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Published by Reuters By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) -British police said on Monday they would be taking no further action after conducting a review of evidence relating to sex crime allegations against Queen Elizabeth’s son, Prince Andrew, and the late U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein. London’s police chief, Cressida Dick, said in August that detectives would look at the allegations for a third time although they would not start an investigation, after Virginia Giuffre filed a U.S. lawsuit accusing the prince of sexual assault, which he has always denied. Cressida Dick had said at the time that “no one is above the law”. “As a matter of procedure MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) officers reviewed a document released in August 2021 as part of a U.S. civil action,” the police said in a statement on Monday. “This review has concluded and we are taking no further action.” In her civil lawsuit, Giuffre, 38, has accused Andrew of forcing her to have sex when she was underage at the London home of Epstein’s longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Giuffre also said Andrew, 61, abused her at Epstein’s mansion in Manhattan, and on Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The British royal, the ninth in line to the throne, has always denied those allegations or having any relationship with Giuffre. He was forced to step down from royal duties over his friendship with Epstein, who committed suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while being held on sex-trafficking charges. “It comes as no surprise that the Met Police have confirmed that, having reviewed the sex assault claims against the duke for a third time, they are taking no further action,” a source close to the prince said. “Despite pressure from the media and claims of new evidence, the Met have concluded that the claims are not sufficient to warrant any further investigation. The duke has always vigorously maintained his innocence and continues to do so.” The Sunday Times had reported this week that London police had spoken to Giuffre regarding her allegations. “The Metropolitan Police Service continues to liaise with other law enforcement agencies who lead the investigation into matters related to Jeffrey Epstein,” the police said in their statement. Last week, lawyers for Andrew, the queen’s second son, were given permission to examine a confidential 2009 agreement between Epstein and Giuffre which they hope will absolve him from all liability in the case. (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Timothy Heritage and Andrew Heavens) View the full article

Published by AFP The clean-up has shuttered long stretches of coastline to the soth of Los Angeles, in an area known for its surfing Los Angeles (AFP) – A fractured pipeline that spewed crude oil off the coast of California could have been leaking for a year, US investigators said Friday. Tens of thousands of gallons of oil are feared to have leeched into waters that are home to whales, dolphins and otters since a leak was discovered last weekend. Stretches of prime surfing coastline have been shuttered as clean-up crews raced to prevent the spoiling of beaches, and rescue animals caught up in the slick. US news outlets reported that a ship’s anchor could have been responsible for dragging the pipeline along the seabed and splitting it open. But Coast Guard officials investigating the incident said Friday the rupture might not be new, and could have happened as long as a year ago. Captain Jason Neubauer said multiple ships’ anchors may have contributed to the displacement of the pipe, and it was not initially clear when the leak began. Underwater video of the damaged pipeline shows “marine growth” around the 13-inch crack that is leaking oil — something that would not have appeared overnight. This discovery “has refocused the … timeframe of our investigation to at least several months to a year ago,” Neubauer said. A routine inspection by pipeline owner Amplify Energy which took place last October showed no damage, he said. “We’re going to be looking at every vessel movement over that pipeline and every close encroachment over the past year,” Neubauer said. That will include examining satellite images, radio broadcasts and vessel traffic patterns. The nearby container ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are among the world’s busiest. A pandemic-sparked logjam has left dozens of huge vessels at a time anchored at sea while they await a berth. Captains ordered to wait outside the port are given specific places to set anchor, but investigators will look to see if any anchors have been dropped in the wrong place. They will also look to see if a storm that tore through the area in January could have moved any of the ships. Martyn Willsher, the chief executive of Amplify Energy, said this week that underwater observations revealed that 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) of the pipeline were not where they should be. “The pipeline has essentially been pulled like a bowstring,” he told a press conference on Tuesday. “At its widest point it is 105 feet away from where it was,” he said, adding the break in the pipeline was at the apex of this bend. Willsher refused to speculate on the cause of that displacement and whether a ship’s anchor could be responsible, but said: “It is a 16-inch steel pipeline that’s a half inch thick and covered in an inch of concrete. “For it to be moved 105 feet is not common.” Officials involved in the clean up originally said well over 100,000 gallons of crude could have been spilled. But on Thursday they said the actual amount could have been around 25,000 gallons. View the full article

Published by AFP Haitian migrants queue in Tijuana, Mexico on October 6, 2021 Port-au-Prince (AFP) – Haiti has denounced what it said were “racist” remarks from former US president Donald Trump that migrants from the island nation entering the United States would put Americans at risk of contracting AIDS. “So we have hundreds of thousands of people flowing in from Haiti. Haiti has a tremendous AIDS problem,” Trump said in a Thursday interview on Fox News. “Many of those people will probably have AIDS, and they’re coming into our country and we don’t do anything about it, we let everybody come in,” he said. “It’s like a death wish for our country.” According to World Bank data, HIV prevalence in Haiti has been steadily declining for the past 15 years, and is now estimated at a rate of 1.9 percent among Haitians aged 15 to 49. The Haitian embassy in Washington condemned the “racist and baseless statement about Haitian migrants, in particular, and the Haitian population, in general, of Donald J Trump.” “These vile comments aim only to sow hatred and discord against immigrants,” the embassy said in a statement Friday. The mid-September arrival of more than 30,000 migrants, mostly Haitians, who camped out for days under a bridge on the border between Mexico and Texas, has brought US President Joe Biden’s administration under fire from Republicans. They accuse the president of having caused the surge by relaxing the hardline migration policies implemented by predecessor Trump. Over the course of less than three weeks, more than 7,500 Haitian migrants — 20 percent of them children — have been deported by US migration services, which have chartered 70 planes to the capital Port-au-Prince and to Cap-Haitien, the island’s second-largest city. After Trump’s comments, the Haitian embassy said that “civilized people… should not remain indifferent to this umpteenth denigration of the Haitian people by former President Trump.” During a private meeting in January 2018, Trump had referred to Haiti and several African nations as “shithole countries.