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Published by Reuters By Gabriella Borter, Julia Harte and Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Carrying signs and playing music, hundreds of people favoring and opposing abortion rights staged dueling rallies in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday as the nine justices prepared to hear arguments in a case that could overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. The groups stood close together and tried to yell over each other. Abortion rights activists chanted, “What do we want? Abortion access. When do we want it? Now.” Anti-abortion protesters held huge signs reading “abortion is murder,” some carrying Christian crosses and others playing Christian music. The justices will consider Mississippi’s bid to revive a Republican-backed 2018 state law, blocked by lower courts, banning abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy. Jen Rudolph, 52, and her daughter Ella, 17, drove four hours from Raleigh, North Carolina, to join the rally for abortion rights. “We’re here to be part of this crowd and support Roe v. Wade,” Jen Rudolph said. “Republicans get abortions, Democrats get abortions. It’s a healthcare right.” J.C. Carpenter, 49, drove from Marysville, California, to voice her opposition to abortion. “I think Roe needs to be abolished. It was one of the biggest mistakes our country ever made,” Carpenter said. “I am feeling optimistic,” she added. At noon, about 60 pro-choice activists will engage in an act of “civil disobedience” outside the courthouse, according to one of the participants, Heidi Sieck, the CEO and co-founder of #VOTEPROCHOICE, a voter mobilization project dedicated to electing candidates who support abortion access. Sieck said the group will “engage in radical self-expression” with signs, songs and costumes, and that they plan to sit in the streets until forced to move, which could run afoul of local laws against blocking city streets to traffic. “If that does include an arrest, so be it,” Sieck said on Tuesday. The fact that the court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, agreed to hear the Mississippi case does “not bode well” for advocates of abortion rights, Sieck said. Anti-abortion activists rallying outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday also expected the justices to limit abortion access. “The fact that four justices decided to even hear the case tells you that they want to do something about abortion and Roe v. Wade, whether that means a full overturn or some kind of degrading of it,” said Mark Harrington, the president of anti-abortion group Created Equal, in an interview on Tuesday. (Reporting by Julia Harte; Editing by Will Dunham and Stephen Coates) View the full article

Published by DPA Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko is pictured during an interview with the Russian magazine Natsionalnaya Oborona (National Defense). Lukashenko has recognized the annexed Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea as Russian for the first time after a long period of hesitation. -/Belrusian Presidency /dpa Authoritarian Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko has recognized the annexed Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea as Russian for the first time after a long period of hesitation. “Crimea is … de facto a Russian Crimea,” Lukashenko said in an interview with the Russian state agency Ria Novosti, excerpts of which were published on Wednesday. “After the referendum, Crimea also became Russian by right,” the 67-year-old said, referring to a controversial referendum in 2014 after which Russia annexed Crimea against international protest. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that “nothing has to be done and no laws have to be passed” for recognition. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, on the other hand, said that Lukashenko’s actions were what mattered – and warned Minsk against official recognition. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nandita Bose WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House said on Wednesday the U.S. Department of Justice “will vigorously defend” the government’s authority to promote its vaccine requirement in federal contracting after courts blocked the Biden administration from enforcing two vaccine mandates. A U.S. District Judge in Louisiana on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from enforcing its vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. A U.S. District Judge in Kentucky blocked the administration from enforcing a regulation that new government contracts must include clauses requiring that contractors’ employees get vaccinated. The legal setbacks added to a string of court losses for the Biden administration over its COVID-19 policies. They also come amid concerns that the Omicron coronavirus variant could trigger a new wave of infections and curtail travel and economic activity around the globe. The most sweeping regulation from the administration, a workplace vaccine-or-testing mandate for businesses with at least 100 employees, was temporarily blocked by a federal appeals court in early November. “We know vaccine requirements work…We are confident in the government’s authority to promote economy and efficiency in federal contracting through its vaccine requirement and the Department of Justice will vigorously defend it in court,” a White House spokesperson told Reuters on Wednesday. Biden unveiled regulations in September to increase the U.S. adult vaccination rate beyond the current 71% as a way of fighting the pandemic, which has killed more than 750,000 Americans and has weighed on the economy. (Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Chizu Nomiyama) View the full article

Cast of The Normal Heart Reading Encore Streaming Dec 4th‘The Normal Heart’ Beats On; Streaming, Final Encore Reading December 4th of Larry Kramer’s Play; First BIPOC-Led Cast — Sterling K. Brown, Laverne Cox and Many More. Laverne Cox (OITNB, Promising Young Woman) and Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us, Black Panther)Sterling K. Brown, Laverne Cox and Jeremy Pope lead the Benefit Reading of Larry Kramer’s ‘The Normal Heart’, to raise awareness of World AIDS Day and the changed geography and demography of that pandemic. Cast Q&A To Follow Hosted by Emmy Winning Director Paris Barclay . Tickets to the Historic Virtual Production, An Encore of Last Spring’s Reading which was the first time ‘The Normal Heart’ featured a predominantly BIPOC and LGBTQ cast, benefits One Archives and are available now for the December 4th streamed show. Paris Barclay, Director In its review, the LA Times praised Sterling K. Brown, in the role of Ned Weeks Star Studded Cast Top to Bottom In addition to Cox and Brown, the producers fills the other roles with Jeremy Pope (Hollywood, Choir Boy); Vincent Rodriguez III (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Insatiable): Guillermo Díaz (Scandal, Weeds); Jake Borelli (Grey’s Anatomy, The Thing About Harry); Ryan O’Connell (Special, Will & Grace); Daniel Newman (Walking Dead, Homeland); Jay Hayden (Station 19, The House Bunny); and Danielle Savre (Station 19, Heroes). The virtual reading will include a special introduction by Martin Sheen. [This post contains video, click to play] Reminder AIDS is Not Over: World AIDS Day World AIDS Day which takes place on December 1 every year, was founded in 1988 to fight against HIV, support people living with HIV, and commemorate those who have died from AIDS-related illness. The success of the first showing of THE NORMAL HEART, which reached This performance of THE NORMAL HEART is an reminder that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is not over, with nearly 38 million people living with HIV globally in 2020. As of 2019, 42% of new HIV cases have occurred within the Black community, which only makes up 13% of the US population. According to the CDC, in 2019, Southern states account for an estimated 51% of new HIV cases annually, even though only 38% of the US population lives in the Southern region. The encore presentation of THE NORMAL HEART will take place on Saturday, December 4, at 12:00pm PT and again at 5:00pm PT. Tickets are now on sale Prices range from $20 – $100. Proceeds support ONE Archives Foundation’s LGBTQ initiatives. Men of West Hollywood Link Roundup 1: Gay Ghosts; Demi Moore Have a GF? First Responders to ‘West Side Story’; Men of WEHO and More Kristen Stewart Is Working on a Gay Ghost-Hunting Reality ShowReality show ‘The Men of West Hollywood’ is met with… thoughtsDoes Demi Moore Have a Girlfriend? An InvestigationA win for transgender athletes and athletes with sex variations: the Olympics shifts away from testosterone tests and toward human rightsSteroid use amongst gay menAndersen: The royals are ‘all in competition behind the scenes,’ it’s very ‘toxic’Dr. Jill Biden went all out for this year’s White House Christmas decorationsRihanna Declared a National Hero of Barbados at Country's First Event as a RepublicFirst Reactions to 'West Side Story' Remake Are Glowing with Raves for Rachel Zegler – Read the Tweets!Head Over Heels Transforms Pasadena Playhouse with Alaska 5000 (Drag Race), Lea Delaria (OITNB, etc), The Go-Gos Tunes and A Priority Given to Experience and Fun (L-R) Alaska 5000 and Lea DeLaria in HEAD OVER HEELS at Pasadena Playhouse. Photo by Jeff LorchPasadena Playhouse is Head Over Heals A re-imagined and more “experiential” production of the musical comedy set to the music of The Go-Gos kicks off the 21-22 season at the Pasadena Playhouse. The show follows follows “a royal family in search of a purpose, lovers in search of each other, and a whole kingdom in search of a beat.” We completely reconfigured the theatre to accommodate a massive “dance floor” space, with actors performing from platforms in the middle of the floor and dancing around on scaffolding above the audience. It’s a journey from We Got the Beat with many stops including Our Lips Are Sealed, Vacation, Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven is a Place on Earth, and Mad About You. The producers explain: Originally produced for a traditional proscenium stage on Broadway in 2018, the Playhouse’s 90-minute, intermission-free production puts the audience in the middle of a non-stop, dance-filled joyride through magic, merriment, and mischief. And the Playhouse has assembled a spectacular cast ensuring a real spectacle. A bunch of queer all-stars Alaska 5000 (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Lea DeLaria (Orange is the New Black), Yurel Echezarreta (Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story), Tiffany Mann (Be More Chill), George Salazar (Little Shop of Horrors), Emily Skeggs (Fun Home), Shanice Williams (“Dorothy” in NBC’s The Wiz Live!) plus Oakland musician and drag performer Freddie. The production is directed, choreographed, and conceived by Jenny Koons and Sam Pinkleton and features music direction by Kris Kukul, scenic design by David Meyer; costume design by Hahnji Jang; lighting design by Stacey Derosier; sound design by Danny Erdberg and Ursula Kwong Brown; casting by Ryan Tymensky of The Telsey Office, and stage management by Sara Sahin. Head Over Heels, with songs by The Go-Go’s, is based on The Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney, conceived by and features an original book by Jeff Whitty, and adapted by James Magruder. Masks required. (L-R) Lea DeLaria, Shanice Williams and Tiffany Mann in HEAD OVER HEELS at Pasadena Playhouse. Photo by Jeff Lorch Link Roundup 2: Jussie Smollett Trial 3 Years on, Teacher Resigns For Pride