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- Chris Rock opens comedy show, still ‘processing’ Oscar slap
- Joe Biden signs bill making lynching a federal hate crime
- Germany triggers warning over gas amid Russian ruble demand
- Palestinian gunman kills 5 in 3rd attack in Israel in a week
- Nobel Peace Prize-winner's paper closes amid Russia pressure
- Russian pledge to scale back in Ukraine draws skepticism
- Shanghai lockdown tests ‘zero-Covid’ limits, shakes markets
- Hong Kong's Covid toll leads some to eco-friendlier coffins
Chris Rock opens comedy show, still ‘processing’ Oscar slap Posted: 30 Mar 2022 06:59 PM PDT BOSTON — Comedian Chris Rock returned to the stage Wednesday for the first time since being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars, receiving rapturous applause from a Boston audience.Rock only briefly addressed the slap, saying he was "still kind of processing what happened" Sunday and never mentioning Smith by name."Other than the weird thing, life is pretty good," Rock said at one point mid-way through his act. The nighttime performance in Boston came just three days after Smith struck the comedian for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.Rock wore all white for his performance and seemed to be almost embarrassed by the multiple standing ovations he received. As the applause carried on for minutes — with fans yelling "I love you, Chris!" — the comedian appeared to be getting emotional, a guest seated near the stage told The Associated Press."How was your weekend?" Rock joked before getting into his set.Ticket prices skyrocketed after the Oscar confrontation, but the comedian made clear he wasn't going to talk at length about it Wednesday."If you came to hear that, I'm not ... I had like a whole show I wrote before this weekend," Rock said.Members of the audience shouted their support for the comedian. At least one person yelled that Rock should sue Smith.At Sunday's Oscars, Rock had made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's buzzed haircut. Pinkett Smith has spoken publicly about her diagnosis of alopecia, which can cause baldness."Jada, I love you. 'G.I. Jane 2,' can't wait to see it," Rock said while presenting an award, comparing Pinkett Smith to Demi Moore's "G.I. Jane" character, who had a buzz cut in the 1997 film.Smith promptly stood up from his seat at the front of the venue and took to the stage, slapping Rock across the face before sitting back down and yelling at Rock to keep his wife's name out of his mouth.Within an hour, Smith won best actor, receiving a standing ovation. During his five-minute acceptance speech, Smith talked about defending his family and apologized to the academy. A day later, Smith issued an apology to the comedian, to the academy and to viewers at home, saying he was "out of line" and that his actions are "not indicative of the man I want to be."George Guay, a 24-year-old fan from Boston who grew up on "Everybody Hates Chris," said he bought a ticket after the Academy Awards."He's the most popular celebrity so I want to be here," Guay said before the show, adding that he hoped Rock would open with a response to the situation. "I just want a good show."The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences condemned Smith striking Rock. Its board of governors met Wednesday to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations of the group's standards of conduct. The academy said it had asked Smith to leave Sunday's Oscar ceremony after hitting Rock, but he refused to do so.The Los Angeles Police Department said Sunday it was aware of what happened but was not pursuing an investigation because the person involved declined to file a police report.Pinkett Smith responded Tuesday with a graphic on Instagram that read: "This is a season of healing and I'm here for it." She offered no further comment.This was not the first time that Rock had made a joke at Pinkett Smith's expense. When he hosted the 2016 Oscars, some people boycotted the ceremony over the #OscarsSoWhite group of nominees, including the Smiths. Said Rock then: "Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties. I wasn't invited."Wanda Sykes, who co-hosted the Oscars with Amy Schumer and Regina Hall, said she felt physically ill after Smith slapped Rock. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres scheduled to air April 7, Sykes also said letting Smith stay and accept his award should not have happened.Several stars rushed to counsel and calm Smith after he returned to his seat, including Denzel Washington, Bradley Cooper and Tyler Perry.The drama overshadowed some historical wins at an Oscars. The deaf family drama "CODA" became the first film with a largely deaf cast to win best picture. For the first time, a streaming service, Apple TV+, took Hollywood's top honor, signaling a profound shift in Hollywood and in moviegoing. Wins for Ariana DeBose of "West Side Story,"Troy Kotsur of "CODA" and Jane Campion, director of "The Power of the Dog," all had made history. (AP) |