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online Kanye West never ceases to surprise his fans with his very unpredictable move as this time he was spotted getting coffee with Donald Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen in New York City. The two were seen sharing a table at Sant Ambroeus on the Upper East Side. MEGA Page Six’s informer filmed a video of the unlikely duo’s gathering on Thursday. It is still unclear what the rapper and disbarred lawyer were discussing. What’s even more confusing is Cohen is supposedly under house arrest after he was found guilty of financial fraud, tax evasion, and lying to Congress. The possible connection that Kanye and Cohen might have in common is both controversial figures have had a history with Trump. In 2018 Kanye took his admiration for the former president to another level after visiting him in the White House for a meeting. He famously ridiculed former president Goerge W. Bush as racist while defending Trump. The Donda hitmaker also announced that he had been misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder during the bizarre meeting. On the other hand, Trump’s fixer was sentenced to three years for multiple misconduct allegations in December 2018. Although, after almost a year and a half of being in prison, he was released in May 2020 due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. He had since served the remainder of his sentence under supposed house arrest, which will end this November. MEGA However, this isn’t the first time Cohen had been spotted out and about despite his supposed house arrest. In May this year, he was caught dining at the opulent French Bistro Le Bilboquet. His attorney Jeffrey K. Levine later addressed the situation claiming that Cohen had obtained “special permission from the BOP [Bureau of Prisons] and RRM [Residential Reentry Management] to eat out.” MEGA Kanye is also reportedly in the Big Apple to help his estranged wife Kim Kardashian with her hosting debut on Saturday Night Life this weekend. Insider revealed that the rapper is “quietly advising her on her performance [and] her opening monologue.” Besides his surprising meeting with Cohen, the father of four was also seen visiting an 80-acre farm in New Canaan, Connecticut, which was listed as “a humanitarian and cultural center” that specializes in “nature, arts, justice, community, and faith initiatives.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English YouTube has banned adverts on content that spread climate change misinformation. The Google-owned video platform will no longer allow advertisements on any videos that the existence of climate change, after concerns were raised by advertisers. YouTube will also stop providing monetisation to these videos, which the company says contradict the “scientific consensus around the existence and causes of climate change”. The policy will apply to content “referring to climate change as a hoax or a scam, claims denying that long-term trends show the global climate is warming, and claims denying that greenhouse gas emissions or human activity contribute to climate change”. Google says the policy will be enforced by “automated tools and human review”. The changes mean YouTube creators will be stopped from earning advertising revenue from content which denies climate change. The news comes after YouTube removed over 30,000 misleading COVID-19 vaccine videos earlier this year. Over the course of the pandemic the site has also taken down over 800,000 videos for wider coronavirus misinformation, such as “medically unsubstantiated” claims. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Corina Pons and Clara-Laeila Laudette MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish fashionista Blanca Lorca once swore by high heels and fitted clothes for the office, but the COVID-19 lockdown has transformed her style sense and shopping habits. After months working from her sleek Madrid flat, the 31-year-old pharmaceutical company employee is now dressing in neutral tones and slack fits for her three days a week in the office as a partial return gears up around the world. Eighteen months in loungewear while remote working during the pandemic have left professionals all over Europe hankering for fresh wardrobes as they embrace hybrid working. It is a boon for hard-hit retailers. The focus on comfort may have banished ties, dress shoes and high heels, but it has spurred a new desire for versatile clothing: smart enough for the office, but relaxed enough for kitchen table teleconferences. Personal apparel sales – including clothing, shoes and cosmetics – actually grew 8.5% in the 12 months leading to August, as increasing mobility and back-to-office mandates boosted shopping, according to official data. In Britain, over a quarter of people surveyed by workplace consultancy Office Group said they would continue dressing less formally even when back in the office, while almost a third plan to experiment with different styles, according to a Bank of America note. “After being at home for so long, you prefer comfort, but at the same time you want to be stylish enough to be able to go out,” Lorca said, wearing a light shirt and loose-cut trousers as she perused the racks in Zubi, a small boutique in Madrid. “I look for clothes that will last over time, won’t go out of fashion (and) I can use for everything.” PYJAMAS AND ZOOM Big brands are paying attention. Retailers such as Zara, Mango and H&M are highlighting “smart casual” trousers, shirts and dresses on their websites, alongside the lounge- and sportswear which lockdowns made ubiquitous. Many of the leading fashion brands have launched new collections for this unique back-to-work season, as easing restrictions and vaccination campaigns drive mobility. Department store El Corte Ingles, a household name in Spain, said demand for comfortable officewear surged over the summer, accelerating in September as clients returned to offices and business meetings. Shops successfully achieving pre-pandemic sales levels the fastest are those selling casual or hybrid workwear, according to analysts and fashion retail sources in London and Madrid, where Europe’s high vaccination rates have helped life recover. Women whose employers mandated partial returns have kept the blouse they would sometimes have worn above pyjama bottoms for Zoom calls, but now pair it with easy trousers and