RadioRob

Published by BANG Showbiz English Dua Lipa thinks being bullied online has made her a better artist. The ‘Levitating’ singer was widely ridiculed for a quirky dance move back in 2018 but she’s now “reclaimed” the choreography because she has a “different perspective” on the situation and can recognise how the trolling she received motivated her to “work harder”. Speaking on ‘The Tonight show Starring Jimmy Fallon’, she said: “The reason we’re talking about it is because I brought it back. I’m doing it on my tour. “I’m reclaiming it because there was a moment where it caused me a lot of grief. Like I was being bullied online. It wasn’t very nice, but now I can look at it from a different perspective. “I look back on it with such fondness because it helped me grow into the artist I wanted to become. It made me work harder. I went in, I did more rehearsal. I just wanted to become a real performer and I think that was the thing I needed.” The 26-year-old star also reflected on collaborating with Sir Elton John on ‘Cold Heart’. She said: “I’m so lucky to have so many pinch-me moments in my life.” The ‘One Kiss’ hitmaker has previously admitted online trolling left her with “anxiety” and questioning whether she was “good enough” to be a star. She said: “I experienced a s*** tonne at the end of my first record, and it was definitely something that gave me anxiety and made me upset and made me feel like I wasn’t good enough and made me feel like, maybe I’m not meant to be here and on the stage. “Even after the Grammys, some people were like, ‘Well, she doesn’t deserve it.’ “There were so many things, especially when you start out, like a video of me dancing and they’re like, ‘Ah well, she has no stage presence’ – but they’d never been to one of my shows, they’d never seen me perform.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday reinstated convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence for his role in the 2013 attack that killed three people and wounded more than 260 others, ruling in favor of the federal government. In a 6-3 decision, the justices sided with the Justice Department’s challenge to a 2020 federal appeals court ruling that had upheld Tsarnaev’s conviction but overturned his death sentence. The Supreme Court faulted the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on its findings both that Tsarnaev’s right to a fair trial under the U.S. Constitution’s Sixth Amendment was violated and that the trial judge wrongly excluded certain evidence about a separate crime. “Dzhokhar Tsarnaev committed heinous crimes. The Sixth Amendment nonetheless guaranteed him a fair trial before an impartial jury. He received one,” conservative Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the court. The court’s six conservative justices were in the majority, with its three liberals dissenting. President Joe Biden as a candidate promised to work to pass legislation in Congress to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level and set incentives for states to do as well, instead endorsing life sentences without probation or parole. But his administration last year opted to proceed with an appeal initially launched by the Justice Department under his predecessor Donald Trump to defend Tsarnaev’s death sentence. In a dissenting opinion, liberal Justice Stephen Breyer agreed with 1st Circuit that evidence about the separate crime, a 2011 triple murder in Waltham, Massachusetts linked to Tsarnaev’s older brother Tamerlan, was improperly excluded. Lawyers for Tsarnaev, who is 28 now and was 19 at the time of the attack, have argued that Tsarnaev played a secondary role in the marathon bombing to his brother, who they called “an authority figure” with “violent Islamic extremist beliefs.” As such, the evidence about another crime Tamerlan allegedly committed would be relevant, they argued. “This evidence may have led some jurors to conclude that Tamerlan’s influence was so pervasive that Dzhokhar did not deserve to die for any of the actions he took in connection with the bombings, even those taken outside of Tamerlan’s presence,” Breyer wrote. “And it would have taken only one juror’s change of mind to have produced a sentence other than death, even if a severe one,” added Breyer, who in the past has questioned the constitutionality of the death penalty. The primary source of the evidence about the other murders, a man named Ibragim Todashev, was killed by an FBI agent in 2013 when he attacked officers during an interview. The Supreme Court also found that U.S. District Judge George O’Toole, who presided over the trial, did not violate Tsarnaev’s right to a trial in front of an impartial jury by failing to properly screen jurors for potential bias following pervasive news coverage of the bombings. CONVICTED ON ALL COUNTS The Tsarnaev brothers detonated two homemade pressure-cooker bombs at the marathon’s finish line on April 15, 2013, and days later killed a police officer. Tamerlan Tsarnaev died after the gunfight with police. Jurors convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in 2015 on all 30 counts he faced and determined he deserved execution for a bomb he planted that killed Martin Richard, 8, and Chinese exchange student Lingzi Lu, 23. Restaurant manager Krystle Campbell, 29, was killed by the second bomb. Marc Fucarile, who lost his right leg in the second blast, said the Supreme Court “did the right thing” and that the three justices who dissented “should be ashamed.” But Fucarile said he has no confidence that the death sentence would ultimately be carried out, especially under the Biden administration. “He got what he deserves,” said Fucarile, 43. “I think we need to send a message, you can’t just kill innocent people and set off bombs in crowds of people.” No federal inmates were executed for 17 years before Trump oversaw 13 executions in the last six months of his term. Biden’s attorney general, Merrick Garland, last July imposed a moratorium on federal executions while the Justice Department reviews the death penalty. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in March 2021 that Biden continues to have “grave concerns about whether capital punishment, as currently implemented, is consistent with the values that are fundamental to our sense of justice and fairness.” (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Additional reporting by Nate Raymond; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration has delivered White House visitor logs from former President Donald Trump’s administration to the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, the committee said on Friday. NARA also turned over records from former Vice President Mike Pence, meeting a March 3 deadline. “Yesterday, the Select Committee received additional production of records from the National Archives,” a House of Representatives Select Committee aide said. “This included records that the former President attempted to keep hidden behind claims of privilege.” Trump had tried to block the release of the visitor logs, but President Joe Biden rejected his claim that they were subject to executive privilege, “in light of the urgency” of the committee’s work and Congress’ “compelling need.” Several courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have also ruled against the Republican ex-president’s efforts to block the release of various records to the committee. So far, more than 725 people have been charged with playing a role in the attack on the Capitol by mobs of Trump supporters, which left five people dead and more than 100 police officers injured. Another four police officers involved in defending the Capitol later committed suicide. The Jan. 6 committee has been investigating the events surrounding the attack – and the former president’s role in it – for more than seven months. It has made more than 80 subpoenas public, including many issued to top Trump aides and allies, and interviewed more than 560 witnesses. It has also gathered records from social media and other telecommunications firms. