Monday, the trucks, which were joined by protesters in cars and recreational vehicles, remained on the Beltway, a 64-mile (103 km) highway that encircles the city, driving slowly to draw attention to their cause. Officials on Monday warned of traffic delays on three major interstates in the capital region due to the closures. A traffic camera mounted near the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River showed dozens of big rigs backed up on Interstate 395 near the Pentagon as police denied access. Many of the drivers were blaring their air horns as traffic snarled. While many trucks were blocked, some apparently made it into the city, according to live streams posted on social media. Leaders of the convoy, inspired by demonstrations last month that paralyzed Canada’s capital city of Ottawa, are calling for an end to all pandemic-related restrictions. The movement attracted participants from around the country who were angry about vaccination requirements for health, government and military employees. It has also drawn support from Republicans such as U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. The protest against vaccine requirements and other pandemic restrictions has been undercut in recent weeks, with many U.S. cities rolling back mask mandates and other measures as infections and hospitalizations decline sharply. Before drivers made the roughly 80-mile trip to Washington on Monday morning, hundreds of vehicles gathered at the Hagerstown Speedway racetrack in Maryland. The group had planned to stage a protest on Washington’s National Mall but it withdrew its application for a permit when the National Park Service would not grant its requested dates, according to the Washington Post. A representative of the National Park Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Pete Davidson is heading to Space on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket. The 28-year-old comedian – who is dating Kim Kardashian – is set to follow in the footsteps of Hollywood legend William Shatner and former NFL star Michael Strahan by boarding the 20th flight as part of the New Shepard programme on March 23. A tweet on the official Blue Origin Twitter page read: “#NewShepard mission #NS20 will include Marty Allen, @NBCSNL’s Pete Davidson, @SharonHagle, Marc Hagle, @JimKitchen, and @DrGeorgeNield. Liftoff on March 23 is targeted for 8:30 am CDT / 13:30 UTC from Launch Site One.” The ‘SNL’ star and billionaire businessman Jeff – who founded Amazon in the 90s – were recently reported to have held “preliminary” talks about heading off into outer space together. A source told E! News: “They’ve been in discussions, several. Nothing is official yet and no date locked in. It’s very preliminary.” Pete and Kim, 41, visited Jeff’s mansion in January. Though it wasn’t entirely clear what they discussed during their meeting. However, it was later speculated that a trip into Space was on the cards. Another source said: “He got on really well with Jeff when they met.” Pete started dating the reality star – who he recently went Instagram official with – last year after she filed for divorce from Kanye West. And the ‘King of Staten Island’ star is said to have been wowed by the brunette beauty over recent months. A source explained: “Pete loves that Kim is such a great, hands-on mom and also a boss. She has created an empire and Pete really respects that she has been able to balance multiple successful businesses and a stressful divorce all at the same time. “He admires her class and thinks she is a supermom.” Pete – who has also dated the likes of Ariana Grande, Kate Beckinsale and Kaia Gerber – and Kim are said to have great “chemistry” when they’re together. The insider added: “Kim and Pete are always laughing together and are constantly in hysterics. “Pete brings out a side of Kim that she loves. She adores Pete’s sense of humour and their chemistry is on another level. Kim likes that he is so authentically himself. He’s also really sweet and always puts Kim first. They get along wonderfully and share a really special bon View the full article

Published by Reuters By Antonio Denti, Michael Martina and Andrea Shalal ROME/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Monday raised concerns about China’s alignment with Russia in a seven-hour meeting with Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi as Washington warned of the isolation and penalties Beijing will face if it helps Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine. The meeting took place in Rome as Washington told allies in NATO and several Asian countries that China had signaled its willingness to provide military and economic aid to Russia to support its war, two U.S. officials said. The U.S. message, sent in a diplomatic cable, also noted China was expected to deny those plans, said one of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s real, it’s consequential, and it’s really alarming,” the second U.S. official said, although the U.S. government offered no public evidence to back its assertions of China’s willingness to provide such aid to Russia. After talks ended, the White House issued a short statement, saying Sullivan raised a “range of issues in U.S.