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Published by Reuters By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday is set to weigh the legality of a decades-old congressional decision to exclude Puerto Rico from a federal program that provides benefits to low-income elderly, blind and disabled people. The justices are hearing the U.S. government’s appeal of a lower court ruling that deemed Puerto Rico’s exclusion from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program unlawful. The appeal originally was filed by Republican former President Donald Trump’s administration. His Democratic successor Joe Biden has continued the appeal while at the same time urging Congress to extend SSI to Puerto Rico. Many Puerto Ricans have long complained that the Caribbean island’s residents are treated worse than other Americans despite being U.S. citizens. Puerto Rico, which is not a state, is the most-populous of the U.S. territories, with about 3 million people. The case involves a Puerto Rican resident named Jose Luis Vaello-Madero who received SSI benefits when he lived in New York but lost eligibility when he moved to Puerto Rico in 2013. The Supreme Court has been instrumental in defining the legal status of Puerto Ricans dating to a series of rulings starting more than a century ago called the Insular Cases, some suffused with racist language. The rulings endorsed the notion that the people of newly acquired U.S. territories could receive different treatment than citizens living in U.S. states. Vaello-Madero’s case gives the justices an opportunity to revisit those rulings. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year in favor of Vaello-Madero, deciding that Puerto Rico’s SSI exclusion violated a provision of the U.S. Constitution that requires that laws apply equally to everyone. Vaello-Madero, who is 67 years old and disabled, mounted his constitutional challenge after the government sued him in federal court in Washington in 2017 seeking more than $28,000 for payments it made to him after he moved to Puerto Rico. The government’s lawsuit was filed a month before Vaello-Madero lost the roof of his home in Hurricane Irma, which was followed weeks later by the devastating Hurricane Maria. SSI benefits are available to U.S. citizens living in any of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the Northern Mariana Islands, but not the territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. Congress decided not to include Puerto Rico when it enacted the program in 1972. Puerto Ricans are eligible for a different government program, called Aid to the Aged, Blind and Disabled, that allows for more local control but not as much federal funding, the Justice Department said in court papers. The Supreme Court’s ruling is due by the end of June. Biden said in June that the existing law’s denial of SSI benefits to residents of Puerto Rico is “inconsistent with my administration’s policies and values” and asked lawmakers to amend the statute to extend the benefits to the territory. After passing infrastructure legislation on Saturday, congressional Democrats are working to finalize a massive social spending bill, the latest draft of which includes a provision extending the benefits to Puerto Rico. If that legislation passes, it would limit the importance of the Supreme Court’s eventual ruling. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Hand signals that went viral on TikTok helped a missing teenager be found. A 16-year-old girl was reported missing by her parents in North Carolina last week and she was spotted inside a car in Kentucky two days later, having gestured to surrounding vehicles using movements designed to help domestic abuse victims signal they needed help. The Laurel County Sheriff’s Office explained a driver had called police after noticing “a female passenger in the vehicle making hand gestures that are known on the social media platform TikTok to represent violence at home – I need help – domestic violence.” The caller told police the girl “appeared to be in distress” while being driven by an older male. The teenager told cops she had travelled through North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio. James Herbert Brick, 61, of Cherokee, North Carolina, was subsequently arrested. The “signal for help” campaign – which features a one-handed gesture whereby the victim holds up their hand with their palm facing out, then tucks their thumb in before closing their fingers on top of the thumb – was launched went viral early in the coronavirus lockdowns of 2020 in an attempt to address a rise in domestic violence. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kate Abnett GLASGOW (Reuters) -New national pledges to tackle climate change this decade would lead to around 2.4 degrees Celsius of global warming this century, far above safe levels, analysts predict. Climate Action Tracker (CAT) said on Tuesday that the promises by countries attending the U.N. summit in Glasgow https://www.reuters.com/business/cop to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 would still allow the Earth to heat up far beyond the United Nations target by 2100. “Even with all new Glasgow pledges for 2030, we will emit roughly twice as much in 2030 as required for 1.5°C,” it said, referring to the aspirational goal for warming since pre-industrial levels set down in the 2015 Paris Agreement. “Therefore, all governments need to reconsider their targets,” the research coalition added. In an “optimistic scenario” where some countries’ longer-term goals to stop increasing the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere – “net zero” – by 2050 or later were implemented, warming could be limited to 1.8C this century, CAT added. That forecast echoed an analysis last week by the International Energy Agency. CAT warned against assuming the longer-term pledges would be met, however, since most countries have not yet implemented the short-term policies or legislation needed for those goals. “It’s all very well for leaders to claim they have a net zero target, but if they have no plans as to how to get there, and their 2030 targets are as low as so many of them are, then frankly, these ‘net zero’ targets are just lip service to real climate action,” said Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, one of the organisations behind the CAT. Under “business as usual”, without any of the new pledges, the world would warm up by 2.7C this century, CAT said. All scenarios will blow past the 1.5C limit that scientists say the world must meet to avert the most devastating impacts of climate change. To keep to that, scientists have said global greenhouse gas emissions, mostly carbon dioxide from burning coal, oil and gas, must fall 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 and hit net zero by 2050. Greenpeace said the analysis was “devastating” and called on countries to agree to update their 2030 targets every year until the gap between their pledges and the 1.5C target was closed. Some 90% of global emissions are now covered by a net zero target, but the “vast majority” of countries’ climate plans for the next decade are inconsistent with long-term net zero targets, CAT said. (Reporting by Kate Abnett; Editing by Richard Valdmanis, Kevin Liffey and Alexander Smith) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Valerie Volcovici GLASGOW (Reuters) -The United States has returned to global climate negotiations with a new approach rather than just picking up where it left off, U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Tuesday. The New York congresswoman arrived at the COP26 summit in Glasgow with U.S. representatives that came to support U.S. efforts to show renewed leadership at UN climate negotiations after a four-year absence under former president Donald Trump. “We’re just here to say that we’re not just back. We’re different and we’re more just. And we are more open minded to questioning prior assumptions of what is politically possible,” she told a side event at the climate conference. “And I would argue that it’s a fundamentally different approach.” Ocasio-Cortez and other Democratic lawmakers said that key to proving U.S. leadership will be the passage of a comprehensive social and climate spending bill called Build Back Better that needs to win support from moderate Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate. “As we fly back to the United States later this week, it will be with the intent to finish the job next week. Failure really is not an option,” said Colorado Representative Joe Neguse. (Reporting by Valerie Volcovici, writing by William James, editing by Elizabeth Piper and Barbara Lewis) View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kristina Cooke, Mica Rosenberg and Caitlin O’Hara NOGALES, Mexico (Reuters) – Leo fled his hometown in southern Mexico after his uncle was murdered by gang members and he received death threats. Earlier this year, he, his wife and their two children headed to the U.S.