Joe Biden signs bill making lynching a federal hate crime Posted: 30 Mar 2022 05:06 AM PDT WASHINGTON — Presidents typically say a few words before they turn legislation into law. But Joe Biden flipped the script Tuesday when it came time to put his signature on the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act.He signed the bill at a desk in the White House Rose Garden. Then he spoke."All right. It's law," said the president, who was surrounded by Vice President Kamala Harris, members of Congress and top Justice Department officials. He was also joined by a descendant of Ida B. Wells, a Black journalist who reported on lynchings, and Rev. Wheeler Parker, a cousin of Till.He thanked the audience of civil rights leaders, Congressional Black Caucus members and other guests who kept pushing for the law for "never giving up, never ever giving up."Congress first considered anti-lynching legislation more than 120 years ago. Until March of this year, it had failed to pass such legislation nearly 200 times, beginning with a bill introduced in 1900 by North Carolina Rep. George Henry White, the only Black member of Congress at the time.Harris was a prime sponsor of the bill when she was in the Senate.The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act is named for the Black teenager whose killing in Mississippi in the summer of 1955 became a galvanizing moment in the civil rights era. His grieving mother insisted on an open casket to show everyone how her son had been brutalized.In his remarks, Biden acknowledged the struggle to get a law on the books, and spoke about how lynchings were used to terrorize and intimidate Blacks in the United States. More than 4,400 Blacks died by lynching between 1877 and 1950, mostly in the South, he said.The new law makes it possible to prosecute a crime as a lynching when a conspiracy to commit a hate crime leads to death or serious bodily injury, according to the bill's champion, Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill. The law lays out a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and fines.Till, 14, had traveled from his Chicago home to visit relatives in Mississippi in 1955 when it was alleged that he whistled at a white woman. He was kidnapped, beaten and shot in the head. A large metal fan was tied to his neck with barbed wire and his body was thrown into a river.Two white men, Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam, were accused, but acquitted by an all-white-male jury. Bryant and Milam later told a reporter that they kidnapped and killed Till.During a video interview after the bill signing, Parker credited current events for helping the anti-lynching bill move through Congress and to Biden's desk. Parker specifically mentioned the police killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020, which sparked months of protests in the United States and other countries after videotape of the officer's actions circulated. (AP) |
Germany triggers warning over gas amid Russian ruble demand Posted: 30 Mar 2022 05:06 AM PDT BERLIN — The German government said Wednesday it was triggering the early warning level for gas supplies amid concerns that Russia could cut off supplies unless it is paid in rubles.Western nations have rejected the Russian demand for ruble payments, arguing it would undermine the sanctions imposed against Moscow over the war in Ukraine."There have been several comments from the Russian side that if this (payments in rubles) doesn't happen, then the supplies will be stopped," Economy Minister Robert Habeck said. "In order to be prepared for this situation I have today triggered the early warninglevel."Habeck, who is also Germany's energy minister and vice chancellor, told reporters that this was the first of three warning levels and entailed the establishment of a crisis team in his ministry that will step up monitoring of the gas supply situation.The measure was a precautionary one and Germany's gas storages are currently filled to about 25 percent capacity,he said.Putin announced last week that Russia will demand "unfriendly" countries pay for natural gas only in Russian currency from now on, instructing the central bank to work out a procedure for buyers to acquire rubles in Russia.Europe gets 40 percent of its gas and 25 percent of its oil from Russia, and since the war, has scrambled to set out proposals to reduce its dependency. (AP) |