Flag; OMG Playlist; Tom Holland, Celebrity Deaths, Magic Mike … Back for more Jussie Smollett: Trial begins 3 years after Empire star allegedly faked anti-gay hate crimeJussie Smollett's trial begins almost three years after allegedly faking a […]Fleshback: Sexy Beyond All ReasonCool yer jets, boys. (Image via 2oth Century Fox) Gr8erDays on […]Bisexual Michigan teacher resigns after being told to remove Pride flagBisexual teacher Russell Ball resigned from his Michigan middle school after […]OMG Playlist: November 2021Every month, our music editor ED curates a special selection of […]BenDeLaCreme & Jinkx Monsoon are mad for the holidaysJinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme deck the nation's halls with The Return […]Condors vs Vultures: What Is The Difference?In the ornithological world vultures internationally are divided into two different […]Channing Tatum is back in ‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance’Channing Tatum is returning to Magic Mike! The 41-year-old actor took […]Tom Holland set to return as Spider-ManIt appears that “Spider-Man: No Way Home” will not be Tom […]RIP 2021: Was It An Especially Tough Year For Celebrity Deaths?RIP Arlene Dahl (Image via movie still) By my estimation, the […]OMG, Ryan & Amy present: DOREEN & CAL are the kinkiest couple around View this post on Instagram A post shared […] Scott Robbe, Veteran Activist Was Part of Founding ACT UP, Queer Nation, Out in Film, and Film and Theater Producer Dies at 66 Scott Robbe, Veteran Activist Robbe was an active member and active in the of founding ACT UP and Queer Nation, two direct action groups in New York City in the late 80s and into the 1990s. He was part of an ACT UP undercover team, led by activist Peter Staley, that gained access to the New York Stock Exchange in September 1989 to protest record high price of AZT, and that led public pressure on Burroughs Wellcome to eventually lowered its drug price on the only approved HIV/AIDS Drug at at the time by 20%. “Scott didn’t flinch when our lawyers would warn us of all the possible charges and maximum sentences we’d face for infiltrating a powerful institution,” said Peter Staley, who chronicled his ACT UP days in the new memoir, Never Silent. “When it came to fighting for his dying gay brothers, he’d always reply, ‘I’m in.’” In 1991, Robbe relocated to the West Coast and cofounded Out in Film at a time when several high-grossing films were built based on stereotypic and unflattering depictions of gay characters — Jonathan Demme’s Silence of the Lambs, Oliver Stone’s JFK and Paul Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct. Robbe’s television credits include the first-ever LGBT comedy special on TV for Comedy Central in 1993, called “Out There,” and hosted by Lea DeLaria. Robbe was on the creative team for the 2003 series “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” and he produced shows for Lifetime, Comedy Central, VH1, Children’s Television Workshop and American Playhouse. “Scott was a fearless activist, always on the front lines, whether he was protesting pharmaceutical company greed or homophobia at the Oscars,” said ACT UP New York veteran Ann Northrop. “And he was a total sweetheart.” According to Paul Algiers, a longtime friend and the executor of Scott Robbe’s estate, Robbe was in hospice care at the home of his sister, Angela, in Hartford, Wisconsin when he passed away February 21st of complications from a blood cancer he had battled for more than a year. There will be no funeral. A celebration of Robbe’s life will be broadcast online early in 2022. Donations in Scott’s memory may be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and ACT UP New York. The Normal Heart on Towleroad Miriam Margolyes loves surprising Harry Potter fans at King’s Cross More Lone Mississippi clinic on front line of U.S. Supreme Court abortion battle More Chinese province targets journalists, foreign students with planned new surveillance system More More Than 2,000 Flight Records Associated With Jeffrey Epstein’s Private Jets Accidentally Disclosed By The FAA More The Bachelor Colton Underwood ‘Didn’t Want To Be Gay’; But Is ‘Coming Out Colton’ to Dad; Has Gus Kenworthy For Advice: Netflix Trailer More Trumpism without Trump: the Republican playbook for 2022? More Channing Tatum returning for Magic Mike 3 More Jussie Smollett juror dismissed after expressing wish to protect gay daughter More Load More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Miriam Margolyes likes to surprise ‘Harry Potter’ fans at King’s Cross. The 80-year-old actress – who played Herbology teacher Professor Sprout in both 2002’s ‘The Chamber of Secrets’ and 2011 film ‘The Deathly Hallows – Part 2’ – admitted she isn’t the biggest fan of “fantasy” films, but she often heads to the London train station and poses for pictures with people visiting Platform Nine and 3/4. She told the Metro newspaper’s 60 Seconds column: “[‘Harry Potter’] is probably what I’ll be best known for. It did a great deal for me because it made me very well known to millions of people. “It’s not my kind of film at all because I’m not interested in fantasy. I prefer searing human drama and espionage so ‘Harry Potter’ is a bit anodyne for me. But it’s brought me an awful lot of friends. “When I go to King’s Cross, I always go to the platform and say ‘I’m Professor Sprout if you want to take a photograph’. They’re very excited when they finally believe me.” Meanwhile, Miriam – who is set to appear in BBC period drama Call The Midwife’s upcoming Christmas special – also admitted she isn’t a big fan of kids either, although she had to learn to cope on set. She added: “I’m the Mother Superior. I love everything about it except the children. In an ordinary life, I wouldn’t have much to do with children. “I don’t want to hurt them or anything, I just prefer to separate myself from them. But you can’t do that in ‘Midwife’ or ‘Harry Potter.’ “ Miriam co-starred in the ‘Potter’ films with Dame Maggie Smith – who played Professor McGonagall – and she admitted the veteran actress can be a “bit alarming”. She said: “She is a little bit alarming. you have to be watchful with Maggie because if she’s cross, she doesn’t mind sharing it. “She’s actually a very sweet lady and if you don’t irritate her she’s absolutely gorgeous. If you say something stupid, she will come back at you quite fiercely. “But she hates it when people say they’re scared of her. I’d quite like people to be scared of me but they never are.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Lawrence Hurley JACKSON, Miss. (Reuters) – As a car drove into the parking lot of Jackson Women’s Health Organization clinic, the only abortion provider in the state of Mississippi, anti-abortion activist Beverly Anderson leaned in to speak to the woman in the passenger’s seat. Two escorts wearing rainbow-colored vests blared rock music to drown out Anderson and other protesters as patients entered the fenced lot. “Ma’am, you are already a mother. Don’t let them kill your baby,” Anderson, 61, told the woman. The escorts turned up the volume on the Guns N’ Roses song “Nightrain” as the woman was led into the pink-colored building located next to a Homewood Suites hotel and across the street from a taqueria. It is a common scene at a clinic at the center of a major legal fight https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-supreme-court-case-past-could-be-future-abortion-2021-11-23 now before the U.S. Supreme Court that could shape the future of American abortion rights. The nine justices on Wednesday are due to hear arguments in Mississippi’s bid to revive a Republican-backed 2018 law, blocked by lower courts, banning abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy. Mississippi has asked the justices to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe. v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Mississippi is among 12 states https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-supreme-court-case-past-could-be-future-abortion-2021-11-23 with so-called trigger laws designed to ban abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Additional states also likely would move quickly to curtail abortion access with such a ruling. Anti-abortion advocates like Anderson, who cite religious opposition to the procedure, believe they are closer than ever to overturning Roe, a longstanding goal for Christian conservatives and a driving force https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-abortion/at-anti-abortion-rally-trump-assails-democrats-draws-applause-idUSKBN1ZN152 behind some recent Supreme Court appointments https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-court-barrett/trumps-supreme-court-nominee-advocated-overturning-legalized-abortion-idINKBN26M7IS by Republican presidents. Anderson said she would “praise God” if the Supreme Court rules the way she hopes. ‘EVERY WOMAN HAS A CHOICE’ The Jackson clinic sees between 60 and 80 patients a week, with most obtaining abortions by pill. It has two rooms where women can obtain surgical abortions performed between 11 and 16 weeks of pregnancy. A 40-year-old woman from Jackson, who was six weeks pregnant and undergoing a medication abortion, said she was grateful for the clinic. “Every woman has a choice on whether to have a child or not. I don’t think it’s the state’s decision,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Roe v. Wade recognized that the right to personal privacy under the U.S. Constitution protects a woman’s ability to terminate her pregnancy. The Supreme Court in a 1992 ruling called Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey reaffirmed the right to abortion and prohibited laws imposing an “undue burden” on abortion access. Abortion opponents hope the court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, will narrow or overturn the Roe and Casey rulings in the Mississippi case. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, a Republican, in court papers called those two rulings “egregiously wrong” and based on obsolete science. State legislatures should have more leeway to restrict abortion, Fitch said. The Roe and Casey decisions determined that states cannot ban abortion before a fetus is viable outside the womb, generally viewed by doctors as between 24 and 28 weeks. Mississippi’s 15-week ban directly challenged that finding. Even if the court does not explicitly overturn Roe, any ruling letting states ban abortion before the fetus is viable outside the womb would raise questions about how early states could ban the procedure. “Without that clear line that courts could apply, states would be able to ban abortion at virtually any point of pregnancy,” said lawyer Julie Rikelman of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which challenged Mississippi’s law on behalf of the Jackson clinic. Mississippi’s law and other similar ones passed by various Republican-led states represent direct challenges to Roe v. Wade. After the clinic sued to block the measure, a federal judge in 2018 ruled against Mississippi. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019 reached the same conclusion, prompting Mississippi to turn to the Supreme Court Sitting behind her desk in her cluttered office, one eye on a screen showing security camera footage of the anti-abortion protesters outside, clinic director Shannon Brewer vowed to do whatever she can to help women access abortion if the Supreme Court rules in favor of Mississippi. “That would be a huge step backwards. It would be a slap in a woman’s face to say after all these years you still don’t have control over your body,” Rikelman said. Her organization could assist with travel and accommodation costs and refer women to out-of-state doctors for abortions, Brewer said. If Roe v. Wade were overturned, more women would have to travel out of conservative states like Mississippi for abortions, an option that those with scarce financial resources may be unable to accomplish, according to a doctor at the clinic who flies in from Massachusetts. “It makes me want to cry,” said the doctor, also speaking on condition of anonymity. “It makes me feel defeated and horrified that people in this country hate women so much they don’t want them to be able to access a full range of pregnancy care.” (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley in Jackson, Mississippi; Additional reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Will Dunham and Scott Malone) View the full article

