- NewsCNN
Hot Pockets heiress Michelle Janavs sentenced to 5 months imprisonment in college admissions scam
Former food company executive Michelle Janavs was sentenced to five months in prison Tuesday for paying bribes in the college admissions scam, the US Attorney's Office in Massachusetts said.
22 reactions - CelebrityEvening Standard
Paris Hilton reveals she is distantly related to Queen Elizabeth
In the April issue of Cosmopolitan, Paris Hilton reveals that she has a famous relation - and we're not talking about her socialite sister, Nicky.The celebutante isn't just American royalty - she's distantly related to Queen Elizabeth.
- WorldThe Telegraph
Coronavirus tracker: Map of reported cases and deaths around the world
At the end of December Chinese authorities sent out a public alert warning that a “pneumonia of unknown cause” had been identified in Wuhan, central China. Some 10 days later, on January 7, scientists announced that a new coronavirus was the source of the outbreak - quickly adding that it did not appear to be spreading between humans. At that point less than 60 cases had been found. But now the disease, since named Covid-19, has spread to well over 30 countries, infecting nearly 80,000 people and killing more than 2,700. This map shows where the disease is now, how many cases there have been and how many people have died:
- PoliticsElle
Exactly How Much Chaos Should We Expect at the South Carolina Debate?
Minnesota-nice carnage, bags of money, and more likely things to watch for.
- PoliticsThe Daily Beast
Donald, Melania, Ivanka, and Jared Visited the Taj Mahal. Their Poses Spoke Volumes.
Melania Trump stood in front of the Taj Mahal, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a symbol of devotion to his wife, Mumtaz, and watched her open-mouthed husband bellow to photographers.Her high-necked, ivory jumpsuit matched the exterior of the famed marble mausoleum (CNN’s Kate Bennett identified the one piece as made by Trump’s stylist, Hervé Pierre). It came with a moss green sash made of “vintage Indian textile” that slightly clashed with her husband’s canary yellow tie. Still, the First Lady—known for looking absolutely miserable when out with her husband—appeared happy, or at least flashed a few more step-and-repeat smiles than normal. One tabloid described the pair as “loved-up,” which is as big of a stretch as the notion that burger-loving Trump enjoyed his meatless Monday in India. Still, the Trumps were able to hold hands for a while, and they stood close while watching a flock of birds fly away, like two characters from a gothic poem. Trump Taj Mahal Slashed Security. Then the Murders Started.Ivanka, too, arrived with Jared Kushner in tow, though she kicked her husband out of her own picture. In a poppy-patterned turquoise dress, which matched the reflection pool she stood in front of, Ivanka mugged with her vacant-eyed but determined smile.If you have any doubts about any future political aspirations for this “presidential adviser,” then (take a deep breath and) look at her Taj Mahal photo op. Despite all those "Unwanted Ivanka" detractors, just like the building itself, she endures. In Ivanka’s words, such resilience is “awe inspiring.” Others might call her seemingly ceaseless, free vacations (thinly) disguised as diplomacy, a horror scenario. The Taj Mahal was completed after ten years of construction in 1653, outlasting threats from the Japanese Air Force in World War II and Pakistan’s bomber pilots in the late '60s. But the historic site, frequently referenced as a Wonder of the World, has succumbed to one thing: the rich and powerful using it as a backdrop to make coded statements to the world. The tradition began in earnest with the 1992 image of Princess Diana on a marble bench, her body a lithe strip in a cherry red blazer, nearly dwarfed compared to the gargantuan building behind her. She went to the site alone, without her husband Prince Charles, implying a fissure in their not-so-storybook romance. But Diana was not the first celebrity photo op at the Taj Mahal. In 1962, Jackie Kennedy took a solo trip to India and Pakistan, at a time when First Ladies did not often dabble in foreign diplomacy. For her pilgrimage to the spot, she wore a preppy blue and green sheath, projecting the Camelot-era’s sunny confidence. Four years later, George Harrison snapped a selfie in front of the site, looking very anti-Kennedy in his counterculture duds: an unbuttoned cotton shirt and dark sunglasses. Since then, plenty of other young and famous men have come to the mausoleum in search of themselves, or at least a performative version of it.In 2015, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said