Entertainment
Iran closes airspace, announces live-fire drills over Strait of Hormuz
- Iran issues NOTAM for closure of airspace over Hormuz Strait.
- Iran to launch drills for three days within five-nautical-mile radius.
- NOTAM says space from ground level to 25,000 feet to be restricted.
TEHRAN: Iran has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) announcing live-fire military activity in airspace near the Strait of Hormuz, hours after US military assets arrived in the Middle East, reflecting heightened tensions in the region.
The aviation warning, published on Tuesday, said Iranian forces will carry out live-fire exercises from 27 to 29 January within a five-nautical-mile radius around the strait.
The notice said that the airspace in the designated area — from ground level up to 25,000 feet — will be restricted and considered hazardous for the duration of the activity.
The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic chokepoint for global trade, with millions of barrels of crude oil passing through it each day. Any disruption there often sends ripples through international energy markets and heightens geopolitical concern.
The NOTAM comes amid an increase in American military activity in the region as US Air Forces Central (AFCENT) has announced a multi-day readiness exercise across its area of responsibility, aimed at demonstrating rapid deployment and sustainment capabilities.
Officials in Washington have said all options remain on the table in dealing with Tehran, including the possibility of military action, as the United States and Israel seek to counter Iran’s influence.
Iranian authorities have responded with warnings that any attack would prompt a “swift and comprehensive” response.
The air navigation warning will affect civil and military flights through the area during the period of the exercises. Aviation authorities typically issue NOTAMs in advance of live-fire drills to alert pilots and airlines to potential risks and temporary airspace closures.
US warships arrive in ME
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers have crossed into the Middle East region, which comes under the US military’s Central Command, the officials told Reuters.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States had an “armada” heading toward Iran, but hoped he would not have to use it.
The warships began deploying from the Asia-Pacific region earlier this month, as tensions between Iran and the United States escalated following a crackdown on protests across Iran.
Trump had repeatedly threatened to intervene if Iran continued to kill protesters, but the countrywide demonstrations have since abated. The president said he had been told that killings were subsiding and that he believes there is currently no plan for the executions of prisoners.
The US military has in the past surged forces into the Middle East at times of heightened tensions, moves that were often defensive.
However, the US military staged a major buildup last year ahead of its June strikes against Iran’s nuclear programme.
In addition to the carrier and warships, the Pentagon is also moving fighter jets and air-defence systems to the Middle East.
Meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that “Trump will decide what he decides; the State of Israel will decide what it decides”.
But, he added, if Iran attacked Israel, “we will respond with a force that Iran has never seen”.
Iran warns US against attack
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hit out at US “threats” in a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying they were “aimed at disrupting the security of the region and will achieve nothing other than instability”.
The US also maintains several bases in the Middle East, prompting a Revolutionary Guards commander to issue a warning to Iran’s neighbours on Tuesday.
“Neighbouring countries are our friends, but if their soil, sky, or waters are used against Iran, they will be considered hostile,” Mohammad Akbarzadeh, political deputy of the IRGC naval forces, was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency.
A senior Iranian official said last week that Tehran would consider any attack as an “all-out war against us.”
“This military build-up – we hope it is not intended for real confrontation – but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high alert in Iran,” said the senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“This time we will treat any attack – limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it – as an all-out war against us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this,” the official said.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates assured Iran that they will not let their airspace, territory or territorial waters be used for any hostile military actions against the Islamic republic.
The US military’s Al Dhafra Air Base is located south of the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and has been a critical US Air Force hub in support of key missions against the Islamic State, as well as reconnaissance deployments across the region.
The 68th annual Grammy Awards return Sunday night to honor the best in the music business with some big-name performances, new awards, and Kendrick Lamar leading the pack with nine nominations.
These Grammys will see the addition of two new categories: Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover, bringing the total number of awards doled out to 95. The category formerly known as Best Country Album is now named Best Contemporary Country Album.
Where to watch the Grammys with cable
The 68th annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast live on Sun. Feb. 1, on CBS television stations starting at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (5 p.m. Pacific Time). Find your local CBS station here.
How to stream the Grammys live
The Grammy Awards will stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ in the U.S. The show is available live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium subscribers. Paramount+ Essential subscribers can stream the show on-demand beginning Monday.
