Google bans two websites from its ad platform over protest articles

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Google bans two websites from its ad platform over protest articles

Google has banned two far-right websites from its advertising platform after research revealed the tech giant was profiting from articles pushing unsubstantiated claims about the Black Lives Matter protests.

The two sites, ZeroHedge and The Federalist, will no longer be able to generate revenue from any advertisements served by Google Ads.

A Google spokesperson said in an email that it took action after determining the websites violated its policies on content related to race.

“We have strict publisher policies that govern the content ads can run on and explicitly prohibit derogatory content that promotes hatred, intolerance, violence or discrimination based on race from monetizing,” the spokesperson wrote. “When a page or site violates our policies, we take action. In this case, we’ve removed both sites’ ability to monetize with Google.”

Google’s ban of the websites comes after the company was notified of research conducted by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a British nonprofit that combats online hate and misinformation. They found that 10 U.S-based websites have published what they say are racist articles about the protests, and projected that the websites would make millions of dollars through Google Ads.

Google blocked The Federalist from its advertising platform after the NBC News Verification Unit brought the project to its attention. ZeroHedge had already been demonetized prior to NBC News’ enquiry, Google said. ZeroHedge and The Federalist did not respond to requests for comment.

Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, said it found advertisements for many companies that had otherwise made public statements supporting Black Lives Matter and the recent protests running on the websites.

“We found that lots of those companies are inadvertently funding through their advertising content that is outright racist in defense of white supremacism and contains conspiracy theories about George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement,” he said.

Google has banned various websites from its advertising platform in recent years, mostly targeting fake news operations.

ZeroHedge and The Federalist have become well known in recent years for publishing far-right articles on a variety of subjects. On the recent protests, ZeroHedge published an article claiming that protests were fake, while The Federalist published an article claiming the media had been lying about looting and violence during the protests, which were both included in the report sent to Google.

As the Black Lives Matter protests unfolded over recent weeks, hundreds of corporations eagerly lent their support. This includes Google, which said it has donated “$12 million in funding to organizations working to address racial inequities.”

There are other similar websites that continue to generate revenue through Google, causing continued concern for civil rights advocates. In its report, the Center for Countering Digital Hate pointed to examples of articles on other far-right websites such that carried advertisements by well-known brands while disseminating false narratives about the protest movement.

The issue also poses significant risks for brand security.

Caroline McCarthy, vice president of communications and content at TrueX, a digital advertising company, said companies need to hold Google and other digital advertising companies responsible for where their ads run.

“The reality is that they [brands] have to start by asking questions,” McCarthy said “They have to say, what is my brand content going to be running against? And if the other person on the other side of the conversation can’t give them a straight answer, then that’s a problem.”

“The pressure on the tech companies is only going to come from dollars actually, literally getting pulled,” she said.

Adele-Momoko Fraser

Adele-Momoko Fraser is a producer with the NBC News Verification Unit.

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Why Antibody Tests Could Be Crucial for Fighting Coronavirus in Coming Months

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Why Antibody Tests Could Be Crucial for Fighting Coronavirus in Coming Months

In the largest study to date looking at the antibodies produced by people who have recovered from COVID-19, researchers uncovered a few surprises that could have implications for not only how useful antibody-based treatments might be, but also what the results from an individual’s antibody test actually means.

Right now, most people that get antibody tests want to learn if they have been infected with COVID-19 or not, since so many experience mild, or no symptoms of the illness. But that information could in theory be used to answer questions well beyond personal curiosity. For public health experts, these results are important for getting an idea of how deeply COVID-19 penetrated specific communities, and how widespread the infection was—and, how rampant it could potentially become again. The more people who get tested, the more accurate such prevalence data can be. But there are other, equally critical ways that antibody testing could help to monitor and ultimately control the pandemic in coming months.

In the study published in medRxiv, a preprint server for posting studies before they are peer-reviewed, a team at the Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute of the New York Blood Center and Rockefeller University analyzed 370 plasma samples donated from people who recovered from COVID-19 and found some surprising results. The researchers used several antibody testing methods, including two commercially available tests, to document levels of immune system antibodies those patients generated against SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19. (All produced similarly reliable readings.) The researchers then tested these antibodies against a SARS-CoV-2 virus substitute in the lab to see if the antibodies could actually neutralize the virus (such stand-ins, which mimic actual viruses without being infectious, are often used to laboratory research settings to avoid spreading disease).

