Actor Dustin Diamond, who played Screech in the popular sitcom Saved by the Bell, has died from cancer at the age of 44, his representative has said.
Dustin Diamond had recently completed a first round of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with lung cancer last month.
The actor’s condition had deteriorated fast in the last week, said agent Roger Paul.
“Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful,” he said on February 1.
Saved by the Bell, a sitcom about a high school friends and their headmaster, ran for four seasons from 1989 to 1993 and was a global hit series. Dustin Diamond played Samuel “Screech” Powers.
Mario Lopez, who played AC Slater in the sitcom, said: “Dustin, you will be missed, my man. The fragility of this life is something never to be taken for granted. Prayers for your family will continue on.”
Mark-Paul Gosselaar, known to fans of the show as Zack Morris, tweeted that Dustin Diamond was “a true comedic genius” and said he “will miss those raw, brilliant sparks that only he was able to produce”.
Dustin Diamond reprised his role in follow-up series Saved by the Bell: The New Class, and Saved by the Bell: The College Years. But he did not appear in the recent revival series.
He was also a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother in 2013.
Dustin Diamond served three months in jail after he stabbed a man during an altercation at a bar in Wisconsin in 2014.
Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other democratically elected leaders have been detained as the military seized power in the Asian country.
Troops are patrolling the streets and a night-time curfew is in force, with a one-year state of emergency declared.
President Joe Biden raised the threat of new sanctions, with the UN also condemning the coup.
The army alleges the recent landslide election win by Aung San Suu Kyi’s party was marred by fraud. She urged supporters to “protest against the coup”.
In a letter written in preparation for Suu Kyi’s impending detention, she said the military’s actions would put the country back under a dictatorship.
The military has already announced replacements for a number of ministers.
On the streets of Myanmar’s main city, Yangon, people said they felt their hard-fought battle for democracy had been lost.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, was ruled by the armed forces until 2011, when democratic reforms led by Aung San Suu Kyi ended military rule.
Aung San Suu Kyi spent nearly 15 years in detention between 1989 and 2010. She was internationally hailed as a beacon of democracy and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
However, her international reputation suffered severely following an army crackdown on the mostly Muslim Rohingya minority. Former supporters accused Aung San Suu Kyi of refusing to condemn the military or acknowledge accounts of atrocities.
In the early hours of February 1, the army’s TV station said power had been handed over to commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing.
Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) were arrested in a series of raids. It is not clear where they are being held.
No major violence has been reported. Soldiers blocked roads in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, and the main city, Yangon. International and domestic TV channels, including the state broadcaster, went off air. Internet and phone services were disrupted. Banks said they had been forced to close.
Later, the military announced that 24 ministers and deputies had been removed, and 11 replacements had been named, including in finance, health, the interior and foreign affairs.
A curfew is now reportedly in effect from 20:00 local time to 06:00.
The army takeover follows weeks of tensions between the armed forces and the government following parliamentary elections lost by the army-backed opposition.
The opposition had demanded a re-run of the election, raising allegations of widespread fraud that were not backed by the electoral commission.
Elon Musk has grilled trading app Robinhood’s co-founder, Vladimir Tenev, about why it limited users to only being able to buy a small number of shares in some companies.
The move came after GameStop’s stock surged amid a campaign to cause hedge funds large losses.
Vladimir Tenev denied “conspiracies” that he was trying to help the hedge funds.
Instead he blamed a demand that Robinhood provide a $3 billion security deposit at short notice.
The interview was conducted on the audio-only social network Clubhouse.
Tesla boss’ 90-minute appearance was a major coup for Clubhouse, which is currently in a “beta” testing phase and requires users to be invited to access its platform.
It allows people to join private rooms for conversations, but participants are capped at 5,000.
However, fans streamed the interview on YouTube and overflow rooms on the platform, as Elon Musk’s appearance attracted unprecedented attention.
Elon Musk also spoke about travel to Mars, Bitcoin and brain implants during his session.
Robinhood curbed buying of GameStop and some other shares last week.
Unlike most trading platforms, it does not charge a commission for letting users buy and sell shares. Instead it makes money by selling data on those deals to others before they go through.
