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4 Upgrades Every Truck Owner Should Know About

Image by Peter H from Pixabay

If you own a truck, you know that it has different maintenance needs than a regular car. Not only are trucks designed differently than, say, a minivan, but they’re driven differently, too. You might drive a minivan around your neighborhood or city, but you could easily drive a truck through the countryside or take it on an off-roading adventure! As a result, you may need certain upgrades and features on your truck that can help you get the most out of your vehicle. So, let’s take a closer look at 4 upgrades every truck owner should know about!

Interior and Exterior Light Kits

Even if you don’t travel at night very often, you should always be prepared. Oftentimes, the standard lights that come with vehicles can be subpar. To rectify this problem, you can easily purchase an interior or exterior light kit. This will allow you to see everything inside and outside of your vehicle — regardless of the time of day or night.

There are dozens of high-quality light kits on the market. For better or worse, most people focus on exterior lights and largely forget about the inside of their truck. Fortunately, LED lights for Ford F150 interior setups are a great solution.

Suspension

Your truck’s suspension helps your vehicle absorb the impact of bumps in the road and generally ensures a smooth ride. This is why you can almost always tell when there’s an issue with your suspension system. If your truck’s suspension is not working properly, each and every bump will feel amplified, making it uncomfortable and even dangerous to drive.

Unless you’ve got superior mechanic skills, you’ll probably need an expert to install a new suspension system. This means that you’ll need to factor the cost of labor and the price of the new system into your budget. Thankfully, you can easily find aftermarket suspension systems through various online retailers.

Lift Kit

It’s important to note that lift kits are not the best choice for every truck owner. Some drivers don’t want the hassle of climbing in and out of their truck every time they need to go somewhere. However, if you frequently drive on rough terrain, a lift kit will help you avoid obstacles that would otherwise cause damage to your truck’s undercarriage.

A lift kit does exactly what the name implies; it lifts the frame of your truck higher off the ground. Some people make this upgrade purely for aesthetics, while others do it for more practical reasons (namely avoiding short barriers). In any case, it’s a necessity for truck owners who frequently drive off-road.

Bull Guard

The bull guard is another upgrade that is geared toward off-roaders. That said, it can offer enhanced front-end protection for regular drivers as well. For example, if you accidentally hit a deer while driving, a bull guard could end up protecting the front of your truck from costly damage.

One great thing about bull guards is their low price point. Bull guards are relatively inexpensive and can even be installed without professional help. However, the price and complexity of your bull guard will depend on both the design and materials.

Dalai Lama Receives First Dose of Covid Vaccine

The Dalai Lama says he will give away to charity $1.7 million Templeton Prize money awarded to him

The Dalai Lama has received his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine while urging others eligible to “take this injection”.

“This is very very helpful, very good,” he said as he was given the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine at a facility in the Indian city of Dharamsala on March 6.

The Tibetan spiritual leader had enrolled himself to be vaccinated, officials said.

India launched its vaccination drive on January 16, but it was limited to healthcare workers and frontline staff.

Since March 1, however, the scheme has been extended to people aged over 60 and those between the ages of 45 and 59 with underlying illnesses.

Receiving his first shot in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, the Dalai Lama said people needed to be vaccinated to “prevent some serious problems”.

The chief medical officer of Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, Dr. Gurdarshan Gupta, said the Dalai Lama had offered to visit the vaccination centre “like a common man”, Reuters reported.

“We arranged the session in the morning, considering the security concern,” he added.

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India aims to cover 300 million “priority people” with its vaccination drive by the end of July.

Its drugs regulator has given the green light to two vaccines – one developed by AstraZeneca with Oxford University (Covishield) and one by Indian firm Bharat Biotech (Covaxin).

Indian PM Narendra Modi, 70, was among the first to get his vaccine shot.

Since the pandemic began, India has confirmed more than 11 million cases and over 157,000 deaths.

Much of the country has reported a sharp fall in cases recently – with daily infections for the county falling to less than 20,000 from a peak of over 90,000 in September.

However, a handful of states have recently reported a sharp increase in the number of cases.

American Rescue Plan: Senate Passes President Biden’s $1.9TN Covid Relief Bill

Image source: AP

President Joe Biden’s $1.9tn Covid-19 relief plan was approved in the Senate on March 6 despite every Republican senator voting against.

This is President Biden’s third major relief bill aimed at helping Americans deal with the impact of the coronavirus.

The House of Representatives – controlled by Democrats – is expected to approve it on March 9.

President Biden described the Senate vote as “one more giant step forward” in delivering the promise to help people.

America’s worst public health crisis in a century has left nearly 523,000 people dead and 29 million infected, with a current unemployment rate of 6.2%.

The package envisages one-off payments worth $1,400 to be sent to most Americans.

Republicans, who have criticized President Biden’s plan as too costly, forced a number of compromises, notably the lowering of federal unemployment benefit from $400 to $300 a week. The benefit would be extended until September 6 under the plan.

The president said: “It obviously wasn’t easy. It wasn’t always pretty. But it was so desperately needed, urgently needed.”

He added he hoped for a quick passage of the bill in the House so that he could sign it into law.

The so-called American Rescue Plan allocates $350 billion to state and local governments, and some $130 billion to schools.

It would also provide $49 billion for expanded Covid-19 testing and research, as well as $14 billion for vaccine distribution.

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The $1,400 stimulus cheques will be quickly phased out for those with higher incomes – at $75,000 for a single person and for couples making more than $150,000.

The extension of jobless benefits until September, meanwhile, would mark a key reprieve for millions of long-term unemployed Americans whose eligibility for benefits is currently due to expire in mid-March.

The bill also includes grants for small businesses as well as more targeted funds: $25 billion for restaurants and bars; $15 billion for airlines and another $8 billion for airports; $30 billion for transit; $1.5 billion for Amtrak rail and $3 billion for aerospace manufacturing.

While Republicans broadly backed two previous stimulus plans, passed when they controlled both the White House and the Senate under President Donald Trump, they have criticized the cost of President Biden’s bill.

There was a marathon 27-hour session before the final vote on March 6, and the 50-49 tally along party lines was indicative of the widespread Republican opposition.

The even split between the parties in the Senate meant that every Democratic senator needed to support the party’s plans.

Pope Francis Makes Historic Visit to Iraq

Image source Wikimedia

Pope Francis is making a historic visit to Iraq where he discussed the plight of the Christian minority.

He has condemned extremism in the name of religion an inter-faith prayer service.

Hostility, extremism and violence are “betrayals of religion”, the Pope said.

Iraq has been wracked by religious and sectarian violence, both against minorities and between Shia and Sunni Muslims too.

Pope Francis also visited one of Shia Islam’s most powerful figures.

Receiving the head of the Roman Catholic Church at his home in the holy city of Najaf, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said Christians should be able to live in peace and security like all other Iraqis.

The meeting was seen as a highly symbolic moment in the Pope’s visit, which is his first international trip since the start of the coronavirus pandemic more than a year ago, and the first ever papal visit to Iraq.