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Mark Porter) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jennifer Rigby (Reuters) – Almost a third of people report at least one ongoing symptom between 6 and 12 months after their coronavirus infection, a survey of 152,000 people in Denmark has found. The study includes one of the largest groups yet of people who were not hospitalised with COVID, and followed them for longer than other major studies, the researchers from Denmark’s State Serum Institute (SSI) said. The questionnaire-based study suggested that the most commonly reported long-term symptoms were changes in sense of smell and taste, as well as fatigue. Conducted between September 2020 and April 2021, well before the recent Omicron variant surge, the survey compared the responses of 61,002 people who had tested positive for the coronavirus six, nine or 12 months before with those of 91,878 people who had tested negative. In total, 29.6% of the respondents who had tested positive reported at least one ongoing physical symptom 6 to 12 months after infection, compared to 13% in the control group. Just over half (53.1%) of those with positive tests said they had experienced either mental or physical exhaustion, sleep problems or cognitive problems within the 6 to 12 months after infection. That compared to 11.5% in the control group. New diagnoses of anxiety and depression were also more common among those with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the study showed. The study was published as a pre-print and has not yet been peer reviewed. Study author Anders Peter Hviid, an epidemiology professor at SSI, said the results are another sign that the long tail of COVID-19 should be considered by policy makers. “It’s something you should take into account when you are weighing up the risks and benefits of… the interventions you are making, and vaccinations,” he said in a phone interview, stressing that more studies are needed. Estimates on the prevalence of what is known as long COVID vary. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls the syndrome Post-COVID-19 condition and defines it as ongoing symptoms – including fatigue or shortness of breath, among others – three months after the initial infection that last at least two months. The WHO estimates that between 10% and 20% of people are affected by that point and says more work is needed on the longer-term prognosis. David Strain, lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School in the UK who was not involved in the study, called the report “really concerning.” “If Omicron is causing long Covid at the same rate as these earlier variants, we could be looking at a major crisis over the next 12 months given the number of people who have been exposed to this virus,” he said. (Reporting by Jennifer Rigby in London; Editing by Nancy Lapid and Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by DPA Gallery security guard Darren Rout stands alongside artwork by Sarah Lucas featuring a cast of Michael Clark's body, at the preview for the Michael Clark: Cosmic Dancer exhibition at the V&A; Dundee. Jane Barlow/PA Wire/dpa An exhibition about Michael Clark, who is described as “the David Bowie of dance”, opens this weekend at the V&A Dundee, Scotland’s museum of design. “Michael Clark: Cosmic Dancer” spans the dancer and choreographer’s career to date and explores his collaborations across the visual arts, music, fashion and film. Born in Aberdeen in 1962, Clark began traditional Scottish dancing at the age of four and in 1975 left home to study at the Royal Ballet School in London. He formed his own dance company in 1984 when he was only 22. As a young choreographer he brought together his classical ballet training with London’s punk, fashion and club culture to establish himself as one of the most innovative artists working in contemporary dance. Film, photography, costume and archive material from throughout his career are presented in a series of different rooms in the exhibition, showing Clark as a pioneer who can transcend different disciplines. Leonie Bell, director of V&A Dundee, said: “Michael Clark is a huge talent who brings new ideas, tradition, energy and amazing skill to dance. So much of his work feels as alive, thoughtful and relevant as it did in the years it was created. “Michael Clark remains hugely relevant today, challenging convention and reflecting the energy of the world around him, with ideas around gender and sexuality explored in breathtakingly beautiful performances. “For me, Michael Clark is the David Bowie of dance, an inventor who with grace and energy has found new ways for us all to enjoy and be inspired by dance.” Clark’s collaborators have ranged from Leigh Bowery and The Fall to non-professional dancers, while his diverse musical influences include Bowie, Jarvis Cocker, Patti Smith, T.Rex and composers Erik Satie and Igor Stravinsky. An immersive film and sound installation has been created for the exhibition by Sophie Fiennes and Susan Stenger, which mixes heavy metal music with Clark’s radical choreography, while Sarah Lucas has conceived two installations for the show, including a parodying sculpture of Clark’s body sitting on a toilet. Meanwhile a room dedicated to “The Fall” and Clark’s landmark performance “I Am Curious, Orange” (1988) features stage props of a huge burger and baked bean cans. The exhibition has been curated by Florence Ostende of London’s Barbican Centre. “I am delighted this exhibition will bring Michael Clark’s visionary creativity back to his home country of Scotland,” she said. “Clark is fascinating as a pioneer who brought together different disciplines to completely change contemporary dance and the British cultural landscape, from embracing and celebrating queer culture in the 1980s through to redefining gender representation and stereotypes within the heteronormative tradition of ballet history. “This exhibition, one of the largest surveys ever dedicated to a living choreographer, presents a comprehensive story of Clark’s career.” The exhibition runs from Saturday until September 4. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kanishka Singh (Reuters) – Incidents of anti-Semitic propaganda in the United States rose by 27% in 2021, the Anti-Defamation League, a New York-based advocacy group, said in a report on Thursday. It said the 352 incidents were up from 277 in 2020. The advocacy group’s tracking of incidents of anti-Semitic and white supremacist propaganda included fliers, stickers, banners, posters and stenciled graffiti. White supremacist propaganda, including racist and anti-LGBTQ messages, dropped to 4,851 cases in 2021 from 5,125 cases in 2020 while still remaining at high levels, the report said. White supremacist propaganda in the United States nearly doubled in 2020 to a record level, it said last year. Last month, the Department of Homeland Security said the United States faced heightened threats from extremist groups domestic and foreign, underscored by January’s hostage standoff in a Texas synagogue and bomb threats at many historically Black colleges and universities. U.S. Justice Department officials have pointed to an increase in domestic threats stemming from white supremacists and anti-government militias. In January, the Justice Department announced the formation of a new domestic terrorism unit, underscoring the threat extremists within the country pose on a par with that posed by militant groups abroad such as Islamic State. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Ian McKellen wishes he told his dad he was gay. The ‘Lord of the Rings’ star – who came out publicly in a BBC radio interview in 1988 – never shared with his father Dennis the truth about his sexuality. During the BBC Two programme ‘Amol Rajan Interviews’ on Thursday evening (03.03.2022), Amol asked if the the 82-year-old actor had “the conversation you needed to have with your father Dennis before he died,” to which, Ian replied: “No, I didn’t talk about being gay.” However, the ‘Stonewall’ co-founder was “glad” that his father was able to see him perform in ‘A Scent of Flowers’, his West End debut, just weeks before he passed away in a tragic accident in 1964. Ian said: He’d been to see me in my first show in the West End, I’m always glad of that. And three weeks later in a car crash he’d died.” The Academy Award winner finds it “inconceivable” that his father would have taken any issue with him being gay. He said: “The idea that he couldn’t have coped with the fact that his son was gay is inconceivable to me, even though I’m not aware that we had any gay friends or that he’d ever thought about it or that it had any impact on his life. Therefore it might have come as some sort of surprise to him, but there would have been no moral judgement.” When Amol wondered if Dennis would have accepted him, he replied, “Yes” The BBC Media Editor then added: “He would have loved you for who you are.” Ian said: “As my sister did,” speaking of his older sister, Jean – five years his senior – who died in 2003, and wished he had told her “years” before he did about being gay. He said: “When I came out to my sister, she said, “Oh I wish you’d told me years ago because I always wanted to talk to you about it.” Last year, Ian shared that he felt coming out improved his acting, saying it made “everything better”. He said: “It changes your life utterly. I discovered myself and everything was better. My relationships with my family, with friends, with strangers and my work got better as I wasn’t hiding anymore.