RadioRob

Published by AFP Amazon offered to buy the storied MGM studios for $8.45 billion in May 2021 San Francisco (AFP) – A consortium of US unions called Monday for Amazon’s buyout of the legendary Hollywood studio MGM to be blocked, citing concerns about the tech giant’s growing power over the subscription video streaming sector. “Amazon’s influence on the health and diversity of the film-making industry is likely to be negative if the company is permitted to grow larger,” said the Strategic Organizing Center, a federation of four major labor unions that represents some four million workers. The group called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to block the takeover, which was announced in May. Amazon has offered $8.45 billion dollars for more than 4,000 films, including the James Bond series, “The Silence of the Lambs,” “Robocop,” “Basic Instinct,” “Raging Bull” and “Thelma & Louise,” as well as an extensive catalog of TV series including “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Fargo” and “Vikings.” “Amazon’s current control over massive amounts of streaming content means the merger is likely to give Amazon greater incentive and power to exclude and discriminate against its competitors,” the group said in its statement. It argued that the buyout will give Amazon control of some 56,000 titles, far ahead of Netflix, which would have just under 20,000. The unions further argued that Amazon’s market power is not just “horizontal” but also “vertical,” with the sale of electronic devices for video streaming (the company’s “Fire” line) and cloud services for storing the content of its competitors, starting with Netflix, the most popular of the platforms. Questioned by AFP, Amazon highlighted the variety of choices currently available to consumers, citing in particular Netflix, Disney +, Apple TV +, HBO Max and Peacock. The company also noted that neither MGM nor Amazon were involved in the production or distribution of any of the 20 most successful films around the world in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The FTC and many US states have launched investigations and lawsuits against Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, which they accuse of abusing their dominant position in their own markets, from social networks to digital advertising and online commerce. Amazon has come to broadly lead the cloud services sector, but it is its towering dominance of e-commerce that raises the hackles of its critics. “The company has a long history of leveraging its dominance to gain a foothold in new markets by using practices we believe are unfair and anticompetitive,” the unions said. “This merger would allow Amazon to use the same playbook against the streaming video industry, inevitably impacting producers and consumers of video content and squeezing diversity as it gains market share,” the unions said. View the full article

Published by AFP Los Angeles (AFP) – “The Beatles: Get Back,” the eagerly awaited new Disney+ documentary from Peter Jackson, aims to dispel persistent myths about the Fab Four’s breakup, offering a more positive take on their final months as a band. The three-part series finds John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in January 1969, preparing for their first concert in more than two years. Using hours of unseen archive footage, it charts how the Beatles had set out to write and record 14 new songs for the occasion, giving themselves a deadline of just three weeks. The time period is familiar territory for viewers of “Let It Be,” the 1970 documentary from British director Michael Lindsay-Hogg that famously emphasized tensions and acrimony within the band, which split that same year. But Jackson — best known for his “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and an avowed Beatles obsessive — does not dwell on arguments and creative disagreements among the Liverpool quartet. “Get Back” attempts to reshape the popular image of their later years as a time of resentment and fracture, instead showing the bandmates joking around and spontaneously creating classics that are still played regularly today. “The best bit of us always has been, and always will be, when we’re backs against the wall,” says a young McCartney in the film, which hits Disney+ from Thursday. Jackson’s series contains the Beatles’ final public appearance together, a 40-minute concert on the roof of their company building on London’s Savile Row — shown here for the first time ever in its entirety. That company — Apple Corps — granted Jackson some 60 hours of archival video that had remained under lock and key for decades. “I think there’s always been this misconception that my father was the cause of the Beatles breaking up, and he wasn’t,” McCartney’s daughter Stella told AFP at a Los Angeles event for the series. “You can see it very clearly through this amazing insight of unseen footage.” Her father remained “heartbroken” over the Beatles’ breakup for “most of my life,” as is clear from the series, she added. “You just see him desperately wanting to keep this alive and wanting to make this work and his brotherhood to stay intact.” – ‘The coolest’ – Stella McCartney, a renowned fashion designer, has created a limited collection inspired by the band’s aesthetic during the documentary’s period. She told AFP she watched the documentary not just as the daughter of a Beatle, but as a fan. “You watch it and you’re like, ‘This is the best band in the world, this is the greatest music, they are the coolest people,'” she said. “There are very few moments in the history of the Earth that you can compare,” Stella McCartney added. Part of the band’s influence stems from their fashion, the designer said. “When I look at the Beatles, I’m always really surprised by the amount of fashion that they crammed into a very short period of time and hugely iconic fashion moments. “If you look at Sergeant Pepper, you know exactly what they were wearing.” But while a proponent of her father’s music, Stella McCartney admitted that she cannot work on her clothing while listening to the Beatles or other bands. “I just prefer silence when I work. It is weird, I’m very aware of that. And I think it’s very much from being surrounded by music my entire life,” she said. “My ear is so trained… And I can’t focus.” View the full article

Published by AFP Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse on October 20, 2021 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Cruz pleaded guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shooting in… Miami (AFP) – The US Justice Department is expected to pay $130 million to the families of victims of the 2018 Parkland shooting in Florida because the FBI failed to investigate two tip-offs about the gunman who went on kill 17 people at the high school, the New York Times said Monday. Armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, 19-year-old former student Nikolas Cruz went on a shooting rampage in the Marjorie Douglas Stoneman school on Valentine’s Day 2018. Six weeks before that, a woman had phoned the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s tip line after seeing his social media post about stockpiling weapons and ammunitions. “I know he’s going to explode,” she said, citing fears the young man was “going to slip into a school and start shooting the place up.” And five months before the shooting, the owner of a YouTube channel had reported a comment left under one of his videos in which a user by the name of “nikolas cruz” had claimed that he would become “a professional school shooter”. Just days after the shooting, the FBI admitted it had not followed up on the two pieces of information they had received. The FBI’s admission of its error devastated the victims’ families, who sued the bureau for negligence, the newspaper said. Cruz, now 23, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder last month and said he was “very sorry.” He is awaiting sentencing and prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Chris Kirkham and Jeffrey Dastin (Reuters) – Five members of Congress called for federal consumer-privacy legislation after a Reuters report published Friday revealed how Amazon.com Inc has led an under-the-radar campaign to gut privacy protections in 25 states while amassing a valuable trove of personal data on American consumers. “Amazon shamefully launched a campaign to squash privacy legislation while its devices listen to and watch our lives,” U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat who has been involved in bipartisan negotiations on privacy legislation, wrote Friday on Twitter. “This is now the classic Big Tech move: deploy money and armies of lobbyists to fight meaningful reforms in the shadows but claim to support them publicly.” The revelations underscored the need for bipartisan action on stronger privacy protections, he wrote. No major federal privacy legislation has passed Congress in years because members have been deadlocked on the issue. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who has introduced several privacy bills in recent years, said in a statement that the Reuters story showed how companies including Amazon are “spending millions to weaken state laws,” and hoping Congress will also water down federal legislation “until it’s worthless.” “Congress needs to prove Amazon wrong, and pass legislation that finally stops massive corporations from abusing and exploiting our personal data,” Wyden said. Asked for comment, Amazon did not directly address the lawmaker criticisms of its lobbying campaign against privacy protections. The company reiterated its statement for the previous Reuters report, saying it prefers federal privacy legislation to a “patchwork” of state regulations. The company said it wants one federal privacy law that “requires transparency about data practices, prohibits the sale of personal data without consent, and ensures that consumers have the right to request access to and deletion of their personal information.” U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat who chairs a key House consumer protection subcommittee that deals with privacy issues, said the Reuters revelations show how Amazon is working to block consumer privacy legislation while “claiming to support” such regulations. “What they mean is that they support privacy legislation that protects their profits and their right to mine consumers’ data, including voice recordings and facial scans,” she said in a statement. “Congress is not convinced nor are we intimidated.” Two other lawmakers who represent areas with a significant Amazon presence – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, and U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene, a Washington state Democrat – also said Reuters’ findings showed the need for federal action to protect consumers. “Congress will protect consumers’ privacy to stop big tech companies from stealing Americans’ personal information, whether these companies like it or not,” Blackburn said in a statement. (Reporting by Chris Kirkham and Jeffrey Dastin) View the full article

Published by AFP US actor Kevin Spacey faces a $31 million bill after losing his arbitration case with the production company behind 'House and Cards' Los Angeles (AFP) – Disgraced US movie star Kevin Spacey will have to pay almost $31 million to the production company that made the series “House of Cards” in which he starred until he was fired over allegations of sexual harassment, according to legal documents made public Monday. MRC, the production company that made the popular tale of political intrigue that was broadcast on Netflix, had sought damages for lost revenue attributed to Spacey’s abrupt exit after allegations of harassment and sexual abuse emerged. An arbitration judge made the ruling on October 19 when MRC filed a petition to confirm the verdict in a Los Angeles court. In the document, MRC detailed that after the allegations came to light it suspended Spacey and launched an investigation which found that the “American Beauty” star had “breached provisions of both the Acting and Executive Producing Agreements that set standards for his workplace conduct, including by breaching MRC’s Harassment Policy.” The wave of accusations that halted the 62-year-old’s illustrious career coincided with the rise of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and abuse, sparked by the case of the all-powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Two-time Oscar winner Spacey had starred as unscrupulous US politician Frank Underwood in five seasons of “House of Cards” until the allegations of sexual harassment against co-workers were made public in the media. “MRC had no knowledge whatsoever of any such conduct by Spacey with any cast or crew associated with the Show,” the company said in its petition. The production company said the actor’s abrupt exit from the popular series required a reorganization that resulted in “substantial losses” for MRC. It had to rewrite the script excluding Underwood, the main character of the series, and redesign the sixth season that went from 13 to eight episodes. The production company launched its legal battle against Spacey in 2019. The actor’s legal representatives did not respond to an AFP request for comment. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Patricia Zengerle and Jan Wolfe WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. House of Representatives committee probing the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol said on Monday it issued subpoenas to Alex Jones, founder of the right-wing website Infowars, and Roger Stone, an ally of former President Donald Trump. The committee also issued subpoenas seeking documents and testimony from Dustin Stockton, a political activist linked to longtime Trump adviser Steve Bannon, and Stockton’s fiancee, Jennifer Lawrence. Stockton and Lawrence were members of the group We Build the Wall, which was raided by federal agents in August 2020 as part of a fraud investigation. It also issued a subpoena to Taylor Budowich, a spokesman for Trump. The panel has now issued more than three dozen subpoenas and received testimony from more than 200 witnesses. Stone said in a statement he had not yet seen the subpoena, adding: “I had no advance knowledge of the events that took place at the Capitol on that day.” The four others who were issued the latest subpoenas did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bannon, who defied a subpoena from the House Select Committee, was indicted earlier this month on two counts of contempt of Congress. A mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 in a failed attempt to prevent formal congressional certification of his election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. The committee is scrutinizing Trump’s actions relating to those events. Bannon is the first to face criminal charges arising from the panel’s inquiry. Nearly 700 people have been charged with taking part in the riot at the Capitol. It was the worst attack on the seat of the U.S. government since the War of 1812. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Jan Wolfe; Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball; Editing by Scott Malone and Peter Cooney) View the full article

Cardi invites Jojo to Xmas, and the highlights [This post contains video, click to play] Performances and awards [This post contains video, click to play] AMA Event: First Ever New Kids, New Edition First Time Performing Together [This post contains video, click to play] Published by OK Magazine ABC There was never a dull moment during the 49th Annual American Music Awards. Cardi B made her hosting debut at the 2021 AMAs which took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angles, Calif., on Sunday, November 21. Taylor Swift, JoJo Siwa and BTS all had big nights at the show. Doja Cat won three awards while Megan Thee Stallion took home two. CARDI B, OLIVIA RODRIGO & MORE STARS SHOW OFF THEIR GLAMOROUS SIDES ON THE 2021 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS RED CARPET: PHOTOS Scroll down to check out the highlights from the 2021 AMAs. BTS & JoJo Siwa Selfie ABC BTS had a massive night. The group performed twice and took home three awards, including Artist of the Year. One of the highlights was JoJo Siwa taking a selfie with the group on stage. Cardi B Asks JoJo Siwa To Meet Her Daughter For Christmas ABC While hosting the AMAs, Cardi B noted how difficult it was to book the Dance Moms alum for her daughter Kulture‘s birthday. “So JoJo Siwa could you please come see my daughter at Christmas? I know you cost a lot of money — let me tell you something, y’all — rappers don’t got nothing on JoJo Siwa,” she joked. “Cardi, I’m gonna see what I can do and I’m gonna try and make Christmas happen. I promise, putting it in my phone now. I take Bitcoin,” the teen replied and said she “can’t wait to meet Kulture.” Cardi B Recalls Past Heart Break ABC The AMA host told the audience she had her “heart broken for the first time by a bum” when she was 15 before introducing Olivia Rodrigo. “I love her so much,” the rapper said of the “drivers license” singer. Olivia Rodrigo Performs ‘Traitor’ ABC Olivia Rodrigo made her AMAs debut. The teen performed an acoustic version of “Traitor” from her debut alum Sour while surrounded by flowers. Taylor Swift Breaks Her Own Record MEGA Taylor Swift has been unstoppable after releasingRed (Taylor’s Version) earlier this month. The 31-year-old won Favorite Female Pop Artist for the seventh time and took home Best Pop Album for “evermore.” The “Lover” singer broke her own record for the most AMA wins of all time and now has 34 AMA trophies. J.Lo’s Quick Costume Change ABC Jennifer Lopez performed her new single “On My Way” from her upcoming movie Marry Me. The 52-year-old began the performance wearing a black blazer over a long black skirt before she vanished and reappeared in an ivory Dolce & Gabbana gown. Extra Bit: In case you were wondering who the New Edition vs. New Kids collaboration was for, much can be intuited by the company advertising adjacent to the media coverage. 