Covid-19 and security fears have made this his riskiest trip yet.

Pope Francis, 84, earlier told reporters that he had felt “duty-bound” to make the “emblematic” journey, which will see him visit several sites over four days in Iraq.

He delivered his message at the site of the ancient city of Ur, held to be the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, who is revered in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

An inter-faith service brought together representatives of Iraq’s religions, including Shia, Sunni, Christian and Yazidi clerics.

He singled out the suffering of the Yazidi community which had “mourned the deaths of many men and witnessed thousands of women, girls and children kidnapped, sold as slaves, subjected to physical violence and forced conversions”.

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Later on March 6, Pope Francis delivered Mass at St Joseph’s Cathedral in central Baghdad. Security was tight with special forces deployed in the area and concrete barriers erected outside the church.

Grand Ayatollah Sistani is spiritual leader of millions of Shia Muslims, the dominant religious community in Iraq.

Audiences with the reclusive 90-year-old are rare but he received the Pope for around 50 minutes, the pair talking without face masks.

He “affirmed his concern that Christian citizens should live like all Iraqis in peace and security, and with their full constitutional rights”, his office said.

Pope Francis thanked the ayatollah for speaking up “in defense of those most vulnerable and persecuted” amid the violence and hardships of Iraq’s recent history, the Holy See press spokesman said.

The ayatollah’s message of peace, he said, affirmed “the sacredness of human life and the importance of the unity of the Iraqi people”.

Covid-19: Italy Stops AstraZeneca Vaccine Export to Australia

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Italy has blocked the export of an Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine shipment to Australia.

The decision affects 250,000 doses of the vaccine produced at an AstraZeneca facility in Italy.

Italy is the first EU country to use the bloc’s new regulations allowing exports to be stopped if the company providing the vaccines has failed to meet its obligations to the EU.

Australia said losing “one shipment” would not badly affect its rollout.

However, it has asked the European Commission, which reportedly backs Italy’s move, to review the decision.

AstraZeneca is on track to provide only 40% of the agreed supply to member states in the first quarter of the year. The company has cited production problems for the shortfall.

In January, then Italian PM Giuseppe Conte described delays in vaccine supplies by both AstraZeneca and Pfizer as “unacceptable” and accused the companies of violating their contracts.

The EU has been widely criticized for the slow pace of its vaccination program.

Under the EU vaccine scheme, which was established in June 2020, the bloc has negotiated the purchase of vaccines on behalf of member states.

There has been no official comment on the Italian move by the EU or AstraZeneca.

Australia began its vaccination program last week using the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. It was due to start inoculations with the AstraZeneca vaccine on March 5.

Italy approached the European Commission last week to say that it was its intention to block the shipment.

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In a statement on March 4, the foreign ministry explained the move, saying it had received the request for authorization on February 24.

It said that previous requests had been given the green light as they included limited numbers of samples for scientific research, but the latest one – being much larger, for more than 250,000 doses – was rejected.

It explained the move by saying that Australia was not on a list of “vulnerable” countries, that there was a permanent shortage of vaccines in the EU and Italy, and that the number of doses was high compared with the amount given to Italy and to the EU as a whole.

Australia’s Health Minister Greg Hunt said: “Australia has raised the issue with the European Commission through multiple channels, and in particular we have asked the European Commission to review this decision.”

Australia had already received a shipment of 300,000 doses and planned to begin local production next month.

YouTube May Lift Donald Trump’s Suspension If Violence Threat Decreases, Says Susan Wojcicki

YouTube may lift Donald Trump’s suspension, if the threat of “real-world violence” decreases, Susan Wojcicki, the platform’s CEO, has said.

She said the company will look at government warnings and violent rhetoric to determine when it’s safe to lift the suspension.

Following the Capitol Hill riot on January 6 that left five dead, Donald Trump’s account was suspended.

YouTube said the former president had violated their incitement of violence policy.

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Susan Wojcicki said during an interview with the Atlantic Council on March 4: “It’s pretty clear that right now where we stand, that there still is that elevated risk of violence.”

She clarified that Donald Trump’s conduct had not led to a full ban on the platform.

YouTube operates under a three strike system and an account must receive all three strikes within 90 days to be permanently removed.

The suspension in January was Donald Trump’s first strike.

Rudy Giuliani, the former personal attorney to Donald Tump, received his second strike earlier this week for claiming the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Typically, a first strike results in a seven day suspension of an account, but Donald Trump’s has been prolonged due to a continued risk of violence.

After a large group of pro-Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building on January 6, the former president was banned across many social media outlets.

Donald Trump was banned from Twitter and suspended from Facebook.

Facebook’s Oversight Committee is currently looking at whether that suspension should be made permanent – however it’s not yet clear when they will rule.

Criminal charges have been filed for a reported 221 people involved in the Capitol riot.

Meghan and Harry in Tell-All Oprah Interview

Image source Getty Image

In a teaser clip of Oprah Winfrey’s interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the Duchess of Sussex had been asked how she felt about the palace hearing her “speak your truth today”.

She has said Buckingham Palace could not expect her and Prince Harry to be silent if it was “perpetuating falsehoods about us”.

Meghan also said: “If that comes with risk of losing things, I mean… there is a lot that has been lost already.”

Buckingham Palace is investigating claims Meghan Markle bullied royal staff.

The allegations of bullying leveled at Meghan were published after the interview with Oprah was recorded.

The interview with Oprah, which will air in the US on March 7 and in the UK on March 8, is expected to detail Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s short period as working royals together before they stepped down for a life in the US.

In the 30-second teaser clip released by CBS, Oprah Winfrey asks Meghan: “How do you feel about the palace hearing you speak your truth today?”

The duchess replies: “I don’t know how they could expect that, after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that The Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit their roles as senior working royals in March 2020, and now live in California.

A report in the Times on March 3 claimed the duchess faced a complaint made in October 2018, while the duke and duchess were living at Kensington Palace after their marriage in May of that year.

A leaked email sent from a staff member, which was published by the newspaper, alleges that Meghan Markle drove two personal assistants out of the household. The report claims the duchess undermined the confidence of a third member of staff.

In a statement later, Buckingham Palace – which is responsible for the hiring of royal staff – said it was “clearly very concerned about allegations in the Times” and its HR team would look into the circumstances outlined in the article.

The statement said: “The Royal Household has had a Dignity at Work policy in place for a number of years and does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace.”

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Past and present royal employees are to be invited to speak in confidence about their experiences of working for Meghan Markle as part of the investigation.

The bullying allegations are denied by Meghan and Prince Harry.

A statement issued by Meghan Markle’s spokesman in response to the newspaper’s story said: “The duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma.

“She is determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good.”

Meghan and Prince Harry’s TV interview with Oprah will be aired on CBS in the US on the evening of Sunday, March 7.

CBS has said Meghan will be interviewed about “stepping into life as a royal, marriage, motherhood” and “how she is handling life under intense public pressure”.

