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Published by BANG Showbiz English Whoopi Goldberg has apologised after saying the Holocaust “isn’t about race”. The 66-year-old star – who was met with fierce backlash over her comments on Monday’s episode (31.01.22) of ‘The View’ – has offered her “sincerest apologies” for the offence she caused. Appearing on the show, she said: “Let’s be truthful about it because Holocaust isn’t about race. It’s not about race. It’s not about race. It’s about man’s inhumanity to man… “These are two white groups of people! The minute you turn it into race it goes down this alley. Let’s talk about it for what it is. “It’s how people treat each other. It doesn’t matter if you’re Black or white, Jews, it’s each other.” In a statement shared on social media, Whoopi has now said she “stands corrected”. She wrote: “On today’s show, I said the Holocaust ‘is not about race, but about man’s inhumanity to man’. I should have said it is about both. “As Jonathan Greenblatt from the Anti-Defamation League shared, ‘The Holocaust was about the Nazi’s systematic annihilation of the Jewish people – who they deemed to be an inferior race.’ I stand corrected. “The Jewish people around the world have always had my support and that will never waiver. I’m sorry for the hurt I have caused. “Written with my sincerest apologies, Whoopi Goldberg.” Many people took to social media to criticise Whoopi over her original comments, with David Harris – the CEO of the American Jewish Committee – urging her to “rethink” and apologise. He tweeted: “Whoopi Goldberg absurdly claims the #Holocaust ‘isn’t about race.’ Nazi Germany considered all Jews a ‘subhuman race.’ “That’s why they wanted to exterminate the entire Jewish people, including my family, & almost succeeded. Please rethink & apologize. (sic)” And Israeli writer Hen Mazzig added: “Being Jewish means watching white nationalists call for your death because you’re ‘not white’ while ladies on national TV say the Holocaust was ‘white people killing white people…y’all go fight amongst yourselves.’” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Messenger will soon send users alerts every time someone screenshots their chats. The Meta-owned messaging service is following in the footsteps of Snapchat by upping its security with the new feature for disappearing messages. In a blog post, Meta explained: “We think it’s important that you are able to use encrypted chats and feel safe, so we want to keep you informed if anyone takes screenshots of your disappearing messages.” As well as the update for end-to-end encrypted Messenger chats, Mark Zuckerberg announced they are adding GIFs, stickers, and reactions to encrypted chats. What’s more, users will be able to reply to a DM by either swiping or tapping and holding it to select Reply. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jarrett Renshaw, Richard Cowan and Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) – White House officials are planning a more subtle approach to try to win pivotal U.S. Senator Joe Manchin’s support for a key part of President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda, hoping that keeping matters private and avoiding public spats can help salvage the ambitious Build Back Better https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/whats-bidens-175-trillion-build-back-better-package-2021-11-05 climate and social spending bill. Biden last year won congressional passage of COVID-19 relief legislation https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-congress/democrats-push-bidens-1-9-trillion-covid-bill-through-senate-on-party-line-vote-idUSKBN2AY07M and a sweeping infrastructure improvement bill https://www.reuters.com/world/us/bidens-sweeping-infrastructure-social-spending-bills-finally-get-vote-2021-11-05 with fellow Democrat Manchin’s backing. But the West Virginia senator remains a significant roadblock toward getting some version of Biden’s $1.7 trillion Build Back Better bill – passed by the House of Representatives in November – through the Senate. With talks between Manchin and the White House expected to resume this week, Biden and his advisers are planning to rely on their revamped approach – keeping the progress of the talks more confidential and making greater use of the White House legislative team and Cabinet members, officials said. A public tussle between Biden – a long-time former senator himself – and Manchin in recent months over the bill resulted in its prospects for passage slipping even as Manchin’s public approval ratings in his home state rose and his fundraising haul grew. “I just want to make sure we find a balance and do something we can afford,” Manchin told reporters on Monday, referring to the Build Back Better legislation. Biden in December said that he and Manchin would “get something done” https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-says-he-manchin-are-going-get-something-done-2021-12-21 on the bill. Manchin’s vote is crucial for Biden by virtue of simple mathematics. The Senate is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Biden’s party controlling it only because Vice President Kamala Harris can cast a tie-breaking vote. That means any measure that can pass with a simple majority must attract Manchin’s support if Republicans remain united in opposition as usual. Manchin, considered the Senate’s most conservative Democrat, previously served as governor of West Virginia, a very Republican state. He surprised Biden and presidential advisers when he announced in December he would not support the bill, later blaming White House staff https://www.reuters.com/world/us/manchin-says-white-house-staff-drove-him-reject-bidens-social-policy-plan-2021-12-20. Manchin also dealt his fellow Democrats a setback on major voting rights legislation https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-make-personal-plea-democrats-unify-pass-voting-rights-2022-01-13. The White House needs to win over a second holdout Democrat, Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, as well. Manchin’s December announcement followed weeks of calls and meetings between him, Sinema and Biden – with the White House giving blow-by-blow details to an eager Washington press corps. ‘NOT GOING TO SPEAK’ This time, the White House plans not to disclose much about Biden’s conversations with lawmakers, including Manchin. “We’re just not going to speak to or confirm any conversations the president has with members of the Senate, moving forward,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said last week. The change appears to be a tacit admission that Manchin had sometimes been mishandled by the White House. At the same time, some Democrats in Congress and some at the White House consider Manchin an unreliable negotiating partner, saying he has agreed on certain provisions in the past only to later renege. “Senator Manchin clearly articulated his policy concerns