Palestinian gunman kills 5 in 3rd attack in Israel in a week Posted: 30 Mar 2022 05:04 AM PDT JERUSALEM — A gunman on a motorcycle opened fire in a city in central Israel late Tuesday, methodically gunning down victims as he killed at least five people in the third such street attack in a week. The shooter was killed by police.Israeli media said the attacker was a Palestinian from the West Bank, the third Arab assailant to launch an attack ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The previous two attacks, carried out by Arab citizens of Israel inspired by the Islamic State extremist group, have raised concerns of further violence.Israel "stands before a wave of murderous Arab terrorism," declared Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.He pledged to combat it "with perseverance, stubbornness and an iron fist." He held an emergency meeting of top security officials and planned a meeting of his Security Cabinet on Wednesday.Israeli authorities have not yet determined whether the attacks were organized or whether the attackers acted individually. The Israeli military announced it would be deploying additional troops to the West Bank, and the police chief raised the national readiness level to its highest.Amateur video footage aired on Israeli television appeared to show the gunman in a black shirt armed with an assault rifle stopping a moving vehicle and shooting the driver. Another showed him chasing a cyclist, with the gun appearing to jam as he tried to fire.Tuesday's shootings occurred at two locations in Bnei Brak, an ultra-Orthodox city just east of Tel Aviv. Police said a preliminary investigation found the gunman was armed with an assault rifle and opened fire on passersby before he was shot by officers at the scene.The Magen David Adom paramedic service confirmed that five people were killed. Police said one of the victims was a police officer who arrived at the scene and engaged the shooter.In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack, saying the killing of Israeli or Palestinian civilians "only leads to further deterioration of the situation and instability, which we all strive to achieve, especially as we are approaching the holy month of Ramadan and Christian and Jewish holidays."He said the violence "confirms that permanent, comprehensive and just peace is the shortest way to provide security and stability for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples."No Palestinian groups immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The Islamist militant group Hamas praised the "heroic operation," but stopped short of claiming responsibility. (AP) |
Nobel Peace Prize-winner's paper closes amid Russia pressure Posted: 30 Mar 2022 12:10 AM PDT RUSSIA'S leading independent newspaper suspended operations Monday after pressure from Russian authorities, a move that comes less than six months after its editor won the Nobel Peace Prize for his paper's courageous reporting under difficult circumstances.The paper, Novaya Gazeta, said it will remain closed for the duration of what the newspaper referred to in quotations as "the special operation" in Ukraine, the term that Russian authorities insist media must use.The newspaper was the last major independent media outlet critical of President Vladimir Putin's government after others either shut their doors or had their websites blocked since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began on February 24.The trigger for the shutdown was a second formal warning from the Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor, which has increasingly taken on the role of a censor in recent years. Novaya Gazeta had long had a difficult relationship with the government.Novaya Gazeta's longtime editor, Dmitry Muratov, shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize with Maria Ressa, a journalist from the Philippines, in October. Muratov said last week he was donating his Nobel medal to be auctioned off to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees and called for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine.Exactly why Novaya Gazeta was warned remains unclear. Roskomnadzor told state news agency Tass that the newspaper had failed to identify an unnamed non-governmental organization as a "foreign agent" in its reporting, as required by Russian law. It didn't specify the report in question.Novaya Gazeta has trodden a fine line during the war in Ukraine. It initially defied the Russian authorities' restrictions, publishing in Russian and Ukrainian the day after the invasion began. However, it removed much of its war reporting from its website after Russian lawmakers passed a law March 4 threatening jail terms of up to 15 years for information deemed to be "fake" by Russian authorities. That can include any mention of Russian forces harming civilians or suffering losses on the battlefield.On Sunday, Muratov sent in questions for an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy along with a group of Russian journalists. Roskomnadzor banned the publication of the interview with Zelenskyy in Russia and said the media outlets which took part would be investigated."A country without media (the last free 'Novaya Gazeta' was closed), without discussion, without political