The first weekend of America's Cup racing between Team New Zealand and Italy's Luna Rossa next week has been postponed because of the latest COVID-19 lockdown in Auckland, organisers said on Sunday. The first two race days, which were scheduled to take place in Auckland next Saturday and Sunday, have been pushed back "to provide at least some certainty in planning for all event stakeholders," America's Cup Event (ACE) said in a statement. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Saturday evening that New Zealand's biggest city would move from Level 1 to the stricter Level 3 conditions for seven days from Sunday morning after a new case of the coronavirus surfaced.
Prince William has warned that anti-vaccination messages are rife on social media and urged those eligible to get jabs, following a similar appeal by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
That was evident when the Lakers lost all four games Schroder missed due to the NBA's health and safety protocols before they ended the skid Friday in a 102-93 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. "Just to have him back in our lineup and have him back in our locker room just means so much to our team," said LeBron James, who had 28 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists against the Blazers. Schroder is expected to be in the mix again when the Lakers host the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.
Most of what the Grizzlies displayed in their 28-point win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday vanished when the teams met in the second game of a back-to-back on Friday in Memphis. The most glaring area of regression came defensively, with the Grizzlies showing little of the tenacity that fueled their success the previous game. In their 119-99 loss to the Clippers, the Grizzlies allowed Los Angeles to shoot 55 percent, and for a team seeking a playoff berth following a three-season hiatus, consistency remains the buzzword for advancing that goal.
More than 70% of the members of U.S. Soccer's ruling body voted to scrap the policy requiring players to "stand respectfully" during the song. "We know that this is a very divisive issue within our country and throughout the world," U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone told reporters. Team members said they were past the protesting phase of the anthem debate but still committed to fighting to end to systemic racism.
Several dozen Hong Kong democrats are due to report to local police stations across the city on Sunday, with some expecting to be charged with breaches of national security as a crackdown on the democratic opposition intensifies. Benny Tai, one of the organisers of an unofficial primary election last summer, said in an online post that there was a chance he would be "formally charged". Tai was arrested in a dawn raid along with more than 50 other democrats on Jan. 6 in the largest national security operation since the law's passage last June.
Asked what it was like to go from challenging for Champions League qualification each year to looking nervously over their shoulders at the relegation places, Paulista lost composure and could barely respond. "Hearing that is terrible, when you consider how big a club Valencia are and then to hear (about the threat of relegation) is awful," Paulista told broadcaster Movistar Plus.
U.S. regulators authorized Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use Saturday – one day after a panel of outside experts backed the one-shot immunization.Now that it has the blessing of the Food and Drug Administration, J&J plans to ship three to four million doses next week. On Thursday, President Joe Biden, pledged to quickly distribute J&J’s vaccine pending its approval. "We have a plan to roll it out as quickly as Johnson & Johnson can make it.” More than 50 million vaccine shots have been administered nationwide – a point Biden highlighted as the halfway point of his goal of vaccinating 100 million people in the first 100 days after taking office. Distribution of J&J’s vaccine is a lot easier than those already available in the U.S. made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna. Its vaccine can be stored in normal refrigerator temperatures instead of ultra-cold storage. And it’s the only one that requires just a single shot. A trial found that J&J’s vaccine was 66% effective at preventing moderate-to-severe cases of COVID-19. And it was 100% effective at preventing hospitalizations 28 days after vaccination. The company is developing a second-generation vaccine that would target the more transmissible South African variant. It plans to start Phase 1 trials by this summer.
Fred Segal, a notable Los Angeles-based celebrity fashion retailer, died Thursday. Segal died from the complications of a stroke at a Santa Monica hospital, his publicist said Friday. Segal “was an innovator, a forward thinker, a rule-breaker, a mentor to so many, such a lover of life and a humanitarian,” his family said in a statement obtained by the Hollywood Reporter.