2021 AMAs on Towleroad Democracy Slipping Away in More Nations Than Ever. Populism, Silencing Dissent With COVID, Disinformation To Blame, Says 34 Nation Intl. Institute More JK Rowling Calls Police After Being Doxxed, Trans-Activists Showed Up Outside Scotland Home More U.S. judge lets Ghislaine Maxwell call ‘false memories’ expert to testify at trial More Gay Fans’ Most Inspiring Dolly Parton Songs. ‘Coat of Many Colors’ Turns 50, Still Warm, Fits Well In Catalog Loved By Many LGBTQ People. LISTEN More Texas governor hopeful Beto O’Rourke criticizes Biden on immigration More Lawyer Disgusted As Kyle Rittenhouse Is Offered Jobs On Capitol Hill Following ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict In Kenosha Shooting As Protests Continue More Khashoggi’s fiancee urges Justin Bieber to cancel Saudi performance More BTS, Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat win big at 2021 AMAs More Painting by erasing: German artist makes a name with reverse graffiti More Activists urge Biden to push for intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines More Brooke Shields won’t be ‘victimised’ for playing child prostitute on big screen More Load More Democracy Slipping Away in More Nations Than Ever. Populism, Silencing Dissent With COVID, Disinformation To Blame, Says 34 Nation Intl. Institute More JK Rowling Calls Police After Being Doxxed, Trans-Activists Showed Up Outside Scotland Home More U.S. judge lets Ghislaine Maxwell call ‘false memories’ expert to testify at trial More Gay Fans’ Most Inspiring Dolly Parton Songs. ‘Coat of Many Colors’ Turns 50, Still Warm, Fits Well In Catalog Loved By Many LGBTQ People. LISTEN More Texas governor hopeful Beto O’Rourke criticizes Biden on immigration More Lawyer Disgusted As Kyle Rittenhouse Is Offered Jobs On Capitol Hill Following ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict In Kenosha Shooting As Protests Continue More Khashoggi’s fiancee urges Justin Bieber to cancel Saudi performance More BTS, Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat win big at 2021 AMAs More Painting by erasing: German artist makes a name with reverse graffiti More Activists urge Biden to push for intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines More Brooke Shields won’t be ‘victimised’ for playing child prostitute on big screen More Load More View the full article

Published by Reuters BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A greater number of countries are sliding towards authoritarianism, while the number of established democracies under threat has never been so high, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) said on Monday. Populist politics, the use of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions to silence critics, a tendency of countries to mimic the anti-democratic behaviour of others, and disinformation used to divide societies are mainly to blame, the Stockholm-based intergovernmental organisation said in a report. “More countries than ever are suffering from ‘democratic erosion’,” IDEA said in its 2021 study on the state of democracy, relying on data compiled since 1975. “The number of countries undergoing ‘democratic backsliding’ has never been as high,” it said, referring to the regressive turn in areas including checks on government and judicial independence, as well as media freedom and human rights. Afghanistan, which was taken over by Taliban militants in August after international troops withdrew, is the most dramatic case this year, while Myanmar’s Feb. 1 coup marked the collapse of a fragile democracy. Other examples include Mali, which has suffered two coups since 2020, and Tunisia, where the president has dissolved parliament and assumed emergency powers. Large democracies such as Brazil and the United States have seen presidents question the validity of election results, while India has witnessed the prosecution of groups of people critical of government policies. Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and Serbia are the European countries with the greatest declines in democracy. Turkey has seen one of the largest declines between 2010 and 2020. “In fact, 70 per cent of the global population now live either in non-democratic regimes or in democratically backsliding countries,” the report said. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in authoritarian behaviour by governments. The study said that there was no evidence that authoritarian regimes were better at fighting the pandemic, despite Chinese state media reports to the contrary. “The pandemic provides additional tools and justification for repressive tactics and silencing of dissent in countries as diverse as Belarus, Cuba, Myanmar, Nicaragua and Venezuela,” the report said. (Reporting by Robin Emmott; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Democracy Disinformation on Towleroad JK Rowling Calls Police After Being Doxxed, Trans-Activists Showed Up Outside Scotland Home More U.S. judge lets Ghislaine Maxwell call ‘false memories’ expert to testify at trial More Gay Fans’ Most Inspiring Dolly Parton Songs. ‘Coat of Many Colors’ Turns 50, Still Warm, Fits Well In Catalog Loved By Many LGBTQ People. LISTEN More Texas governor hopeful Beto O’Rourke criticizes Biden on immigration More Lawyer Disgusted As Kyle Rittenhouse Is Offered Jobs On Capitol Hill Following ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict In Kenosha Shooting As Protests Continue More Khashoggi’s fiancee urges Justin Bieber to cancel Saudi performance More BTS, Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat win big at 2021 AMAs More Painting by erasing: German artist makes a name with reverse graffiti More Activists urge Biden to push for intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines More Brooke Shields won’t be ‘victimised’ for playing child prostitute on big screen More Belarus says it does not want confrontation, wants EU to take migrants More Load More View the full article

Published by Radar Online Harry Potter author JK Rowling called the Scotland police after she was doxxed online by individuals supporting trans rights. On Twitter, Rowling said last Friday her “family’s address was posted on Twitter by three activist actors who took photos of themselves in front of my house, carefully positioning themselves to ensure that our address was visible.” A photo had been making the rounds of three members of the LGBTQ+ community outside Rowling’s home holding signs that read, “Trans rights are human rights” and “Don’t be a cissy.” Mega The author thanked the police in Scotland for their assistance in the matter. “I implore those people who retweeted the image with the address still visible, even if they did so in condemnation of these’s people’s actions, to delete it.” She claims other women who share her opinions on the Transgender community “have been subject to campaigns of intimidation which range from being hounded on social media, the targeting of their employers, all the way up to doxing and direct threats of violence, including rape.” Rowling says those women, “have been put into a state of fear and distress for no other reason than that they refuse to uncritically accept that the socio-political concept of gender identify should replace that of sex.” She ended, “I’ve received so many death threats I could paper the house with them, and I haven’t stopped speaking out. Perhaps, And I’m just throwing this out there — the best way to prove your movement isn’t a threat to women, is to stop talking, harassing and threatening us.” Mega JK being “harassed” comes days after it was revealed she won’t be apart of the upcoming 20th anniversary for Harry Potter on HBOMax. The streamer announced that Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, and other stars of the franchise will be coming together for a 20th reunion special; however, J.K. Rowling was noticeably MIA from the promotional material. Her not appearing is not too surprising given Radcliffe has spoken out against her views on the transgender community. Mega In the past, JK has stood up for a man who was fired after posting transphobic tweets. She followed it up with a blog post that featured her “five reasons for being worried about the new trans activism.” JK wrote about the “the huge explosion in young women wishing to transition” and the idea of “detransitioning,” in which the person goes back to their birth gender. The LGBTQ+ community has criticized JK over her comments claiming she is misinformed and accuse her of spreading misinformation on the topic. For his part, Daniel released a statement in which he said loud, “Transgender women are women, Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.” Mega View the full article

