Tag Archives: March

UK

Stand up to Racism march sees protesters take the knee at Downing Street

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Around 100 protesters took the knee outside Downing Street today as slammed ‘hypocrite’ Boris Johnson over the racist abuse of England footballers after the Euros final.

The demonstrators held their fists in the air as they chanted “love football, hate racism” and “Black Lives Matter”, with speakers including former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott.

It comes after Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka received racist abuse on social media they each failed to convert penalties against Italy.

The Prime Minister and Home Secretary Priti Patel were quick to condemn the abuse, but many branded them ‘hypocrites’ who had ‘fuelled the fire’ of racism.

In a statement about the Downing Street protest, Stand Up To Racism said: “Millions of people have been outraged by the racist abuse faced by Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka following the penalty shoot out in the Euro2020 final.



Diane Abbott said the Government wanted to 'have its cake and eat it'
Diane Abbott said the Government wanted to ‘have its cake and eat it’

“The England team had shown their opposition to racism with their #TakeTheKnee throughout the competition joined by many other teams and supported by the vast majority of fans.

“But when some so called ‘supporters’ booed the team the government in the shape of Boris Johnson and Priti Patel backed the ‘right’ to boo and attacked the ‘gesture politics’ of the team.

“We want to show our solidarity with the players and call out the hypocrite in number 10.”



Protesters took the knee outside Downing Street as they slammed 'hypocrite' Boris Johnson
Protesters took the knee outside Downing Street as they slammed ‘hypocrite’ Boris Johnson

Speaking at the Downing Street protest, Labour MP Ms Abbott said: “The Government wants to have its cake and eat it… Priti Patel called taking the knee gesture politics.

“I’ll tell you what gesture politics is, it’s condemning the England players throughout the tournament and then putting on an England shirt in the semi-finals.”

Referring to England footballers’ responses on Twitter, she said: ” Boris Johnson, your boys took a hell of a beating.”



Protesters chanted 'Black Lives Matter' near No. 10
Protesters chanted ‘Black Lives Matter’ near No. 10

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Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner and former England footballer Gary Neville also previously slammed the Prime Minister and Mrs Patel over their ‘hypocrisy’.

Mrs Rayner said: “Let me be clear. The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary gave license to the racists who booed the England players and are now racially abusing England players.

” @BorisJohnson and @pritipatel are like arsonists complaining about a fire they poured petrol on. Total hypocrites.”

Meanwhile Mr Neville accused Boris Johnson of ‘promoting’ racism in the past.

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This post originally posted here United Kingdom News

Sports

When does Team USA march during Tokyo Olympics

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Tradition dictates the opening ceremony Parade of Nations is in alphabetical order, according to the language of the host country.

WASHINGTON — After being postponed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics will finally take place July 23 through August 8.

The opening ceremony is the first prominent celebration of the competition, but this year it will likely look and sound slightly different without fans. The order of nations has also been changed slightly, so you may need to wait a bit longer than normal for Team USA’s appearance. 

Tokyo has issued an emergency order that lasts beyond the game, barring any fans — even athletes’ families — from attending. A reduced number of Olympic officials and VIPs, including first lady Jill Biden, will be in attendance. 

The opening ceremony will still include performances, pageantry and the Parade of Nations.

For Tokyo, the order of when athletes parade behind their nation’s flag-bearers will be slightly different this year, according to NBC Sports.

The International Olympic Committee says tradition dictates that the parade is in alphabetical order, according to the language of the host country, with the exception of Greece leading the parade and the host country bringing up the rear. Kyodo News in Japan reported in October that the Tokyo Games organizing committee will determine the marching order based on the Japanese-language names and Japan’s “fifty-sound” phonetic order.

NBC Sports reported that Greece, which traditionally marches first, will be followed by the Refugee Olympic Team. When the Refugee Team was first introduced in the 2016 Rio Olympics, they marched second to last. So, following the Refugee Team, all nations will follow in alphabetical order, with a few other key exceptions.

When does Team USA march during the opening ceremony?

Also new this year, future Olympic host nations will march at the end of the parade right before the host country.

So, the United States will be the third to last country in the Tokyo Olympics Parade of Nations, according to NBC Sports, because the 2028 Summer Games will be held in Los Angeles.

RELATED: COVID cases surge to 6-month high in Tokyo a week before Olympics

RELATED: Olympic athletes to put on own medals at Tokyo ceremonies

France, which is hosting the 2024 Olympics, will be second to last, just before host nation Japan.

