Daily Archives: May 9, 2021

The current season of Jeopardy! is still in full swing, but its not too soon to look ahead to the next season especially after the announcement the showrunner of the long-running game show just made.

According to executive producer (and recent guest host) Mike Richards, when filming for season 38 kicks off in late July or early August, it will do so with its next official host at the helm. That means fans will learn wholl get the chance to follow in the footsteps of the late Alex Trebek this summer.

But for now, that remains a mystery even to Richards.

Related: 'Jeopardy!' guest host and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers kept some important reminders behind the podium during his time on the show.

Its going to come down to the heads of Sony (Entertainment) to make that decision, ultimately, and itll come down to testing, the 45-year-old told The Wall Street Journals podcast The Journal. Theyve been a part of it. They know whats going on in the studio. Theyre watching the feed, the tapings. Its very extensive. Its unlike anything Ive ever been a part of, as far as testing in its size and scope.

So no playing favorites or trusting fate with this casting call.

You want to make an informed decision, Richards continued. In the end, were a pretty cerebral group, the Jeopardy! team. We want to go at this with real analytics and real testing and not just go, Hey, how about this guy? which is kind of how a lot of these decisions have been made historically.

As for the audition process, audiences have been witnessing that for themselves ever since Trebeks final episodes aired in January, two months after the venerable host died following a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Week after week, familiar faces from broadcasting, entertainment, sports and more have stepped up to the podium to serve as guest hosts. And while not all of those whove taken the temporary gig are looking to fill it permanently, some, like NFL star Aaron Rodgers, have voiced an interest.

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Richards said that while he wouldnt rule anything out, he would be surprised if the job went to anyone who didnt serve as one of those guest hosts. That means fans who are tuning in and speaking out about the rotating lineup of talent will get a say in the process ... sort of.

Its definitely going to play into it, and I think theres different ways fan response can play into it, Richards explained. What we are working on, as far as really understanding what the fans are saying and whos saying it, is very important.

However, when youre talking about a show that can average, according to Richards, 70 million-plus viewers in a week, its not just a matter of listening to the loudest responses on social media. Its about listening to the ones that carry the spirit of the fans.

Whether the powers that be decide the gig should go to Rodgers or upcoming guest host Levar Burton or anyone else that has the support of the fanbase, Richards envisions it becoming that persons sole job.

I feel like it worked out pretty well for Alex as one job, he noted. Its not a side hustle to me, and weve been clear about that.

Related: The widow of the late "Jeopardy!" host also shared how much a specific moment on a 2019 episode meant to him.

On top of all of that, the candidate has to possess one important qualifier Trebek had credibility.

Do you believe in them when theyre making a ruling in the game? Richards mentioned. The host of Jeopardy! is the arbiter of the game. So do you buy them going, Yes, thats correct?

Trebek, who hosted the show for 36 years, really is the ultimate hard act to follow, with some longtime Jeopardy! viewers believing no one with the possible exception of Trebek-inspired A.I., which one Journal listener recommended could possibly fill his place.

I think one of the beautiful things, the blessings that came, if you can call it a blessing, is that he got to really see the outpouring of love and admiration that he gave to the world, Trebeks widow, Jean, recently told TODAYs Savannah Guthrie of the impact he had. Some people just, you know, you don't see that while you're still embodied, you don't get to really witness all the love that people feel for you. And I know that that was in and of itself a huge inspiration for Alex.

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Heres when Jeopardy!' is expected to name Alex Trebek's official successor - Yahoo Entertainment

A large segment of a Chinese rocket is expected to make an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere early Sunday, but Beijing has downplayed fears of damage on the ground and said the risk is very low.

A Long March-5B rocket launched the first module of China's new space station into Earth's orbit on April 29.

Its 18-tonne main segment is now in freefall and experts have said it is difficult to say precisely where and when it will re-enter the atmosphere.

Space-Track, using US military data, tweeted that the projected re-entry was at 0211 GMT over the Mediterranean basin, with an uncertainty window of an hour either side of that estimate.