Overall, around 88% of the people generated varying levels of antibodies to the virus. But only about 10% of them had high levels that were able to neutralize the lab-based version of the COVID-19 virus—and, on the other side of the spectrum, 17% had almost no antibody response to their infection.

What that means is so-called “natural immunity” to SARS-CoV-2 may be more complicated than the idea that everyone infected with COVID-19 is robustly protected from getting the disease again, says Dr. Larry Luchsinger, assistant member at the research institute and the lead author of the paper. “There was a very significant group of people who had essentially no neutralizing activity [against the virus]. What we found was that surprisingly, across all tests, there was a very wide deviation or range of antibody results that people were experiencing.”

More data needs to be collected to understand why recovered patients have such a wide range in antibody levels, and how that could affect people’s ability to fight off future infections with the virus. The findings imply, for example, that there may be different ways of fighting SARS-CoV-2 infection. Since all of the people recovered from their infections, some people’s immune systems may rely heavily on antibodies, while others turn to different types of cells to fend off the virus.

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The results make a strong case for doctors to not just test for antibody levels, but to learn what those levels might mean for each patient’s ability to fight further infection. Making those sorts of determinations isn’t possible yet, but it might be with more data on the antibody levels of recovered patients.

“At this very moment, little is known about antibodies and their utility,” Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology and faculty member at the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health said in a question-and-answer session with reporters. As more data become available, doctors might be able to determine what level of antibodies are more likely to provide protection against getting infected with SARS-CoV-2 again, and share this information with their patients, who would then know how vulnerable they might be to re-infection.

Luchsinger’s results are a start for building that data; the study does include detailed results on levels of two commercial antibody tests, one from Ortho and the other from Abbott, as well as results on how well those antibodies identified by the tests could neutralize the virus in a lab setting. However, “The unfortunate thing is, the only way to know [for sure] what level of neutralizing activity is required is to take individuals and re-expose them to COVID-19,” Luchsinger says. “There are ethical dilemmas in doing something like that.”

Still, being able to use antibody tests to identify people who have little ability to neutralize the virus, and those who are better able to do so, could be important in advising them about how they can stop the spread of COVID-19. “The people who don’t have a lot of neutralizing activity should be cautious, and take precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe,” says Luchsinger.

To get a fuller picture of what antibody responses to COVID-19 actually mean for immunity, Luchsinger is expanding the study and matching up people’s antibody levels with their symptoms, to see if there is any correlation between how severe people’s symptoms were and how actively their antibodies could neutralize the virus.

Such information will be even more crucial in coming months, as employers and public health officials rely on these data to track how people can stay safe in communities when they are at work, or using public transportation or at public gatherings. Antibody testing will also be important as vaccines are rolled out, as public health officials will likely want to get vaccination to those with low or no antibody levels, who are more vulnerable to infection. Tracking these antibody levels over time among the vaccinated will also give experts useful information on how well the vaccines are working.

“We just have to be a little patient and let the studies come in,” says Mina. “But the infrastructure for antibody testing needs to be built up even if right now we’re not seeing immediate benefit beyond [finding people who have been infected].”

Contact us at editors@time.com.

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Americans Are the Unhappiest They Have Been in 50 Years: Poll

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Americans Are the Unhappiest They Have Been in 50 Years: Poll

(ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.) — It’s been a rough year for the American psyche. Folks in the U.S. are more unhappy today than they’ve been in nearly 50 years.

This bold — yet unsurprising — conclusion comes from the COVID Response Tracking Study, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago. It finds that just 14% of American adults say they’re very happy, down from 31% who said the same in 2018. That year, 23% said they’d often or sometimes felt isolated in recent weeks. Now, 50% say that.

The survey, conducted in late May, draws on nearly a half-century of research from the General Social Survey, which has collected data on American attitudes and behaviors at least every other year since 1972. No less than 29% of Americans have ever called themselves very happy in that survey.

Most of the new survey’s interviews were completed before the death of George Floyd touched off nationwide protests and a global conversation about race and police brutality, adding to the feelings of stress and loneliness Americans were already facing from the coronavirus outbreak — especially for black Americans.