Prince Philip Underwent Heart Procedure

Prince Philip has been admitted to hospital for an exploratory operation

Prince Philip has undergone a successful procedure for a pre-existing heart condition, Buckingham Palace has announced.

Buckingham Palace said he would remain in hospital for treatment, rest and recuperation for a number of days.

The Duke of Edinburgh, 99, has already spent 16 nights in hospital.

The duke was being treated for an infection and moved to St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London on March 1 for tests and observation on his heart condition.

Buckingham Palace said the procedure took place on March 3.

In 2011, Prince Philip was taken to hospital by helicopter from Sandringham after suffering chest pains as the royal family was preparing for Christmas.

The prince was treated for a blocked coronary artery at Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire and had a stent fitted.

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Prince Philip hospitalized for exploratory operation

Queen Elizabeth’s husband, who turns 100 in June, travelled by car from Windsor to King Edward VII’s hospital in Marylebone, central London, on February 16 as a precaution after feeling unwell.

The exact reason for his initial admission was not disclosed, but it was not related to coronavirus.

On March 1, Buckingham Palace announced the prince had been transferred to Barts by ambulance.

St Bartholomew’s Hospital in the City of London is an NHS hospital and home to Europe’s largest specialized cardiovascular unit.

Prince Charles visited his father at King Edward VII’s Hospital, the weekend after his admission.

Members of the Royal Family, including the Queen, have continued with their official duties during Prince Philip’s hospital stay.

Camilla Parker gave an update on Prince Philip’s condition when she visited a Covid vaccination centre in Croydon on March 3.

When a volunteer asked about the duke, she said: “We heard today that he’s slightly improving. So, that’s very good news. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.”

Prince Philip has received treatment for other health conditions over the years, including a bladder infection in 2012 and exploratory surgery on his abdomen in June 2013.

Nicolas Sarkozy: Former French President Sentenced to Jail

Photo Reuters

Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced by a French court to three years in jail, two of them suspended, for corruption.

The former French president was convicted of trying to bribe a judge in 2014 – after he had left office – by suggesting he could secure a prestigious job for him in return for information about a separate case.

Nicolas Sarkozy is the first former French president to get a custodial sentence.

His lawyer says he will appeal.

The 66-year-old conservative politician will remain free during that process which could take years.

In the ruling, Judge Christine Mée said Nicolas Sarkozy “knew what [he] was doing was wrong”, adding that his actions and those of his lawyer had given the public “a very bad image of justice”.

The crimes were specified as influence-peddling and violation of professional secrecy.

It is a legal landmark for post-war France. The only precedent was the trial of Nicolas Sarkozy’s predecessor Jacques Chirac, who got a two-year suspended sentence in 2011 for having arranged bogus jobs at Paris City Hall for allies when he was Paris mayor. Chirac died in 2019.

If Nicolas Sarkozy’s appeal is unsuccessful, he could serve a year at home with an electronic tag, rather than go to prison.

The former president’s wife, supermodel and singer Carla Bruni, reacted by describing the case as “senseless persecution”, adding that “the fight continued, and truth would come out”.

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Nicolas Sarkozy served one five-year term as president from 2007. He adopted tough anti-immigration policies and sought to reform France’s economy during a presidency overshadowed by the global financial crisis.

Critics nicknamed him “bling-bling”, seeing his leadership style as too brash, celebrity-driven and hyperactive for a role steeped in tradition and grandeur.

Nicolas Sarkozy’s celebrity image was reinforced by his marriage to Carla Bruni in 2008. In 2012, he lost his re-election bid to Socialist François Hollande.

Since then he has been targeted by several criminal investigations.

In 2017, Nicolas Sarkozy tried to make a political comeback, but failed as his centre-right Les Républicains party chose another presidential candidate instead.

He was on trial with two co-defendants, his lawyer Thierry Herzog and Gilbert Azibert, a senior judge.

The case centered on phone conversations between Nicolas Sarkozy and Thierry Herzog that were taped by police in 2014.

Investigators were looking into claims that the former president had accepted illicit payments from the L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt for his 2007 presidential campaign.

The prosecution convinced the court that Nicolas Sarkozy and Thierry Herzog had sought to bribe Gilbert Azibert with a prestigious job in Monaco in return for information about that investigation.

French media reported that Nicolas Sarkozy was heard telling Thierry Herzog: “I’ll get him promoted, I’ll help him.”

The phone line police tapped was a secret number set up in a fictional name, Paul Bismuth, through which Nicolas Sarkozy communicated with his lawyer.

On March 1, Thierry Herzog and Gilbert Azibert were also sentenced to three years in jail, two of them suspended.

Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi Appears in Court on Video

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Photo AP

Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been seen for the first time since she was detained in a military coup, after she appeared in court via video link.

Aung San Suu Kyi, 75, appeared to be in “good health” and asked to see her legal team, her lawyers say.

Two new charges were announced against Aung San Suu Kyi, who was arrested after the February 1 coup.

Meanwhile, protesters took to the streets again despite February 28 seeing the deadliest day yet with 18 killed.

The deaths came as the military and police ramped up their response to demonstrations across the South East Asian nation over the weekend, firing into the crowds.

However, protesters defied the crackdown on March 1, demanding the elected government be restored and Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), be released from detention.

The military says it seized power because of alleged fraud in November’s general elections, which saw the NLD win by a landslide.

It has provided no proof of these allegations – instead, it has replaced the Election Commission and promised fresh polls in a year.

Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested when the coup began and had not been seen in public until Monday’s hearing, when she appeared via video link at the court in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw.

It is unclear where she has been held over the past month, but some reports suggest she was detained at her home in Nay Pyi Taw before being moved to an undisclosed location.

Aung San Suu Kyi originally faced two charges of illegally importing walkie talkies and violating Myanmar’s natural disaster law, but a further two charges were added on March 1. She was accused of using illegal communication equipment and causing “fear and alarm”.

The initial charges carried sentences of up to three years in jail. It is not clear what punishment the new charges might carry, but she could reportedly be barred from running in future elections if convicted.

The case has been adjourned until March 15.

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News agency Myanmar Now reported that ousted president Win Myint – a key ally of Aung San Suu Kyi – had also been charged for incitement under the penal code.

Her popularity has soared in Myanmar since her arrest, but her international reputation still remains tarnished by allegations that she turned a blind eye to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority Rohingya community.

Protests erupted again in multiple cities across Myanmar. According to the AFP news agency, one clash saw unarmed protesters fleeing after a volley of shots were fired. It was unclear if live ammunition was used.

AFP reported that in Yangon, demonstrators were seen using makeshift items like bamboo poles, sofas and even tree branches to erect barricades across streets.

Tear gas and stun grenades were also used to disperse hundreds of protesters in Yangon, Reuters news agency reported.

At least 21 people have been killed since the unrest began last month.

On March 1, army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing gave a TV address during which he said protest leaders and “instigators” would be punished.

Myanmar’s military seized power after overthrowing the government and declared a state of emergency.