There will be 206 National Olympic Committees and the IOC Refugee Olympic Team competing in the Tokyo Olympics, according to the games committee. In total, 11,090 athletes will be competing.

This year, the theme for the opening ceremony is “United by Emotion,” according to Tokyo Olympics organizers. It will be designed to bring “fresh hope and encouragement around the world.”

“In the Opening Ceremony, we will aspire to reaffirm the role of sport and the value of the Olympic Games, to express our gratitude and admiration for the efforts we all made together over the past year, and also to bring a sense of hope for the future,” the Tokyo Olympics said in a statement.

Adding: “We hope it will be an experience that conveys how we all have the ability to celebrate differences, to empathise, and to live side by side with compassion for one another.”

[embedded content]

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This post originally posted here CBS8 – Sports

Entertainment

94th Academy Awards set show date for March 2022

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The end of March broadcast date is much later than usual for Hollywood’s biggest awards show. Originally the 94th edition was set to air on Feb. 27.

LOS ANGELES — Planning is already underway for the 94th Oscars, which will be held on March 27, 2022, the film academy and ABC said Thursday.

After a year of disruption, innovation and catastrophically low ratings, the Academy Awards are getting back to business as usual. The show will return to the Dolby Theatre for its ABC broadcast and the eligibility window will once again close at the end of the calendar year.

This past year, the academy extended the eligibility window into February and canceled non-televised events like the Governors Awards and the Nominees Luncheon because of the pandemic. All those trimmings are now back on the schedule, with the Governors Awards set for Jan. 15 and the luncheon to be held on March 7. Nominations will be announced on Feb. 8.

The academy said, however, that dates remain subject to change. The organization is also acknowledging that the movie business is still being impacted by the pandemic and are extending the streaming eligibility caveat they adopted last year into the 2021 awards season. That means that films don’t necessarily have to have a theatrical run to qualify and can debut on streaming or video on demand services.

PHOTOS: Red carpet fashion at 2021 Oscars

The end of March broadcast date is much later than usual for Hollywood’s biggest awards show. Originally the 94th edition was set to air on Feb. 27, but that month is also crowded with major live events, including the 2022 Olympics and the Super Bowl.

The audience for the 93rd Oscars, which were held at Los Angeles’ Union Station in late April, was less than half of its previous low, with only 9.85 million viewers tuning in to watch “Nomadland” win best picture. It was par for the course for a pandemic awards show: Both the Golden Globes (6.9 million viewers) and Grammy Awards (9.2 million) had record low audiences as well.

And next year will be different without the Golden Globes, which generally air in early January, stealing some of the Oscars thunder. NBC said earlier this year that it would not air the Golden Globes in 2022 amid controversies and calls for reform within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that puts it on.

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This post originally appeared on CBS8 – Entertainment

US

Austin police still searching for 20-year-old suspect

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Austin police still searching for 20-year-old suspect

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The mother of Christopher Ray Martinez, who died after being shot in southeast Austin on March 21, is urging the public to come forward with any information they may have — in hopes of catching the suspect believed to have fired the weapon.

The shooting happened in a parking lot located in the 2200 block of East Riverside Drive, just east of the H-E-B store on Interstate 35. When officers arrived, they found the 40-year-old Martinez with gunshot wounds. Despite attempts to save his life, he was pronounced dead at the scene around 5:45 p.m.

Police have identified the suspect as 20-year-old Christian Perez-Morales.

The motive for the murder is believed to have been a fight over a woman who both Martinez and Morales had a romantic interest in, according to witnesses.

A $ 1,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest in the case. Detectives are asking anyone with information or video to call APD Homicide at (512) 974-TIPS, email [email protected] or call the Crime Stoppers tip line at (512) 472-8477. You may remain anonymous.

Author: Russell Falcon
This post originally appeared on KXAN Austin

Canada

China rocket MAP: Where out of control Long March 5b could crash into Earth

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A new map has been released showing the predicted area where the core of the rocket will land as being somewhere between latitudes 41.5 degrees north and 41.5 degrees south of the equator. The Chinese rocket did not have controlled re-entry factored into its mission trajectory. The main core segment of the Long March-5b rocket was used to launch the first module of China’s new space station last month.
The core segment weighs over 18 tonnes.