Lexi Walker, a 47-year-old professional fiduciary who lives near Greenville, South Carolina, has felt anxious and depressed for long stretches of this year. She moved back to South Carolina late in 2019, then her cat died. Her father passed away in February. Just when she thought she’d get out and socialize in an attempt to heal from her grief, the pandemic hit.

“It’s been one thing after another,” Walker said. “This is very hard. The worst thing about this for me, after so much, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Among other finding from the new poll about life in the pandemic:

— The public is less optimistic today about the standard of living improving for the next generation than it has been in the past 25 years. Only 42% of Americans believe that when their children reach their age, their standard of living will be better. A solid 57% said that in 2018. Since the question was asked in 1994, the previous low was 45% in 1994.

— Compared with surveys conducted after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963 and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Americans are less likely to report some types of emotional and psychological stress reactions following the COVID-19 outbreak. Fewer report smoking more than usual, crying or feeling dazed now than after those two previous tragedies, though more report having lost their temper or wanting to get drunk.

— About twice as many Americans report being lonely today as in 2018, and not surprisingly given the lockdowns that tried to contain the spread of the coronavirus, there’s also been a drop in satisfaction with social activities and relationships. Compared with 2018, Americans also are about twice as likely to say they sometimes or often have felt a lack of companionship (45% vs. 27%) and felt left out (37% vs. 18%) in the past four weeks.

What is surprising, said Louise Hawkley, a senior research scientist with NORC at the University of Chicago, was that loneliness was not even more prevalent.

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“It isn’t as high as it could be,” she said. “People have figured out a way to connect with others. It’s not satisfactory, but people are managing to some extent.”

The new poll found that there haven’t been significant changes in Americans’ assessment of their families’ finances since 2018 and that Americans’ satisfaction with their families’ ability to get along financially was as high as it’s been over nearly five decades.

Jonathan Berney, of Austin, Texas, said that the pandemic — and his resulting layoff as a digital marketing manager for a law firm — caused him to reevaluate everything in his life. While he admits that he’s not exactly happy now, that’s led to another uncomfortable question: Was he truly happy before the pandemic?

“2020 just fast forwarded a spiritual decay. When things are good, you don’t tend to look inwards,” he said, adding that he was living and working in the Miami area before the pandemic hit. As Florida dealt with the virus, his girlfriend left him and he decided to leave for Austin. “I probably just wasn’t a nice guy to be around from all the stress and anxiety. But this forced an existential crisis.”

Berney, who is looking for work, said things have improved from those early, dark days of the pandemic. He’s still job hunting but has a little savings to live on. He said he’s trying to kayak more and center himself so he’s better prepared to deal with any future downturn in events.

Reimagining happiness is almost hard-wired into Americans’ DNA, said Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside.

“Human beings are remarkably resilient. There’s lots and lots of evidence that we adapt to everything. We move forward,” she said, adding that she’s done happiness studies since the pandemic started and found that some people are slightly happier than last year.

Melinda Hartline, of Tampa, who was laid off from her job in public relations in March, said she was in a depressed daze those first few weeks of unemployment. Then she started to bike and play tennis and enrolled in a college course on post-crisis leadership.

Today, she’s worried about the state of the world and the economy, and she wonders when she can see her kids and grandkids who live on the West Coast — but she also realizes that things could be a lot worse.

“Anything can happen. And you have to be prepared,” she said. “Whether it’s your health, your finances, whether it’s the world. You have to be prepared. And always maintain that positive mental attitude. It’s going to get you through it.”

___

The survey of 2,279 adults was conducted May 21-29 with funding from the National Science Foundation. It uses a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

Contact us at editors@time.com.

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New York’s New Bar Stool: The Sidewalk

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New York’s New Bar Stool: The Sidewalk

Tony Auliano and his wife, Melinda Lantz, stood, drinks in hand, outside the Factory 380, an Andy Warhol-themed bar on Third Avenue in Manhattan, on a recent Friday night. Mr. Auliano, 63, would have rather have been inside the bar, which, like many in New York City these days, is selling drinks to go. But he was happy for any social interaction he could get.

“This is a good thing,” he said, “an opportunity to communicate, come out, have a drink.”