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online MEGA Kevin Spacey is fighting a journalist who reported on one of his prominent accusers — asking a judge to force the man to turn over private records. According to court documents obtained by Radar, the former House of Cards actor is going back and forth with Adam B. Vary. Vary was the first to interview actor Anthony Rapp about hisallegations against Spacey. MEGA Rapp claims Spacey made a sexual advance on him in 1986 when he was a child actor. He says the actor invited him back to his apartment where he proceeded to grab his butt and lay on top of him without consent. Spacey denies the allegations but has been unsuccessful in convincing the judge to dismiss the case. He even hired an expert who wrote a report accusing Rapp of fabricating the allegations — due to him wanting to be a part of the #MeToo movement. Recently, Vary’s lawyer a letter to the judge asking for help. He explains his client already sat for a seven-hour deposition on December 16, 2021. Request – Simon Leviev Spacey is asking for additional time to depose Vary and wants him to turn over additional documents. Vary argues Spacey “seeks the disclosure of unpublished information protected primarily and inter alia by California’s Constitution.” The reporter originally objected to the “subpoenas on reporter’s privilege and reporter’s shield grounds” but eventually sat for a depo. He is objecting to having to sit for a second round or provide any more of his interview records. Spacey is also demanding $18k in sanctions. MEGA A judge has yet to rule on the matter. As Radar previously reported, Spacey also had to deal with a third-party individual named Justin Dawes. The man claims he met Spacey in 1988 when he was only 16 working at a Connecticut theater. He testified that the actor invited him and his friend back to his apartment to watch a movie. However, once he arrived, Dawes says he noticed Spacey was playing gay porn instead of a film. The man said under oath Spacey later tried to make a sexual advance on him despite him having mentioned being in high school. View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Pete Davidson is reportedly set to sign a contract that would see him heading off to space with none other than billionaire Jeff Bezos on one of his upcoming Blue Origin flights. According to Page Six, the 28-year-old Saturday Night Live comedian and his girlfriend Kim Kardashian were seen at Bezos’ compound in Los Angeles in January having dinner with the billionaire Amazon founder and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez. Mega While the two couples had dinner together, Davidson and Bezos evidently got on so well that an opportunity arose for the young comedian to join the Blue Origins founder on one of his upcoming flights up into space. “Pete is excited,” a source close to recently Davidson spilled to the outlet. “They haven’t signed a contract yet, but it looks like it’s going to happen. The details are being finalized.” “He got on really well with Jeff when they met,” the insider added. Although the source didn’t know an exact date when Davidson is expected to join Bezos, they believe it will be sometime later on this year. As Radar reported, Davidson wouldn’t be the first celebrity to join Bezos into space. In October, 90-year-old Star Trek actor William Shatner climbed aboard the Blue Origin capsule and joined Bezos in a successful mission out of this world and back – but although it was perhaps the most groundbreaking trip both Shatner and Bezos ever took, Prince William had a few choice words to say about the adventure. “We need some of the world’s greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live,” the 39-year-old Duke of Cambridge said at the time. “We are seeing a rise in climate anxiety,” the prince added. “Young people are growing up now where their futures are basically threatened the whole time. It’s very unnerving. It’s very anxiety-making.” Mega But those comments clearly aren’t stopping Bezos from continuing forward with his plans, especially if he is actively recruiting Davidson to tag along. As for Davidson, well he might just be trying to get as far away from Kanye West as he possibly can. View the full article

Published by Reuters BORODYANKA/LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) – A fire broke out in a training building outside the largest nuclear power plant in Europe during intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, Ukraine’s state emergency service said on Friday. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said there was no indication of elevated radiation levels at the Zaporizhzhia plant, which provides more than a fifth of total electricity generated in Ukraine. A video feed from the plant verified by Reuters showed shelling and smoke rising near a building at the plant compound. There has been fierce fighting in the area about 550 km (342 miles) southeast of Kyiv, the mayor of the nearby town of Energodar said in an online post. He said there had been casualties, without giving details. “As a result of continuous enemy shelling of buildings and units of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is on fire,” Mayor Dmytro Orlov said on his Telegram channel. Russia has already captured the defunct Chernobyl plant, about 100 km north of Kyiv, which spewed radioactive waste over much of Europe when it melted down in 1986. The Zaporizhzhia plant is a different and safer type, some analysts said. Early reports of the incident at the power plant sent financial markets in Asia spiralling, with stocks tumbling and oil prices surging further. [MKTS/GLOB] U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy to get an update on the situation at the plant. “President Biden joined President Zelenskiy in urging Russia to cease its military activities in the area and allow firefighters and emergency responders to access the site,” the White House said. Energy Secretary Granholm said on Twitter that the reactors at Zaporizhzhia were “protected by robust containment structures” and were being “safely shut down”. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the Russian army was “firing from all sides” on the plant. “Fire has already broke out … Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone!” he wrote on Twitter. The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a tweet that it was “aware of reports of shelling” at the power plant and was in contact with Ukrainian authorities. SANCTIONS MOUNT As the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two enters its ninth day, thousands are thought to have died or been wounded, 1 million refugees have fled Ukraine and Russia’s economy has been rocked by international sanctions. The United States and Britain announced sanctions on more Russian oligarchs on Thursday, following on from EU measures, as they ratcheted up the pressure on the Kremlin. More companies including Alphabet Inc’s Google, footwear giant Nike and Swedish home furnishing firm IKEA shut down or reduced operations in Russia as trade restrictions and supply constraints added to political pressure. Sanctions have “had a profound impact already,” Biden said. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” that is not designed to occupy territory but to topple the democratically elected government, destroy its neighbour’s military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists. It denies targeting civilians. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Natalia Zinets, Aleksandar Vasovic in Ukraine, David Ljunggren in Ottawa and other Reuters bureaux; Writing by Costas Pitas and Lincoln Feast; Editing by Stephen Coates) View the full article

