Giving voice to values

It can take a bit of time to work out which groups of people face the increased risk of contracting a virus. Unlike Coronavirus – which turned out to be especially virulent – the monkeypox virus is proving to be more selective and certainly nowhere near as infectious. When monkeypox emerged in the UK just a few weeks ago, there was barely any mention of which groups were at risk. Partly because we didn’t know – but even when it did become clearer that it was men who have sex with men who were particularly susceptible to contracting the virus, there was a fear that saying this publicly could foster stigma for a group all too familiar with bigotry. But now the UK Heath Security Agency has at last unveiled its strategy to try and mitigate the spread of the monkeypox virus – and its main intervention will be to offer a vaccine to gay and bisexual men. The agency officially acknowledges that rates of transmission are significantly higher in the male gay … [Read more...] about Why is the monkeypox vaccine only being offered to men?

My childhood sporting memories are crystal clear. No, I don’t mean winning the bean bag race in primary school or scoring my first 50 on the cricket pitch. I’m talking about those captivating, inspiring and majestic moments that I watched on free-to-air television. The ones that were mesmerising and still live on in the deep recesses of my brain, etched there, like some kind of beautiful slow motion sporting montage. I remember World Cup USA ’94. Diana Ross missing a penalty in the opening ceremony, Baggio missing the deciding one in the final, Romario, Bebeto, et al – and the little sticker book I had to write all of the results in (and still have tucked away in a box in my spare room). I remember the Grand National in 1996. The excitement of heading home to watch it after I’d been to see Toy Story at the cinema for a friend’s birthday party. Mum and dad had recorded it on VHS so we could all watch it together – and the horse we’d picked won. I remember Atlanta … [Read more...] about As a TV presenter, I know the secret to Wimbledon

A few years ago, when I saw a mom of my eight-year-old son’s friend at the grocery store, she asked, “I saw your yoga pose photo on Facebook. You’re so flexible…Were you a dancer?” Shame surged through me — I never know what to say. “Kind of,” I replied, with a shrug. I wanted to answer the question honestly, but correctly. I don’t like to be misleading. Yes, I was a dancer. Just not the kind of dancer she was thinking. She had images in mind of a ballerina in a tutu, but for anybody who knows my past, that’s not the kind of costume I wore. Recommended Why is OnlyFans banning explicit content? As OnlyFans bans ‘sexually-explicit content’, what else is on there? With a ban on explicit content, OnlyFans is setting itself up to fail I never know how someone will react to me having made money by taking my clothes off, so it’s better never to go into the specifics. I started stripping when I was 18 years old. As an actress, I … [Read more...] about I was a stripper long before OnlyFans. Sex workers today need to be honest about the industry

W hen the Gundecha Brothers recently performed at the beach-side Spaces, the experimental arena set up by dancer-choreographer Chandralekha, the sea proved to be a great metaphor for their music. Like the long coast line, their voice has an extraordinary range, soaring and tumbling like the waves that lash the shore. They unravel the nuances of dhrupad as if sifting through grains of sand. Their steady and introspective notes appear like the night sky above the gleaming water. The brothers, Ramakant and Umakant, have been an intrinsic part of Chandralekha’s last choreographic work ‘Sharira’ since 2001, when it was conceptualised. They were in the city for her tenth death anniversary tribute festival. “Sharira came to us when we were on an inward journey, exploring dhrupad and our own musical sensibilities. It was important to save the art from decline, open up its repertoire and reach out to the contemporary audience. We began to find a meeting point for the dhrupad’s integration … [Read more...] about The Dhrupad revivalists

Phil Mickelson has responded to scathing criticism from the families of 9/11 victims over his decision to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf. The controversial series has sent the golfing world into a state of civil war as Mickelson, and a number of other stars, defected to the rival circuit, which is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The series’ inaugural event took place last week, which saw South African and former Masters champion Charles Schwartzel take home $4.75m. However, the event was dominated by questions of sportswashing as golfers were quizzed on the moral implications of taking part in an event funded by Saudi Arabia. That criticism continued as families of the victims from the 9/11 terrorist attacks came together to send a scathing letter to Mickelson as well as fellow American LIV Golf participants Bryson DeChambeau, Kevin Na, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed. In the letter they urged the golfers to reconsider their decision to be associated … [Read more...] about Phil Mickelson addresses 9/11 families’ scathing letter as he defends LIV Golf stance