-China relations, with substantial discussion of Russia’s war against Ukraine.” “We have deep concerns about China’s alignment with Russia at this time, and the national security adviser was direct about those concerns and the potential implications and consequences of certain actions,” a senior administration official told reporters. Sullivan described to Yang “the unity of the United States and its allies and partners … in bringing costs on Russia for its actions,” this official added. The official described the meeting as “intense,” reflecting “the gravity of the moment,” although it had long been planned, was not timed to events in Ukraine and covered other issues including North Korea, Taiwan and tense bilateral relations. The official said the exchanges had been “candid” but led to no specific outcomes. Before the talks, U.S. officials had said Sullivan planned to warn of the isolation China could face globally if it supported Russia. Officials of the United States and other countries have sought to emphasize in recent weeks that siding with Russia could carry consequences for trade flows, development of new technologies and expose China to secondary sanctions. Chinese companies defying U.S. restrictions on exports to Russia may be cut off from American equipment and software they need to make their products, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said last week. “We have communicated very clearly to Beijing that we will not stand by…(and) we will not allow any country to compensate Russia for its losses,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told a regular briefing in Washington. It was Sullivan’s first-known meeting with Yang since closed-door sessions in Zurich in October that sought to calm tensions after an acrimonious public exchange between the two in Alaska a year ago. AVOID CONFLICT, CHINA SAYS China’s official Xinhua news agency cited Yang as saying that Beijing was committed to promoting negotiations to resolve the Ukraine conflict. “China firmly opposes any words and deeds that spread false information and distort and smear China’s position,” Yang said, in an apparent oblique reference to Washington’s claims about support for Russia. China and the United States should strengthen dialogue, properly manage differences, and avoid conflict and confrontation, he said. Ryan Hass of the Brookings Institution said Chinese support for Russia “would considerably narrow its path for preserving non-hostile relations with the United States and the West” and not likely alter the trajectory of the conflict. China is the world’s-largest exporter, the European Union’s largest trading partner and the top foreign supplier of goods to the United States. Any pressure on Chinese trade could have economic effects on the United States and its allies. U.S. officials told Reuters on Sunday that Russia had asked China for military equipment after its invasion. Russia denied asking China for military assistance and said it has sufficient military clout to fulfill all of its aims in Ukraine. Sino-U.S. ties, already at their lowest point in decades, took a further plunge last month when leaders Xi Jinping of China and President Vladimir Putin of Russia announced an upgraded “no limits” strategic partnership just weeks before the Ukraine invasion. China, a key trading partner of Russia, has refused to call Moscow’s actions an invasion, although Xi last week did call for “maximum restraint” and express concern about the impact of Western sanctions on the global economy, amid growing signs that they limit China’s ability to buy Russian oil. Russia itself calls its moves into Ukraine a “special military operation.” The United States and its allies have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia and banned its energy imports, while providing billions of dollars of military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. (Reporting by Antonio Denti in Rome and Michael Martina, Andrea Shalal, David Brunnstrom, Steve Holland, Simon Lewis and Phil Stewart in Washington and Eduardo Baptista in Beijing; Editing by Heather Timmons and Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English The ‘Full House’ cast are open to another reboot after Bob Saget’s death. Many of the classic sitcom’s stars – who also returned for the ‘Fuller House’ reboot – have revealed they would be open to returning for a third iteration just two months after the actor’s sad death aged 65. Speaking to the ‘Today’ show at 90s Con, Dave Coulier quipped: “Like, OK, we’ll do ‘Fullest House’. I think we would in a heartbeat.” His castmates agreed, and Andrea Barber – who was also appearing alongside Candace Cameron Bure and Scott