Published by Reuters BEIJING (Reuters) -Security officials in one of China’s largest provinces have commissioned a surveillance system they say they want to use to track journalists and international students among other “suspicious people”, documents reviewed by Reuters showed. A July 29 tender document published on the Henan provincial government’s procurement website – reported in the media for the first time – details plans for a system that can compile individual files on such persons of interest coming to Henan using 3,000 facial recognition cameras that connect to various national and regional databases. A 5 million yuan ($782,000) contract was awarded on Sept. 17 to Chinese tech company Neusoft, which was required to finish building the system within two months of signing the contract, separate documents published on the Henan government procurement website showed. Reuters was unable to establish if the system is currently operating. Shenyang-based Neusoft did not respond to requests for comment. China is trying to build what some security experts describe as one of the world’s most sophisticated surveillance technology networks https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-monitoring-insight-idUSKBN1KZ0R3, with millions of cameras in public places and increasing use of techniques such as smartphone monitoring and facial recognition. U.S.-based surveillance research firm IPVM, which has closely tracked the network’s expansion and first identified the Henan document, said the tender was unique in specifying journalists as surveillance targets and providing a blueprint for public security authorities to quickly locate them and obstruct their work. “While the PRC has a documented history of detaining and punishing journalists for doing their jobs, this document illustrates the first known instance of the PRC building custom security technology to streamline state suppression of journalists,” said IPVM’S Head of Operations Donald Maye, using the initials of the People’s Republic of China. Reuters was unable to find any documents identifying journalists or foreigners as specific targets of surveillance systems in other parts of China. The Henan provincial government and police did not respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of Public Security and China’s Foreign Ministry also did not comment. “TAILED AND CONTROLLED” The near-200 page tender document from the Henan Public Security Department does not give reasons why it wants to track journalists or international students. Another category of people it said it wants to track were “women from neighbouring countries that are illegal residents.” Public access to the tender document was disabled on Monday. The tender document specified cameras must be able to build a relatively accurate file for individuals whose faces are partially covered by a mask or glasses, and those targeted must be searchable on the database by simply uploading a picture or searching their facial attributes. The system will be operated by at least 2,000 officials and policemen, and specifies that journalists will be divided into three categories: red, yellow, green, in decreasing order of risk, according to the tender. Different police forces covering all of Henan, whose 99 million inhabitants makes it China’s third-largest province by population, will be connected to the platform in order to spring into action in the event of a warning being set off, the tender explains. Warnings will be set off if a journalist while in Henan registers into a hotel, buys a ticket, or crosses the provincial border, according to the tender. “Suspicious persons must be tailed and controlled, dynamic research analyses and risk assessments made, and the journalists dealt with according to their category,” the tender reads. The tender also detailed different early warning systems for the other groups. MEDIA CONTROL Some press freedom groups say the ruling Chinese Communist Party has tightened control over media since Chinese President Xi Jinping took office in 2012. In February, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) said China used coronavirus prevention measures https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-media-idUSKCN2AT182, intimidation and visa curbs to limit foreign reporting in 2020, citing responses to an annual survey of correspondents and interviews with bureau chiefs. The Chinese foreign ministry at the time called the FCCC report “baseless” and said China always welcomed media and journalists from all countries to cover news in China according to the law. “What we oppose is ideological bias against China and fake news in the name of press freedom,” a spokesman said. While most of the Henan document refers to journalists, several segments specify “foreign journalists”. In October last year, the Henan government published on its procurement platform for prospective suppliers a short summary of the intended project in which it said the system would be “centred on foreigners” and help “protect national sovereignty, security, and interests”. The contract was put out for tender on July 29, days after foreign journalists from the BBC, LA Times, Agence France-Presse and others reporting on devastating floods in Henan were targeted by a nationalist campaign on China’s heavily censored social media platform Weibo. The FCCC said at the time https://twitter.com/fccchina/status/1419946356995629057 it was “very concerned to witness the online and offline harassment of journalists” covering the floods. It described how, for instance, one Weibo account asked its 1.6 million followers to report the whereabouts of a foreign journalist who was reporting about the floods. The tender also said the system should be able to track the movements of international students through methods such as mobile phone positioning and travel bookings – particularly during key dates such as the country’s national day or annual session of parliament. “On…sensitive dates, launch a wartime early warning mechanism,” it read. ($1 = 6.3924 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) View the full article

Published by Radar Online The Federal Aviation Administration reportedly accidentally disclosed more than 2,000 flight records associated with four of Jeffrey Epstein’s private jets in response to an unrelated request made by news outlet Business Insider. According to Business Insider, in January 2020 they made a request to the FAA for flight records pertaining to a handful of private jets owned by Epstein. The outlet reportedly filed the request under the Freedom of Information Act but was ultimately denied the request by the FAA two months later. mega The FAA reportedly denied the request because “the responsive records originate from an investigative file” and therefore were not allowed to be shared with the outlet. The agency allegedly cited an exemption statute that was designed by Congress to protect records they considered “compiled for law enforcement” and “could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceeding.” But then, earlier this year, the FAA reportedly mailed Business Insider a portion of Epstein’s flight records consisting of 2,300 flight records from four private jets registered by the former billionaire between 1998 and 2020. Although the majority of the flights accidentally disclosed by the agency were already known by the outlet, a reported 704 of the disclosed flights were new. The 704 previously unknown flights reportedly included hundreds of flights made by Epstein’s planes between 2013 and 2016, a gap of three years that the outlet claims were previously unaccounted for. Also, even though the 704 new flight records do not include any names of passengers on the flights, the outlet believes the accidentally disclosed new information could be used to find out when and where certain people close to Epstein were traveling. In fact, the outlet names Ghislaine Maxwell as a frequent passenger on Epstein’s private jets, and perhaps this new flight information could be used to pinpoint where she was traveling between 2003 and 2006. Epstein with Ghislaine AMxwellmega Besides Maxwell, many other famous individuals – such as former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump – were known to have flown on Epstein’s private jets. Although the FAA has reportedly declined to comment on the accidental disclosure of this new flight information, a spokesperson for the agency reportedly told the outlet that “flight data is typically considered to be releasable information.” mega View the full article

The bachelor Colton Underwood Netflix Release Friday of ‘Coming Out Colton’ Colton Underwood Netflix Coming Out Colton Trailer on Towleroad Trumpism without Trump: the Republican playbook for 2022? More Channing Tatum returning for Magic Mike 3 More Jussie Smollett juror dismissed after expressing wish to protect gay daughter More Moderna CEO warns COVID-19 shots less effective against Omicron, spooks markets More Jennifer Coolidge wants more ‘romance and sex’ for The White Lotus character More Rihanna declared national hero by Barbados More AIDS timeline: Four decades but still no silver bullet More Jack Dorsey steps down as Twitter CEO More In Afghanistan Gay Men Forced into Sex Work; Speak of Taliban Kill Lists, Fake Evacuation Traps, Family Treachery; Afghan LGBTQ Fear For Lives, Taliban Solidifies Rule More Study: Protection offered by booster shot beats ‘natural immunity’ More Prince Charles Denies Being The Royal Family Member Who Questioned Skin Tone Of Prince Harry And Meghan Markle’s Child More Load More View the full article