with Build Back Better which are rooted in rising inflation, the ongoing pandemic and the geopolitical uncertainty around the world,” an aide to the senator said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A Biden administration official, also speaking on condition of anonymity about Manchin, said the White House needs to “stand in his shoes politically and be willing to understand and appreciate the variables of what it means to represent a state like West Virginia.” Republican then-President Donald Trump won West Virginia against Biden by 39 percentage points in 2020 – among his largest margins in any state – while losing nationally. Manchin, first elected to the Senate in 2010, comfortably won the Democratic primary during his 2018 re-election bid before winning the general election by 3 percentage points, showing he has little margin for error if he wants to be re-elected in 2024. He managed to raise nearly $5 million in political donations last year versus less than $1 million in 2020, Federal Election Commission records https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/S0WV00090/?cycle=2022&election_full=false showed, including from Republican donors. West Virginia, a state of 1.8 million people, ranks among the lowest in the United States in various health and education categories – areas the legislation at issue would address. It would provide billions of dollars for the healthcare industry and universal pre-kindergarten education. Manchin remains open to talks on a significant spending bill and his relationship with Biden is solid, said a source familiar with the senator’s thinking, speaking on condition of anonymity. Congressional Democrats are hoping for a Build Back Better agreement before Biden’s State of Union address, set for March 1. “We are in touch with a wide range of members working to pass the president’s economic growth plan for the middle class, which you heard a number of top business executives speak in support of,” said White House spokesman Andrew Bates, referring to Biden’s meeting with CEOs last week. “Anyone purporting to share our strategy with regard to any lawmakers is not speaking for the White House.” (Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw, Andrea Shalal, Richard Cowan; Editing by Will Dunham and Heather Timmons) View the full article

Published by DPA While some estimates say coronavirus immunity can last up to eight months after an infection, several countries are formally recognizing Covid-19 recovery documents for three months only. What does the science say? Frank Rumpenhorst/dpa Numerous studies have found that people who recover from Covid-19 rarely become reinfected in the months that follow, according to a November paper in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases. And yet the US and Germany are among the countries with a more narrow view of how long immunity from a previous infection can be recognized before a vaccine is required, namely 90 days. EU states have agreed that travellers should be able to move freely within the union from February 1 without further requirements if they present valid proof of recovery in the past 180 days – six months. However EU countries are free to limit the time they recognize immunity from previous infection when it comes to activities within the country, such as visits to restaurants. So what does research tell us? According to a September study, infection with the Delta variant reduced the risk of re-infection by more than 80 per cent. Another study showed that of more than 9,000 people previously infected, only 0.7 per cent became re-infected within a year. It should be noted here that the Omicron variant, which has infected more people who have recovered from other variants, was not yet circulating at the time of much research into immunity from coronavirus infection. Immunity frome Omicron varies “Once you’ve been through an infection, you’re immune,” says German immunologist Carsten Watzl. “But immunity is very variable.” For one person, he says, it’s very strong; for another, it’s rather weak. “On average, you are slightly less protected than with two doses of BioNTech.” But, Watzl emphasizes, there are also advantages: “In those who have recovered, the antibody level declines somewhat more slowly than in those who have been vaccinated.” Antibodies, moreover, are only part of the protection the body develops. T cells could potentially even be active for life. Patients infected with Sars-Cov-1 in 2002/03 still had T cells against that type of virus 17 years later, according to The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The authors explicitly recommend that policymakers put those who have recovered on an equal footing with those who have been vaccinated. And yet, again, this judgement was made at a time when the Delta variant was dominant. Is the situation different with Omicron? Watzl does not believe the situation for people who have recovered from a coronavirus infection has decisively changed with Omicron. “It is true that studies show that many antibodies of recovered persons can no longer recognize the Omicron variant as well, and that these persons thus have hardly any protection against the infection,” says the immunologist. “But this change is equally true for vaccinated individuals. If you cut the immunity time for infected people, you actually have to do the same for vaccinated people.” Shortening it to three months, he said, is a “political decision that is not understandable based on the data.” Critics say this decision was primarily about getting more people to get vaccinated, and not a scientifically sound solution. For their part, German health officials say they reduce the time span they recognize immunity from previous infection “because the scientific evidence to date indicates that unvaccinated people have a lowered and even more time-limited protection against re-infection with the Omicron variant after a passed infection compared to the Delta variant.” Virologist Hendrik Streeck, a member of the German government’s expert council, told daily newspaper Die Welt that it is “really important to make sure that decisions are based on sound knowledge and not made arbitrarily.” In a recent guest editorial for Die Zeit newspaper, he wrote: “The growing number of people who have recovered from an infection are being neglected.” “Since the protection after an infection is comparable to that after a vaccination, the recovered status should be upgraded, and previously infected people should be put on an equal footing with vaccinated people.” While some estimates say coronavirus immunity can last up to eight months after an infection, several countries are formally recognizing Covid-19 recovery documents for three months only. What does the science say? Donal Husni/ZUMA Wire/dpa View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Adele has been holed up in her boyfriend Rich Paul‘s mansion for more than a week