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Published by Sports Illustrated By Alex Prewitt Competing in his third and final Olympics, this time for his birth country of Great Britain, the 30-year-old freestyle skier is going for gold, but even if he goes home without a medal, he’s already triumphed by helping change the culture for LGBTQ athletes. View the original article to see embedded media. BEIJING — Two years ago, when Gus Kenworthy decided to capitalize on his dual citizenship and join Team Great Britain, the freestyle skier figured that the switch would offer a much easier path to the 2022 Beijing Games than if he had stuck with the United States. He looked f… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English George Takei insists “issues still remain” for LGBTQ actors in Hollywood. The 84-year-old star – who came out in 2005 and married producer Brad Altman in 2008 – insisted that despite some “amazing progress” in terms of representation and acceptance, there’s still a lot of work to be done. He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “There’s no denying we have made amazing progress in terms of telling the LGBTQ story and having LGBTQ performers now acting and maintaining a career. “But… there’s always that ‘but’, in Hollywood and in America. Issues still remain.” For decades, the ‘Star Trek’ legend was in the closet because he wanted to protect his career after seeing how late Hollywood icon Tab Hunter – who came out the same year as him – was “vilified” long before he publicly confirmed his sexuality. He added: “It was a scandal sheet [Hollywood magazine Confidential] that exposed him as being gay. “And suddenly he disappeared. Warner Brothers dropped his contract, vilified him, called him box-office poison. I was stunned. “The lesson that I got from that was you can’t be an actor and be gay at the same time. And I passionately wanted to be an actor.” Takei also opened up on the “torture” of hiding his sexuality as he had an “instinct” to be open, as the Japanese-American actor had seen his parents refuse to give a loyalty oath at the Rohwer Relocation Centre – where they were taken shortly after the Pearl Harbor bombing in 1942 – which saw them moved to the Tule Lake camp. He explained: “It was torture being closeted, because my instinct was to speak out. My parents had stood their ground on the loyalty questionnaire. They were principled. “And so I felt an immense sense of guilt in not standing up. Especially when I was standing up on other grounds – certainly on the internment of Japanese Americans.” View the full article

Published by Al-Araby A transgender woman has been killed by her brother in the Iraqi Kurdistan region amid the indifference and impunity of the Kurdish authorities. The murder of the 23-year-old transgender woman in Iraqi Kurdistan has nonetheless provoked outcry among activists and civil society organisations. Doski Azad, 23, was reportedly killed by her brother, Chakdar Azad, on 28 January. Her body was found three days later in the village of Mangesh, around 12 miles north of the city centre of Duhok, after another brother of the victim called the police. “In a society rooted in heteronormativity, LGBTQ+ people… Read More View the full article

Published by NJ.com DEAR ABBY: Our 14-year-old granddaughter came out as a boy four months ago. The situation has been terrifying because he had thought about suicide. He was hospitalized and now sees a therapist and psychologist and is taking anxiety meds. This has been a trying time for us as well. I love my grandchild but I’m having a very hard time with this. So is my husband. I don’t know how to tell my sisters and their husbands about this. One set is pretty understanding;…[SecondQuestion] Read More View the full article

Published by Miami Herald To understand the state of education in 2022 Florida, take 19th century poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s famous love question — and add a twist: How do I mess with thee, Florida public schools, this legislative session? Let us count the ways. The Legislature is attacking core critical-thinking values, censoring students and educators, forsaking real American history for whitewashed versions — and refusing children the right to a public education in a healthy environment. Consider the misuse of taxpayer funds to punish urban districts seen as politically rebellious during the return to in-pers… Read More View the full article

Published by Orlando Sentinel ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County, Florida, Public Schools removed one book from school libraries this fall because of a parent’s complaint about sexually explicit content and three others face reviews, including a memoir by a gay Black author already ousted from school libraries in Florida and several other states. Books in seven other Florida school districts faced challenges in recent months and a bill advancing in the Legislature would allow more public scrutiny of what books are kept in school libraries. In Indian River County, a chapter of Moms for Liberty — a conservative group challenging… Read More View the full article

Blurred Version of 5-second clip embedded. May be disturbing to some. Eaten by A Shark: (Videos could be disturbing to some.) See FULL VERSION of with only partial blurring here. And a hot take on the guy fishing. Published by Radar Online Mega A swimmer has been killed by a 13-foot great white shark on an Australian beach as a group of horrified beach-goers and fishermen could do nothing but watch the fatal attack unfold. According to Daily Mail, the vicious attack took place Wednesday in Buchan Point, a small coastal town just north of Sydney’s Little Bay Beach. The unbelievable scene was also partly caught on camera, as well as watched by witnesses who claim they first heard the victim screaming for his life. Mega This is the first fatal shark attack to take place in Sydney since 1963, making Wednesday’s tragedy the first to happen in nearly 60 years. After the witnesses reported the attack to the proper authorities, both rescue