Biden: “Working to ensure airlines are held accountable”
President Joe Biden tweeted that his administration was “working to ensure airlines are held accountable” after thousands of flights have been canceled.
His tweet included a link to a Department of Transportation page where affected flyers can check to see if they’re entitled to compensation.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told ABC News Live Prime on Tuesday, "Cancellation rates across the system for all of the other airlines together are averaging about 5%. With Southwest, it's more in the neighborhood of 60 or 70%."
"It's a shocking and unacceptable level of disruption combined with passengers being unable to get anybody on the phone to help them, and the airline indicating that they're actually not able to fully keep track of where their own flight crews are, he continued."
Buttigieg said passengers are entitled to refunds when their flights are canceled and that additional accommodations -- like covering the cost of food, ground transportation and hotels -- should be provided in this specific scenario.
Source-ABC
Jamaica's Politicians react to Jo Mersa Marley's death's death
Jamaica's Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, has extended condolences to the family of reggae singer Joseph ‘Jo Mersa’ Marley, the son of Stephen Marley, who was found dead on Boxing Day.
Minister Grange shared that she was "deeply saddened" by the news that Jo Mersa had died and noted that Marley's "untimely passing at the young age of 31 years old is a huge loss to the music as we look to the next generation".
"May he find eternal peace as we mourn his loss during this season of goodwill when we celebrate with family and friends our love for each other," Grange wrote.
She extended her deepest condolences to Stephen, Jo Mersa’s mother, Kerry, the Marleys and other family members.
"My heartfelt sympathies to Joseph's friends and associates and the reggae music fraternity and fans everywhere," Grange said.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness shared on his official Twitter page that he was also “deeply saddened" by the news.
"This is truly sad news; sending strength to the Marley family at this time," Holness said.
Opposition leader Mark Golding of the People's National Party also joined the chorus of condolences.
“The loss of a child is a devastating blow no parent should face, my condolences to Stephen and the entire family,” Golding wrote on Twitter.
Source-Jamaica Observer
Jennifer Lopez shares glimpse into "hummingbird Christmas" with Ben Affleck
Jennifer Lopez is sharing details about her first Christmas with her husband, Ben Affleck.
In her newsletter, On the JLo, the singer and actress, 53, shared how the holiday went with hers and Affleck’s blended family and this year’s Christmas theme.
“I’ve been hunkering down at home (and loving it) since I wrapped my last movie,” Lopez began. “I like to create a theme for every holiday. I wrote a song called 'Hummingbird' for my new album, This is Me… Now.”
She went on, “To me, hummingbirds are messengers of love. They’re very agile -- can fly forward, backward, and up and down. They’re also the fastest bird but they always have time to stop, eat something sweet and smell the roses. I identify with them, but more than anything, whenever I see one, I feel like it’s a sign from God that everything is going to be OK.”
“So, I decided this year, that the hummingbird would be a perfect theme,” Lopez added. “We have blended families, doubled the people, doubled the fun, doubled the love, doubled the presents and tripled the chaos!! I wanted to have a tree in the house that was a hummingbird tree, reminding us that everything done in love and with love will always be OK.”
Lopez noted this was the first time in a while that she was able to get together with family and friends she hadn’t seen in so long.
Following their engagement and breakup in the early 2000s, Lopez and Affleck tied the knot in April in Las Vegas after rekindling their relationship following Lopez’s breakup with then-fiancé Alex Rodriguez.
Source-ABC
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever eligible in five categories as Motion Picture Academy releases Oscars short list
On Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the eligible nominees in 10 categories for the 95th Academy Awards, and it looks like Wakanda may be going back to the Oscars.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was recognized in five categories: Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Song for Rihanna's "Lift Me Up," Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects.
In 2019, the original Black Panther became the first Marvel movie to win Oscar gold, snagging statues for Best Production Design, Best Costuming, and Best Score.