All households in England with school or college aged children will be offered two rapid COVID-19 tests per person per week to support the government’s priority to get young people back in the classroom, the health ministry said on Sunday. Last week British Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out a phased plan to end England's latest COVID-19 lockdown, offering a "cautious" approach to try to prevent a return to wholesale restrictions that have hobbled the economy. The health ministry said rapid test kits would be made available to collect from Monday at more than 500 locations, or through workplace testing and local community testing services.
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that works with one dose, the AP reported. In addition to Moderna and Pfizer’s double-dose vaccine, this is the third vaccine approved to prevent the coronavirus in the U.S. The FDA said J&J’s vaccine offers strong protection against serious illness, hospitalizations and death. […]
Elisabeth Röhm’s new Lifetime movie “Girl in the Basement” is “a call to action about abuse on a very significant level,” the director told TheWrap. The film stars Judd Nelson as a father who locks his daughter (played by Stefanie Scott) in the basement for 20 years, raping and assaulting her, and even fathering multiple children with her. Meanwhile, her mom and sister live upstairs and believe she ran away to start a new life away from them. To many, this story might ring a bell. In 2008, Elisabeth Fritzl told Austrian police she had been held captive by her father for 24 years, which resulted in the birth of seven children who remained in captivity with her. While “Girl in the Basement” takes elements from the Fritzl case, Röhm said there were actual multiple stories that inspired the screenplay for her movie. Also Read: How One Lifetime Holiday Movie Pulled Off Kissing Scenes in COVID Era: Plexiglass Barriers “For us, there was a lot to take from in terms of backstory and psychological rooting that came from that story,” Röhm told TheWrap. “It’s a horrible thing to be able to say that this did not just happen once. The film is a call to action to put the spotlight on the monster that lives within any household, who is not confronted and goes with no accountability because the mother or children or the wife is turning a blind eye to behavior that, when it’s ceded, can grow into a monster like this. Lifetime has broken boundaries with this movie by telling a story that’s a call to action about abuse on a very significant level.” The film is not an easy one to watch. The sexual, physical and verbal abuse are very much the focal points of the film, and that was a conscious decision for Röhm, who is making her directorial debut with “Girl in the Basement.” “I feel like it’s important to discuss things that we’re afraid to talk about,” she said. “Statistically speaking, abuse, incest and all of these horrors that this film explores have been on the rise during COVID. It’s the right time to tell this story, not only because there has been more in-home abuse because of the shutdown but also because we need to shine a light on the darkness and we have to eradicate it by bringing it to the surface. I think movies like this bring abuse to the surface, and people can get the help that they need and the support that they need.” Also Read: Lifetime's Gena McCarthy Steps Down as Head of Programming, Unscripted and FYI Röhm added, “It is also a story of hope and one woman’s will to survive. If we can anchor into hope and love and joy, then we can survive and we can find our way out of that prison… the triumph of the human will is what this movie is about.” The film was shot in 14 days, mainly on a stage, while other scenes filmed in the family home took about a week. Röhm said that her background as an actress (she’s starred in films like “Joy” and “Bombshell” and TV shows like “Jane the Virgin” and “Law & Order”) helped her navigate the difficult scenes with the cast, and her priority was to make the actors feel safe on set, especially during the assault scenes. “I really listened to Stefanie and Judd because they had such sensitive scenes, and we had to navigate them together,” the director explained. “I’ve been on the other side of the camera, so that helped me navigate. They are professionals. They knew what to ask for and knew how to create boundaries. It’s tough stuff, but everyone knew what they got themselves into.” “Girl in the Basement” also stars Joely Fisher and Emily Topper. The film premieres Saturday on Lifetime. Read original story How Elisabeth Rohm’s ‘Girl in the Basement’ Is a ‘Call to Action About Abuse’ At TheWrap
World number six Collin Morikawa fired eight birdies in a five-under-par 67 on Saturday to hold a two-shot lead over Brooks Koepka and Billy Horschel at the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship.