in an alleged desperate attempt to “save” their relationship. After the 33-year-old disappointed her fans by canceling her Las Vegas shows just 24 hours before she was set to take the stage, Adele got the hell out of Dodge and rushed to Rich’s $14 million home in Beverly Hills. She hasn’t been seen or heard from since. According to The Sun, that’s because her visit is a last-shot attempt at “fixing” her failing romance. Adele Goes Radio Silent, Singer MIA After Swift Vegas Exit As She Continues To Hide Out At Boyfriend Rich Paul’s Home Mega “Adele is staying at Rich’s house in Beverly Hills just trying to fix their relationship because things have become strained. They barely saw each other at the beginning of the month because he was away for work and she was trying to focus on the Vegas show,” a source told the outlet. As Radar reported, insiders claimed Adele couldn’t get through a rehearsal without having an emotional breakdown. “Adele’s been crying and couldn’t get through a single full rehearsal for the past month,” a source alleged. “Just constantly on the phone with Rich … loudly shouting and sobbing.” The residency was the beginning of the end. “He was upset he couldn’t be there with her when things started falling apart with the residency and it made things difficult for them both. She needed him there, but he couldn’t because he has his own busy career too,” the insider told The Sun, adding “they really like each other” but the last month has been “tough.” Many believe Adele’s relationship troubles with Rich, plus her diva-like demands coupled with her ever-changing creative vision, was the reason why she bailed on her shows last minute. Mega Adele cried COVID-19 when she tearfully told her fans the show wouldn’t go on. The Rolling In The Deep singer alleged most of her crew contracted the virus, making it “impossible to finish the show.” Of course, Radar discovered there was more to the story. Adele Vegas Show: The Real Reason She Canceled Her Residency Debut And Her Diva Demands Sources revealed she kept “changing the run of the show” and she wouldn’t stop “adding and taking things away,” forcing her crew to work “18 hours a day.” Adele also reportedly clashed with the set designer, with sources claiming the musician and her team were a “total nightmare.” With no new dates in sight and Caesars Palace already replacing her with a new act, fans fret that Adele may never return to Sin City. View the full article

How could Tom Holland Think Mark Wahlberg was hitting on him with gift of an unfamiliar massage gun and a ride back to his hotel? It’s Hollywood, baby. Published by BANG Showbiz English Tom Holland thought Mark Wahlberg had given him a “self-pleasure” device. The 25-year-old actor – who is dating his ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ co-star Zendaya – was left “confused” when he met his ‘Uncharted’ co-star for the first time and he handed over a massage gun as a gift. Tom told ‘Access Hollywood’: “Essentially Mark Wahlberg was kind enough to give me a massage gun after I left his house in LA and he drove me back to my hotel. “I was confused as to what kind of massage gun this was having never seen one before … and I thought it was the type of self-pleasure. “I thought Mark Wahlberg was driving me back to my house for other reasons than just being a gentleman. I didn’t know, it’s Hollywood baby … who knows what’s going to happen.” But the 50-year-old actor insisted there was nothing sexual about his gift, he simply owns a stake in a company named Power Plate, which he believes make “the best massage guns out there”, so he wanted to introduce them to his new friend. Meanwhile, Tom recently revealed while he “will” wait to start a family, he is excited at the idea of being a parent in the future because he loves being around children. He added: “I love kids. I can’t wait to be a dad — I can wait and I will, but I can’t wait! “If I’m at a wedding or a party, I’m always at the kids’ table hanging out.” The ‘Chaos Walking’ star would even have become a teacher if he hadn’t made it as an actor. He said: “My dad’s been such a great role model for me. I think I’ve got that from him. So I think I’d be a primary school teacher or something like that [if I wasn’t acting].” Tom Holland Thought Mark Wahlberg Hit On Him on Towleroad “Legends of Tomorrow” Has First Asexual Superhero, “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” Apex Story Details, “James Bond” Actor “Disappointed” With Q’s Coming Out Moment: Entertainment Roundup More iPhone users can use Face ID with a mask with next iOS update More More U.S. Black colleges and universities receive bomb threats More Da Brat and Jesseca Dupart are expecting their first child More NEW YORK TIMES BUYS VIRAL WORD GAME WORDLE More Prince Harry & Wife Meghan Markle Call On Spotify ‘To Ensure Changes’ Yet Continue $20 Million Deal With Streaming Giant More Lockdown parties report lambasts failures of UK government leadership More Lung abnormalities found in Long Covid patients with breathlessness More Apple unveils new safety tips for AirTags More Florida is so cold iguanas are falling out of trees More Miss USA Cheslie Kryst dead at 30 More Explainer-Scientists on alert over rising cases caused by Omicron cousin BA.2 More Some Republicans warn Trump’s latest Jan. 6 speech shows he would ‘do it all again’ More Load More View the full article

“Legends of Tomorrow’s” Spooner and ZariDC’s “Legends of Tomorrow” Welcomes First Asexual Superhero DC Comics’ bustling television universe, known by fans as the Arrowverse, introduced its first asexual superhero on the latest episode of The CW’s “Legends of Tomorrow.” In the episode, Spooner, a member of the time-traveling superhero squad, came out as asexual after having a rare quiet moment with fellow hero Zari. Spooner, portrayed by Lisseth Chavez, reveals that she isn’t attracted to men or women, hinting that her lack of sexual attraction could be the product of “mushroom aliens.” But Zari reassured her that asexuality is a real thing and is completely normal, addressing common misconceptions about asexuality head-on. “The third [movie] is sort of the apex of everything that we’ve been talking about in that area,” Soderbergh said. Not just taking the dancing to another level, but really getting into the relationship aspect that’s been an undercurrent in all of the films. Like Mike has a full-on relationship that’s at the center of this movie, while all this stuff is going on, and we haven’t done that before.” “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” will be released on HBO Max, though the film doesn’t have an announced release date. Asexual Superhero: Previously on Towleroad “Batgirl” Film Likely Introduces DC Comics’ First Major Trans Character To Its Cinematic Universe Brian Bell January 21, 2022 Read More Wonder Woman’s 1st Trans Amazon; ‘Battlefield’s 1st Non-Binary Specialist; ‘Superman’ Colorist Quits Offended By New Motto. Brian Bell October 26, 2021 Read More Is It A Bird? Is It A Plane? No, It’s The First Bisexual Superman Towleroad October 11, 2021 Read More World of Batman Now Even More Queer; Longtime Robin Comes Out as Questioning in DC Comics Anthology Series Brian Bell August 11, 2021 Read More Pride Month Gay Comics Roundup: DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Many Others Celebrate Their LGBTQ Characters, Creators Brian Bell June 16, 2021 Read More Brazil’s Largest Newspaper Publishes Massive ‘Avengers’ Gay Kiss in Defiance of Rio Mayor Andy Towle September 9, 2019 Read More Screenshot via The CW View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English iPhone users will be able to unlock their devices while wearing face masks. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, those wanting to use Face ID while on the go have had to scramble to take their face coverings down for the feature to work. However, the new iOS 15.4 update comes bearing a new AI tool that will make it possible to unlock iPhones with a mask on by scanning only the details of a person’s eyes. The new operating system will also feature a new batch of emojis, among other bug fixes. In November, the tech giant promised to fix a problem with the iPhone 13, which saw screen repairs performed by unofficial parties cause glitches and breaks with its Face ID feature. Currently, the model contains a chip that “pairs” a screen with a specific phone and requires special software tools to “match” a new one, and third-party repair firms found that without these tools, the facial-identification security function stops working. Apple vowed to release a software update to combat the issue, after the feature was widely criticised by right-to-repair advocates, who suggested it was included to limit who could repair iPhones. The issue was first reported by iFixit, a company specialising in tools, parts and tech repair guides, who labelled the new link between screen replacements and Face ID as a “dark day for fixers, both DIY and professional”. The repair firm discovered that the new chip ensures that unless the replacement screen is “matched” to the phone’s unique serial number, FaceID does not work. Apple told news outlets a solution would be made available in a future update. View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – Several Black colleges and universities in the United States received bomb threats and put their campuses on lockdown on Tuesday, a day after a rash of similar threats forced the cancellation of classes for the day at other schools. Howard University in Washington, University of the District of Columbia, Kentucky State, Xavier University of Louisiana and Fort Valley State in Georgia were among the schools reporting receiving threats, according to Twitter postings and local media. “Campus is currently on lockdown. Residential students remain in dorms. Non-residential students and staff should NOT report to campus until further notice. Campus operations are suspended for the day,” Fort Valley State said in a Tweet. Howard gave the all clear Tuesday morning after the campus received a threat at around 2:55 a.m., it said on Twitter. The bomb scares come after several other HBCUs told students and staff on Monday to shelter in place and canceled classes for the day after similar threats. Authorities said they did not find any suspicious devices, allowing the schools to reopen. “The FBI is aware of the series of bomb threats around the country and we are working with our law enforcement partners to address any potential threats,” the FBI said in a statement on Tuesday. It encouraged members of the public to report anything suspicious to the bureau. Students at Xavier University in Louisiana were told to stay in their dorm rooms until further notice and to monitor university channels. “ALERT! XULA has received a bomb threat & is working w/ authorities. Campus will be remote until 12 p.m.,” the school said in a Tweet. (Reporting by Brendan O’Brien; Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Mark Porter) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Da Brat is expecting her first child with Jesseca Dupart. The 47-year-old rap star has taken to social media to announce that her and her fiancee are expecting their first child together. Alongside a photo of Da Brat with her arms wrapped around Jessica, she wrote on Instagram: “We are EXTENDING the family [baby-bump emoji] (sic)” The rap star – who got engaged last year – previously revealed that she’s been thinking about the name of her future daughter. Da Brat – who has not yet revealed the sex of their baby – said in 2020: “My child will have all of my names, honey. “Her name would be Legacy Shawntae Dupart. Shawntae is my first name and Dupart is my baby’s last name. Yes honey, carry on the legacy of your parents darling.” The veteran rapper also explained why it took her 25 years to come out as bisexual. She shared: “I’ve always felt like being private is the better way to go, because then you don’t have so many people in your business. “I was fine staying quiet, but my partner is a social media mogul – that’s how she became who she is. And when you get with somebody, you have to meet in the middle. So to me, the middle was just letting everybody know: ‘Hey, she’s the one.'” The rapper also stressed that it was her choice to remain tight-lipped about her sexuality. She said: “I was always told you want to be f******* to men and women to sell records – you don’t want anybody to discriminate. “It was absolutely my decision. I mean, you saw what happened to people like Ellen: Remember when she lost her TV show, and all these horrible things were happening? People were totally against it.” View the full article

Published by Business Mirror The New York Times said on Monday that it has bought Wordle, the free online word game that has exploded in popularity and, for some, become a daily obsession. It listed the purchase price as being in the “low-seven figures,” but did not disclose specifics. The Times, which has popular word games like Spelling Bee and its crossword puzzle, said “at the time it moves to The New York Times, Wordle will be free to play for new and existing players, and no changes will be made to its gameplay.” Wordle was created by Josh Wardle, a Brooklyn software engineer. He originally made it for his partner, … Read More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Mega Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are just the latest celebrities calling on the streaming service giant Spotify to stop the spread of misinformation on its platform, despite the fact that they still have a nearly $20 million deal with the media provider. According to Daily Mail, the royal couple will not be dropping their lucrative deal with Spotify even though they believe the platform has to make changes to stop the Covid-19 pandemic misinformation running rampant on the service, particularly on podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience. Mega “Since the inception of Archewell, we have worked to address the real-time global misinformation crisis. Hundreds of people are affected by the serious harms of rampant mis- and disinformation every day,” the couple said in a statement Sunday via their charity Archewell. “Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all too real consequences of Covid-19 misinformation on its platform. We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis.” But even though Harry and Meghan disagree with the fact Spotify allows harmful misinformation to be spread on their platform, the two reportedly have no plans to cut their partnership with the company inked in 2020 and worth upwards of $20 million even though they’ve only produced one episode of a podcast. As Radar previously reported, Neil Young called out Spotify last week threatening to remove his music from their service if they continued to do nothing about the blatant spread of misinformation on their platform. Mega “They can have Rogan or Young. Not both,” the Heart of Gold singer wrote in the letter Tuesday after calling out Rogan for his “spread of misinformation.” “With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, The Joe Rogan Experience, which is hosted exclusively on Spotify, is the world’s largest podcast and has tremendous influence.” “Spotify has a responsibility to mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform, though the company presently has no misinformation policy. I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform.” Since then, Young made good on his promise and has since had his content removed from Spotify. Other artists, such as Joni Mitchell, have also followed suit showing solidarity with Young regarding the dangers of the misinformation being shared on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Mega View the full article

Published by Reuters By William James, Kylie MacLellan and Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced renewed calls to resign on Monday after a report found that alcohol-fuelled parties at his offices and residence when COVID-19 lockdown rules were in force should never have taken place. The report by senior civil servant Sue Gray into the lockdown gatherings – at a time when Britons were all but banned from social mixing to tackle the coronavirus pandemic – pointed to “serious failures of leadership” at the heart of the British government. She condemned some of the behaviour in government as being “difficult to justify”, saying “the excessive consumption of alcohol is not appropriate in a professional workplace at any time”. “Some of the events should not have been allowed to take place,” she said. “Other events should not have been allowed to develop as they did.” However, she said she could not offer a “meaningful report” in order not to prejudice a separate police investigation. But she disclosed that detectives were looking into rule-breaking events, including one in Johnson’s apartment above his office. Johnson’s office said Gray would be asked to update her report once the police investigation has concluded and that the update would be published. The saga has become the gravest threat to Johnson’s premiership, already under scrutiny for a series of scandals and his handling of the COVID-19 response. Opposition politicians and some members of his own Conservative Party have called on him to resign. Johnson made a statement and answered questions for almost two hours in parliament on Monday afternoon following the report’s publication to apologise again and to pledge to make changes at his office. “I want to say sorry. I get it and I will fix it,” he said in a raucous debate, when he was challenged by some Conservative lawmakers. One, Aaron Bell, fought back tears as he recounted the funeral held for his grandmother during the COVID lockdown. “She was a wonderful woman … I drove for three hours … only 10 people at the funeral. Many people who loved her had to watch online. I didn’t hug my siblings. I didn’t hug my parents,” he said. “Does the prime minister think I am a fool?” Keir Starmer, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, accused him of blaming everyone else but himself. “There can be no doubt that the prime minister himself is now subject to criminal investigation,” Starmer told parliament. The leader of the Scottish National Party, Ian Blackford, was forced to leave the House of Commons after accusing Johnson of misleading parliament, an offence for which the prime minister would be expected to resign. EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL Gray’s report looked into what has become weeks of a steady drip of stories about events in Downing Street during the lockdown, with reports of aides stuffing a suitcase full of alcohol and dancing until the early hours. However, parts of the report were not published due to the ongoing police investigation, which could take months. The officer in charge said detectives were looking at 500 pieces of paper and more than 300 photographs. [S8N2U000S] “At least some of the gatherings in question represent a serious failure to observe not just the high standards expected of those working at the heart of government but also of the standards expected of the entire British population at the time,” Gray wrote. “Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the Government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify,” it said. Johnson’s spokesman said “steps will be taken to ensure every government department has a clear robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace”. Gray was asked to investigate more than a dozen gatherings in Downing Street at a time when millions were kept apart from friends and relatives for months because of the restrictions. Since the police investigation was opened last week, Gray said she could only refer to four events, rather than the 16 she initially considered to make sure she did not prejudice the probe. “Unfortunately, this necessarily means that I am extremely limited in what I can say about those events and it is not possible at present to provide a meaningful report setting out and analysing the extensive factual information I have been able to gather,” she wrote. UPSTAIRS APARTMENT One of the events which she was forced to leave out was a gathering on Nov. 13 in Johnson’s Downing Street apartment above government offices, and one of the most damaging allegations of a “bring your own booze” party on May 20, 2020. The prime minister’s spokesman has said Johnson does not believe he broke the law. Johnson has offered a range of answers to some of the allegations from arguing that Downing Street had always followed the rules, to not being aware of a party. The alleged parties are the latest in a series of scandals to tarnish Johnson, who has come under fire over the funding of a pricey flat refurbishment, allegedly prioritising the evacuation of animals from Afghanistan, and the awarding of COVID-19 contracts. Johnson has apologised for errors that were made, but has repeatedly rejected calls to quit. But the limited report may hand Johnson and his supporters more time to try to persuade colleagues not to trigger a confidence vote in him. It might not be easy. One Conservative lawmaker said he no longer supported him and several others were openly hostile. “The backbenchers of the Conservative Party need no reminders about how to dispose of a failing leader,” said Conservative lawmaker Bernard Jenkin. (Writing by Elizabeth Piper and William James, Editing by Michael Holden, Angus MacSwan and Bernadette Baum) View the full article