Published by AFP Donald Trump, pictured in his final days in office, is the first president since Herbert Hoover nearly a century ago to lose the House, the Senate and the White House during a single term Washington (AFP) – As US Republicans cheered impressive gains in state elections in the fall, their leader may not have been so delighted as he followed the results from his fiefdom in southern Florida. For the results of the gubernatorial races — victory in leftward-trending Virginia and an unexpectedly narrow defeat in deeply Democratic New Jersey — proved one thing beyond doubt: Republicans can win without Donald Trump. Whisper it, but five years after submitting entirely to the will of its mercurial leader, and one year ahead of the crucial midterm elections, the Republican Party is tentatively picturing life after Donald. “At this stage, he would be the frontrunner if he chose to enter the 2024 presidential race,” Matt Lacombe, an assistant professor of political science at New York liberal arts school Barnard College, told AFP. “But it’s also very possible that coordination among potential candidates and party officials… would be sufficient to prevent him from pursuing or succeeding in a second run.” After Trump secured the Republican presidential nomination in May 2016, the party abandoned its policy platform at its next two conventions, instead opting to simply declare fealty to its rambunctious chieftain. The consensus remains that all paths to Congress go through Mar-a-Lago — that to succeed in Washington you had to kiss the ring in Palm Beach, flattering Trump and his ultra-loyal base of tens of millions of ardent devotees. Republican politicians who fail to toe the line know they risk a public dressing down and primary challenge at best and death threats to their families if his supporters were particularly inflamed. “Despite losing his social media megaphone, his endorsements still energize grassroots supporters, drive donations, and in some cases clear away competitors and force retirements,” Tommy Goodwin, a Washington-based political consultant and lobbyist, told AFP. Some prominent Republicans are seizing on the recent governors’ races to call for a course correction, however, navigating around Trump and his “big lie” that the 2020 election was stolen from him by the Democrats. All-time low In Virginia, Republican multimillionaire Glenn Youngkin won by far exceeding Trump’s 2020 showing in the suburbs, especially among independents and women. Trump immediately took credit but in reality, Youngkin soft-pedaled the former reality TV star’s support and did all he could in the final weeks to keep his high-profile endorser at arm’s length. In New Jersey too, Republican Jack Ciattarelli started out very pro-Trump, even speaking at a “Stop the Steal” rally in 2020, but distanced himself from the ex-president during the campaign proper. The suburbs are likely to be the key battlegrounds again next year, when the stakes will be control of the House of Representatives and Senate and 36 governorships — yet Trump is far less popular there than in the countryside. The takeaway for many Republicans is that borrowing heavily from Trump’s playbook while assiduously avoiding the man himself could be the key. The former president’s approval sank to an all-time low of 34 percent after the January 6 insurrection, when thousands of his supporters stormed the US Capitol to stop lawmakers certifying Joe Biden’s victory. Trump has since issued a number of statements praising the insurrectionists and defending their threats on the life of his vice president, Mike Pence. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has urged the 75-year-old real estate tycoon to stay out of the midterms, telling reporters: “I do think we need to be talking about the future, and not the past.” Yet Rick Scott, the chairman of the Republicans’ Senate campaign committee for 2022, told NBC any Republican would be “foolish” to reject Trump’s endorsement — underlining the dilemma Republicans face. “Donald Trump is where he wants to be — the center of attention, a crying child in the candy aisle of a packed grocery store, demanding more soda while he throws bags of candy bars at other children,” Peter Loge, an associate professor at George Washington University, told AFP. “It is difficult to imagine him demurring so that others can have their turn in the spotlight.” ‘The past is never dead’ Trump’s bully pulpit isn’t what it was before social media bans effectively curbed his day-to-day influence and, in any case, his electoral secret sauce was never as powerful as he claimed. Republicans did fairly well down-ballot in 2020 — keeping their Senate loss to the narrowest possible margin and almost taking the House — but stumbled at the presidential level. And Trump is the first president since Herbert Hoover nearly a century ago to lose the House, the Senate and the White House during a single term. “So far, Trump-endorsed candidates haven’t fared particularly well,” said Sam Nelson, associate professor and chair of the University of Toledo’s political science department. “While Republican primary candidates actively seek his endorsement, valuable in Republican races, that same endorsement can be somewhat dangerous in a general election in that it motivates Democrats to turn out to vote against the Trump-supported candidate.” Loge believes challengers who think they have nothing to lose may emerge, alongside others concerned about the future of the Republican Party and the country. “The 2022 midterm elections will also go a long way to determining Trump’s level of support in 2024,” Loge told AFP. “If Trump-backed candidates win primary and general elections, Trump’s stock will go up. If Trump-backed candidates lose primary and general elections, Trump’s stock will go down.” But Trump remains a hero to the millions of disaffected new voters he brought to the Republican cause in 2016, and is credited with remaking the federal judiciary in the image of his right-wing backers. His deficit-busting tax cuts remain popular among the working classes, although they tilt increasingly toward the mega-rich over the longer term. “William Faulkner famously wrote ‘The past is never dead. It’s not even past,'” Mark Bayer, a former chief of staff in the Senate and the House, told AFP. “The same can be said about Trump’s trance-inducing influence over the Republican Party. His grip… is as strong as it was when he was president.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Channing Tatum is on board for ‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance’. The 41-year-old Hollywood heartthrob will reunite with Steven Soderbergh – who directed the first film in the series, which focuses on the world of male stripping – in the third and final instalment of the franchise. He took to Twitter to tease fans with the news, posting alongside an image of the script: “Well world, looks like Mike Lane’s tapping back in.” In a statement, he said: “There are no words for how excited I am to blow the doors off of the world of ‘Magic Mike’ with Steven, Greg, Reid, and the amazing people at HBO Max. The stripperverse will never be the same.” The franchise – which has so far grossed more than $300 million worldwide – is loosely based on Tatum’s own experiences as an 18-year-old stripper. He plays a veteran performer who takes a newcomer under his wing. Toby Emmerich, Chairman of Warner Bros., said in a statement: “Is there anybody on screen more charismatic and appealing than Magic Mike? We’re thrilled to be back in business with Channing, Steven and their creative team to bring back Magic Mike’s wonderful combination of dance, drama, romance and humour.” Director Soderbergh noted how he was directly inspired to make a third film when he saw ‘Magic Mike Live’, the spin-off show that premiered in London in 2018. He said: “As soon as I saw what Channing, Reid, and the Magic Mike choreographic team did with the live show, I said, ‘We have to make another movie.’ “Mike Lane’s dream of connecting people through dance must be realised.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English A woman selected to be a juror in Jussie Smollett’s hate crime trial was dismissed after she admitted she wouldn’t be able to fairly judge the case – because her daughter is gay. The 39-year-old actor was issued with a 16-count felony indictment for filing a false police report after he claimed he was the victim of a shocking racist and homophobic attack in Chicago in 2019, as it was alleged he knew two men investigated over the incident and claims were made that he had staged the attack. Smollett’s initial charges were dropped by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office in the same month they were filed, but in February 2020 he was indicted once again for allegedly orchestrating the attack himself. And a Caucasian woman who was chosen to potentially be a part of the jury had to pull out, upon learning details of the crime, and, ultimately, decided after doing her research that she feared taking part in the trial could put her offspring at risk. She stated: “When I found out it was a hate crime, my daughter is gay, so I did some research on that. “She works in the downtown area, so I was very concerned for her safety and what was going on.” After being asked by Cook County Judge James Lin if it was possible for her to offer up an impartial view to help decide the verdict, the female was dismissed as she admitted she wasn’t sure if she could. According to reports, other jurors included a woman who has seen ‘Empire’ and enjoys drag, an immigrant from Iraq, a Canadian store manager, a counselor, a man who works in health care, and a salesman. Prosecutor Dan Webb claimed Smollett had allegedly worked with two siblings he worked with to help him carry out the fake attack, and that Chicago police spent 3,000 hours investigating the crime. Webb told the courtroom in Chicago on Monday (29.11.21): “When he reported the fake hate crime that was a real crime.” The brothers claimed Smollett awarded them $3,500 (£2,626) to pose as his attackers, and he has been charged with felony disorderly conduct. The prosecutor said Smollett then “devised this fake crime” and rehearsed it with Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, and instructed them to use racial and homophobic slurs and “MAGA (Make American Great Again)”. Other key points include Smollett asking the pair to film the fake attack on video, however, a filming mishap meant the device was facing the wrong way. Smollett’s lawyer, however, has insisted his client “is a real victim” of a “real crime”. Attorney Nenye Uche insisted the $3,500 cheque was paid to his colleagues for a music video they were making. And the lawyer claimed there was a third person involved in the attack. There were 12 jurors in the end, plus there alternate jurors who were sworn in with a verdict set for a week’s time. At this stage, it is not known if Smollett will testify. If convicted, a prison sentence of up to three years is not unheard of, however, it has been claimed that Smollett could end up on probation and even given community service. The judge had asked for evidence to be brought forward right up until 7pm, and then the court was adjourned for the day. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Marius Zaharia and Renju Jose HONG KONG/SYDNEY (Reuters) -Drugmaker Moderna’s CEO set off fresh alarm bells in financial markets on Tuesday after he warned that COVID-19 vaccines were unlikely to be as effective against the Omicron variant as they have been against the Delta version. Crude oil futures shed more than a dollar, the Australian currency hit a year low, and Nikkei gave up gains as Stéphane Bancel’s comments spurred fears that vaccine resistance could lead to more sickness and hospitalisations, prolonging the pandemic. [MKTS/GLOB][USD/][O/R] “There is no world, I think, where (the effectiveness) is the same level . . . we had with Delta,” Moderna CEO Bancel told the Financial Times https://www.ft.com/content/27def1b9-b9c8-47a5-8e06-72e432e0838f in an interview. “I think it’s going to be a material drop. I just don’t know how much because we need to wait for the data. But all the scientists I’ve talked to . . . are like ‘this is not going to be good’,” Bancel said. Moderna did not reply to a Reuters’ request for comment on the interview and on when it expects to have data on the effectiveness of its vaccine against Omicron, which the World Health Organization (WHO) says carries a “very high” risk https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-poses-very-high-global-risk-countries-must-prepare-who-2021-11-29 of infection surges. Bancel had earlier said on CNBC https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL4N2SK37Y that there should be more clarity on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines against Omicron in about two weeks, and that it could take months to begin shipping a vaccine that work against the new variant. The WHO and scientists https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/how-fast-does-it-spread-scientists-ask-whether-omicron-can-outrun-delta-2021-11-29 have also said it could take days to several weeks to understand the level of severity of the variant and its potential to escape protection against immunity induced by vaccines. “Vaccination will likely still keep you out of the hospital,” said John Wherry, director of the Penn Institute for Immunology in Philadelphia. The uncertainty about the new variant has triggered global alarm, with border closures casting a shadow over a nascent economic recovery from a two-year pandemic. News of its emergence wiped roughly $2 trillion off the value of global stocks on Friday, but some calm was restored this week as investors waited for more data on Omicron. Remarks by President Joe Biden that the United States would not reinstate lockdowns had also helped soothe markets before comments from the Moderna CEO spooked investors. Biden has called for wider vaccination, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged everyone aged 18 years and older to get a booster shot. Britain too has expanded its COVID-19 booster programme amid Omicron fears. First reported on Nov. 24 from South Africa, Omicron has since spread to over a dozen countries. Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, has confirmed its first case. HONG KONG EXPANDS CURBS Countries around the world have moved quickly to tighten border controls to prevent a recurrence of last year’s strict lockdowns and steep economic downturns. Hong Kong has expanded a ban on entry for non-residents from several countries. It said non-residents from Angola, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Zambia would not be allowed to enter as of Nov. 30. Additionally, it said non-residents who have been to Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Israel and Italy in the past 21 days would not be allowed to enter the city from Dec. 2. The global financial hub, among the last places pursuing a zero-COVID strategy, has already banned non-residents arriving from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. In Australia, five travellers tested positive for Omicron. Singapore’s health ministry said two travellers from Johannesburg who tested positive for the variant in Sydney had transited through its Changi https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/singapore-says-two-travellers-sydney-with-omicron-transited-changi-2021-11-30 airport. Australian authorities have also identified a sixth traveller who was most likely infected with the variant and had spent time in the community. Canberra delayed on Monday the reopening of the nation’s borders for international students and skilled migrants, less than 36 hours before they were due to be allowed back in. “We’re doing this out of an abundance of caution but our overwhelming view is that whilst (Omicron) is an emerging variant, it is a manageable variant,” Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said. The global curbs on travellers from southern Africa also raised concerns about vaccine inequality. “The people of Africa cannot be blamed for the immorally low level of vaccinations available in Africa – and they should not be penalized for identifying and sharing crucial science and health information with the world,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/un-chief-concerned-about-southern-africa-isolation-over-omicron-2021-11-29 in a statement. India, home to the world’s largest vaccine maker, has approved supplies of COVID-19 vaccines to many African countries and said it stands ready to “expeditiously” send more. China too has pledged https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/chinas-xi-pledges-10-bln-credit-line-african-financial-institutions-2021-11-29 1 billion doses to the continent. (Reporting by Marius Zaharia in Hong Kong, Renju Jose in Sydney, Tom Westbrook in Singapore and Reuters bureaus; Writing by Himani Sarkar; Editing by Shri Navratnam) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jennifer Coolidge wants more “romance and sex” for her character in ‘The White Lotus’. The 60-year-old actress stars as Tanya McQuoid in the sitcom about holidaymakers at a resort in Hawaii, and she revealed her high hopes for the upcoming second season. She said: “They haven’t told me what the script is. But, I hope I have lots of romance and sex in this next one. I felt like I didn’t get enough of that in the first one.” Jennifer – who has also starred in the likes of ‘American Pie’ and ‘Legally Blonde’ – admitted wherever she goes, she gets recognised for her role in the HBO hit series, even when wearing a mask. She told ‘Entertainment Tonight’: “It didn’t matter where I was this year. It didn’t matter that I had a mask on. I could be in a motorboat up in Maine going by another speedboat and someone would be like, ‘White Lotus.’ I mean, it was weird. Everyone saw it. Everyone saw that thing.” The ensemble cast of the satirical comedy also features Murray Bartlett, 50, Connie Britton, 54, Jake Lacy, 46, Molly Shannon, 57, and ‘Percy Jackson’ star Alexandra Daddario, 35, and Jennifer previously spoke of how she would prefer things to stay that way. When asked whether the new season is to feature any new cast members, she said: “I hope not. I have heard that. But you know what? You never know! And even so, imagine what Mike White can write the second time around. So, I’ll watch it, even if I’m not in it.” Her comments come after Jennifer previously gave her take on ‘Legally Blonde 3’, the upcoming second sequel to the 2001 hit in which she starred as manicurist Paulette Bonafonté alongside Reese Witherspoon. She said; “I hope Reese [Witherspoon] and I are running really fast for most of it, we’re running from something really fast. I don’t know what it’ll be this time around, I just hope it’s some really fast-moving, caper-type [thing], that we get into trouble.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Rihanna has been declared a national hero by her native Barbados. The ‘Umbrella’ hitmaker, 33, was honoured by Prime Minister Mia Mottley at an event which marked Barbados’s new status as a republic, which was attended by Prince Charles. Addressing the pop star by her real name, the PM said: “Robyn Rihanna Fenty tomorrow morning shall have conferred upon her the order of national hero of Barbados.” The Fenty Beauty founder was then summoned from her seat to accept the honour, with the Prime Minister managing to rouse a laugh from the singer when she referenced her 2012 hit ‘Diamonds.’ She added: “On behalf of a grateful nation, but an even prouder people, we therefore present to you, the designee, for national hero of Barbados. And to accept on behalf of a grateful nation – you can come my dear – ambassador Robyn Rihanna Fenty, may you continue to shine like a diamond and bring honour to your nation.” Rihanna – who was born on the St Michael parish of Barbados – found fame in 2005 after being spotted by a record producer and has since gone on to become one of the most successful female artists of all time with sales of over 250 million and recently reached billionaire status through her Fenty beauty brand. The Prime Minister continued in her speech: “‘Commanding the imagination of the world through the pursuit of excellence, her creativity, her discipline, and above all else, her extraordinary commitment to the land of her birth. “Having satisfied that, Ambassador Robyn Rihanna Fenty has given service to Barbados which has been exemplified by visionary and pioneering leadership, extraordinary achievement and the attaining of the highest excellence to the Government of Barbados.” It comes after a historic move for Barbados, which has become a republic after almost 400 years and welcomes its first president, Sandra Mason, after removing Queen Elizabeth as head of state. View the full article

Published by AFP Paris (AFP) – With hopes of eradicating AIDS badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, we look at the fight against the deadly condition since its emergence 40 years ago, as the planet marks World AIDS Day on Wednesday. 1981: First alert In June 1981, US epidemiologists report five cases of a rare form of pneumonia in gay men in California, some of whom have died. Unusual versions of skin cancer are identified in others. It is the first alert about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), still unknown and unnamed. Doctors identify “opportunistic infections” among injected drug-users late in the year and in haemophiliacs and Haitian residents in the United States (mid-1982). The term AIDS appears for the first time in 1982. 1983: Identifying HIV In January 1983, researchers in France, Francoise Barre-Sinoussi and Jean-Claude Chermann, working under Luc Montagnier, identify the virus that “might be” responsible for AIDS. It is dubbed LAV. The following year, US specialist Robert Gallo is said to have found the “probable” cause of AIDS, the retrovirus HTLV-III. The two viruses turn out to be one and the same, and in May 1986 it becomes officially known as the human immuno-deficiency virus, or HIV. Barre-Sinoussi and Montagnier win a Nobel prize in 2008 for their discovery. 1987: Anti-retroviral treatment In March 1987, the first anti-retroviral treatment known as AZT is authorised in the US. It is expensive and has many side effects. The World Health Organization (WHO) declares December 1, 1988 the first World AIDS Day, to raise awareness. By June the following year, the number of AIDS cases worldwide is estimated at more than 150,000. Early 1990s: Falling stars – US actor Rock Hudson is the first high-profile AIDS death in October 1985. A host of other stars succumb to the disease, including British singer and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (November 1991) and the legendary Russian dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev (January 1993). In 1994, AIDS becomes the leading cause of death among Americans aged between 25 and 44. 1995-96: New approach A new class of drugs signals the start of combinations of different anti-retroviral therapies. Called tri-therapies, they provide the first effective treatment for HIV although they are not a cure and remain costly. 1996 is the first year in which the number of AIDS deaths declines in the US. 1999: 50 million infections A report released by WHO and the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) in November 1999 estimates the number of people infected with HIV since it first appeared at 50 million, of whom 16 million have died. Africa is the hardest-hit continent, with 12.2 million cases. 2001: generic medicines After an accord signed in 2000 by UNAIDS and five major drug companies to distribute affordable treatments in poorer countries, a deal is signed on November 13, 2001 at the World Trade Organization to allow developing countries to make generic medicines. 2012: HIV ‘shield’ In July 2012, the first-ever daily pill to help prevent HIV infection is approved by US regulators. Truvada is a pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, taken by high-risk people who are HIV-negative in order to prevent them from being infected. 2017: Treatment spreads For the first time ever, more than half of the global population living with HIV are receiving anti-retroviral treatment, UNAIDS reports. Today the proportion is three quarters: 27.5 million people are being treated out of 37.7 million who are infected, according to UNAIDS. 2020/2021: Impact of Covid The Covid-19 pandemic undermines UNAIDS’ goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The new disease has disrupted access to health systems, to testing, and treatment, slowing progress in the fight against AIDS which in 40 years has killed 36.3 million people. View the full article

