Scorching temperatures and an incoming tropical storm the latest obstacles for Tokyo Olympics
Extreme weather, including Tokyo's infamous summer heat and an incoming tropical storm, is the latest factor concerning athletes and Olympic organizers at the already problem-plagued summer games.
Temperatures in Tokyo over the weekend hit a high of 93 degrees Fahrenheit and athletes have seen no reprieve from the brutal summer humidity in Japan's capital city. Heading into this week, the Japan Meteorological Agency forecasts a relatively mild Tuesday (with a high of 84 degrees Fahrenheit) with temperatures again topping 90 degrees for the rest of the week.
The oppressive heat is not the only weather concern facing athletes and organizers, as the region also braces for an incoming tropical storm expected to make landfall on Tuesday.
Tropical Storm Nepartak is forecast to move through the greater Tokyo area in the coming days. As of Monday, the storm was moving at some 18 mph and had maximum wind speeds of approximately 44 mph and maximum wind gust speeds of some 67 mph, according to the Japanese weather agency.
Source-ABC
Snoop Dogg provides update following his mother's health scare: "She still fighting"
Snoop Dogg expressed his gratitude to fans over the weekend, thanking them for their continued prayers for his mother, Beverly Tate, who fell ill last spring.
In May, the 49-year-old rapper asked fans to pray for his mother, but didn't specify any details surrounding her health or the situation. Then Sunday, Snoop shared some positive news, posting a photo of his 70-year-old mom resting on a hospital bed while he and his siblings comfort her.
"Happy Sunday me and my brothers went to c mama today and she opened up her eyes to c us and let us know she still fighting," he explained in the emotional caption. "God is good."
"Thanks for all the prayers," he concluded, adding, "1 day at a time."
Snoop's update attracted support from his famous friends, including Busta Rhymes, Queen Latifah, Jamie Foxx, Lizzo, Kenan Thompson and many others.
Snoop has yet to publicly disclose his mother's ailment or condition.
Shortly after revealing his mother's health struggles in May, Snoop shared in an Instagram video, "Gotta stay strong, gotta keep pushing on. They say God ain't gon put nothing on you, you can't handle. I'm being tested right now y'all. Make sure y'all pray for me and my family."
Source-ABC
Minister of Sports listens to athletes during a Sporting Session
USA Gymnastics takes silver at Tokyo Games after Simone Biles withdraws
Without the GOAT leading her team for the finals competition, USA Gymnastics took the silver medal at the Tokyo games, following Simone Biles' surprise withdrawal earlier today.
The athletes from Russia came out on top, beating the cumulative U.S. score by more than three points. Great Britain won bronze.
The U.S. women's gymnastics team was seeking to bring home the gold for the third time in a row at the competition on Tuesday.
This was one of the strongest gymnastics teams the world has seen, led by all-time great Biles and uneven bars phenom Sunisa Lee. The team is rounded out by Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum.
After a rare stumble on vault Tuesday, Biles withdrew for what USA Gymnastics called a "medical issue." She went on to cheer on her teammates from the sidelines.
Following news of her withdrawal, Simone got praise online, including from fellow Olympic medal winner Adam Rippon. The former figure skater noted on Twitter, "I can't imagine the pressure Simone has been feeling. Sending her SO much love. It easy to forget she's still human. WE LOVE YOU."
After a shaky Olympic debut on Monday, Biles Instagrammed, "It wasn’t an easy day or my best but I got through it. I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times. I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha! The Olympics is no joke!"
Source-ABC
USA Gymnastics takes silver at Tokyo Games after Simone Biles withdraws
Without the GOAT leading her team for the finals competition, USA Gymnastics took the silver medal at the Tokyo games, following Simone Biles' surprise withdrawal earlier today.
The athletes from Russia came out on top, beating the cumulative U.S. score by more than three points. Great Britain won bronze.
The U.S. women's gymnastics team was seeking to bring home the gold for the third time in a row at the competition on Tuesday.
This was one of the strongest gymnastics teams the world has seen, led by all-time great Biles and uneven bars phenom Sunisa Lee. The team is rounded out by Jordan Chiles and Grace McCallum.
After a rare stumble on vault Tuesday, Biles withdrew for what USA Gymnastics called a "medical issue." She went on to cheer on her teammates from the sidelines.
Following news of her withdrawal, Simone got praise online, including from fellow Olympic medal winner Adam Rippon. The former figure skater noted on Twitter, "I can't imagine the pressure Simone has been feeling. Sending her SO much love. It easy to forget she's still human. WE LOVE YOU."
After a shaky Olympic debut on Monday, Biles Instagrammed, "It wasn’t an easy day or my best but I got through it. I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times. I know I brush it off and make it seem like pressure doesn’t affect me but damn sometimes it’s hard hahaha! The Olympics is no joke!"
Source-ABC
Netflix to include mobile games for subscribers
Netflix has confirmed that it will include video games as part of subscription packages at no extra cost.
In a letter to investors, it said it was in the early stages of expanding into games and those for mobile would be added to the platform first.
"The time is right to learn more about how our members value games," it said on Tuesday.