helicopters and jet skis were deployed in search of the swimmer while all other swimmers were promptly ordered out of the water. “Footage clearly shows a body, half a body being taken by a shark,” a New South Wales police officer tells a fellow officer over the police scanner. “They have found some remains.” In the footage taken during and shortly after the attack, witnesses can be heard reacting to the devastating incident they just watched happen. Mega “Someone just got eaten by a shark. Oh man! Oh no! That’s insane,” a fisherman could be heard shouting. “That’s a great white shark.” “F–k man, I heard a scream and the shark was just chomping on his body and the body was in half just off the rocks here,” another witness recalled shortly after the fatal attack. “It came back and swallowed parts of his body and that was it. It disappeared.” In a statement following the attack, New South Wales Police revealed that an investigation into the shark attack is still ongoing. “An investigation into the swimmer’s death is ongoing, and Little Bay Beach is closed as officers continue to search the area,” they said. “Unfortunately, this person had suffered catastrophic injuries and there wasn’t a lot paramedics could do when we arrived,” Lucky Phrachanh, the NSW Ambulance Inspector, also revealed in a statement following the attack. Mega “DPI extends sincere condolences to the family and friends and first responders at this tragic time,” a spokesperson for Australia’s Department of Primary Industries recently told the outlet. View the full article

Published by Sports Illustrated By Alex Prewitt In her fifth and final Olympics, the 35-year-old is preparing to hang up her skates, but not before adding to her illustrious career. She’s already made history in Beijing, becoming the first athlete to capture individual gold medals in five different Games. BEIJING — Two goats walk into a barn. Well, that’s not quite right. One is a real goat, an adorable white Saanen named Sophie with beady eyes, elfish ears and a gold medal around its neck. The other is Dutch speedskating legend Ireen Wüst, who explains her presence for this three-hour sponsorship photoshoot as such: “It’s a… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden has rejected former President Donald Trump’s executive privilege claims and ordered White House visitor logs to be released to the panel investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 attack, according to a letter released on Wednesday. In a letter to the National Archives, Biden’s White House counsel granted congressional investigators access to the data given the urgency of their work probing Trump supporters’ violent siege at the U.S. Capitol last year, and ordered the agency to turn over the logs within 15 days. “The President has determined that an assertion of executive privilege is not in the best interests of the United States, and therefore is not justified, as to these records and portions of records,” Biden’s counsel Dana Remus wrote in the letter dated Feb. 15. Representatives for Trump, a Republican, could not be immediately reached for comment. Biden, a Democrat, last year also rejected Trump’s bid to block the U.S. House of Representatives Jan. 6 committee from accessing batches of documents from the former president’s time at the White House. Federal courts also rejected Trump’s lawsuit seeking to withhold the records. Remus, in the letter, said the logs of those who visited the White House before Trump left on Jan. 20, 2021 should be handed over quickly “in light of the urgency” of the committee’s work and Congress’ “compelling need.” “Constitutional protections of executive privilege should not be used to shield, from Congress or the public, information that reflects a clear and apparent effort to subvert the Constitution itself,” Remus wrote. The White House planned to inform Trump’s lawyers about the decision on Wednesday, according to the New York Times, which first reported the letter. Representatives for the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) could not be immediately reached for comment. The White House also could not be immediately reached. HUNDREDS CHARGED Separately on Wednesday, the founder of a right-wing militia group charged with seditious conspiracy over his alleged role in organizing the Jan. 6 attack is set to appear in court https://www.reuters.com/world/us/oath-keepers-founder-seek-release-jail-ahead-us-sedition-trial-2022-02-16, seeking to be released from jail while he awaits trial. So far, more than 725 people have been charged with playing a role in the attack that 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 made 81 subpoenas public, including those issued to top Trump aides and allies, and interviewed more than 560 witnesses. It has also sought records from social media and other telecommunications firms. On Tuesday, it subpoenaed six people https://www.reuters.com/world/us/top-senate-republican-opposes-leniency-us-capitol-rioters-2022-02-01 who had knowledge of or participated in unsuccessful efforts to send false “alternate electors” to Washington for Trump in the 2020 presidential election. Trump has repeatedly blasted the committee’s investigation and decried the November 2020 election, which he lost to Biden by more than 7 million ballots and by 74 votes in the Electoral College. Trump, who has teased a potential presidential bid in 2024 but not formally declared his candidacy, could again file suit seeking to block the release of the visitor logs. The nation’s top court last month, however, rejected https://reut.rs/3IauWrr his early attempt to withhold documents in a near unanimous decision. (Addditional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Writing Susan HeaveyEditing by Chizu Nomiyama and Paul Simao) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine MEGA Prince Andrew‘s future is not looking bright. As reported by OK!, the Duke of York and accuser Virginia Giuffre reached a “settlement in principle” in her civil sexual abuse case. “The parties will file a stipulated dismissal upon