Happy New Year 2025

Tag: community

Figure skating community mourns the loss of legend Dick Button in the wake of D.C. plane crash tragedy

The figure skating community experienced immense grief this week after 14 members of the community were tragically killed in a midair aircraft collision in Washington D.C. on Wednesday night.

Their loss came just a day before two-time Olympic gold medalist Dick Button, a pioneer in the sport who would also go on to have a legendary broadcasting career, died at 95.

FILE – Dick Button of Englewood, N.J., a North American men’s figure skating champion and winner of the European title, executes a jump during a practice session at St. Moritz, Switzerland, on Jan. 19, 1948, in preparation for the Winter Olympics of 1948. (AP Photo, File)

“On this terrible, sad day for figure skating with the loss of young upcoming talent and their family members and coaches in the plane crash, I am further heartbroken with the loss of figure skating legend, my friend, Dick Button,” Brian Boitano, who won a gold medal in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, wrote in a post on social media.

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“RIP, Dick Button,” former American sports reporter Michele Tafoya said in another post.

“I like to think you went to heaven in time to welcome the young skaters and coaches who perished in Wednesday’s tragedy. May you all glide among the stars together.”

Everly and Alydia Livingston were killed in a plane crash between an American Airlines flight and an Army helicopter near Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. All 67 people onboard both aircraft are presumed dead. (Instagram/@ice_skating_sisters)

A winner of two Olympic gold medals, five consecutive world championships, seven straight U.S. titles, and three-straight North American titles, Button was one of the most accomplished men’s figure skaters.

OLYMPIC MEDALIST SCOTT HAMILTON RECALLS FINAL MEETING WITH CHAMPION RUSSIAN SKATERS DAYS BEFORE PLANE CRASH

He was the first to land a double axel and triple jump in competition, both leading to victory at the Olympics. After his skating career ended, Button would enter the world of broadcasting, eventually earning the name “The Voice of Figure Skating.”

Button died Thursday in North Salem, New York, his family confirmed Thursday.

“U.S. Figure Skating mourns the loss of the legendary Dick Button,” the organization said in a statement. “The two-time Olympic champion’s pioneering style & award-winning television commentary revolutionized figure skating. His legacy will live on forever. We extend our deepest condolences to his family & loved ones.”

FILE – Dick Button, of Englewood, N.J., the reigning figure skating champion of the world, is shown tuning up at Oslo to defend his Olympic title in the Winter Games. He is performing a stag jump on Feb. 12, 1952 in Oslo, Norway. (AP Images)

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Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton spoke about Wednesday’s tragedy and loss of Button, a good friend, in an appearance on TODAY Friday.

Hamilton was in Wichita, Kansas, at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and was familiar with some of the victims in Wednesday’s crash, including world champion pairs skaters Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov.

“It’s just been beyond anything I can handle,” a tearful Hamilton said of the losses.

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February 1, 2025
LGBT History Month 2025 in UK: How Is It Different Than Pride Month in June? Here’s What You Should Know About the Observance Dedicated to the LGBTQ+ Community

LGBT History Month 2025 will be commemorated in various parts of the world across February. This annual commemoration is focused on helping raise awareness about the challenges that people in the LGBT community continue to face across the world, the atrocities they are subjected to and how they overcome them. The celebration of LGBT History Month is often confused with Pride Month, which is celebrated in June of every year. However, they are two very different observances that have their own relevance, history and importance. As we prepare to celebrate LGBT History Month 2025, here is what you need to know about the difference between LGBT History Month and Pride Month and how the celebrations also vary. February 2025 Holidays and Festivals Calendar: Get Full List of Major Events in the Second Month of the Year.

LGBT History Month vs Pride Month

Every year, the observance of LGBT History Month is marked in the month of February in UK and Hungary, May in Cuba and Germany and October in US, Canada and Australia. The observance is focused on having important conversations about the history of the treatment of people from the LGBT+ community and the challenges they continue to face. On the other hand, Pride Month is marked across the world in the month of June. This observance has been focused on remembering the Stonewall riots that have a significant place in the history of the fight of the LGBT Community for their rights. What Does It Mean To Be a Responsible LGBTQ+ Ally?