Golden Globes 2021: Full List of Winners

The best film and TV shows of 2020 were celebrated at the Golden Globe Awards held on February 28, 2021.

The full list of winners:

Best motion picture – drama

  • The Father
  • Mank
  • WINNER: Nomadland
  • Promising Young Woman
  • The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best actress in a motion picture – drama

  • Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • WINNER: Andra Day, The United States vs Billie Holiday
  • Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
  • Frances McDormand, Nomadland
  • Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Best actor in a motion picture – drama

  • Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
  • WINNER: Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • Anthony Hopkins, The Father
  • Gary Oldman, Mank
  • Tahar Rahim, The Mauritanian

Best motion picture – musical or comedy

  • WINNER: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
  • Hamilton
  • Music
  • Palm Springs
  • The Prom

Best actress in a motion picture – musical or comedy

  • Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
  • Kate Hudson, Music
  • Michelle Pfeiffer, French Exit
  • WINNER: Rosamund Pike, I Care A Lot
  • Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma

Best actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy

  • WINNER: Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
  • James Corden, The Prom
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
  • Dev Patel, The Personal History of David Copperfield
  • Andy Samberg, Palm Springs

Best supporting actress in any motion picture

  • Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
  • Olivia Colman, The Father
  • WINNER: Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian
  • Amanda Seyfried, Mank
  • Helena Zengel, News of the World

Best supporting actor in any motion picture

  • Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
  • WINNER: Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
  • Jared Leto, The Little Things
  • Bill Murray, On the Rocks
  • Leslie Odom Jr, One Night in Miami

Best director – motion picture

  • David Fincher, Mank
  • Regina King, One Night in Miami
  • Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
  • WINNER: Chloe Zhao, Nomadland
  • Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman

Best screenplay – motion picture

  • Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller, The Father
  • Jack Fincher, Mank
  • Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
  • Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
  • WINNER: Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7

C-PAC: Donald Trump Gives First Public Speech Since Leaving Office

Image source Flickr

Donald Trump is giving his first speech since leaving office as president at the Conservative Political Action Conference (C-PAC).

His public appearance comes just weeks after he was acquitted during an impeachment trial which saw some members of his own Republican Party vote against him.

The former president is expected to attack the actions being taken by successor Joe Biden in the Florida speech.

The C-PAC appearance represents his continued influence over Republicans.

The mood of the conference so far has been extremely pro-Trump, with loyalists including Texas Senator Ted Cruz and his son Donald Trump Jr. among the speakers confirmed.

Donald Trump’s speech was hotly anticipated by his supporters, given his relative absence from the political spotlight since leaving office.

He remains banned from social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, over his response to January’s deadly riot at the US Capitol.

He has been living at his Mar-a-Lago Florida golf resort since leaving the White House.

According to prepared script excerpts sent by his office ahead of time, Donald Trump will attack early actions by President Joe Biden during the speech – especially on immigration.

He is also set to focus on what he will describe as the future of “our movement” during the speech, amid a divide among some Republicans over the party’s future political direction.

He is expected to say that the “incredible journey” that he and supporters “began together four years ago is far from over”. But Donald Trump is not expected to confirm another presidential run in 2024 yet, according to a senior adviser quoted by CBS.

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Donald Trump Jr. trailed his father’s appearance during his own speech on February 26.

He told the audience: “I imagine it will not be what we call a low energy speech, and I assure you that it will solidify Donald Trump and all of your feelings about the MAGA [Make America Great Again] movement as the future of the Republican party.”

Members of the Republican Party remained largely loyal to Donald Trump during his time in office but 10 voted to impeach him in the House of Representatives last month and seven voted to convict him in the subsequent Senate trial. The overall tally, 57-43 in favor of his guilt, fell short of the two-thirds margin needed to convict Donald Trump.

The schism in the party has remained since, with those who have broken rank against him notably absent from the CPAC stage.

The C-PAC, which began in 1974, is seen as the most influential gathering of conservatives and a barometer of the Republican party’s political direction.

Despite losing November’s presidential election and being deeply criticized over the January riot by some of his supporters, reports suggest Donald Trump remains extremely popular among his voting base.

Last week, one poll suggested 46% of surveyed Trump voters would vote for him on a third-party ticket rather than another Republican candidate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knIWglEeZJI

Andrew Cuomo Faces Second Claim of Harassment

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Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is facing a second claim of harassment coming from his former aide Charlotte Bennett.

Charlotte Bennett, a health policy adviser to Governor Cuomo until November, told the New York Times that he had harassed her last year.

Andrew Cuomo, 63, has denied any inappropriate behavior and ordered an independent inquiry into the allegations.

Another former aide, Lindsey Boylan, has previously accused the governor of harassing her.

The 63-year-old, who has been governor for more than a decade, has found himself under pressure on several fronts in recent weeks.

Andrew Cuomo is under scrutiny from the Democratic Party – of which he is a member – for allegedly hiding the true number of Covid-related deaths in New York care homes.

He has also faced allegations of bullying, including from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Charlotte Bennett, 25, told the New York Times that Andrew Cuomo had asked her numerous questions about her personal life including whether she believed that age made a difference in romantic relationships.

She said he had also suggested that the governor was open to relationships with women in their 20s. Charlotte Bennett said she believed the comments were clear overtures to a sexual relationship.

In the interview, she said that in June last year Governor Cuomo had talked about feeling lonely during the pandemic and had asked her whom she had last hugged.

She said she dodged the question by saying she missed hugging her parents, but she believed the conversation had been another overture.

Charlotte Bennett said: “I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared and was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job.”

She said she informed Governor Cuomo’s chief of staff, Jill DesRosiers, after the interaction and less than a week later was transferred to another job.

She said she had decided not to seek a formal investigation because she “wanted to move on”. No action was taken against Andrew Cuomo.

Covid-19: New York Imposes New Restrictions Aimed at Curbing Coronavirus

Coronavirus: President Donald Trump Lashes Out At Democrat Governors

In a statement released on February 27, Governor Cuomo said he believed he had been acting as a mentor to Charlotte Bennett.

He said he had “never made advances toward Ms Bennett, nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate”.

He said: “The last thing I would ever have wanted was to make her feel any of the things that are being reported.”

Governor Cuomo said he had authorized an external review of the matter.

“I ask all New Yorkers to await the findings of the review so that they know the facts before making any judgements,” he said.

Earlier this month, Lindsey Boylan published an essay detailing her claims of harassment.

She accused Governor Cuomo of kissing her on the lips and asking her to play strip poker while on his private jet.

She also claimed that he touched her without consent and frequently made inappropriate comments to her and other women about their appearances.

Andrew Cuomo had denied the accusations when they emerged late last year and reiterated those denials after the essay was published.

New York was one of the states worst hit by the pandemic and the governor won widespread praise for his response.

However, in January a report about New York’s response to Covid-19 in care homes – and the handling of related data – said it appeared a complete tally had not been provided to state lawmakers.

