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France’s first lady Brigitte Macron will be the subject of a biopic series.
Production company Gaumont said the six-part series, entitled Brigitte, a Free Woman, would trace the “storybook journey” of Emmanuel Macron’s wife.
The series will start with the first meeting of the couple, one of the series writers said.
Brigitte Macron first met her now-husband when she was a teacher at his secondary school.
The couple ended up marrying in 2007, when Emmanuel Macron was 29 and Brigitte was 54.
Brigitte Macron kept teaching for a time but quit her job in 2015 when her husband began getting involved in politics. He was elected president in 2017.
Image source Wikimedia
The French press describes the First Lady as one of only a handful of people whose judgement the president always calls on.
The new TV series will be written by French writers Bénédicte Charles and Olivier Pouponneau, Gaumont said.
Asked about the new production of Brigitte Macron’s life, an anonymous source close to the first lady told AFP news agency: “We are not associated with this project which we learnt about today in the press.”
The cast of the series is yet to be announced.
Gaumont is one of France’s leading TV production companies. It is responsible for the hit TV series Lupin.
A first glimpse of the new business venture from Meghan Markle has been teased on social media, with pictures of a jar of strawberry jam.
In a bid to preserve a sense of mystery, the jam from the new American Riviera Orchard brand seemed to be spread among friends and influencers.
Fashion designer Tracy Robbins posted a picture of the jam on Instagram.
It was numbered “17 of 50”, suggesting the number of recipients of this first fruit of the new business.
The arrival of the Duchess of Sussex’s new California-based lifestyle brand had been signalled on social media last month and this suggests that it will be selling food products.
There seemed to be have been something of a re-launch for Meghan Markle Prince Harry’s brands and businesses this year, beginning with the overhaul of their regal-looking website under the sussex.com label.
Their latest projects seem to be moving away from a previous focus on their time as working royals, such as their Netflix film Harry and Meghan and the duke’s memoir Spare.
Image source Wikimedia
The hint about the strawberry jam from Meghan’s American Riviera Orchard brand seems to fit with the couple’s latest Netflix plans.
Meghan Markle is going to launch a Netflix show which will “celebrate the joys of cooking and gardening, entertaining, and friendship”.
Prince Harry will be involved in another Netflix venture showing the inside track on the world of polo. That’s the equestrian sport, not the mints.
Delfina Blaquier, married to Prince Harry’s polo-playing friend Nacho Figueras, also posted a picture of the new jam, with hers labelled “10 of 50”.
The social media trail for American Riviera Orchard evokes a sense of the couple’s home in California – and this soft launch for the jam show pictures of the jars in a sunny basket of lemons.
It’s not known how much items from the new lifestyle brand will cost.
Although there are already plenty of other royals getting into jams. Visitors to the gift shops in royal palaces can get a Buckingham Palace Strawberry Preserve for £3.95 ($4.90) or Windsor Castle Fine Cut Seville Orange Marmalade, also for £3.95.
Court has wrapped up for the first day of Donald Trump’s long-awaited hush-money trial in New York.
It marks the first time that a US president – former or current – has faced a criminal trial.
Dozens of potential jurors have been excused after saying they cannot be impartial.
Jury selection is expected to continue for at least the rest of the week.
Donald Trump is accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 hush-money payment to adult movie star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election – which he won.
Stormy Daniels claims she and Donald Trump had an affair in 2006, and she was then paid by Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen to stay quiet about it.
Donald Trump is accused of falsifying his business records by saying the reimbursement money he gave Michael Cohen was for legal fees.
He faces 34 counts of fraud, but denies any legal wrongdoing – and also denies having an affair with Daniels.
Image source Wikipedia
The maximum penalty if Donald Trump is found guilty is four years behind bars, but experts say a much less severe penalty would be more likely.
Speaking outside court, Donald Trump said he was upset about possibly missing son’s graduation.
He said some “amazing things happened today”.
The former president then brings up how the judge may not let him go to his son’s high school graduation.
The judge told Trump they would make a call on that closer to the date.
He criticises the judge, and the case. And once again makes the unsubstantiated claim that it is “election interference”.
Donald Trump has repeatedly made these types of allegations regarding his legal troubles.
And with that, he walks away and takes no questions.
There were 96 people in the first panel of prospective jurors brought into the courtroom today.
In a matter of minutes, 63 were dismissed because they said they could not be impartial in Trump’s hush-money case.
Now that court has resumed, those 33 remaining people will be asked more questions and we will likely see more excused before the day is out. Then there are hundreds more still waiting to be called to the court room.
Finding an impartial jury in New York is going to take some time, probably more than a week.
It’s a blue state, meaning voters are largely Democrats.
Donald Trump’s relationship with the city, where he made a name for himself as a real estate tycoon.