Celebration of LGBT History Month vs Pride Month

While the celebration of LGBT History Month is specific to Australia, Canada, Cuba, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States; the celebration of Pride Month has spread across the world with people coming together to organise Pride parades and urging the governments to legalise gay marriages, end the discrimination against LGBT community in their country.

It is important to remember that the celebration of both LGBT History Month and Pride Month is an important time to reflect on the realities of the struggle of the people in the community and understand what we can do to be better allies and create an environment that is safe for them to just be themselves.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 01, 2025 10:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

February 1, 2025
LGBT History Month 2025 Quotes: Share Thoughtful Messages, HD Images, Sayings and Wallpapers To Celebrate the Month-Long Observance Dedicated To LGBTQ+ Community

LGBTQ+ History Month is observed every year in various countries, especially in the UK, in the month of February. LGBTQ+ History Month 2025 will be observed from February 1 to February 28. The observance honours the struggles, achievements, and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. It serves as a powerful reminder of the long fight for equality and the legalisation of same-sex marriage in many countries around the world. Many activists like Marsha P Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and more have played crucial roles in how LGBTQ+ rights have shaped up. This month provides a great opportunity to reflect on the past injustices, educate people, and understand the importance of diversity, inclusivity, and being accepting as a society. To observe the month, share LGBTQ+ History Month 2025 quotes. LGBT+ History Month Theme and Significance: Know All About Annual Month-Long Observance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History.

The month-long observance is not only about celebrating; it also highlights awareness of the challenges faced by people from the community, including not being able to marry, discrimination, healthcare issues, and legal inequalities. Many institutions and organisations use this month to talk about stories that are untold, give people of the community a platform to voice their opinions, and promote equality and their rights. By learning about LGBTQ+ history, people will be able to understand their struggles better and help create a more inclusive world. The month is not just about remembering and honouring the past; it is also a time to show solidarity and continue to advocate for their causes. To raise awareness and join the month-long observance, share LGBTQ+ History Month 2025 messages, images, wallpapers, and sayings. LGBT History Month: Date, History, Theme And Significance of the Pride Month.

LGBTQ+ History Month Quotes

LGBTQ+ History Month Quotes (Photo Credits: File Photo)

LGBTQ+ History Month Messages

LGBT History Month: Date, History, Theme And Significance of the Pride Month.

LGBTQ+ History Month Quotes

LGBTQ+ History Month Quotes (Photo Credits: File Photo)

LGBTQ+ History Month Messages

LGBTQ+ History Month Quotes (Photo Credits: File Photo)

LGBTQ+ History Month Images

LGBTQ+ History Month Quotes (Photo Credits: File Photo)

LGBTQ+ History Month Wallpapers

LGBTQ+ History Month Quotes (Photo Credits: File Photo)

LGBTQ+ History Month Sayings

LGBTQ+ History Month Quotes (Photo Credits: File Photo)

This LGBTQ+ History Month 2025, let’s ensure we do our bit in being more inclusive and accepting of people from the LGBTQ+ community. Let’s also raise our voice and advocate for their rights and equality.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 01, 2025 06:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

February 1, 2025
LGBT+ History Month 2025 Theme, History and Significance: Know All About the Annual Observance That Celebrates the LGBTQ Community

LGBT+ History Month is an annual observance dedicated to celebrating the history, contributions, and struggles of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer (LGBT+) communities around the world. The annual event serves as an opportunity to recognise the achievements of LGBT+ individuals in various fields, raise awareness of injustices, and encourage greater acceptance and equality. The month is observed in different countries at different times. In the United Kingdom, LGBT+ History Month is observed during February, which also coincides with a major celebration of the 2003 abolition of Section 28. What Does It Mean To Be a Responsible LGBTQ+ Ally?

