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Jill Biden Pranks Staff, Press For By Disguising As Flight Attendant

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Jill Biden Pranks Staff, Press For By Disguising As Flight Attendant" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-04/f7dotu98_-jill-biden-afp_625x300_02_April_21.jpg" title="Jill Biden Pranks Staff, Press For By Disguising As Flight Attendant" /></div>
Jill Biden pranked reporters and staff flying back from a trip with her.
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Washington, United States:
US First Lady Jill Biden pranked reporters and staff flying back from a trip with her on Thursday, disguising herself as a flight attendant to pass out ice cream bars for April Fool's.
Staff, Secret Service and press were treated to dessert by a woman with short black hair, a black face mask and a nametag that read "Jasmine," who made her way through the cabins as the first lady traveled home to Washington after visiting California.
Five minutes later, "Jasmine" reappeared in the press section, wig removed, revealing herself to be none other than Biden herself.
"April Fool's!" a tickled Biden told reporters.
The ice cream bar incident is not the first time Biden has tricked fellow travelers aboard her plane.
She once stuffed herself in an overhead compartment on Air Force Two when her husband Joe Biden was vice president, shouting "Boo!" at the first person to open the bin, according to US media.
A pool report on Thursday's incident admitted that the journalists had been "totally fooled" but took "comfort in the fact that none of FLOTUS' staff recognized Dr. Biden in disguise either."
The vanilla ice cream bars with hard chocolate coating "were delicious," it added. 
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/jill-biden-pranks-staff-press-for-by-disguising-as-flight-attendant-2404564">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/jill-biden-pranks-staff-press-for-by-disguising-as-flight-attendant-2404564</a>

news world Jill Biden Pranks Staff, Press For By Disguising As Flight Attendant

Jill Biden pranked reporters and staff flying back from a trip with her. Washington, United States: US First Lady Jill Biden pranked re...

Myanmar Military Slammed For Deaths Of Over 40 Children

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Myanmar Military Slammed For Deaths Of Over 40 Children" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-04/2ta3kp8o_myanmar-children-protest_625x300_02_April_21.jpg" title="Myanmar Military Slammed For Deaths Of Over 40 Children" /></div>
Children take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Myanmar.
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Yangon, Myanmar:
Myanmar's junta faced fresh international criticism Friday over the deaths of more than 40 children and the "forced disappearance" of hundreds of people in its crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
The military's ruthless suppression of demonstrations against its February 1 power grab has left 543 civilians dead, including 44 children, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a local monitoring organisation.
As well as breaking up protests with tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds, security forces have detained some 2,700 people.
Violence has ramped up in recent weeks, with Save the Children saying the death toll of youngsters had more than doubled in the past 12 days.
"We are shocked that children continue to be among the targets of these fatal attacks, despite repeated calls to protect children from harm," the charity said in a statement.
"It is especially horrifying that several of these children were reportedly killed at home, where they should have been safe from harm."
The authorities have made numerous arrests during night raids on the homes of people suspected of supporting the rallies or the civil disobedience movement that has sprung up aimed at stopping the military from running the country.
Human Rights Watch said the junta had "forcibly disappeared" hundreds of people, refusing to confirm their location or allow access to lawyers.
"The military junta's widespread use of arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances appears designed to strike fear in the hearts of anti-coup protesters," said HRW's Asia director Brad Adams.
"Concerned governments should demand the release of everyone disappeared and impose targeted economic sanctions against junta leaders to finally hold this abusive military to account."
"Rapidly deteriorating situation"
Outrage from world powers has been growing at the increasing violence, and on Thursday the UN Security Council unanimously "expressed deep concern at the rapidly deteriorating situation", condemning violence against peaceful protesters.
Britain announced a new round of sanctions, this time targeting the junta's extensive business interests, as well as a $700,000 contribution towards UN efforts to document serious human rights violations in Myanmar.
But so far neither sanctions nor calls for restraint have shown any sign of holding back the junta as it struggles to quell the widespread unrest.
There were more protests around the country on Friday, according to local media reports.
In Yangon, people left flowers at bus stops and other public spots in memory of those killed in the crackdown.
The junta has throttled communications in an effort to stop news getting out, and on Thursday it ordered a complete shutdown of wireless internet services.
Suu Kyi secrets charge
Ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has meanwhile been hit with a new criminal charge, accused of breaking an official secrets law.
The 75-year-old, a democracy icon in Myanmar for decades, faces a raft of charges and conviction would see her barred from political office for the rest of her life.
She appeared in court by video link on Thursday and appeared in good health, according to her legal team, despite two months in detention.
Meanwhile another leading figure in Myanmar's struggle for democracy, Mya Aye, was charged on Thursday under a law against inciting people to commit criminal offences, his lawyer told AFP.
Mya Aye is one of the leaders of the 88 Generation, a veteran pro-democracy group that came of age during an uprising against junta rule in 1988.
That movement was brutally suppressed by the military, with thousands gunned down by soldiers.
The military has defended its coup with claims of fraud in the November election which Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won by a landslide.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/myanmar-military-slammed-for-deaths-of-over-40-children-2404561">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/myanmar-military-slammed-for-deaths-of-over-40-children-2404561</a>