Published by DPA Long Covid patients with breathlessness may be suffering from significantly impaired gas transfer from the lungs to the bloodstream, according to new research. Fabian Strauch/dpa Researchers have discovered abnormalities in the lungs of long Covid patients who have breathlessness which cannot be detected with routine tests. The Explain study uses xenon, an odourless, colourless, tasteless and chemically non-reactive gas, to investigate possible lung damage in the patients who have not been admitted to hospital, but continue to experience the symptom. The initial results of the study suggest there is significantly impaired gas transfer from the lungs to the bloodstream in the long Covid patients despite other tests – including CT scans – coming back as normal. The study’s chief investigator, Fergus Gleeson, professor of radiology at the University of Oxford and consultant radiologist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We knew from our post-hospital Covid study that xenon could detect abnormalities when the CT scan and other lung function tests are normal. “What we’ve found now is that, even though their CT scans are normal, the xenon MRI scans have detected similar abnormalities in patients with long Covid. “These patients have never been in hospital and did not have an acute severe illness when they had their Covid-19 infection. “Some of them have been experiencing their symptoms for a year after contracting Covid-19. “There are now important questions to answer. Such as, how many patients with long Covid will have abnormal scans, the significance of the abnormality we’ve detected, the cause of the abnormality, and its longer-term consequences. “Once we understand the mechanisms driving these symptoms, we will be better placed to develop more effective treatments.” In the study, the patients were required to lie in an MRI scanner and breathe in one litre of the gas that has been tweaked so that it can be seen using MRI. Because xenon, which is safe to inhale, behaves in a very similar way to oxygen, radiologists can observe how it moves from the lungs into the bloodstream. The scan takes just a few minutes and, as it does not require radiation exposure, can be repeated over time to see changes to the lungs. While the full Explain study will recruit about 400 participants, the initial pilot had 36 participants making up three groups. This included those diagnosed with long Covid who had been to long Covid clinics and who had normal CT scans, and people who had been in hospital with coronavirus and discharged more than three months ago, who had normal or nearly normal CT scans and who were not experiencing long Covid. The third group was an age and gender-matched control group who did not have long Covid symptoms and were not admitted to hospital with the virus. Dr Emily Fraser, respiratory consultant who leads the Oxford Post-Covid Assessment Clinic, said: “These are interesting results and may indicate that the changes observed within the lungs of some patients with long Covid contribute to breathlessness. “However, these are early findings and further work to understand the clinical significance is key.” Asked what people suffering from the symptom can take from the findings, she added: “I think that the message should be that we are actively researching what is driving long Covid.” But Fraser also said people should not give up on the current exercises and rehab they are working on, as this is also helpful. The method and clinical applications were developed by Professor Jim Wild and the Pulmonary, Lung and Respiratory Imaging Sheffield (Polaris) research group at the University of Sheffield. “Xenon follows the pathway of oxygen when it is taken up by the lungs and can tell us where the abnormality lies between the airways, gas exchange membranes and capillaries in the lungs,” Wild said. The study, which received Government funding, is supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The findings, which have not been peer-reviewed, were posted on the bioRxiv pre-print server. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Apple has unveiled an updated safety guide for AirTag devices. The company recently released the new portal, with the Personal User Safety Guide giving tips for people protecting themselves and their data. The devices – which can be attached to items like a wallet or keys – are used to locate lost items via Apple’s Find My service. However, there have been concerns that AirTags can – and have – been misused as trackers on people. In the Personal User Safety Guide, Apple said: “This user guide is a personal safety resource for anyone who is concerned about or experiencing technology-enabled abuse, stalking, or harassment. “It can help you sever digital ties with those you no longer want to be connected to and outlines the personal safety features that are built into Apple devices.” The guide itself gives “step-by-step” instructions to protect yourself while using the device. This includes a section outlining what action to take if they’re alerted to an unwanted AirTag, or if you hear or find one belonging to someone else. View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – The U.S. National Weather Service Miami-South Florida warned the public on Sunday that immobilised iguanas could fall out of trees due to unusual cold temperatures across the region. “Iguanas are cold-blooded. They slow down or become immobile when temps drop into the 40s (4-9 Celsius). They may fall from trees, but they are not dead,” the service said on Twitter. Temperatures in South Florida reached a low of 25 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service, and high temperatures on Sunday were expected to remain in the upper 50s to low 60s. The nation’s Northeast was walloped on Saturday by a deadly winter storm that prompted several states to declare emergencies and forced the cancellation of more than 1,400 flights. Zoologist Stacey Cohen, a reptile expert at Palm Beach Zoo in Florida, explained the iguana phenomenon to television station WPBF. “Their bodies basically start to shut down where they lose their functions and so they are up in the trees on the branches sleeping and then because it gets so