Gunmen in Nigeria on Saturday released 27 teenage boys who were kidnapped from their school earlier this month.Their release was met by tearful loved ones.On February 17 - 42 people including 27 students were abducted by an armed gang that stormed a secondary school in Niger state. One boy was killed during the raid.One remains in the hospital, according to the Niger state governor.Also on Saturday, police mounted a search for 317 schoolgirls who were abducted Friday in a nearby state. Concerned parents waited in the school compound for updates.One of them said he was hopeful his daughter would be brought back home - saying the captors were bandits:“...They are already after ransom, so I know and believe that when the government settles with them, they will be able to release our daughters.''Schools have become targets for mass kidnappings for ransom in northern Nigeria by armed groups, whose agenda is unclear.The highest profile school kidnapping was that of more than 270 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram from the town of Chibok in 2014. Around 100 girls remain missing.
Grayson Murray fired a seven-under-par 65 to grab a share of the lead at the US PGA Tour's Puerto Rico Open on Saturday.
Johnson & Johnson's one-shot COVID-19 vaccine received U.S. authorization on Saturday and will start being administered to Americans within days. The following is how it fits into the vaccination effort with the two other authorized immunizations from Pfizer Inc/BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc. IS J&J'S VACCINE AS EFFECTIVE AS THE OTHER TWO?
Following widespread criticism for his comments perpetuating racism, longtime “Bachelor” host Chris Harrison will be replaced by Emmanuel Acho for the “After the Final Rose” episode, Variety has learned. Acho is a best-selling author and the host of the online series “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man,” which serves to spark meaningful dialogue around racial […]
ABC on Saturday announced media personality and former NFL player Emmanuel Acho will host “The Bachelor: After the Final Rose” on Monday, taking the place of longtime “Bachelor” host Chris Harrison, who recently took a leave of absence. Harrison stepped away earlier this month after defending current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell for a resurfaced photo in which she appears to be attending a plantation-themed fraternity formal in 2018, and previously “liking” Confederate flag-related TikToks; Harrison later said his comments in defense of Kirkconnell were made “in a manner that perpetuates racism.” Acho is set to interview current “Bachelor” star Matt James, as well as the three women who made it to the final episode, on Monday. “It’s both an honor and privilege to be hosting ‘After the Final Rose,'” Acho said. “This is an incredibly pivotal episode on one of the most storied shows in television history.” Also Read: Rachel Lindsay Deletes Her Instagram Account Due to 'Bachelor' Harassment Acho, in an accompanying Instagram post, added: “Empathy is needed and change is coming.” The show will air Monday at 10:00 p.m., immediately following the season finale of “The Bachelor.” Acho, host of the popular video series “Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man,” joined “TheWrap-Up” podcast on Thursday to discuss a number of topics, including his take on cancel culture, the diversity (or lack thereof) at the Golden Globes and how he wants to use his new-found platform. You can check out the full conversation by clicking here. Read original story Emmanuel Acho to Replace Chris Harrison as Host of ‘The Bachelor: After the Final Rose’ At TheWrap
The U.S. government on Saturday authorized Johnson & Johnson's single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, enabling millions more Americans to be vaccinated in the coming weeks and setting it up for additional approvals around the world. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the emergency use authorization for adults aged 18 and older following Friday's unanimous endorsement by the agency's panel of outside experts. U.S. President Joe Biden hailed the move but cautioned Americans against celebrating too soon.
A crowd gathered in New York City on Saturday to denounce an uptick in attacks on people of Asian descent in the city and across the country. Hundreds of people rallied at Foley Square in lower Manhattan, not far from where an Asian man was critically injured Thursday in what police said was an unprovoked stabbing by another man who was charged with attempted murder. “It's really been terrifying for our community,” said Jo-Ann Yoo, executive director of the Asian American Federation, a New York-based advocacy group.