flat shoes, Zubi owner Elena Zubizarreta told Reuters. Over 78% of Spaniards are fully vaccinated and around 80% of all workers have returned at least part-time, according to a survey by CCOO, the country’s largest trade union. Few, however, have missed the strictures of formal dressing. Alberto Gavilan, talent director at staffing agency Addeco, said formal attire was now the exception. “Most people will prefer the business casual code, which has proved so effective and comfortable in recent months,” he said. ‘FASHION HAS CHANGED’ Over half of Spaniards who dressed formally for work pre-pandemic were enthusiastic about buying new clothes for an office return, a June survey by research company Dynata showed – the highest rate among 11 countries surveyed. The British and Japanese were the least excited, at 19% and 21% each. Spanish price comparison website Idealo.es said online searches for sport tracksuits dropped 96% from January to August as the vaccination rate increased. “Fashion has changed and after almost two years away from the workplace you feel like having new things to go back,” said communications specialist Valme Pardo, laying boldly-printed dresses, ample tailored trousers and stretchy blazers on her bed at her Madrid home. Men also crave comfort. Lucia Danero, a shopping adviser at El Corte Ingles in Madrid, has noticed a stream of customers looking for a refresh: but the men never ask to try on ties anymore. “Before, it was unthinkable for a man to go to the office with a sweatshirt … and now we’re seeing it,” she said, strolling through the aisles and pointing out the jeans businessmen now sought. ‘RELAXED CITY’ The trend is global. International brands Vince, Me+Em, Uniqlo and The White Company, as well as U.S. and UK retailers such as Nordstrom and John Lewis, are dedicating “site space to modern workwear staples, with a strong emphasis… on seasonless pieces to ensure versatility and longevity,” trend intelligence agency Stylus said in a recent report. In fact, despite workplace mobility still sagging 30% below pre-pandemic rates, apparel sales are on average 5% higher in major Western markets, Jefferies bank said in a note to clients in September. Both physical and online sales at fashion behemoth Inditex were even 9% higher in August and the first week of September than pre-pandemic. The autumn/winter season has had a strong start, executive chairman of Inditex, Pablo Isla, told a conference, before announcing the next Massimo Dutti collection would be called “Relaxed City”. Yet even as demand recovers, retailers are grappling with disruptions to global supply chains: sales at H&M grew less than expected in the third quarter, before being hampered in September by supply restrictions. “There’s an urge to get ‘dressed up’ after spending so much time at home… but we’ve gotten used to being comfortable and we want… garments such as unlined blazers and jackets, wider trousers and intricate knitwear,” said Ann-Sofie Johansson, Creative Advisor at H&M. Backstage at Madrid fashion week, designers bet on new beginnings – which seemed to include bright, non-restrictive dresses and colourful jumpers. “Heels have been left for very specific moments … But day-to-day people have gotten rid of them, to be much more comfortable,” said Spanish designer Maite Casademunt, whose “Comfy Wild” collection was dominated by dresses, smart loungewear and sports shoes. (Reporting by Clara-Laeila Laudette and Corina Pons in Madrid; Additional reporting by Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm, Joyce Philippe and Arriana Mclymore in New York and Rocky Swift in Tokyo; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne) View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Madonna has released Madame X merchandise. To coincide with the release of her Paramount Plus concert film documenting the Queen of Pop’s extensive 2019/2020 world tour, the ‘Vogue’ hitmaker has dropped a range of hoodies, t-shirts, and jogging shorts emblazoned with the image of her ‘X’ eyepatch-wearing alter ego, who she channelled for the album of the same name. The merch is priced from $30 to $75 and is now available via Madonna.com, and is expected to expand soon. The 63-year-old music legend previously gave the following description of her alter ego: “Madame X is a secret agent. Travelling around the world. Changing identities. Fighting for freedom. Bringing light to dark places. She is a dancer. A professor. A head of state. A housekeeper. An equestrian. A prisoner. A student. A mother. A child. A teacher. A nun. A singer. A saint. A whore. A spy in the house of love. I am Madame X.” The documentary details the ‘Like a Virgin’ singer’s battles she had with hip and knee injuries, which forced her to cancel several of her concerts on the 75-date jaunt. And the ‘Evita’ star previously suggested it might be too X-rated for some platforms and admitted she would be thrilled if it did end up on adult site OnlyFans. She told fans on Instagram: “You should definitely have had that woman get her t*** out in ‘Like A Prayer’. “I mean if nobody wants to buy this show and we end up on a porn site, it would be good. “OnlyFans – do they have a format to show a whole show? All right, well that’s something to think about. “It could make people feel a little bit uncomfortable because art is art, here to disturb the peace.” View the full article

Lee went on, ‘ People are standing up for themselves…and saying no to what is abusive, suppressive, or oppressive, and things that are not aligned with who we are.’ Published by BANG Showbiz English Precious Lee predicts that the fashion industry is set to see “more pivotal changes”. The 31-year-old curve model has insisted the fashion houses that “embrace” what is “aligned” with their customers, and hold “accountable abusive, suppressive, or oppressive” behaviour will “thrive”. She told W magazine: “We are going to see more pivotal changes in the industry because people have a sense of fire now. “The fashion industry is going to have to continue to be accountable, and interactive with the consumer. “People are standing up for themselves and saying no to what is abusive, suppressive, or oppressive, and things that are not aligned with who we are. “Because of that, I don’t think that falling back into the same patterns is possible. “It’s a whole new world, and the ones who are going to thrive are those who are going to embrace that authentically, not performatively.” Meanwhile, the catwalk beauty – who has walked the runway for the likes of Versace and Michael Kors – revealed her biggest style inspirations are her parents, who she always consults for outfit advice before attending major events. Precious laughed about the fact she used to be embarrassed by her dad wearing his Versace shirt unbuttoned, as she now “can’t be without cleavage, a red lip, animal print, and Versace.” She said: “My parents. Anytime we go anywhere, you’re guaranteed to hear people come up to them to tell them how amazing they look. My dad walks around, and people are like, ‘Whoa! Love that hat, those boots, that belt.’ With my mom, it’s, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re so beautiful. Where did you get that?’ When I was a kid, I cried when my mom wore animal print or red lipstick. I cried when my dad would wear his Versace button-down open, with his gold chains and his chest hair. I would climb up and try to button his shirt, like, No, I hate it! Now, you cannot find me without cleavage, not in a red lip, animal print, and Versace. It’s hilarious.” She added: “When I get dressed for a big event, I’ll call. ‘Dad, what do you think of this?’ Or I’ll call my mom. We’re so collaborative. I trust their opinions because they never want to look like anyone else in the world, and I don’t, either.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kristen Stewart felt “disloyal” playing Princess Diana because she doesn’t have children of her own. The 31-year-old actress stars as the late royal in ‘Spencer’ – which focuses on three days at Sandringham the Christmas before the princess split from Prince Charles – and she felt her alter ego was at her most “untouchable” when she was with her sons, Princes William and Harry, and so she felt she wasn’t “authentic” enough in the role because she hasn’t experienced such a connection in her own life. She added: “She’s like this feral animal you wouldn’t dare accost… “[I regretted that] I’m not a mum yet. I need that to feel authentic. It’s the one part of playing her that I felt disloyal about.” The movie has had a mixed reaction from critics and Kristen always knew it would be a divisive subject but she ultimately felt it was worth the risk. She told the Daily Mail newspaper columnist Baz Bamigboye: “I definitely knew that the chances of ‘mucking this up’, as a Brit might say, were far greater than doing a ‘good job’. “But I thought it was worth it. I’ve been working as an actor for a long time and it’s really rare to find things that make you feel this way.” The actress had been prepared for the “daunting and exceptionally harrowing experience” of recreating one of the lowest periods in the life of Diana – who died in a car crash in 1997 – but she wasn’t ready for how much “joy” she would feel. She said: “Diana just really did have this overriding, disarming, beautiful energy. [The decisions she was making were] earth-shattering. “[But] inhabiting her made me feel taller, and made me feel I could dance. I felt her power in a f****** beautiful way.” The American star spent six months researching the role and a lot of time focusing on Diana’s “buoyant” accent. She said: “When I’m talking, I barely open my mouth, and everything comes to an end fairly abruptly.” But on occasion, if she felt “self-protective or tight or emotional” on set, Kristen lapsed back into her natural accent and would end up walking around shouting “Argh! Argh!” in order to get her voice back on track, much to the shock of the crew and her castmates. Despite her own global fame, the ‘Twilight Saga’ star insisted it’s nothing compared to what Diana experienced. She said: “I mean, her world opened up to the entire planet.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Billie Lourd says losing her mother Carrie Fisher and grandmother Debbie Reynolds within days of each other was “brutal”. The 29-year-old actress was struck by heartbreak twice in December 2016 when both her mother and grandmother passed away, and has said she still “hesitates and stutters” around the subject because she isn’t ready to process the loss. She said: “It was brutal. It was really, really brutal, and I still hesitate and stutter because it’s really hard for me.” Billie’s mother, ‘Star Wars’ legend Carrie, died on December 27 at the age of 60 after spending four days in intensive care. The following day, her mother and Billie’s grandmother Debbie – who was famed for her role in ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ – died from a stroke aged 84. And almost five years on, the ‘American Horror Story’ actress says she’s still struggling to cope with losing her closest relatives. She added: “I miss my mom every day and my grandma, but really, my mom the most. “She was the greatest, funniest person ever. She was my best f****** friend ever. There’s no one who will ever be as funny as she is. She was just – she is amazing.” Back in 2017, Billie admitted the death of Carrie and Debbie, was “impossible to deal with”. She said: “Yeah, it’s completely surreal. There’s no way to really explain it. It’s so hard to talk about. I don’t know, if I say that I’m doing good, I’m too happy. “And if I say that I’m not doing good, then I’m a mess. So it’s really hard to know what to say about it because it is just so surreal and impossible to deal with.” And at the time of Carrie and Debbie’s passing, Billie thanked fans for their support. She wrote: “Receiving all of your prayers and kind words over the past week has given me strength during a time I thought strength could not exist. “There are no words to express how much I will miss my Abadaba and my one and only Momby. Your love and support means the world to me. (sic)” View the full article

Published by AFP The White House rejected a bid by Donald Trump to withhold documents from a committee investigating the January 6 assault on Congress Washington (AFP) – President Joe Biden on Friday rejected a bid by Donald Trump to withhold documents from a congressional committee investigating the January 6 assault on the US Capitol by supporters of the former president. The House Select Committee warned four former members of the Trump administration meanwhile they could be subject to charges of criminal contempt of Congress if they decline to answer subpoenas from the panel. Trump is seeking to assert executive privilege to prevent documents relating to January 6 from being handed over to the select committee by the National Archives. Executive privilege allows a president to keep certain communications confidential. Legal experts are divided on whether it applies to a former president, and Biden declined to assert it on behalf of Trump. Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the White House is “cooperating with ongoing investigations” and “has determined that an assertion of executive privilege is not warranted for the first set of documents.” Biden will “evaluate cases of privilege on a case by case basis” but he believes it is of the “utmost importance for both Congress and the American people to have a complete understanding of the events of that day to prevent them from happening again,” Psaki said. The committee investigating the Capitol attack issued a request in August for records related to the attempt by Trump supporters to block the certification by Congress of Biden’s November election victory. Among the records and documents being sought are communications from Trump, members of his family, his top aides, his lawyers and dozens of other former members of his administration. In a statement on Friday, Trump accused Democrats of using Congress to “persecute their political opponents” and released a letter to the head of the National Archives reiterating his claims of executive privilege. “This is about using the power of the