Published by AFP During his tenure as Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey confronted thorny freedom of speech issues, ways to make the platform profitable and pressure he had spread himself too thin Washington (AFP) – Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey announced Monday he was leaving the company, after steering the social network during the tumult of Donald Trump’s presidency and surviving an activist investor’s ouster bid in 2020. Dorsey, who is also chief executive of payments company Square, was confronted during his tenure by thorny freedom of speech questions, challenges to making the platform profitable and criticism he had spread himself too thin. With his recognizable look of a shaved head, long beard and unconventional style, Dorsey for years embodied Twitter. “I want you all to know that this was my decision and I own it. It was a tough one for me, of course,” he wrote in an email to Twitter staff announcing his resignation as CEO, which was effective immediately. “There aren’t many companies that get to this level. And there aren’t many founders that choose their company over their own ego,” he added. The company said Twitter’s chief technology officer Parag Agrawal has replaced Dorsey in the top post, with Dorsey saying he would remain a member of the board through until around May to help with the transition. “And after that… I’ll leave the board,” Dorsey wrote. “Why not stay or become chair? I believe it’s really important to allow Parag the space he needs to lead.” Nasdaq briefly suspended trading of Twitter on Monday, citing “news pending,” and after some volatility, the price was down over 2.5 percent for the day. Trump era Like many Silicon Valley celebrities, from Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs to Bill Gates or Michael Dell, Dorsey dropped out of college, never graduating from either of the universities he attended, one in his native Missouri and the other in New York. Dorsey is credited with coming up with the idea for Twitter when eventual co-founder Evan Williams gave workers at blogging start-up Odeo two weeks to work on new projects as a way to break up the daily routine. He ran Twitter from 2007 to 2008 and returned later as CEO after Dick Costolo resigned in June 2015. With Dorsey at the helm, Twitter reported its first profitable quarter for the last three months of 2017, and then two full years in the green, before slipping back into the red in 2020. Twitter in March 2020 made a deal with key investors to end an effort to oust the chief, creating a new committee on the board of directors to keep tabs on company leadership. Dorsey came under pressure in 2020 from Elliott Management amid concerns he had spread himself too thin by running both Twitter and Square. During Trump’s presidency, which ended in January this year, Twitter was widely seen as the medium used to broadcast America’s deepening political and cultural rifts. Dorsey took the controversial decision to permanently ban Trump from the platform, where the former president had amassed 88.7 million followers. Dorsey made the decision days after Trump whipped up a mob of supporters who stormed the US Capitol, where they tried to prevent Joe Biden being confirmed winner of the 2020 election. New CEO Trump supporters accused Dorsey and the social media giants of trying to curb free speech, and many ditched Twitter to join new, far-right-friendly platforms. But some also defended the hard decisions Dorsey had to make. “People tend to conflate Jack Dorsey with Twitter censorship, but my sense is he’s actually done what he could these past few years to keep the platform relatively open,” tweeted Mike Solana, head of the private equity firm Founders Fund. “Things will be worse without him, not better. Godspeed, bird king,” he added. Twitter’s incoming CEO Agrawal joined the company in 2011 and has served as chief technology officer since October 2017, where he was responsible for the network’s technical strategy. Dorsey cited Agrawal’s understanding of the company as key to his decision to step down. “There’s a lot of talk about the importance of a company being ‘founder led.’ Ultimately, I believe that’s severely limiting and a single point of failure,” Dorsey wrote to Twitter staff. Agrawal holds a PhD in computer science from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay. “We recently updated our strategy to hit ambitious goals, and I believe that strategy to be bold and right,” he wrote in his own message to staff. He is the latest India-born talent to be tapped to lead a major US tech firm, following the likes of Google-parent Alphabet’s CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. “USA benefits greatly from Indian talent!” tweeted Tesla boss Elon Musk on Monday. View the full article

Published by Radar Online KABUL, Afghanistan – Himmat gazes into the distance, his bright blue eyes burnished by a terrible sadness. “We are gay boys, but we cannot even share our problems with our families. My father or uncle will kill us. Or the Taliban will kill us,” says the young Afghan – who thinks he is about 21 or 22 and refers to his love Zubair as his wife. “We are humans; we have rights, we have a life to live. But how?” Homosexuality has long been deemed indecent and taboo in Afghan society. However, the past two decades offered a limited form of human rights protection – which was ripped away as the Taliban assailed to power on the sultry Sunday afternoon of August 15. Himmat with his partner Zubair. As a gay couple in Afghanistan they chose not to show their faces in fear of the Taliban and others who may harm them. For the most part, members of Afghanistan’s LGBT community have had to keep their sexual orientation deeply hidden given the country’s adherence to Shariah Law, previously as an “Islamic Republic” and now under the umbrella of “Islamic Emirate.” “Our villagers, all of them are in a Taliban world. If they find me, they will take me to the senior Taliban. Then, without any questions or chance, they will kill us,” Himmat – who hails from the staunchly conservative Wardak province and speaks in halting English – pauses, sobbing into his scarf. “They think we are not humans.” Beside him, Zubair slumps forward, as if bearing the weight of the world. In rural and isolated pockets, those suspected of being gay have for decades been targeted by vigilantes and even their own family members who punish “perpetrators” in the most haunting way possible. In urban areas, gay men have long been thrown behind bars. Last year’s U.S. State Department report emphasized that LGBT people “continued to face arrest by security forces” and suffered “discrimination, assault, and rape,” including by U.S-backed Afghan police. “In the previous government, whenever (people) would find out we are gay boys; they would directly bother us. They wanted sex work from us, and if we didn’t do it, they beat us and hurt us,” Himmat continues sadly. “Three years ago, my wife was cut with a knife.” Taliban guards line up for a picture at TV hill, Kabul. Zubair reveals a long and angry scar on his scalp above his ear, having been viciously attacked by a mob after leaving a dance party in Kabul. “Those uneducated boys grabbed him and told him, ‘if you don’t have sex with us, we will kill you,” Himmat recalls. Zubair escaped by fleeing into a neighboring home, where he locked the door and hid away until the threat outside dissipated. But those in the embattled group now fear for the worst. Under the Taliban’s first rule from 1996 to 2001, the regime criminalized all sexual relations outside the husband-and-wife matrimony, with homosexuality stringently outlawed. In addition, men and women were publicly stoned to death or crushed by a wall as punishment for their “violations” of adultery and fornication. In pockets that remained under Taliban control, even during the U.S. occupation, residents were sentenced to death by local courts for their “violation” of homosexuality. After the militant organization took the capital just over three months ago, the couple fled to Jalalabad, Nangahar and banished themselves in a basement – until what little funds they had dried up. All of their belongings – including Himmat’s computer and documents – were stolen when he dared venture out of the room in search of some scraps to eat. Sar e Chawk bazaar is always packed every day. Pul e Kheshti mosque is in the background. The Taliban leadership of 2021 is yet to issue any formal decrees regarding same-sex relationships. Yet for the likes of Himmat and Zubair – who were only toddlers when the U.S. first entered their country and usurped the Taliban from power – there is a sense that their fate is a ticking time bomb. Some NGOs have also pointed out that “kill lists” are floating among the Taliban, explicitly targeting the LGBT+ community. Over the years, gay men have reportedly been baited by various players – conning them to meet for sex work through social media, where they are sometimes raped and slaughtered. There are no laws on Afghanistan’s books protecting the minority group from persecution or harassment. The couple, who both say they realized they were gay at around age 14, met several years ago while working for an LGBT+ rights group called the Youth Health Development Organization (YHDO). They wed in a small room with just a few gay friends present in 2018. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck last Spring, the men lost their jobs and have been struggling to survive ever since. And now, with a crumbling economy and escalating humanitarian crisis, Himmat says there are no other options for them to survive outside the sex work trade. Bird St market is always an interesting place to find fighting birds or exotic parrots. “For some bread and food, we are sex working. It is not much; maybe we make $20 or $40 per week,” Himmat explains, folding his arms around his body, as if to shield himself for something he cannot bring himself to detail. He says most of their clients are officials from the former Afghan government, who mistreat and exploit the workers at every opportunity. A day earlier, Zubair was threatened that if he did not immediately respond to the call to “come over,” the ex-official would report him to the Taliban. “This man is friendly with the Taliban,” Himmat cautions. “He knows them.” For decades, young boys and men – irrespective of their sexuality – have been targeted by militia members themselves, kidnapped and used as prostitutes for entertainment purposes in a practice known as “bacha bazi.” Bird St market. That is yet another anxiety plaguing the minds of Himmat and Zubair as they search painstakingly for a way out of the country – losing more hope by the day. The men say they tried to leave amid the chaotic U.S. evacuation process months ago, only to be turned away at the gates. “We went to the airport, I gave the (military) my documents, and I told them, please help us, the Taliban will directly kill us,” Himmat laments. “I talked to the Americans and the British. They just asked me if I had a green card or a visa, but I did not, so I was not eligible to enter the airport.” He stops mid-sentence, choking back tears with a pinched face and restless hands. “I cried to them,” Himmat finally stammers. Moreover, the community has been targeted under the guise of fake evacuation schemes informing them to meet at a Kabul park to be escorted to safety. Only those messages have since been exposed as part of more extensive criminal activity to exploit and potentially harm the desperate and beleagured. It is painful to watch the melancholy, the fear, the agony. Indeed, the LGBT community has been fractured in every direction since Afghanistan’s fall. Foreign funding and human rights observers have almost all disappeared. What is perhaps worse, the tight-knit group have lost support from one another. “We have tried to search for them, so we have someone to share our problems, but we can’t find them. Everyone has escaped or gone into hiding,” Himmat says. “We do not know about them. We do not know if they are okay.” Flower St in Share Nau was an area where the gay community usually lived around. Before the Taliban’s rise to power, the LGBT community in Kabul stood at around 25 gay men and a handful of women. That number is now unknown. With a name that translates “brave,” Himmat believes he has done all he can to weather the storm in the land he once called home. His life has amounted to living in a small and squalid room lost in prayer and wrapped in the persistent anxiety of being “found out.” “If any person, if any government, can give us a chance, we will never go back to Afghanistan,” Himmat adds, his voice rising to a haunting plea. “If you can help us, you will be our best friend for life. We just want an education. We want to be safe. We want to live again.” View the full article