Published by Reuters By Luc Cohen (Reuters) – A U.S. judge has granted British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell permission to call a psychologist who specializes in how memories can become distorted over time to testify at her trial on sex abuse charges. Lawyers for Maxwell, who is accused by prosecutors of recruiting and grooming underage girls for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein to abuse, have said they planned to call American psychologist Elizabeth Loftus to testify about “false memories https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ghislaine-maxwell-challenge-claims-she-groomed-underage-girls-epstein-2021-11-08” of sexual abuses that people may describe with confidence without deliberately lying. Loftus, a professor at the University of California, Irvine, has testified at hundreds of trials, including as a defense witness in real estate heir Robert Durst’s murder trial and former movie producer Harvey Weinstein https://www.reuters.com/article/people-harvey-weinstein-idUKL1N2A71QC’s trial on rape and sexual assault charges. Both were convicted. U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan said she would allow Loftus’ testimony in an order released on Monday. Opening statements in the trial begin on Nov. 29. Federal prosecutors had asked Nathan to restrict Loftus’ testimony, calling some of her opinions “unreliable.” In particular, they cited her opinion that information people hear about an event can alter their memories of that event. Nathan said she would admit some testimony from Loftus and Park Dietz, another psychologist the defense has offered as an expert, without saying which testimony was admissible. Dietz is expected to rebut the testimony of prosecution witness Lisa Rocchio, a psychologist expected to discuss how underage sexual abuse victims are “groomed” by their predators. Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not guilty to eight counts of sex trafficking and other crimes. Prosecutors have said Maxwell encouraged girls to give Epstein “sexualized massages.” Epstein died by suicide at 66 in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex abuse allegations. (Reporting by Luc Cohen; editing by Grant McCool) View the full article

=Dolly Parton Playlist: Coat of Many Colors at 50 You may have strong opinions about what’s on the playlist.Listen to the song again. Suggestions in comments for additions? 9-5? I will always love you? More deep cuts? Got another artist who need a roundup.Put in comments or just make one for us. — Editor [This post contains video, click to play] Dolly Parton has many LGBTQ+ fans and has long been considered an enduring queer icon. Parton has spoken out on multiple occasions in support of LGBTQ+ rights and has also been vocal in support of marriage equality. She has also called out Christians for judging gay people, saying: “If you’re gay, you’re gay. If you’re straight, you’re straight. And you should be allowed to be how you are and who you are.” Parton’s outspoken support for the LGBTQ+ community can first be seen way back in 1991 on the album Eagle When She Flies, which features the song Family, with its lyrics: “Some are preachers, some are gay, some are addicts, drunks and strays. But not a one is turned away when it’s family.” But it is the title track on her Coat of Many Colors album, released 50 years ago this September, that resonates with so many LGBTQ+ fans. The song describes an episode from Parton’s childhood growing up in rural poverty where her mother sews her a coat out of different coloured rags. For the young Parton, this gives her a sense of pride in herself as well as helping her stand out and receive attention from her parents (which with 12 siblings was no mean feat). But upon going to school the other children just see the rags and make fun of her. From Shame To Pride Parton from through feeling proud wearing the coat to shame at the hands of the other school children. She attempts to resolve this by reasserting a sense of pride: “One is only poor only if they choose to be.” Far from blaming those who have no money for their misfortune, this line is about redirecting shame. The song’s reworking of shame is what enables it to travel and resonate with so many different listeners. In the recent BBC biopic, Dolly Parton: Here I Am (later released on Netflix), Parton describes the song as her “philosophy”, saying: “It’s OK to be different. You know, it’s OK to not be like everybody else. In fact, it’s not only OK, it’s wonderful that you are who you are.” This transformation of shame into pride has long been a strategy used throughout LGBTQ+ history and politics. And the wearing of the coat of many colours has striking visual similarities with the LGBTQ+ pride flag – an image that has become increasingly resonant as Parton’s LGBTQ+ advocacy has become more pronounced. 50 years on Coat of Many Colors has now reached the ripe old age of 50, but it’s still as relevant now as when it was released in October 1971. Nominated for album of the year at the 1972 Country Music Association Awards, it also appeared at Number 257 on Rolling Stone’s 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album was released when Parton was still heavily connected to her musical partner Porter Wagoner. And Coat of Many Colors showed she was fast outgrowing him. The album was a defining moment for Parton to assert her agency and independent identity as an artist. Coat of Many Colors continues to be one of Parton’s most popular songs, as shown by the enthusiastic response to it during live shows. The song also connects with audiences worldwide – Parton has a lot of fans in Nigeria and Kenya – due to its relatable story of family, struggle and acceptance. But as wonderful and historically significant as this song is, the Coat of Many Colors album has more than just one song of note. Further gems Parton wrote seven out of the ten songs on the album. All of them showcase the refinement and evolution of Parton’s craft from the comic representations of sexuality in Traveling Man, where a young girl falls in love with her travelling man only for him to abandon her for her mother, to the evocative pastoral imagery of the mountain landscape where she grew up in Early Morning Breeze and My Blue Tears. A key song that captures the essence of Parton’s philosophy is Here I Am, which Parton recently re-recorded with Sia for the Netflix film Dumplin’. A gospel-inflected country song, Parton’s vocals and lyrics enable its message to travel wide. Parton acknowledges the hardship of people’s situations so that her message of belief is not invalidating. Through Parton’s storytelling, others from all walks of life that are facing difficulties can identify with the emotional content of the song and hear the resounding message of hope. Indeed, Parton’s crossover appeal, from country music fans to pop audiences, and her solid songwriting core set a precedent that artists today who straddle multiple genres still build on – artists like Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves and most recently Lil Nas X. Parton has herself indicated that she would like to be remembered foremost as a songwriter. Not to disregard the significant impact Parton has had on the LGBTQ+ community via her media persona and image, but an understanding of Dolly is much more enriched by a deeper understanding of her songwriting. James Barker, PhD Candidate in Music, Newcastle University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Coat of Many Colors Dolly Partion on Towleroad Texas governor hopeful Beto O’Rourke criticizes Biden on immigration More Lawyer Disgusted As Kyle Rittenhouse Is Offered Jobs On Capitol Hill Following ‘Not Guilty’ Verdict In Kenosha Shooting As Protests Continue More Khashoggi’s fiancee urges Justin Bieber to cancel Saudi performance More BTS, Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat win big at 2021 AMAs More Painting by erasing: German artist makes a name with reverse graffiti More Activists urge Biden to push for intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines More Brooke Shields won’t be ‘victimised’ for playing child prostitute on big screen More Belarus says it does not want confrontation, wants EU to take migrants More Last Christmas was grim, Bethlehem hopes this year will be better More Prosecution begins closing argument in Georgia trial over killing of Ahmaud Arbery More Paid family leave in spotlight as Senate weighs Biden social spending plan More Load More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kanishka Singh (Reuters) – Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic former U.S. congressman who is running for governor of Texas, on Sunday criticized President Joe Biden for a lack of urgency on pursuing a revamp of immigration laws, indicating he will distance himself from the White House in his underdog campaign. O’Rourke announced last Monday he will seek to unseat Republican Governor Greg Abbott in next year’s election, aiming to become the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Texas, the second most populous U.S. state, in three decades. “I do not think we have seen enough urgency when it comes to rewriting our immigration laws to match the needs and the reality that we see, especially in our border communities,” O’Rourke told CNN’s “State of the Union” program on Sunday. “So, yes, we expect more of our president and those who represent us in Congress.” The Democratic president has made other issues such as infrastructure, social spending and COVID-19 relief higher legislative priorities than immigration reform. Democrats narrowly control Congress. O’Rourke also took aim at Abbott, saying the governor is “using the border right now as a photo opportunity, scapegoating and vilifying immigrants, asking Texans to, quote, ‘defend themselves’ and take matters into their own hands from this ‘invasion,’ as he describes it.” Biden has faced criticism from Democrats and Republicans over immigration and border issues. Arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border have reached record levels in recent months. Asked whether he would welcome Biden to Texas to help him campaign, O’Rourke suggested he would not, saying: “This campaign in Texas is not going to be about Joe Biden. It’s not going to be about Donald Trump. It’s not going to be about anyone from outside of our state.” Trump, known for a hardline approach on immigration, last year defeated Biden in Texas while losing the presidential election nationally. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Biden have pledged to create a working group on arms trafficking and related transborder crime and border security, the White House said on Friday. Biden has kept in place a controversial order, first implemented by his Republican predecessor Trump last year, that allows migrants to be immediately expelled without an opportunity to seek asylum in light of the pandemic. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Days after Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all charges related to the Kenosha, Wisc. shooting last year that left two dead and one injured, his attorney is upset by some of the questionable attention the 18-year-old is getting. mega Defense lawyer Mark Richards has noticed several politicians have been attempting to cash in on his young client’s high profile name and offered him jobs since his recent court win. Frankly, the attorney claims he finds it “disgusting.” KYLE RITTENHOUSE ‘TERMINATED’ CONTROVERSIAL CIVIL LAWYER JOHN PIERCE DAYS BEFORE HIS DEFENSE ATTORNEY REVEALED TEEN IS IN A ‘SAFE HOUSE’ “There’s a lot of people trying to profit on this, and I don’t think people should,” he told Insider. “They’re raising money on it, and you have all these Republican congressmen saying, ‘Come work for me.’ They want to trade on his celebrity, and I think it’s disgusting.” mega This comes after Republican representative Paul Gosar tweeted that he wanted to hire Rittenhouse as an intern on November 19. KYLE RITTENHOUSE GRINS EARS TO EAR AS HE’S WHISKED AWAY FROM KENOSHA COURTHOUSE A FREE MAN FOLLOWING NOT GUILTY VERDICT “Justice was served for #KyleRittenhouse and he is fully exonerated,” the tweet read. “As I said last year, obviously self-defense. I will arm wrestle @mattgaetz to get dibs for Kyle as an intern.” Richards also wasn’t happy at all with Donald Trump Jr.‘s brazen comments that he and Gun Owners Of America would be sending Rittenhouse an AR-15 in a since-deleted tweet. “He’s an idiot,” the lawyer told the outlet, referring to the former president’s son. “I don’t have to expand on that because it speaks for itself.” mega As OK! previously reported, Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all charges — 1st degree intentional homicide, 1st degree reckless homicide, and attempted 1st degree intentional homicide — in connections with the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum, and Anthony Huber, and the injuries of Gaige Grosskreutz. Judge Bruce Schroeder — who has been a continuous topic of controversy for concerning comments he has made throughout the case — praised the jurors after they found the 18-year-old to be free of any responsibility in the fatal shooting. “All of you – I couldn’t have asked for a better jury to work with, and it has truly been my pleasure,” the judge stated to the court. “I think without commenting on your verdict… the verdict themselves, just in terms of your attentiveness and the cooperation that you gave to us justifies the confidence that the founders of our country placed in you.” Since the not guilty verdict, protests have erupted from coast to coast in the United States as protesters gather to voice their opinions surrounding the controversial court case. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kanishka Singh (Reuters) – The woman who was engaged to marry Jamal Khashoggi has asked singer Justin Bieber to cancel his scheduled Dec. 5 performance in Saudi Arabia’s second-largest city Jeddah, urging him to not perform for the slain Saudi journalist’s “murderers.” Hatice Cengiz wrote an open letter to the singer published on Saturday in the Washington Post in which she urged Bieber to cancel the performance to “send a powerful message to the world that your name and talent will not be used to restore the reputation of a regime that kills its critics.” President Joe Biden’s administration released a U.S. intelligence report in February implicating Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Khashoggi’s 2018 murder in Istanbul but spared him any direct punishment. The crown prince denies any involvement. “Do not sing for the murderers of my beloved Jamal,” Cengiz wrote. “Please speak out and condemn his killer, Mohammed bin Salman. Your voice will be heard by millions.” Bieber, who is Canadian, is among a group of artists scheduled to perform as Saudi Arabia hosts the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah. “If you refuse to be a pawn of MBS, your message will be loud and clear: I do not perform for dictators. I choose justice and freedom over money,” Cengiz wrote, using the crown prince’s initials. Human rights groups have urged the performers to speak out against human rights issues in the kingdom. “Saudi Arabia has a history of using celebrities and major international events to deflect scrutiny from its pervasive abuses,” Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday. The advocacy group urged the performers, who also include rapper A$AP Rocky, DJs David Guetta and Tiesto and singer Jason Derulo, “to speak out publicly on rights issues or, when reputation-laundering is the primary purpose, not participate.” Khashoggi, a Saudi-born U.S. resident who wrote opinion columns for the Washington Post critical of the Saudi crown prince, was killed and dismembered by a team of operatives linked to the prince in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English BTS, Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat were among the big winners at the American Music Awards (AMAs) on Sunday (21.11.21). The K-Pop septet scooped three prizes at the Cardi B-hosted ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, including the biggest accolade of the night, Artist of the Year. The ‘IDOL’ hitmakers also scooped Favourite Pop Duo Or Group and Favourite Pop Song for ‘Butter’. For Artist Of The Year, the ‘My Universe’ hitmakers – who performed the hit song with Coldplay – beat off stiff competition from Ariana Grande, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd. RM recalled how nervous they were making their AMAs debut in 2017 and dedicated the win to their loyal ARMY. He said during their speech for the award at the fan-voted bash: “Four years ago, we had our first ever TV live performance on this stage, AMAs, it was ‘DNA’. We were too excited and nervous at the time and it’s been a long and amazing ride since then, but nobody could have ever bet on the awesome [honour] of standing here and receiving this award – except you, ARMY. He continued: “Seven boys from Korea united by a love for music met the love and support from all the ARMYs all over the world. This whole thing is a miracle. Seriously, we’ll never take this for granted. Thank you so much.” Megan, who pulled out of performing due to an “unexpected personal issue”, also won three awards for Favorite Trending Song for ‘Body’, Favorite Female Artist (Hip-Hop) and Favorite Album with ‘Good News’ (Hip-Hop). While she was not in attendance, the ‘WAP’ hitmaker took to Instagram to thank her Hotties. She wrote: “Thank you hotties thank you @amas I’m so happy so proud ! I couldn’t be there physically this year but like I said I’m so excited for everything to come next year.” Doja also claimed three gongs for Collaboration of the Year for ‘Kiss Me More’ with SZA, plus Favorite Female Artist (R&B) and Favorite Album (R&B) with ‘Planet Her’. Kanye West was named Favorite Gospel artist, while Machine Gun Kelly was crowned the Favorite Rock star. He said in his speech: “I want to accept this for all the aspiring musicians, the one who desires to play an instrument, wants to rap, wants to sing – not just the rock artists, but all the artists.” Taylor – who broke the record for the most AMA wins – scooped two awards for Favorite Female Artist (Pop) and Favorite Album (Pop) for ‘evermore’. And Ed Sheeran took home the male version of the same award. Despite leading the nominations, Olivia Rodrigo went home with a single prize for New Artist of the Year. Drake was named Favorite Male Artist in the Hip-Hop category, and The Weeknd nabbed the same title for R&B. Standout performances included BTS, who gave the live debut of ‘My Universe’ with Coldplay before closing the show with ‘Butter’. New Edition and New Kids On The Block took fans back to the 80s and 90s with a medley of hits. Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) opened with a red-hot rendition of ‘Smokin’ Out the Window’. And Olivia Rodrigo gave her debut performance with a stripped-back version of ‘Traitor’. An abridged list of the American Music Awards 2021 winners: Artist of the Year: BTS New Artist of the Year: Olivia Rodrigo Collaboration of the Year: Doja Cat featuring SZA – ‘Kiss Me More’ Favorite Trending Song: Megan Thee Stallion – ‘Body’ Favorite Music Video: Lil Nas X – ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ Favorite Male Artist – Pop Ed Sheeran Favorite Female Artist – Pop Taylor Swift Favorite Duo or Group – Pop BTS Favorite album – Pop Taylor Swift – ‘evermore’ Favorite song – Pop BTS – ‘Butter’ Favorite Female Artist – Hip-Hop Megan Thee Stallion Favorite Male Artist – Hip-Hop Drake Favorite Album – Hip-Hop Megan Thee Stallion – ‘Good News’ Favorite Song – Hip-Hop Cardi B – ‘Up’ Favorite Male Artist – R&B The Weeknd Favorite Female Artist – R&B Doja Cat Favorite Album – R&B Doja Cat – ‘Planet Her’ Favorite Song – R&B Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak) – ‘Leave The Door Open’ Favorite Artist – Rock Machine Gun Kelly Favorite Artist – Gospel Kanye West Favorite Male Artist – Country: Luke Bryan Favorite Female Artist – Country: Carrie Underwood Favorite Duo or Group – Country: Dan + Shay View the full article