Some hedge funds have lost out on the rise in GameStop’s shares because they had shorted the stock. This is where an investor tries to make money by betting a company’s share price will fall.
Elon Musk questioned to what degree Robinhood was “beholden to” Citadel Securities, which is its biggest client. Citadel has suffered losses as a result of an investment in a hedge fund that had taken a large short position on GameStop.
He has previously been critical of short selling, claiming it to be a “legal” scam.
Vladimir Tenev acknowledged that there had been “a rumor that Citadel or other market makers kind of pressured us into” putting restriction on trades, but added the claim was “just false”.
“Robinhood stands for, you know, democratizing access to stocks,” he said on Clubhouse.
“We want to give people the access… but we had no choice in this case, we had to conform to our regulatory capital requirements.”
Elon Musk asked in response: “Did you sell your clients down the river, or [did] you have no choice?”
Vladimir Tenev repeated that Robinhood had to comply with financial requirements.
He said this involved an order from the National Securities Clearing Corporation – a clearing house used by the company – to provide “around $3bn” to back up its trades. He added the demand was later reduced to $700 million.
Vladimir Tenev conceded, however, that Robinhood needed to be more transparent.
“We were able to open and serve our customers,” he said, adding that Robinhood had raised more than $1bn within 24 hours.
“When we do open [on Monday]… we’ll be able to kind of relax the stringent position limits that we put on these securities on Friday.”
Elon Musk also came out in support of Bitcoin, saying he thought it was on “the verge of getting a broad acceptance” by conventional finance.
Bitcoin has surged in value in recent months, but some experts say it is volatile and will crash soon.
Elon Musk also said human travel to Mars will be possible within five-and-a-half years – and outlined his vision to relocate some humans there from Earth.
He also said he believed he could get the journey time to the Red Planet down from six months to one month.
Another of Elon Musk’s projects, Neuralink, received attention in the interview.
The start-up explores ways to connect the human brain to a computer interface.
Elon Musk said he hoped the technology could be used, in early applications, for humans with serious brain injuries.
Regular workout and sport are essential for us. It keeps us physically as well as mentally fit. However, in these activities, there are some chances of getting hurt, which can be very critical at times. A study shows that around 41% of Gym users get injured while working out. But you can make sure to not become one of them by planning little and following simple things. What are they? Follow through the post and you’ll find out.
Have a Routine Checkup You don’t have to be an Olympic-level athlete to go see a doctor for your fitness test. It’s essential to have a routine physical. It can minimize the chances of workout injuries to a minimum.
Hire a Personal Trainer Many people ignore the importance of a personal trainer and find it unnecessary to hire one. Googling everything is good to an extent but taking assistance from the professional is another thing. So, don’t put your health at stake and if you’re just starting out the gym, get a good personal trainer for yourself. It surely would cost you additional bucks with the gym membership, but a qualified trainer would eliminate all the chances of workout injuries and help you achieving fitness goals fast, be it muscle building, weight loss, or merely fitness.
Don’t Miss the Warm-Up One of the major causes of sports or workout injuries is not warming up well before starting out. You can see many people just start running on the treadmill or lifting weights right after entering the gym. This habit causes severe muscle and joint injuries in people. That’s why it’s essential to stretch the muscle and warm up the body a little before doing any exercise.
Workout Gears are Must Lack of workout equipment causes most of the injuries that could’ve been avoided merely by wearing them. The safety equipment for sports includes clothing, protective guards, and most importantly, footwear. Yes, you heard it right. Footwear is a crucial part of the workout equipment that boosts performance and minimizes the risk of injuries during workouts. People usually go for cheap footwear due to high prices, but instead, you can use finish line discount codes to get huge discounts on the footwear of all the famous sports brands.
Don’t Exercise on Empty Tank. It’s a very common myth that staying on an empty stomach is healthy and causes weight loss. Many people follow this myth in the gym routine, which is very harmful to the body. You need to fuel your body for exercise, which also includes water intake. Because during workout our body burns the calories and lose fluids through sweat. However, one should workout immediately after eating. There should be a minimum hour or more gap between the last meal and workout.