The US Space Force's 18th Space Control Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California "will not know the precise location until AFTER" the rocket has landed, Space-Track said in an earlier tweet.

Chinese authorities have said most of the rocket components will likely be destroyed as it descends.

"The probability of causing harm... on the ground is extremely low," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters on Friday.

Although there has been fevered speculation over exactly where the rocket -- or parts of it -- will land, there is a good chance any debris that does not burn up will just splash down into the ocean, given that the planet is 70 percent water.

"We're hopeful that it will land in a place where it won't harm anyone," said Pentagon spokesman Mike Howard.

Howard said the United States was tracking the rocket segment but "its exact entry point into the Earth's atmosphere cannot be pinpointed until within hours of its re-entry".

Harvard-based astronomer Jonathan McDowell tweeted on Saturday: "New 18SPCS Space Force prediction narrows things down to one orbit: Costa Rica, Haiti, Iberia, Sardinia, Italy, Greece and Crete, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Australia, New Zealand."

- No need for 'too much' worry -

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Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has said the US military has no plans to shoot the rocket segment down, but suggested that China had been negligent in letting it fall out of orbit.

"Given the size of the object, there will necessarily be big pieces left over," said Florent Delefie, an astronomer at the Paris-PSL Observatory.

"The chances of debris landing on an inhabited zone are tiny, probably one in a million."

Last year, debris from another Long March rocket fell on villages in the Ivory Coast, causing structural damage but no injuries or deaths.

McDowell said that although there was no need to worry "too much", the rocket's design needed a re-think to stop such a scenario happening again.

"There is a real chance of damage to whatever it hits and the outside chance of a casualty," he said.

"Having a ton of metal shards flying into the Earth at hundreds of kilometres per hour is not good practice, and China should redesign the Long-March 5B missions to avoid this."

rox/sst/st/qan/rma

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Chinese rocket to tumble back to Earth in uncontrolled re-entry - Yahoo News Australia

Rafael Nadal admits he took 'a step back' after a stunning straight sets defeat in an event he's won five times. Pic: Getty

Rafael Nadal admits his French Open preparations have taken a hit after the 20-time grand slam champion was stunned by Alexander Zverev in a straight sets quarter-final defeat at the Madrid Open.

The Spaniard admitted his 6-4, 6-4 loss to Germany's Zverev was a "step back" but insisted there were plenty of positives as he embarks on capturing a 14th Roland Garros title, later this month.

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The World No.2 has now fallen early in two clay-court Masters tournaments ahead of the Grand Slam in Paris, after going out in the Monte Carlo quarter-finals last month before winning in Barcelona.

Zverev had never beaten the 'King of Clay' on his favoured surface, but the 24-year-old was particularly impressive in the stunning upset.

Nadal's latest defeat on his favoured clay surface will surely serve as a blow to his quest for a record 21st grand slam singles title at the French Open - a tournament he's won an astonishing 13 times.

For Zverev it's now three straight wins against Nadal, with all three remarkably coming in straight sets.

Tennis world was understandably left gobsmacked the incredible turn of events.

"It's definitely one of the biggest wins of my career so far, especially on clay against Rafa," Zverev said.

"It is the toughest thing to do in our sport. Beating him in his house, in Spain, is incredible."

Zverev's impressive straights-set win at the Caja Magica earns him a meeting with Dominic Thiem in the semis, in what will be a repeat of last year's US Open final, which was won by Thiem.

After losing to world number eight Andrey Rublev in Monaco, Nadal was convincingly beaten by Zverev and the spotlight will be on the 34-year-old now in Rome next week, his last tournament before heading to Paris.

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Alexander Zverev celebrates his first ever victory over Rafael Nadal on clay. Pic: Getty

"I took steps forward, but when you go up a staircase, there are times when it happens that you take a step back, that's what happened today," said five-time Madrid champion Nadal.

"It's a week where there were a lot of positive things. I'm leaving Madrid with good feelings in general, and the bad one having played a match like today.