More than 15,000 New Yorkers in care homes have died since the start of the pandemic – believed to be the highest of any state in the US.

But until January, New York’s health department had logged just over 8,500 fatalities.

Andrew Cuomo acknowledged “a delay” in the reporting of some nursing home deaths but said the overall Covid-19 death count had always been accurate.

However, in a private conversation leaked to the New York Post, a top aide to Governor Cuomo confessed to covering up the real numbers and withholding the information out of concern the data “was going to be used against us”.

Andrew Cuomo has also faced accusations of bullying.

After Democratic New York Assemblyman Ron Kim criticized Andrew Cuomo over the nursing home issue, Governor Cuomo allegedly rang him and threatened his career.

Ron Kim accused his fellow Democrat of “verbal abuse” as other officials rushed to his defense.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the account “classic Andrew Cuomo,” adding that “the bullying is nothing new”.

Andrew Cuomo became one of the nation’s most influential Democrats during the early days of the pandemic.

The governor’s briefings, TV live, sometimes received more attention than appearances by the then-presidential Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

FDA Approves Single-Shot Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 Vaccine

The FDA has formally approved the single-shot Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, the third to be authorized in the US.

The vaccine is set to be a cost-effective alternative to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and can be stored in a refrigerator instead of a freezer.

Trials found the vaccine prevented serious illness but was 66% effective overall when moderate cases were included.

It is made by the Belgian firm Janssen.

Johnson & Johnson has agreed to provide the US with 100 million doses by the end of June. The first doses could be available to the public as early as next week.

The UK, EU and Canada have also ordered doses, and 500 million doses have also been ordered through the Covax scheme to supply poorer nations.

President Joe Biden hailed it as “exciting news for all Americans, and an encouraging development”, but warned that the “fight is far from over”.

He said in a statement: “Though we celebrate today’s news, I urge all Americans – keep washing your hands, stay socially distanced, and keep wearing masks..

“As I have said many times, things are still likely to get worse again as new variants spread, and the current improvement could reverse.”

The FDA authorization came after an external committee of exerts unanimously backed the vaccine on February 27.

Results from trials conducted in the US, South Africa and Brazil showed it was more than 85% effective at preventing serious illness, and 66% effective overall when moderate cases were included.

Notably, there were no deaths among participants who had received the vaccine and no hospital admissions after 28 days post-vaccine.

Overall protection was lower in South Africa and Brazil, where virus variants have become dominant, but defense against severe or critical illness was “similarly high”.

Single-Dose Janssen Vaccine Shows 66% Effectiveness Against Covid-19

South Africa began administering the unapproved Johnson & Johnson vaccine to healthcare workers as part of a study earlier this month. It came after early trials suggested the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine offered “minimal protection” against mild disease from the variant dominant in large parts of the country.

So far the only other country to approve the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for emergency use is Bahrain, which gave it the green light on February 25.

Because the vaccine will require fewer doses than its two-shot Pfizer and Moderna counterparts, it will also require fewer vaccine appointments and medical staff.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine uses a common cold virus that has been engineered to make it harmless.

It then safely carries part of the coronavirus’s genetic code into the body. This is enough for the body to recognize the threat and then learn to fight coronavirus.

This trains the body’s immune system to fight coronavirus when it encounters the virus for real.

This is similar to the approach used by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca.

American Rescue Plan: President Biden’s $1.9Tn Covid Relief Bill Passes House Vote

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief plan to help Americans during the Covid-19 pandemic has been approved in the House of Representatives.

The vote was along partisan lines. Two Democrats joined Republicans – who see it as too expensive – in opposing it.

The relief bill must now go to the evenly-divided Senate, which has already blocked a key element – doubling the US minimum wage to $15/hour.

The Covid-19 relief package seeks to boost vaccinations and testing, and stabilize the economy.

The cash would be extended as emergency financial aid to households, small businesses and state governments. Unemployment is close to 10%, with some 10 million jobs lost in the pandemic.

The vote comes in the same week the United States passed 500,000 coronavirus-related deaths – the largest figure of any nation in the world.

In brief remarks at the White House on February 26, President Biden hailed the House’s approval of the plan, saying he hoped it would receive “quick action” at the Senate.

He said: “We have no time to waste.

“If we act now, decisively, quickly and boldly we can finally get ahead of this virus, we can finally get our economy moving again. And the people in this country have suffered far too much for too long. We need to relieve that suffering.”

Joe Biden had appealed for bipartisan unity when he took office last month.

He has championed what he calls the American Rescue Plan as a way to help struggling Americans through Covid-19.

However, Republicans say the plan is unnecessarily large and stuffed with Democratic priorities unrelated to the pandemic.

The divisions were reflected by the representatives.

The bill is the third major spending package of the pandemic, and actually not quite as big as President Donald Trump’s $2trillion last March.

President Trump Fails to Sign Covid-19 Relief Bill into Law

President Trump Threatens to Block Covid-19 Relief Bill

The key elements include:

  • A $1,400 cheque per person, although payments phase out for higher incomes
  • Extending jobless benefits until the end of August to help the more than 11 million long-term unemployed
  • Parents of children under the age of 18 to get a year of monthly benefits
  • $70 billion to boost Covid-19 testing and vaccinations
  • Financial support for schools and universities to help them reopen
  • Grants for small businesses and other targeted industries
  • Funds for local government

One of the other major elements is the increase of the minimum wage from $7.25/hour – where it has been since 2009 – to $15.

On February 25, Elizabeth MacDonough, the non-partisan Senate parliamentarian – who interprets its rules – said that raising the minimum wage would violate the budgetary limits allowed in this kind of measure.

The bill that passed in the House does still include the increase and it remains unclear how the issue can be resolved.

The minimum wage rise remains a key Democrat goal, particularly for the party’s progressive wing, and some top Democrats are considering a measure to penalize employers who pay less than $15/hour.

Republicans argue the minimum wage increase would be too heavy a toll on firms struggling to rebuild following the Covid-19 outbreak.

The package goes to the Senate – spilt evenly between Democrats and Republicans 50-50 – probably next week. The rules of the Senate do allow a reconciliation bill like this to be passed on a simple majority, rather than 60-40.

Khashoggi Report: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Approved Khashoggi Operation

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Image source: Wikimedia Commons

The report released by the office of the US director of national intelligence has found that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the murder of exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

The report released by the Biden administration says the Saudi prince approved a plan to either “capture or kill” Jamal Khashoggi, who was based in the US.

It is the first time the US has publicly named the crown prince, who denies ordering the murder.

Meanwhile, the US announced sanctions on dozens of Saudis but not the prince himself.

Jamal Khashoggi, 59, was killed while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Washington Post journalist had once been an adviser to the Saudi government and close to the royal family but he fell out of favor and went into self-imposed exile in the US in 2017.

From there, Jamal Khashoggi wrote a monthly column in the Washington Post in which he criticized the policies of Prince Mohammed.

The report says: “We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.”

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is the son of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and is considered to be the effective ruler of the kingdom.