-Mexico border hoping to claim asylum. After months of waiting, he hoped he would finally get his chance on Monday. But even as U.S. borders opened for travelers vaccinated against COVID-19, they remained closed to asylum seekers. When Leo, 23, and his family approached the port of entry in Nogales, Mexico with his and his wife’s vaccination cards in hand, they were told by a border official they could not enter and seek asylum. “I feel dispirited and sad,” said Leo, who asked his last name not be published for fear of reprisals from the gang he fled. President Joe Biden “is just continuing the same policies of Donald Trump.” Biden has kept in place a controversial U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) order, first implemented by his Republican predecessor Trump in March 2020, that allows migrants to be immediately expelled without an opportunity to seek asylum. The Biden administration has said the CDC’s order, known as Title 42, remains necessary to prevent the spread of COVID-19, as asylum seekers are processed in crowded settings at the border. Any foreign national attempting to enter the United States without proper documentation will be subject to expulsion regardless of vaccination status, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Advocates have criticized the Biden administration’s continuation of the expulsion policy as borders reopen. The idea that a vaccinated asylum seeker is more of a risk than a vaccinated tourist is laughable, said Noah Gottschalk, global policy lead with Oxfam America, one of the advocacy groups suing the Biden administration to overturn the Title 42 order. Gottschalk said the exclusion of vaccinated asylum seekers strengthens the group’s argument that the policy isn’t about public health. In September, a federal judge ordered the Biden administration to stop expelling family units – parents or legal guardians arriving with their children – under the Title 42 order. The administration appealed, and a higher court put the judge’s ruling on hold as the case moves forward. Last month, more than 1,300 medical professionals signed letters to the CDC urging it to end the border expulsions order, saying it lacked epidemiological evidence to justify it and put migrants at risk. New York-based nonprofit Human Rights First has documented more than 7,600 kidnappings and other attacks on migrants stuck in Mexico who were blocked from entering the United States since Biden took office in January. Leo has been working in construction to pay rent in Nogales, but he says his earnings are not enough to support his family. “They abuse you because they know you are not from here, they pay you what they want,” he said. He is also worried about his children getting hit by a stray bullet when gunshots ring out at night. The U.S. State Department recommends Americans reconsider travel to the Mexican state of Sonora, where Nogales is located, due to crime and kidnapping. “We were fleeing a place that was dangerous,” said Leo. “And here it is the same.” (Reporting by Kristina Cooke in San Francisco, Mica Rosenberg in New York and Caitlin O’Hara in Nogales, Mexico; Editing by Mary Milliken and Karishma Singh) View the full article

Published by AFP Demonstrators from the Uyghur community protest outside the Belgian parliament as it votes to recognize genocide against the group by China in July 2021 Washington (AFP) – New evidence shows China may be “committing genocide” against the Uyghur minority, the US Holocaust Museum said Tuesday, the latest accusation that Beijing is carrying out the most serious of crimes. The United States has already declared that actions against the mostly Muslim group and other Turkic people in China’s western region of Xinjiang amounts to genocide, an assertion rejected by Beijing. The US Holocaust Museum, which last year said that crimes against humanity have been committed, in a new report pointed to accounts of forced birth control of Uyghurs as well as forced transfer to labor in other parts of China. “Additional recently surfaced information signals that the Chinese government’s conduct has escalated beyond a policy of forced assimilation,” the report said. “The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is gravely concerned that the Chinese government may be committing genocide against the Uyghurs,” it said. “The seriousness of the assault on the Uyghur population demands the immediate response of the international community to protect the victims.” The report, however, noted that previous determinations of genocide have often been based on findings of efforts to kill off a community. “Given the limited reports of Uyghur deaths in detention, there is insufficient evidence at this time of the intent of the Chinese government to systematically kill living Uyghurs,” it said. But the report said that forced sterilizations and forced contraception raise “legitimate questions about the existence of the intent to biologically destroy the group, in whole or in substantial part.” It said that there was not enough verifiable data, which was a deliberate decision by China to limit information. Quoting previous accounts, the report estimated that anywhere between one million and three million people, mostly Uyghurs, are detained in Xinjiang in a policy to forcibly assimilate them into China’s majority Han culture and prevent Islamic practices. China rejects the allegations and say it is offering vocational training aimed at reducing the allure of Islamic extremism following attacks attributed to Uyghur militants. Former US secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a staunch critic of China, announced the determination of genocide on his final day in office in January. His successor Antony Blinken has said he agrees with the finding, and the parliaments in a number of Western countries — Belgium, Britain, Canada, the Czech Republic, Lithuania and The Netherlands — have since passed motions declaring that China is committing genocide. View the full article

Published by AFP US actor Matthew McConaughey’s outlaw bona fides are well established in his new book Los Angeles (AFP) – Matthew McConaughey’s transformation from rom-com heart-throb to serious Oscar-winning actor for “Dallas Buyers Club” was so remarkable it earned its own neologism. Could another “McConaissance” be on the cards, as the category-defying A-lister mulls a run for governor of his home state of Texas, potentially as a third-party candidate next year? “Look, it’s been discussed. It’s a possible avenue,” McConaughey, 52, told AFP in an interview via Zoom. “I would call myself aggressively centrist. Not because that’s the place of gray and compromise… I think today it’s a daring space. It’s the space of outlaws.” McConaughey’s outlaw bona fides are well established in his new book “Greenlights,” with anecdotes including the time he “bongoed naked until the cops arrested me” for disturbing the peace, drug possession and resisting arrest. At the peak of his fame, the actor ditched Los Angeles for an ecstasy-fueled hike through the Amazon, and at other times would ask film directors to fly out and meet him at provincial airports as he spontaneously criss-crossed the United States in an RV. But soon after becoming a father in 2008, the “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” star told his agent to turn down future rom-coms, no matter how lucrative the offers, as he pursued grittier, more challenging fare. “Rom-coms are built to be light. They’re Saturday afternoon characters,” he said. “I became a father. My life takes on sincere and deep meaning right then. I was in the Monday morning of life, not the Saturday afternoon,” added McConaughey. Now McConaughey’s political ambitions have caused excitement in liberal circles, and particularly those appalled at Texas governor Greg Abbott, who signed a highly restrictive law banning most abortions. It is now being challenged before the US Supreme Court. A recent University of Texas, Tyler poll found McConaughey would fare better against Abbott than potential Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke. But McConaughey, hailing from a small town in deep Texas and raised in a religious family, does not seem any more enamored with the Democrats than Republicans such as Abbott. “Each party is claiming to be democracy itself, and in doing so can’t much tell you what they’re about,” said McConaughey. He added: “You got to go ‘left’ sometimes, you got to go ‘right.’ There are people on the so-called right and the so-called left that are better people for the job at hand at different times.” ‘That was wrong’ McConaughey’s book — part memoir, part self-help manual — recounts his remarkably fast rise to stardom. Having dropped out of law school in Texas, McConaughey was quickly cast in coming-of-age classic “Dazed and Confused,” before hitting the big time with the lead role in courtroom drama “A Time To Kill.” “I wouldn’t say I’ve been interested in politics since a very early age. I’ve been interested in justice,” he said. The book also reveals darker moments, including how at 18 he was sexually abused by a man “while knocked unconscious in the back of a van.” The crime is only mentioned in passing because “people would have become voyeurs over that, and that’s not what the book is about,” he told AFP. Without discussing details, McConaughey says the incident “affected me” but he was helped by his “clear sense that it was wrong.” “Maybe if I’d have been younger, and I’d been like ‘Is that an okay reality? Is that kind of how the world is supposed to work sometimes?'” He added: “Was I a victim in that circumstance? You’re damn right. “But I haven’t been victimized from it, and I think part of the reason is it was very clear — that was wrong, that was an aberration. “That’s not true intimacy. That’s not two people saying yes to each other. That’s not right.” ‘Another chapter’ If McConaughey does decide to run for the Lone Star State’s top office, he will need to file by a December 13 deadline. Pressed on whether he has taken key early steps such as hiring campaign staff or fundraising, he responds with a stock line: “I’m not, until I am.” “It’s something I’m giving great consideration… there’s some wonderful sacrifices for the awesome position.” For McConaughey, who continues to act and run his Just Keep Livin’ foundation for high school students, the decision will come down to “where and how can I be most useful?” “I’m not afraid of risk. But I really need to ask that question and answer that question for myself,” he said. When McConaughey gambled by turning his back on rom-coms, his agent’s phone stopped ringing for nearly two years — to the point that he seriously considered quitting acting. Eventually Hollywood took his new aspirations seriously, with a string of acclaimed hits such as “Mud” and “True Detective” leading to his Oscar for “Dallas Buyers Club” — a politically charged drama about the AIDS pandemic. McConaughey says he coined the term “McConaissance” himself, figuring his recent career run “needed a campaign slogan.” So, does he have a slogan for his next chapter, in politics or otherwise? “It’s still the McConaissance,” he said. “It’s just going to be another chapter.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Yew Lun Tian BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s military has built mockups in the shape of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and other U.S. warships, possibly as training targets, in the desert of Xinjiang, satellite images by Maxar showed on Sunday. These mockups reflect China’s efforts to build up anti-carrier capabilities, specifically against the U.S. Navy, as tensions remain high with Washington over Taiwan and the South China Sea. The satellite images showed a full-scale outline of a U.S. carrier and at least two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers had been built at what appears to be a new target range complex in the Taklamakan Desert. The images also showed a 6-meter-wide rail system with a ship-sized target mounted on it, which experts say could be used to simulate a moving vessel. The complex has been used for ballistic missile testing, the U.S. Naval Institute reported https://news.usni.org/2021/11/07/china-builds-missile-targets-shaped-like-u-s-aircraft-carrier-destroyers-in-remote-desert, quoting geospatial intelligence company All Source Analysis. For a graphic, click here https://tmsnrt.rs/3wmFA9i China’s anti-ship missile programs are overseen by the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF). China’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. According to the Pentagon’s latest annual report on China’s military, the PLARF conducted its first confirmed live-fire launch into the South China Sea in July 2020, firing six DF-21 anti-ship ballistic missiles into the waters north of the Spratly Islands, where China has territorial disputes with Taiwan and four Southeast Asian countries. The tests at sea may have shown China “they are still far from creating an accurate ASBM,” said Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. “I don’t think the desert targets are going to be the final stage. It’s meant for further refinement.” An anti-ship ballistic missile test in the desert would not reflect the realistic conditions of a marine environment, which could affect sensors and targeting, but would allow China to carry out the tests more securely, Koh said. “The best way to test it and keep it out of the prying eyes of the U.S. military and intelligence assets is to do it inland,” he said. Neighbouring countries, concerned about the missiles hitting other ships around the target, might also object to China’s testing at sea, he added. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in July this year that the United States will defend the Philippines if it comes under attack in the South China Sea and warned China to cease its “provocative behaviour”. (Reporting by Yew Lun Tian. Editing by Gerry Doyle) View the full article

Published by Reuters KENOSHA, Wis. (Reuters) – Here is a timeline tracing the case of Kyle Rittenhouse, a U.S. teenager who is on trial for killing two men and wounding a third with a military-style rifle during protests last year in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Aug. 23, 2020 – A white police officer responding to a domestic dispute in Kenosha shoots Jacob Blake seven times at close range, paralyzing the Black man and setting off protests. Aug. 25, 2020 – As Kenosha braces for a third night of protests, Rittenhouse, then 17, takes his rifle and joins other armed men on the streets. Rittenhouse says he was asked to help guard a used-car dealership. Shortly before midnight, Rittenhouse fatally shoots Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, after Rosenbaum appears to have chased him and tried to grab his rifle, according to video evidence. As he runs down the street, Rittenhouse shoots and kills Anthony Huber, 26, who was swinging a skateboard at him, and shoots Gaige Grosskreutz, now 27, in the arm. Grosskreutz, who was holding a pistol at the time of the shooting, survives. Aug. 27-28, 2020 – Kenosha County district attorney charges Rittenhouse with six criminal counts, including reckless and intentional homicides. Rittenhouse, who turned himself in on Aug. 26, is held in custody in his home state Illinois. Atlanta-based attorney Lin Wood says video evidence would vindicate Rittenhouse, showing he acted in self-defense. Wood begins soliciting donations through a non-profit and within a month collects nearly $2 million. Wood and another lawyer portray Rittenhouse as a patriot and tie him to the issue of gun rights. Oct. 30, 2020 – Rittenhouse is extradited to Wisconsin. Nov. 20, 2020 – John Pierce, then an attorney for Rittenhouse, posts $2 million cash bail. Rittenhouse is released. Jan. 5, 2021 – Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley finds officer Rusten Sheskey acted in self-defense in shooting Blake, saying Blake was armed with a knife and had resisted arrest. That same day Rittenhouse pleads not guilty to all counts in a video appearance at Kenosha County Circuit Court. Nov. 1, 2021 – Jury selection begins in the Rittenhouse trial. Nov. 2, 2021 – Trial begins with opening statements. Nov. 3, 2021 – Jurors see graphic videos showing the chaotic moments after Rittenhouse shot three protesters. Nov. 4, 2021 – One juror is dismissed for telling a joke to a sheriff’s deputy outside the courtroom about the police shooting of Blake. (Reporting by Nathan Layne in Kenosha, Wisconsin; Editing by Howard Goller and Lisa Shumaker) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sarah Jessica Parker still has all of her ‘Sex and the City’ clothes and props. The 56-year-old actress has reprised her role as writer Carrie Bradshaw in the upcoming HBO Max reboot, ‘And Just Like That…’, and she’s revealed she has held onto “every single solitary thing” used or won by her character in the hit series and two spin-off movies. Speaking to the December 2021 issue of Vogue magazine – of which she is the cover star – she said: “I had all of the original stuff in my own storage. Furniture, clothes, everything, packed according to season and episode and scene. “I kept every single solitary thing.” The iconic tutu skirt Carrie wore in the ‘Sex and the City’ is set to go under the hammer this week. The auction is in aid of Housing Works’ annual Fashion for Action fundraiser, and the show’s former costume designer Patricia Field has donated the sweet tulle-style skirt to benefit the non-profit working to support those living with HIV/AIDS and the homeless. Bidding kicks off at Housing Works’ Manhattan HQ in New York on Wednesday (10.11.21). Meanwhile, Patricia previously shared how Sarah Jessica “spoke the same language” as her when they worked on ‘Sex and the City’. The 80-year-old costume designer found it much “more interesting” working alongside someone who is “innovative in her own way” on set. Patricia said: “We kind of spoke the same language. She was innovative in her own way. I say, if I’m a good tennis player, I want to play with another good tennis player. It makes it more interesting.” She also revealed that Sarah’s alter ego’s popular oversized studded belt was worn more than once because she’s obsessed with belts. She said: “I love belts. I use them a lot. “The main thing about a belt is it defines the waist and can be worn over a coat, dress or pant.” View the full article