news world Myanmar Military Slammed For Deaths Of Over 40 Children

Children take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Myanmar. Yangon, Myanmar: Myanmar's junta faced fresh internatio...

Plane Dropped Pink Cloud In Gender Reveal Stunt, Then Crashed, Killing 2

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Plane Dropped Pink Cloud In Gender Reveal Stunt, Then Crashed, Killing 2" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-04/vre59bh8_genderreveal-plane-crash-youtube_625x300_02_April_21.jpg" title="Plane Dropped Pink Cloud In Gender Reveal Stunt, Then Crashed, Killing 2" /></div>
Both the pilot and the co-pilot were killed in the crash, authorities later confirmed to local media.
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The small plane arced over a blue lagoon near the Caribbean Sea, flying low above a family in a boat on Tuesday afternoon. As they clapped, it released a pink cloud into the sky.
"Girl! Girl!" a man aboard the boat yelled in Spanish, celebrating the dramatic results of the elaborate gender-reveal stunt for a new baby in the family. "It's a girl!"
Seconds later, the family's video shows, the small aircraft plummeted into the Nichupte; Lagoon, a body of water off the east coast of Cancun, as the family and their guests watched in disbelief.
"No way!" a man cried in Spanish with an obscenity. "It went into the water."
Both the pilot and the co-pilot were killed in the crash, authorities later confirmed to local media. An investigation into the cause of the fatal crash is underway, and authorities have yet to release the names of the victims.
The crash is the latest incident of a gender-reveal celebration that turned fatal. In recent years, a practice that became popular following a 2008 parenting blog post, has sparked multiple wildfires, led several deaths in explosions, and caused at least one other plane crash.
Cancun's fatal crash is the second gender-reveal celebration that has resulted in a fatality. In February, a 28-year-old father-to-be died after the homemade device he was preparing for his gender-reveal celebration in New York malfunctioned inside his garage.
It's not clear who hired the plane in Cancun this week for the latest tragic announcement.
The 30-second cellphone video captured by someone on the boat shows the small white plane soaring near Isla Dorada, a waterfront community in the heart of Cancun's tourist zone. Near the beginning of the clip, one man unknowingly predicted the disaster that would take place moments later.
"As long as it does not fall on us," the man jokes, referencing the aircraft.
"Is it a boy?" another man can be heard saying.
The camera follows the plane through the clear sky as the pilot eventually releases the pink cloud.
"It's a girl!" a woman shouts.
Then, the videographer loses sight of the plane for a few seconds as the group on the boat cheers.
By the time the plane is back on camera seconds later, it swiftly nose-dives straight into the lagoon as the crowd shouts in horror.
Local authorities including the National Guard and the Municipal Police arrived at the scene around 4 p.m. on Tuesday to lead the rescue mission to the downed aircraft, which was about 300 meters from the shore, Quequi reported.
Francisco Fernandez Millan, the president of the Nautical Association of Quintana Roo, told local media the association coordinated Tuesday's rescue efforts.
The Municipal Police later confirmed two men, the pilot and co-pilot died in the crash. According to authorities, the pilot of the white Cessna appears to be the owner of the aircraft, Quequi reported.
Milenio and El Universal reported the aircraft, which departed from Holbox Island at 3:31 p.m., belonged to Xomex, an aviation company that offers commercial, recreational and cargo flights in the Riviera Maya and the country's southeast area, according to their website.
A representative with Xomex did not immediately respond to a message from The Washington Post late on Wednesday.
The Federal Civil Aviation Agency has begun an investigation to determine the cause of the crash, according to Milenio.
Pictures shared on social media show workers dressed in white hazmat suits accompanied by local authorities rolling at least one body wrapped in a blanket from the dock.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/plane-dropped-pink-cloud-in-gender-reveal-stunt-then-crashed-killing-2-2404527">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/plane-dropped-pink-cloud-in-gender-reveal-stunt-then-crashed-killing-2-2404527</a>

news world Plane Dropped Pink Cloud In Gender Reveal Stunt, Then Crashed, Killing 2

Both the pilot and the co-pilot were killed in the crash, authorities later confirmed to local media. The small plane arced over a blue ...