Ms. Lantz, a psychiatrist at Mount Sinai Hospital who has worked nonstop since Covid-19 took hold of the city, agreed — so much that she recently invited her co-workers to join her. “I actually hosted an informal and unapproved happy hour on the sidewalk two weeks ago,” said Ms. Lantz, 59. “I had all my staff come and anyone who wanted to drink. They felt great. It was like a turning point for my department.”

Of all the New York City businesses impatiently awaiting for official permission to reopen, bars arguably face the biggest challenges. Every aspect of their appeal — large crowds in small spaces, close contact with strangers, mouths constantly open to drink or talk — runs contrary to the watchful guidelines that frame conduct during the pandemic.

That concern has been borne out in recent weeks as patrons have moved outdoors, congregating in large numbers in neighborhoods, like Hell’s Kitchen, with a high concentration of bars. Over the weekend, a video on social media of tightly packed throngs of young drinkers on an East Village street drew a Twitter message from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, threatening to intervene: ”Don’t make me come down there,” he warned.

In some neighborhoods, residents have complained to the police about the hazards, noise and even the public urination that outdoor crowds can bring. Fines have been issued.

But in other parts of the city, the groups have been smaller, and bar owners are trying to strike a balance between their business interests and public safety.

In March, the state threw bars a lifeline by allowing them to sell to-go drinks; owners grabbed onto it, first haltingly, then with gusto. Today, there is a barely a block, it seems, without a bar handing cocktails, wine and beer through its front door or window.

The general rule for such service is “take out, don’t hang out.” But patrons, thirsty not only for an adult beverage but also for the social experience they associate with it, aren’t always heeding that. From Murray Hill to Cobble Hill, the city’s bar scene has turned inside out: Outdoor drinking has replaced indoor drinking, with groups of friends socializing on the sidewalk in front of their chosen watering hole, perching on fire hydrants, stoops or chairs provided by the bars.

At some bars, business has been slow to return. When the 166-year-old McSorley’s Old Ale House, in the East Village, started selling its famous dark and light ales to go, in mid-March, it attracted little business and shut down after a few days. “Nobody was coming,” said Gregory de la Haba, who operates the bar. “It seemed too high a risk and not worth the headache.”

Once the weather warmed and more people hit the streets, the bar gave it another shot. The customers showed, and stayed. “I knew every single person that came,” Mr. de la Haba said. “What was beautiful was to see all my neighbors, who came over to say, ‘It’s so great to see you open.’ ”

Kevin Bradford, an owner of Harlem Hops, a beer bar on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, said he understood why his customers might want to linger a bit. “These people have been cooped up so long,” he said. By early June, “the regular people who used to get deliveries opted to walk to the place.”

When citywide protests over the killing of George Floyd began, and Mayor Bill de Blasio imposed an 8 p.m. curfew, the bar crowds dwindled, and some bars closed altogether for a time. But in the days since the curfew was lifted on June 6, they have returned in full force.

Bars have become creative in trying to keep their impromptu street trade safe. Signs requiring or at least imploring patrons to wear masks are posted everywhere, and sidewalks are marked with chalk or tape to show how people in line should space themselves.

But as the crowds grow, proper social distancing is not always possible. Ernesto’s Café, on the Lower East Side, encourages customers to use the park across the street. Patrons of Grand Army, in Brooklyn, have been using closed-off State Street as a patio. And the Factory 380 will send customers on an around-the-block “walktail” stroll. By the time they make the circuit, they’re ready for another round.

Observing safety guidelines while not alienating customers can be tricky. “You ask them to move, they’ll move,” said John Hayes, the owner of Doc Watson’s, on the Upper East Side. “But they’re not going to disappear. You don’t want the last thing they remember is you chased them away.”

For bars, whose business models have turned upside-down since the shutdown began, adjust and adapt is the name of the game. Basquiat’s Bottle, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, was an art- and nightlife-oriented place before Covid-19, going into the wee hours. It’s now open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and has had increased food sales.

Before the shutdown, Harlem Hops sold two to three crowlers a week (a crowler is like a growler, but in jumbo-can format). Now it sells 30 to 35 a day.

Just as bar owners are figuring out the new landscape as they go, the people they serve have discovered new advantages to the arrangement.

“During this time of year, sometimes I prefer an outside bar or rooftop, or a place by the water,” said Robert Cabo, 29, an architect and a regular at the Factory 380. “Now, because this is happening, I have no reason not to come here.”