Weinger – suggested their late friend would approve. She added: “It would be hard but I think Bob would want that.” Meanwhile, Coulier admitted while being back together at the convention over the weekend was tough for the actors, it was a cathartic experience. He explained: “It’s still hard to talk about it because he was such a huge part of our family, and he was the central figure that always brought us together.” Saget died on January 9, and his family have now been granted a permanent injuction by Ninth Judicial Circuit Judge Vincent Chiu. In a statement obtained by People, Brian Bieber – the Saget family’s attorney – explained: “The entire Saget family is grateful that the judge granted their request for an injunction to preserve Bob’s dignity, as well as their privacy rights, especially after suffering this unexpected and tragic loss. “We are pleased this issue has been resolved, and the healing process can continue to move forward. All of the prayers and well wishes continuously extended to the family are beyond appreciated.” The ‘Full House’ star was found dead in his Florida hotel room in January and his family previously said that he died from head trauma. Following his death, Kelly Rizzo, the actor’s widow, and their three daughters – Aubrey, Lara and Jennifer Saget – launched legal action against Orange County Sheriff John Mina and the District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office in a bid to stop photographs or videos related to the investigation from being released. Attorneys representing the family claimed they would “suffer irreparable harm in the form of extreme mental pain, anguish, and emotional distress” if the records were made public. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kelis’ husband Mike Mora has lost his battle with stomach cancer. The ‘Milkshake’ hitmaker’s spouse, who was just 37, had revealed he was diagnosed with stage four cancer in October 2021. Confirming the sad news of his death, Kelis’ management told ‘Entertainment Tonight’: “Sadly, it’s true that Mike Mora has passed away. We would ask all to respect Kelis and her family’s privacy as of right now. Thank you.” The photographer began suffering the “worst pain” in his belly he’d ever had a year before his devastating diagnosis, as well as a loss of appetite and discomfort in his back, and although he left it “a bit late” to seek medical advice, he was hopeful he did so “just in time”, but a doctor gave him just 18 months to live. He wrote on Instagram: “I was told people with my disease, in this phase, didn’t make it past 18 months. It’s been exactly 12.” Mike told how after a week of undergoing tests and seeing various specialists, he was finally told he had gastric adenocarcinoma, stomach cancer, not long after he and Kelis welcomed their daughter Galilee into the world in September 2020. He continued: “I thought the whole time that I just had an ulcer. With no idea what was about to come my way. Here I was, in a hospital bed, during the middle of the pandemic. All alone.” Mike – who also had six-year-old son Shepherd with Kelis and is stepfather to her and Nas’ 12-year-old son Knight – hoped to inspire others in similar situations not to give up hope and to cherish the time they have with their loved ones. He wrote in a separate post: “I am posting this, after so much thought. not because I want people to feel bad or sorry for me and my family. I am posting this because life is full of the most unexpected situations. “I never thought this could happen to me. At just 36, with 3 kiddos, and a wife that loves me. I want to be able to help those that might experience something, maybe, hopefully. By showing that it’s possible to make it through. “I want to be able to help those that might be experiencing something like this- a life-altering disease full of questions and doubt- maybe, hopefully. By showing that it’s possible to make it through. “You always see people post about how life is too short. How you should reach out to those you love no matter where life has taken you. It is the truth. Don’t take your time here, your time with friends, family, for granted. S*** can be over just like that!(sic)” He has also thanked those who had sent him messages of support, admitting the posts were “overwhelming” and vowed to keep people updated on his battle. He wrote: “Dear friends, it has been incredibly overwhelming. Receiving all the love and words of encouragement. I am so grateful. “But overall, I think it’s making me stronger. I have tried to respond to all the messages. If I have not, please forgive me. I have never had so many messages in my life. [Love] to all. The story will continue.” View the full article