Published by Reuters WASHINGTON (Reuters) – White House economic adviser Brian Deese on Monday said he expects lawmakers to work through issues with Democrats’ social spending bill this week and vote on the measure in the U.S. House of Representatives next week. “We’ll move this process forward,” Deese, director of the National Economic Council, told CNBC in an interview. (Reporting by Susan Heavey) View the full article

Published by AFP After months of restrictions on travel, the United States is reopening land and air borders to foreign visitors Washington (AFP) – The United States reopens its land and air borders Monday to foreign visitors fully vaccinated against Covid-19, ending 20 months of restrictions on travel from around the globe that separated families, hobbled tourism and strained diplomatic ties. The ban, imposed by former president Donald Trump in early 2020 and upheld by his successor Joe Biden, has been widely criticized and become emblematic of the upheavals caused by the pandemic. The restrictions were particularly unpopular in Europe and US neighbors Canada and Mexico. In an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, US borders were closed after March 2020 to travelers from large parts of the world, including the European Union, Britain and China, India and Brazil. Overland visitors from Mexico and Canada were also banned. The months of restrictions affecting hundreds of millions of people helped fuel both personal and economic suffering brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. “It’s been so hard,” Alison Henry, 63, told AFP. “I just want to see my son.” The British woman plans to fly Monday to see her son in New York, after 20 months of separation. Families on both sides of the Atlantic are eager to finally reunite with their loved ones. Although travel from the United States to Europe has been possible since the summer, foreign US residents holding certain visas have had no guarantee of being able to reenter the country. To cope with surging demand, airlines have increased the number of transatlantic flights and plan to use larger planes, as they work their way out of the pandemic crisis. Along the border with Mexico, many cities in the US states of Texas and California have faced economic struggles due to anti-Covid trade restrictions. Meanwhile, Canadian seniors will be able to resume their annual car trips to Florida to escape the bitter northern winters. But the cost of the PCR tests Canada is requiring for cross-border travel — up to $250 a pop — can be prohibitive. Ann Patchett, an Ontario resident, told the Ottawa Citizen that it will cost $500 for her and her husband to go south to visit family. “Do you want to hug your children? Do you want to tuck your grandchildren into bed?… It’s very frustrating,” she said. New York congressman Brian Higgins, whose district touches the Canadian border and includes the US side of Niagara Falls, plans to hold a news conference Monday with mayors from both countries to urge Canada to drop its testing requirement. Some restrictions remain – Lifting the travel ban will affect more than 30 countries. But entry into the United States will not be totally unregulated: US authorities plan to closely monitor travelers’ vaccination status and will still require them to present negative Covid-19 tests. The United States, from Monday, will require air passengers to be fully vaccinated and be tested within three days before travel. Airlines will be required to put in place a contact tracing system. The land border opening will happen in two phases. Starting Monday, vaccines will be required for “non-essential” trips — such as family visits or tourism — although unvaccinated travelers will still be allowed into the country for “essential” trips, as they have been for the last year and a half. A second phase, beginning in early January, will require all visitors to be fully vaccinated to enter the United States by land, no matter the reason for their trip. US health authorities have said all vaccines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization would be accepted for entry by air. At the moment, this includes the AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Covaxin, Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines. The United States has not yet commented on the increase in Covid-19 cases in Europe. The WHO has expressed “grave concern” over the rising pace of infections in Europe, warning that the current trajectory could mean “another half a million Covid-19 deaths” by February. But speaking for the United States, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said Sunday on ABC that he’s “cautiously optimistic about where we are,” while adding: “We can’t take our foot off the accelerator until we’re at the finish line.” But in Berlin, 51-year-old Elisabeth Zours is ready to hit the gas — or as Mick Jagger would say, the “gas, gas, gas.” A lifelong Rolling Stones fan, Zours had to miss a St. Louis show by the rock supergroup in September due to Covid-19 restrictions and was “frustrated” by the slow US reopening. Now she plans to make up for lost time. “I’ve got tickets for four (US) concerts,” she said. “Their music,” Zours added, “is like a good friend.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Instagram post previews have made a return to Twitter. The photo-sharing platform has brought back support for Twitter to preview a snippet of a post when shared on the rival social media site, nine years after it was removed. Instagram controversially took the feature away when it was acquired by Facebook – which is now known as Meta – in 2012, but it has begun to return to some users this week, according to BBC News. The feature shows a small preview of the Instagram post when it is shared on Twitter, and both platforms have confirmed the reinstated feature will be available to everyone soon. A tweet on Twitter’s official support account read: “If you want to share your latest Instagram post on the Twitter timeline too, you’re in luck: now when you share a link to an IG post in a tweet, it’ll show up as a card with a preview of the photo (sic)” Instagram sparked controversy with users when it removed support for Twitter cards in 2012, and said at the time it wanted to take back control of its content following its merger with social media site Facebook. Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom insisted at the time that the mandate came from himself, and not Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg. He said Instagram was attempting to grow its web platform and shared hopes that the move would help increase traffic. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Kate Abnett GLASGOW (Reuters) – Over and over at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, world leaders have stressed the need to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The 2015 Paris Agreement commits countries to limit the global average temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and to aim for 1.5°C. Scientists have said crossing the 1.5°C threshold risks unleashing far more severe climate change effects on people, wildlife and ecosystems. Preventing it requires almost halving global CO2 emissions by 2030 from 2010 levels and cutting them to net-zero by 2050 — an ambitious task that scientists, financiers, negotiators and activists at COP26 are debating how to achieve and pay for. But what is the difference between 1.5°C and 2°C of warming? We asked several scientists to explain: WHERE ARE WE NOW? Already, the world has heated to around 1.1°C above pre-industrial levels. Each of the last four decades was hotter than any decade since 1850. “We never had such a global warming in only a few decades”, said climate scientist Daniela Jacob at the Climate Service Center Germany. “Half a degree means much more extreme weather, and it can be more often, more intense, or extended in duration.” Just this year, torrential rains flooded China and Western Europe, killing hundreds of people. Hundreds more died when temperatures