Amid the uncertainly fostered by the pandemic, every week seems like a new world for bars. While a bill before the State Legislature could extend the life of the new policy allowing to-go service, the large street gatherings, or a rise in Covid cases, could prompt an edict to halt takeout.

But just as New York residents and bars have quickly become used to the freedom of drinks to go, they may not want to let go of citywide alfresco drinking, even when it’s no longer necessary as an economic alternative for bars.

“For the record,” said David Kuhl, 35, standing with a group of friends outside the Factory 380 one balmy evening, “we prefer this.”



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Vaccine alliance casts shadow over Commission’s new strategy

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Vaccine alliance casts shadow over Commission’s new strategy

The coronavirus pandemic set off a race to both develop and acquire an eventual vaccine against the virus | Remko De Waal/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

Most just want a vaccine — however it happens.

At least they’re not going it alone this time.

Lacking a cohesive or coordinated policy during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak, EU member countries fought each other for much-needed protective equipment for their medical professionals.

The European Commission tried to jointly procure some items like gloves and ventilators, but the bureaucratic machinery means many countries have yet to place their orders.

Now that a global race to buy up vaccines accelerating, the Commission is trying to get ahead with a new strategy, to be announced Wednesday, to buy vaccines in advance.

The Commission has a new mechanism called the Emergency Support Instrument (ESI), which allows the Commission to purchase on behalf of EU member countries, bypassing the red tape that’s held up joint procurements.

“By doing this you are weakening everyone: both the Commission’s overall initiative and your own position” — Belgian Health Minister Maggie De Block

It has up to €2.7 billion to start spending on vaccines that are still under development and have yet to be approved.

But, even now, it may be playing catch-up.

While the Commission races to ensure it is not left behind big spenders like the United States in the vaccine race, frustration over past issues with joint procurement prompted four EU countries — Germany, France, the Netherlands and Italy — earlier this month to set up the “Inclusive Vaccine Alliance.”

This initiative will negotiate the prices of coronavirus vaccines so that, once approved, they can be made affordable to all Europeans, with a priority for those manufactured in Europe.

But there is confusion over how this alliance will interact with the Commission’s new vaccine strategy. Both are moving ahead simultaneously, but not necessarily in tandem.

At an EU health ministers meeting Friday, countries gave the Commission the backing to buy coronavirus vaccines on their behalf.

The following day, the vaccine alliance announced it had signed a deal to purchase between 300 and 400 million doses of a vaccine developed by Anglo-Swedish drug company AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford.

Belgian Health Minister Maggie De Block was not enthused, telling Belgian media that negotiating outside the all-EU alliance is “unreasonable.”

“By doing this you are weakening everyone: both the Commission’s overall initiative and your own position,” she said.

Publicly, the Commission has downplayed any issue with the four-nation alliance. Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said in an interview with POLITICO that the two approaches are “not incompatible.”

“What matters here is to make sure that everyone is covered [by a vaccine],” he said.

Malta’s Health Minister Chris Fearne confirmed that the country will be joining the alliance | Domenic Aquilina/EPA

But according to one national diplomat, the Commission is not happy with the alliance, which was born out of a feeling that the Commission could not be trusted to move quickly enough to secure sufficient vaccine supplies.

“There was a certain expression, mostly hidden in diplomatic terms,  … that the EU procurement experience, especially in masks and ventilators, has not been very successful,” the diplomat said.

Countries felt like they were “losing time,” the diplomat added, as the U.S. had already invested billions in numerous vaccine candidates through its Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

Another national diplomat from one of the four alliance countries stressed that speed was paramount. “There was an opportunity now to close this deal,” the diplomat said. “In a moment where speed is of the essence, the four had to act fast.”

European People’s Party MEP Peter Liese said the “best approach” would be for the alliance to completely merge “with the initiative of the Commission.”

The diplomat added that the entire goal of the alliance is to create as much production capacity as possible and ensure access to vaccines for developing countries. Other countries are keen to jump on board.

Malta’s Health Minister Chris Fearne, who was first to call for the EU to jointly procure a vaccine in February, confirmed to POLITICO that the country will be joining the alliance.

Malta set up the Valletta Initiative, a grouping of 10 mostly southern and southeastern countries that try to negotiate drug prices collectively. Fearne welcomed the alliance and said it seems to have already “brought progress.”