Published by DPA Higher rates of depression and anxiety have been noted in people who were bedridden at home with the coronavirus for seven days or more. Fabian Sommer/dpa Spending more than a week in bed with Covid may be linked to an increase in the risk of long term damage to mental health, new research suggests. The study found that people with coronavirus who were not admitted to hospital were more likely to experience symptoms of depression up to 16 months after diagnosis, compared to those never infected. Those who were bedridden for seven days or more had higher rates of depression and anxiety, compared to people who were diagnosed with the virus but never bedridden. Although most symptoms eased within two months after diagnosis, patients who spent a week or more in bed were more likely to experience depression and anxiety over the 16-month study period. Patients with severe Covid often experience inflammation which has previously been linked to chronic mental health effects, particularly depression. Researchers suggest why patients who spent longer in bed had depression or anxiety rates could be due to a combination of worrying about long-term health effects as well as Covid symptoms persisting. Study author Professor Unnur Anna Valdimarsdottir, of the University of Iceland, said: “Our research is among the first to explore mental health symptoms after a serious Covid-19 illness in the general population up to 16 months after diagnosis. “It suggests that mental health effects aren’t equal for all Covid-19 patients and that time spent bedridden is a key factor in determining the severity of the impacts on mental health. “As we enter the third year of the pandemic, increased clinical vigilance of adverse mental health among the proportion of patients with a severe acute disease of Covid-19 and follow-up studies beyond the first year after infections are critical to ensure timely access to care.” Until now most studies have looked only at adverse mental health impacts for up to six months after a Covid diagnosis. Much less is known about the long-term mental health impacts beyond that, particularly for patients not admitted to hospital with varying degrees of Covid severity. In the study researchers looked at the prevalence of depression, anxiety, Covid-19 related distress and poor sleep quality among people with and without a diagnosis of the disease from 0-16 months. They drew upon data from seven groups of people across Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the UK. Of the 247,249 people included, 9,979 (4%) were diagnosed with the virus between February 2020 and August 2021. Overall, people diagnosed with Covid-19 had a higher prevalence of depression and poorer sleep quality compared to individuals who were never diagnosed – 20.2% versus 11.3% experienced symptoms of depression, and 29.4% versus 23.8% experienced poor sleep quality. People diagnosed with coronavirus but never bedridden due to their illness were less likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety than those not diagnosed with it. The researchers suggest one explanation for this is that the return to normal lives is a relief for these individuals while those still not infected are still anxious about getting infected. However, over 16 months, patients who were bedridden for seven days or more were 50-60% more likely to experience higher depression and anxiety compared to people never infected during the study period, the researchers found. Co-author Ingibjorg Magnusdottir, of the University of Iceland, said: “The higher occurrence of depression and anxiety among patients with Covid-19 who spent seven days or longer bedridden could be due to a combination of worrying about long-term health effects as well as the persistence of physical long Covid symptoms well beyond the illness that limit social contact and may result in a sense of helplessness. “Equally, inflammatory responses among patients with a severe diagnosis may contribute to more persistent mental health symptoms. “In contrast, the fact that individuals with a mild Covid-19 infection can return to normal lives sooner and only experience a benign infection likely contributes to the lower risk of negative mental health effects we observed.” The findings are published in The Lancet Public Health journal. View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega When Caitlyn Jenner unveiled herself to the world in a sensational June 2015 Vanity Fair gender reveal cover, the world’s most famous transgender star was assumed to have been born. The reality star and former male Olympic gold medallist was widely feted as the biggest trans star in history. Jenner has indeed become a passionate advocate for trans rights and is undoubtedly a trans icon. But in the bitter culture wars that now rage between trans activists and radical feminists, there was an earlier transexual superstar whose voice has largely been lost in the din — until now. Christine Jorgensen blazed a trail for trans people long before Caitlyn swapped her Speedos for a swimsuit. Jorgensen became America’s first celebrity trans woman after undergoing sex reassignment surgery and hormone treatment in Denmark in the early 1950s. She had