In the United States, Canada, Armenia, Romania, the Netherlands, Southeast Asia, and Australia, it is celebrated in October to coincide with National Coming Out Day on October 10 and to commemorate the first and second marches on Washington in 1979 and 1987 for LGBT rights. In Berlin, the capital of Germany, it is known as Queer History Month and is celebrated in May.

LGBT+ History Month

LGBT History Month in the United Kingdom is celebrated in the month of February.

LGBT+ History Month 2025 Theme

LGBT History Month 2025 theme is “Activism and Social Change.”

LGBT+ History Month History

LGBT History Month was founded by Missouri high-school history teacher Rodney Wilson in 1994 to educate people about LGBT+ history and foster inclusivity. The month provides role models, builds community, and represents a civil rights statement about the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community. As of 2022, LGBT History Month is a month-long celebration that is specific to Australia, Canada, Cuba, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. Pride Month 2024 Theme, History and Significance: All You Need To Know About the Month That Celebrates the LGBTQ Community.

In the UK, the LGBT+ History Month was initiated by Sue Sanders and Paul Patrick, then co-chairs of Schools OUT UK, and first took place in February 2005. After Patrick’s death in 2008, Tony Fenwick became co-chair alongside Sanders, then later CEO. In 2016 he was awarded an MBE on behalf of the charity. LGBT+ History Month is an annual event in the United Kingdom taking place every February and is intended as a means to raise awareness of, and combat prejudice against the LGBT community while celebrating its achievement and diversity and making it more visible.

LGBT+ History Month Significance

LGBT History Month serves as an opportunity to learn about the different aspects of LGBT+ culture, rights, and activism. The month plays a crucial role in promoting diversity and educating people about the ongoing struggles faced by the LGBT+ community. Over time, it has grown into a global movement, with organisations, schools, and communities hosting events, lectures, and exhibitions that highlight the impact of LGBT+ figures and movements.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 31, 2025 01:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

January 31, 2025
Gabbard sheds light on Assad visit, expresses shock intelligence community showed no interest at the time

Director of national intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard shed further light on her 2017 meeting with then-Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, a trip that has come under the microscope since President Donald Trump nominated the former congresswoman.

“There is not a great deal in the public record about what you and Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad discussed for so long in January of 2017. And I think there’s a great deal of interest from the American people about what was discussed in that meeting. So what did you talk about? And did you press Assad on things like his use of chemical weapons, systematic torture and the killing of so many Syrians?” Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., asked Gabbard on Thursday.

Gabbard, when she served in the U.S. House, traveled to Syria in 2017, when she met with the dictator, whose government was overthrown years later in 2024. The visit has become a focal point of Democrats’ criticism of the DNI nominee, arguing the visit casts doubt on her worldview and judgment.

‘LIES AND SMEARS’: TULSI GABBARD RAILS AGAINST DEM NARRATIVE SHE’S TRUMP’S AND PUTIN’S ‘PUPPET’

Tulsi Gabbard testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on her nomination to be director of national intelligence, on Capitol Hill on Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Mandel NGAN / AFPGetty Images)

“Yes, senator, I, upon returning from this trip, I met with people like then-Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Steny Hoyer, talked to them and answered their questions about the trip,” Gabbard, who served in the U.S. House representing Hawaii from 2013 to 2021, responded.

TENSION BUILDS AROUND TULSI GABBARD’S CONFIRMATION WITH KEY GOP SENATORS UNDECIDED

“And quite frankly, I was surprised that there was no one from the intelligence community or the State Department who reached out or showed any interest whatsoever in my takeaways from that trip. I would have been very happy to have a conversation and give them a back brief. I went with former Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who had been there many times before and who had met with Assad before. A number of topics were covered and discussed. And to directly answer your question, yes. I asked him tough questions about his own regime’s actions. The use of chemical weapons and the brutal tactics that were being used against his own people.”

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, seen during the signing of the comprehensive program of strategic and long-term cooperation between Iran and Syria, on May 3, 2023 in Damascus, Syria. (Photo by Borna News/Matin Ghasemi/Aksonline ATPImages/Getty Images)

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also met with Assad in 2007, despite then-President George W. Bush’s criticism of the visit at the time.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ SPARKS BACKLASH FOR CLAIMING TULSI GABBARD IS A RUSSIAN ASSET

“Were you able to extract any concessions from President Assad?” Heinrich asked Gabbard.

Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be director of national intelligence, arrives to testify during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

“No, and I didn’t expect to, but I felt these issues were important to address,” she continued.

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“Just in complete hindsight, would you, would you view this trip as, good judgment?” the Senate lawmaker continued.

“Yes, senator. And I believe that leaders, whether you be in Congress or the president of the United States, can benefit greatly by going and engaging boots on the ground, learning and listening and meeting directly with people, whether they be adversaries or friends,” Gabbard said.

Gabbard is appearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday as part of her nomination process to serve as director of national intelligence under the second Trump administration.

January 30, 2025
Figure skating community mourns victims of deadly plane crash collision: ‘At a loss for words’

Members of the figure skating community have spoken out after an American Airlines flight tragically collided with an Army helicopter late Wednesday night in Washington, D.C., leaving all 67 on board both aircraft presumably dead.

U.S. Figure Skating released a statement confirming that “several members of our skating community” were aboard the flight. The organization said they were returning home from a development camp being held after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas, which concluded on Sunday.

“We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims’ families closely in our hearts. We will continue to monitor the situation and will release more information as it becomes available.”

A U.S. Park Police helicopter flies over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo)

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Wichita Mayor Lily Wu did not confirm how many members of U.S. Figure Skating were on board Flight 5342 during a press conference on Thursday morning.

“It was truly an honor to have future Olympians and those who are at the highest competition level of figure skating, right here in our capital,” she said.

“We were so excited to have the opportunity to host the national championship, and even yesterday I had folks tell me how wonderful these last few days have been with additional individuals that came into our community, whether to watch or to participate. So our community was really excited and thankful that everything went well with the championship. And so right now we’re just waiting for more information from U.S. Figure Skating that we can release. But right now we’re just hoping and praying again.”

A U.S. flag flies, as search and rescue teams work, in the aftermath of the collision of American Eagle Flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed into the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, on Jan. 30, 2025. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

First responders switched to recovery efforts in the Potomac River after it was believed that there were no survivors. There were 60 passengers and four crew members aboard the flight and three soldiers aboard the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

AMERICAN FIGURE SKATER SAYS HE WAS BARRED FROM FLIGHT THAT COLLIDED WITH ARMY HELICOPTER

“This is heartbreaking,” Team USA figure skater Josphine Lee wrote in a post to her Instagram Stories. “My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone on the flight, including the skaters, coaches, and parents.”

U.S. figure skater Josephine Lee called the deadly plane collision in Washington, D.C., “heartbreaking” in a post on social media. (William Purnell-Imagn Images)

Team USA pair skater Luke Wang shared a similar sentiment in a post on X.

“Praying for all those on the flight from wichita to dc. Among the passengers were skaters and coaches. Absolutely heartbreaking.”

Several other Team U.S. figure skaters also took to social media.

“Words cannot fathom the fear and sadness I feel from this event,” reigning pairs U.S. junior champion Hana Maria Aboian said early Thursday morning. “It is absolutely terrible and I pray for all the athletes, coaches, and everyone onboard to be safe and healthy.”

“I am at a loss for words… I can’t even explain how devastated I feel for the loss of amazing people that were on this flight. I’m sending prayers to their families and the figure skating community,” Starr Andrews said.

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U.S. figure skater Starr Andrews mourned the tragic loss in a post on social media, adding that she was “at a loss for words.” All 67 people onboard the flight and helicopter are presumed dead. (Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports)

The International Skating Union also released a statement.

“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy. Figure skating is more than a sport—it’s a close-knit family—and we stand together. We remain in close contact with U.S. Figure Skating and offer our full support during this incredibly difficult time,” the statement read in part.

Two former Olympians, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, were also believed to be among the victims of the plane crash, the Kremlin confirmed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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January 30, 2025