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Published by BANG Showbiz English Cher is launching her own gelato brand. The 77-year-old star has taken to social media to announce that she's created a special gelato with dessert experts, called Cherlato. The singer – who is one of the best-selling music artists of all time – said on Instagram: “Yep, this is real … I'm launching my gelato … Watch out LA! All started 5 years ago and now it's finally happening. More to come … (sic)” Cher teased her new venture earlier this year, when she revealed via Twitter that she was poised to meet with a renowned ice cream maker. She explained at the time: “Having meeting about my … Read More View the full article

Published by Euronews (English) A growing network of foreign organisations are pouring hundreds of millions of euros into “culture war” groups campaigning to roll back LGBTQ+ rights across Europe, European lawmakers have warned. In a resolution published earlier this month, the European Parliament raised the alarm about foreign interference in all democratic processes in Europe, pointing out that most of the foreign funding originates from Russia and the US. This foreign interference, coupled with disinformation and numerous attacks perpetrated by malicious foreign actors, is predicted to increase in the lead-up to the Europ… Read More View the full article

Published by Front Page Detectives By day, he was a devoted husband, a perfect father and a seemingly respectable member of his community. He loved to help neighbors, raise money for charities and entertain kids as Pogo the Clown. Once, the local Jaycees even voted John Wayne Gacy their Man of the Year. But by night, Gacy was one of America’s most prolific serial killers: responsible for savagely raping, torturing and slaughtering at least 33 boys and young men during a six-year wave of terror in the 1970s. “He was a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a man with two faces,” says shocked friend and neighbor Anthony de Laurentis. Sadistic … Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kris Tyson has come out as transgender. The 27-year-old YouTube star – who is best known for collaborating with MrBeast on the video-sharing website – was born as a boy and was initially known as Chris Tyson but has now announced that she is “fully confident” that she is a woman. Speaking in a video posted to YouTube, Kris said: “I am a woman! She/her. I've never said that publicly, but I've been fully confident in that decision for over a year now. I wasn't quite sure who I was yet, but I knew I was not cisgender. So I needed the freedom to be able to express myself and be able to figure out … Read More View the full article

Published by uPolitics.com On Friday, the White House announced that seven leading artificial intelligence companies have agreed to voluntary safeguards on the technology's development. President Joe Biden and his administration have vowed to manage the new tools as A.I. continues to rise in popularity. Amazon, Anthropic, Google, Inflection, Meta, Microsoft and OpenAI formally committed to new standards for security during a meeting with Biden. All seven companies have been attempting to outdo each other with different versions of A.I. that can create text, photos, music and video completely on their own. “We must be cl… Read More View the full article