formerly been a US G.I. in the Second World War and, when it was revealed that she’d changed gender in a front-page news story while she was in Europe undergoing treatment, she found instant fame on her return to the US where she began a career as an actress and singer. Like Jenner, Jorgensen rose to the heights of showbiz society. She became a friend to the stars, had flings with movie greats, and rubbed more than just shoulders with royalty. Mega Now, a fascinating lost tape uncovered by Hollywood fixer Paul Barresi shines a light on America’s first grand trans dame. Recorded on September 17, 1988, just months before she died the following year, the tape is her last recorded interview. “I’m proud to have given Christine Jorgensen her voice back and to have uncovered not only a part of showbiz history but also an important cultural relic,” says Barresi. In the tape, shared exclusively with Radar, Jorgensen, who was born George William Jr. in 1952, talks about her links to royalty and celebrity. She tells interviewer Ray Strait, an author who was Jayne Mansfield’s press secretary, about meeting actor John Wayne, who became a cancel culture bête noire in 2019 when excerpts of a 1971 Playboy interview he gave, in which he criticized the depiction of gay sex in the movie Midnight Cowboy, were tweeted. Jorgensen explained that she was dining in the DeMille restaurant at Paramount Studios having lunch when “The Duke” came in. “I had never met him. He doffed his cap, came over, put his arms around me and kissed me,” she recalls. “And that’s the one and only time I did meet him. And he came over and he kissed me. He kissed me on the lips!” Whatever Wayne’s opinions about gay cowboys were, the tape shows he was obviously not concerned about trans women. Jorgensen, however, had nothing good to say about another actor, Sean Penn, who was making headlines at the time for his divorce from Madonna following allegations of violence and abuse, which the singer later withdrew. “There are men that are absolutely terrified of being in the same room with me. I’m sure I would terrify Sean Penn,” she said. “I think he’s trying to prove his masculinity all the time. He’s not a very charming little man.” She explained that she believed some famous men felt threatened by her, naming talk show host Johnny Carson as an example. “I’ve done every talk show, practically on the face of this country, but he’s scared of me,” she explained. “Those that are secure in their own masculinity had no problem approaching me or saying, ‘Hi’. Not like the young ones today like Sean Penn, who want fame, or they’ll punch you in the mouth.” Radar Barresi uncovered the lost tape for an unnamed collector. He explains that Jorgensen’s revelation about John Wayne shows the True Grit star in a more nuanced light. He explains: “The days of being recognized for our best achievements in life are long gone. In 2019, cancel culture fanatics resurrected a decades-old interview and branded an adored Western movie star a racist and a homophobe. I wonder what those people would have to say after hearing Christine Jorgensen talk about The Duke’s inclusive greeting when he met her. “Wayne was obviously not bothered by Christine’s gender orientation. It is very easy to take something said by someone in the past out of historical context and judge them by the progressive standards of the day. But is that fair? Culture and opinions change and decades down the road we’ll all be judged to have had outdated views on something or other.” In the interview excerpts, Jorgensen also reveals she dated The King and I star Yul Brynner in the fifties when he was starring in the Broadway version of the musical. She says: “We went to 21 Club a couple of times with Gypsy Rose Lee (a famous burlesque dancer) and Julio De Diego (a famous artist) who she was married to at that time. I used to come backstage at The King and I and he’d (Brynner) would be shaving his head with an electric shaver. And a little boy, the number one son in the show, stood there with great big saucer eyes looking at me all the time, waiting for me to come, just cute as a button. And I did not know for 20 years that it was Sal Mineo (the Rebel Without a Cause actor who was later nominated for an Oscar).” Later in the interview, Jorgensen explains she was introduced to gangster Lucky Luciano, Howard Hughes, and deposed King Farouk of Egypt by Ada “Bricktop” Smith, the American dancer, performer, and jazz singer, at her nightclub in Rome. Of the king, Jorgensen recalls, “Bricktop always referred to Farouk as ‘his majesty’, but what are you gonna call a dethroned King? So, I never called him your majesty. I liked him. He had a sense of humor. Even about himself. He laughed a lot. He was very, very, nice, extremely generous.” Later, the exiled monarch sent Jorgensen a gift of a diamond and aquamarine ring and pendant set. She suspected he wanted sexual favors in return but exclaimed, “I wasn’t about to