“I think any initiative which brings vaccines across the member states … brings value,” he said.

But it’s still not clear how much the Commission and the alliance are really cooperating.

“I don’t think there will be a Chinese wall,” between the Commission and the alliance, Schinas said. “Clearly what we cannot do is pay twice for the same vaccine. There is an element of choice as to which approach one should follow.”

There are also questions about the terms of the deal with AstraZeneca; whether the Commission will help pay for the 400 million doses secured in the initial alliance deal; and how the alliance will ensure vaccines are distributed equally to all EU countries.

And perhaps most importantly: Will the two initiatives merge at some stage?

A top AstraZeneca executive thinks so.

“I do believe that at the end, all these strategies will come [together] as one big strategy in order to provide not only not only a University of Oxford COVID vaccine, but also other but also other vaccines that are potential candidates,” said Iskra Reic, the drugmaker’s executive vice president for Europe and Canada.

European People’s Party MEP Peter Liese said the “best approach” would be for the alliance to completely merge “with the initiative of the Commission.”

Then again, he cautioned, “it remains to be seen if that really happens.”

Sarah Wheaton and Carlo Martuscelli contributed reporting.

CORRECTION: This article has been updated to state that 10 countries make up the Valletta Initiative.

This article is part of POLITICO’s premium policy service: Pro Health Care. From drug pricing, EMA, vaccines, pharma and more, our specialized journalists keep you on top of the topics driving the health care policy agenda. Email pro@politico.eu for a complimentary trial.



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Watch: Uzalo Season 6 Episode 73, Tuesday, 16 June 2020

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Watch: Uzalo Season 6 Episode 73, Tuesday, 16 June 2020

On tonight’s episode:

MaNgcobo, Nkunzi and Sibonelo face an uphill battle in their quest to solidify partnerships, Gabisile goes to the ends of the earth to prove her innocence and Sbu makes a lifechanging decision.

Stay up-to date with all the latest episodes right before the break here.

Uzalo: Episode 73, Season 6 16 June 2020)

Wednesday, 16 June on Uzalo

While Nkunzi is busy building, Thulani is busy sabotaging him, Gabisile plays hardball with Nomcebo and Fikile finds herself caught between a rock and a hard place. Find out what else is going to happen during June in Uzalo here.

About Uzalo

The happenings around the Xulu family from KwaMashu have kept South Africans glued to their TV screens every weekday at 20:30 for the past five years since the show’s premiere in February 2015.

UZALO is a provocative, bold and authentic narrative that tells the story of two family dynasties, the Mdletshes and the Xulus, and the two young men who carry their hopes and legacy’s.

How to watch the latest episode of Uzalo

The soapie airs every weeknight on SABC 1 and you can watch on your TV or online. After the episode airs, the episodes are also made available on YouTube for seven days. Episodes are also posted right here on thesouthafrican.com as soon as they become available.

Uzalo production team

Executive Producer and creator: Duma Ndlovu
Executive Producer: Gugulethu Zuma-Ncube
Executive Producer: Pepsi Pokane
Series Producer: Mmamitse Thibedi
Head Writer: Phathutshedzo Aldrean Makwarela
Storyliners: Yolanda Mogatusi, Lehasa Moloi, Zolisa Singwanda
Head Director: Alex Yazbek
Directors: King Shaft Morapama, Bruce Molema



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Kedarnath director Abhishek and wife Pragya Kapoor’s charity tribute to Sushant Singh Rajput

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Kedarnath director Abhishek and wife Pragya Kapoor’s charity tribute to Sushant Singh Rajput

Image Source : PRAGYA KAPOOR/ INSTAGRAM

Abhishek and Pragya were present at Sushant Singh Rajput’s funeral ceremony, which took place on June 15.

Bollywood director Abhishek Kapoor and his wife Pragya Kapoor have decided to do charity to honour the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. The couple will be feeding 3400 impoverished families. “It’s our way of honouring him and his craft, everything he has done and achieved, to celebrate him and everything he stands for. As friends it gives us something to hold on to,” Pragya said. Abhishek and Pragya were present at Sushant’s funeral ceremony, which took place on June 15.

Sushant made his Bollywood debut with Abhishek Kapoor-directed “Kai Po Che” (2013). The actor-filmmaker then went on to collaborate on “Kedarnath” in 2018.