in the Pacific Northwest hit record highs. Greenland saw massive melting events, wildfires ravaged the Mediterranean and Siberia, and record drought hit parts of Brazil. “Climate change is already affecting every inhabited region across the globe,” said climate scientist Rachel Warren at the University of East Anglia. HEAT, RAIN, DROUGHT More warming to 1.5°C and beyond will worsen such impacts. “For every increment of global warming, changes in extremes become larger,” said climate scientist Sonia Seneviratne at ETH Zurich. For example, heatwaves would become both more frequent and more severe. An extreme heat event that occurred once per decade in a climate without human influence, would happen 4.1 times a decade at 1.5°C of warming, and 5.6 times at 2°C, according to the U.N. climate science panel (IPCC). Let warming spiral to 4°C, and such an event could occur 9.4 times per decade. A warmer atmosphere can also hold more moisture, resulting in more extreme rainfall that raises flood risks. It also increases evaporation, leading to more intense droughts. ICE, SEAS, CORAL REEFS The difference between 1.5°C and 2°C is critical for Earth’s oceans and frozen regions. “At 1.5°C, there’s a good chance we can prevent most of the Greenland and west Antarctic ice sheet from collapsing,” said climate scientist Michael Mann at Pennsylvania State University. That would help limit sea level rise to a few feet by the end of the century – still a big change that would erode coastlines and inundate some small island states and coastal cities. But blow past 2°C and the ice sheets could collapse, Mann said, with sea levels rising up to 10 metres (30 feet)- though how quickly that could happen is uncertain. Warming of 1.5°C would destroy at least 70% of coral reefs, but at 2°C more than 99% would be lost. That would destroy fish habitats and communities that rely on reefs for their food and livelihoods. FOOD, FORESTS, DISEASE Warming of 2°C, versus 1.5°C, would also increase the impact on food production. “If you have crop failures in a couple of the breadbaskets of the world at the same time, then you could see extreme food price spikes and hunger and famine across wide swathes of the world,” said climate scientist Simon Lewis at University College London. A warmer world could see the mosquitoes that carry diseases such as malaria and dengue fever expand across a wider range. But 2°C would also see a bigger share of insects and animals lose most of their habitat range, compared with 1.5°C, and increase the risk of forest fires – another risk to wildlife. ‘TIPPING POINTS’ As the world heats up, the risk increases that the planet will reach “tipping points”, where Earth’s systems cross a threshold that triggers irreversible or cascading impacts. Exactly when those points would be reached is uncertain. Droughts, reduced rainfall, and continued destruction of the Amazon through deforestation, for example, could see the rainforest system collapse, releasing CO2 into the atmosphere rather than storing it. Or warming Arctic permafrost could cause long-frozen biomass to decompose, releasing vast amount of carbon emissions. “That’s why it’s so risky to keep emitting from fossil fuels … because we’re increasing the likelihood that we go over one of those tipping points,” Lewis said. BEYOND 2°C So far, the climate pledges that countries have submitted to the United Nations’ registry of pledges put the world on track for 2.7°C of warming. The International Energy Agency said Thursday https://www.reuters.com/business/cop/net-zero-methane-pledges-push-world-near-paris-climate-goal-iea-2021-11-04 that new promises announced at the COP26 summit – if implemented – could hold warming to below 1.8°C, although some experts challenged that calculation. It remains to be seen whether those promises will translate into real-world action. Warming of 2.7°C would deliver “unliveable heat” for parts of the year across areas of the tropics and subtropics. Biodiversity would be enormously depleted, food security would drop, and extreme weather would exceed most urban infrastructure’s capacity to cope, scientists said. “If we can keep warming below 3°C we likely remain within our adaptive capacity as a civilization, but at 2.7°C warming we would experience great hardship,” said Mann. (Reporting by Kate Abnett; Editing by Katy Daigle and Frances Kerry) View the full article

Published by AFP US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, seen at the White House on September 8, 2021, has defended a vaccine mandate for businesses against a court challenge Washington (AFP) – President Joe Biden’s administration on Sunday issued a vocal defense of a controversial Covid-19 vaccine mandate for large companies despite a court challenge that temporarily freezes the program. “The president and the administration wouldn’t have put these requirements in place if they didn’t think they were appropriate and necessary,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said on ABC talk show “This Week.” “The administration is certainly prepared to defend them.” And White House chief of staff Ron Klain, citing earlier court rulings that upheld state-level mandates, said he was “quite confident” that the mandate would ultimately be upheld. “It’s common sense,” he told NBC’s “Meet the Press.” The federal mandate, designed to push millions of workers at businesses with more than 100 employees into getting Covid-19 shots — or submit to weekly testing — is key to administration efforts to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control. But on Saturday, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said several petitioners opposing the mandate had raised “grave statutory and constitutional issues.” It granted a temporary stay. Petitioners — including five conservative US states as well as several private employers and religious groups — have questioned the federal government’s authority to issue such a nationwide order. Murthy, in defending it, cited a long history of such requirements — going back to George Washington requiring his troops to be inoculated against smallpox — and said that with the country still seeing 75,000 Covid cases a day, “it’s important to take every measure possible to make our workplaces safer.” And with the new mandate not set to take effect until January, Klain expressed confidence courts would by then uphold it. The traditionally conservative Fifth Circuit court, based in New Orleans, Louisiana, ordered the government to reply to petitioners’ motion for a permanent injunction by Monday evening. Senior Biden advisor Cedric Richmond said he was “absolutely” convinced the new rule would survive judicial scrutiny. “We’re very confident we’re on statutory and legal grounds,” he told CBS. “This is about keeping Americans safe.” Should the suspension be upheld it would represent a major setback to one of Biden’s most far-reaching efforts to secure the immunization of American workers, amid predictions of a Covid-19 winter resurgence. Around 58 percent of the total US population was fully vaccinated as of early November, up from half in August as state, local and company mandates were announced. View the full article

Published by AFP Actor Salma Hayek, director Chloe Zhao, actor Angelina Jolie and actor Gemma Chan (L-R) pose at a London screening of their new superhero film 'Eternals' on October 27, 2021 Los Angeles (AFP) – Marvel’s new superhero film “Eternals” took in an estimated $71 million this weekend to top the North American box office, a strong pandemic-era opening if a bit below expectations, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday. Written and directed by Chloe Zhao, fresh off her best-director Oscar win for “Nomadland,” the film faced some of the worst reviews of any Marvel film — the only one to draw a “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes — but has fared well overseas, taking in an impressive $91 million. Led by actors Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden and Gemma Chan, “Eternals” tells the tale of an immortal race of aliens who emerge from several millennia in hiding to save the Earth from the evil Deviants. With “Eternals” gobbling up the biggest chunk of box office pie for the Friday-through-Sunday period, previous leader “Dune” dropped to a very distant second place, at $7.6 million. The Warner Bros. sci-fi thriller, based on the classic Frank Herbert opus, stars Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Oscar Isaac. It follows a family in the distant future fighting for survival on a desert planet plagued by monstrous sandworms. United Artist’s James Bond film “No Time to Die” again placed third, at $6.2 million. The studio says it is Daniel Craig’s last time playing the suave spy. It will be offered on digital platforms starting Tuesday, a quick turnaround after its October 8 release. Sony superhero film “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” moved up a place this weekend, to fourth spot, taking in $4.5 million. Its domestic total is now close to $200 million. And in fifth was 20th Century’s computer-animated sci-fi comedy “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” at $3.6 million. Its voice cast includes Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Olivia Colman. Rounding out the top 10 were: “The French Dispatch” ($2.6 million) “Halloween Kills” ($2.4 million) “Spencer” ($2.1 million) “Antlers” ($2 million) “Last Night in Soho” ($1.8 million) View the full article