cold, they lose that ability to hang on and then they do fall out of trees a lot,” Cohen said. Although most of the reptiles will likely survive this period of immobilisation, Cohen said freezing temperatures were a threat to their survival and pointed to a cold snap in 2010 that wiped out a large number of the population. “Cold is a very, very life-threatening thing for them because they are from parts of Central and South America close to the equator where it always stays very warm,” she said. Green iguanas are not native to Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. They were accidentally introduced as stowaways in cargo ships and are considered an invasive species. They can weigh up to 17 pounds (7.5 kg) and measure over five feet (1.50 metres) in length. These iguanas are not the first animals to suffer the cold this winter. Hundreds of thousands of farmed fish died from thermal shock in a lagoon in northwestern Greece after a heavy snowstorm crippled the country last week. (Editing by Karishma Singh and Sandra Maler) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst has died. The 30-year-old lawyer’s family have confirmed she passed away over the weekend, though they did not confirm reports she took her own life after jumping from the 60-storey apartment building in New York where she lived on the ninth floor. Her family said in a statement on Sunday (30.01.22): “In devastation and great sorrow, we share the passing of our beloved Cheslie. Her great light was one that inspired others around the world with her beauty and strength. She cared, she loved, she laughed and she shined. “Cheslie embodied love and served others, whether through her work as an attorney fighting for social justice, as Miss USA and as a host on Extra. But most importantly, as a daughter, sister, friend, mentor and colleague – we know her impact will live on.” The beauty queen was also a reporter for ‘Extra’ and they have sent their condolences to her family. A statement read: “Our hearts are broken. Cheslie was not just a vital part of our show, she was a beloved part of our Extra family and touched the entire staff. “Our deepest condolences to all her family and friends.” Cheslie – who was crowned Miss USA as Miss North Carolina – along with Nia Imani Franklin, Kaliegh Garris, and Zozibini Tunzi – who were Miss America, Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe respesctively – became the first group of Black women to hold the titles in a single year. The attorney previously spoke of her pride in the group “breaking barriers” but admitted she was disappointed that some didn’t see the significance of their collective success. She said at the time: “People will comment on our social media and be like, ‘Why are we talking about your race? You guys are just four, amazing women’. And I’m like, ‘Yes, we are four amazing women, but there was a time when we literally could not win!’ “ View the full article

Published by Reuters By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO (Reuters) – The highly transmissible Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus – the most common form of which is known as BA.1 – now accounts for nearly all of the coronavirus infections globally, although dramatic surges in COVID cases have already peaked in some countries. Scientists are now tracking a rise in cases caused by a close cousin known as BA.2, which is starting to outcompete BA.1 in parts of Europe and Asia. The following is what we know so far about the new subvariant: “STEALTH” SUBVARIANT Globally, BA.1 accounted for 98.8% of sequenced cases submitted to the public virus tracking database GISAID as of Jan. 25. But several countries are reporting recent increases in the subvariant known as BA.2, according to the World Health Organization. In addition to BA.1 and BA.2, the WHO lists two other subvariants under the Omicron umbrella: BA.1.1.529 and BA.3. All are closely related genetically, but each features mutations that could alter how they behave. Trevor Bedford, a computational virologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center who has been tracking the evolution of SARS-CoV-2, wrote on Twitter on Friday that BA.2 represents roughly 82% of cases in Denmark, 9% in the UK and 8% in the United States, based on his analysis of sequencing data from the GISAID database and case counts from the Our World in Data project at the University of Oxford. The BA.1 version of Omicron has been somewhat easier to track than prior variants. That is because BA.1 is missing one of three target genes used in a common PCR test. Cases showing this pattern were assumed by default to be caused by BA.1. BA.2, sometimes known as a “stealth” subvariant, does not have the same missing target gene. Instead, scientists are monitoring it the same way they have prior variants, including Delta, by tracking the number of virus genomes submitted to public databases such as GISAID. As with other variants, an infection with BA.2 can be detected by coronavirus home tests kits, though they cannot indicate which variant is responsible, experts said. MORE TRANSMISSIBLE? Some early reports indicate that BA.2 may be even more infectious than the already extremely contagious BA.1, but there is no evidence so far that it is more likely to evade vaccine protection. Danish health officials estimate that BA.2 may be 1.5 times more transmissible than BA.1, based on preliminary data, though it likely does not cause more severe disease. In England, a preliminary analysis of contact tracing from Dec. 27, 2021, through Jan. 11, 2022, by the UK Health Security Agency (HSA) suggests that household transmission is higher among contacts of people infected with BA.2 (13.4%) compared with other Omicron cases (10.3%). The HSA found no evidence of a difference in vaccine effectiveness, according to the Jan. 28 report. A critical question is whether people who were infected in the BA.1 wave will be protected from BA.2, said Dr. Egon Ozer, an infectious disease expert at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. That has been a concern in Denmark, where some places that saw high case counts of BA.1 infections were reporting rising cases of BA.2, Ozer said. If prior BA.1 infection does not protect against BA.2, “this could be sort of a two-humped camel kind of wave,” Ozer said. “It’s too early to know if that will happen.” The good news, he said, is that vaccines and boosters still “keep people out of the hospital and keep people from dying.” (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Bill Berkrot) View the full article