Published by DPA A new study shows that those who were previously infected with the coronavirus can't assume that their level of protection is better than the immunity delivered by a booster jab. Frank Rumpenhorst/dpa Public health officials in the US and elsewhere have been struggling to persuade eligible citizens to get their Covid-19 booster shots. New research could help them make the case that the extra dose will provide substantially more protection — even if they’ve also recovered from a coronavirus infection. A small study that’s among the first to track people’s protective antibodies over time found that those who were immunized against Covid-19 with two doses of an mRNA vaccine and received a booster shot about eight months later saw their levels of neutralizing antibodies skyrocket. Among this group of 33 fully vaccinated and boosted people, the median level of these antibodies was 23 times higher one week after the booster shot than it had been just before the tune-up dose. What’s more, their median post-booster antibody level was three times higher than was typical for another group of people whose antibodies were measured a few weeks after getting their second dose of vaccine, when they’re close to their peak. And it was 53 times higher than that of a group of 76 unvaccinated people who had recovered from Covid-19 just two to six weeks earlier. Even compared to a group of 73 people who had weathered a bout with Covid-19 and went on to get two doses of an mRNA vaccine, the boosted group’s median antibody level was 68 per cent higher. Study leader Alexis Demonbreun, a cell biologist at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said the data demonstrate that no matter how well protected a vaccinated person may think she is, getting a booster shot is likely to increase her neutralizing antibodies — and with it, her immunity — considerably. And because scientists expect large antibody responses to create more durable immunity, the protection afforded by the booster should last longer than the initial two-shot regimen did. “If I was going to Vegas, I’d bet on the booster rather than getting the virus to protect me,” Demonbreun said. The study was posted on MedRxiv, a website where researchers share preliminary findings. The authors measured antibodies that lock onto a key component of the coronavirus spike protein called the receptor-binding domain, which the virus relies on to latch onto a host cell and force its way inside. In tests, they confirmed these antibodies were capable of keeping the virus out of the specific cells it attempts to invade. While only 33 people were tested before and after getting a booster, their post-boost antibodies were compared to those of 941 people whose levels had been tested already. Everyone who was vaccinated had received one of the mRNA options, made either by Pfizer and BioNTech or Moderna. The resulting group of nearly 1,000 subjects allowed the study’s authors to measure and compare immunity in people who had earned their protection in a variety of ways. (Among their other findings: After receiving two doses of vaccine, people who’d already had an asymptomatic infection were typically no better protected than vaccinated people who had never been infected.) For the vaccine “passports” used across Europe and in Britain, people who’ve had a confirmed coronavirus infection are considered immune on a par with fully vaccinated people. Medical and public health leaders there also widely credit a second infection as a booster. Those views have not prevailed in the US Health officials here have said repeatedly that neither two doses of vaccine nor a past infection is likely to provide powerful long-term protection. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has said a booster dose will probably be necessary to protect most. While boosters have been extensively studied in older and immunocompromised people, the new work measured neutralizing antibodies in healthy adults from the Chicago metropolitan area, half of whom were 43 or younger. Participants were asked to prick their fingers and send in samples of their dried blood for analysis. Dr. Greg Poland, a vaccine expert at the Mayo Clinic, said the new study provides “another dot” on the emerging picture of coronavirus immunity. Research on the crucial question of how best to protect humans has been hampered by the fact that no single measure fully captures the immune system’s multi-layered response, he said. Antibodies are wildly diverse, and not all are capable of “neutralizing” an invading virus. Over time, they decay and disappear, leaving a more complex network of B cells and T cells to recognize and respond to a viral invasion. Yet scientists focus on antibodies because they’re the most visible and readily measured marker of immunity, though they may not be the best predictor of protection, Poland said. The result is that research to date has yielded conflicting signals on the comparative value of vaccines versus infections. An Israeli study posted to MedRxiv in August suggested powerful protection from a past bout with the coronavirus. It found that people with so-called natural immunity were 13 times less likely to experience a new infection than were people who hadn’t been infected and had two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. In October, a study published in Nature showed that while two doses of vaccine generated impressive antibody levels, people who’d been infected before they were vaccinated developed a more broad-based immunity that was better able to thwart infections involving new variants, such as Delta. Alice Cho, a Rockefeller University scientist who led that research, said the new study doesn’t shed light on whether a booster shot can prompt the immune system’s B cells to recognize a wider range of coronavirus variants. But she said the body’s reaction to boosters was certainly encouraging. “They are clearly very good at providing robust plasma antibody responses in people regardless of infection history,” Cho said. View the full article

Published by Radar Online Prince Charles‘ spokesperson is denying the claim accusing the Prince of being the royal family member who raised questions regarding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s future child’s skin complexion. The alleged incident supposedly occurred the same day Meghan and Harry announced their engagement news to the world. In a new book titled Brothers and Wives: Inside The Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan, written by Christopher Andersen revealed on the morning of Nov. 27, 2017, Charles reportedly asked his wife, Camilla, “I wonder what the children will look like?” According to reports, Camilla was “somewhat taken aback” by his question and responded, “Well, absolutely gorgeous, I’m certain.” Charles then “lowered his voice” before allegedly adding, “I mean, what do you think their children’s complexion might be?” Mega Following the bombshell allegation, the Prince’s representative from Clarence House denied the rumors, telling Page Six, “This is fiction and not worth further comment.” Earlier this year, Meghan and Harry sat down with famous talk show host Oprah Winfrey to discuss their lives as a newlywed couple in the public eye and their exit from the royal institution. During the interview, the couple shared some shocking incidents that explain the reason for their departure from royal duties. One of the allegations including there were “concerns and conversations about how dark [Meghan and Harry’s son, Archie’s] skin might be when he was born” since Meghan is from a biracial background. Although, the pair did not disclose the name of the royal member who uttered the statement claiming, “That would be very damaging to them.” Mega Due to be released Tuesday, the new book also details the alleged incidents after Charles made the remarks. The author reported the statement had been taken out of context by the palace advisors, also known as the “Men in Gray.” “The question posed by Charles was being echoed in a less innocent way throughout the halls of Buckingham Palace,” Andersen penned in the book before noting that the gossip between the high-level elitist clique surrounding the fact on how the royals would “look to the rest of the world” after the African-American heritage blended with their blood. After learning about the alleged incident, Harry reportedly took his frustration to his dad. However, the book claimed Charles told Harry that he was being “overly sensitive” regarding his alleged comment. His brother Prince William reportedly found the alleged remarks “tactless” but “not a sign of racism.” After the sensational Winfrey interview came out, William indeed told reporters defending his family, saying, “We are very much not a racist family.” Mega View the full article