Published by AFP Tickets for the event cost up to $500, and attendees were promised the chance to get ‘up close and personal’ with the cadaver Los Angeles (AFP) – The organizer of a pay-to-view autopsy in the United States defended the event Wednesday, after an outcry by the family of the dead man who did not know he would be dissected in front of a live audience. Around 70 people forked over up to $500 each to watch in person an anatomist cut up the body of 98-year-old David Saunders in a hotel ballroom in Oregon last month. Over the course of several hours, Saunders’ organs — including his brain — were removed by Dr. Colin Henderson, a retired professor of anatomy, in a procedure he said he had performed frequently during his teaching career, local broadcaster King 5 reported. Video filmed by the channel shows audience members donning surgical gloves and appearing to touch the body. “It was very educational,” the outlet quoted an attendee named Monica as saying. “It was very respectful to the person that donated their body.” The event was organized by Death Science, which calls itself “an independent education platform that works with educators to teach beyond the classroom.” Tickets for the double-header event said the morning would be “a forensic autopsy on a full human cadaver.” That would be followed in the afternoon by “a formal anatomical dissection (which) will offer us a unique look at what is under our skin, through our bodies and how it all works together.” “There will be several opportunities for attendees to get an up-close-and-personal look at the cadaver,” the ticketing page said. “Cadaver access before, after and during breaks.” In a statement to AFP, Death Science founder Jeremy Ciliberto said the aim of the event “was to create an educational experience for individuals who have an interest in learning more about human anatomy.” No laws broken King 5 reported that family of the dead man had no idea his body would be cut up in front of a paying audience. The news outlet cited the Louisiana funeral director who handled the corpse as saying the family thought it would be used for medical research when it was passed on to Med Ed Labs, a company that solicits corpse donation for “the advancement of medicine and science,” according to its website. Bodies donated for medical science, typically to universities that train medical professionals, are cremated after use and the ashes are returned to next-of-kin. The process removes burial and other costs typically incurred with a funeral. Ciliberto said his company was not privy to any agreement between the dead man’s family and Med Ed Labs, but that the company had confirmed to him “that the provided cadaver was donated for research, medical and educational purposes.” Obteen Nassiri of Med Ed Labs told AFP his company had been unaware of the commercial audience for the autopsy-dissection, and would not have provided the cadaver if they had known. “We were under the impression this donor would be used to train students interested in science, paramedics, medical examiners, coroners offices in anatomical dissections and the study of the human body,” he said. Nassiri said he had spoken with the family. “We’re taking full responsibility and assuming full costs for the return of the body to the family for cremation.” Ciliberto said while he had no further pay-per-view autopsies scheduled at this time, he would take “additional steps” in future collaborations. “We understand that this event has caused undue stress for the family and we apologize for that,” he said. A spokesman for police in Portland, where the event took place, said detectives had consulted with prosecutors and determined no laws had been broken. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall has refused to perform in Russia due to the country’s laws which discriminate against the homosexual community. The 28-year-old pop star – who is joined in the band by Perrie Edwards and Leigh-Anne Pinnock – wants to perform for her group’s fans in the country but she would not compromise her morals. Passed in 2013, Russia’s “gay propaganda” law bans materials that would “[present] distorted ideas about the equal social value of traditional and non-traditional sexual relationships,” and has been condemned by the likes of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. During an appearance on the ‘Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware’ podcast, Jade was asked if she would play a concert in Russia, to which she replied: “I would initially say no. But then for instance we got a gig in Dubai one time, in my mind it either was I don’t go or I go and make a statement and give my fee to a charity. “It’s case by case. I’ve got no intention of going to somewhere like Russia any time soon because I obviously don’t believe in what’s going on there.” Despite her stance, Jade insists that places like Russia need the support of LGBTQ+ allies “more than anywhere else”. She said: “Those places, more than anywhere else, need someone to turn up as an ally and fly that flag for them so they don’t feel so alone. “I think as an Arab woman as well, it’s very important for me with my Middle East fans to show them that they can have someone to look up to and realise they’re not alone in it.” Jade – who has Egyptian-Yemeni heritage from her mother Norma Badwi – went on to discuss her relationship with the LGBTQ+ community and said that being an ally was always a part of her life, but that it wasn’t until recently she understood what it truly meant and how to do it properly. The root of it all was her love for drag culture in early childhood and family holidays to Benidorm where she and her family would go and watch drag shows. She said: “But I suppose if I was to go right to the root of it, my first love was drag culture. I didn’t obviously understand what that was, I would just see these divas like Diana Ross and Cher and be obsessed with them. “I’d always associate Benidorm with this magical land where everyone was accepted. But then we’d come back home and it would be like ‘oh we’re not into that.” Jade says it’s still hard to be openly homosexual in the North of England as outdated prejudices still exist. She said: “For a lot of people they are willing to listen but they just don’t understand it as it’s just passed through generations. So if your grandad is being brought up to be homophobic, of course their son will listen to that, unless they’re gay. “That toxic masculinity will seep through each generation until somebody tries to change it. “It was very much like that growing up, and from a young age I didn’t agree with it, but I didn’t know how to express that I didn’t agree with it.” [This post contains video, click to play] Little Mix Jade Thirlwall LGBTQ Ally on Towleroad Supreme Court Weighs Free speech vs. Texas College’s Censure of Aggressive Anti-LGBT Activist On Its Board of Trustees More Astroworld Stampede: 8 Die; NARCAN Revives Officer ‘Who Felt a Prick In His Neck’; Travis Scott Concert Festival Gets Criminal Probe More Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ Goes Kidz Bop; Mastodon Apologizes For Gay Slur; DaBaby Back With Rolling Loud; Boosie Stays Homophobic: Music Roundup More Chloé Zhao has ‘kept tabs’ on Harry Styles since Dunkirk More Idris Elba thinks Luther can hit James Bond levels More Daniel Craig’s final act as James Bond planned for 15 years More Biden backs payment to families separated at border under Trump More ‘Finally, infrastructure week!’ Biden says, cheering $1 trillion bill More U.S. federal appeals court issues stay on Biden’s vaccine rule for U.S. companies More Hollywood Heiresses! Paris Jackson, Rooney Mara, Billie Lourd & More Celebs Who Inherited Their Family Fortunes More U.S. Democrats pass $1 trln infrastructure bill, ending daylong standoff More Load More View the full article