competition, without a full-fledged parliament," Zelenskyy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter on Monday. "This is the modern (Russian Federation). That is why Russians do not see, hear or realize anything. No matter what language you speak to them."In its citation, the Norwegian Nobel Committee noted that six of Novaya Gazeta's journalists had been killed. The best known of them was Anna Politkovskaya, who reported on atrocities during the second Chechen War at the start of Putin's first term as Russian president. She was shot dead in her apartment building in 2006. Five men were convicted of involvement in her murder in 2014, but there has never been a ruling on who ordered her killing.Muratov said that winning the Nobel Prize was "recognition of the memory of our fallen colleagues," including Politkovskaya.Novaya Gazeta was itself born from the legacy of another Russian Nobel Peace Prize-winner, the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. He won the Peace Prize in 1990 and used part of the award to fund what later became Novaya Gazeta, which launched in 1993.Putin had a warning for Muratov after his win last year, when asked if the paper could follow other media in being given the dreaded "foreign agent" label by Russian authorities, which must be added to every article a media outlet produces and carries a pejorative connotation."If (Muratov) doesn't break Russian law and if he doesn't give a reason to be announced as a foreign agent, then he won't be," Putin said. "But if he hides behind the Nobel Prize like a shield to do something which breaks Russian law, that means he's doing it consciously to attract attention to himself." (AP) |
Russian pledge to scale back in Ukraine draws skepticism Posted: 29 Mar 2022 09:49 PM PDT KYIV, Ukraine — Russia's pledge to scale back some military operations in Ukraine drew skepticism even as the two nations planned to return Wednesday to talks that could produce a framework for ending the war that has imposed an increasingly punishing toll.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there was no reason to believe Russia's announcement that it would reduce military activity near Kyiv, the capital, as well as in the northern city of Chernihiv, given what's still happening on the ground."We can call those signals that we hear at the negotiations positive," he said in his nightly video address to the Ukrainian people. "But those signals don't silence the explosions of Russian shells."It was a bitter reality check in a rare moment of optimism five weeks into what has devolved into a bloody war of attrition, with thousands dead and almost 4 million Ukrainians fleeing the country.Earlier Tuesday, Ukraine's delegation at the conference, held in Istanbul, laid out a framework under which the country would declare itself neutral and its security would be guaranteed by an array of other nations.Moscow's public reaction was positive, and the negotiations were expected to resume Wednesday in Istanbul.Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said Moscow has decided to "fundamentally ... cut back military activity in the direction of Kyiv and Chernihiv" to "increase mutual trust and create conditions for further negotiations."He did not spell out what that would mean in practical terms.Zelenskyy said it was Ukrainian troops who forced Russia's hand, adding that "we shouldn't let down our guard" because the invading army can still carry out attacks."Ukrainians are not naïve people," he said. "Ukrainians have already learned during the 34 days of the invasion and during the past eight years of war in the Donbas that you can trust only concrete results."The U.S. and others also expressed doubts about Russia's intentions.While Moscow portrayed it as a goodwill gesture, its ground troops have become bogged down and taken heavy losses in their bid to seize Kyiv and other cities. Last week and again on Tuesday, the Kremlin seemed to lower its war aims, saying its "main goal" now is gaining control of the mostly Russian-speaking Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.U.S. President Joe Biden, asked whether the Russian announcement was a sign of progress in the talks or an attempt by Moscow to buy time to continue its assault, said: "We'll see. I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are."U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested Russian indications of a pullback could be an attempt by Moscow to "deceive people and deflect attention."It wouldn't be the first time. In the tense buildup to the invasion, the Russian military announced that some units were loading equipment onto rail cars and preparing to return to their home bases after completing exercises. At the time, Putin was signaling interest in diplomacy. But 10 days later, Russia launched its invasion.Western officials say Moscow is now reinforcing troops in the Donbas in a bid to