Other feature films to get recognition included Batman, Top Gun: Maverick, Elvis and Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Nominations for the 95th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, and the Jimmy Kimmel-hosted ceremony will be held live on ABC on Sunday, March 12, from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.
Here are the nominees to make the shortlist for the announced categories, listed alphabetically.
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
All Quiet on the Western Front
Amsterdam
Babylon
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Blonde
Crimes of the Future
Elvis
Emancipation
The Whale
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
The Banshees of Inisherin
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Devotion
Don’t Worry Darling
Everything Everywhere All at Once
The Fabelmans
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Nope
She Said
The Woman King
Women Talking
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Time” from Amsterdam
“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from Avatar: The Way of Water
“Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
“This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once
“Ciao Papa” from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
“Til You’re Home” from A Man Called Otto
“Naatu Naatu” from RRR
“My Mind & Me” from Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
“Good Afternoon” from Spirited
“Applause” from Tell It like a Woman
“Stand Up” from Till
“Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick
“Dust & Ash” from The Voice of Dust and Ash
“Carolina” from Where the Crawdads Sing
“New Body Rhumba” from White Noise
SOUND
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
Babylon
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Elvis
Everything Everywhere All at Once
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Moonage Daydream
Top Gun: Maverick
VISUAL EFFECTS
All Quiet on the Western Front
Avatar: The Way of Water
The Batman
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
Jurassic World Dominion
Nope
Thirteen Lives
Top Gun: Maverick
ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Black Slide
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
The Debutante
The Flying Sailor
The Garbage Man
Ice Merchants
It’s Nice in Here
More than I Want to Remember
My Year of Dicks
New Moon
An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It
Passenger
Save Ralph
Sierra
Steakhouse
LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
All in Favor
Almost Home
An Irish Goodbye
Ivalu
Le Pupille
The Lone Wolf
Nakam
Night Ride
Plastic Killer
The Red Suitcase
The Right Words
Sideral
The Treatment
Tula
Warsha
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
All That Breathes
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Bad Axe
Children of the Mist
Descendant
Fire of Love
Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song
Hidden Letters
A House Made of Splinters
The Janes
Last Flight Home
Moonage Daydream
Navalny
Retrograde
The Territory
DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
American Justice on Trial: People v. Newton
Anastasia
Angola Do You Hear Us? Voices from a Plantation Prison
As Far as They Can Run
The Elephant Whisperers
The Flagmakers
Happiness Is £4 Million
Haulout
Holding Moses
How Do You Measure a Year?
The Martha Mitchell Effect
Nuisance Bear
Shut Up and Paint
Stranger at the Gate
38 at the Garden
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Argentina - Argentina, 1985
Austria - Corsage
Belgium - Close
Cambodia - Return to Seoul
Denmark - Holy Spider
France - Saint Omer
Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front
India - Last Film Show
Ireland - The Quiet Girl
Mexico - Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
Morocco - The Blue Caftan
Pakistan - Joyland
Poland - EO
South Korea - Decision to Leave
Sweden - Cairo Conspiracy
Source-ABC
No More Mask Required in Barbados
Health authorities have scrapped the few remaining COVID-19 mandates, ending more than two years of protocols imposed on Barbadians to help control the spread of the virus.
Declaring that legal regulations are no longer needed to manage the situation, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) The Most Honourable Dr Kenneth George announced on Wednesday that effective immediately, the Emergency Management Order and its accompanying directives would come to an end.
He said authorities came to the decision after assessing the local, regional and international evidence collated over the last two-and-a-half years of the pandemic.
Commuters are now free to go maskless on public transport and schoolchildren will no longer be required to wear the protective face covering when they return to the classroom next month. There will also be no legal obligation for special requirements in medical facilities such as the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and dental offices, and senior citizens’ homes.