"Now, what is the goal before Roland Garros? Go to Rome (for next week's Italian Open) and win, that's all."

Nadal had been hoping to reach the semi-finals of a Masters event for the 75th time.

"I had the match under control at the beginning and was playing well for six games, probably playing better than him," said the Spaniard.

"Then at 4-2 serving for 5-2, I had a disaster."

It started well for Nadal when he broke Zverev to love to lead 4-2 in the first set, Zverev serving a double fault to give away the first advantage.

But the world number five immediately hit back and then pulled away, four straight games clinching him the set.

A whipping forehand down the line put Zverev up another break midway through the second and while Nadal resisted more pressure in the seventh game to hold, Zverev served out an impressive victory after an hour and 44 minutes.

Thiem had earlier come from a set down to beat 36-year-old John Isner of the United States 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 and reach the last four.

Norway's Casper Ruud reached the semi-finals of a claycourt Masters event for the third successive time by beating Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-1.

Ruud, who knocked out world number five and Monte Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in the previous round, will face Matteo Berrettini for a place in the final.

Italian world number 10 Berrettini defeated Chile's 25th-ranked Cristian Garin 5-7, 6-3, 6-0.

with AFP

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The day after he sprinted more than 100 yards to deny Budda Bakers bid for a pick six, DK Metcalf received an invitation to prove that he was more than just football fast.

USA Track and Field sent a tongue-in-cheek tweet encouraging the Seattle Seahawks receiver to test himself against real speed at the upcoming Olympic Trials.

That jab must have stoked Metcalfs competitive fire and rekindled his dreams of representing the U.S. in the Olympics. Only days later, Metcalfs agent dialed USA Track and Fields Adam Schmenk and revealed his client was serious about training for the 100 meters.

DKs agent told us that he really wants to try to make the Olympics and asked what steps he needs to take, Schmenk told Yahoo Sports. We walked him through what the auto qualifying time was that he would have to run in a sanctioned USATF event and told him that we would help him find a lane if and when he wanted to do this.

How Metcalf compares against world-class sprinters will become clearer on Sunday when he dons track spikes in a meet for the first time since high school. Metcalf is one of 16 sprinters slated to run the 100 meters at the USATF Golden Games and Distance Open in Walnut, California.

DK Metcalf would need to run around a 10.2 in the 100m to qualify for the U.S. Track & Field Trials. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

While Metcalf is undeniably one of the NFLs fastest players, his long-shot bid to qualify for the Olympic Trials is extremely ambitious. Hed likely need to break 10.2 seconds, no easy feat for a man who didnt compete in track and field in college and wasnt a flat sprinter in high school.

To automatically qualify for the Olympic Trials, Metcalf must run 10.05 seconds or faster with a legal tailwind of no more than two meters per second. Eight Americans have already achieved that time during the 2021 outdoor season, according to World Athletics.

The other spots in the 32-man field at the Olympic Trials will go to the fastest men who failed to surpass the automatic qualifying mark. In 2016, it took a time of 10.16 seconds to earn a place at Trials. It was 10.28 seconds in 2012.

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Oxford High School track and field coach Chris Bush told Yahoo Sports that Metcalf didnt flash quite that kind of speed as a teenager. Metcalf ran on Oxfords 4x100-meter relay and specialized in the hurdles and triple jump while leading the school to four consecutive state titles from 2013-16.

While Metcalf wasnt the chiseled 6-foot-4, 235-pound specimen of today in high school, Bush still recalls him as an intimidating force and a man amongst boys. Metcalf typically ran low-10 splits on his leg of the 4x100-meter relay and would often blow past lesser opponents coming around the curve.

The day of Mississippis 2016 state meet, Bush paced back and forth nervously before the start of the 4x100-meter relay. He knew Oxford had the talent to set a state record if his sprinters performed to their capability and didnt drop the baton.

DK walked up and said, Look Coach, we got this. Just sit back and watch, Bush recalled with a laugh. They went on to set the state record, which they still hold.