When the core re-enters the earth’s atmosphere it will be the largest piece of debris in decades to have an uncontrolled dive into the atmosphere.

Scientists in the US are watching the path of the object.

There are currently no plans to shoot it down.

READ MORE: China rocket crash: When will Long March 5B debris re-enter?

The Chinese Long March-5b core stage has been losing height in the earth’s atmosphere and will begin breaking into many parts due to friction and drag from falling at high speed.

In May 2020 a Long March rocket has an uncontrolled re-entry and broke up in the atmosphere over Africa.

Parts of the rocket fell on villages in Ivory Coast.

One piece of fuel piping crashed through the roof of someone’s house in Ivory Coast.

The chances of being struck by a piece of falling debris are very low.

However, all other space agencies commit to controlled re-entry of space debris.

China has been urged to begin factoring in controlled re-entry into its future flights.

Because most of the earth’s surface is covered in water, the debris is expected to land in the ocean.

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This post originally appeared on Daily Express :: World Feed

Business

Germany doubles purchases of Russian natural gas in March

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The biggest importer of Russian natural gas, Germany, doubled year-on-year purchases of the pipeline fuel in March 2021, according to the latest figures revealed by the Federal Customs Service.

Purchases of Russian gas neared 4.5 billion cubic meters, marking a robust growth of 66.3% compared to the same period a year ago. Germany imported 4.6 billion cubic meters of gas in February – a year-on-year increase of 63.3%.

Year-on-year exports to Italy, Gazprom’s second-biggest buyer, dropped 41.5% to some 1.3 billion cubic meters, but exports in March surged 467% compared to the previous month. France imported 1.1 billion cubic meters of gas in March, marking a more than 15% increase compared to March 2020, and a surge of nearly 29.5% month-on-month.
Also on rt.com Russian gas exports to Europe surge 30% in 2021 as harsh winter forces foreign consumers to boost energy purchases
Serbia purchased 245.5 million cubic meters of gas from Russia, recording a year-on-year growth of 138%, while Bulgaria’s imports saw an upsurge of 51.41% to 269.8 million cubic meters. Hungary imported 763.7 million cubic meters – up 31.6% compared to March 2020. Sales to Greece rose 35.9% to 276.1 million cubic meters.

Meanwhile, exports to Turkey surged to 2.628 billion cubic meters from the 394.1 million cubic meters recorded in March 2020, marking a massive growth of 567%.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT’s business section

Author: RT
This post originally appeared on RT Business News

Business

Chinese industrial giants’ profits soar more than 90% in March – report

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Author: RT
This post originally appeared on RT Business News

China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Tuesday that the profits of industrial firms had risen sharply in March from a year ago, as the demand for raw materials surged along with the nation’s economic recovery.

Data showed profits rising to 711.18 billion yuan ($ 109.6 billion) in March, up 92.3% from a year ago, when the economy was hit hard by the Covid crisis. The pace of growth slowed from the first two months of the year, however. Profits soared 179% in January-February, compared with the same period in 2020.

According to Zhu Hong, an official at the NBS, strong profits in the raw materials manufacturing and processing industries – particularly chemicals, metals, and petroleum – helped drive overall industrial profit growth as demand picked up.

For the January-March period, industrial firms’ profits soared 137% from the same period a year earlier to 1.825 trillion yuan ($ 281 billion).

Also on rt.com China’s Wuhan rises from Covid-19 fallout, boosting GDP by nearly 60%

China’s gross domestic product also posted a record growth of 18.3% in the first quarter, driven by stronger demand at home and abroad. The country’s exports rose sharply in March, and imports posted their highest surge in four years last month, with factory activity and factory gate prices rising at faster-than-expected rates.

Meanwhile, industrial output grew more slowly than expected last month, with liabilities at industrial firms up 9.0% year-on-year at the end of March, versus 9.4% growth as of the end of February.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT’s business section

Sports

Baylor crushes undefeated Gonzaga in March Madness final

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Baylor cruised to a 19-point lead midway through the first half. Gonzaga couldn’t get it closer than nine before the Bears pulled away for the title.

INDIANAPOLIS — Heck, everyone’s entitled to an off night. But that beatdown Baylor put on undefeated Gonzaga with the national title on the line — nobody saw that coming.