government to silence ‘Trump’ and our Make America Great Again movement, the greatest such achievement of all time,” he said. “We won two elections, did far better in the second than the first, and now perhaps have to do it a third time!” ‘Contempt of Congress’ The committee has issued subpoenas to four former Trump aides: Mark Meadows, Kash Patel, Dan Scavino and Steve Bannon. Politico and The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Trump has told the four former advisors not to cooperate with the probe. Representative Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the select committee, said Friday that Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, and Patel, a former White House national security advisor, were “engaging with the Select Committee.” But Bannon, a former senior political advisor to Trump, has “indicated that he will try to hide behind vague references to privileges of the former president,” Thompson said. “The Select Committee fully expects all of these witnesses to comply with our demands for both documents and deposition testimony,” he said. “We will not allow any witness to defy a lawful subpoena or attempt to run out the clock, and we will swiftly consider advancing a criminal contempt of Congress referral,” Thompson said. The committee has held one hearing so far, on July 27, when four Capitol and Washington police officers testified about defending the Senate and House of Representatives from the mob on January 6. Trump has consistently refused to acknowledge his defeat to Biden and make unfounded claims that he won the election. The real estate mogul was impeached by the Democratic-controlled House in January for inciting insurrection but was acquitted by the Senate. View the full article

Published by Reuters By Nichola Groom (Reuters) -President Joe Biden will restore the boundaries of three American nature reserves, known as national monuments, that were reduced in size by former President Donald Trump to allow commercial activity, the White House said on Thursday. The restoration will protect more than 3.2 million acres (1.3 million hectares) in Southern Utah known as the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, as well as the nearly 5,000 square mile (8,000 sq km) Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New England. Environmental groups and Native American tribes cheered the news, calling it a victory for conservation over development. But it was a blow to East Coast fishing interests and Utah’s Republican governor, who expressed frustration. Trump had sought to allow ranching, drilling, mining and commercial fishing in the areas, which were established as monuments by two of his Democratic predecessors, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. The reduction was part of Republican Trump’s broader agenda to loosen regulations on industry, which critics have decried as coming at the expense of the environment and wildlife. Biden, a Democrat, said when he took office that he would review Trump’s decision to reduce the monuments’ boundaries. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American U.S. Cabinet secretary, this year recommended restoring the boundaries. Under federal law, presidents have the authority to create or alter national monuments unilaterally, which makes their protection uncertain. Trump cut the size of the two Utah monuments by 2 million acres (809,372 hectares) in all at the request of the state’s Republican leadership. On Thursday, Utah Governor Spencer Cox said he was disappointed by Biden’s decision to expand the boundaries. “These decisions clearly demonstrate the administration’s unwillingness to collaborate with and listen to those most impacted by their decisions,” Cox said, adding that the state would consider its legal options. Bears Ears is home to thousands of cultural and archeological sites and is considered sacred to Native American tribes in the region, while Grand Staircase-Escalante holds significant geological sites, fossils and historical objects. Protection of the marine monument means commercial fishing for red crab and American lobster will be phased out by September 2023, the White House said. Recreational fishing will be allowed. “Prohibiting hard-working commercial fishermen from sustainably harvesting while allowing owners of luxury yachts to spear fish for the same species in the same location is hypocritical and calls into question this administration’s commitment to working families over wealthy donors,” Bob Vanasse, a spokesperson for seafood lobby group Saving Seafood, said in an emailed statement. (Reporting by Nichola GroomEditing by Chris Reese and Sandra Maler) National Monument on Towleroad ‘Rustin’, Biopic of Gay Civil Rights Activist Bayard Rustin, Is First Feature Film From The Obamas’ Production Company, ‘Higher Ground’ More The Osmonds to be focus of new musical More ‘Queen Of Mean’ Leona Helmsley’s Billion-Dollar Estate Battle To Be Explored In Jaw-Dropping REELZ Documentary More California makes it illegal to remove condom without consent More William Shatner is ‘terrified’ of going into space More TikTok Radicalizes Users With Algorithm. In Just 2 Hours A Basic Transphobe Can Be Served Nazi, Right-Wing Extremist Videos: SCARY STUDY More Sam Smith Sang One Song At A Vegas Wedding. Sam Smith’s Price Was $250,000. Wow. Guess Which Song? More Sarah Silverman blasts Hollywood for casting non-Jewish actors in Jewish roles More Spanish Hospital Draws Gay Health Advocates’ Ire After Listing ‘Homosexuality’ As An Illness On Gay Patient’s Medical Report More Attitude Awards 2021: Tom Daley, Elaine Paige and Steps win big More Dolly Parton reveals her celebrity Dolly crush More Load More View the full article

Rustin will star Colman Domingo as Bayard Rustin with Audra McDonald, Chris Rock, and Glynn Turman among others in other key roles. George C. Wolfe of ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ set to direct. Published by BANG Showbiz English Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Glynn Turman and Audra McDonald are to star in ‘Rustin’. The movie is a biopic of the gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin and is the first feature to be produced by Higher Ground, the production company set up by former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama. George C. Wolfe, who previously helmed ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’, is to direct the movie from a screenplay he has co-written with Dustin Lance Black. The film will be released on Netflix as part of their deal with Higher Ground. The project will look at the various obstacles that Rustin had to overcome to organise the march on Washington in 1963, where Martin Luther King delivered his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. Colman will play Rustin in the movie with Chris starring as NAACP leader Roy Wilkins. Glynn will portray activist A. Philip Randolph and Audra will star as civil rights icon Ella Baker. Oscar-winner Bruce Cohen and Tonia Davis will produce the film. Chris recently starred in and executive produced ‘Spiral’, which marked his debut in