Thats the last track meet that Metcalf competed in, but he has demonstrated many times on the football field that he hasnt lost a step. At the 2019 NFL scouting combine, he ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash a blazing time for any football player, let alone a man his size. He clocked a top speed of 22.64 miles per hour while chasing down Baker from behind after a Russell Wilson interception.

While theres a massive leap between that and making the Olympic Trials, Metcalf appears to be taking this opportunity seriously. His agent called Schmenk a second time the day after the Seahawks January playoff loss to let him know Metcalf had already shifted his focus to the 100 meters.

We provided them with coaches to reach out to if they wanted to and where some of the hotbeds in the country are for training, Schmenk said. It sounds like he went to Arizona, which is one of the places we suggested.

Metcalf is far from the first football player to give track and field a try. Former Chicago Bears receiver Willie Gault won a bronze medal in the 110 hurdles at the 1983 world championships and a gold medal as a member of the 4x100-meter relay. Former University of Florida running back Jeff Demps was a member of the 2012 U.S. 4x100-meter relay team at the London Olympics.

Whether Metcalf enjoys that kind of success or not, his decision to dabble in the 100 meters is a coup for USA Track and Field. If Metcalf thrives, hell bring star power to a sport lacking household names in this country. If Metcalf gets outclassed, it will serve as a reminder that the NFLs fastest men still cant keep up with the likes of Noah Lyles, Trayvon Bromell and Christian Coleman.

We know that these professional athletes can do superhuman things, but we also know that there is typically a difference between track speed and other speed, Schmenk said. We hope that DKs presence will encourage people to tune in to watch.

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DK Metcalf serious about making a run at the Olympics in the 100m - Yahoo Sports

People wearing protective face masks exit a mall along the Orchard Road shopping belt in Singapore, on 10 April, 2020. (AP file photo)

SINGAPORE The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday (7 May) confirmed 25 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore, taking the country's total case count to 61,311.

Four are local cases in the community, of whom only one is linked to a previous case. Among the 21 imported cases, 15 are Singapore residents Singaporeans or permanent residents. Friday marks the 12th consecutive day with local cases reported.

"Amongst the new cases today, 20 are asymptomatic, and were detected from our proactive screening and surveillance, while five were symptomatic," said the MOH.

One of the community cases is a 58-year-old Singaporean man who is currently unemployed and the latest infection to be linked to Singapore's newest and 10th active COVID-19 cluster.

The man is a family member and household contact of two cases: a 59-year-old Singaporean man who works as a trailer truck driver at Brani Terminal and Pasir Panjang Terminal and a 22-year-old male PR who is a full-time national serviceman with the Singapore Armed Forces.

With the addition of the 58-year-old man, the cluster identified as the "Case 61822" cluster is now linked to six cases, of whom four work at Pasir Panjang Terminal.

As the man had been identified as a close contact of the trailer truck driver, he was placed on quarantine on 4 May. The next day, he developed chills at night, and reported his symptoms. He then developed a fever on 6 May, and was tested for COVID-19.

His test result came back positive on the same day, and he was conveyed in an ambulance to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. His serology test result is negative, said the MOH.

One of the three unlinked community cases is a 48-year-old PR who works as a senior executive at IGWT at 8 Shenton Way but he has largely been working from home. His work entails boarding shipping vessels periodically, and he last boarded one on 1 March.

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He had been in Russia from 30 October last year to 30 January and served his stay-home notice at a dedicated facility until 13 February.

His test taken on 12 February was negative for COVID-19, said the MOH. The man is asymptomatic and was detected when he was tested on 5 May as part of testing protocol for shore-based personnel boarding vessels.

His test result came back positive the next day, and he was conveyed in an ambulance to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital. His serology test result is pending, added the ministry.

"His Ct value was very high, which is indicative of a low viral load and he could be shedding minute fragments of the virus RNA from a past infection which are no longer transmissible and infective to others. However given that we are not able to definitively conclude when he had been infected, we will take all the necessary public health actions as a precautionary measure," it said.