the Taj Mahal was an example of “what people can build—and what love can motivate us to build,” using the elegant language of a good copywriter to plug his company after paying respects. That same year, Leonardo DiCaprio visited too, while in the country working on a climate change documentary. It was a “secret trip;” DiCaprio asked tourists not to take pictures, because he was working. In 1995, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton also sat on one of the Taj Mahal’s benches for photographers, sitting close and smiling, visual code for girl power. Five years after that, the first daughter would return with her father, Bill. In wide-angle snapshots of Donald and Melania strolling in front of the Taj Mahal, the yuge building’s scope leaves the pair looking tiny, nearly as tall as the shrubs which line the monument’s grassy aisles. Trump, who’s got a thing for screaming about his own bigness, might not appreciate how tiny he looks. But for a man who views the presidency as just another prize to show off that he’s won, the Taj Mahal visit was a success. The man whose legacy was once a knockoff-named casino now has got his photo in front of the real thing, joining the star-studded ranks of those who came before him. And as we’ve seen from this optics-obsessed administration so many times before, the facade is all that matters. Samantha Bee Explains How Ivanka Trump Made Her Grow UpRead more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
- SportsBleacher Report
Video Start, Bench, Cut with Grant Haley
Grant Haley felt the pain cutting The Blueprint from his Best Albums of 2000s list
- WorldYahoo News Canada
'WTF: Where's the funding?': Ontario teachers get sassy with strike signs
As teacher strikes continue across the province, Ontario teachers have put some of their creative energies into eye-catching signs on the picket lines.With talks continuing to struggle between the teachers’ unions and the provincial government, thousands of teachers have walked those picket lines in the last couple of months. Sarah Zubair, a Diagnostic Kindergarten Teacher with the Toronto District School Board, has been one of those teachers, and has been documenting her experience on the picket line through her Instagram account, which features some of her professional photography work as well.“We work to highlight student voices in our schools,” Zubair told Yahoo Canada. “During the rally I saw the creative ways educators came together to advocate for their students on the streets of Toronto. Every ounce of their energy, creativity and dedication can be witnessed in the posters and costumes. I felt I could amplify all the voices using my strengths in photography.”Zubair says she joined the picket line with thousands of other teachers, staff, parents and students because she, like much of the community, feels passionate about providing students with a supportive educational experience for students.“When [Premier Doug] Ford or [Minister of Education Stephen] Lecce speak, they ensure they leave bits and pieces of information that majority of the public may not know to question,” says Zubair. “By now, everyone is probably aware that we have lost at least 3 per cent of our pay. The lowest class sizes in the country are only for grade 1-3, grades 4+ see class sizes for up to 30-38 on average, which is classroom management, not teaching.“I believe what frustrates educators the most is that Ford and Lecce not only escape truths, but lack any experience in public education which cause many misconceptions.”In legislature on Monday, Lecce said the government was looking for an end to the strike, and was negotiating in good faith with the Catholic teachers’ union. He also said that the government was seeking to protect full-day kindergarten, and keep class sizes low.Ontario’s elementary school teachers say they are suspending strikes for the next two weeks, but will resume at that time if an agreement cannot be reached. The teachers’ union also says they aren’t ruling out the possibility of a full strike.
- WorldQuartz
In photos: Modi’s home turf, Ahmedabad, has gone all out to please Donald Trump
In this western Indian city, pavements have now been given a fresh dash of colours, roads have been repaired—some new ones even constructed within a week—and shantytowns blotted out of sight. On landing for his maiden official India visit, Trump is slated to accompany Modi on a 22-kilometre roadshow, beginning from the airport and culminating at the Sardar Patel Stadium where the duo will host the Namaste Trump event. This route has been barricaded for people to line the road, watch, and cheer their cavalcade.