the ‘Saw’ franchise, and hopes that it can reinvigorate the series in a similar way to how the ‘Creed’ movies provided a new lease of life to the ‘Rocky’ franchise. Asked if he wanted to appear in more ‘Saw’ movies, Chris – who dreamt up the story for the motion picture – said: “Yeah, I mean, I hope this movie is like ‘Creed’. In the sense that ‘Creed’ is technically like ‘Rocky 7’. “So, hopefully there’s more ‘Spirals’ and hopefully I’m in more ‘Spirals’.” Rustin on Towleroad The Osmonds to be focus of new musical More ‘Queen Of Mean’ Leona Helmsley’s Billion-Dollar Estate Battle To Be Explored In Jaw-Dropping REELZ Documentary More California makes it illegal to remove condom without consent More William Shatner is ‘terrified’ of going into space More TikTok Radicalizes Users With Algorithm. In Just 2 Hours A Basic Transphobe Can Be Served Nazi, Right-Wing Extremist Videos: SCARY STUDY More Sam Smith Sang One Song At A Vegas Wedding. Sam Smith’s Price Was $250,000. Wow. Guess Which Song? More Sarah Silverman blasts Hollywood for casting non-Jewish actors in Jewish roles More Spanish Hospital Draws Gay Health Advocates’ Ire After Listing ‘Homosexuality’ As An Illness On Gay Patient’s Medical Report More Attitude Awards 2021: Tom Daley, Elaine Paige and Steps win big More Dolly Parton reveals her celebrity Dolly crush More 100 Year Old Nazi On Trial. Ex-SS camp guard, on trial for 3,518 deaths More Load More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English The Osmonds will be the subject of a new musical. The ‘Crazy Horses’ hitmakers – brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, and Donny – will have the darker side of their success, including their ruthless former army sergeant George’s merciless training of the group and the way their financial advisers conned them out of millions, explored in a new stage production, which is based on Jay Osmond’s memoir, ‘Stages’. Referring to George’s treatment of his sons, choreographer Bill Deamer, who is working on ‘The Osmonds: A New Musical’, said: “If that happened now, people would hold their hands up in horror. That was cruelty. “It’s not a jukebox musical. It’s the story of their lives.” The production – which will be directed by Shaun Kerrison – will open at the Curve in Leicester on 3 February before embarking on a UK tour and producers Hamish Greer and Tom De Keyser hope it will transfer to London’s West End if the regional dates prove successful. Jamie Chatterton, Danny Nattrass, Ryan Anderson, Alex Lodge and Joseph Peacock will play Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay and Donny respectively after undergoing several rounds of auditions. Donny recently revealed he felt “so lonely” as a teenage superstar because despite being surrounded by screaming fans at the group’s shows, he was always alone afterwards. He said: “I was just so lonely. “You go back to the early 1970s, and you’ve got literally thousands of screaming girls at those concerts yelling your name but then you go back to a very quiet hotel or the bus. “I learned what loneliness is in life.” However, that all changed for him when he married his wife Debra in 1978, and he hailed his partner as his “saving grace”, while reflecting on the “romantic” moments they still share. He added: “She’s been my saving grace. My confidante and friend. “Last night, we were out in the garden talking as were pulling weeds and watering plants. In its own little way, it was a very romantic evening.” View the full article

Published by Radar Online Iconic billionaire real estate developer Leona Helmsley was the flamboyant, tyrannical and unapologetic hotel queen of the 1980s whose volatile reputation actually made her inordinately wealthy. At the time, the “Queen of Mean” was regarded as a symbol of arrogance and greed. While her legacy lives on, she’s also seen as an innovator. “Leona Helmsley had a reputation for being the ‘Queen of Mean.’ That’s true,” says veteran publicist Michael Pagnotta in Radar‘s sneak peak of the upcoming REELZ documentary, Leona Helmsley: Life Death & Money. “But she also had a reputation for excellence.” Experts believe that her self-styled advertising was the key to her hotel’s upward trajectory. “She would be wearing a tiara and she would hold up skimpy towels and say, ‘I won’t settle for skimpy towels. Why should you?'” says estate lawyer and television host Danielle Mayoras. And with that creativity, Leona broke barriers. “This marketing campaign of having Leona being the face of the hotels – it actually completely worked!” notes attorney Jill Stanley. mega Making the Queen of Mean synonymous with the Helmsley Hotel brand was regarded as a new chapter in United States hotel marketing by the advertising industry. It earner Leona untold millions. “In fact, because of her branding, occupancy increased from 25 to 87 percent,” notes Mayoras. “Hotels prior to this really didn’t have personalities. But the Helmsley Hotel did.” It introduced the idea that the brand owner could become the brand itself – a concept that became highly influential in the hospitality space and beyond, and is how most businesspeople operate today. But while guests of the chain were treated like royalty, Helmsley employees were subjected to less-than-desirable working conditions. Many agreed that the hotel was built on the backs staffers – the “little people – she degraded and underpaid. In 1989, Leona was convicted of federal income tax evasion and other crimes. She initially received a sentence of 16 years but ended up serving only 19 months behind bars and two months under house arrest. During her trial, a former housekeeper testified that she had once heard Leona say, “We don’t pay taxes; only the little people pay taxes.” reelz She died in 2007 of congestive heart failure, igniting an all-out estate war among her surviving family members. Well, not all of them. In true Leona fashion, she left behind a will that cut out her two grandchildren, Craig and Meegan Panzirer, and left as much as $12 million dollars to her dog, a Maltese named Trouble. Leona Helmsley: Life Death & Money premieres Tuesday, October 12 at 10 PM ET/PT on REELZ. Watch REELZ on DIRECTV 238, Dish Network 299, Verizon FiOS 692, AT&T U-verse 1799 and in HD on cable systems and streaming services nationwide. Find REELZ on your local cable or satellite provider at www.reelz.com. mega View the full article