Arizona Republican Senate candidate Blake Masters has made no secret of his connections to his longtime business partner and biggest political benefactor, billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel. But new reporting shows that Masters can’t seem to quit promoting Thiel businesses on the campaign trail—and that Thiel or Masters can’t seem to stop making questionable in-kind contributions. Masters announced last month that he had left his top positions at two organizations named after Thiel, who has poured more than $10 million of support into the Senate bid. But a Daily Beast review of business, campaign, and tax records reveals that Masters appears still far from severing his shared interests with his mentor. Brendan Fischer, deputy executive director at Documented, told The Daily Beast that the facts demonstrate an inextricable connection. “This further underscores how Masters’ candidacy is almost inseparable from its billionaire backer,” Fischer said. “Thiel helped launch … [Read more...] about The Epic Back-Scratching Fest Between Blake Master and a Trumpy Billionaire

Homebuyers who booked flats in housing projects in the Noida-Greater Noida property market are worst affected, with over 1.65 lakh flats worth ₹1.18 lakh crore currently stalled or significantly delayed in these two cities, according to property consultant Anarock. In its research, the consultant has taken only those housing projects that were launched in 2014 or before, across seven big property markets -- Delhi-NCR, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. Expressing concern over the plight of customers whose investments are at stake, Forum for People's Collective Efforts' (FPCE), an apex body of homebuyers, president Abhay Upadhyay told PTI that the cause of the delay of each project should be ascertained and solutions must be found. He also sought stern action against defaulting builders. According to the Anarock data, 4,79,940 units worth ₹4,48,129 crore are "stalled or heavily delayed" across these seven cities as of May 31, … [Read more...] about Homebuyers in Noida-Greater Noida worst hit; 1.65 lakh units of ₹1.18 lakh crore stalled

New Delhi, Jun 26: Homebuyers who booked flats in housing projects in the Noida-Greater Noida property market are worst affected, with over 1.65 lakh flats worth Rs 1.18 lakh crore currently stalled or significantly delayed in these two cities, according to property consultant Anarock. In its research, the consultant has taken only those housing projects that were launched in 2014 or before, across seven big property markets — Delhi-NCR, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. Expressing concern over the plight of customers whose investments are at stake, Forum for People’s Collective Efforts’ (FPCE), an apex body of homebuyers, President Abhay Upadhyay told PTI that the cause of the delay of each project should be ascertained and solutions must be found. He also sought stern action against defaulting builders. According to the Anarock data, 4,79,940 units worth Rs 4,48,129 crore are “stalled or heavily delayed” across these seven … [Read more...] about Homebuyers in Noida-Greater Noida Worst Hit; 1.65 Lakh Units of Rs 1.18 Lakh Cr Stalled

In an interview with CBS' Face the Nation from Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted President Donald Trump for his Twitter attacks of former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch during the congressional impeachment inquiry hearing, calling them a reflection of "his own insecurity as an imposter." Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan asked Pelosi about Trump's tweets attacking Yovanovitch while she was giving her testimony at the hearing. Trump began his tweet with: "Everywhere Marie Yovanovitch turned went bad." Pelosi noted that Trump's knowledge of his own error was the source of his decision to tweet about Yovanovitch. "He made a mistake, and he knows her strength, and he was trying to undermine it." She went on to denounce the president's decision to tweet about Yovanovitch. "People don't insult people, especially when they're giving testimony before the Congress of the United States." Brennan pointed out that the White House stated that Trump wasn't … [Read more...] about Pelosi says Trump’s Twitter attacks on Yovanovitch are part of “his own insecurity as an imposter”

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on June 26 said India wants to capture the world market in all sectors and the country would “very soon” become a $30 trillion economy from the level of $3 trillion at present. The Minister for textiles and commerce and industry said the domestic textile industry has huge potential to generate jobs in coming years and the Centre is working actively with various countries to finalise free trade agreement (FTA) which will give zero-duty access to India’s textile sector in the world market, according to an official statement. Addressing an event in Coimbatore, Mr. Goyal emphasised that the Centre is promoting both cotton and man-made textile sector so that it gets larger share of world market thereby increasing jobs opportunities as well as investment, the statement said. “In all sectors, we want to become a global industry. We want to capture the world market” he said, adding on that under the guidance of the Prime Minister, the Centre is working … [Read more...] about India wants to capture world market, to become $30 trillion economy very soon: Piyush Goyal