US to Release Report on Jamal Khashoggi Murder

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Saudi Crown Prince Admits Responsibility for Jamal Kashoggi Murder

Jamal Khashoggi Murder Recordings Revealed by Turkish Newspaper

The intelligence report lists three reasons for believing that the Saudi prince must have approved the operation:

  • his control of decision-making in the kingdom since 2017
  • the direct involvement in the operation of one of his advisers as well as members of his protective detail
  • his “support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad”

The report goes on to name individuals allegedly complicit in, or responsible for, Jamal Khashoggi’s death. But it says “we do not know how far in advance” those involved planned to harm him.

Saudi authorities have blamed the killing on a “rogue operation” by a team of agents sent to return the journalist to the kingdom, and a Saudi court tried and sentenced five individuals to 20 years in prison last September, after initially sentencing them to death.

In 2019, UN special rapporteur Agnes Callamard accused the Saudi state of the “deliberate, premeditated execution” of Jamal Khashoggi and dismissed the Saudi trial as an “antithesis of justice”.

Shortly after the report was released, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the travel restrictions, dubbed the “Khashoggi Ban”.

Those targeted are “believed to have been directly engaged in serious, extraterritorial counter-dissident activities”, he said.

“Perpetrators targeting perceived dissidents on behalf of any foreign government should not be permitted to reach American soil,” Antony Blinken warned.

In addition, the treasury department sanctioned some of those around Prince Mohammed: one of his close aides, former deputy intelligence chief Ahmad Asiri, as well as his personal protective force, which was involved in the killing.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, is a key American ally in the Middle East.

President Joe Biden is expected to take a firmer line than his predecessor Donald Trump on human rights and the rule of law in Saudi Arabia.

In a phone call on February 25 with King Salman, President Biden “affirmed the importance the United States places on universal human rights and the rule of law”, the White House said.

According to sources quoted by Reuters, the Biden administration is also considering the cancelation of arms deals with Saudi Arabia that pose human rights concerns as well as the limiting of future military sales to “defensive” weapons.

US to Release Report on Jamal Khashoggi Murder

Image source www.alaraby.co.uk

The US authorities are set to release a report of an investigation into the gruesome murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi which is widely expected to implicate the kingdom’s powerful crown prince.

President Joe Biden has read the report and is due to speak to King Salman.

The president wants to “recalibrate” ties with Saudi Arabia, which became closer under President Donald Trump.

Jamal Khashoggi’s body was dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bon Salman denies involvement.

The Washington Post journalist, known for his criticism of Saudi authorities, went to the consulate in October 2018 in order to obtain papers allowing him to get married.

According to Saudi authorities, Jamal Khashoggi’s death and dismemberment was the result of a “rogue operation” by a team of agents sent to return him to the kingdom.

Five individuals were given death sentences for the murder by a Saudi court but these were commuted to 20 years in prison in September 2020.

The report, which is expected to be released later on February 25, will say that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved “and likely ordered” Jamal Khashoggi’s killing, four US officials told Reuters.

They said the CIA was the main contributor to the report.

Jamal Khashoggi Murder Trial Begins in Turkey

Jamal Khashoggi Murder: Five Sentenced to Death in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Crown Prince Admits Responsibility for Jamal Kashoggi Murder

Jamal Khashoggi Murder Recordings Revealed by Turkish Newspaper

The Saudi public prosecution and Prince Mohammed insist he did not have any knowledge of the murder but in 2019 he said he took “full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government”.

According to that reported assessment, there was no “smoking gun” but US officials thought such an operation would have required the prince’s approval.

The Washington Post said at the time that the CIA assessment had been based partly on a phone call made by the crown prince’s brother, Prince Khalid bin Salman, who was the then Saudi ambassador to the US.

Prince Khalid, who is now deputy defense minister, allegedly called Jamal Khashoggi at the direction of his brother and gave him assurances that he would be safe to go to the consulate in Istanbul. Prince Khalid has denied any communication with the journalist.

In 2019, UN special rapporteur Agnes Callamard accused Saudi Arabia of the “deliberate, premeditated execution” of Jamal Khashoggi and dismissed the Saudi trial as an “antithesis of justice”.

The publication of the report is part of President Biden’s policy to realign ties with long-term ally Saudi Arabia and take a much tougher stance than his predecessor President Trump on certain Saudi positions.

The Trump administration had previously rejected a legal requirement to release a declassified version of the report, focusing instead on improved co-operation with the Saudis.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on February 24 that President Biden would communicate with King Salman, and not directly with the crown prince, who is his son and is considered the de facto ruler in Saudi Arabia.

She said President Biden was due to speak to the 85-year-old king for the first time since taking office “soon”, without giving a specific time for the call.

Jen Psaki told reporters: “We’ve made clear from the beginning that we are going to recalibrate our relationship with Saudi Arabia.”

Covax Initiative: Ghana Receives 600,000 Doses of Covid-19 Vaccine

Ghana has become the first country to receive Covid-19 vaccines through the Covax vaccine-sharing initiative.

A delivery of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Accra on February 24. The first recipients are due to be healthcare workers.

The Covax scheme aims to reduce the divide between rich countries and poorer nations unable to buy doses.

The program is planning to deliver about two billion vaccine doses globally by the end of the year.

Ghana, which has a population of over 30 million, was chosen as the first recipient of the free vaccines after promising quick distribution and meeting the criteria set by Covax.

Further deliveries are expected to neighboring Ivory Coast later this week, the Covax alliance says.

Vaccinations are expected to start in Ghana next week, and, as well as health workers, those over 60, people with underlying health conditions, and senior officials are due to be prioritized.

The vaccines delivered to Accra were produced by the Serum Institute of India and developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University. The vaccine has been approved by the WHO and its roll-out in Ghana is not part of a trial.

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The doses being sent to lower-income countries such as Ghana are funded by donations. As well as procuring and delivering the vaccines, Covax partners are supporting local authorities in areas such as training people to administer the vaccine and helping provide an adequate cold-chain storage and delivery system.

Many nations in the developed world, which began their own vaccinations months ago, have faced criticism for buying or ordering more vaccines than they need.

However, many of those countries placed orders for doses with pharmaceutical companies before knowing whether the vaccine in development would be effective. They were hedging their bets – placing multiple orders in the hope that at least some of them would work out.

The Covax scheme is led by the WHO and also involves the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

In a joint statement, the WHO and the United Nations children’s fund (UNICEF) said it was a momentous occasion and “critical in bringing the pandemic to an end”.

Last Statue of Dictator Francisco Franco on Spanish Soil Removed

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Spain has removed the last statue of General Francisco Franco on its soil, after the tiny enclave of Melilla voted to take down its monument to the fascist dictator.

Workers destroyed the brink plinth and carried away the statue, which had stood at the gates of the city on the north-west coast of Africa.

Only the far-right Vox party in Melilla had voted against its removal.

Francisco Franco ruled Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975.