As we move to ‘Publish’ this post we got word that the Florida legislature stayed late tonight to effectively ban abortion in the state after 15 weeks; intentionally following Alabama’s model to offer another challenge to the women’s right to choose their health care. –Editor Students gather at Florida State CapitolStudent Walkout 2022: Florida Students “Say Gay” Thousands of high school students across the state of Florida walked out of school as part of a student-organized Don’t Say Gay Walkout action Thursday in protest of the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill currently making its way through the Florida legislature. From Jacksonville to Miami and nearly everywhere in between, high school students brandishing rainbow flags and pro-LGBTQ signs streamed out of classrooms, gathering outside of school facilities to express their opposition to the bill. Fears for Safety and of Censorship With Incalculable Long Term Impact on Students “One of the problems with the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill is that a lot of people already don’t understand LGBTQ+ issues and rights,” said William Lopez, a student at Naples’ Gulf Coast High School who participated in that school’s walkout. “If we are censored in schools, it makes it even harder for the world to understand us, which risks more people disliking us.” On the same day as the protests, The Point Foundation, one of the country’s biggest nonprofits focused on LGBTQ issues in higher education, said it was designating $1 million for LGBTQ college students “whose work can help combat oppression and erasure of LGBTQ people and culture” in response to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Florida’s Don’t Say Gay Walkout: Previously on Towleroad ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Passes Florida House, 69-47; Law Would Limit School Discussions; Reps Voting in Favor Told: ‘You Are Voting To Be An Opponent’ Of LGBTQ Community Towleroad February 24, 2022 Read More Amid Book Challenges Predominantly Against LGBTQ Materials — One A Memoir By a Black and Gay Writer–Parents, Activists Sound The Alarm in Florida Towleroad February 16, 2022 Read More Florida’s Peekaboo Republicans Used Toddler Logic To Craft Their ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Legislation — In Effect A Gag-Order-Plus-Eye-Cover Mandate To Make Gays Disappear. Good Luck. Brian Bell January 27, 2022 Read More Well-Known Florida Marriage Plaintiff Found Dead In Landfill; Investigations Ongoing To Identify Who Killed Jorge Diaz-Johnston Brian Bell January 19, 2022 Read More Pulse Arsonist Arrested; 2021 Deadliest For Trans People in the US; Chinese LGBTQ Group Shuts Down; World Cup Homophobia: News Roundup Brian Bell November 10, 2021 Read More LGBTQ School News Roundup: Scotland Adds LGBTQ Education; Texas Students Protest Discrimination; Catholic School Rehires Out Coach; Florida School District Investigating Hate Actions Brian Bell September 24, 2021 Read More Screenshot courtesy of YouTube/News4JAX View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Colin Farrell thinks the crotch on his ‘Batman’ action figure is “too ample”. The 45-year-old actor stars in Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ as villain The Penguin alongside Robert Pattinson in the title role as the DC Comics superhero, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman and Paul Dano as Riddler, and he has jokingly complained that the pelvic area on his toy likeness is “all wrong”. He said: “The eyebrows are in the neighbourhood. I look like I’m wearing a sumo thing. The crotch is all wrong. Far too ample.” During an appearance on ‘The Late Late Show with James Corden’ alongside Patrick Stewart, host James then pulled out out an action figure depicting Patrick as his ‘Star Trek’ alter-ego Captain Picard, praising the rear of the mini space traveller. James said: “What I like on this guy is the a**. Look at the a** on that guy! It’s like a separate a**, it’s like an extra additional a**!” After Colin quipped that his action figure’s derriere was “too flat”, Patrick asked Colin to turn his own figure around so he could examine them both, with Patrick’s mini-me appearing to be considerably more “pert”. Colin said: “Who made this genius rendering of my a**? It’s very flat, it looks like I’ve been sitting down for 10 years.[Yours is] very pert!” In response, Patrick joked that he had “no idea” as the pair questioned who had designed such figurines. Patrick said: “I swear to you I didn’t know!” Prompting James to say with a laugh: “Yeah you did. Look at that tight peach!” Elsewhere in the interview, the trio discussed how Patrick’s former co-star William Shatner had trekked into space for real on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket and James asked Patrick would ever do the same. Patrick replied: “Yeah, I’ve thought about it … I think I would pass!” View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Ali Landry trashed her marriage to ex-husband Mario Lopez in a new interview with Lacey Leone McLaughlin, claiming that the actor started regularly cheating on her just days after their wedding in a way she can only compare to that of a “Tiger Woods situation.” According to Landry’s interview with McLaughlin on the newest episode of the latter’s podcast titled Unfolding Leadership, the 48-year-old model and former Miss USA opens up to the Hollywood executive coach about her marriage to Lopez, his serial cheating, and why there are reasons she is ultimately thankful she found out her former husband was cheating on her while they were still together. Mega Landry and Lopez reportedly first met in 1998, two years after she won the 1996 Miss USA pageant and when she returned to commentate the 1998 pageant where Lopez was acting as presenter. The two started dating shortly after, and became engaged in 2003 before finally getting married in April 2004. But less than one week into their marriage, Landry reportedly realized that Lopez was cheating on her regularly. “Not even a week [after the wedding] I found out it was like a Tiger Woods situation,” Landry tells McLaughlin in the podcast’s newest episode. “It was cheating across the board.” Landry comparing her situation to that of a “Tiger Woods situation” is a direct reference to the fact that the golf legend’s wife, Elin Nordegren, found out her husband was cheating on her in 2009. Although Woods ultimately admitted to his infidelity, there were soon more rumors that he was cheating on his wife with dozens of women. But despite realizing shortly after their marriage that Lopez was cheating on her “across the board,” the actress and model also admits in the new interview with McLaughlin that she thanks God “every single day” for the revelation. “It changed me as a woman,” Landry shared. “I am so much better because that happened.” Mega Two weeks after their marriage, Landry ultimately had her marriage to Lopez annulled due to his infidelity – citing specifically one incident where he allegedly cheated on her during his bachelor party just days before their wedding. View the full article

Published by DPA Four wheels and a roof over your head: Vehicles like Renault’s Twizy are trying to perfect the art of minimalism (much neglected in the age of the SUV). Renault/dpa Opel’s Rocks-e is a departure from the carmaker’s usual passenger cars. It’s a boxy, compact two-seater that is fully electric – officially classified as a light motor vehicle. It’s a particularly promising area for the carmaker as it seeks to embrace a whole new target group. The vehicle is basically 2.41-metre cube on wheels, on sale for €7,990 ($8,864), making it less expensive than almost all the conventional small cars out there. That makes the Rocks-e one of the cheapest electric vehicles around, and it doesn’t cost more to lease than a monthly pass for the city bus according to the marketing. Plus, drivers are also able to get behind the wheel from age 15, and don’t need a driving licence in many places, just an AM licence, the category that applies to mopeds rather than motorbikes, permitting holders to drive two-wheeled or three-wheeled vehicles. Depending on the model, a moped driving licence is also sufficient. You pay a flat rate for the insurance in some places and it doesn’t cost much, according to Thomas Schuster, a German test engineer. Plus, depending on where you are, you won’t have to pay vehicle tax either. Laws in many European countries define these kind of vehicles as having four wheels, one or two seats, with 4 kW of power, weighing no more than 425 kilograms and designed for a maximum speed of 45 km/h. Fewer crash tests are required, and there are no legal stipulations on standard safety equipment, compared to passenger cars which are required to have airbags, ABS and ESP these days. These vehicles also aren’t required to undergo regular main inspections. However, seat belts and a driver’s airbag are required. These are not a brand new class of cars, and the BMW Isetta and Messerschmitt