The fresh-as-can-be Bears obliterated wobbly-legged Gonzaga’s march to perfection Monday night in an 86-70 runaway that brought this once-downtrodden program’s first national title back home to Waco, Texas.
Jared Butler scored 22 points and MaCio Teague had 19 for the Bears (28-2), who were ranked second or third in the AP poll all year long — but never first, all because of one team.
Pounding the offensive glass and scrapping for — and winning — the lion’s share of the 50-50 balls, Baylor never let this one come down to a Jalen Suggs miracle. The Gonzaga freshman’s buzzer-beater from near the half-court logo got the Zags to the final in a game that stood as their first true test of the season.
They passed against UCLA. Against Baylor? Not even close.
After running to a 19-point lead early, the Bears never let Gonzaga get any closer than nine.
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Guard Davion Mitchell — nicknamed “Off Night” because so many opponents encounter one when they go against him — finished with 15 points and did his best on Suggs. The freshman finished with 22 points — most of them after the Zags were well into desperation mode — and likely will be heading to the NBA lottery next.
Gonzaga’s first loss in 32 games this season — 36 dating to 2019-20 — leaves Indiana’s 1975-76 team as the last to go undefeated. If Bob May, Quinn Buckner and the rest of coach Bob Knight’s team were keeping champagne cold to celebrate — a la the perfect ’72 Miami Dolphins — they could’ve uncorked it by halftime.
Or sooner.
Baylor was up 9-0 after 2 1/2 minutes and the Bulldogs faced only their fourth double-digit deficit of the season at 11-1. They faced their biggest deficit of the season — 15 points — with 7:10 gone. By then, Suggs had two fouls and was watching from the bench.
He tried hard to breathe some fire into his teammates, or the Zags fans — who made about as much noise as the cardboard cutouts that were scattered through Lucas Oil Stadium to make it seem full.
“Let’s …. go!” Suggs screamed after he got fouled on a layup early in the second half. He missed the free throw.
But more than anything in the title game, it was Suggs’ memorable basket two nights earlier that laid the groundwork for this one. His bank shot at the buzzer capped one of the most riveting college basketball games ever. Back on the floor about 46 hours after that emotional roller coaster, it was clear the Zags were gassed.
The sequence that best illustrated the energy gap came about six minutes into the contest when Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua slapped the ball out of Drew Timme’s hands and the Bears worked the ball ahead to Mitchell. He missed a layup, but Tchamwa Tchatchoua got the offensive rebound and fed Adam Flagler for a 3.
Gonzaga was practically just standing there for it all.
This was one of the most-anticipated finals in recent history, a meeting of the two best teams from the last two seasons — this one and 2020, when COVID-19 scrapped the action before tournament time. They were scheduled to meet this season in Indy, on Dec. 5, but a COVID-19 outbreak on the Gonzaga team ended those plans.
But the game didn’t live up to the hype, and it was out of hand early.
Baylor had nine offensive rebounds in the first half that led to nine second-chance points, and wore down the Zags on defense. Gonzaga shot 54% from the floor over the first 20 minutes but Baylor had 16 more attempts — the kind of math that doesn’t add up for a team playing in the title game.
One glimmer of hope for the Zags came when Tchamwa Tchatchoua joined another Baylor big man, Flo Thamba, on the bench with four fouls with 14:43 left.
Andrew Nembhard’s basket on the next possession cut Gonzaga’s deficit below double digits for the first time since early. Baylor answered with a 9-2 run punctuated by Mark Vital’s rejection of Corey Kispert, then a fast break that led to an easy 3 from Flagler.
It was over from there. Yes, Gonzaga might have been the year’s most watchable team with its dramatic run at perfection, to say nothing of the shot of the tournament.
But Baylor was cutting down the nets.
It’s the culmination of an 18-year rebuild, the likes of which no program has ever seen.
Coach Scott Drew took over a roster with only seven scholarship players and a team staring at years of NCAA probation in the wake of the murder of player Patrick Dennehy by a teammate in 2003. The Bears won only 21 games over Drew’s first three years.
It took a lot of imagination and more than a little faith to believe a day like this might happen.
It took the same thing to hang a loss on the Bulldogs.
But that kind of loss? Only Baylor could’ve seen that one coming.
Entertainment

Miley Cyrus Rocks Out In Black Crop Top For Epic Performance At NCAA March Madness — Watch

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Miley Cyrus performed a mix of classic rock covers and her own music for her energetic performance at NCAA March Madness Live!