Israel’s war cabinet has met to discuss its response to Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile attack.
Israel did not make public whether a decision had been reached.
Its allies have strongly condemned Iran’s actions, but urged Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to show restraint.
While Iran has signalled it considers the matter closed, the Israeli military’s chief of staff said the attack would not go unanswered.
“Look, as we look forward, we weigh our steps, and this launch of so many missiles, cruise missiles, UAVs to the territory of the State of Israel will be met with a response,” Lt Gen Herzi Halevi said.
He did not specify a course of action, or give a timescale.
Analysts say Israel might decide to carry out a limited attack, such as a major cyberattack, or a strike on infrastructure with a low risk of casualties, calculated not to provoke a military response by Iran but to send a clear signal – or something far more extensive.
Lt Gen Halevi was speaking from Nevatim air base in southern Israel, which sustained damage in Saturday’s overnight attack but was said by Israel to be “still functioning”.
The Israeli military said more than 300 drones and missiles were launched at Israel. It said almost all were brought down by its forces, with support from the US, UK, France and other countries, before reaching their targets. No deaths were reported and Israel said the damage was limited.
World leaders have urged restraint amid concerns about a major escalation in tensions in the Middle East.
President Joe Biden spoke to PM Netanyahu following the launch of the Iranian attack and reaffirmed “America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel”.
But on April 14 the US told Israel it would not join in any counter-strike on Iran, according to a senior White House official.
“We’re committed to a ceasefire that will bring the hostages home and prevent the conflict spreading more than it already has,” President Biden said on April 15, referring to the 130 hostages still in Gaza who were abducted from Israel on October 7, and Israel’s subsequent military operation which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Almost all weapons were shot down by Israeli, US and allied forces before they reached their targets.
White House officials said President Joe Biden urged Israel to consider its response “carefully”.
Speaking to reporters on April 14, a senior administration official said that President Biden told Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to “think very carefully and strategically” about how his forces replied to the unprecedented action, the first direct attack by Iran on the country.
The official added that the Biden administration believes Israel “got the best of it” in the exchange, which began when senior Iranian military commanders were killed at an Iranian consular building in Syria.
Image source: President Biden/X
About 99% of the missiles, drones and cruise missiles launched during Iran’s retaliatory operation were shot down or intercepted – which US officials point to as a sign of Israeli military superiority over Iran.
A conversation took place between President Biden and PM Netanyahu at a time “of heightened emotion” just after the attack, which included about 100 ballistic missiles simultaneously flying towards Israel.
During the call, the two leaders had a discussion “about how to slow things down and think through things”, with President Biden emphasizing that Israel has “gotten the best of it”.
The official declined to say, however, whether the White House warned against a significant response, saying only that “it is a calculation the Israelis have to make”.
In a string of television appearances on US networks earlier in the day, national security spokesman John Kirby repeatedly said that the US had made it clear to Israel that it seeks to avoid a wider conflict.
The senior administration said that the same message has been sent to Iran through diplomatic channels.
President Joe Biden has praised American forces who he said “helped Israel take down nearly all” drones and missiles launched by Iran on April 13.
In a statement, he said the US had moved aircraft and warships to the region before the unprecedented attack.
“I condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms,” the president added.
Israel said Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles in its direction, the first time it has attacked Israel directly from its own territory.
It said the “vast majority” were intercepted, but there were a small number of hits including at an IDF base in southern Israel. At least one person, reported to be a young girl, was injured.
Iran earlier warned that Israel would be “punished” for a strike on its consulate in Syria on April 1, which killed seven Iranian officers including a top commander. Israel has not confirmed or denied whether it was responsible.
“I’ve just spoken with Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu to reaffirm America’s ironclad commitment to the security of Israel,” President Biden said shortly after the pair held a call.
“I told him that Israel demonstrated a remarkable capacity to defend against and defeat even unprecedented attacks,” he added.
Image source: President Biden/X
Joe Biden also said he plans to convene G7 leaders on April 14 “to co-ordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack”.
He warned Iran against attacking any US assets, adding while Iran has not done so, America “remains vigilant to all threats”.
Joe Biden cut short a planned visit to his home state of Delaware on April 13, travelling back to the White House to be briefed by national security officials hours before the attack.
White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said President Biden was “in constant communication with Israeli officials, as well as other partners and allies”.
Republicans in the House of Representatives, meanwhile, said they were drafting legislation to provide more aid to Israel and sanction Iran.
Iran’s delegation at the UN said Tehran earlier said “the matter can be deemed concluded” but warned it would strike again if there were reprisals by Israel or the US.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard also said in a statement that “support or participation in attacking Iran’s interests will have a fierce response”.
Other nations, including the UK, France and Canada, have also condemned Iran and expressed support for Israel.
Iran has launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel in a retaliatory attack, the Iranian military says.