cab scooters were both popular back in the 1950s. The Class S driving licence came in in 2004 for these kinds of vehicles in 2004, allowing teens as young as 15 in some countries to switch to four wheels at an early age for the first time. But now these vehicles are back in the spotlight, with a wide range of brands particularly from Italy to France, where they are far more common. Vehicle manufacturers such as Ligier, Aixam, Casalini and Piaggio offer a wide range of models for between €10,000 and €20,000, with the spectrum reaching from cool convertibles to handy small trucks. There is also variety when it comes to the drive system, and buyers are able to pick from classic internal combustion engines, hybrids and pure electric vehicles. Electrification in particular is likely to give this class a boost, says Schuster, with an eye on the Rocks-e. “You don’t need big, expensive batteries and nobody expects huge ranges,” he says. Unsurprisingly, given Renault released the Twizy for this vehicle category, the Rocks-e was actually developed as a Citroën Ami. You can find hundreds of them at charging stations in France. You’ll also spot others like Microlino with the electric Isetta or ACM with the City One as similar side entrants to this niche. In the course of their development, some have become bigger, stronger and faster, and like the Microlino with airbags and a top speed of 90 km/h, are coming to resemble “real” cars more closely. But people might want a smaller vehicle, especially in the city. “Regardless of whether it has an electric motor or a combustion engine, it’s crazy how much mass and surface area we use just to get one person from A to B,” says Microlino boss Wim Ouboter, fighting the good fight for light vehicles. Meanwhile Opel spokesperson Harald Hamprecht says parents can relax a good deal more if their youngsters head home from a nightclub in a vehicle like this, rather than a moped or late night bus. These little vehicles might solve a bunch of problems, but of course there are some new ones, too, if you ask experts at the German automobile club. They are not fans of this type of vehicle, saying without official crash regulations, tests about impact protection have delivered very sobering results. When it comes to driving, many of these models are not particularly stable and younger drivers typically lack experience, also as they often get their driving licence on two wheels then switch to four. The problem, however, is not just the technology and the driver’s potential lack of practice, says Schuster. Other road users also have to adapt the way they see these vehicles. “Unlike a moped, you can easily mistake a light vehicle for a conventional small car, and misjudge the speed or acceleration and possibly cause a dangerous accident,” he says. So if you are thinking of buying one of these vehicles, be clear in your mind about how you might drive it before you purchase one, is the advice from the experts. “It makes sense to limit this to the city. Longer cross-country journeys in light vehicles are a no-go and night journeys and trips outside built-up areas are not recommended,” says the German group, whose experts find little more positive to say about this class of vehicle other than that you have a roof over your head. Furthermore, market observers say these smaller cars have an acceptance problem after the initial wave of enthusiasm. “Who would pay four- or even five-figure sums for a vehicle that becomes completely uninteresting by the time the driver reaches their 18th birthday at the latest and can then get a ‘real’ car without a speed limit,” one dealer says. Opel, at least, has considered this factor and offers the Rocks-e primarily as a leasing model. Urban mobility? Especially in urban areas – or more generally – in local transport, small cars like the Opel Rocks-e could play out their advantages. Christian Bittmann/Opel Automobile GmbH/dpa In the 1950s, microcars were far more widespread. Hauke-Christian Dittrich/dpa Some microcars, such as this model by Microlino, are bringing back the same shapes used in historical models. Thomas Geiger/dpa Mini-mobiles like this model from Microcar enable car-like mobility without a full driving licence. Groupe Ligier/dpa Bonjour Mini: Ligier is a microcar brand from France. Groupe Ligier/dpa View the full article

Published by AFP The New York attorney general's lawsuit against NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, seen here in Oxon Hill, Maryland in 2016, has been allowed to advance New York (AFP) – The National Rifle Association escaped a court-ordered dissolution Wednesday, after a New York judge ruled that alleged self-dealing by the powerful gun lobby’s leader, if proven, would not warrant such a strong penalty. The state’s lawsuit seeking to boot NRA chief Wayne LaPierre from his post will, however, be allowed to proceed. “Allegations in this case, if proven, tell a grim story of greed, self-dealing, and lax financial oversight at the highest levels of the National Rifle Association,” State Supreme Court Justice Joel Cohen ruled in his 42-page decision. Nonetheless, New York Attorney General Letitia James failed to show “the type of public harm that is the legal linchpin for imposing the ‘corporate death penalty,'” Cohen added, referring to James’s request to fully dissolve the 150-year-old organization. “Her allegations concern primarily private harm to the NRA and its members and donors, which if proven can be addressed by the targeted, less intrusive relief she seeks through other claims in her complaint,” Cohen said. James, a Democrat, is seeking monetary penalties from LaPierre, the NRA’s leader since 1991, and three other executives. She also wants to ban them permanently from working for any New York non-profits. In a press release, the attorney general hailed Cohen’s decision to reaffirm her office’s “right to pursue its long-standing claims that fraud, abuse, and greed permeate through the NRA and its senior leadership.” She added that she is “disappointed that the judge ruled against the dissolution portion of the case,” but she will continue to explore legal options. After a 15-month investigation into the NRA, Attorney General James filed a lawsuit in August 2020 alleging wide-spread fraud in the organization and frequent self-dealing by Lapierre — an accusation which he denies. According to James’s court filing, LaPierre often used NRA funds to fly his family to the Bahamas for luxury vacations, among numerous other instances of alleged illegal wrongdoing. The gun lobby almost exclusively supports Republicans and staunchly defends the Second Amendment’s stated right of Americans to bear arms. While legally headquartered in New York, the NRA’s main offices are in Virginia, just outside of Washington. In May 2021, it attempted to reincorporate in Texas and file for bankruptcy, but a US judge blocked the move. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jennifer Hudson is getting her own daytime talk show. The Academy Award winner, 40, will be debuting ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’ on Fox in the autumn. Jennifer said: “I have experienced so much in my life; I’ve seen the highest of the highs, the lowest of the lows, and just about everything in between but as my mother always told me, ‘Once you think you’ve seen it all, just keep on living.'” The ‘Dreamgirls’ star is “so ready” to explore “the things that inspire and move us all” Jennifer said: “People from around the world have been a part of my journey from the beginning – twenty years ago – and I’m so ready to join their journey as we sit down and talk about the things that inspire and move us all.” The ‘Respect’ star “couldn’t be more thrilled” to be showing a newer side of herself. Jennifer said: “I have always loved people and I cannot wait to connect on a deeper level and let audiences see the different sides of who I am, the human being, in return. “And I couldn’t be more thrilled to do it alongside this incredible team. We’re about to have a lot of fun and shake things up a little bit!” The recent NAACP Image Award winner recently gushed about her 12-year-old son Daniel – who she shares with her ex David Otunga – on her Instagram after they attended the NBA’s All Star Weekend in Cleveland and met many basketball legends, such as Shaquille O’Neal. Jennifer wrote: “I’m a boy mom and proud of it!” In another post, she wrote “There’s nothing like seeing life [through] your child’s eyes and watching their dreams come to life. Thank [you] to the whole @NBA for making all my boy’s dreams come true. It’s all about the basketball for the babies but for me, it’s all about the babies and what my kid is into, I’m into!” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Darren Criss is heartbroken “beyond measure” after his brother Charles died by suicide. The former ‘Glee’ star shared the tragic news – along with a slideshow of the singer and his 36-year-old brother – on social media. The 35-year-old actor wrote on Instagram: “It breaks my heart beyond measure to say that my beloved brother Charles has left us.’ Darren called it a “colossal shock” He continued:“His loss leaves behind a debilitating fracture in the lives of his mother, his brother, his three small children, and their respective mothers.” The ‘American Crime Story’ star has spent time “trying to wrap” his brain around the loss but thinks the question will never leave him. Darren said: “I have spent what feels like a small eternity trying to wrap my head around it, something I suspect I’ll be attempting to do for the rest of my life. “But in the short time that I’ve had to process everything, I’ve managed to put some words together that may help with some of the questions you have. Darren admitted that it gave him “peace” to share both his loss. He said: “And though it’s with the heaviest sadness I’ve ever felt to have to write this, it does give me peace to know I’m putting it out there.” “I’ve learned by now that vagueness can lead to confusion, and provoke ideas far worse than the truth.” “The last several years were increasingly difficult for Chuck as he struggled to find stability during an unfortunate rough patch in his life.” Darren shared that his brother “had a severe depression welling up inside him” that he was good at hiding from his loved ones. “Despite our very vocal concerns about his well-being, and his protestations that everything was fine, it’s crushing to say now that Chuck clearly had a severe depression welling up in him for some time. “A depression that was only worsened by a lifelong struggle he had with expressing his feelings — a dangerous combination only outmatched by his all-too-incredible ability to conceal it.” Darren – who is expecting his first child in the spring with partner Mia Swier – concluded: “Not just from the world at large, but most tragically, from the people who were closest to him.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jan Wolfe and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday said former President Donald Trump may have engaged in criminal conduct in his bid to overturn his election defeat. In a court filing — one of the U.S. House of Represenative’s Select Committee’s most detailed releases of findings yet — the panel said Trump potentially engaged in conspiracy to defraud the United States and may have obstructed an official proceeding. The Select Committee’s members have previously said they will consider passing along evidence of criminal conduct by Trump to the U.S. Justice Department. Such a move, known as a criminal referral, would be largely symbolic but would increase political pressure on Attorney General Merrick Garland to charge the former president and would thrust his department into a political firestorm. “[E]vidence and information available to the Committee establishes a good-faith belief that Mr. Trump and others may have engaged in criminal and/or fraudulent acts,” the committee said in a court filing. “The Select Committee also has a good-faith basis for concluding that the President and members of his Campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States,” the filing said. The court document was filed in federal court in Los Angeles as part of the Select Committee’s dispute with John Eastman, a lawyer who advised Trump on a plan to invalidate election results in key battleground states. Eastman sued the committee in December, seeking to block a congressional subpoena requesting that he turn over thousands of emails. Charles Burnham, a lawyer for Eastman, said in a statement on Wednesday that Eastman is abiding by his ethical duty to protect client confidences. “The Select Committee has responded to Dr. Eastman’s efforts to discharge this responsibility by accusing him of criminal conduct,” Burnham said. “Because this is a civil matter, Dr. Eastman will not have the benefit of the Constitutional protections normally afforded to those accused by their government of criminal conduct. Nonetheless, we look forward to responding in due course.” Representatives of Eastman and Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump has repeatedly called the Select Committee’s inquiry a politically motivated investigation. The court filing included emails obtained by the Select Committee from the day of the Jan. 6 attack, including one where a lawyer for then-Vice President Mike Pence said no judges would endorse Eastman’s legal strategy for overturning Trump’s election defeat. “Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege,” the Pence lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote to Eastman. “The ‘siege’ is because YOU and your boss did not do what was necessary to allow this to be aired in a public way so the American people can see for themselves what happened,” Eastman replied. The committee’s leaders said in a statement that “Eastman’s emails may show that he helped Donald Trump advance a corrupt scheme to obstruct the counting of electoral college ballots and a conspiracy to impede the transfer of power.” Attorney regulators in California said Tuesday they have been investigating Eastman and whether he acted unethically in his work for Trump. The investigation could lead to disciplinary action against Eastman, such as suspension of his law license. (Reporting by Jan Wolfe and Patricia Zengerle in Washington; Editing by Edwina Gibbs & Simon Cameron-Moore) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Evan Rachel Wood is set to play Madonna in ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’. Daniel Radcliffe stars as the parody song legend in his upcoming biopic, and now the 34-year-old actress has boarded the cast as The Queen of Pop and wowed with her transformation into the 63-year-old music icon. Evan shared a snap of her in the lace wedding dress-style ensemble, complete with stacked jewellery and the cross earrings, which Madonna wore in her music video for 1984 hit ‘Like a Virgin’, a song which Al famously parodied and turned into ‘Like a Surgeon’. Alongside the snap, Evan wrote: “The secret’s out! I am having WAY TOO MUCH FUN playing the iconic Madonna in @therokuchannel’s WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story with Daniel Radcliffe.” Looking forward to the project, Al said: “When my last movie ‘UHF’ came out in 1989, I made a solemn vow to my fans that I would release a major motion picture every 33 years, like clockwork. I’m very happy to say we’re on schedule. “And I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.” Production is fully underway in Los Angeles, and the movie will be available exclusively on The Roku Channel. Colin Davis, Roku’s head of original scripted programming, said: “There clearly aren’t enough biopic movies about famous musicians and we were excited to shine a light on the incredibly true, unexaggerated story of Weird Al. “This is sincerely the ultimate combination of talent, creativity, and friends, coming together to make something genuinely funny and we could not be prouder to call this film a Roku Original.” Eric Appel, the film’s writer and director, jumped at the chance to turn Weird Al’s life into a film. Eric shared: “When Weird Al first sat me down against my will and told me his life story, I didn’t believe any of it, but I knew that we had to make a movie about it.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Gabriella Borter (Reuters) – Florida’s Republican-led Senate on Thursday is expected to pass a bill to ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, putting the state one step closer to adopting a gestational limit currently under review by the U.S. Supreme Court. The state’s House of Representatives, which also has a Republican majority, approved the measure last month on a party-line vote. Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, is expected to sign it after Senate approval. Enactment of the law would significantly reduce access to late-term abortions for women across the U.S. Southeast, many of whom travel hundreds of miles to end pregnancies in Florida because of stricter abortion laws in surrounding states. The state currently permits abortions up to 24 weeks without a mandatory waiting period, meaning a woman can terminate her pregnancy the day she arrives at a clinic. Florida’s measure, which would take effect on July 1, makes exceptions to the 15-week rule only in cases when the mother is at risk of death or “irreversible physical impairment,” or if the fetus has a fatal abnormality. In a session on Wednesday, lawmakers debated an amendment to the bill that would make exceptions for rape, incest and human trafficking, which ultimately failed. Democratic lawmakers who supported the amendment asked their colleagues to focus on the emotional needs of pregnant victims of sexual assault. “We’re better than this,” state Senator Victor Torres said. The bill’s sponsor, state Senator Kelli Stargel, defended the bill’s exclusion of an exception for rape. She said she rejected the premise that a “child should be killed because of the circumstances in which it was conceived.” Republican lawmakers around the country have introduced bills mirroring a 15-week abortion ban enacted by Mississippi and now being weighed by the Supreme Court after lower courts blocked the measure as unconstitutional. Arizona’s Senate and West Virginia’s House passed similar 15-week abortion bans last month. During oral arguments in December, the Supreme Court indicated its willingness to allow Mississippi’s law to stand. A ruling in Mississippi’s favor would conflict with the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision establishing the right to end a pregnancy before the fetus is viable, typically around 24 weeks. Besides seeking reinstatement of its abortion law, the state of Mississippi in Jackson Women’s Health Organization v. Dobbs has asked the high court to overturn Roe altogether. The Supreme Court’s ruling is expected this spring. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida said a privacy clause in Florida’s constitution that protects against government “intrusion” in residents’ private lives would be grounds for a lawsuit challenging a 15-week abortion ban, even as the Supreme Court has not yet decided on the constitutionality of the restriction. “Because of the explicit right to privacy in our state constitution, Jackson Women’s Health Organization v. Dobbs will not dictate what happens with Florida’s cruel 15-week abortion ban,” Kara Gross, ACLU Florida’s legislative director, said in a statement. (Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Aurora Ellis) View the full article

Published by AFP Ukraine's military authorities said areas in the eastern city of Kharkiv had been 'pounded all night' by indiscriminate shelling Kyiv (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed no let-up in his invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, even as the warring sides met for ceasefire talks and Kyiv appealed for relief supplies to reach shattered cities. After the fall of a first major Ukrainian city to Russian forces, Putin appeared in no mood to heed a global clamour for an end to hostilities as the war entered its second week. “Russia intends to continue the uncompromising fight against militants of nationalist armed groups,” Putin said, according to a Kremlin account of a call with French President Emmanuel Macron. But Ukraine insisted that corridors for medical and other supplies were the bare minimum it expected, as negotiators arrived for the talks at an undisclosed location on the Belarus-Poland border. A first round of talks on Monday yielded no breakthrough, and Kyiv says it will not accept any Russian “ultimatums”. Putin, however, said any attempts to slow the talks process would “only lead to additional demands on Kyiv in our negotiating position”. For his part, Macron said he feared that “worse is to come” in the conflict and condemned Putin’s “lies”, according to an aide. The invasion, now in its eighth day, has created a refugee exodus and turned Russia into a global pariah in the worlds of finance, diplomacy and sports. The UN has opened a probe into alleged war crimes, as the Russian military bombards cities in Ukraine with shells and missiles, forcing civilians to cower in basements. “We will restore every house, every street, every city and we say to Russia: learn the word ‘reparations’,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video statement. “You will reimburse us for everything you did against our state, against every Ukrainian, in full,” he said. ‘Just like Leningrad’ Zelensky claims thousands of Russian soldiers have been killed since Putin shocked the world by invading Ukraine, purportedly to demilitarise and “de-Nazify” a Western-leaning threat on his borders. Moscow says it has lost 498 troops and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin would praise their sacrifice at a meeting with his security chiefs. “It’s a huge tragedy,” Peskov told reporters in Moscow. “But we also admire the heroism of our soldiers. Their exploits will enter into the history books, their exploits in the struggle against the Nazis.” The Kremlin has been condemned for likening the government of Zelensky, who is Jewish, to that of Germany in World War II. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov kept up a verbal barrage, accusing Western politicians of fixating on “nuclear war” after Putin placed his strategic forces on high alert. While a long military column appears stalled north of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, Russian troops seized Kherson, a Black Sea city of 290,000 people, after a three-day siege that left it short of food and medicine. Russian troops have been advancing elsewhere on the southern front and are besieging the port city of Mariupol east of Kherson, which is without water or electricity in the depths of winter. “They are trying to create a blockade here, just like in Leningrad,” Mariupol mayor Vadym Boichenko said, referring to the siege of Russia’s second largest city, since re-named Saint Petersburg, by Nazi Germany’s invading army in World War II. Ukrainian military authorities said residential and other areas in the eastern city of Kharkiv had been “pounded all night” by indiscriminate shelling, which UN prosecutors are investigating as a possible war crime. Oleg Rubak’s wife Katia, 29, was crushed in the rubble of their family home in Zhytomyr, west of Kyiv, by a Russian missile strike. “One minute I saw her going into the bedroom. A minute later there was nothing,” Rubak, 32, told AFP, standing stunned and angry amid the ruins in the bitter winter chill. “I hope she’s in heaven and all is perfect for her,” he said, adding through tears, “I want the whole world to hear my story.” Junk status The war has displaced more than one million people, according to the United Nations. The body’s aid chief pleaded on Thursday for civilians in Ukraine to be protected and for humanitarian aid to enter unhindered. “Protect civilians, for God’s sake, in Ukraine; let us do our job”, emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths told AFP in Geneva. The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency urged Russia to “cease all actions” at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, including the site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Putin now finds himself an international outcast, his country the subject of swingeing sanctions that sent the ruble into further freefall on currency markets on Thursday. Russia’s central bank — whose foreign reserves have been frozen in the West — imposed a 30-percent tax on all sales of hard currency, following a run on lenders by ordinary Russians. The unfolding financial costs were underlined as ratings agencies Fitch and Moody’s slashed Russia’s sovereign debt to “junk” status. Turmoil deepened on markets more broadly. European stocks slid and oil prices approached $120 per barrel. Swedish furniture giant Ikea became the latest to halt operations in Russia, as well as Belarus. Russia’s sporting isolation worsened as it lost the right to host Formula One races. And the International Paralympic Committee, in a U-turn, banned Russians and Belarusians from the Beijing Winter Games. The UN General Assembly voted 141-5 to demand that Russia “immediately” withdraw from Ukraine. Only four countries supported Russia — Belarus, Eritrea, North Korea and Syria. China abstained. Europe stepped up practical support as well as diplomatic. The German government is planning to deliver another 2,700 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, a source said. Leaving everything behind Many Ukrainians have now fled into nearby countries, according to the UN refugee agency’s rapidly rising tally. “We