Mourning the demise of Sushant, Abhishek took to social media to share a heartfelt note. Calling him interstellar, he wrote: “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the loss of my friend. We made two very special films together. He was a generous and fabulous actor, who worked very hard to breathe life into his characters. I pray for his family, whose loss is unmeasurable. He was a huge Science buff and what consumed by what lay beyond in the universe. I’m going to miss you brother. Stay interstellar.”

The charity gesture initiated in Sushant’s honour will be conducted via Pragya’s NGO Ek Saath: The Earth Foundation.

Sushant, 34, was found dead at his home, Bandra, Mumbai on June 14, Sunday.

Fight against Coronavirus: Full coverage



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China postpones launch of Beidou global navigation satellite

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China postpones launch of Beidou global navigation satellite

China will have to wait to finish a long-awaited upgrade of its global navigation satellite system.

The final Beidou Navigation Satellite-3 (BDS-3) launch, planned for Tuesday, June 16 Beijing time and GMT (late Monday, June 15 in EDT) was delayed due to technical issues with the rocket, Chinese state media service Xinhua reported. More details were not made immediately available.



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Terry Crews doesn’t regret ‘Black supremacy’ tweet: ‘I really want the dialogue’

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Terry Crews doesn’t regret ‘Black supremacy’ tweet: ‘I really want the dialogue’

Terry Crews will keep talking about his controversial “Black supremacy” tweet if it furthers the conversation about race.

The Brooklyn Nine-Nine star and America’s Got Talent host, 51, appeared on Tuesday’s The Talk and was asked about the tweet, which prompted backlash earlier this month, leading him to clarify his comments. Crews made it clear he doesn’t regret what he wrote.

“What I said was defeating white supremacy without white people could create black supremacy,” Crews reiterated, referring to this tweet.

The former football star explained, “In black America, we have gatekeepers. We have people who have decided … who is going to be black and who’s not. And I simply — because I have a mixed-race wife [Rebecca King] — have been discounted from the conversation, a lot of times, by very, very militant movements, black power movements. I’ve been called all kinds of things — like an Uncle Tom — simply because I’m successful, simply because I’ve worked my way out of Flint, Michigan.”

Terry Crews with his wife, Rebecca King-Crews. (Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images)

Crews said, “The problem with that is black people have different views. When you are white, you can be Republican, Libertarian, Democrat. You can be anything. But if you are black, you have to be one thing.” (Crews went on to reference presidential hopeful Joe Biden’s comment, “If you have a problem figuring out if you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black,” to illustrate his point.)

Crews said “blackness is always judged.” Because of that, “I’m going, Wait a minute: That right there is a supremacist move. You have now put yourself above other black people.”

Crews’s tweet that led to the backlash:

When co-host Sheryl Underwood asked if he regrets “using the term ‘black supremacy,’” he said no.

“I can’t really regret it, because I really want the dialogue to come out,” he said. “Maybe there’s another term that might be better — we’re ‘separatist’ or ‘elitist’ — but the thing is, I’ve experienced supremacy even growing up. I’ve had black people tell me that the white man is the devil. I’ve experienced whole organizations that have viewed themselves because of the suffering of black people, they have decided that now, we are not equal, we are better. And I think that’s a mistake.”

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Sanjay Dutt misses wife Manyata and kids, shares adorable family picture

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Sanjay Dutt misses wife Manyata and kids, shares adorable family picture

Image Source : INSTAGRAM/SANJAY DUTT

Sanjay Dutt misses wife Manyata and kids, shares adorable family picture 

It’s been over two months that actor Sanjay Dutt last met his wife Maanayata and their twins Shahraan and Iqra. The mother and kids had travelled to Dubai before the COVID-19 lockdown in India, and are still there. On Tuesday, Sanjay took to Instagram and posted a throwback picture that shows him sharing smiles with his children and wife.

“I miss them so much. To everyone who is with their families right now, cherish them,” Sanjay captioned the image.

Reacting to the post, Maanayata comment a string of red heart emojis on it.

On the work front, Sanjay Dutt will be seen playing the antagonist in the sequel of ” KGF: Chapter 1″, starring Kannada superstar Yash. Actress Raveena Tandon is also a part of the upcoming version.

 

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