Sirens and loud explosions are heard as Israel’s air defences intercept objects from the sky. As air raid sirens ring out, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have told Israeli civilians that they may hear blasts.
“The Aerial Defense Array is fully operational and is intercepting threats wherever required, even at this very moment,” it said.
“At this time, numerous planes are in the air, ready to counter any threat. You may hear explosions from interceptions or debris falling.”
Sirens were activated in Jerusalem at around 01:45 local time.
Loud explosions were heard with the air defence systems shooting down objects over the city.
The multiple interceptions lit up the night sky here.
The US has shot down some Iranian drones that were headed towards Israel, military officials say.
Iran had warned that Israel would be “punished” for a strike on its consulate in Syria on April 1.
Seven Revolutionary Guards, including two generals, and six Syrians were killed in the Damascus attack.
Israel has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of strikes in recent years on targets in Syria that it says are linked to Iran but has not claimed the Damascus strike.
President Joe Biden has promised what he called “ironclad” support for Israel, saying the US will “do all we can to protect Israel’s security”.
Iran had avoided direct confrontation with Israel during the Israel-Hamas conflict, but the Damascus attack was seen as a serious escalation.
RAF Typhoon jets have been flying over areas of Iraq and Syria tonight and have been authorised to target any Iranian drones and missiles flying within range.
Iran is now citing Article 51 of the UN Charter for its attack.
It says “the matter can be deemed concluded” – suggesting it will not launch further strikes. However, it has warned against any retaliation or any involvement by the United States.
“Conducted on the strength of Article 51 of the UN Charter pertaining to legitimate defense, Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus,” its permanent mission at the United Nations said on Twitter/X.
“The matter can be deemed concluded. However, should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!”
Article 51 of the UN Charter says that member states have “the inherent right of individual or collective self-defense if an armed attack occurs”.
OJ Simpson, the former NFL star turned actor who was controversially cleared of double murder, has died aged 76.
San Francisco-born Orenthal James Simpson rose to fame in college before playing in the NFL.
In 1995, he was acquitted of the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend in a trial that gripped America.
In 2008, OJ Simpson was sentenced to 33 years’ imprisonment on unrelated charges of armed robbery. He was released in 2017.
He died of cancer on April 10 “surrounded by his children and grandchildren”, a family statement read.
In 1994, OJ Simpson was arrested as a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. The pair were found stabbed to death outside Nicole Brown’s home in Los Angeles. OJ Simpson became an immediate person of interest in the case.
On the day he was due to turn himself in, he fled in a white Ford Bronco with a former teammate, and led the police on a slow-speed chase through the Los Angeles area.
That chase engrossed audiences in the US and abroad as it was broadcast live on “rolling” 24-hour news channels still in their relative infancy.
In the ensuing court case, dubbed the “trial of the century” by media, prosecutors argued OJ Simpson had killed Nicole Brown in a jealous fury. Evidence included blood, hair and fibre tests linking OJ Simpson to the murders.
The defense argued OJ Simpson was framed by police who were motivated by racism.
In one of the trial’s most memorable moments, prosecutors asked OJ Simpson to put on a pair of blood-stained gloves allegedly found at the scene of the murder, but Simpson struggled to fit his hands into them. It led to one of Simpson’s lawyers, Johnnie Cochran, telling the jury in his closing arguments: “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
The jury ultimately sided with OJ Simpson, who had declared he was “absolutely 100% not guilty”. The acquittal proved hugely controversial.
The families of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman did not give up – they pursued a civil case against OJ Simpson in 1997 and a jury found Simpson liable for the two deaths. He was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages to their families.
In 2006, OJ Simpson sold a book manuscript, titled “If I Did It”, and a prospective TV interview, giving a “hypothetical” account of the murders he had always strenuously denied.
Public objections ended both projects, but Ron Goldman’s family secured the book rights, added material imputing guilt to OJ Simpson and had it published.
OJ Simpson’s final disgrace came in 2008, when he was convicted of armed robbery for breaking into a Las Vegas hotel room with four accomplices, holding two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint and stealing items related to his NFL career.
He was sentenced to 33 years in jail, but was granted parole after serving the minimum of nine years.
Gloria Allred, an attorney who represented Nicole Brown’s family during the murder trial, said that OJ Simpson’s death served as a reminder that the justice system failed abused women and allows “celebrity men to avoid true justice”, according to a statement obtained by CNN.
Caitlyn Jenner, once part of OJ Simpson’s social circle, echoed Goldman, posting two words on Twitter/X: “Good riddance.”
Truong My Lan, a 67-year-old Vietnamese property developer, was sentenced to death on April 11 for looting one of the country’s largest banks over a period of 11 years.
It was the most spectacular trial ever held in Vietnam, befitting one of the greatest bank frauds the world has ever seen.