left everything there as they came and ruined our lives,” refugee Svitlana Mostepanenko told AFP in Prague. Nathalia Lypka, a professor of German from the eastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, arrived in Berlin with her 21-year-old daughter. “My husband and son stayed… My husband already served in the army, and he had to return to duty,” she said, before boarding a train for Stuttgart where friends were waiting. Putin’s invasion has appeared hamstrung by poor logistics, tactical blunders and fierce resistance from Ukraine’s outgunned military — as well as its ever-swelling ranks of volunteer fighters. Scores of images have emerged of burned-out Russian tanks, the charred remains of transporters and of unarmed Ukrainians confronting bewildered occupation forces. US officials say the massive column of Russian military vehicles amassed north of Kyiv has “stalled” due to fuel and food shortages. Russian authorities have imposed a media blackout on what the Kremlin euphemistically calls a “special military operation”. The Ekho Moskvy radio station — a symbol of new-found media freedom in post-Soviet Russia — said it would shut down after being taken off air over its invasion coverage. But Russians have still turned out for large anti-war protests across the country, in a direct challenge to Putin’s 20-year rule. Thousands of anti-war demonstrators have been detained. “I couldn’t stay at home. This war has to be stopped,” student Anton Kislov, 21, told AFP. burs-jit/dc/gil View the full article

Published by Reuters By Tassilo Hummel and Alasdair Pal PARIS (Reuters) – France and Germany have seized two superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs, French authorities and Forbes magazine said, hitting Russia’s super-rich under sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. At least five other superyachts owned by Russian billionaires are anchored or cruising in the Maldives, an Indian Ocean island nation, ship tracking data showed. The yachts arrived in the Maldives after the West imposed sanctions on Russia. Washington, the European Union and others have said they will target oligarchs who have amassed fortunes and political influence under Russian President Vladmir Putin. “Thanks to the French customs officers who are enforcing the European Union’s sanctions against those close to the Russian government,” Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Thursday after French customs seized the 88-metre “Amore Vero” (True Love). The yacht had been about to flee, he said. It was impounded in the French Riviera port of La Ciotat and belongs to a company whose main shareholder is Rosneft chief Igor Sechin, a close ally of Putin, the finance ministry said. In Germany, a nearly $600 million luxury yacht owned by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov was seized in the northern port of Hamburg, Forbes reported. And in another sign of Russian oligarchs feeling the sanctions’ heat, billionaire Roman Abramovich said on Wednesday he would sell the Chelsea Football Club and promised to donate money from the sale to help victims of the war in Ukraine. TRACKING ASSETS The United States is preparing a sanctions package targeting more Russian oligarchs as well as their companies and assets, two sources said on Wednesday, after U.S. President Joe Biden said the United States would work to seize the yachts, luxury apartments and private jets of wealthy Russians. The EU, the United States, Canada and Britain are pooling efforts to examine how oligarchs could find ways to bypass the sanctions and also nail down the role of trust companies in holding assets, an EU official said on Thursday. This task force will aim to close loopholes as they become apparent, the official said. The impact of the sanctions was being widely felt. “There is a significant chilling effect on any new business with Russia,” said Matt Townsend, a sanctions partner at law firm Allen & Overy. “People are concerned about credit risk exposure but are also worried about what’s coming next. Everyone’s eyes are on the next wave of significant sanctions.” READY TO FLEE? The Amore Vero seized in La Ciotat had arrived there on Jan. 3 and was due to stay until April 1 for repairs, the French finance ministry said. On Wednesday, customs officers noted that the yacht was “taking steps to sail off urgently, without the repair works being over”, the statement said. As it was subject to the new sanctions, the officers decided to seize it. Rosneft, a Russian oil giant, did not respond to a request for comment over the seizure. Monaco-based Imperial Yachts told Reuters the yacht was owned by a firm called Kazimo, which had appointed Imperial Yachts as managers of the boat in 2018. “The individual you name is not connected with either Kazimo nor the yacht,” a representative for Imperial Yachts told Reuters when asked about Sechin. The French finance ministry did not immediately return a request for comment. Spanish group MB92, which owns the Ciotat shipyard, said the company was cooperating with the French authorities. In Germany, the 512-foot (156-metre) yacht Dilbar had been undergoing a refit in the shipyards of Blohm + Voss, Forbes said. The German government had frozen the asset and employees working on the ship did not appear for work on Wednesday, Forbes said. A representative of Usmanov said he had no confirmation of the yacht’s reported seizure. Germany’s General Customs office said details of operational measures cannot be made public. A spokesperson for Blohm + Voss declined to comment on the Dilbar, saying only that all orders and projects of its owners, the Luerssen Group, and subsidiaries were treated in accordance with the legal situation. MALDIVES HAVEN? Meanwhile, at least five superyachts owned by Russian billionaires appeared to have found temporary haven in the Maldives, a luxury holiday destination. The superyacht Clio, owned by Oleg Deripaska, the founder of aluminium giant Rusal who was sanctioned by the United States in 2018, was anchored off the capital Male on Wednesday, according to shipping database MarineTraffic. The Titan, owned by Alexander Abramov, a co-founder of Russian steel producer Evraz, arrived on Monday. Three more yachts owned by Russian oligarchs were seen cruising in Maldives waters on Wednesday, the data showed. They included the 88-metre (288-foot) Nirvana owned by Russia’s richest man, Vladimir Potanin. Most of the vessels were last seen anchored in Middle Eastern ports. A spokesperson for the Maldives government did not respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Reuters in New Delhi, Paris, Berlin, London, Moscow, Brussels and Barcelona, Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Angus MacSwan) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Lady Gaga, Billy Porter and Eric McCormack will co-host Sir Elton John’s Oscar viewing party. The music legend’s fundraising bash in aid of his Elton John AIDS Foundation will return for the first time as an in-person event since the pandemic on March 27. The glitzy bash where famous faces watch the Academy Awards has raised more than $86 million over the past three decades. As well as the ‘Born This Way’ hitmaker, ‘Pose’ star and ‘Will and Grace’ actor hosting with the ‘Rocket Man’ hitmaker, Brandi Carlile is the special guest performer. Elton’s husband and co-founder of the AIDS Foundation, David Furnish, commented: “Lady Gaga, Billy Porter and Eric McCormack are not only amazingly talented, but have greatly contributed to LGBTQ+ visibility and inclusion in entertainment – both on screen and in music. “I’m honoured to have this group to join me on stage in West Hollywood Park to advocate for all marginalised groups affected by HIV.” Since its inception in 1992, The Academy Awards Viewing Party has supported the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s efforts to raise millions for their lifesaving work. Elton, 74, recently threw his support behind the British government’s vow to end HIV infections and deaths in England by 2030. The government is pumping £23 million into funding for the cause, with an aim of reducing infections by 80 per cent by 2025 and putting an end to all new cases five years later. And the ‘Tiny Dancer’ hitmaker insisted the most vital thing is “testing”. Speaking on World AIDS Day in December, Elton said: “One thing we’ve learned this year is the importance of testing and testing for HIV is at the core of ending new cases of HIV in England. It’s so important for everyone to know their HIV status to protect themselves and others.” View the full article