But Netflix shares dipped in after-hours trading after it missed a target on subscriptions.
The California-based company said it expects to sign up 3.5 million new customers in the three months to the end of September - less than the 5.86 million analysts had estimated.
"Covid has created some lumpiness in our membership growth (higher growth in 2020, slower growth this year), which is working its way through," it said in its latest financial update.
"We continue to focus on improving our service for our members and bringing them the best stories from around the world."
It now counts more than 209 million paid-up members in total, having seen a surge in sign-ups when consumers were spending more time at home during coronavirus-related lockdowns.
But the pandemic has proven a double-edged sword for Netflix, because it disrupted the production of some big titles.
"Covid and its variants make predicting the future hard, but with productions largely running smoothly so far, we're optimistic," it said, pointing to new seasons of the series "Sex Education" and "Never Have I Ever".
Despite the slowdown on-set, in the three months to the end of June the firm's revenues totalled $7.3bn - about 19% higher than a year before.
Profits dipped to $1.35bn, down from $1.7bn the previous quarter, citing additional investment in improving its apps and non-English language content.
Source-BBC
Khloe Kardashian opens up about discussing race with daughter True
Khloe Kardashian is opening up about how she plans to discuss race with her daughter, True.
The Good American founder shares her three-year-old daughter with her ex-boyfriend, NBA player Tristan Thompson, who is of Jamaican descent.
"I will be always learning and trying to do the best I can do as being her mom," Khloe said in Monday's episode of the Role Models podcast. "I’m obviously not a woman of color, but I do want her to be exposed to as much inclusion but variety as possible."
The 37-year-old reality star added that she didn't want True "living in a bubble thinking, because we do have this very privileged life, I want her to know all types of life and all types of living and be very aware of that."
"I know some people get uncomfortable with talking to their kids about race, or they think, 'Oh we live in a bubble, we never have to address that my child is Black.' I mean, of course you do," she expressed. "You’re only setting them up, I think, for failure if you don’t talk about race and probably the things they’re going to endure once they’re in, quote, the real world."
The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star added that the "beauty" of having sisters in the same situation is that they get to have some of those conversations together. Kim Kardashian has four mixed race children with Kanye West and Kylie Jenner has a mixed race child with Travis Scott.
While Khloe admitted to not knowing exactly what age she'll bring up the conversation with True, she concluded saying that she wants True to grow up in "a world surrounded by love but still very aware that she is a woman of color."
Source-ABC
Former Trump adviser Tom Barrack charged with acting as agent of UAE
Tom Barrack, a longtime friend of Donald Trump's who chaired the committee that raised more than $100 million for his inauguration, has been charged with acting as an agent of a foreign government and obstruction of justice.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said Tuesday that in 2016, Barrack illegally sought to use his influence with the new president on behalf of the United Arab Emirates.
In May 2016, according to the indictment, Barrack "took steps to establish himself as the key communications channel for the United Arab Emirates" to the Trump campaign and, that same month, gave a co-defendant a draft copy of an energy speech then-candidate Trump was preparing to deliver. The co-defendant then sent it to a UAE official and solicited feedback.
Between May 2016 and October 2017, Barrack "repeatedly promoted the United Arab Emirates and its foreign policy interests during media appearances" after soliciting direction from his co-defendant and UAE officials, the indictment said.
The allegations involving Barrack came to light as part of a House Oversight Committee investigation, ABC News reported in July 2019.
A spokesman for Barrack, 74, told ABC News that "Mr. Barrack has made himself voluntarily available to investigators from the outset. He is not guilty and will be pleading not guilty."
Source-ABC
Tokyo Olympics leader doesn't rule out canceling games at last minute
The chief of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee addressed concerns of rising COVID-19 cases during a press conference on Tuesday and did not rule out the possibility of a last-minute cancellation of the games.
As of Tuesday, Tokyo Olympic organizers said 71 people accredited to the games, including athletes in the Olympic Village, have tested positive for the virus just days ahead of the opening ceremonies set for Friday.
Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee will continue to monitor cases and make decisions based on the current situation at hand.
At the beginning of the month, Japan announced a state of emergency due to large outbreaks in the greater Tokyo area, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Tuesday, the country reported 2,477 new cases.
Source-ABC
Barbados to slash taxes by 50 per cent for regional travellers
Barbados will be going the same route as its Caribbean neighbour Antigua and Barbuda in slashing airport taxes for regional travellers by as much as 50 per cent.
Minister of Tourism and International Transport Lisa Cummins made the disclosure this morning as she responded to a question from Barbados TODAY during the state of the tourism industry update at the Barbados Hilton.
“Cabinet has agreed that there is to be a 50 per cent reduction in airport service charge to regional travellers. That brings us pretty much in line with what you have been hearing coming out of other markets, and in particular, Antigua . . . that is meant to reduce the taxes on inter-regional travel,” said Cummins.
She was outlining several measures aimed at breathing new life into the tourism industry and getting more visitors to the island.
The move to reduce the taxes came a year after Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that it was a step her administration was examining.
Source-Barbados Today