Ms Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement (the sum of which is not being disclosed),” a document submitted to a U.S. court read. Virginia alleged she was forced to have sex with the royal on three occasions as a minor, which Andrew denied. Royal expert Camilla Tominey appeared on This Morning on Wednesday, February 16, and weighed in on what’s next for Andrew. Camilla suspected Andrew’s team are debating whether he can ever be “rehabilitated” in the public eye, the Express reported. MEGA VIRGINIA GIUFFRE SPEAKS OUT ABOUT ‘JUSTICE’ OF GHISLAINE MAXWELL GUILTY VERDICT, INSISTS ‘OTHERS MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE’ “He can’t in public life,” she explained. “Because when he was stripped of his royal and military associations last month it was expressly said there’s no going back so those patronages are going to be handed on to other members of the royal family.” “We’ve got to mindful of the fact his mother is supportive of him while she’s on the throne he’s got limited time for rehabilitation,” Camilla said, per the outlet. MEGA The reporter said things will be different when Prince Charles is king. She suspected the Prince of Wales will have “less sympathy” for his brother than Queen Elizabeth II. “Let’s not forget it was his brother and indeed his nephew the Duke of Cambridge [Prince William] who pushed for this severing of royal ties in the first place,” she added. Andrew was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages by the monarch last month. In 2019, he stepped back as a working royal in the aftermath of his BBC interview where he claimed he had no recollection of ever meeting Virginia. “He’s in a really very difficult position,” Camilla said, the publication reported. FORMER PALACE SECURITY OFFICER CALLS PRINCE ANDREW A ‘BULLY,’ CLAIMS ROYAL ‘HAD THIS NASTY SIDE TO HIM’ AS HE FACES SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE MEGA Camilla said she did not know the nature of the agreement reached between Andrew and Virginia’s legal teams. “Obviously there is the statement that was negotiated over 10 days and in it he doesn’t admit any liability,” she said. “It was suggested that she wanted him to show some sort of admission of guilt.” She suspected Virginia may be “entitled to speak” about the settlement after the Platinum Jubilee in June. She felt the timing is interesting because Prince Harry‘s biography is also slated for release after the event. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Queen Elizabeth is releasing a perfume for dogs. Canine lovers will be able to purchase Happy Hounds Dog Cologne for £9.99 ($13.53) in the gift shop of Sandringham House, which is the British monarch’s estate in Norfolk, England. The description of the pooch perfume, which is unisex, says it smells of “coastal walks” and has a “rich, musky scent with citrus notes of bergamot”. The Sandringham Estate’s gift shop already lists The Sandringham Happy Hound Gift Box, touted as “the ideal present for dog lovers and their furry friends,” on its website. The box set includes a dog shampoo, game bones and a tweed dog toy. The pet scent has been created in collaboration with Norfolk Natural Living. Queen Elizabeth also released a range of dog biscuits in August 2021. The 95-year-old royal approved a line of canine snacks, called Game Bones, made with meat from the grounds surrounding Sandringham House and flavoured with royal venison. The doggy biscuits come in a paper bag with a royal seal and, although they do not contain any additives or preservatives, they are recommended for “occasional use” and as a “training aid” for pet pooches. The Queen has owned corgis and dorgis – a cross between a dachshund and a corgi – since she was 18. In May 2021, she mourned the loss of dorgi Fergus, one of two new puppies given to her while her late husband Prince Philip was in the hospital. The mutt was named after her late uncle Fergus Bowes-Lyon, who died during World War I in 1915. The other dog is named was Muick after a favorite spot near Balmoral Castle. Along with two dogs, Elizabeth still also has her last corgi, Candy. View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) -CNN executive Allison Gollust has resigned after an internal investigation found violations of policy by her and others, WarnerMedia Chief Executive Jason Kilar told staff in a memo seen by Reuters on Tuesday. Her departure follows a network investigation into the conduct of Chris Cuomo, a primetime CNN anchor fired in December for allegedly assisting his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was accused of sexual misconduct. Jeff Zucker resigned as CNN president earlier this month, telling staff he had failed to disclose a consensual relationship with a colleague. CNN anchor Brian Stelter said at the time that the relationship was with Gollust, the chief marketing officer for the network. WarnerMedia confirmed Gollust’s resignation in a statement on Tuesday. It said an investigation, performed by an independent law firm and led by a former federal judge, concluded over the weekend that Zucker, Gollust and Cuomo had violated company policies. It was based on interviews with more than 40 people and a review of more than 100,000 texts and emails. “I realize this news is troubling, disappointing, and frankly, painful to read. These are valid feelings many of you have,” Kilar wrote in the memo. “We have the highest standards of journalistic integrity at CNN, and those rules must apply to everyone equally. Given the information provided to me in the investigation, I strongly believe we have taken the right actions and the right decisions have been made.” In a statement to Reuters on Wednesday, Gollust called WarnerMedia’s statement “deeply disappointing” and “an attempt to retaliate against me and change the media narrative in the wake of their disastrous handling of the last two weeks.” A spokesperson for Chris Cuomo issued a statement on Tuesday asserting that Zucker and Gollust were both aware and “fully supportive” of what he was doing to help his brother. “The still open question is when