It’s a rare verdict – Truong My Lan is one of very few women in Vietnam to be sentenced to death for a white collar crime.
Image source: AP
The decision is a reflection of the dizzying scale of the fraud. Truong My Lan was convicted of taking out $44 billion in loans from the Saigon Commercial Bank. The verdict requires her to return $27 billion, a sum prosecutors said may never be recovered. Some believe the death penalty is the court’s way of trying to encourage her to return some of the missing billions.
The habitually secretive communist authorities were uncharacteristically forthright about this case, going into minute detail for the media. They said 2,700 people were summoned to testify, while 10 state prosecutors and around 200 lawyers were involved.
The evidence was in 104 boxes weighing a total of six tonnes. Eighty-five others were tried with Truong My Lan, who denied the charges and can appeal.
All of the defendants were found guilty. Four received life in jail. The rest were given prison terms ranging from 20 years to three years suspended. Truong Truong My Lan’s husband and niece received jail terms of nine and 17 years respectively.
The trial was the most dramatic chapter so far in the “Blazing Furnaces” anti-corruption campaign led by the Communist Party Secretary-General, Nguyen Phu Trong.
A conservative ideologue steeped in Marxist theory, Nguyen Phu Trong believes that popular anger over untamed corruption poses an existential threat to the Communist Party’s monopoly on power. He began the campaign in earnest in 2016 after out-manoeuvring the then pro-business prime minister to retain the top job in the party.
Donald Trump has been criticized by Joe Biden’s campaign team for sharing a video on social media featuring a truck bearing the image of the president with his hands and feet tied together.
The Biden campaign team accused the former president of “regularly inciting political violence” ahead of November’s election.
A spokesman for the Trump campaign said Democrats have been calling for “despicable violence” against Donald Trump.
Donald Trump posted the video on his social media site Truth Social on March 29.
According to the caption, it was filmed in Long Island, New York, on March 28 when the former president attended the wake of a New York City police officer who was killed during a traffic stop.
The video shows two passing trucks on the road, both covered in US flags and flags claiming support for the police.
The second truck was emblazoned with the words “Trump 2024”, and the rear of the vehicle features an image of Joe Biden with his hands and feet tied.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Donald Trump’s promotion of the video drew criticism from Joe Biden campaign’s team.
“Trump is regularly inciting political violence and it’s time people take him seriously – just ask the Capitol police officers who were attacked protecting our democracy on January 6,” spokesman Michael Tyler said, referring to the storming of Congress by the former president’s supporters after he falsely claimed the 2020 election had been stolen from him.
But Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, responded: “That picture was on the back of a pickup truck that was travelling down the highway. Democrats and crazed lunatics have not only called for despicable violence against President Trump and his family, they are actually weaponizing the justice system against him.”
The Republican presidential nominee faces four criminal cases, with an election subversion case and New York hush money case the most likely to be heard in court before the election on 5 November.
Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty in all the cases, and claimed he is being politically persecuted.
The row over the tailgate image is the latest in a series of heated exchanges between the two presidential candidates in the run-up to the polls.
In his bid to return to the White House, Donald Trump has ramped up his rhetoric, frequently referring to those convicted for their part in the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 as “hostages”.
He also came under criticism for comments in Ohio earlier this month in which he warned of a “bloodbath” if he wasn’t elected. He made the reference after talking about foreign car imports and their economic impact.
The Biden campaign seized on the comments but Donald Trump accused them and the media of taking him out of context.
Ceremonies have been taking place across the world to mark the most important festival in the Christian calendar – Easter.
Jesus was resurrected on Easter Sunday, the Bible says, days after dying on the cross on Good Friday. It is traditional for many to attend services on Saturday evening.
A day after pulling out of a ceremony at short notice, Pope Francis took part in a two-hour vigil at the Vatican on Saturday.
There had been renewed concern about his health when he did not participate in a Good Friday procession.
The Pope read a lengthy homily and carried out a number of baptisms ahead of his Easter message on Sunday morning.
At a time when there’s an increase in the available workload in most of the companies, multiple Teams Building Ideas play a vital role in fostering collaboration, communication, and understanding within a team. By coming up with such ideas, you can develop close relationships, mutual trust, and the ability to work well together.
However, if you don’t know about any such activities, you can go through this blog to get a better understanding of Team Building Ideas. You can also consider registering for a Management Course that can equip you with all the essential traits to become an influential manager who can build an effective team. Read ahead to learn more.
Table of Contents
Why are Team Building exercises important?
Effective Team Building Ideas
Conclusion
Why are Team Building exercises important?