encircle Ukraine's forces. And Russia's deadly siege in the south continues, with civilians trapped in the ruins of Mariupol and other bombarded cities. The latest satellite imagery from commercial provider Maxar Technologies showed hundreds of people waiting outside a grocery store amid reports of food and water shortages."There is what Russia says and there is what Russia does, and we're focused on the latter," Blinken said in Morocco. "And what Russia is doing is the continued brutalization of Ukraine."Even as negotiators gathered, Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces blasted a gaping hole in a nine-story government administration building in a strike on the southern port city of Mykolaiv, killing at least 12 people, emergency authorities said. The search for more bodies in the rubble continued."It's terrible. They waited for people to go to work" before striking the building, said regional governor Vitaliy Kim. "I overslept. I'm lucky."Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. has detected small numbers of Russian ground forces moving away from the Kyiv area, but it appeared to be a repositioning of forces, "not a real withdrawal."He said it was too soon to say how extensive the Russian movements may be or where the troops will be repositioned."It does not mean the threat to Kyiv is over," Kirby said. "They can still inflict massive brutality on the country, including on Kyiv." He said Russian airstrikes against Kyiv continued.Rob Lee, a military expert at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, tweeted of the Russian announcement: "This sounds like more of an acknowledgment of the situation around Kyiv where Russia's advance has been stalled for weeks and Ukrainian forces have had recent successes. Russia doesn't have the forces to encircle the city."The meeting in Istanbul was the first time negotiators from Russia and Ukraine talked face-to-face in two weeks. Earlier talks were held in person in Belarus or by video.Among other things, the Kremlin has demanded all along that Ukraine drop any hope of joining NATO.Ukraine's delegation offered a detailed framework for a peace deal under which a neutral Ukraine's security would be guaranteed by a group of third countries, including the U.S., Britain, France, Turkey, China and Poland, in an arrangement similar to NATO's "an attack on one is an attack on all" principle.Ukraine said it would also be willing to hold talks over a 15-year period on the future of the Crimean Peninsula, seized by Russia in 2014.Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, said on Russian TV that the Ukrainian proposals are a "step to meet us halfway, a clearly positive fact."He cautioned that the parties are still far from reaching an agreement, but said: "We know now how to move further toward compromise. We aren't just marking time in talks."In other developments:— In what appeared to be a coordinated action to tackle Russian espionage, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Ireland and North Macedonia expelled scores of Russian diplomats.— The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency arrived in Ukraine to try to ensure the safety of the country's nuclear facilities. Russian forces have taken control of the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, site in 1986 of the world's worst nuclear accident, and of the active Zaporizhzhia plant, where a building was damaged in fighting.— Russia has destroyed more than 60 religious buildings across the country in just over a month of war, with most of the damage concentrated near Kyiv and in the east, Ukraine's military said.— In the room at the Istanbul talks was Roman Abramovich, a longtime Putin ally who has been sanctioned by Britain and the European Union. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Chelsea soccer team owner has been serving as an unofficial mediator approved by both countries. But the mystery surrounding his role has been deepened by news reports that he may have been poisoned during an earlier round of talks. (AP) |
Shanghai lockdown tests ‘zero-Covid’ limits, shakes markets Posted: 29 Mar 2022 03:31 AM PDT BEIJING— A two-phase lockdown of Shanghai's 26 million people is testing the limits of China's hard-line "zero-Covid" strategy, which is shaking markets far beyond the country's borders.China's largest city on Tuesday entered the second day of the lockdown's first phase, which encompasses the Pudong financial district and adjacent areas on the east side of the Huangpu River that divides the center of finance, manufacturing and trade.With public transport suspended and bridges and tunnels connecting the two sides of the city closed, usually bustling city streets — including the fabled riverside Bund in Puxi with its century-old historic buildings — were unusually quiet.Zhang Meisha, a 39-year-old freelancer taking a morning jog along the Bund, said