U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared skeptical that a Texas community college violated the free speech rights of a former member of its board of trustees by censuring him for “reprehensible” behavior during his stormy tenure. Published by Reuters By Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared skeptical that a Texas community college violated the free speech rights of a former member of its board of trustees by censuring him for “reprehensible” behavior during his stormy tenure. The justices heard nearly 90 minutes of oral arguments in Houston Community College’s appeal of a lower court decision to revive a lawsuit by David Wilson that claimed that the school’s censure – a formal act of discipline – violated the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment protection from government abridgement of free speech. Questions posed by the justices indicated that they may be reluctant to limit the ability of publicly elected bodies to respond to a member’s speech or conduct with censure. Wilson was publicly elected to the school’s board of trustees. Censure has been employed by democratic institutions throughout U.S. history. Members of the U.S. Congress have faced censure on occasion dating back two centuries, including in recent decades. Wilson’s lawyer, Michael Kimberly, told the justices that censures like the one meted out by the college have a chilling effect on the speech of elected members, prompting skepticism from some of the justices. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts said siding with Wilson would cause “a chilling effect the other way.” “A majority of a board wants to say something about what they regard as whatever reprehensible or offensive conduct – and yet their speech is going to be chilled if you prevail today,” Roberts told Kimberly. Liberal Justice Stephen Breyer expressed concern about the Supreme Court attempting to “oversee” other branches of government. Wilson served from 2013 to 2019 on the board at the college, a public institution in the largest city in Texas, with an enrollment of more than 50,000 students. Some justices expressed discomfort with certain other punishments doled out to Wilson beyond the actual censure, including denying reimbursement for travel expenses. Wilson is described in local media accounts as a longtime anti-LGBT activist. He previously mounted a petition to amend Houston’s city charter to bar men “who perceive or express themselves as women” from entering women’s restrooms, according to the Houston Chronicle. Wilson said he ran for a board seat to expose college mismanagement. He criticized board decisions in the news media and through robocalls, hired a private investigator to uncover alleged corruption, claimed on his website that other board members had engaged in unethical or illegal conduct and sued the board twice for actions he opposed. The board voted to censure him in 2018, finding that his conduct was “not only inappropriate, but reprehensible.” The discipline also revoked his privileges as a trustee to access certain funds for college-related travel and other activities. Wilson sued to stop the censure’s enforcement, seeking monetary damages including for mental anguish. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2020 overturned a federal judge’s decision to throw out the case, allowing it to proceed. The 5th Circuit ruled that a “reprimand against an elected official for speech addressing a matter of public concern is an actionable First Amendment claim.” (Reporting by Andrew Chung in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham) Free Speech Anti-gay on Towleroad Astroworld Stampede: 8 Die; NARCAN Revives Officer ‘Who Felt a Prick In His Neck’; Travis Scott Concert Festival Gets Criminal Probe More Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ Goes Kidz Bop; Mastodon Apologizes For Gay Slur; DaBaby Back With Rolling Loud; Boosie Stays Homophobic: Music Roundup More Chloé Zhao has ‘kept tabs’ on Harry Styles since Dunkirk More Idris Elba thinks Luther can hit James Bond levels More Daniel Craig’s final act as James Bond planned for 15 years More Biden backs payment to families separated at border under Trump More ‘Finally, infrastructure week!’ Biden says, cheering $1 trillion bill More U.S. federal appeals court issues stay on Biden’s vaccine rule for U.S. companies More Hollywood Heiresses! Paris Jackson, Rooney Mara, Billie Lourd & More Celebs Who Inherited Their Family Fortunes More U.S. Democrats pass $1 trln infrastructure bill, ending daylong standoff More US Navy names ship after assassinated gay rights campaigner More Load More View the full article

=Buck Slip8 Dead, Many injured in Stampede Ending Travis Scott’s Astroworld FestivalPolice open a criminal probe of the ‘mass casualty event’ as medics find evidence of needle mark on neck of security who said he felt it as stampede started and was later was revived with NARCAN, the opiate antidote. Festival limited to 50,000 attendees though venue has had 200,000. Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival 2019 Photo by Alexander Londoño Published by Reuters By Erwin Seba HOUSTON (Reuters) -A crush of fans pushing toward the stage during rap star Travis Scott’s Astroworld music festival in Houston killed at least eight people and injured dozens more as panic rippled through the crowd of largely young concertgoers, officials said on Saturday. City Police Chief Troy Finner said his department has opened a criminal investigation by homicide and narcotics detectives following unconfirmed reports that someone in the audience “was injecting other people with drugs.” The disaster unfolded at NRG Park at around 9:30 p.m. on Friday during the headline performance by Scott, a Grammy-nominated singer and producer, following what police and members of the crowd described as an escalation of unruly behavior. As some in the sold-out audience of about 50,000 surged toward the stage, people began to fall unconscious https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/travis-scotts-astroworld-concert-pauses-then-restarts-amid-deaths-injuries-2021-11-06, some apparently suffering cardiac arrest or other medical issues, officials told reporters outside the venue. Minutes later the chaos was declared a “mass casualty incident.” “It happened all at once. It seemed like it just happened … over the course of just a few minutes,” said Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite, who was at the front of the event when the situation began. Satterwhite said he immediately met with promoters and they agreed to halt the show. Officials said the concert was brought to an end by 10:10 p.m. Finner said that among the “narratives” under review by police were reports suggesting “some individual was injecting other people with drugs.” One report involved a security officer “who felt a prick in his neck” as he was trying to restrain or grab someone and then fell unconscious, only to be revived with a dose of the opioid antidote NARCAN, Finner said, citing an account from medical personnel who treated the officer. Finner said the medical staff also noticed what appeared to be a needle mark on the officer’s neck. It was not clear whether authorities suspected such an episode played a role in the crowd surge, but Finner said, “we’re going to get down to the bottom of it.” City Fire Chief Samuel Peña said it appeared the venue had ample exit routes for fans and that none was obstructed. Twenty-five people were taken to hospitals by ambulance after the crush began, some of them in cardiac arrest, with 13 still hospitalized on Saturday – five under age 18 – following the discharge of four patients, Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters. Eight people died. Most ranged in age from 14 to 27, though one victim’s age was not immediately known, Turner said. ‘IT FELT LIKE A RIOT’ After mobbing entrance gates and merchandise booths early in the day, the crowd grew increasingly unruly https://www.reuters.com/world/us/countdown-clock-choke-points-led-chaos-houston-rap-concert-2021-11-06 as performers took the stage, according to 19-year-old festival goer Hamad Al Barrak. “There were just too many people,’ said Al Barrak, who described chaos as he tried to buy festival gear. “We were all pressed together. You felt like you couldn’t breathe.” Albert Merza, 43, part of a group of eight people from Detroit attending the festival, recounted seeing “a lot of drinking and crazy behavior.” “It felt like a riot,” he said, adding that it appeared about half the crowd were under age 21. “There were people throwing out stuff, objects flying everywhere.” Nick Johnson, 17, said he witnessed a steady rise of disruptive behavior before the stampede. “It was going on for over two hours, and it just got worse and worse,” he said. An incident earlier in the day in which fans started “rushing” the festival gates was brought under control relatively quickly, said Finner, the police chief, adding it appeared unrelated to the deadly stampede later. Finner said police had 528 officers assigned to the festival on Friday, along with 755 private security personnel. Peña said the venue could theoretically have held up to 200,000 but that organizers limited the crowd to 50,000, and that number seemed accurate based on ticket sales. Houston-born Scott