Remember to still take care of your body post workout too. A protein shake is a fast and easy addition at the end of your training so that you cannot only provide your body the necessary nutrients to build muscle and strength but to also recover quickly after a workout or injury. Look for a high quality, pure supplement like Naked Whey Grass Fed Protein Powder which is completely free of additives, artificial sweeteners and only one ingredient – grass fed whey protein.
Respect your Body Our body communicates with us through the pain. One must not idolize giving extreme pain to the body for any fitness goal. Pain doesn’t necessarily mean gain. Workouts can be hard, but they should never ever in pain. When you’re feeling extreme pain during a workout, it’s your body asking, giving your signal about the injury, and you should listen to your body. This intense pain can cause permanent injuries to the body internally. If you feel any sort of pain, leave the workout and rest until your body gets ready to handle the stress again.
The use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for people aged over 18 has been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The EU’s drugs regulator said the AstraZeneca vaccine was about 60% effective in the trials on which it based its decision.
The move comes amid a dispute over whether Anglo-Swedish drug-maker is breaking its vaccine delivery commitments to the EU.
The European Commission has published its contract with Astra-Zeneca, hoping to show a breach.
Last week, AstraZeneca said vaccine supplies would be reduced because of problems in one of its EU factories.
The shortfall is expected to be about 60% in the first quarter of 2021. The EU has also received fewer than expected doses of the two other vaccines it has approved – from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
The EU has said AstraZeneca must honor its commitments and deliver the doses it ordered by diverting doses manufactured in the UK. However, the company said its contract for UK supplies prevents this.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told German radio on January 29 that the EU contract signed in August contained “binding orders”, and called for an explanation.
The commission later said it had agreed a plan to introduce export controls on coronavirus vaccines. It means individual member states will decide whether to allow the export of vaccines produced in their territory. It will be in place until the end of March.
A European Commissioner said it was being introduced to enhance transparency and to ensure that all EU citizens had access to vaccines.
Germany’s vaccine commission said this week that it could not recommend the use of AstraZeneca vaccine in people aged over 65, citing a lack of data on how it affected this age group.
The UK has been using the AstraZeneca vaccine in its mass immunization program for weeks now, and public health officials say it is safe and provides “high levels of protection”.
Confirming it had approved the vaccine, the EMA said that most participants in the test studies were between 18 and 55 years old. It said that while there were not yet enough results to show how the vaccine will work in older people, “protection is expected, given that an immune response is seen in this age group and based on experience with other vaccines.”
Individual EU countries can still decide who vaccines should be given to, once they have been approved.
Janssen’s single dose Covid-19 vaccine is 66% effective, the Belgian company has announced.
However, nobody needed hospital treatment or died from coronavirus after the vaccine took effect in the international trial.
Crucially, the trial looked at giving just one dose of the vaccine, which makes it significantly easier to roll out than those requiring two.
Although there are also signs the vaccine is less effective against the new variant that is spreading in South Africa.
The news comes shortly after Novavax announced their vaccine was 89% effective overall in the UK and 60% in South Africa. Both new vaccines will need to be reviewed by regulators before they can be used.
Janssen, a pharmaceutical company owned by Johnson & Johnson, is also investigating whether giving two doses will give either stronger or longer-lasting protection.
The fact the vaccine works as a single dose and can be kept in a standard fridge, while others need super-cold storage, means the vaccine could have a significant role around the world.
Dr. Paul Stoffels, the chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson, said: “A one-shot vaccine is considered by the World Health Organization to be the best option in pandemic settings.”
He added the vaccine could “potentially protect hundreds of millions of people from serious and fatal outcomes of Covid-19”.
Janssen is aiming to make one billion doses in 2021.
The Janssen vaccine uses a common cold virus that has been engineered to make it harmless.
The vaccine then safely carries part of the coronavirus’s genetic code into the body. This is enough for the body to recognize the threat and then learn to fight coronavirus.
This trains the body’s immune system to fight coronavirus when it encounters the virus for real.
This is similar to the approach used by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca.