“This has been an extremely long journey and after careful consultation with the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), some of our external partners, and with the Senior Minister of Health and Wellness, The Most Honourable Dr Jerome Walcott, the recommendation from the CMO and the recommendation from the EOC is that we no longer require legislation to govern a public health incident. Why is this so? We have learnt tremendously over a two-and-a-half-year period,” Dr George said at a press conference.
At the same time, he encouraged Barbadians, particularly those who fall into vulnerable groups, “to always use the recommended protection that we have told you about for several years”.
“These include mask-wearing, not being close to individuals who you do not know, and obviously knowing and agreeing to be vaccinated as an added measure of protection,” he advised.
However, the removal of the mask requirement in schools is being challenged by the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU) which is questioning why local authorities were going that route with COVID-19 cases rising in other countries.
She pointed out that in many of this country’s main tourism markets, there were increasing COVID-19 cases and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) was also wreaking havoc in schools.
“We, therefore, should expect to see a rise in those cases. In Canada now, doctors and school officials are clamouring for a mandatory return for the wearing of masks in schools. So I don’t understand why at this point in time there would be an attempt to remove masks. The wearing of masks, frequent and proper sanitisation and, of course, physical distancing are all to control the spread of COVID and of similar viruses,” the BSTU leader argued.
“Why is it that we want to change if we are following the science? Why are we claiming that we are following it in some instances and not in others? If we know that those things work, why are we seeking to change when the pandemic is not over and there is a serious crisis in hospitals from our tourism-generating countries where children and the elderly are being admitted for severe RSV and influenza? Why at this time we are seeking to remove the mandatory wearing of masks in schools and on public transport?”
However, the CMO explained that much more is now known about how COVID-19 is transmitted.
“We also are very aware of the vulnerable groups, and we have spoken to those vulnerable groups, including the elderly and persons with non-communicable diseases. The intention of the Ministry of Health is to continue with all of our efforts to protect those groups and individuals. But we have reached the stage, after knowing so much about the pandemic, that we do not need a legislative approach to guide a public health problem,” the Government’s chief medical advisor stated.
He also explained that the ministry has always promoted personal responsibility as a means of reducing the spread of the virus, and that remained a necessary measure.
“We are asking the public to understand the position of the Ministry of Health. We still will take all precautions. We have not at one moment dismantled our COVID response and, indeed, we are acutely aware that we are also in the season of flu and we are also keeping our attention on that.
“For total transparency, we have found five cases of RSV which have been in the news for the past two to three months in the United States. Those have occurred in younger persons. I would like to report that there are no untoward issues with respect to those individuals,” the CMO disclosed.
“I think the recommendations are as such that children are not a driver of the pandemic in Barbados and the risk of transmission within schools remains low.”
President of the Barbados Association of Principals of Public Secondary Schools (BAPPS) Stephen Jackman, meanwhile, said he had no problem with the removal of the mask mandate in the island’s educational institutions.
“The health authorities have determined that they believe we are at a stage where mandatory protocols can be removed and we will work with that. It is still optional. It is for those who want to wear it and we have no problem with that either…
Generally, from what I would have seen, I can say during the last term we didn’t have any big challenges in schools to the point where they were disruptive because of COVID. It kind of cooled down in places but we have to continue living with COVID…. We urge [students] to wear their masks just in case as a precaution.”
President of the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) Rudy Lovell and general secretary Herbert Gittens said they were also willing to support the end of the mask protocol. However, they agreed that students, teachers and other staff should still ensure they protect themselves and their families.
Meanwhile, Communications, Information and Marketing Officer for the Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) Mark Haynes said it was only a matter of time before the mask mandate was dropped.
“We could not go on for an excessive period with the wearing of masks, although the wearing of masks was meant to mitigate against COVID-19, which we quite understood. But given the fact that the island is now opening up as it were, in all sectors, you cannot continue to keep the PSV sector under this magnitude of rigidity,” he said.
“It is news that the organisation welcomes but we are still encouraging and imploring all of the workers in the sector and the commuters to take personal responsibility for their health and if they are so inclined to wear masks that they can do it.”