Miley Cyrus[1], 28, knows how to deliver on a live performance. The Plastic Hearts singer[2] slayed as she took the stage for NCAA’s March Madness[3] Live on Saturday, April 3. She performed a mix covers by Queen, Joan Jett and Fleetwood Mac — including the iconic “We Will Rock You.” The live show started backstage as Miley — clad in a cropped mini-vest, black skinny pants and a sultry pair of red-bottomed Christian Louboutin boots — sashayed her way onto the stage to “We Are The Champions.” She accessorized with a layered gold chain necklaces, sunglasses and gloves.

At one point during the energetic performance, Miley brought all the vibes as she belted out “American Woman” by Grand Funk Railroad (later covered by Lenny Kravitz) while crawling on the stage. Her vocals sounded absolutely incredible as she sang “Don’t Stop Me Now” before transitioning to her own classic hit, “We Can’t Stop.” The stage set-up added to the vibe also, as sponsor AT&T’s signature blue lit up the ground in disco-style squares. A digital screen with green flames was also behind her, along with bright orange lights.

The audience was filled with frontline workers who have been actively working to keep Americans safe during the COVID-19 pandemic[4]. The performance — part of a special Tribute to Frontline Heroes concert — aired between the two men’s basketball Final Four games on CBS. The concert also included Indiana University Health system staff. To date, over 500,000 Americans have died as a result of the deadly COVID-19 virus, which forced shutdowns around the globe in March 2020. According to the CDC, more than 100 million Americans — or about 30% of the population — have received at least one dose of the available vaccines[5] (most require two doses).

Earlier in the day, the Tennessee native tease the performance with a sexy black outfit[6]! She sported a crop top by One More Chance Vintage and a flirty pair of pants by Stockholm held together with clips along the sides “MY TYPE… swipe for full fantasy,” she joked in her caption, including several bathroom selfies. In a hysterical video, Miley — who declared she was “single” back in February — even pretended to ask herself out. She also referenced the performance in a post shared late on Friday, April 2.

“MILEY MADNESS… @FinalFour #MarchMadness,” she wrote alongside a video of her stepping off a bus. The stylish star once again stunned in an all-red ensemble with leopard print pants and a blue-striped jacket. The blonde kept her hair in styled in her throwback ’80s mullet, just like at the NFL’s TikTok Tailgate[7]! “Mother, I’ve arrived,” Miley declared in the video as she slid the jacket off her shoulders then made her way into a building. “Yo that jacket is tight son!!!” one fan wrote, while another added, “The outfit” with several fire emojis.

References

  1. ^ Miley Cyrus (hollywoodlife.com)
  2. ^ Plastic Hearts singer (hollywoodlife.com)
  3. ^ March Madness (hollywoodlife.com)
  4. ^ COVID-19 pandemic (hollywoodlife.com)
  5. ^ one dose of the available vaccines (hollywoodlife.com)
  6. ^ a sexy black outfit (hollywoodlife.com)
  7. ^ NFL’s TikTok Tailgate (hollywoodlife.com)

Cassie Gill

Sports

Referee collapses on court at Gonzaga-USC March Madness game

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Bert Smith was alert and sitting up with his arms crossed as he was taken off the court.

INDIANAPOLIS — Official Bert Smith collapsed on the floor early in the Elite Eight game between Gonzaga and Southern California and had to be taken off the court on a stretcher.

Smith had just set up on the baseline as the Trojans were moving onto offense when he collapsed and hit his head on the floor.
He stayed down for about five minutes, and then was able to stand up and move to a nearby stretcher. He was alert and sitting up with his arms crossed as he was taken off the court.
In a statement, NCAA spokesman David Worlock said Smith is “alert and stable,” and won’t be transported to a hospital. Worlock also said Smith has been in contact with his family.
\Worlock’s statement didn’t specifically state the nature of Smith’s “medical issue,” though CBS Sports rules analyst Gene Steratore said on the TBS broadcast that Smith was feeling “lightheaded,” leading to the fall. He said Smith was being treated by trainers in the locker room.
Smith was officiating his second Elite Eight. He was replaced by an alternate, Tony Henderson, who had been at the scorer’s table. Additionally, Tony Chiazza — the standby official for the UCLA-Michigan game later Tuesday — would also serve as the standby official for the remainder of the USC-Gonzaga game, Worlock said.
The matchup was the 70th game Smith has worked this season, according to kenpom.com. He has officiated in multiple conferences.
Gonzaga won 85-66 to advance to the Final Four.
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