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the country's parliament in Jerusalem on July 24, 2023. AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo David Mednicoff, UMass Amherst Israel's parliament passed a law on July 24, 2023, that limits the Supreme Court's ability to rein in government actions, part of a broader proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to strengthen the power of the country's executive branch. The legislation has divided the country for months, sparking massive demonstrations. Opponents say the law threatens democracy; supporters argue it protects the will of the electoral majority. Netanyahu has been a political force and survivor in Israeli politics since the 1990s. Yet it makes sense to assess his career now in light of his recent hospitalizations, the latest coming in the middle of the court reform crisis. As a scholar of Middle Eastern politics, I think that Netanyahu's long-term legacy will be based on three major developments. He has shifted Israeli politics rightward. He has stymied the emergence of a Palestinian state. He has increased Israel's links to nondemocratic foreign governments. From democracy to theocracy Netanyahu served as prime minister from 1996 to 1999. He returned to power from 2009 to 2021, and once again in 2022. A country once known for left-leaning politics now has a right-wing government dominated by Jewish religious nationalists who spearheaded the efforts to curb judicial checks on executive power. Netanyahu began his first term as prime minister in 1996 with two main qualities – experience living and working in the U.S. and a record focused on Israeli's military security. Israeli police disperse demonstrators blocking the entrance to Israel's parliament during a July 24, 2023, protest in Jerusalem against plans to overhaul the judicial system. AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean The first quality meant he understood American politics and interest groups. That helped Israel keep and enhance its historic strong support from the U.S. government. The second set him up for political success in a country in which the army is a key – and revered – institution. Massive U.S. foreign aid and military assistance over many years, along with Netanyahu's political backing, have ensured that Israel's army is far more powerful and well equipped than the armed forces of any other nearby country. Netanyahu typically portrayed himself as the only leader who could keep his country and its economy secure. Like other elected strongmen, he and his allies have gained support from, and encouraged, right-wing nationalists and divisive politics. With Netanyahu, that meant allying himself strongly with Jewish settlers – many of them Orthodox – in the West Bank in what international law considers to be occupied Palestinian territory. Because Orthodox Jewish families tend to be larger than more secular ones, Israel's demography has favored politicians and voters who skew towards Netanyahu's consistent support for the settler movement and broader focus on security. The longer Netanyahu has held power in Israel, the more allegations of corruption and criminal conduct he has faced. His personal legal vulnerability has likely reinforced his autocratic tendencies. Netanyahu's 2022 government demonstrated its authoritarian tilt with the push for the judicial reform bill that will hobble the Israeli judiciary's capacity to review legislation and government action. This reform appeals to important sectors of Netanyahu's supporters who see the Supreme Court's power as an inappropriate secular check on Israel's increasingly pro-settler and pro-Orthodox government. But it has been divisive: The mass protests against the reform have even spread to prominent military personnel. Today's Israel is marked by growing splits between secular, urbanized citizens near the Mediterranean coast and Orthodox and other settlers in or near the West Bank. The two groups have different visions for Israel's future, with the latter citizens pushing the country in a more theocratic direction. This divisive battle over Israel's nature owes a great deal to Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership. A Palestinian woman sits outside her torched home in the West Bank on June 24, 2023, days after it was set on fire by Jewish settlers rampaging after four Israelis were killed by Palestinian gunmen. AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean Distancing Palestinians Netanyahu has long pledged to avoid compromising with Palestinians over control of territory and security in the West Bank and Gaza, areas under Israeli military control since 1967. And he allowed rapid expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. He has rarely wavered from these two policies. Among his most tangible legacies is the physical barrier now separating West Bank Palestinians from Israelis, which gives Israeli authorities great control over how West Bank Palestinians enter Israel. The barrier has kept Israeli Jews from much contact with Palestinians other than during military service. This physical separation and a strong Israeli military presence have decreased Palestinian attacks within Israel and increased misery in Palestinian-controlled areas, for example, by making travel into Israel and other countries difficult. Netanyahu's approach has minimized pressure on Jewish Israelis to make a final deal that would trade occupied land for a broader peace based on separate Israeli and Palestinian states. It has also deprived Palestinians of some basic liberties and opportunities, particularly in Gaza, which human rights activists have called an “open-air prison.” In fact, Netanyahu has used his formidable military to strike hard when he deems necessary in Gaza, the area between Israel and Egypt that Israel unilaterally returned to Palestinian control in 2004. Hamas, a Palestinian group that advocates military action against Israel, is in charge of Gaza. Reflecting the sentiments of his right-wing base, Netanyahu has had a generally consistent response to Hamas, and Palestinians more generally. Israel, he says, awaits Palestinian consensus that Israel is a Jewish state, with Jerusalem as its capital, and with no right for Palestinians to return to their pre-1948 homes in Israel. Many Palestinians find these conditions unfair, particularly as a precondition to negotiations. Coupled with the Netanyahu government's vast expansion of Jewish settlements, many veteran observers doubt that a two-state solution with Israeli and Palestinian states remains possible. Reshaping Israel's alliances Netanyahu has aligned himself with strongman leaders across the globe, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, left, with whom Netanyahu, right, met in Jerusalem on Feb. 19, 2019. AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, Pool Bolstering the Israeli right and undermining Palestinian statehood have accompanied efforts by Netanyahu to reshape Israel's foreign relations. Those efforts stem in part from his relentless drive to curb Iran's influence in the Middle East. Tehran's leaders are unremittingly hostile toward Israel. Netanyahu has played up this hostility to domestic and international audiences, even urging the U.S. to attack Iran. The prime minister's anti-Iranian campaign connects to strengthening ties to other countries, whether or not they are democratic, with an interest in combating Tehran and its funding of pro-Iranian militant groups, which encourage anti-Israeli politics and attacks in many Arab countries. Shared security goals, perhaps more than anything else, explain the significant willingness of the United Arab Emirates and several other Arab countries to establish diplomatic ties with Israel through the Abraham Accords of 2020. More generally, Netanyahu's long time in office and his willingness to fan racist flames have endeared him to other rulers who embrace authoritarian or divisive tactics, such as Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and former U.S. President Donald Trump. Yet Netanyahu's policies are also causing major cracks in support for Israel from its central ally, the U.S. In recent years, Israeli and American Jews have diverged increasingly on the ethics and importance of Palestinian autonomy. In turn, organizations working with the Israeli government have tried to silence pro-Palestinian voices in the U.S., often by calling them anti-Semitic. Moreover, Netanyahu's authoritarian tendencies and his government's rightist and theocratic tendencies have amplified American voices of those who have been skeptical that Israel is democratic and who have called for reductions in U.S. support. Netanyahu has helped reshape Israel and the broader world in profound ways. It's clear that the country's military security and cooperation with major Arab states in the Middle East have expanded. But I see the darker side of the prime minister's emphasis on military and security solutions in the erosion of hopes for Palestinians and challenges for Israel to remain democratic. This story contains passages from an earlier story published on June 14, 2021. David Mednicoff, Chair, Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies, and Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Public Policy, UMass Amherst This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