WarnerMedia is going to release the results of its investigation and explain its supposed basis for terminating Mr. Cuomo,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement. Zucker could not immediately be reached for comment. CNN is part of AT&T-owned WarnerMedia, which is being spun off in a $43 billion transaction with Discovery. (Reporting by Ken Li, Dawn Chmielewski and Peter Henderson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by Reuters UK By Praveen Menon WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand’s parliament on Tuesday near-unanimously passed a legislation that bans practices intended to forcibly change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, known as conversion therapy. The bill, which was introduced by the government last year, passed with 112 votes in favour and eight votes opposed. “This is a great day for New Zealand’s rainbow communities,” Minister of Justice Kris Faafoi said. “Conversion practices have no place in modern New Zealand.” The government has said practices such as conversion therapy do … Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Another day, another Kanye West post. This time, the 44-year-old rapper is taking “accountability” after leaking text messages between him and Kim Kardashianthat he admits came off as “harassing.” Ye took to social media on Tuesday, wiping his entire Instagram clean to issue the apology after posting private messages showing his estranged wife’s concern over her boyfriend Pete Davidson‘s safety. Mega Sharing a solo photo of himself on stage, the Grammy winner began his apology tour. “I’ve learned that using all caps makes people feel like I’m screaming at them. I’m working on my communication. I can benefit from a team of creative professionals, organizers, mobilizers and community leaders. Thank everybody for supporting me,” he wrote, before addressing the text message leak. Admitting he went too far by sharing Kim’s private messages, Ye added, “I know sharing screen shots was jarring and came off as harassing Kim. I take accountability. I’m still learning in real time. I don’t have all the answers. To be good leader is to be a good listener.” As of this post, all of Kanye’s IG rants have been erased. TheJesus Is King rapper was relentless on the Saturday Night Live comedian — who he hilariously nicknamed “Skete” — over the weekend. He claimed Pete came in between his family and ordered his fans to “scream at the looser” if they saw him and shout “Kimye forever.” Kanye also called Pete a “d–khead,” “garbage,” and rapped that “a hundred goons pullin’ up to SNL.” While fans ate the drama up, Kim wasn’t impressed. Mega Kanye surprised everyone when he posted a screenshot of the conversation between him and Kim about the matter. “There are dangerous people out there and this is scary and it doesn’t have to be,” Kim’s message read. Ensuring Kim he “will always do everything to protect you and our family forever,” Kanye said, “I listened to you and told everyone to make sure nothing physical happens to Skete.” Kanye later doubled down after Kim caught wind about their private texts, posting another series of their messages. When the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star asked why he made them public, Ye responded, “Cause I got a text from my favorite person in the world.” He added, “I’m your number one fan … Why wouldn’t I tell everyone!!!!” Mega Indeed, Kanye is still Kim’s biggest fan. He even sent her a truckload of red roses for Valentine’s Day after breaking up with his short-lived fling Julia Fox. Kim didn’t reciprocate the loving gesture. As Radar reported, she filed paperwork on Monday begging the judge to speed up their divorce process. View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Beloved comic Bob Saget ominously predicted his death months before he died during a videotaped podcast in which he declared with a straight face: “I’m going to be found dead in bed,” Radar has exclusively learned. The Full House star made the stunning forecast during an October 25 episode of Bob Saget’s Here For You after his foodie wife, Kelly Rizzo, explained her favorite movies included the head-bashing gangster classics The Godfather, Scarface, Casino, and GoodFellas. ‘There Is NO WAY This Could Have Occurred With One Fall’: Famed Pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht Calls For Second Autopsy On Comedian Bob Saget Mega “So, I don’t have long to live if these are your favorites,” Saget deadpans. “I’m going to be found dead in bed.” Rizzo slyly replies: “You better watch out.” The chilling straight-faced statement incredibly mirrors the Fuller House actor’s January 9th death where he was found dead in his bed inside his Ritz-Carlton hotel room in Orlando, Florida, after a freak head injury that is raising eyebrows with the country’s foremost forensic experts. Mega As Radar previously reported, renowned pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht is calling for Saget’s body to be exhumed and a full investigation after an autopsy report was released showing he had massive skull fractures. Several health experts who reviewed the autopsy report released by the Orange County Medical Examiner Dr. Joshua Stephany are crying foul — with one telling the New York Times the injury appears consistent with the actor being hit with a baseball bat or falling from a height of up to 30 feet. “All of these injuries fractures and areas of hemorrhage could not have been sustained by one fall,” he said. “I am just very surprised that the medical examiner attributed it to one fall. There is no way this could have occurred with one fall,” Stephany claimed. He added, “The first autopsy is not a bad autopsy – I’m not being critical – but what I am being critical of is attributing everything to one fall. I would like to see that medical examiner and the consultant he dealt with explain how you get all those injuries from one fall. No way!” Mega Dr. Stephany concluded Saget died after falling backward and striking his head. The comedian then somehow crawled into his bed where his body was found. He concluded there was no suspected foul play. “It is most probable that the decedent suffered an unwitnessed fall backwards and struck the posterior aspect of his head,” explained the medical examiner, who discovered various abrasions to Saget’s scalp and fractures to the base of his skull. When Radar reached out to Dr. Stephany for comment, his assistant said he “respectfully declines to do any interviews at this time.” View the full article