jump in the sack with King Farouk.” On her return from Europe to the US Jorgensen traveled with playwright Tennessee Williams and his muse, Italian actress Anna Magnani. They were going to make the movie The Rose Tattoo together, which Williams was writing and for which Magnani eventually won a Best Actress Oscar. Jorgensen explains, “Anna did not speak much English. She had her coach with her, but all the way across for ten days, there wasn’t much English spoken by Anna Magnani. So, I said to Tennessee at that time I said Tennessee… Tom, you have a little problem. That woman doesn’t speak English. And he said, I know, I know. She came over, she made the film and won the Academy Award. Tennessee adored Anna.” Mega In another part of the interview, Jorgensen reveals she had a romantic tryst with King Frederick IX of Denmark shortly after her gender reassignment surgery, explaining the high heels she wore at the time helped level up the height difference between them. “They were very open in Denmark,” she laughs. “They are not like the British Royal family. Queen Elizabeth doesn’t show up very much as having a sense of humor.” Jorgensen then laughs at rumors she heard that Queen Elizabeth II once took her shoes off in a private plane, looked up at one of her gay staff members and she said “will one of you queens get this queen a gin and tonic.” “I’d like to know that she has a sense of humor because invariably she shows up and she looks like her haemorrhoids are about ready to explode,” guffaws Jorgensen. The interview was recorded at Jorgensen’s home in San Clemente, California, and forms part of an eight-hour archive uncovered by Barresi in which the celebrity also discusses Mae West, Marilyn Munroe and Vivien Lee. She also talks about the time she was banned from performing in Boston by the city’s Archbishop and how mafia gangsters were fans. Jorgensen was raised in the Bronx and described herself as having been a “frail, blond, introverted little boy who ran from fistfights and rough-and-tumble games.” Following military service, she intended to travel to Sweden to undergo surgery but met an endocrinologist called Christian Hamburger in Copenhagen who was a specialist in hormone therapy. He supervised Jorgensen’s treatment and she chose her name in honor of him. In 1951 she obtained special permission from the Danish Minister of Justice to undergo a series of operations to remove her male genitalia. On her return to the US, she eventually underwent vaginoplasty when the procedure became available there. While in Europe undergoing treatment, her gender reassignment was revealed in a New York Daily News front-page story under the headline Ex-GI Becomes Blonde Beauty. The article erroneously claimed she was the recipient of the ‘first sex change’ op. The procedure was being performed in Germany as far back as the 1920s. She was, however, a pioneer in the use of hormone replacement in association with surgery. When she returned to the States in 1953 she was an instant celebrity. Crowds of reporters and photographers were waiting as she disembarked the plane. Despite a desire for a quiet life, she realized the only way she could make a living was through public appearances and launched her singing and performing career. In 1967 she published her autobiography, which sold almost half a million copies. Jorgensen was one of the early advocates of the trans movement and throughout her life gave talks on inclusivity. She is credited with being one of the first celebrities to raise awareness of gender issues. She helped influence other trans people to change their sex on their birth certificates and to change their names. She was proud of the role she played, telling a 1988 Los Angeles Times interviewer: “I am very proud now, looking back, that I was on that street corner 36 years ago when a movement started. It was the sexual revolution that was going to start with or without me. We may not have started it, but we gave it a good swift kick in the pants.” She died of cancer in 1989, a month before her 63rd birthday. The unearthed tapes provide a timely reminder of one of the most celebrated and respected trans pioneers. View the full article

[This post contains video, click to play] Russian news and misinformation play the key role in misinforming the Russian population. So complete is the internet and news blockout under the new laws, support for the war against the Nazis in Ukraine (as they have told the Russian public) is almost 60% in favor of the invasion. 15-20,000 have been arrested and almost nothing reported about what has happened to the anti-war protesters in major Russian cities. With Facebook and Twitter shut down, news is relayed in private Telegram and other services, through the reviews on sites that are available but only to those who know to look and who for whatever reason choose to believe the words coming from non-traditional and impossible to verify sources. View the full article