Published by Reuters By David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A handful of Republicans pushed back against former President Donald Trump’s weekend offer to consider pardoning people convicted of joining the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, saying it showed he would “do it all again” if he regains the White House in 2024. “Trump uses language he knows caused the Jan. 6 violence; suggests he’d pardon the Jan. 6 defendants, some of whom have been charged with seditious conspiracy; threatens prosecutors; and admits he was attempting to overturn the election,” U.S. Representative Liz Cheney posted on Twitter on Monday. “He’d do it all again if given the chance.” Cheney is one of just two Republicans taking part in the U.S House of Representatives’ official investigation of Jan. 6. Cheney and a few other Republicans spoke out after a weekend in which former President Trump at a Saturday rally in Conroe, Texas, offered to consider pardoning people convicted of joining the attack if elected to a second term in 2024 and called for protests against prosecutors in New York and Georgia investigating him and his company. He followed up Sunday evening with a statement repeating his false claims that his vice president, Mike Pence, “could have overturned the Election” that Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden. He also lambasted a bipartisan effort led by Republican Senator Susan Collins to reform the federal law that allows Congress members to dispute presidential election results. Representative Adam Kinzinger, the other Republican on the Jan. 6 committee, wrote on Twitter late on Sunday that it was “time for every Republican leader to pick a side … Trump or the Constitution, there is no middle on defending our nation anymore.” Trump’s comments on targeting prosecutors led Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis, who is investigating whether Trump tried to influence the state’s handling of the election, to ask the FBI for additional security for her office. She noted in a Sunday letter to the FBI’s Atlanta field office that her concerns were driven by Trump’s comments in Texas attacking “radical, vicious racist prosecutors” and encouraging protests in Washington, New York and Atlanta. Trump was impeached in the House but acquitted in the Senate last year on a charge of inciting the deadly Jan. 6 attack, in which thousands of his supporters stormed the Capitol in the worst assault on Congress since the War of 1812. Cheney and Kinzinger voted for his impeachment, and Collins voted to convict him. Fueled by Trump’s false claims that his November 2020 election defeat was the result of fraud, the attackers sought to stop Congress from certifying Biden’s victory and threatened to hang Pence for refusing to overturn the results. More than 700 people have been charged with joining in the assault. Other Republicans on Sunday also rejected his remarks about pardons. “The folks that were part of the riots and, frankly, the assault on the U.S. Capitol, have to be held accountable. There is a rule of law,” New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu told CNN. Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally, voiced his own concerns about the potential for repeated violence. “I don’t want to reinforce that defiling the Capitol was OK. I don’t want to do anything that would make this more likely in the future,” he told CBS. (Reporting by David Morgan, additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis) View the full article

Published by Reuters (Corrects paragraphs 4 and 12 to show hearings are before U.S. District Judge Lisa Wood, not U.S. Magistrate Judge Benjamin Cheesbro) (Reuters) -U.S. prosecutors have reached plea agreements with two of the three men facing federal hate-crime charges for the 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man killed after running through a mostly white neighborhood in southern Georgia. The three white men — Travis McMichael, his father Gregory McMichael and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan — were convicted last November in a state court in Brunswick, Georgia, of murder in the death of Arbery. The killing of Arbery, 25, sparked national outrage when cellphone video of his shooting emerged months later and the public learned that local authorities had declined to arrest his pursuers. The McMichaels’ plea agreements must be accepted by U.S. District Judge Lisa Wood at hearings set to start at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) if they are to avoid a federal trial, which had been scheduled to start next week. The attorney for Arbery’s family, Lee Merritt, said in a statement that he will oppose the deals in the hearings on Monday at the U.S. District Court in Brunswick and that Arbery’s family was “devastated.” “The DOJ has gone behind my back to offer the men who murdered my son a deal to make their time in prison easier to serve,” Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, said in statement provided by Merritt. “I have been completely betrayed by the DOJ lawyers,” she said, referring to the U.S. Department of Justice. Federal prisons are perceived to be generally safer than state prisons, and Arbery’s family said the McMichaels were motivated to improving the conditions of their custody. The McMichaels were sentenced to life in prison https://www.reuters.com/world/us/three-men-be-sentenced-life-prison-ahmaud-arbery-murder-2022-01-07 without parole by a state judge on Jan. 7. Bryan was also sentenced to life in prison, but the judge ruled that he could seek parole after 30 years. State prosecutors told the court that they had evidence that “racial animus” had been behind the men’s decision to jump in their pick-up trucks and chase Arbery through their quiet, leafy neighborhood on a sunny afternoon in Feb. 23, 2020. In the end, they decided against showing any of that evidence to the jury. Arbery’s family and civil rights activists instead looked to the federal trial as vital to establishing what they said was the heart of the matter: the federal prosecutors charged the men with violating Arbery’s civil rights by attacking him because of his “race and color.” The three defendants had pleaded not guilty to all the charges. On Sunday, federal prosecutors filed notices asking Wood to accept plea agreements with the McMichaels. No details were given but the filings said the deal would “dispose” of the pending charges against the McMichaels if accepted. No mention was made of a deal with Bryan, who is due to stand trial on Feb. 7 unless a deal is reached. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office for Georgia’s Southern District said federal prosecutors would not comment before Monday’s hearings. Attorneys for the defendants did not respond to requests for comment. Arbery was running through the leafy Satilla Shores neighborhood in the afternoon when the McMichaels decided to grab their guns, jump in a pickup truck and give chase. Bryan joined the chase in his own pickup truck after it passed his driveway, and pulled out his cellphone to record Travis McMichael firing a shotgun at Arbery at close range. (Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar and Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Alistair Bell) View the full article