Published by AFP The California law is the first in the country to specifically ban Los Angeles (AFP) – California has made it illegal to remove a condom during sex without verbal consent, a practice popularly known as “stealthing.” Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Thursday that classifies the removal of a condom without consent as “sexual battery.” “By passing this bill, we are underlining the importance of consent,” the governor’s office said in a tweet. Cristina Garcia, a member of the California assembly who introduced the bill, said it ensures that “stealthing isn’t only immoral but illegal.” The California law is the first in the country to specifically ban “stealthing,” which can expose a partner to unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. Under the bill, a person commits sexual battery who “causes contact between a sexual organ, from which a condom has been removed, and the intimate part of another who did not verbally consent to the condom being removed.” An offender is liable for punitive damages that would be awarded by a court. The practice of “stealthing” attracted attention in the United States after a paper was published by a doctoral student, Alexandra Brodsky, in 2017 in the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law. Brodsky’s paper noted that there were online forums that provided information on how to successfully commit “stealthing,” some of which were subsequently shut down. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English William Shatner is terrified of going up into space. The 90-year-old ‘Star Trek’ actor will become the oldest person to venture up into the stratosphere, but he’s not taken much comfort from being told everything would be “fine.” Speaking at New York Comic-Con on Thursday (08.10.2021), he said: “I’m thinking, ‘I’m going up in a rocket and our best guess is it should be fine?” I’m terrified. I’m Captain Kirk, and I’m terrified. “I’m not really terrified — yes I am. It comes and goes like a summer cold. I’m planning on putting my nose against the window [once I’m in space], and my only hope is I won’t see someone else looking back.” The star is set to be blasted up into space on Jeff Bezos’s New Shepard NS-18 rocket along with Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s Vice President of Mission and Flight Operation, and crew members Chris Boshuizen and Glen de Vries. William quipped: “I don’t want to be the oldest guy to go into space.” Shatner also went on to tell all about a phone call he had with a friend over a year ago, who suggested Captain Kirk should go up into space for real. He added: “My friend Jason Erhlick came to me about a year and a half ago and he said he was seeing these rockets with people going into space. And, [he said] ‘Wouldn’t it be something if Captain Kirk went up there?’ “And I said, ‘Jason, for God’s sake, man. Nobody cares if Captain Kirk goes to space. It was 55 years ago, man. But I’m doing well, maybe I should go up to space?’ ” Over a year passed before the plans were put in motion, but as it stands the actor is set to be sent up into space courtesy of the Amazon founder on an as yet unannounced date. View the full article

TikTok Study finds right wing radicalization in as few as 2 hoursTikTok radicalizes with it’s FYP (For You Page) … leading users down far-right rabbit holes. Transphobia seen as gateway to radicalization. “TikTok’s “For You” page (FYP) recommendation algorithm appears to be leading users down far-right rabbit holes. By analyzing and coding over 400 recommended videos after interacting solely with transphobic content, Media Matters traced how TikTok’s recommendation algorithm quickly began populating our research account’s FYP with hateful and far-right content,” The Little Richards Team throw it down in a post explaining all on Media Matters. It’s not Hal or science fiction. It’s one of the most insidious things i’ve ever heard of. This type of AI is everywhere already and with not great results in a number of cases, but the tech companies don’t want to hear it. Watch embeded video below for excellent, plain language, entertaining overview of the study. Watch @abbieasr present the top line of the study linked immediately below. It’s entertaining while being a scary proof of the very dark side of social media and its impact on all of us. Read the Article on Media Matters TikTok Radicalizes on Towleroad Sam Smith Sang One Song At A Vegas Wedding. Sam Smith’s Price Was $250,000. Wow. Guess Which Song? More Sarah Silverman blasts Hollywood for casting non-Jewish actors in Jewish roles More Spanish Hospital Draws Gay Health Advocates’ Ire After Listing ‘Homosexuality’ As An Illness On Gay Patient’s Medical Report More Attitude Awards 2021: Tom Daley, Elaine Paige and Steps win big More Dolly Parton reveals her celebrity Dolly crush More 100 Year Old Nazi On Trial. Ex-SS camp guard, on trial for 3,518 deaths More Texas abortion law put on hold, appears headed to Supreme Court More Van Gogh Museum shows controversial masterpiece ‘The Potato Eaters’ More Exclusive: Compassion not barbed wire should greet migrants, Nobel winner Gurnah says More Jake Gyllenhaal Shares Jennifer Aniston’s Pillow Solution For Unprofessional Co-Stars Who Blame Her Beauty (and Their Virility) Over Being Responsible More ‘Be You. Don’t Be A Puppet’; Patton Oswalt Gives Lends Voice to Video Used To Reveal The Disaster of Conversion Therapy. WATCH More Load More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sam Smith was paid £250,000 to perform at a wedding – and sang just one song. The 29-year-old star – who identifies as non-binary – was given the staggering sum to sing ‘Stay With Me’ when casino heiress Victoria Fertitta married businessman Daniel Crowe at the Red Rock Resort Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, and they also had their travel and accommodation costs for the trip covered. A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “Sam’s performance at the wedding was top secret and guests were asked not to share any footage. “Sam sang ‘Stay With Me’ and it was a beautiful moment. Some people were in tears during the performance. “Sam was paid a quarter of a million to do the one song but as far as the bride and groom were concerned, it was worth every penny.” The lavish wedding was believed to have cost a total of £25 million, and Post Malone was also booked to sing for the guests. The insider added: “No expense was spared at the bash, as Post Malone was also booked to perform – and he sang at the reception. “It has got to be one of the most expensive weddings of all time.” Victoria’s father Frank – who is believed to be worth £2 billion – footed the bill for the wedding, three years after he funded his other daughter Kelley’s nuptials, which featured performances from Bruno Mars and Seal. The ‘How Do You Sleep?’ hitmaker previously revealed they have “always been non-binary”. They said: “I always had a little bit of a war going within my body and my mind … I’m not male or female, I think I flow somewhere in between. It’s all on the spectrum … “Yes, I have always been non-binary, I have always felt the way I’ve felt, and just hearing other non-binary stories made me suddenly feel seen. This is a way that I can live, where if I tell people this is how I feel and this is how I like to be treated, life is easier.” And Sam is glad they have changed their pronouns as it has allowed them to feel “completely like themselves” and “enjoy” their life. They added: “I’ve always felt the way I’ve felt. It wasn’t a new feeling, it was just the discovery of a language and a community of people that felt the same way. It’s been lovely. It’s been a process of feeling heard and seen — that there is a space that I can live in and enjoy my life in and feel completely like myself, and be treated as such. I think that’s the difference with the pronouns.” Sam Smith on Towleroad Sarah Silverman blasts Hollywood for casting non-Jewish actors in Jewish roles More Spanish Hospital Draws Gay Health Advocates’ Ire After Listing ‘Homosexuality’ As An Illness On Gay Patient’s Medical Report More Attitude Awards 2021: Tom Daley, Elaine Paige and Steps win big More Dolly Parton reveals her celebrity Dolly crush More Ex-SS camp guard, aged 100, on trial for 3,518 deaths More Texas abortion law put on hold, appears headed to Supreme Court More Van Gogh Museum shows controversial masterpiece ‘The Potato Eaters’ More Exclusive: Compassion not barbed wire should greet migrants, Nobel winner Gurnah says More Jake Gyllenhaal Shares Jennifer Aniston’s Pillow Solution For Unprofessional Co-Stars Who Blame Her Beauty (and Their Virility) Over Being Responsible More ‘Be You. Don’t Be A Puppet’; Patton Oswalt Gives Lends Voice to Video Used To Reveal The Disaster of Conversion Therapy. WATCH More How ATT Built OAN; ATT Guilty For Help Building Far-Right, Facts-Don’t-Matter Trump-Backing One America News– SPECIAL REPORT More Load More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sarah Silverman has hit out at Hollywood for casting non-Jewish people in Jewish roles. The 50-year-old actress – who is Jewish herself – has criticised the lack of representation in major roles, particularly when the character’s “Jewishness” is “front and centre”. Speaking on ‘The Sarah Silverman Podcast’, she said: “There’s this long tradition of non-Jews playing Jews. And not just playing people who happen to be Jewish, but people whose Jewishness is their whole being. “One could argue, for instance, that a Gentile playing Joan Rivers correctly would be doing what is actually called ‘Jewface’. “‘Jewface’ – doesn’t feel good to say – is defined as when a non-Jew portrays a Jew with the Jewishness front and centre, often with makeup or changing of features, big fake nose, all the New York-y or Yiddish-y inflection. “And in a time when the importance of representation is seen as so essential and so front and centre, why does ours constantly get breached even today in the thick of it?” Sarah noted if there is a female Jewish character who is “courageous or deserves love, she is never played by a Jew”. Her comments come as Kathryn Hahn – who is Catholic – has been linked to play Joan Rivers in an upcoming biopic, while ‘On the Basis of Sex’ star Felicity Jones and ‘The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel’ actress Rachael Brosnahan played Jewish characters in the respective films. While Sarah noted the actresses themselves are not “doing anything wrong”, she said the overall situation is “f***** up”. She added: “Right now, representation f****** matters. It has to also finally matter for Jews as well. Especially Jewish women.” In the past, casting director Jen Rudin has defended casting decisions and argued her job is to find the best talent for a specific role, rather than type casting. She said: “Acting is a profession and our goal and job as casting directors is to hire the most qualified actor for the role. “Kathryn Hahn is wonderful as Rabbi Raquel in Amazon’s ‘Transparent’ and my close friend Grant Shaud is hilarious as Miles Silverberg on ‘Murphy Brown’. “Neither are Jewish but both gave fantastic performances of characters who are Jewish.” View the full article

“Current Illness” A gynecologist in Spain has drawn the ire of local LGBTQ advocates this week after he listed homosexuality as an illness on a gay health care patient’s medical report. The 19-year-old patient went to the Reina Sofia hospital in the Spanish city of Murcia on Monday for treatment of a menstrual condition. After being examined by a hospital gynecologist, she found that her medical report listed “homosexual” under “current illness.” “At first, I thought it was funny, but it isn’t,” the patient told Spanish-language news outlet elDiario.es. “These attitudes must be eradicated.” The patient’s mother, Santi, who is also a health care worker, said that the gynecologist asked her daughter for permission to include her LGBTQ identity in his report – a request that surprised the patient. She ultimately consented believing that it may be relevant. But that request struck her mother as odd. Conversations Santi had with co-workers following the incident revealed that what happened to her daughter was the latest in a series of complaints focused on the same gynecologist that treated her daughter. The circumstances led Santi and her daughter to Galactyco, a local LGBTQ advocacy collective. A formal complaint against the regional government, health ministry and health service soon followed. “Manifest Ignorance” The complaint claims that the doctor’s actions violated Spanish laws which guarantee the respectful treatment of LGBTQ patients when seeking medical treatment. “The World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in 1990, and yet, 31 years later, some professionals in the Murcia Health System continue to assume sexual orientation is a disease,” Galactyco said in a statement. “Given that this error involved stigmatizing, discriminatory, violent and denigrating treatment towards LGBTQ people for centuries, we publicly denounce the manifest ignorance of relating sexual orientation with disease,” the organization added.” Galactyco and the patient’s family are seeking an apology and further information as to why this continues to happen. “Our association has received numerous cases of humiliating treatment due to sexual or gender orientation,” The statement continued. “We find it alarming, unacceptable and intolerable that the professionals we depend on for adequate medical treatment are ignorant to the realities of LGBTQI people.” A spokesperson for the Murcian Health Service said the organization is aware of the incident, initially chalking up the classification as an error made when registering the patient. The organization plans to fully investigate the matter and that “all necessary measures would be taken to properly establish the facts.” The spokesperson also stated that the hospital would be extending an apology to the patient. Gay Health: previously on Towleroad Spanish Hospital Draws Gay Health Advocates’ Ire After Listing ‘Homosexuality’ As An Illness On Gay Patient’s Medical Report Brian Bell October 7, 2021 Read More Virginia Transgender Man Sues Department of Corrections for Denial of Health Care; Top Surgery Denial Causing ‘Substantial Risk of Serious Harm’ Brian Bell August 27, 2021 Read More Veteran Atlanta Activist Becomes First Black Trans Woman Ever Named to Presidential HIV/AIDS Council Brian Bell August 24, 2021 Read More Covid-19 Spike Close to Overwhelming Hospitals; Tokyo Doctors ‘strongly request’ Officials Cancel Delayed Japan Olympics Towleroad May 18, 2021 Read More Biden: 1 million Americans sign up for healthcare in special enrollment period Towleroad May 11, 2021 Read More Biden’s HHS Reverses Trump (Again); Protects Against LGBTQ Health Bias; Returns To Obama Era Standard: FULL TEXT Towleroad May 10, 2021 Read More Photo courtesy of Ariel Gutraich/Creative Commons View the full article