How to watch the Grammy Awards red carpet
CBS Los Angeles’ red carpet special will begin at 7 p.m. Eastern Time, hosted by anchor Kalyna Astrinos and entertainment journalist Grae Drake. It will stream live on CBS News Los Angeles, and those in the L.A. market can also watch the broadcast on the KCAL channel.
Who are the Grammy nominees?
Among Lamar’s nine nominations is a nod for Album of the Year for “GNX.” It’s his fifth consecutive studio album to be nominated for the award, something no other artist has ever done.
Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff and Canadian producer and songwriter Cirkut received seven nominations each. Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter, Leon Thomas and Canadian audio engineer Serban Ghenea all received six nods.
Bad Bunny is the first Spanish-language artist to be nominated for song, record and album of the year in the same year, according to Variety.
Here is the full list of Grammy nominees.
Who is performing at the Grammy Awards?
The eight artists nominated for Best New Artist — Addison Rae, Alex Warren, KATSEYE, Leon Thomas, Lola Young, Olivia Dean, Sombr and The Marías — are set to perform at the Grammy Awards on Sunday.
The show will also feature performances from Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Clipse and Pharrell Williams.
Lauryn Hill will perform a tribute to D’Angelo, who died of cancer in October at the age of 51, and Roberta Flack, who died in February at age 88.
Post Malone, Duff McKagan, Slash, Chad Smith and Andrew Watt are set to pay tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne.
Who is presenting at the Grammy Awards?
Three-time Grammy Award winner Harry Styles is among the stars set to present awards at the show. Doechii, who already has a Grammy Award under her belt and is nominated for five awards on Sunday, will also be a presenter at this year’s ceremony.
Who is hosting the Grammy Awards?
Comedian and former “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah is returning to host the Grammy Awards for a sixth consecutive year.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Last year, he steered the show through a broadcast that was refocused in the wake of the devastating Los Angeles fires.
He told “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King the year before that he relishes the hosting role because the Grammys show is always so unpredictable.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. So that’s what I love about the Grammys is it’s live; it’s happening; it’s on the fly,”
Where are the Grammy Awards held?
The ceremony for the 68th annual Grammy Awards will take place at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
As OpenAI is gearing up to rollout ads for both free and $8 ChatGPT Go, the company has assured users that ads will not affect ChatGPT’s responses and will be labelled and separated from the content.
Early signs of this rollout have been spotted on Android devices, suggesting the inclusion of ads in ChatGPT is close.
As noted on X (formerly Twitter), OpenAI has designed a full-screen onboarding experience to familiarise users with ads in ChatGPT.
Although the AI giant has assured not to share personal information with advertisers, the current chat may still influence the type of sponsored ads displayed below the answers.
At the current stage, the commendable thing is that users have the option to hide ads, understand why specific ads were shown, and clear their ad data.
Ads will appear as a “Sponsored” block, and tapping the overflow menu draws the dropdown to hide the ad, report it, or even “Ask ChatGPT” about it.
OpenAI stated: “Our mission is to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity; our pursuit of advertising is always in support of that mission and making AI more accessible.”
Furthermore, the company has emphasised that conversations will remain private from advertisers and that user data will never be sold. A new “Ads controls” page has also been added to let users manage their ad history and interests without affecting their chat data.
These ads won’t be displayed to users of ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans.
As the Beckham family drama deepens, David Beckham had refrained from making a direct comment about any of the tensions.
However, the doting father, who often roasts his children playfully, sent a pointed message to his estranged son, Brooklyn, as he collaborated with his close friend Gordon Ramsay.
The famous British chef, who himself is going through some drama with regards to his son-in-law Adam Peaty, shared an update.
David, who is a legendary former footballer, flaunted one of his many skills, cooking. In a video clip, Gordon and David are seen on a video call in which David makes a scallop risotto.
“Usually when David Beckham calls it’s about football but I was surprised when he was cooking up one of my homechef recipes, Gordon had written on Instagram.
Before marrying Nicola Peltz, Brooklyn had tried to launch himself as a cook as he shared videos of himself cooking simple recipes. However, most of the time he was roasted and trolled for his skills, which were often dubbed as mediocre.
While he pursued cooking for a while, he seemed to have abandoned that idea and modify it by selling his own hot sauce.
The update comes over a week after Brooklyn made a series of shocking Instagram Stories posts about his family. He had broken his silence on the ongoing rumours about a rift in the family and clearly stated that he “[does] not want to reconcile with [his] family.”
He noted, “I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.”
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