A medical worker in a protective suit collects a swab from a resident at a makeshift nucleic acid testing site, during a mass testing for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Chaoyang district of Beijing, China June 13, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
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BEIJING, June 13 (Reuters) – Beijing will suspend all offline sports events starting from June 13 citing high transmission risks of a recent COVID-19 outbreak linked to a bar in the city, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports said in a statement on Monday.
As of June 12, some 166 cases have been linked so far to the outbreak at the Chaoyang Heaven Supermarket Bar, which emerged last week.
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Reporting by Albee Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong
People mourn in front of memorial crosses for the victims of the mass shooting that resulted in the death of 19 children, and two teachers in front of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, U.S. May 26, 2022. REUTERS/Veronica G. Cardenas
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May 26 (Reuters) – Following is the timeline of the shooting rampage on Tuesday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Authorities said Salvador Ramos, 18, shot and killed 19 children plus two teachers after shooting his grandmother at the house they shared.
The information comes from statements by law enforcement and other public officials.
May 17 – Ramos legally buys a semiautomatic rifle on his 18th birthday at a sporting goods store in Uvalde.
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May 18 – Ramos buys 375 rounds of ammunition from an unknown vendor.
May 19 – Ramos buys a second rifle at the same sporting goods store.
May 24, some time between, 11 and 11:15 a.m. CDT – Ramos sends a series of three private social media messages.
— I’m going to shoot my grandmother.
— I shot my grandmother. (His grandmother survives the attack with a gunshot wound to the face.)
— I’m going to shoot an elementary school.
11:28 a.m. – Ramos wrecks his truck near the school after fleeing from the house where he shot his grandmother. He jumps out of the passenger side with a rifle and a bag. He sees two witnesses at a funeral home across the street and fires at them. He walks toward Robb Elementary School, climbs a fence into the parking lot and starts shooting at the school.
11:40 a.m. – The shooter walks into the west side of the school, apparently through an unlocked door, and fires multiple rounds.
11:44 a.m. – Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies begin to converge on the school. The gunman shoots at the first officers responding to the scene. The officers move back and take cover, then approach the suspect again.
Around this time, the shooter enters a classroom and massacres the students and teachers inside. Officers report hearing at least 25 gunshots from the classroom soon after arriving at the scene.
From 11:40 a.m. to about 12:40 p.m. – Officers on the scene call for more help, requesting tactical teams, specialty equipment, body armor, precision snipers and hostage negotiators.
About 12:40 p.m. – U.S. Border Patrol tactical teams arrive, enter the classroom, and kill the suspect.
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Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Cynthia Osterman
Cyclists ride at sunrise in London, Britain, January 4, 2020. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
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April 8 (Reuters) – British Cycling suspended its Transgender and Non-binary Participation Policy with immediate effect on Friday, denying transgender women the chance to compete in domestic women’s races until the policy was reviewed.
British Cycling said it had taken the decision to suspend the policy due to differences between its own policy and that of the world governing body (UCI).
The move comes after transgender cyclist Emily Bridges was told by British Cycling that she was ineligible to compete in the women’s race at the National Omnium Championships.
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Bridges had been due to compete in her first women’s event in Derby but British Cycling said it had been informed by the UCI that she would not be eligible to participate under their current guidelines. read more
Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported that Bridges had been ruled not compliant by the UCI as she was still registered as a male cyclist and could not compete as a woman until her male UCI ID expires. Reuters has contacted the UCI for confirmation.
“It is currently possible for trans-female athletes to gain eligibility to race domestically while their cases remain pending with the UCI (or indeed in situations where they are deemed ineligible),” British Cycling said in a statement.
“(this allows riders to) accrue domestic ranking points which impact selection decisions for National Championship races, which is not only unprecedented … but is also unfair on all women riders and poses a challenge to the integrity of racing.
“As a result of this, on Wednesday the British Cycling Board of Directors voted in favour of an immediate suspension of the current policy, pending a full review, which will be initiated in the coming weeks.”
British Cycling added that it would include women and the transgender and non-binary communities in the review process.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this week that transgender women should not be competing in female sporting events. read more
“I don’t think biological males should be competing in female sporting events. Maybe that’s a controversial thing to say, but it just seems to me to be sensible,” Johnson said.
In November, the International Olympic Committee said no athlete should be excluded from competition on the grounds of a perceived unfair advantage due to their gender, but stopped short of issuing regulations that define eligibility criteria. read more
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Reporting by Aadi Nair and Rohith Nair in Bengaluru
Editing by Toby Davis
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks in Downing Street in London, Britain, April 5, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Nicholson
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LONDON, April 6 (Reuters) – Transgender women should not be competing in female sporting events, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told broadcasters on Wednesday.
Johnson was speaking as the country looked set to abandon plans to hold a flagship conference designed to promote LGBT+ rights around the world. read more
Charities and organisations are boycotting the event following a dispute over conversion therapy for transgender people.
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“I don’t think biological males should be competing in female sporting events. Maybe that’s a controversial thing to say, but it just seems to me to be sensible,” Johnson said.
“I also happen to think that women should have spaces — whether it’s in hospitals, prison or changing rooms — which are dedicated to women. That’s as far as my thinking has developed on this issue.
“If that puts me in conflict with some others, then we have got to work it all out. It doesn’t mean I’m not immensely sympathetic to people who want to change gender, to transition and it’s vital we give people the maximum love and support in making those decisions.”
Transgender rights has become a hot talking point as sports seek to balance inclusivity with ensuring there is no unfair advantage.