The 72-year-old Singaporean man was conveyed to Raffles Hospital on 5 May for a heart condition and was tested for COVID-19 the next day even though he is asymptomatic. The man's test result came back positive on 7 May.

He had received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on 22 February and the second dose on 15 March.

"His Ct value was very high and his serology test result has come back positive. He could be shedding minute fragments of the virus RNA from a past infection which are no longer transmissible and infective to others but given that we are not able to definitively conclude when he had been infected, we will take all the necessary public health actions as a precautionary measure," said the MOH.

The ministry added that he routinely visits Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) Eye Centre for an eye condition, and his last visit was on 23 April.

"He had not been at any of the affected wards. Our investigations so far have found no evidence that he is linked to the Case 62541 (TTSH nurse) cluster. Epidemiological investigations are ongoing," said the MOH.

She is a 53-year-old Singaporean woman who works as a cleaner at Park Avenue Rochester at 31 Rochester Drive, which has been designated a stay-home notice facility.

The woman received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on 24 January and the second dose on 16 February.

Her work does not entail interacting with the guests on the SHN at the hotel.

She developed a runny nose and sore throat at the end of her workday on 5 May, and fever the next day.

She sought medical treatment at a general practitioner clinic and was tested for COVID-19. Her test result came back positive on 7 May, and she was conveyed to Singapore General Hospital in an ambulance. Her earlier tests under the rostered routine testing regime the last being on 29 March were all negative for COVID-19. Her serological test result is pending, said the MOH.

The ministry noted that the number of new cases in the community has increased from 35 in the week before to 43 in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from six in the week before to nine in the past week.

It added four more locations to the list of public places visited by infectious COVID-19 cases, including FairPrice Xtra at AMK Hub and three F&B places. They were visited from 23 April to 4 May. A visit to Yummy Food Link at 111 Woodlands Street 13, an existing place on the list, on the morning of 3 May was also added.

In a separate press statement on Friday, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said about 1,500 students, staff, and external vendors at Edgefield Secondary School had taken a mandatory COVID-19 swab test last weekend.

"All who had taken the swab tests have tested negative for COVID-19. Those who are on quarantine order have also tested negative for their swab test," added the ministry.

The school, which had shifted to full home-based learning from 4 to 7 May following the discovery of a COVID-19 case among its students, will resume physical lessons next Monday.

Singapore now has 10 active COVID-19 clusters, the largest being the TTSH cluster which to date has 40 infections linked to it.

Among the 21 imported cases, four are Singaporeans and 11 are PRs who returned from India.

Two cases are work pass holders who arrived from Germany and the Maldives.

Three others are work permit holders who arrived from Bangladesh, Myanmar, and the Philippines, of whom one is a foreign domestic worker.

The remaining case is a short-term visit pass holder who arrived from India for her upcoming marriage to her Singaporean fiance.

All 21 imported cases were placed on the stay-home notice upon their arrival here and were tested while serving their notice. "The arrivals from the Indian sub-continent had already come into Singapore before the restrictions on travel were imposed," said the MOH.

With effect from 11.59pm on 23 April, all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history to India are not allowed entry into or transit through Singapore, due to a surge in COVID-19 cases there.

The same border control measure has been extended to travellers with recent travel history to Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka with effect from 11.59pm on 1 May.

With 33 more patients discharged from hospitals or community isolation facilities on Friday, 60,906 cases or 99.3 per cent of the total have fully recovered from the infection.

Most of the 138 hospitalised cases are stable or improving, while two are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

A total of 236 patients with mild symptoms or are clinically well but still test positive are isolated and cared for at community facilities.

Apart from the 31 patients who have died from COVID-19 complications, 15 others who tested positive for the virus were determined to have died from unrelated causes, including three whose deaths were attributed to a heart attack and another four, whose deaths were attributed to coronary heart disease.

Amongst the 166 confirmed cases reported from 1 to 7 May, 52 cases have tested positive for their serology tests, 82 have tested negative, and 32 serology test results are pending.

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4 community cases including 2 fully-vaccinated among 25 new COVID infections in Singapore - Yahoo Singapore News