UK's Richest Woman Gets $648 Million Pay From Betting Empire

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="UK's Richest Woman Gets $648 Million Pay From Betting Empire" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-04/f9rehsgg_denise-coates-facebook_625x300_02_April_21.jpg" title="UK's Richest Woman Gets $648 Million Pay From Betting Empire" /></div>
Denise Coates is the chief executive officer of Bet365 Group Ltd.
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Denise Coates has hit the jackpot yet again.
The 53-year-old founder and chief executive officer of Bet365 Group Ltd. pocketed 468.9 million pounds ($648 million) in pay and dividends, almost 50% more than a year earlier, according to a filing from the online bookmaker.
Her salary of 421.2 million pounds from the closely held British firm makes her one of the world's best-paid bosses. It also strengthens her status as the UK's richest woman, adding to a fortune already among the world's 500 largest, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Coates has earned more than $1.5 billion over the past decade, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Founded about two decades ago, Bet365's business has benefited from the growing popularity of online sports betting. The Stoke-on-Trent, England-based company posted revenue of 2.8 billion pounds for the financial year ended March 29, 2020, an 8% drop from a year earlier as the Covid-19 pandemic curbed sports wagering. Operating profit fell by more than half to 194.7 million pounds, partly due to Coates's salary increasing from 276.6 million pounds.
A representative for Coates didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
After graduating from Sheffield University with a degree in econometrics, Coates trained to become an accountant and took over a small chain of betting shops her father owned on the side. She became managing director of the business at age 22, according to a Staffordshire University release, and expanded the number of shops before deciding to shift the business online. Along with Bet365, Coates and her family also own Stoke City Football Club.
Coates is the only woman among 17 U.K. billionaires on Bloomberg's wealth index, which includes Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and Joe Lewis, owner of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
Coates donated 10 million pounds toward the U.K.'s effort to fight Covid-19 last year, while Bet365 contributed 85 million pounds to her foundation in its latest accounts. The Denise Coates Foundation had net assets of 337.8 million pounds at the end of March 2019, its latest filing shows.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/denise-coates-bet365-salary-uk-richest-woman-gets-648-million-pay-from-betting-empire-2404462">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/denise-coates-bet365-salary-uk-richest-woman-gets-648-million-pay-from-betting-empire-2404462</a>

news world UK's Richest Woman Gets $648 Million Pay From Betting Empire

Denise Coates is the chief executive officer of Bet365 Group Ltd. Denise Coates has hit the jackpot yet again. The 53-year-old founder ...

Pfizer Says Its Shot Remains More Than 91% Effective After 6 Months

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<div class="ins_instory_dv_cont"><img alt="Pfizer Says Its Shot Remains More Than 91% Effective After 6 Months" src="https://c.ndtvimg.com/2021-04/7t10ecl_pfizer-covid19-vaccine-bloomberg_625x300_02_April_21.jpg" title="Pfizer Says Its Shot Remains More Than 91% Effective After 6 Months" /></div>
In a study in UK, Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine generated strong antibody responses in 98% of elderly people.
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The Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine remained highly effective against Covid-19 after six months, according to new long-term results that Pfizer said could be used to seek an expansion of the shot's regulatory status.
Follow-up data from a final-stage trial of 46,307 people showed the vaccine was 91.3% effective in preventing symptomatic cases starting one week after the second dose through as long as six months. In the U.S. alone, the efficacy rate was 92.6%, according to a report Thursday by the two companies.
At the same time, the companies provided some of the first data on how their vaccine might handle the immune-evading B.1.351 variant that arose in South Africa. Nine of 800 trial participants in that country got sick with Covid, including six infected with B.1.351. However, all were in the placebo group, suggesting the shot retains efficacy against the variant.
Albert Bourla, Pfizer's Chief Executive Officer, said in the statement that the results "position us to submit a Biologics License Application to the U.S. FDA."
The vaccine has already secured an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, which means it's only in effect until the emergency ends and it can be revoked or changed at any time. Formal approval is for the long term.
Pfizer shares were little changed at 10:48 a.m. in New York trading while BioNTech gained 3.5%. The companies will soon share the data with regulators around the world and submit it for publication in a scientific journal, Pfizer spokeswoman Amy Rose said in an email.
The six-month result is only slightly lower than the 95% efficacy rate that was originally found for the vaccine, based on much shorter term results. The two-shot vaccine also prevented all or nearly all severe cases of the disease over six months, depending on the exact definition used.
The companies said that no new serious safety concerns were identified.
The data was released in a joint company statement and hasn't been independently reviewed and published in a scientific journal. Nonetheless, it provides an early reassuring sign that the vaccine's strong efficacy seen in the short-term results will hold up and not fade away quickly.
Meanwhile, in a study in the U.K., the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine generated strong antibody responses in 98% of elderly people. The patients ages 80 to 96 were also able to mount a defense against the Brazil variant after two injections, although it was less robust, according to the research conducted by the University of Birmingham.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pfizer-says-its-shot-remains-more-than-91-effective-after-6-months-2404452">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/pfizer-says-its-shot-remains-more-than-91-effective-after-6-months-2404452</a>