Transgender cyclist Emily Bridges was ruled out of Britain’s National Omnium Championships last weekend after the sport’s governing body, the UCI, ruled she was ineligible. read more
British Cycling had cleared Bridges to take part under their “Transgender and Non-Binary Participation policy”.
New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first transgender athlete to compete at the Olympics Games in Tokyo last year.
University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas last month became the first transgender National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion in Division I history after winning the women’s 500-yard freestyle. read more
Thomas competed on Pennsylvania’s men’s team for three years before transitioning and setting multiple programme records with the women’s team, but her eligibility has come under considerable scrutiny.
The latest International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidance, updated in November last year, is that no athlete should be excluded from competition on the grounds of a perceived unfair advantage due to gender. read more
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March 20 (Reuters) – Away from the fighting in Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian ballet dancers rubbed shoulders in London on Saturday in a charity event that united some of the world’s leading dance performers for humanitarian relief in the war-torn eastern European nation.
About 20 dancers, with glistening bodies and graceful moves, received a thunderous applause from the packed auditorium at the London Coliseum theatre for the ‘Dance for Ukraine’ gala.
“We have so many loved ones back home. We couldn’t just sit idly at home and just watch news, we wanted to do something,” Ivan Putrov, who is from Ukraine and organised the event with Romanian Alina Cojocaru, told Reuters.
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Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, an attack Moscow calls a “special operation” to demilitarise its neighbour.
Ballet dancers acknowledge a standing ovation during ‘Dance for Ukraine’, a charity gala to raise funds for people in need in Ukraine, at The London Coliseum, in London, Britain, March 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez
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The U.N. human rights office has said at least 847 civilians had been killed and 1,399 wounded in Ukraine as of Friday. More than 3.3 million refugees have fled Ukraine through its western border, with around 2 million more displaced inside the country.
Some audience members were draped in the Ukrainian flag for the event, with dancers from many countries including Brazil, Italy and Britain providing glamour to the stage that was lit in shades of yellow and blue.
Katja Khaniukova from Ukraine and Natalia Osipova from Russia were among those who took part. There were also dancers from the United States, France, Japan and Argentina at the event, which the organisers said raised at least 140,000 pounds ($184,520.00) for the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine appeal.
“So many of the artists contacted us wanting to join so it is inspiring how overwhelming the support is from the people, but we need more support in Ukraine, more support from different governments around the world,” said Putrov.
($1 = 0.7587 pounds)
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Writing by Muralikumar Anantharaman; Editing by Shri Navaratnam
PARIS, Feb 16 (Reuters) – A draft bill that would ban the wearing of the hijab in sporting competitions will pass on to France’s National Assembly after the Senate on Wednesday declined to vote on the legislation.
The bill includes a clause, previously added as an amendment by the conservative-dominated upper house, which stipulates that the wearing “of conspicuous religious symbols is prohibited” in events and competitions organised by sports federations.
The move is, however, opposed by the government and its allies in the lower house. The National Assembly has the final vote.
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Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau; writing by Richard Lough, editing by Tassilo Hummel
Joe Rogan’s Spotify profile is seen in front of displayed Spotify logo in this photo illustration taken, February 7, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Feb 9 (Reuters) – Spotify’s (SPOT.N) chief content officer Dawn Ostroff told advertisers at a conference on Wednesday that the backlash around popular U.S. podcaster Joe Rogan’s podcast had been a “real learning experience” for the streaming service.
“We do feel that we have a responsibility to support creator expression, but also balance that creator expression with safety for our users and for our advertisers,” said Ostroff, who has been a key driver in Spotify’s work to turn the platform into a top podcast hub, speaking at an Interactive Advertising Bureau annual conference in New York.
The streaming giant has been under fire after Rogan, who signed a $100-million deal with Spotify in 2020, aired controversial COVID-19 views on his show and drew protests from artists Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and India Arie. Young said Spotify had “become the home of life-threatening COVID misinformation.”
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Last week, Rogan apologized and Spotify said it would add a content advisory to any podcast episodes on its platform with discussion of the virus. On Saturday, Rogan apologized again for using racial slurs after a montage video surfaced showing him repeatedly saying the N-word.
“We have been speaking to Joe Rogan and to his team about some of the content … of his shows, particularly his history of racially insensitive language, and Joe decided to take episodes off of our platform,” Ostroff said. She said Spotify does not have editorial control over “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast but that it supported this decision.
Spotify’s Chief Executive Officer Daniel Ek said in a recent letter to staff seen by Reuters that he condemns racial slurs and other comments made by Rogan but would not be removing him from the platform.
The controversy marks the latest instance of a major tech company facing furor over its content moderation practices. Social media platforms such as Meta Platforms Inc’s (FB.O) Facebook, video sites like Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) YouTube and streaming service Netflix have all come under scrutiny over the material they allow on their services.
Ostroff called “the dilemma of moderation versus censorship” the biggest challenge facing “every single platform today.” She said there was no silver bullet but that Spotify’s team was always looking to see how it could do better.
She also urged advertisers to participate and help in the company’s evolution, saying “we really want to be able to be good partners.”
Spotify has invested over $1 billion in the podcasting business. Last week, it posted higher than expected fourth quarter revenue and reported 406 million active monthly users, up 18 percent from last year, though its subscriber forecasts for the current quarter came in lower than Wall Street estimates. read more
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Reporting by Elizabeth Culliford
Editing by Nick Zieminski