These days, Team Building activities act as a crucial component of work life. Companies must employ such activities because of the following reasons:
Streamline their onboarding system
Improve communication
Increase trust
Boost morale
Encourage creativity
Effective Team Building Ideas
Learning the importance of Team Building activities isn’t enough, individuals must come up with effective Team Building Ideas to foster better work environment. Below are some of those suggestions:
Icebreaker exercises
This essential activity can help individuals to better introduce themselves in team meetings and public gatherings. By playing quick games that promote conversation, and sharing fascinating personal details during this activity, team members can bond with each other and solve conflicts.
Personality evaluations
This team activity is all about knowing each team members’ unique skills, talents, and preferences. By allowing team members to better adjust their communication styles and assessing results together, organisations can foster understanding and communication.
Team retreats
It denotes planning a fun team excursion. During this activity, team members can socialise, unwind, and participate in activities that promote cooperation, and teamwork. Such activities specifically include cooperative problem-solving activities, outdoor pursuits, and team challenges that call for teamwork to succeed.
Cross-departmental projects
These projects allow teams to collaborate closely with peers from various backgrounds and expertise. Essentially, it comprises effective knowledge exchange that helps promote the understanding of each other’s work, issues faced on a daily basis and builds empathy.
Lunch-and-learn scenarios
Regular lunch-time gatherings emphasise letting team members impart their knowledge, skills, and experiences to their peers. These casual get-togethers further foster learning opportunities, allow team members to present their skills, and promote candid communication. All of these activities can inspire fresh concepts and understanding among participants.
Volunteer activities
As the name suggests, this typically includes team members engaging in a volunteer activity as a group. This not only enables team members to positively influence others but further lets them find common interests, and values outside of the workplace. Moreover, team members can also get to know each other outside of their typical work environments.
Team building workshops
Indulging in team building courses led by knowledgeable facilitators can help a team to grow. Such sessions mostly concentrate on developing a deeper comprehension of individual’s talents by including interactive activities, group discussions, and entertaining exercises.
Mentorship programmes
Such activities are all about conducting programmes where more experienced members can guide the less experienced ones. They can also help them build rapport and promote information sharing. Through these programmes, the junior team members can acquire fresh perspectives, and forge closer ties.
Conduct office trivia
The office trivia sessions typically include players answering light-hearted questions. This can specifically make a new joiner feel less alienated in an unfamiliar environment. Offices should usually employ a time limit of 30-45 minutes for such activities.
Honour milestones and achievements
Celebrating individual and group accomplishments as well as significant victories can be advantageous in multiple ways. These steps can further help team managers to cultivate a positive work culture, motivate team members, enhance understanding, and develop a sense of belonging by recognising both individual and team’s overall efforts.
Conclusion
From this blog, we hope it is clear how the numerous Team Building Ideas can encourage improved communication, cooperation, and involvement among team members working in a shared workspace. Thus, organisations willing to reach potential heights must put such ideas into practice and accomplish amazing success.
A theme park based on the famed Japanese animated series Dragon Ball will be built in Saudi Arabia.
The announcement sparked mixed reactions from fans.
The park will feature a 230ft dragon at its center and at least 30 rides, the company behind the project says.
It would be the world’s first such attraction based on the popular media franchise.
The announcement was met with some criticism from fans, citing Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.
The park will cover more than half a million square metres, according to Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) which is wholly owned by the Saudi Arabian government’s investment fund.
The plans are part of “a long-term strategic partnership” between the QIC and Toei Animation, the Japanese producer of Dragon Ball.
According to the official Dragon Ball website, the park will include a roller coaster inside the dragon modelled after Shenron, a wish-giving dragon that features in the franchise.
Qiddiya is a major entertainment and tourism project being built near Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh.
It is part of the energy-rich nation’s plans to diversify its economy away from fossil fuels.
While some Dragon Ball fans have welcomed the plans for the theme park, others on social media have questioned the decision to locate the attraction in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has been criticized for its human rights record and lack of recognition of LGBTQ+ rights.
The announcement comes just weeks after the death of Dragon Ball’s creator, Akira Toriyama.
Akira Toriyama died on March 1st, aged 68. Only his family and very few friends attended his funeral, according to a statement on the Dragon Ball website.
The Dragon Ball comic series debuted in 1984. It follows a boy named Son Goku in his quest to collect magical dragon balls that can give him super powers.
The Dragon Ball is one of the most influential and best-selling Japanese comics of all time.
According to the AFP news agency, Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev was named as a citizen of Tajikistan. The nationality of Saidakrami Rachabalizoda was not disclosed.
Two other suspects were brought to the court, but have yet to be charged.
At least 133 people were killed and more than 140 injured when gunmen attacked a packed concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow on March 22, Russia says.
A large fire engulfed the roof of Moscow’s Crocus City Hall and dramatic video shows panicked concertgoers taking cover as shots and explosions ring out.
President Vladimir Putin says all four gunmen have been arrested, and that the suspects were trying to flee to Ukraine – Kyiv says allegations of Ukrainian involvement are “absurd”.