In a move as unexpected as a plot twist in a thriller, Elon Musk, Twitter Inc's owner, announced a radical rebranding. The iconic blue bird logo is being replaced with an ‘X'. This comes after Musk admitted that advertisers have been slow to return, impacting Twitter's cash flow. “Interim X logo goes live later today,” Musk tweeted, adding that “X.com” would now redirect to Twitter's website. Musk's X Corp has taken over Twitter, in a surprising move. Musk also polled his followers on changing the site's color scheme from blue to black. “And soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds,” he said. The company said it would comment on the changes later. Twitter's new CEO, Linda Yaccarino, tweeted: “It's an exceptionally rare thing – in life or in business – that you get a second chance to make another big impression. Twitter made one massive impression and changed the way we communicate. Now, X will go further, transforming the global town square.” Under Musk's leadership, the company has changed its business name to X Corp, reflecting Musk's vision to create a “super app” like China's WeChat. In April, Twitter's blue bird logo was temporarily replaced by Dogecoin's Shiba Inu dog, causing a surge in the cryptocurrency's market value. The company faced criticism when Musk announced that Twitter would limit how many tweets per day various accounts can read. This move helped rival service Threads, owned by Meta Platforms, to cross 100 million sign-ups within five days of its July 5 launch. As we bid farewell to the blue bird and welcome the ‘X', we can't help but marvel at Musk's audacious ambitions. Having already seen Twitter's value halve under his watch, he now sets his sights on transforming it into a ‘super app' akin to China's WeChat. With such a track record, one can only imagine the ‘improvements' in store. After all, why stop at minor setbacks when you can aim for a spectacular downfall? Only time will tell if this bold move will be a game-changer or just another chapter in the saga of Musk's grandiose misadventures. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Christopher Nolan has wanted to make ‘Oppenheimer’ since he was a teenager. The 52-year-old director is at the helm of the nuclear biopic that stars Cillian Murphy as the man responsible for the research and design of an atomic bomb during World War II and explained that the life of the historic scientist had been “on his radar” for decades before eventually bringing it to the big screen. He told The Bulletin: “It’s something that’s been on my radar for a number of years. I was a teenager in the ‘80s, the early ‘80s in England. It was the peak of CND, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the Gree… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Britney Spears already has enough material “for several albums” – but she plans to focus on her book release. The 41-year-old pop star is set to release her tell-all memoir, ‘The Woman In Me', in October, and that'll be her focus over the coming months. A source told DailyMail.com: “As far as a new album coming out, she has a ton of content never heard already – enough for several albums. “She is going to focus on her book release before tackling that, though. This will be a mountain.” Despite this, Britney has released a new collaboration with will.i.am, called ‘Mind Your Business'. The track… Read More View the full article

Published by OK Magazine No more fillers! On Saturday, July 22, Blac Chyna uploaded a series of photos showing off her new figure after the reality TV star recently removed her breast and butt implants and dissolved her face filler. “Get into it,” she penned alongside the photoshoot, where she wore an adorable tight fitting white dress, green hoop earrings and some brown platform shoes. In response, fans took to the comments section of the post promoting Chyna's brand, Hearts Pure. “Y'all can hate all y'all want but, sis has always been fine. No homo ,” one fan wrote regarding the transformation, while another cla… Read More View the full article

Published by New York Daily News Conservatives aren't playing with “Barbie,” with many on the right slamming the colorful blockbuster as a “woke … flaming garbage heap.” The likes of conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, Sen. Ted Cruz, and the wife of U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz are among those who have taken to the streets — also known as social media and Fox News — to denounce Greta Gerwig's film, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Dubbed a “flaming garbage heap of a film,” Shapiro tweeted that the flick is “one of the most woke movies I have ever seen.” Speaking on Fox News, 52-year-old Cruz admitted to not having seen th… Read More View the full article