Published by AFP Victims of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School are seen in a photo taken in September 2013 New York (AFP) – Families of nine victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting have reached a $73 million settlement with US gunmaker Remington, in a landmark deal for a country traumatized by campus massacres. Lawyers for the plaintiffs said the settlement marks the first time a gun maker has been held liable for a mass shooting in the United States. Twenty-six children and teachers were shot dead in 2012 at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut by Adam Lanza, a 20-year-old with known developmental disabilities. The killings — the second-deadliest school massacre in US history — stunned Americans, with many thinking they would mark a watershed moment that would lead lawmakers to tighten gun control. A “settlement agreement has been executed between the parties,” a notice from lawyers for the families said Tuesday. Calling the move “historic,” US President Joe Biden said it begins “the necessary work of holding gun manufacturers accountable.” Manufacturers and dealers must either change their business models or “bear the financial cost of their complicity,” he said in a statement. Lanza’s mother, a gun enthusiast, had bought him an AR-15-style Bushmaster XM15-E2S semi-automatic rifle more than two years before the shooting. Lanza murdered his mother before attacking the school, and killed himself afterward. The lawsuit alleged that Remington and the other two defendants are culpable because they knowingly marketed a military grade weapon that is “grossly unsuited” for civilian use yet had become the gun most used in mass shootings. An AR-15 was also used to kill 58 people at a mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017, and 17 at a school in Parkland, Florida in 2018. Remington, the oldest gunmaker in the United States and which has since filed for bankruptcy, had denied the allegations. The plaintiffs alleged that the gun was marketed immorally and unscrupulously and sold on its war-fighting capabilities to civilians. Marketing, they charged, popularized the AR-15 in combat and mass shooting-type situations through the type of violent video games that Lanza was known to play. They specifically cited Remington’s marketing of high-capacity magazines, which have only combat utility, for use with the gun. The gun “was used not by a highly trained soldier but by a deeply troubled kid, not on a battlefield abroad but in an elementary school at home, and not to preserve freedom, but to eviscerate them,” Joshua Koskoff, a lawyer for the Sandy Hook families, told a press conference Tuesday. Christopher Boehning, another lawyer for the plaintiffs, told AFP the settlement “sends a strong warning signal to other gun manufacturers regarding their role in these unthinkable tragedies.” AFP has sought comment from Remington. Popular in mass shootings The United States leads the world in mass shootings by civilians, with many schools undergoing live shooter drills as a matter of routine. But the grief and trauma of Lanza’s rampage was underscored by the youth of his victims. He killed 20 six- and seven-year-olds along with six staff members. Nearly four years later, the shooting was still so visceral that it moved then-president Barack Obama to tears during a speech on gun control. Hopes that revulsion ignited by the massacre would finally prompt Congress to follow through on wildly popular demands for greater restrictions on weapons, however, fell flat. Instead, the powerful gun lobby has repeatedly stamped out any efforts to further change the famed Second Amendment to the country’s constitution, which allows for the right to bear arms. But the settlement deal between the Sandy Hook families and Remington could help pave the way for further accountability in such massacres. The US Congress passed a law in 2005 that explicitly immunized gunmakers when their products are used in crimes. But the Connecticut Supreme Court said that Remington could still be sued on the grounds that its marketing violated Connecticut’s unfair trade practice laws. “The gun manufacturers knew that they were advertising a dangerous product and they exploited these dangers,” Matthew Soto, brother of first grade teacher Vicki Soto, who was among the victims, said at Tuesday’s press conference. Nicole Hockley, the mother of victim Dylan, six, told the press conference that her family had moved from Britain “because of our belief in the American dream.” But that “turned into the American nightmare, where for too many the right to bear arms is a higher priority than the right to life.” View the full article

Published by Reuters UK By Andrew MacAskill and Kate Holton LONDON (Reuters) – Prince Andrew’s decision to settle a claim that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl decades ago may bring an end to his legal difficulties but the damage done to his reputation means he is unlikely to ever play a role in public life again. The settlement by the 61-year-old Duke of York includes an undisclosed payment to Virginia Giuffre, a woman who had accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager. The settlement, revealed on Tuesday in a Manhattan court filing, said he had never intended to malign her character. That marke… Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Law enforcement investigating the rape allegation against Cristiano Ronaldo had enough to arrest and charge the soccer star but were stopped from putting him behind bars after the D.A. decided not to prosecute. According to a bombshell report released by The Sun, Las Vegas cops even signed off on an arrest warrant. Their plans to take the soccer legend into custody were foiled when Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson declined to prosecute the case without giving a reason. Vegas is where Kathryn Mayorga claims Ronaldo raped her in a hotel room. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Sexual Assault Accuser Claims She Suffers PTSD From Alleged Incident In $56 Million Legal Battle With Soccer Star Mega Her lawyer, Leslie Mark Stovall, revealed the shocking news in court. “What happened is when that [arrest warrant] was submitted to the district attorney’s office, Mr. Wolfson declined to prosecute,” she stated. “He doesn’t say why he decided to decline and anything — any argument is just speculation. It was within the statute of limitations. “The police believed that they had a case to prosecute for one count of sexual assault and the DA decided not to.” Stovall made the statement in September; however, the transcript has just come to light. DA Wolfson reviewed the police investigation against Ronaldo. In July 2019, he said there wasn’t enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt and declined to press charges against the Manchester player. Mega Photos from 2009 show Ronaldo and Mayorga dancing and drinking together inside Rain Nightclub. According to Mayorga, they went back to his private suite where he allegedly raped her despite her protests. The athlete has fiercely denied her allegations. He claims they had consensual sex. In 2018, Mayorga filed a civil lawsuit against Ronaldo in an effort to void a nondisclosure agreement she signed over the alleged assault. Ronaldo — who is one of the world’s highest-paid athletes — paid his alleged victim more than $350,000 in exchange for her silence. He did not claim any guilt. Mega Mayorga wants an additional $75,835,200 in damages. The civil case is still ongoing. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jonathan Allen ST PAUL, Minn. (Reuters) -Tou Thao, one of three former Minneapolis police officers on trial for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, told a jury on Tuesday he did not realize the Black man was being asphyxiated while a white officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes. Testifying in his own defense, Thao, 36, said he assumed Floyd’s heart was still beating because he never saw the other officers attempt to revive him as they were trained to do. Thao, 36, is on trial in the U.S. District Court in St. Paul alongside J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane. All three are accused of violating Floyd’s right to receive medical care as he lay dying, unable to properly breathe face down beneath the knee of their former colleague, Derek Chauvin. Cellphone video of the arrest on a Minneapolis road on May 25, 2020, led to protests against racism and police brutality in cities around the world. Chauvin was convicted last year at a separate state trial for the murder of Floyd, 46. Federal prosecutors, who rested their case on Monday after about three weeks of witness testimony, have said the other officers at the scene had a duty to intervene to prevent Floyd’s death. Thao took the stand to convince jurors that he handled a chaotic scene in accordance with his training and with concern for the well-being of Floyd and the officers arresting him. His testimony marks the first extensive public comment by any of the officers involved in the arrest. He can be seen on videos a few steps away from Floyd, keeping back horrified onlookers, while Chauvin kneels on the handcuffed Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes. The arrest occured outside a grocery store where Floyd was accused of using a fake $20 bill. Under questioning by his defense lawyer Robert Paule, Thao said he believed that Chauvin and the other two officers on top of Floyd were checking his pulse. He said he was falsely reassured because none of them performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation. “Logically, if they’re not doing CPR, I assume he’s still breathing and fine,” Thao testified, agreeing with his lawyer that police officers are trained to start CPR as soon as possible if they cannot find a pulse. Floyd received no medical aid until after his limp body was lifted into an ambulance and driven a few blocks away, several minutes after he fell unresponsive. Thao testified that he had confirmed with other officers that an ambulance had been called, and saw his role as a “human traffic cone,” making sure oncoming traffic steered clear of the scene. Jurors watched video taken by Thao’s body-worn camera that shows Thao arriving to find Kueng and Lane struggling to get a handcuffed Floyd to stay in the back of a police car. Floyd screams repeatedly that he is claustrophobic and cannot breathe. “Not to besmirch, but I’ve never seen this much of a struggle,” Thao testified, saying he had been an officer for eight years by that time. “It was obvious that he was under the influence of some kind of drugs.” He said Floyd was incoherent and impossible to calm, and he feared Floyd might be having a dangerous reaction to drugs. An autopsy later found fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, and methamphetamine in Floyd’s blood. Thao said it was normal during training sessions to see an officer on top of a person being arrested while prone on the ground, using a knee near the neck to pin down the arrestee. Jurors were shown photographs of Thao and his classmates using such restraints. “Were you ever instructed that using knees was improper technique?” Paule asked his client. “No,” Thao replied. A ‘STRICT’ UPBRINGING Thao told the jury his parents fled to the United States from Laos before he was born, refugees belonging to the Hmong ethnic group. He was the third of seven siblings, he said, and his parents could afford to feed them only one meal a day. He said he was first inspired to become a police officer when, as a child, he helped Minneapolis police officers arrest his abusive father, who had threatened Thao and his mother with a gun. “I think they were the two most peaceful days of my childhood,” Thao testified, on the verge of tears as he described the immediate aftermath of the arrest. According to court filings based on police records, Thao was cited at least seven times while being trained in the field over several months in 2012 for shirking his duties, sometimes pretending not to see violations of the law in order to minimize his workload. Chauvin, who is white, was also charged by federal officers of violating Floyd’s civil rights, and changed his plea to guilty in December. The two other co-defendants, Lane and Kueng, have also said they will testify. Thao, Lane and Kueng also face a separate state trial in June on charges they aided and abetted Floyd’s murder. (Reporting by Jonathan AllenEditing by Alistair Bell and David Gregorio) View the full article