news world Pfizer Says Its Shot Remains More Than 91% Effective After 6 Months

In a study in UK, Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine generated strong antibody responses in 98% of elderly people. The Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vacc...

At Least 36 Dead, Dozens Injured After Train Derails In Taiwan

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The accident occurred on Taiwan's eastern railway line near the coastal city of Hualien.
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Taipei, Taiwan:
Dozens of people are feared dead after a packed train derailed inside a tunnel in eastern Taiwan on Friday at the start of a long holiday weekend, with rescuers still scrambling to reach others trapped inside.
President Tsai Ing-wen's office said she had ordered hospitals to prepare for a mass casualty event.
"The top priority now is to rescue the stranded people," it said in a statement.
The accident occurred on Taiwan's eastern railway line around 9:30 am (0130 GMT) near the coastal city of Hualien.
Pictures published by local news website UDN showed the front of the train inside the tunnel had been pulverised into a twisted mesh of metal.
Railway police said 36 passengers were classified as "out of hospital cardiac arrest" -- a term for someone showing no signs of life.
A further 72 people were still believed to be trapped inside train carriages while 61 passengers had been sent to hospital.
The Central Emergency Operation Center gave a slightly lower suspected death toll of 26 people showing "no signs of life".
Another live broadcast by UDN outside the tunnel showed at least two undamaged train carriages with rescuers helping passengers escape.
"It felt like there was a sudden violent jolt and I found myself falling to the floor," an unidentified female survivor told the network.
"We broke the window to climb to the roof of the train to get out."
Construction vehicle
The eight-car train was making its way from Taipei to the southeastern city of Taitung and was carrying some 350 passengers.
Local media said the accident was believed to have been caused by a construction vehicle sliding down an embankment and striking the train as it passed into the tunnel.
Pictures from the scene showed the back of a yellow flatbed truck on its side next to the train.
The accident occurred at the start of the busy annual Tomb Sweeping Festival, a long holiday weekend when Taiwan's roads and railways are usually packed.
During the festival, people return to ancestral villages to tidy up the tombs of their relatives and make offerings.
Taiwan's eastern railway line is usually a popular tourist draw down its dramatic and less populated eastern coastline. 
With the help of multiple tunnels and bridges, it winds its way through towering mountains and dramatic gorges before making its way down Huadong Valley.
Friday's crash looks set to be one of Taiwan's worst railway accidents in recent decades.
The last major train derailment in Taiwan was in 2018 and left 18 people dead at the southern end of the same line.
The driver of the eight-carriage train was later charged with negligent homicide. More than 200 of the 366 people on board were also injured.
That crash was the island's worst since 1991, when 30 passengers were killed and 112 injured after two trains collided in Miaoli.
Thirty were also killed in 1981 after a truck collided with a passenger train at a level crossing and sent coaches over a bridge in Hsinchu.
And in 2003, 17 died and 156 were injured after a train on the Alishan mountain railway plunged into a chasm at the side of the track.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/at-least-four-dead-dozens-injured-after-train-derails-in-taiwan-2404446">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/at-least-four-dead-dozens-injured-after-train-derails-in-taiwan-2404446</a>

news world At Least 36 Dead, Dozens Injured After Train Derails In Taiwan

The accident occurred on Taiwan's eastern railway line near the coastal city of Hualien. Taipei, Taiwan: Dozens of people are feare...