Published by Reuters By Peter Szekely (Reuters) – On a frigid Chicago night in January 2019, actor Jussie Smollett, a star on the TV drama “Empire,” reported that he was the victim of a hate-motivated street attack, but police later accused him of staging the whole affair as a publicity stunt. A jury was being selected on Monday in Cook County Circuit Court for Smollett’s trial on six felony charges of disorderly conduct accusing him of making false reports to the police. The legal saga has dragged on in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Smollett, 39, has denied that he faked the attack, pleading not guilty https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-jussie-smollett-idINKCN20I19I in February 2020. The openly gay Black actor told police he had been accosted on a darkened street by two masked strangers. According to Smollett’s account, his assailants threw a noose around his neck and poured chemicals on him while yelling racist and homophobic slurs and expressions of support for then-President Donald Trump. A month later, police arrested him, accusing Smollett of paying two brothers $3,500 to stage the attack in a hoax aimed at gaining public sympathy and raising his show-business profile. Smollett’s acting career has faded since the incident. He lost his role as a singer-songwriter in the final season of “Empire,” a Fox television hip-hop drama that ended a five-year run in 2020. His case took an unexpected turn in the spring of 2019 when the Cook County state’s attorney’s office dropped the 16-count indictment against him in exchange for forfeiting his $10,000 bond without admitting wrongdoing. The dismissal drew criticism from then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the city’s police superintendent, who called the reversal a miscarriage of justice, leading a Cook County judge to appoint Dan Webb, a former U.S. attorney, to review the case. After a five-month investigation, Webb overruled the state’s attorney’s office and concluded that prosecution of Smollett was warranted, questioning the judgment of prosecutors in dropping the original case. The current case against Smollett has been slowed by legal challenges and the pandemic. Key trial testimony is expected from the brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who prosecutors have said were paid by Smollett to participate in a phony attack. Smollett is not required to testify in his own defense. (Reporting by Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jesse Tyler Ferguson has laughed off the hate he received on social media after his cameo in ‘Selling Sunset’. The former ‘Modern Family’ star made an appearance at realtor Christine Quinn’s baby shower on an episode in the fourth season of the reality show – and not everyone was impressed. One Twitter user wrote: “Jesse Tyler Ferguson made an appearance at Christine’s baby shower. He’s either doing poorly post-Modern Family or he was just hella bored post-pandemic and craved ANY social interaction. Face with tears of joy #SellingSunset (sic)” And the actor reshared the comment and laughed: “I just did a quick search of my name on Twitter & I’m LOLing at the unanimous confusion about this. I’m doing great & staying busy post MF but thank you for checking in on me! (sic)” Jesse insisting he’s “doing great” comes after he had a skin cancer scare earlier this year. The star posted a photo of himself with a surgical dressing on his neck after a visit to the dermatologist where they found he had a small patch of cancerous skin. He urged his millions of followers to “stay up to date” with check-ups, especially if “you’re fair like me”. He wrote: “Reminder to stay up to date on your dermatology checks … especially if you’re fair like me. I always wind up getting something taken from me, every time I go. “Today, they took a bit of skin cancer that they found. Don’t worry, I got it early and I’m gonna be just fine. (and, wear sunscreen! SPF 1000 for me!)” His husband Justin Mitika echoed the actor’s sentiment and insisted Jessie, 46, will be having monthly dermatologist appointments from here on in. Justin said: “Gotta keep you around forever. Derm appointments once a month!” View the full article

Published by AFP Abloh was the first black American creative director of a top French fashion house Paris (AFP) – Top US fashion designer Virgil Abloh, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection, died Sunday aged 41 after battling cancer for several years, the fashion and luxury house’s French owners LVMH announced. Abloh, the first black American creative director of a top French fashion house, brought streetwear such as hoodies and sneakers to the catwalk. He transcended the fashion world and his untimely death at the peak of his career sent shockwaves across the globe, with tributes pouring in from rival design houses but also actors and sportspeople for a man seen as a deeply humane visionary. “We are all shocked by this terrible news. Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, but also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom,” LVMH chief executive Bernard Arnault said in a statement. “The LVMH family joins me in this moment of great sorrow and we are all thinking of his loved ones after the passing of their husband, their father, their brother or their friend,” he added in the statement posted on LVMH’s Twitter account. The group said he had been “battling privately” against cancer for several years. Abloh was chosen to be artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection in 2018. His parents had immigrated to the United States from Ghana. LVMH also announced earlier this year it was taking a majority stake in the luxury streetwear label Off-White created by Abloh. LVMH took 60-percent stake in Off-White and Abloh retained 40 percent. Abloh has addressed both environmental and social issues in his work with Louis Vuitton, with anti-racist and anti-homophobia messages at his January show in Paris. He said earlier this year he planned to use his partnership with LVMH “to expand opportunities for diverse individuals and foster greater equity and inclusion in the industries we serve”. Kim Jones, the artistic director of menswear at French fashion house Dior said: “So sad to hear about the passing of dear Virgil, one of the kindest people you could ever meet.” Rival Italian luxury fashion house Gucci hailed Abloh as an “immense inspiration to us all both as a designer and as a person. “He will be deeply missed though his vision will live on through the trails that he blazed throughout his career,” Gucci added on its Twitter account. ‘No one will forget impact’ The king of luxury streetwear, Abloh had established himself within a few years as one of the most sought-after designers in the world. His trademark was a style reflecting street culture, with sneakers and sweatshirts, but also an easily recognisable logo, made of oblique black and white bands. He enjoyed successful collaborations with the likes of Nike, Jimmy Choo and Moncler. Abloh created his first label, Pyrex Vision, in 2012. A year later, Off-White was born, a luxury streetwear brand, which won a following through its eye-catching branding before evolving towards more “couture” creations. Abloh was one of a handful of fashion designers who had a close following well beyond the industry and was a celebrity name in his own right. Long-time friend and collaborator Kanye West dedicated his weekly gathering “Sunday Service” to Abloh, with a livestreamed choir rendition of Adele’s new hit “Easy On Me”. Canadian rapper Drake thanked Abloh “for everything” in an Instagram post. “Love you eternally brother,” he wrote. US singer Pharrell Williams also took to Instagram with a tribute, writing: “Virgil you were a kind, generous, thoughtful creative genius your work as a human and your work as a spiritual being will live forever. “Sending love and light to your wife, children, family… you’re with the Master now, shine.” On Twitter, French football star Kylian Mbappe posted: “RIP VIRGIL ABLOH. No one will forget the impact you had. God bless you my friend.” British actor Idris Elba also tweeted, saying, “Too soon Virgil. You will be missed from this world man.” Fellow British actor Riz Ahmed added that Abloh had “stretched culture” and “changed the game”, helping to “reimagine what’s possible”. French actor Omar Sy, famed for his role in the Netflix series Lupin, wrote simply on Twitter: “Rest in Power Virgil.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Lady Gaga has heaped praise on Tony Bennett’s “remarkable wife” Susan for “the love” she has for her husband. The ‘House of Gucci’ star made the comment after her and Tony’s CBS concert special ‘One Last Time’ aired in the US, and the 35-year-old Oscar-winner admitted she will “cry about tonight forever”. Alongside a picture from the show, Gaga wrote on Instagram: “The real ‘Lady’ of the hour is Susan Benedetto, Tony’s remarkable wife. Thank you Susan for how you love @itstonybennett I love you and Tony and the whole family so much. I’ll cry about tonight forever.” Tony and Gaga recently released their second joint LP, ‘Love For Sale’ – the follow-up to 2014’s ‘Cheek to Cheek’ – which marked his last ever album. Susan is caring for the 95-year-old Jazz legend, who is battling Alzheimer’s disease but has no idea he has the progressive neurological condition, which causes memory loss. Meanwhile, Gaga recently shared her delight at Tony understanding her every word when she told him the news they are up for six Grammys. The ‘Stupid Love’ hitmaker, 35, and the music legend have been showered with nods for their acclaimed duets album, including the prestigious Album of the Year prize. And the ‘A Star Is Born’ star was left “utterly speechless” after finding out they are up for several accolades next year. The duo are also in contention for Record of the Year for ‘I Get a Kick Out of You’, and best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Music Video, and Engineered Album Non-Classical. Tony became the oldest artist in history to be nominated in the general categories. Their first LP took home Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album seven years ago. In a lengthy statement on Instagram, Gaga gushed: “Thank you so much to the @RecordingAcademy for these 6 nominations for Love For Sale. I am stunned and shocked and beyond grateful. I don’t know what to say. I just keep crying and am utterly speechless. “This means so much to me, @itstonybennett, the Bennetts, my family, jazz music, and the great Cole Porter who wrote all these timeless classics. I’ll never forget today and congratulating Tony on his 6 nominations.” On Tony’s reaction, she continued: “I’ll never forget that today he could track every word I was saying and understood the world was celebrating him and celebrating jazz – a genre that embodies the joy, abundance and imagination of Black music throughout history. “Thank you to all the Grammy voters for recognizing me and Tony’s dedication to jazz music and for also recognizing it in major categories where this music is often not nominated. (sic)” The ‘Born This Way’ singer admitted there is no better feeling than the “love and partnership” they share – despite their 60-year age gap. Gaga concluded: “This album happened because it was Tony’s idea and I made him a promise that we would make it and we did. “At 95 years old, he has more nominations than ever, I’m so honored to be his companion in music and his friend. “Thank you to the public for loving us, we surely love each other, and you. “Believe in love and partnership, even with 60 years between us, and Alzheimer’s, there is nothing like the magic of music. I love you Tony, and the world loves you too. How could they not?” View the full article

Published by Reuters (Reuters) – Former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Sunday filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense for withholding parts of a memoir about the time he spent in the administration of Donald Trump. The book, “A Sacred Oath”, sheds light on events that occurred during the second half of Trump’s presidency, Esper said. The Department “arbitrarily” redacted the manuscript after he submitted it to DoD officials for review, he said in a statement. “Significant text is being improperly withheld from publication …under the guise of classification. The withheld text is crucial to telling important stories discussed in the manuscript,” Esper’s lawsuit, filed in a federal court, said. Esper served as Trump’s defense secretary from June 2019 to November 2020, when he was fired over a range of differences on policy issues. They included Esper’s public opposition to Trump’s threats to use active duty military forces to suppress street protests over racial injustice after police killed George Floyd in Minneapolis. The DoD did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment sent during overnight hours. (Reporting by Vishal Vivek and Ann Maria Shibu in Bengaluru; editing by John Stonestreet) View the full article