she was trying to get as much sunshine as possible before Puxi goes under lockdown."I hope the Shanghai spring can wait for us," Zhang said.The shutdown adds to anxiety in financial markets over Russia's war on Ukraine, the Federal Reserve's effort to cool surging inflation by raising interest rates and other economic challenges.Market reactions including Monday's seven percent drop in oil prices in London don't reflect the "true reality of the situation," but investors already were uneasy about China and the global economy, said Michael Every of Rabobank."We have a whole mountain of problems to worry about, and this is just one foothill among many," said Every. "If that's all it is, a Covid lockdown, it's not difficult to look in recent history books and see how it plays out. But this interfaces with a lot of other issues." The new Omicron BA.2 subvariant is widely blamed for bringing a new surge in cases to Shanghai, which had suffered relatively little effect from the pandemic that was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.The measures confining Pudong residents to their homes, closing nonessential businesses and requiring mass testing are due to be lifted Friday. At that time, the vast Puxi area on the opposite side of the Huangpu River that will go under lockdown.Panic buying has struck markets and some residents have reported shortages of fresh meat and vegetables, including on online platforms. Authorities are working to ensure food supplies and have converted gymnasiums and exhibition centers to house patients, most of whom show no symptoms.Government workers in hazmat suits, joined by some 68,000 volunteers, have fanned out to man checkpoints around residential compounds walled off with plastic traffic dividers and improvised barriers.Shanghai recorded 4,477 new cases on Monday, all but 95 of them asymptomatic. Despite a nationwide surge, numbers of new Covid-19 deaths have remained low, with two more added on March 20 for a total of 4,638.The Shanghai lockdown stands to become the largest of any city in China's campaign against the virus, in which millions have been confined to their homes for weeks at a time in cities across much of the country. (AP) |
Hong Kong's Covid toll leads some to eco-friendlier coffins Posted: 28 Mar 2022 11:26 PM PDT HONG KONG — Hong Kong's deadliest coronavirus outbreak has cost about 6,000 lives this year – and the city is now running out of coffins.Authorities have scrambled to order more, with the government saying 1,200 coffins had reached the city last week with more to come.Space constraints make cremation a common burial practice in the densely populated island territory off the Chinese mainland, and the coffins typically are wood or wood substitutes.To answer the shortage of them due to the Covid-19 toll, some companies are offering alternatives such as an environmentally friendly cardboard coffin.LifeArt Asia has cardboard coffins made of recycled wood fiber that can be customized with designs on the exterior. In its factory in Aberdeen, a southern district of Hong Kong, up to 50 coffins can be produced a day.CEO Wilson Tong said there is still some resistance to using caskets made of cardboard. "(People feel that) it's a little bit shameful to use so-called paper caskets. They feel that this is not very respectful to their loved ones," Tong said.But he noted the company has designs that can reflect religion or hobbies and the coffin can even have a personalized color. "So it gives more than enough sufficient choices to the people, and so that they can customize the funeral and offer a more pleasant farewell without the fear of death."The company says its cardboard coffins, when burned during the cremation, emits 87% less greenhouse gas compared to those made of wood or wood substitutes. Each LifeArt coffin weights about 10.5 kilograms (23 pounds), and can carry a body that weights up to 200 kilograms (441 pounds).Hong Kong has reported about 200 deaths daily on average over the past week as many elderly residents who were unvaccinated die from Covid-19. The surge has put a strain on mortuaries, and refrigerated containers are being used to temporarily store bodies.Amid the rising toll, non-profit Forget Thee Not, which advises people on their choices for last rites, bought 300 cardboard coffins and caskets to either send to hospitals or give to families who need them."We have been promoting environmental-friendly and personalized funerals. Now we see that Hong Kong needs more coffins. There are not enough coffins for the bodies in our hospitals," said Albert Ko, a board director at Forget Me Not.Ko said some of the elderly who discussed their last rites with the organization have been open-minded and welcoming to the idea of eco-coffins."We hope to take this opportunity to contribute as well as promote eco-coffins," he said. (AP) |
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