Published by AFP The New York Times has censored some words from the accepted list of words in its hit-game Wordle Washington (AFP) – Some four-letter words are taboo, but the New York Times has added a few five-lettered ones to the list — by removing them from the hit game Wordle. The game, which consists of guessing one five-letter word a day in just six tries, was bought by the paper last month after it skyrocketed in popularity around the world. Users began to complain earlier this week, when the game said two different words were the correct answer. One of Wordle’s much-loved features is supposed to be that everyone tries to determine the same word. After the Times bought the simple but captivating game from its creator Josh Wardle, internet sleuths noticed it had begun removing words from the list of possible solutions. While the Times moved the game onto its website earlier in February, some users still have access to the older version, and the older list. The website Boingboing.net reported that words such as “pussy,” “whore,” “slave” and “wench” had been removed, while more obscure terms “pupal” and “agora” had also been axed. “We are updating the word list over time to remove obscure words to keep the puzzle accessible to more people, as well as insensitive or offensive words,” said Times spokesman Jordan Cohen in a statement to AFP. Wordle now has millions of users around the world, and versions have sprung up in many different languages. The Times said it bought the game for an “undisclosed price in the low seven figures,” as it seeks to win new subscribers through non-news offerings. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jonathan Stempel and Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince Andrew has settled a U.S. lawsuit by Virginia Giuffre accusing him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager, potentially sparing him further embarrassment in a lurid case that helped precipitate his fall from grace. The settlement, which includes an undisclosed payment, was revealed on Tuesday in a filing in Manhattan federal court, where Giuffre had sued the Duke of York last August. The prince did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement. Giuffre’s case had focused on Andrew’s friendship with the late Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and sex offender who she said also sexually abused her. The filing said Andrew regrets his past association with Epstein. In the joint filing, lawyers for Giuffre, 38, and Andrew, 61, said their settlement in principle calls for the prince to make a “substantial donation” to Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights. “Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks,” the filing said. Andrew has denied accusations that he forced Giuffre, who now lives in Australia, to have sex at age 17 more than two decades ago at the London home of Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s mansion in Manhattan and Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. A trial in the case had been expected to begin late this year. Andrew would have had to give testimony under oath. “It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years,” the filing said. “Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others. He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.” ‘QUESTION MARK’ The statement represented a marked departure from a 2019 BBC interview in which Andrew, who is Queen Elizabeth’s second son, failed to show sympathy toward Epstein’s victims and refused to apologize for his friendship with the financier. The royal family in January removed Andrew’s military titles and royal patronages and said he will no longer be known as “His Royal Highness.” Andrew was defending against Giuffre’s lawsuit as a private citizen. For now, his legal exposure in the United States to similar claims appears to be over. Penny Junor, a British royal biographer, called the settlement a “prudent” means to limit further damage to the royal family, but that Andrew’s reputation will likely be permanently scarred. “I fear there is no chance he will come back to public duties,” Junor said. “A question mark will always hang over him.” Buckingham Palace declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the prince declined to comment beyond the court filing. A lawyer for Andrew did not immediately respond to a request for comment. David Boies, a lawyer for Giuffre, said: “This event speaks for itself.” Andrew faces no criminal charges, and none will result from Giuffre’s lawsuit because it was a civil case. The office of U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan has been investigating Epstein’s sex trafficking and considered Andrew at least a potential witness, or “person of interest https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/prince-andrew-a-person-interest-epstein-probe-source-2021-08-16.” Andrew had previously declined the office’s interview requests, former U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in June 2020, the month before Maxwell’s arrest. A spokesman for Williams did not immediately respond to a request for comment. GIUFFRE ‘FEARED DEATH’ In court papers in the lawsuit, Giuffre said she “feared death or physical injury to herself or another and other repercussions for disobeying Epstein, Maxwell and Prince Andrew due to their powerful connections, wealth and authority.” She also said that in Manhattan, Maxwell forced her to sit on Andrew’s lap as he touched her, and Andrew forced her to engage in sex acts against her will. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan refused to dismiss Giuffre’s lawsuit last month, without ruling on its merits. He also said it was premature to decide whether Giuffre’s 2009 civil settlement with Epstein also shielded Andrew. Epstein had paid Giuffre $500,000 to end her Florida lawsuit accusing him of sexual abuse, without admitting liability. Andrew’s lawyers had contended that Giuffre’s lawsuit was “baseless” https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/prince-andrew-seeks-dismissal-accuser-giuffres-lawsuit-2021-10-29 and that she was seeking “another payday,” after also receiving “millions of dollars” in a 2017 settlement of her civil defamation lawsuit against Maxwell. Epstein killed himself at age 66 in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell, 60, was convicted in December of recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004. She is seeking a new trial https://www.reuters.com/world/us/some-ghislaine-maxwell-jurors-initially-doubted-accusers-juror-says-2022-01-05. Giuffre sued Andrew less than a week before the expiration of a New York state law providing a two-year window to sue over child abuse dating back decades. (Reporting by Luc Cohen and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Joan Soley in New York and Andrew MacAskill in London; Editing by Will Dunham and Noeleen Walder) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jody Godoy and Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -A U.S. jury on Tuesday ruled against Sarah Palin in her defamation lawsuit against the New York Times over a 2017 editorial that incorrectly linked her to a mass shooting, after the presiding judge said he would dismiss the case regardless of the verdict. Jurors in Manhattan federal court needed about two days to unanimously find that the Times was not liable to Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate. Palin was expected to appeal. Her case is considered a major test of longstanding libel protections for American media, including a landmark 1964 U.S. Supreme Court decision, New York Times v Sullivan. That decision established an “actual malice” standard for public figures like Palin to prove defamation, meaning that media knowingly published false information or had a reckless disregard for the truth. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said Palin had not met that “very high” standard, even as he faulted the Times for “very unfortunate editorializing” in the editorial. He said letting the jurors reach a verdict could avoid complications should Palin appeal. Rakoff told the jury about his planned dismissal only after they had finished deliberations. “We reached the same bottom line, but on different grounds,” he told jurors. “You decided the facts. I decided the law.” The trial lasted nine days. Palin viewed the case in biblical terms, testifying on Feb. 10 that she considered herself the underdog to the Times’ Goliath. She sued the Times and its former editorial page editor James Bennet over a June 14, 2017, editorial that incorrectly linked her to a January 2011 mass shooting in Arizona that killed six people and wounded Democratic U.S. congresswoman Gabby Giffords. It was written after a gunman opened fire at a congressional baseball practice in Virginia, wounding several people including Republican U.S. congressman Steve Scalise. The editorial referred to a map circulated by Palin’s political action committee before the Arizona shooting that put the districts of Giffords and 19 other Democrats under cross hairs. Bennet added to a colleague’s draft that “the link to political incitement was clear,” though there was no evidence the map motivated the gunman. The Times corrected the editorial the next morning after readers and one of its columnists complained. Bennet testified that he did not intend to harm Palin and felt terrible about the mistake. Two conservative Supreme Court justices, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, have called for the Sullivan decision to be reconsidered. There is no guarantee the high court will eventually take Palin’s case. Palin, a well-known U.S. conservative political figure, was the late Senator John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential election and served as Alaska’s governor from 2006 to 2009. (Reporting by Jody Godoy and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Howard Goller) View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Novak Djokovic would rather stop chasing tennis history than get the COVID-19 vaccine. “I understand that not being vaccinated today, I’m unable to travel to most of the tournaments at the moment. That is the price that I’m willing to pay,” the Serbian tennis star told BBC News in an interview posted Tuesday morning. He then replied “yes” when asked if he’d be willing to pay the price of missing the next two Grand Slam tournaments, the French Open (scheduled for May 22-June 5) and Wimbledon (scheduled for June 27-July 10). The unvaccinated Djokovic was deported from Australia last month after … Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters UK NEW YORK (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince Andrew has reached a settlement with Virginia Giuffre, a court filing showed on Tuesday, after she accused him in a lawsuit of sexually abusing her more than two decades ago when she was 17. Giuffre sued the Duke of York last August, alleging he battered her while the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was trafficking her. In a joint court filing, lawyers for Giuffre and Andrew said the settlement includes an undisclosed sum and that Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights. “Pr… Read More View the full article