Vladimir Putin calls the attack a “barbaric terrorist act” and announces a day of national mourning for March 24.
Image source: Reuters
Muscovites are queuing to give blood for those injured and flower tributes have been placed at the scene of the attack.
The US says it’s credible that the Islamic State group (ISIS) could be behind the attack, after the group said it did it. Russia has not commented.
The Islamic State group has issued a follow-up statement offering more details about last night’s attack on a concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow, which the group earlier said it was behind.
The new details – published via IS group accounts on messaging app Telegram – say four attackers were involved in the deadly assault, and includes a picture claiming to show the four assailants, all masked. The update comes from the group’s news outlet Amaq, which was also the source of the initial claim.
Neither of the two IS Amaq statements indicated which of IS’s regional branches was responsible for the attack.
In terms of motive, Amaq says “the attack comes in the context of normal ongoing war between the Islamic State and [anti-Islam] countries”.
The IS mouthpiece says the attack was carried out by “fighters” who it says were armed with “machine guns, a gun, knives and incendiary bombs”, and that the attack was preceded by a “concerted” reconnaissance mission.
Russia has not yet commented on the claims but the US has said it’s credible that the Islamic State group could be behind the attack.
Kate Middleton has announced that she is in the early stages of cancer treatment.
In a video statement, The Princess of Wales says it was a “huge shock” after an “incredibly tough couple of months”.
Details of the cancer have not been disclosed, but Kensington Palace says it is confident the princess will make a full recovery.
Here is Catherine’s statement in full:
I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery.
It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I’ve had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful.
In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.
This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.
As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.
As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.
Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.
We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery.
At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.
The House of Representatives has passed a landmark bill that could see TikTok banned in America.
The bill would give the social media giant’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, six months to sell its controlling stake or the app will be blocked in the US.
While the bill passed overwhelmingly in a bipartisan vote, it still needs to clear the Senate and be signed by the president to become law.
Lawmakers have long held concerns about China’s influence over TikTok.
TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, which is subject to a national security law requiring it to share data with Chinese officials.
Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican who co-authored the bill, said the US could not “take the risk of having a dominant news platform in America controlled or owned by a company that is beholden to the Chinese Communist Party”.
TikTok has tried to reassure regulators that it has taken steps to ensure the data of its 150 million users in the US has been walled off from ByteDance employees in China.
However, an investigation by the Wall Street Journal in January found the system was still “porous”, with data being unofficially shared between TikTok in the US and ByteDance in China. High-profile cases, including one incident where ByteDance employees in China accessed a journalist’s data to track down their sources, have stoked concerns.
After the vote on March 13, a spokesperson for the company accused lawmakers of jamming through a “ban” following what they called a “secret” process.
Speaking ahead of the vote, Hakeem Jeffries – the top Democrat in the House – welcomed the bill, saying it would decrease “the likelihood that TikTok user data is exploited and privacy undermined by a hostile foreign adversary”.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the chamber would now review the legislation.
Its prospects in the upper chamber of Congress are unclear in the wake of Republican White House candidate Donald Trump speaking out against the bill.
Donald Trump, who tried to ban the app during his term in office, changed his position after a recent meeting with Republican donor Jeff Yass, who reportedly owns a minor stake in ByteDance.
Trump’s opposition was echoed by some House members on March 13. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, wrote on social media that the bill could allow Congress to force the sale of other corporations by claiming to be protecting US data from foreign adversaries.
Some Democrats are also opposed to a ban, fearing it could alienate the app’s youthful userbase as the party struggles to retain its hold over younger voters.
Judge Scott McAfee, who oversaw an election interference case against Donald Trump in Georgia, has thrown out some criminal charges, but left most in place.
The judge found six counts in the 41-count indictment against Donald Trump and some of his co-defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, lacked detail.
But he said the charges can be refiled at a later date.
Donald Trump was among 19 people charged with a conspiracy to overturn the state’s 2020 election results.
“The lack of detail concerning an essential legal element is, in the undersigned’s opinion, fatal,” Judge McAfee wrote in his order on March 13.
He said the charges do not provide the accused with enough information to prepare their legal defences “intelligently”, adding that “this does not mean the entire indictment is dismissed”.
Judge McAfee was randomly assigned the Trump case in 2023, just six months after being appointed as a judge by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, a Republican.
He previously worked as a prosecutor, including for the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat who led the investigation into the former president.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Judge McAfee’s ruling affects three of the 13 charges against Donald Trump.
They relate to a call Donald Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which he told him: “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have.”
One of the charges accused the former president of soliciting public officials to break the law by violating their oath of office.
However, Judge McAfee said the indictment was not specific enough about exactly what Donald Trump wanted the officials to do.