Published by The Street By Daniel Kline Anheuser-Busch just wanted to sell more beer. The company wasn't making a grand statement supporting transgender rights or LGBTQ+ causes when it hired social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Instead, the beer company wanted to leverage the transgender social media star's audience to sell Bud Light to a community that presumably has not been reached by Anheuser-Busch's (BUD) – Get Free Report traditional advertising mix of Americana, low-brow humor, and bikini models. Kid Rock and the right-wing country music stars who have made boycotting the brand a passion project (although R… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Matt Healy has again mocked Malaysia's anti-gay officials after they banned his band from performing in their country. His The 1975 group was barred from gigging in the nation, where same-sex activity is illegal, after he protested the laws by kissing his male bassist Ross MacDonald, 34, on stage during their show on Friday (21.07.23) at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur. Matt, 34, joked on his Instagram Stories on Saturday (22.07.23) as news about the ban made global headlines: “Ok well why don't you try and not make out with Ross for 20 years. Not as easy as it looks.” The singer then … Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sir Elton John “loved and adored” Tony Bennett. The 76-year-old singer has taken to social media to heap praise on the legendary crooner, who passed away on Friday (21.07.23), aged 96. Alongside a throwback photo of them together, Elton wrote on Instagram: “So sad to hear of Tony's passing. Without doubt the classiest singer, man, and performer you will ever see. He's irreplaceable. I loved and adored him. Condolences to Susan, Danny and the family.” Elsewhere, Billy Joel has hailed Bennett as a “unique voice” and “one of the nicest human beings” he's ever met. The 74-year-old star wrote on In… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Robbie Williams is still “teetering on anxiety and darkness”. Although the 49-year-old singer / songwriter loves his life with wife Ayda Field and their four children, he admitted that he still has difficult days with his mental health and needs to ensure he is looks after himself. According to The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column, he said: “I've got my 50th coming up. Maybe there is a different way to be and do things. “That gives me an idea for a TV show … ‘Robbie Williams Does Things Differently' and I just give those things a go. I am constantly teetering on anxiety and darkness. “It doesn't… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Dame Joanna Lumley is “thrilled” Queen Camilla is no longer called Queen Consort. The 76-year-old royal's title was changed after she and husband King Charles were formally crowned in May, and the ‘Absolutely Fabulous' star believes her friend is a “tremendous asset” and “wonderful figurehead” for the country. She told Britain's HELLO! magazine: “I think she's going to be a completely wonderful Queen. I'm thrilled that she's called Queen Camilla, rather than Queen Consort, because that is her name. “And I think Queen Camilla is a tremendous asset, a wonderful figurehead and a tremendous name t… Read More View the full article

Published by OK Magazine No man in Hollywood has aged better than Brad Pitt! The Once Upon A Time In Hollywood star has been one of the biggest names in the business for decades, mainly due to his excellent acting chops and exquisite looks. Despite having multiple public scandals and legal battles relating to his divorce from his former wife Angelina Jolie, Pitt seems to be glowing lately while embarking on a new romance with girlfriend Ines de Ramon. “It's widely known that Brad is dealing with a lot of legal drama but Ines' feelings for him haven't wavered whatsoever,” the source explained of their relationship. “If… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Jamie Foxx went to “hell and back” during his recent health scare. The 55-year-old Hollywood star has maintained a low profile since being rushed to hospital with an undisclosed medical issue back in April but he recently took to Instagram to share a video update and reveal that while he is recovering, there was a time when he didn't know if he “was going to make it through”. Jamie said on Instagram: “I went through something I never thought I would go through. I know a lot of people [were] waiting or wanting to hear an update, but to be honest with you, I didn't want you to see me like that m… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Rachel Nostrant and Julia Harte (Reuters) – Matthew Keith bought his first Barbie dolls in the 1970s using his allowance money, hiding them from his parents for fear they would say the toys were not masculine enough. Today, 22 feet of bookshelves in his Los Angeles home are filled with his Barbie collection, worth around $20,000. The middle school teacher's Instagram account, “DollsOnTheBrain,” has more than 70,000 followers – about 15,000 of whom he picked up in the last few weeks. What used to be an arcane hobby has become far more popular recently, fueled by the advertising campaign and … Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters LIMA (Reuters) – A Peruvian high court has ordered same-sex unions to be legally registered in public records, marking a victory for the LGBTQ community in a country that has been reluctant to recognize gay couples. The ruling, published on Friday, followed a case brought by a gay Peruvian citizen who sued the registration office for refusing to record her 2019 marriage overseas, saying her constitutional rights were violated. Representatives of the office were not immediately available for comment. Peru is one of the few countries in Latin America that has not recognized same-sex marriage, th… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Saturday renewed an attack on the European Union for conducting what he called an “LGBTQ offensive”, saying his nationalist government would protect the country's Christian roots. In a speech in Romania, Orban – a long-standing critic of Brussels – also said he hoped next year's European parliament elections would strengthen governments within the bloc that reject the “federalism” represented by Germany and France. In power since 2010, Orban passed a law in 2021 banning the use of materials seen as promoting homosexuality and gender… Read More View the full article

Published by Euronews (English) British bank The 1975 have fallen foul of Malaysian authorities by protesting against the country's strict anti-homosexual laws. Lead singer Matty Healy sparked fury within the government by attacking the anti-gay legislation and kissing a male bandmate during their performance at the start of the Good Vibes Festival last night. Healey used profanity in his speech before kissing bass player Ross MacDonald. Footage of the fiasco was posted on social media and sparked a backlash in the predominantly Muslim nation. In response, Malaysia's Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil described… Read More View the full article