More than 30,000 people were killed in the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War, which saw Franco’s Nationalist forces defeat the Republican government.

The general then presided over a regime of state terror and national brainwashing through the controlled media and the state education system.

It was not until 2007 that a Law of Historical Memory was passed that attempted to recognize the suffering of victims of Francoism.

Under that law, symbols of the dictatorship have slowly been removed, including other high-profile statues around Spain.

King Juan Carlos of Spain abdicates

Elena Fernandez Trevino, of the Melilla assembly, described the removal of the enclave’s Franco statue as an “historic day”.

She said it was the “only statue dedicated to a dictator still in the public sphere in Europe”.

Members of the Vox party had argued against its removal, saying that the statue – erected in 1978 – commemorated Franco’s role as commander of the Spanish Legion in the Rif War, a conflict Spain fought in the 1920s against Berber tribes in Morocco.

General Franco was buried in a vast mausoleum called the Valley of the Fallen, just outside Madrid, alongside tens of thousands of people who lost their lives in the civil war.

The mausoleum was partly built by political prisoners, whom Franco’s regime subjected to forced labor, and had become a shrine for the far right.

In 2019, Francisco Franco’s remains were moved to a low-key grave. Deputy PM Carmen Calvo said: “The more than 30,000 victims of both sides will have peace and respect from all there.”

Gerard Depardieu Charged with 2018 Rape

Gérard Depardieu has been formally placed under investigation over accusations that he raped an actress at his home in 2018.

The woman accuses the French actor of raping and assaulting her in Paris in August 2018.

Gérard Depardieu’s lawyer told AFP that the actor “totally dispute[d]” the allegation, and the investigation should not have been made public.

The arts world in France has been shaken by a series of accusations of abuse against leading figures.

Gérard Depardieu, 73, is one of France’s most famous actors, known for films including Jean de Florette, Green Card and Cyrano.

An initial investigation into the rape allegations was dropped in 2019, with prosecutors citing insufficient evidence, but was reopened last summer. Prosecutors formally placed Gérard Depardieu under investigation in December 2020.

The actor is free but under judicial supervision.

The woman’s lawyer, Elodie Tuaillon-Hibon, told AFP she hoped her client’s “private sphere” would be respected as the case unfolded.

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Able to combine bearish physicality with emotional delicacy on screen, Gérard Depardieu has appeared in some 170 films, getting his big break in 1973 with Les Valseuses (Going Places).

He won the best actor award for Cyrano at Cannes in 1990, and was nominated for an Oscar for the same role.

Green Card, an English-language comedy made the same year, brought him further acclaim outside the French-speaking world.

Off-screen, the actor made headlines in recent years for attacking French tax laws, moving to Belgium in protest.

In 2013, Gérard Depardieu took Russian citizenship, with his decree of naturalization signed personally by President Vladimir Putin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEWu_CNnlKs

Tiger Woods Hospitalized after Car Crash in LA

Photo Facebook

Tiger Woods has been hospitalized after suffering “multiple leg injuries” in a car crash in Los Angeles, California.

The LA County Sheriff’s Department said that it “responded to a single-vehicle rollover” accident in which the “vehicle sustained major damage”.

Tiger Woods, 45, had to be “extricated from the wreck” by firefighters and paramedics.

Tiger Woods’ agent Mark Steinberg said: “He is currently in surgery and we thank you for your privacy and support.”

Mark Steinberg confirmed the detail about the American having sustained “multiple leg injuries”.

The 15-time golf major champion was at the Riviera Country Club in LA at the weekend as host of the Genesis Invitational tournament.

A statement from the LA County Sheriff’s Department said it responded to the crash “on the border of Rolling Hills Estates and Rancho Palos Verdes” on Tuesday morning local time.

The statement added: “Mr. Woods was extricated from the wreck with the ‘jaws of life’ by Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics, then transported to a local hospital by ambulance for his injuries.”

“Units dispatched at 07:22 and found a single-vehicle rollover. One adult male was assisted out of the vehicle and transported to a local area hospital in serious condition.”

Tiger Woods Loses Sleep After Breakup with Lindsey Vonn

Tiger Woods loses front tooth in video camera crash while watching Lindsey Vonn compete in Italy

A statement from PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said: “We are awaiting further information when he comes out of surgery.

“On behalf of the PGA Tour and our players, Tiger is in our prayers and will have our full support as he recovers.”

Tiger Woods was involved in a car crash in November 2009 which eventually led to admissions of infidelity and the breakdown of his marriage. He then took a break from golf but returned shortly afterwards.

Following five wins in 2013, Tiger Woods started just 24 events in the next four years because of chronic back pain and multiple surgeries.

In 2017, Tiger Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence when he was found asleep at the wheel of his car. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving.

He had five prescription drugs in his system as he recovered from the spinal fusion surgery that ultimately gave him a second golfing career.

Tiger Woods ended an 11-year wait for a major title when he won the Masters at Augusta in 2019.

How to Improve Your Home’s Air Quality

Image source: Pexels

Many people feel safer in the comforts of their home, particularly when it comes to any kind of pollution. The outside world can be filled with dust, smog, haze, and other potentially harmful pollutants, which is why many people feel like their indoor air is clean and safe for them to breathe.

While it may seem that your home’s indoor air quality is far better than the outdoors, this is not entirely true. In some cases, indoors tend to be more polluted than the outdoors. The air in our homes can be filled with chemicals from home cleaners and fire-control equipment. In fact, there is a high probability that your home has a heating system that retains allergens indoors. It is not always possible to open the windows to air out your home. However, there are numerous ways for you to improve your home’s air quality:

1.   Regularly Clean Your Home

Air pollution in your home will be significantly reduced once you make cleaning a part of your routine. For one, you will see an immediate reduction of dust, pet dander, and other potential allergens. Start by having a regular schedule of vacuuming your carpets and rugs. Make sure you have a vacuum that comes with suitable filters. If you plan to renovate your home, it will help to replace the carpet flooring with hardwood or tiles to reduce the presence of air allergens.

In addition to cleaning your carpets regularly, you should also pay careful attention to your curtains, cushions, sofas, and bedding. If you have pets that stay indoors, make sure to clean their area, mainly where they spend most of their time. It will also help to reduce your clutter that can accumulate dust.

2.   Change Your AC Filters

Your home’s heating, venting, and air-conditioning system work year-round to make sure that your entire family enjoys the perfect temperature. Part of its function is to maintain the proper air cycle in your home by filtering the air pollutants. That’s why it is necessary to practice proper maintenance of the AC filters. Failure to clean these filters can lead to clogging and eventual breakage, which will drastically drop your home’s air quality.

3.   Air Your Plants

Having indoor plants offers many benefits. Aside from improving the overall appearance of your home, they also improve your air quality. However, they can also be prone to become a breeding ground for mold, dust, and other pests. That’s why it is essential to air them once in a while. It will help if you can bring your plants outside at least twice a week to get the necessary sunlight and air they need.