Dr Mathai Mammen, from Janssen, said: “A single dose regimen with fast onset of protection and ease of delivery and storage provides a potential solution to reaching as many people as possible.
“The ability to avoid hospitalizations and deaths would change the game in combating the pandemic.”
The results are based on nearly 44,000 people who took part in the trial and 468 cases of Covid-19.
However, the Janssen vaccine was just 57% effective in the South African part of the trial, where a new version of the coronavirus is spreading, compared with 72% in the US.
Amateur investors are responding with outrage after trading platforms restricted buying of shares in GameStop and other companies.
The moves by Robinhood and Interactive Brokers follow days of frenzied trading that led to massive gains for some stocks.
Shares in GameStop dived by as much as 60% after the restrictions.
It is the latest twist in a battle that has pitted amateur investors against Wall Street giants.
Major hedge funds had bet billions of dollars that GameStop’s shares would fall.
They have faced major losses after amateurs, swapping tips on social media sites such as Reddit, drove up the share price by more than 700% in a week.
Other firms, such as AMC Entertainment, Koss Corp and BlackBerry, also saw sharp gains. They were embraced by day traders after hedge funds bet against them.
The activity has drawn questions from regulators, who are monitoring trading amid fears of illegal actions.
But the amateur investors say they are just playing Wall Street at its own game.
In online forums they discussed legal action and accused Robinhood and other brokerages enacting their own form of market manipulation by restricting purchases of certain shares.
Why have GameStop shares surged?
Key to what’s going on is “short selling” or “shorting”, where a big investment company such as a hedge fund tries to make money by betting that a company’s share price will fall.
The hedge fund borrows shares in a company from other investors (for a fee) and sells the shares on the markets at, for example, $10 each, waits until they fall to $5, and buys them back. The borrowed shares are returned to the original owner, and the hedge fund pockets a profit.
GameStop – which saw heavy losses last year and was described as “failing” by one big investor – is the most shorted stock on Wall Street. Some 30% of its shares are thought to be in the hands of hedge fund borrowers.
However, in the last week, amateur investors who follow the Wall Street Bets forum on Reddit have poured money into buying the company’s stock with the aim of pushing up the price.
If the price rises dramatically, short sellers face big losses and they need to buy back the shares they have borrowed quickly to prevent bigger losses – a process known as covering.
However, buying back the shares only adds to demand for the stock and pushes its price higher still.
Amateurs aren’t the only ones getting in on the action.
This week, for example, private equity firm Silver Lake Group, which had loaned money to AMC Entertainment, converted its bonds to shares after the surge in the firm’s prices, a swap worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
In the US, anger over the trading restrictions united politicians whose stances typically sharply diverge.
Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who is taking over as chair of the banking committee, said he would hold a hearing about the “state of the stock market”.
He said: “People on Wall Street only care about the rules when they’re the ones getting hurt.”
What is GameStop?
GameStop is an American high street shop that sells games, consoles and other electronics.
With fewer people out shopping due to the Covid-19 pandemic and most games being sold online, things weren’t looking great for GameStop.
People who buy and sell stocks often bet on which companies won’t do well in the future.
They borrow shares in the company and sell them, with a promise to buy them back at a later date.
If you’re sure the company will lose value, you’d make a profit when you buy them back and the price has fallen.
This is a massively simplified explanation of something called shorting, or short selling – words you might’ve seen cropping up in your feeds in the last few days.
GameStop was one of the companies that loads of hedge funds (companies who do these bets) had bet on to lose a lot of value.
More than four million people are on Reddit, usually discussing stocks and shares and where they’re going to invest money.
But huge numbers of people in the wallstreetbets Reddit forum swapped tips and bought shares in GameStop.
The demand raised its share price massively, which nobody saw coming, and everyone who had banked on it dropping in value had to buy their shares back.
When people spend time at home, it is only natural that they want to feel relaxed and comfortable. This is a place where you get to spend time with loved ones, enjoy some downtime, and shut yourself away from the noise and stress of the outside world. This is why you need to ensure your Myrtle Beach home is comfortable and provides a setting where you can chill out whenever you want to.