The other dismissed charges apply to some of his most prominent co-defendants: Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Mark Meadows.
In his order, Judge McAfee said the charges “contain all the essential elements of the crimes but fail to allege sufficient detail regarding the nature of their commission, i.e., the underlying felony solicited”.
It comes as a win for Donald Trump and his co-defendants, who had filed to dismiss the charge. Prosecutors could now choose to refile the charges with more information in their allegation, or let the ruling stand and focus on the other charges.
The group had initially faced 41 total charges. Donald Trump is facing up to 20 years in prison in Georgia if convicted of the most severe charge of racketeering.
In a statement, Donald Trump’s lawyer in the Georgia case, Steve Sadow, called the ruling “a correct application of the law, as the prosecution failed to make specific allegations of any alleged wrongdoing on those counts”.
Donald Trump, who is running for president against Joe Biden in November, has slammed the case as politically motivated.
Xiaomi has announced that it will start deliveries of its first electric vehicle (EV) this month – its first ever foray into the competitive automotive industry.
The car’s price is expected to be announced on March 28.
The Chinese technology giant says it has 59 stores in 29 cities around the country to take orders.
It comes as a price war intensifies between firms like BYD and Tesla in China, the world’s biggest car market.
At the unveiling of the Speed Ultra 7 (SU7) in 2023, Xiaomi’s chief executive Lei Jun said the company aims to become one of the top five car makers in the world.
China’s fifth-largest smartphone maker has said it will invest $10 billion in its vehicles business over the next 10 years.
Lei Jun said the SU7 was “super electric motor” technology which is capable of accelerating faster than some Tesla and Porsche EVs.
Xiaomi is also hoping that the car’s shared operating system with its phones and other devices will appeal to existing customers.
Image source: Xiaomi
It is one of the few new prospective entrants to the China’s electric car market to gain approval from authorities as officials try to curb a flood of new players.
The SU7 will be made by a unit of state-owned car manufacturer BAIC Group at a plant in Beijing that can produce as many as 200,000 vehicles a year.
The launch of Xiaomi Automobile comes as a price war in China’s EV market has been intensifying.
Elon Musk’s Tesla has cut the cost of its cars in China by thousands of dollars in recent months as local rivals like BYD have slashed its prices.
Xiaomi shares jumped by more 10% in Hong Kong after today’s announcement.
The monthly report comes during a critical presidential election year and as the The Federal Reserve is debating the next step in its fight to rein in prices.Inflation has slowed significantly since the Fed started hiking borrowing costs sharply in 2022 and the central bank is expected to start reversing course and cutting interest rates sometime this year.
However, calls for the first cut to come as soon as March have been revised as recent inflation readings show progress stalling, with many now expecting its first move in June or later.
Analysts said the figures were affected by seasonal price adjustments tied to the start of the year, but that the overall report was likely to reinforce the Fed’s determination to remain cautious.
The US economy has so far held up better than expected in the face of inflation and higher borrowing costs, but persistent price rises have hampered President Joe Biden’s ability to sell his policies to voters and could pose risks to the economy in the months ahead.
The Labor Department said petrol prices rose by 3.8% between January and February, while airline fares rose 3.6%.
Grocery prices showed little change over the month, as higher prices for items such as cereal, bread and eggs were offset by lower meat and fresh fruit costs.
Overall, grocery prices were 1% higher than a year earlier.
Housing costs rose 0.4% over the month and 5.7% from February 2023.
Cillian Murphy has become the first Irish-born winner of the best actor award, as Oppenheimer swept the Oscars.
Oppenheimer dominated proceedings, winning best picture, best director for Christopher Nolan, and best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr.
Cillian Murphy was named best leading actor for his acclaimed portrayal of theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer.
The ceremony saw Oppenheimer win seven prizes overall, while Poor Things took four – including best actress for Emma Stone – and The Zone of Interest scored two.
Downey Jr won best supporting actor for his portrayal of US government official Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer also won best editing, original score and cinematography. However, it lost several other technical categories, denying it a record-breaking number of wins.
Instead, the unusual steampunk drama Poor Things won best production design, costume design, make-up and hairstyling, as well as best actress for Emma Stone.
The Yorgos Lanthimos film follows an infant whose brain has been implanted into the body of an adult woman, who then goes on an adventure of discovery across the world.
Best actress was the only major category that awards watchers had struggled to call – it had been seen as a dead heat between Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone for Killers of the Flower Moon.
But Martin Scorsese’s drama about a string of Osage murders in the 1920s went home empty handed despite being nominated in 10 categories at the ceremony.
Barbie, the highest-grossing film of 2023, won only one of the eight prizes it was nominated for – best original song for What Was I Made For? by Billie Eilish.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph won best supporting actress for her portrayal of a school chef who is trying to cope with the death of her son in The Holdovers.