Source- Barbados Today
President Joe Biden promised Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelensky, $45 billion
Ukraine is "alive and kicking" and will never surrender, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, in a defiant address to US lawmakers on his first foreign trip since Russia's invasion.
US military aid to Ukraine was not charity, but an investment in security for the future, Mr. Zelensky said.
His appeal comes amid signs US support is likely to face greater scrutiny by Republican lawmakers in Congress.
But President Joe Biden vowed to stick by Ukraine "for as long as it takes".
Mr. Biden pledged a new $2bn (£1.7bn) aid package and promised another $45bn.
At a joint news conference, Mr. Biden told reporters he was "not at all worried" about holding the international coalition together.
Amid concerns that some allies may be feeling the strain of the conflict's cost and disruption to global food and energy supplies, the US president said he felt "very good" about the solidarity of support for Ukraine.
As Ukraine's most important ally, the US has already committed $50bn (£41bn) of humanitarian, financial, and security assistance - far more than any other country.
Mr. Zelensky - wearing his trademark combat-green sweatshirt and boots - expressed hope that Congress would pass an extra $45bn in aid to Ukraine - currently before the US Senate - to "help us to defend our values and independence".
Republicans - who will take control of the House of Representatives in January - have warned they will not write a "blank cheque" for Ukraine.
In fact, Republican support for continued assistance has been eroding. In a survey conducted in November, just over half of the Republican voters supported aid to Ukraine - down from 80% in March.
But Mr. Zelensky, who traveled on a US Air Force jet from the Polish city of Rzeszow, said that "regardless of changes in the Congress", he believed there would be bipartisan support for his country.
And he made his plea in emotive terms before a joint session of Congress - a speech that was interrupted 18 times with standing ovations by nearly all members of Congress, with the exception of some Republican lawmakers who did not clap.
Speaking in English, he told them his country was still standing "against all odds" and predicted "a turning point" in the conflict next year.
To illustrate the brutality of the war, Mr. Zelensky evoked US troops fighting the Nazis during World War Two.
"The Russians' tactic is primitive. They burn down and destroy everything they see. They sent convicts to the front lines, to the war. They threw everything against us, similar to the other tyranny, which in the Battle of the Bulge threw everything it had against the free world.
"Just like the brave American soldiers who held their lines and fought back Hitler's forces during the Christmas of 1944, brave Ukrainian soldiers are doing the same to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's forces this Christmas," he said. "Ukraine holds its lines and will never surrender."
Concluding his speech, Mr. Zelensky presented Congress with a battle flag signed by the defenders of Bakhmut, a frontline city in the east of Ukraine that he visited on the eve of his Washington trip.
The package of security assistance announced by Washington on Wednesday includes a new Patriot missile system, which is expected to help Ukraine protect its cities from missiles and drones that Russia has fired at critical facilities.
Russia's foreign ministry has said the delivery of the advanced surface-to-air missile system will be considered a provocative step.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr. Putin said he believed his country was not to blame for the war in Ukraine, adding both countries were "sharing a tragedy".
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, the US military estimates that at least 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured, along with some 40,000 civilian deaths.
The UN has recorded 7.8 million people as refugees from Ukraine across Europe, including Russia. However, the figure does not include those who have been forced to flee their homes but remain in Ukraine.
Source - BBC
Lionel Messi has agreed a one-year contract extension with Paris St-Germain
Argentina forward Lionel Messi has agreed on a one-year contract extension with Paris St-Germain which will keep the 35-year-old with the French champions until the summer of 2024.
PSG will not let France forward Kylian Mbappe, 24, leave in January and only sell him in the summer at the right price.
Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has fuelled talk that Portugal striker Joao Felix, 23, is up for sale by saying "no one is indispensable" at the club.