Published by DPA Artist Klaus Dauven has realized his largest “reverse graffiti” to date on a dam in Vouglans, France. To create his works, he uses high-pressure cleaners that remove layers of dirt and patina. David Franck/Kärcher/dpa His latest work is his biggest yet, emblazoned on a dam and stretching the length of six or seven football pitches. It took Klaus Dauven, 55, and his team of eight multiple weeks of work including 2,500 laser reference points in the French region of Vouglans. In July, they lost two weeks worth of work because of storms. “After the rains, we had to start from the beginning,” he said. But now “La Foret” (The Forest) is finished. However, Dauven didn’t use any paint. Instead, he worked with what was already there. The artist, now safely back home in Germany, is a pioneer of a new art form called ‘reverse graffiti.’ “My works of art can sometimes be pretty large,” he says. Dauven got his start in classic art, not in the street art scene, but is now following in the tradition of Harald Naegeli, the Sprayer of Zurich, a classically trained artist who made a reputation with his graffiti in the Swiss city. But Dauven has his own method. Reverse graffiti is not about painting, but using streams of high-pressure water – around 250 bars’ worth – to wipe decades of layers of dirt and patina right off a wall. Instead of spray cans or paint brushes, Dauven uses pressure washers to create his works, which appear like silhouettes looming large. He has not invented reverse graffiti, Dauven acknowledges. “Paul ‘Moose’ Curtis of England came up with the idea independently of me at about the same time,” he says. That time was 1997, when Dauven, studying art in Dusseldorf and Muenster, had his brainstorm. At the time, he was working on a 2 metre-by-2 metre roll of paper that got covered in charcoal dust. “The drawing got ruined. But, as I sucked up the dust with a vacuum cleaner, the idea presented itself.” Since then, the art form has been gaining recognition. “Reverse graffiti is conceptually and, in the eyes of the building owner, the more bearable form of graffiti,” says art researcher Gregor Jansen, head of the Dusseldorfer Kunsthalle art museum. “Thanks to the effect of the negative, the removing, a switch is made. The visual message is laid bar,” he says. From his perspective, reverse graffiti is the more interesting version of the two art forms. Because Dauven’s art is time-intensive and hard to sell, it usually requires support from sponsors to come into being. For example, a German producer of high-pressure cleaners subsidizes him when he is working – like he was in France – with a team of industrial climbers, multiple helpers and a 100-metre-long water hose. Despite all the hurdles, the German artist has managed to produce major works in France, Germany, Japan and South Korea. He has created his images on bridges, dams and breakwaters, depicting plants, animals and faces. He says his choice of subject is usually inspired by the area surrounding the structure he is about to work on. Dauven’s work can be ephemeral, depending on the weather conditions it is exposed to. “It depends on the gradient of the walls, the direction it is facing and the climate. In Japan, a drawing I did on a dam was completely gone after two years. In the Eifel region [on the French-German border] it last five to six years.” There was also a work in the German city of Cologne that was removed, but Dauven points out that that wasn’t his, but rather a reverse graffiti piece put up by an artist working under the name seiLeise (beQuiet). To make sure they’re not gone forever, Dauven documents his graffiti with photographs, which are then collected in bound works. Another key factor that separates his work from graffiti is the amount of acceptance it receives. “It also appeals to the people who aren’t so attuned to art. They’re not hostile to me,” he says. Artist Klaus Dauven has realized his largest “reverse graffiti” to date an a dam in Vouglans, France. To create his works, he uses high-pressure cleaners that remove layers of dirt and patina. David Franck/Kärcher/dpa Artist Klaus Dauven has realized his largest “reverse graffiti” to date an a dam in Vouglans, France. To create his works, he uses high-pressure cleaners that remove layers of dirt and patina. David Franck/Kärcher/dpa View the full article

Published by Reuters By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Fifteen human rights groups are urging U.S. President Joe Biden to get personally engaged in a long-running fight to enact an intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines at the World Trade Organization, calling his leadership “a moral necessity.” Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam, Public Citizen and 11 other groups told Biden in a letter that an emergency waiver was urgently needed to combat the pandemic, noting that fewer than 7% of people in low-income countries had received a first COVID-19 vaccine and vaccines remained scarce. More than 5.4 million people have died of COVID-19 around the world https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019. Biden reversed the previous U.S. position to endorse a waiver in May https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/biden-says-plans-back-wto-waiver-vaccines-2021-05-05, a move that caught some allies by surprise, but there has been little progress since then. The European Union, Britain and Switzerland remain opposed, arguing that issuing such waivers would undercut years of investment and research. The White House last month called on all WTO members to support a temporary waiver https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-wto-members-must-support-intellectual-property-waiver-covid-vaccines-2021-10-21 and WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is pushing for a deal at the WTO ministerial conference in Geneva from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3. In their letter, a copy of which was viewed by Reuters, the rights groups said they were “very disappointed” that the Biden administration had not done more to secure an agreement on a waiver text since Biden’s strong statement in May. “U.S. passivity has empowered close U.S. allies – the European Union, on behalf of Germany, plus Switzerland and the United Kingdom – to block progress even as millions die or become seriously ill waiting for effective vaccines and treatments,” the groups wrote. They urged Biden to step up his personal engagement and lead the world in reaching a meaningful agreement on the long-standing issue. Doing so would help end the pandemic and restore U.S. standing around the world, they said. The White House had no immediate comment on the letter, which was dated Friday. Ending the ministerial meeting without a waiver agreement would be entirely unacceptable,” the groups said. They said drugmakers were using their intellectual property rights to segment global markets instead of maximizing the scale of generic production. They said a separate effort to issue a “declaration on trade and health” led by David Walker, the New Zealand envoy to the WTO, would “further undermine the WTO’s relevance and legitimacy” in the absence of a meaningful property rights waiver. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Stephen Coates) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Brooke Shields wasn’t “personally scathed” by playing a child prostitute on screen aged 11, because she choose not to be “victimised”. The 56-year-old actress landed her breakthrough lead role as Violet in ‘Pretty Baby’ in the hit big-screen flick in 1978, and she believes the sexualisation of young people isn’t going away and she refuses to be made out to “be a victim”. In a candid interview with The Guardian newspaper, Brooke said: “I think it’s been done since the dawn of time, and I think it’s going to keep going on. “There’s something incredibly seductive about youth … I think it just has different forms and it’s how you survive it, and whether you choose to be victimised by it. It’s not in my nature to be a victim.” The ‘After Sex’ star, who lost her virginity when she was in her early twenties, insisted she grew up in a “sequestered” household, and though prostitution was rife in New York, it was all make-believe in her head as a result of her naivety. Reiterating that she “didn’t suffer” from the controversial role, she added: “It takes five minutes to see – on the old 42nd Street – what prostitution was. “And also I was very sequestered from all of it in my real life. “I was a virgin till I was 22, so it was all pretend in my mind. I was an actress. I didn’t suffer privately about it. “I guess you’d have to have an actress who was older, playing younger. “I’m not quite sure what the rules are now [as if it’s an HR issue, rather than a societal one.] But I also wasn’t personally scathed by it.” Meanwhile, Brooke recently admitted fame made school hard. She starred in ‘The Blue Lagoon’ two years after ‘Pretty Baby’, and her glitzy life as a teenager meant the other children took some time to warm up to her. She recalled: “Ninth grade was tough, just like being a freshman in college was tough … I went into a high school and I had just done ‘Blue Lagoon’ or something … They were not shy of getting up at the lunch table when I sat down in unison to move en-masse … Then they get bored with being difficult or caring. “Then we started studying together, or if I did well on a test then I proved to them that I wasn’t getting special treatment.” She revealed how the turning point came when her mum, Tina Shields, hosted a roller-skating party for “the whole class”, which was a wake-up call for the other kids. She explained: “The kids I thought I was so cool but what they saw while we were at this event was how much I had to work. “So they’re all dancing, and I’m having to take pictures and do soundbites. “And then I got to dance with them, but I think they saw that I wasn’t stuck up, I didn’t think I was better than they were. “And then I still had to take that math test on Monday. It balanced out!” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kacper Pempel and Alan Charlish BRUZGI, Belarus/WARSAW (Reuters) -President Alexander Lukashenko said on Monday Belarus seeks no confrontation with Poland but wants the European Union to take in 2,000 of the migrants stranded on its border, and he added that if the crisis deteriorated “too far, war is unavoidable”. The European Union accuses Belarus of flying in thousands of people from the Middle East and pushing them to cross into the EU via Poland, Lithuania and Latvia in retaliation for EU sanctions imposed on Minsk over Lukashenko’s crushing of protests against his disputed re-election last year. Lukashenko denies fomenting the migrant crisis, but EU countries including Germany on Monday again rejected his call on them to accept migrants in limbo at the frontier. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Sunday that the crisis might be a prelude to “something much worse”, and Poland’s border guard said Belarusian forces were still ferrying migrants to the frontier. Lukashenko, as quoted by the state-owned Belta news agency, said he did not want things to escalate. “We need to get through to the Poles, to every Pole, and show them that we’re not barbarians, that we don’t want confrontation. We don’t need it. Because we understand that if we go too far, war is unavoidable,” he said. “And that will be a catastrophe. We understand this perfectly well. We don’t want any kind of flare-up.” ‘NOT ACCEPTABLE’ The plan proposed by Belarus last week would entail EU countries, particularly Germany, taking in some 2,000 migrants, while Minsk would send another 5,000 migrants back home, and Lukashenko said Belarus was preparing a second migrant repatriation flight at the end of this month. In the face of a rebuff from Germany and the EU’s executive commission, Lukashenko said on Monday he must insist Germany – the preferred destination of many migrants – take in a number of them. He said the EU was not engaging with Minsk on the issue. “They don’t even look at it (the problem). And even what she (German Chancellor Angela Merkel) promised me – contacts. They are not even getting in touch.” But a German government spokesman repeated Berlin’s refusal. “The idea of having a humanitarian corridor to Germany for 2,000 migrants is not a solution that is acceptable to Germany or the EU,” the spokesperson said. Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg told a news conference: “The EU must not give in to blackmail from Lukashenko. We have to respond united and very clearly to this state-sponsored hybrid attack on the European Union.” A group of around 150 migrants tried to break through the border fence near the Polish village of Dubicze Cerkiewne on Sunday, the Polish border guard said. THREAT TO CUT TRAIN LINK Poland has threatened to sever a train link with Belarus if the situation does not improve, and Lukashenko was quoted as saying that threat could backfire. Rail traffic could be diverted to run through a conflict zone in eastern Ukraine in such a scenario, he said. “It is Mr Lukashenko and the Belarusian regime that caused the entire problem at the border…It is up to Mr Lukashenko what will happen next,” Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said. “The EU…can find a way to trade with eastern European and Asian partners without Belarus.” The Polish Economic Institute (PIE) said any closure of the border to train freight would be more costly for Belarus as exports account for up to 70% of its gross domestic product. Poland’s government spokesman said no decision had been taken on the closure, though that option was on the table. Humanitarian agencies say as many as 13 migrants have died at the border, where many have suffered in a cold, damp forest with little food or water as a frigid winter sets in. Poland said Belarusian forces were still ferrying migrants to the frontier, despite clearing the main migrant camps along the barbed-wire boundary last week. Many of the migrants have now been placed in a Belarusian warehouse near the border. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova, Matthias Williams, Alan Charlish, Pawel Florkiewicz, Andrius Sytas, Francois Murphy; writing by Ingrid Melander and Alan Charlish; editing by Mark Heinrich) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Zainah El-Haroun BETHLEHEM, West Bank (Reuters) – The trickle of tourists is sometimes scarcely enough to fill a manger, let alone an inn, but Bethlehem’s Palestinians are hopeful that numbers will rise in the month before Christmas. The traditional birthplace of Jesus was all but shuttered by the pandemic last year, ravaging the tourism-dependent economy and leading some hoteliers to consider selling up. But this year Israel has eased curbs on foreign tourists in time for Christmas, although everyone remains wary of a winter coronavirus wave. While grateful for the return of some foreign tourists and Christian Palestinians from the West Bank and Israel, it is a far cry from the 3.5 million visitors who came in winter 2019, just before the pandemic. “Of course the numbers are very few, but as a start, as a beginning, I think it’s good,” Palestinian tourism minister Rula Maayah told Reuters. “Hopefully very soon these few hundreds will be a few thousand.” The reduced numbers have at least improved the experience for those who are there. One of just three wise tourists standing in an otherwise-deserted Manger Square on Nov. 17, Danish pilgrim Trina Dybkjaer said their timing seemed ideal. “I came to see where Jesus was born,” she said, looking up at the half-decorated Christmas tree outside the Church of the Nativity. “I can almost feel the history of how it was back then. It hasn’t been, at least today, destroyed by a lot of tourists.” Bethlehem’s municipality scaled back the town’s Christmas market last year and banned most spectators from the tree-lighting ceremony. But Mayor Anton Salman said this year’s celebration will proceed as normal on Dec. 4, with visitors asked to wear masks. He expected around 15,000 people, mostly Palestinians. Across Bethlehem, souvenir-sellers and hoteliers say they are struggling to make a living. “We have Christmas reservations from Britain, Colombia, the U.S., all over, we can’t complain about that,” said Joey Canavati, manager of Nativity Street’s Alexander Hotel. “We just don’t know what will happen next week, or next month – will there be another COVID wave? Will everything shut down again?” (Zainah El-Haroun reported from Bethlehem; Writing by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Stephen Farrell and Giles Elgood) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Jonathan Allen (Reuters) -A prosecutor began delivering her closing argument before a Georgia jury on Monday in which she was expected to tell the jury that the three white men charged in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery had no right to chase and to try detain him. Gregory McMichael, 65; his son Travis McMichael, 35; and their neighbor William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, have pleaded not guilty to charges including murder. Prosecutor Linda Dunikoski in her summation was expected to highlight inconsistencies in testimony and initial statements to police as well as question the credibility of the defendants’ assertions that Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man, posed a threat to them. The younger McMichael was the only defendant to take the stand, testifying that he fired his shotgun at close range at Arbery in self defense. He said Arbery had grabbed at his gun after the five-minute chase through the defendants’ mostly white neighborhood of Satilla Shores on Feb. 23, 2020. Bryan’s cellphone video of the killing sparked outrage when it emerged more than two months later and the public learned that the men involved had not been arrested. McMichael testified that he and his father thought Arbery might have been behind recent thefts in the neighborhood. No evidence has emerged that Arbery took anything on his frequent runs through Satilla Shores. Arbery had nothing on him when he was killed but his running clothes and sneakers. Prosecutors from the Cobb County district attorney’s office say the defendants “assumed the worst” about a Arbery, who was known to friends as an avid jogger. The three defense teams will make their closing arguments before the jury begins deliberations. They have argued that the defendants had a right to try to detain Arbery under Georgia’s citizen’s arrest law, which was repealed in the wake of outrage over the killing. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Alistair Bell) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Fresh off securing U.S. House of Representatives passage of President Joe Biden’s social and environmental spending plan, his fellow Democrats are pressing ahead with it in the Senate, where the bill may undergo major changes on issues such as paid family leave to satisfy party centrists. The $1.75 trillion legislation, approved by the House on Friday over united Republican opposition, includes four weeks of family leave paid by the government for reasons such as the birth of a child or caring for a sick relative. It is likely to become a battleground issue in the days ahead. The legislation, which aims to bolster the U.S. social safety net and fight climate change, must win over divided Senate Democratic moderates and liberals, as Republicans remain opposed. Democrats have said they want an agreement by year’s end. Any Senate changes would need House approval again. “There’s going to be some changes,” Democratic Senator Jon Tester told NBC’s “Meet the Press” program, urging compromise. “We don’t all see the world the same way.” Biden has said he looks forward to signing the bill into law as soon as it passes Congress, which is narrowly controlled by the Democrats. The bill must secure support from the 100-seat Senate’s 48 Democrats and the two independents who caucus with them because no Republican backs it. Centrist Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema in particular have raised concerns about its cost and scope. Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand mentioned differences with Manchin over paid family leave but said she hopes they could reach a compromise in the next three weeks. “This is the only moment to get paid leave done. … Now is the time,” Gillibrand told CBS’s “Face the Nation” program. The cost of the four weeks of federal paid leave has been estimated at $200 billion over 10 years. Gillibrand said the legislation could include an employee-employer contribution system similar to those used by some U.S. states. The United States is the only wealthy country that does not pay woman on maternity leave. The White House is reaching out to lawmakers to get the legislation passed, Biden’s National Economic Council Director Brian Deese said. “We will work with every member of the Senate on this bill,” Deese told the “Fox News Sunday” program, adding that the legislation has “a lot of momentum.” “We really do now have a good understanding of where the consensus lies,” Deese added, on issues such as government support for childcare costs, family benefits and tax increases on corporations and the wealthy. The House passed the bill with just one Democrat voting against it. It was scaled down from Democrats’ original $3.5 trillion vision. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Will Dunham and Heather Timmons) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English JoJo Siwa wants a ‘cuddle buddy.’ The 18-year-old internet sensation has been keeping herself busy with work since splitting with Kylie Prew, also 18, but opened up about her breakup and admitted that she would be up for something more casual. She said: “I haven’t started dating at all, anybody, but whatever happens happens. I fell in love with somebody who I didn’t ever expect to fall in love with. We met on a cruise ship, she was my best friend. And then we went to Disney together and all of a sudden… it kind of all happened. And so I think I learned to just trust life and whatever’s supposed to happen is going to happen. But trust me, I want to have a cuddle date. So if anybody out there needs a cuddle date, cuddle buddy, I’ll take it.” However, the Nickelodeon star – who recently made it to the upcoming final of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ – also revealed that she is still in contact with her ex-girlfriend and noted that she is “grateful” to have the competition to focus on. She told PEOPLE: “There’s days where I truthfully will cry, and the only thing that I will want is to talk to Ky and I will call and Ky will answer and it’s all okay And there are other days where we don’t talk at all. And I think that either way, it’s okay. I think everyone’s life happens differently, but I’m really grateful that I’ve had ‘Dancing with the Stars’ that I’ve had ‘Dance Pop’. It’s just kept my brain occupied and it’s kept my brain happy and healthy. I was in love for the first time. It is such an amazing gift and something that I will cherish for as long as I live.” View the full article

Published by Reuters BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, whose whereabouts have been a matter of international concern for weeks, attended a tennis tournament in Beijing on Sunday, according to official photos published by the tournament organised by China Open. Peng can be seen among guests at the Fila Kids Junior Tennis Challenger Finals, dressed in a dark blue jacket and white trousers, according to the pictures published on the event’s official WeChat page. The former doubles world number one had not been seen or heard from publicly since she said on Chinese social media on Nov. 2 that former vice premier Zhang Gaoli had coerced her into sex and they later had an on-off consensual relationship. Neither Zhang nor the Chinese government have commented on her allegation. Peng’s social media post was quickly deleted and the topic has been blocked from discussion on China’s heavily censored internet. World tennis bodies have expressed concern, with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) threatening to pull tournaments out of China. The United States and Britain have called for evidence of Peng’s whereabouts and safety. The photographs and video footage of Peng that emerged on Sunday remain “insufficient” and do not address the WTA’s concerns, a spokesperson for the group told Reuters by email. The U.S. and British embassies in Beijing did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment on her reappearance. The issue of Peng’s safety and whereabouts has emerged as China prepares to host the Winter Olympics in Beijing in February amid calls from global rights groups and others for a boycott over its human rights record. A photo of Peng at the Fila tournament was also posted on Twitter by Ding Li, a senior executive of Global D-Sports, a company which corporate information app Tianyancha says organises sport events and manages athletes. NOODLES, BAMBOO SHOOTS Ding, who told Reuters he was a long-time friend of Peng’s, said her phone is always switched on, so the WTA could just call her. WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon, however, told Time magazine last week that the organisation had tried to contact her through various means. Ding said Peng was not accepting foreign media interviews as she received many calls after Simon had sent an email to her assistant that contained her contact information, and copied a number of people in his message. The WTA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on that email. Twitter is blocked in China. On Saturday night, Peng visited a popular restaurant in downtown Beijing for a meal Ding attended, according to photos he posted on Twitter. Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the state-backed Global Times reposted a video of the outing, which a restaurant manager confirmed to Reuters on Sunday. Seven people including Peng were at the Sichuanese restaurant, said the manager, Zhou Hongmei, adding that they ate in a private room and were joined by the restaurant’s owner. “It was crowded at the restaurant as usual,” Zhou said, showing a bill that included noodles and bamboo shoots. “They didn’t have much. I think they mostly chatted.” Searches on Chinese platforms for social media posts on Peng’s allegations continued to yield no results on Sunday. On some video-sharing websites like Bilibili, Peng’s name was also not found in searches. Some old videos featuring Peng could still be found, but access to their comments sections was locked. Chinese state media outlet CGTN on Wednesday released what it said was an email https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/wtas-simon-voices-concern-over-statement-attributed-peng-2021-11-18 Peng had sent to WTA’s Simon, in which she said the allegation of assault was untrue. Simon said at the time he had a hard time believing that Peng herself had written the email. Hu of the Global Times also tweeted Peng’s Sunday appearance at the tennis tournament. The Global Times is published by the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party. Videos posted by Hu and a Global Times reporter showed her smiling, waving and signing autographs for children. (Reporting by Brenda Goh, Sophie Yu, Yew Lun Tian, Gabriel Crossley and Ryan Woo; Editing by William Mallard) View the full article