said he was “absolutely devastated” and vowed to support the police as they investigate.” “My prayers go out to the families and all those impacted,” Scott wrote https://twitter.com/trvisXX/status/1457018948109705217 on Twitter. “Love You All.” Peña described how the crush of fans quickly overwhelmed the private medical personnel for the festival, a two-day affair that was scheduled to culminate on Saturday https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/deadly-texas-concert-crush-who-is-travis-scott-what-is-astroworld-2021-11-06, but was canceled after Friday night’s tragedy. Videos posted to social media showed a chaotic scene as fans and staff tried to bring attention to injured concertgoers. One video showed fans attempting to make camera operators aware of the dangerous situation. A separate video showed people waving toward the stage and chanting “Stop the show!” The investigation is likely to focus on security and safety protocols. Two weeks ago, another Houston concert was canceled after fans pushed into a Playboi Carti show being held within the same NRG Park complex. Jennifer Ortega, 22, who arrived at Friday’s event at about 1 p.m. said access was orderly at that time. But by 4 p.m. the crowd at the smaller of the festival’s two stages “got pretty reckless,” with people throwing water bottles. She said she saw about three people leaving the area with bloody noses and missing teeth. Organizers said they were cooperating with police. “We are focused on supporting local officials however we can,” Astroworld Fest, an event organized by Live Nation Entertainment, said on Twitter. FANS IN DISTRESS Scott stopped multiple times during his 75-minute performance when he spotted fans in distress near the stage and asked security to ensure their safety, video posted online showed. Emergency vehicles, lights and alarms flashing, cut through the audience several times. “We need somebody to help. Somebody passed out right here,” Scott said, according to video of his set, which included a guest appearance by Canadian rapper Drake. “Security, somebody, jump in here real quick.” Another video clip showed police performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on several people even as music blared in the background. The tragedy harkens back to a 1979 concert by British rock band The Who in which 11 people were killed when fans stampeded into the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati before the event. (Factbox: Some of the world’s worst stampedes https://www.reuters.com/world/some-worlds-worst-stampedes-2021-11-06) Scott, who came to fame in the early 2010s for his unique vocal style has a daughter with Kylie Jenner from the famed Kardashian family. Astroworld is also the name of his third studio album released in 2018 to critical acclaim. (Reporting by Erwin Seba and Gary McWilliams in Houston; Rich McKay in Atlanta; Bhargav Acharya and Sabahatjahan Contractor in Bengaluru; Timothy Gardener and Pete Schroeder in Washington; Nathan Layne in Kenosha, Wisconsin; Writing by Frank McGurty, Nathan Layne and Steve Gorman; Editing by Giles Elgood, Frances Kerry and Daniel Wallis) Astroworld 2019 Photo by Alexander Londoño Astroworld Travis Scott Concert on Towleroad Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ Goes Kidz Bop; Mastodon Apologizes For Gay Slur; DaBaby Back With Rolling Loud; Boosie Stays Homophobic: Music Roundup More Chloé Zhao has ‘kept tabs’ on Harry Styles since Dunkirk More Idris Elba thinks Luther can hit James Bond levels More Daniel Craig’s final act as James Bond planned for 15 years More Biden backs payment to families separated at border under Trump More ‘Finally, infrastructure week!’ Biden says, cheering $1 trillion bill More U.S. federal appeals court issues stay on Biden’s vaccine rule for U.S. companies More Hollywood Heiresses! Paris Jackson, Rooney Mara, Billie Lourd & More Celebs Who Inherited Their Family Fortunes More U.S. Democrats pass $1 trln infrastructure bill, ending daylong standoff More US Navy names ship after assassinated gay rights campaigner More Protestors Say Joe Manchin Tried To Hit Them With His Luxury Car As Votes On Key Biden Bills Stall More Load More View the full article

Lil Nas XLil Nas X Goes Kidz Bop Lil Nas X’s statement piece “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” reigned so long atop the pop charts that it only made sense that Kidz Bop, the long-running music series that covers pop music for child audiences, would add it to its collection. But the reworked version of the song has drawn some criticism from Lil Nas X fans for stripping out references to LGBTQ identities. The cover expectedly removes references to drugs and sexual acts in the song, but lyrics that center its voice as queer ( and even some that don’t) have also been reworked. The Kidz Bop version removes the word “boy” from the line “You live in the dark, boy, I cannot pretend” and changes biblical references to Eve and the Garden of Eden to, as one commenter put it, “degayify” the song. According to XXL, Madison referred to Boosie’s multiple claims that he arranged for a “grown woman” to perform oral sex on his underage son. Charlamagne joined with Madison, saying no street rapper or anyone else has the right to label Lil Nas X as a threat to children whenever so many other topics popularized in hip-hop have had adverse effects on children as well. He included “violence towards people, selling celebration of drugs, using or selling” as examples. Boosie responded via Twitter reply, though he replied to tweet celebrating the anniversary of the film “Paid In Full” rather than any of Charlamagne’s tweets. “They still got my name [in] they mouth bout that gay shit LOL,” Boosie wrote. “[Charlamagne] U part of the problem keep egging these people on your show with this bro. U using your platform to support Nas X [and] his antics (I see what side U on) He said fuck y’all kids SMH dummies.” Charlamagne responded to Boosie on Wednesday’s edition “The Breakfast Club,” saying “I’m not on no side. I’m on the side of Blackness.” Montero: Previously on Towleroad Lil Nas X’s ‘Montero’ Goes Kidz Bop; Mastodon Apologizes For Gay Slur; DaBaby Back With Rolling Loud; Boosie Stays Homophobic: Music Roundup Brian Bell November 6, 2021 Read More Dolly Parton Hits the Humble, Generous High Notes: ‘Honored And Flattered’ Lil Nas X Covers ‘Jolene,’ Says It’s ‘Really, Really Good’ Towleroad September 30, 2021 Read More First of R. Kelly Male Victims Testifies; Was 17 When Singer Asked What He ‘Was Willing to do for Music’; Filmed Acts; Told To Call Him ‘Daddy’ Towleroad September 1, 2021 Read More Lil Nas X New Relationship is Under Wraps; Had ‘Good Boyfriends and Some Bad Ones’; This is ‘Someone Special ‘. It’s ‘effortless’ Towleroad August 25, 2021 Read More Cardi B and Lizzo Together Tweak More White Supremacists and Fat Shamers Than Usual. Get Right With ‘Rumors’; Let Them ‘be great’, Offset Urges Towleroad August 24, 2021 Read More Britney Spears Topless Photos Are Being Posted By the Singer Herself. She Says It’s Strong, Not Sleazy and Reveals Rationale Michael Goff August 18, 2021 Read More Screenshot from YouTube View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English ‘Eternals’ director Chloé Zhao says she has “kept tabs” on Harry Styles since ‘Dunkirk’. Chloe admitted that Harry and Eros were very much a “package deal” and she only wanted to introduce the character to her movie if he was portrayed by Harry. She told Deadline: “Harry as Eros was very much a package deal for me. I pitched the idea of Pip the Troll [voiced by Patton Oswald in Eternals] and Eros to Kevin [Feige, Marvel Studios President] a while back, and I love the idea of exploring an Eternal who is beyond Titan and who may have influenced Thanos throughout the years the same way Eternals influenced us, earthlings. “And then, it wasn’t like I suggested Eros, and let’s go find actors. I kept tabs on Harry since Dunkirk, I thought he was very interesting. After meeting him I saw he is that character—the same way I cast the rest of my cast. There’s so much of Eros in him. For me, if he says yes, and Kevin says yes, then it’s a go. And I’m very happy they both did.” Harry appears in a post-credits scene alongside Patton, in which their characters meet up with Thena (Angelina Jolie), Druig (Barry Keoghan), and Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), who are left confused and need assistance after Arishem the Judge (David Kaye) takes Sersi (Gemma Chan), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), and Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry). And Richard Madden, who plays Ikaris, admitted he is excited to see how their characters fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He said: “It’s all still a mystery. I want to know more about that little goblin that popped up. Who is that guy?” View the full article