Arsenal wanted Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez in the summer but the 24-year-old opted instead to reunite with former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
Chelsea has reached an agreement worth £17.5m with Vasco da Gama to sign 18-year-old Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos.
Tottenham is leading the race to sign 27-year-old Juventus and France midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
Manchester United is interested in signing 30-year-old Aston Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez, who played a key role in helping Argentina win the World Cup.
Al-Nassr's offer of a £160m contract to Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 37, is being backed by the Saudi Arabia government.
German club Eintracht Frankfurt have claimed they were offered the chance to sign Ronaldo by Manchester United before he left Old Trafford.
Barcelona manager Xavi has convinced his captain, Spain midfielder Sergio Busquets, 34, to remain at the club until the summer, rather than push through a move to a Major League Soccer side in January.
Former Leeds United forward Raphinha, who made five appearances for Brazil at the Qatar World Cup, has been tipped for a possible return to the Premier League as the 26-year-old has failed to make an impact in his first season at Barcelona.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the "transfer window is an option" as he looks at ways of covering the loss of Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus, 25, to a knee injury.
Veteran Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, 37, will land in Italy today before being unveiled as a Salernitana player.
Source - BBC
Former FTX boss Sam Bankman-Fried agrees to be extradited to US
Sam Bankman-Fried, the former boss of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has agreed to be extradited from the Bahamas to the US to face charges.
US authorities have accused Mr. Bankman-Fried of committing "one of the biggest financial frauds in US history".
FTX has filed for bankruptcy, leaving many people unable to withdraw funds.
The 30-year-old, who denies the allegations, has agreed to the extradition, according to an affidavit his defense lawyer read in court.
The affidavit, signed by Mr. Bankman-Fried on 20 December, says he is agreeing to be extradited partly out of a "desire to make the relevant customers whole" - in other words, to try to help people get back some of their money.
According to a court filing, FTX owed its 50 largest creditors a total of almost $3.1bn (£2.5bn).
Mr. Bankman-Fried was arrested on 12 December and the date of his extradition is unclear.
Source - BBC
Microsoft faces legal action from 10 gamers
Microsoft faces legal action from 10 gamers to block its merger with Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard.
The lawsuit filed in a US federal court says the $69bn (£56bn) deal by the Xbox console maker to purchase its rival will "create a monopoly in the video game industry".
The complaint comes two weeks after US regulators filed a case with an administrative judge to block the deal.
The merger would be the largest tech deal ever in the video gaming market.
The proposed acquisition would give Microsoft "far-outsized market power in the video game industry," according to the complaint "with the ability to foreclose rivals, limit output, reduce consumer choice, raise prices, and further inhibit competition."
However, Microsoft is defending the proposed acquisition. "This deal will expand competition and create more opportunities for gamers and game developers as we seek to bring more games to more people," according to a spokesman.
Almost two weeks ago, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) raised similar concerns in their complaint. The US business watchdog said Activision was one of a small number of top video game developers that made high-quality games for multiple devices.
The proposed acquisition would give Microsoft "both the means and motive to harm competition" by manipulating pricing, making games worse on its competitors' video game consoles, "or withholding content from competitors entirely, resulting in harm to consumers," the agency said in a press release.
After the FTC filed its lawsuit, Microsoft president Brad Smith said the company had "complete confidence in our case and welcome the opportunity to present our case in court".
Microsoft also announced it will make Call of Duty available on Nintendo for 10 years if the purchase went through and made a similar offer to rival Sony which makes the PlayStation console.
"This sounds alarming, so I want to reinforce my confidence that this deal will close," Activision Blizzard chief executive Bobby Kotick wrote in a letter to staff that was shared on the company's website. "The allegation that this deal is anti-competitive doesn't align with the facts, and we believe we'll win this challenge."
This has become one of the most high profile legal fights to emerge from US President Joe Biden's pledge to take a harder line against monopolies.
The takeover, which was announced in January, also faces legal action in the European Union and the UK.
Source - BBC