The Zone of Interest won best sound and became the first British film ever to win best international feature. The critically acclaimed Holocaust drama follows a German family who live next to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Best documentary feature went to 20 Days In Mariupol. Its director Mstyslav Chernov told the audience that he was “honoured” to become the first Ukrainian Oscar winner.
Elsewhere, Anatomy of a Fall won best original screenplay. The film’s director and co-writer Justine Triet joked the Oscar would “help me through my mid-life crisis”.
The film follows a woman accused of killing her husband, with the only nearby witness her visually impaired son.
American Fiction was named best adapted screenplay.
Japanese fantasy film The Boy and the Heron was named best animated feature film, holding off competition from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
And director Wes Anderson won his first Academy Award in the live action short category for The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar, based on the story by Roald Dahl.
For the fourth time, the ceremony was hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. He opened with a monologue which reflected on the past 12 months in the film industry.
Recalling the strikes that brought Hollywood to a standstill, Jimmy Kimmel paid tribute to the efforts made to get a fair deal for actors and writers.
He joked that actors could now stop worrying about “being replaced by AI, and could go back to worrying about being replaced by younger, more attractive people”.
Towards the end of the ceremony, Jimmy Kimmel read out an online post from former President Donald Trump, who had complained about Kimmel’s performance.
Responding to Trump live on air, Kimmel said: “Thank you President Trump, thank you for watching, I’m surprised you’re still up, isn’t it past your jail time?”
Sweden has officially become the 32nd state to join NATO after it completed its accession process in Washington.
The handover of documents took place at a ceremony two years after Sweden applied to join the military alliance following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson said that “unity and solidarity” would be Sweden’s “guiding lights”.
NATO today “is stronger than ever,” President Joe Biden said.
“NATO stands more united, determined, and dynamic” Joe Biden said, adding that “together with our newest ally Sweden – NATO will continue to stand for freedom and democracy for generations to come.”
“This has been a little bit of a road but we’ve known from day one that we would be here one day,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Image source: NATO
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg posted on X that Sweden brings with it “capable armed forces and a first-class defence industry” and that the alliance had become “stronger and safer”.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky also welcomed Sweden’s accession to NATO, saying “one more country in Europe has become more protected from Russian evil.”
Russia has vowed to take unspecified political and military measures in response to Sweden’s move.
Sweden applied to join the defense alliance after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – but its request was blocked by two members.
Turkey initially withheld approval in a row over what it called Sweden’s support to Kurdish separatists. It eventually lifted its veto in January of this year.
Hungary’s PM Viktor Orban accused Sweden of being hostile to it and delayed its approval until last week, when the Hungarian parliament eventually voted to ratify the bid.
All NATO members are expected to help an ally which comes under attack.
Anthony Blinken recalled Sweden’s 200-year policy of non-alignment which lasted until Russia invaded Ukraine, saying that NATO expansion was not “foreordained” or “foreseeable”.
Finland formally joined in April 2023, doubling the length of the alliance’s border with Russia.
On March 11, a flag-raising ceremony to mark Sweden’s accession will take place at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The shots were bought and given privately within the space of 29 months.
The 62-year-ols man appears to have suffered no ill effects, researchers from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg say.
“We learned about his case via newspaper articles,” Dr. Kilian Schober, from the university’s microbiology department, said.
“We then contacted him and invited him to undergo various tests in Erlangen. He was very interested in doing so.”
The man provided fresh blood and saliva samples.
The researchers also tested some frozen blood samples of his that had been stored in recent years.
Dr. Kilian Schober said: “We were able to take blood samples ourselves when the man received a further vaccination during the study at his own insistence.
“We were able to use these samples to determine exactly how the immune system reacts to the vaccination.”
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Evidence for 130 of the shots was collected by the public prosecutor of the city of Magdeburg, who opened an investigation with the allegation of fraud, but no criminal charges were brought.
Covid vaccines cannot cause infection but can teach the body how to fight the disease.
Messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines work by showing the body’s cells a bit of genetic code from the virus.
The immune system should then recognise and know how to fight Covid should they encounter it for real.
Dr. Schober worried hyper-stimulating the immune system with repeated doses might have fatigued certain cells.
But the researchers found no evidence of this in the 62-year-old.
And there was no sign that he had ever been infected with Covid.
The researchers said: “Importantly, we do not endorse hyper-vaccination as a strategy to enhance adaptive immunity.”
And the results of their tests on the 62-year-old were insufficient for making far-reaching conclusions, let alone recommendations for the general public.
“Current research indicates that a three-dose vaccination, coupled with regular top-up vaccines for vulnerable groups, remains the favoured approach,” they say on the university’s website.
“There is no indication that more vaccines are required.”
Covid vaccines can have side effects. A common one is a sore arm from the injection.