4.   Air Out Your Home

Indoor air can become stale if there is not steady airflow in your home. Whenever possible, it is best to air out your home. Open your windows to let the air circulate. However, if it is not possible, particularly during the winter season, you can use trickle vents instead. They are highly beneficial for homes in urban settings where the outdoor air is full of smog, smoke, and dust. Having them in your bathroom and kitchen helps, as these areas need it the most.

5.   Avoid Smoking Inside

If you live with a smoker, instruct them to smoke outside of your home. The smoke from cigarettes has over 4,000 harmful chemicals, which can cause cancer, infections, and asthma. If possible, quitting is a better option for everyone.

Maintaining good indoor air quality is crucial for one’s health. Following the above tips will ensure that your home is both clean and safe.

President Biden Commemorates 500,000 US Lives Lost to Covid-19

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Image source: AP

President Joe Biden has addressed the nation as the United States passed 500,000 Covid-related deaths, the highest number of any country.

He said: “As a nation, we can’t accept such a cruel fate. We have to resist becoming numb to the sorrow.”

The president and vice-president, and their spouses, then observed a moment of silence outside the White House during a candle-lighting ceremony.

According to recent reports, the number of confirmed US infections now stands at 28.1 million, also a global record.

President Biden ordered all flags on federal property to be lowered to half mast for the next five days.

At the White House, the president opened his speech by noting that the number of American deaths from Covid-19 was higher than the death toll from World War One, World War Two, and the Vietnam War combined.

He said: “Today we mark a truly grim, heartbreaking milestone – 500,071 dead.”

“We often hear people described as ordinary Americans,” President Biden went on to say.

“There’s no such thing, there’s nothing ordinary about them. The people we lost were extraordinary. They span generations. Born in America, emigrated to America.”

“So many of them took their final breath alone in America.”

President Biden drew on his own experience with grief – his wife and daughter were killed in a car crash in 1972 and one of his sons died from brain cancer in 2015.

He said: “I know what it’s like to not be there when it happens. I know what it’s like when you are there holding their hands; there’s a look in their eye and they slip away.

“For me, the way through sorrow and grief is to find purpose.”

Joe Biden’s approach to the pandemic is different to his predecessor, Donald Trump, who cast doubt on the impact of the deadly virus and was viewed as having politicized the wearing of masks and other measures needed to prevent the spread of the virus.

On January 19, one day before Joe Biden took office, he held an event to mark 400,000 Americans dying of the disease.

February 22 event, marking the latest death toll, comes about one month later.

Elsewhere in Washington, the bells at the National Cathedral tolled 500 times, once for every 1,000 Americans lost during the pandemic.

Emma Coronel Aispuro: El Chapo Guzman’s Wife Arrested at Dulles Airport on Drug Trafficking Charges

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Image source: EPA

Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of jailed Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, has been arrested in the US on suspicion of drug trafficking, authorities say.

The 31-year-old was detained at Dulles International Airport outside Washington DC.

El Chapo’s wife is charged with participating in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana.

The 63-year-old drug lord is currently serving a life sentence in New York for drug trafficking and money laundering.

El Chapo is a former head of the Sinaloa cartel, which officials say was the biggest supplier of drugs to the US.

His trial in 2019 heard shocking revelations about his life, from drugging and raping girls as young as 13 to carrying out the cold-blooded murders of former cartel members and rivals.

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El Chapo Guzman Complains in Court About US Jail Conditions

Emma Coronel Aispuro is due to appear in a federal court in DC via video conference, the DoJ said.

As well as facing drug trafficking charges, she is also accused of conspiring with others to help her husband escape from prison in Mexico in 2015.

El Chapo Guzman was sprung from Mexico’s maximum-security Altiplano prison after his sons bought a property near the prison and a GPS watch smuggled into the prison gave diggers his exact location. He escaped by riding a specially adapted small motorcycle through the tunnel.

Court documents said Emma Coronel Aispuro was allegedly involved in planning another prison escape for her husband before he was extradited to the US in January 2017.

Emma Coronel Aispuro has not commented on the charges.

She is a dual US-Mexico citizen and the mother of twins with Guzman. She attended nearly every day of her husband’s three-month trial in New York, during which she heard not only grim accounts of murder and rape, but also claims he spied on her and other mistresses.

El Chapo Guzmán came from a poor family in Sinaloa state, north-west Mexico. His organized crime business grew so big that he entered Forbes’ 2009 list of the world’s richest men at number 701, with an estimated worth of $1 billion.

NASA Releases Videos of Perseverance Rover Landing on Mars

Image source: NASA Twitter

NASA has unveiled stunning videos of its Perseverance rover landing on Mars.

The videos cover the final minutes of last week’s hair-raising descent, up to the point where the rover’s wheels make contact with the ground.

The sequences show a whirl of dust and grit being kicked up as the vehicle is lowered by its rocket backpack to the floor of Jezero Crater.

Perseverance was sent to Mars festooned with cameras, seven of which were dedicated to recording the landing.

Their imagery represents vital feedback for engineers as they look to improve still further the technologies used to put probes on the surface of the Red planet.

All the cameras employed in the descent and landing were off-the-shelf, ruggedized sports cameras, with next-to-no modifications.

The cameras were positioned to capture key hardware events – from the release of the supersonic parachute, through the jettisoning of the entry capsule’s heatshield and flight of the backpack, or “sky crane”, all the way through to touchdown and the backpack’s disposal.

This corresponded to roughly the final four minutes of the rover’s seven-minute descent to the surface.

One of the three cameras looking up at the parachutes failed, but the other six cameras worked flawlessly. NASA had hoped also to record the sound of the descent with a microphone, but unfortunately this didn’t succeed.

However, the team has managed to get a mic operating on the ground so there is the possibility of hearing Perseverance go about its exploration duties in the coming weeks. Already, the muffled sound of the wind in Jezero Crater has been played back.

Videos have been made at Mars before, but these were low frame-rate affairs – more what you might call “stop motion” action. The Perseverance offering on the other hand is simply jaw-dropping in its clarity and detail.

At the weekend, Perseverance’s navigation mast, which had been stowed flat since leaving Earth last year, was raised into the vertical.

This allowed the main science cameras at the mast’s top, the Mastcam-Z system, to begin building a panorama of the surrounding terrain in Jezero and of the deck of the rover itself. The latter mosaic is wanted to look for any damage that might have been inflicted by flying stones at the time of landing.

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Successfully Lands on Mars

Controllers will this week perform the critical task of transitioning Perseverance away from the software that got it safely down to the surface of Mars to one that enables the robot to rove and use equipment such as its robotic arm.

This is likely to take four Martian days, or Sols (a Martian day lasts 24 hours and 39 minutes). We might see a wheel wiggle and the first test drive of a few meters come the weekend.

A NASA satellite, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, has already identified and photographed the discarded hardware from landing.

Perseverance’s landing spot is in a 1.2km by 1.2km quadrangle that the science team has informally called Canyon de Chelly after the National Monument in Arizona.