There are some things that can have a big impact on your comfort levels at home, and this includes issues that may arise from your crawl space. For those who have a crawl space under the home, it is vital that this is looked after in order to help ensure a comfortable home environment. You can enlist the help of a specialist in crawl space repair in Myrtle Beach if there is any damage that needs to be addressed. In addition, you should waterproof the space and keep it clean in order to reduce the risk of issues in your home.
How Caring for This Space Can Benefit Your Comfort Levels
Given that most people do not spend time in the crawl space, you may be wondering how crawl space maintenance can make your home more comfortable. Well, there are lots of issues that can affect your main home if you do not look after the crawl space. By maintaining the space, it will help you avoid these problems, which means a more comfortable home environment.
One of the ways in which caring for your crawl space can benefit your home environment is by reducing the risk of mold and dampness in your home. When these problems occur, you could find that many of your rooms are affected, which can create a home setting that is unpleasant to look at. It can also affect air quality in your home, increase the risk of health issues, and result in a setting that is cold and difficult to keep warm.
Another thing you have to keep in mind is that a crawl space that is damp and in poor condition can heighten the risk of pest infestations in your home. If your home is overrun with pests, it means that you will be in an unhygienic setting and a home where pests could cause a huge range of serious issues. Pests can result in a lack of hygiene and they can also spread disease to those in the home. They can also cause bad smells in the home as well as a lot of stress for people in your property.
There are lots of ways in which the state of the space under your home can affect your actual home. This then impacts everyone in the property and can result in a home setting that is not pleasant to spend time in. By looking after your crawl space, you can avoid major issues that could impact your life quality at home.
President Joe Biden has raised election meddling in his first call with Russian Vladimir Putin, the White House says.
The phone conversation also included a discussion about the ongoing opposition protests in Russia.
A Kremlin statement did not refer to any points of friction, saying the call was “businesslike and frank”.
Both sides reportedly agreed to extend the countries’ last remaining nuclear deal during the call.
Former President Donald Trump sometimes undercut his own administration’s tough posture on Russia and was accused by some of being too deferential to Vladimir Putin.
However, Donald Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama – under whom Joe Biden served as vice-president – was also criticized for failing to check Russia as it annexed Crimea, supported rebel forces in eastern Ukraine and backed the government of war-torn Syria.
The White House said in a statement: “President Biden made clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us or our allies.”
The two presidents also discussed the massive SolarWinds cyber-attack, which has been blamed on Moscow; reports that the Kremlin placed bounties on US soldiers in Afghanistan; and the poisoning of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny.
According to the Kremlin statement, the Russian president had “noted that the normalization of relations between Russia and the United States would meet the interests of both countries and – taking into account their special responsibility for maintaining security and stability in the world – of the entire international community”.
Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin also discussed the New Start treaty, an Obama-era accord that limits the amounts of warheads, missiles and launchers in the two countries’ nuclear arsenals.
The treaty had been due to expire on February 5, but both sides reportedly agreed to extend the treaty during January 26 call.
The Trump administration, however, had refused to sign it and talks over an extension stalled.
On January 27, the Russian parliament ratified a five-year extension of the treaty. President Putin said the move was a “step in the right direction” to reducing global tensions.
Goldman Sachs CEO David M. Solomon will get a $10 million pay cut for the bank’s involvement in the 1MDB corruption scandal.
1MDB was an investment fund set up by the Malaysian government that lost billions due to fraudulent activity.
The global fraud and corruption scheme led to a 12-year jail term for Malaysia’s ex-PM Najib Razak which he is appealing.
Goldman Sachs called its involvement in the scandal an “institutional failure”.
It helped raise $6.5 billion for 1MDB by selling bonds to investors, the proceeds of which were largely stolen.
Prosecutors alleged that senior Goldman Sachs executives ignored warning signs of fraud in their dealings with 1MDB and Jho Low, an adviser to the fund. Two Goldman bankers have been criminally charged in the scandal.
David Solomon’s pay would have been $10 million higher but for the actions its board of directors took in response to the 1MDB saga, Goldman Sachs said on January 26.
While disclosing Solomon’s salary had dropped to $17.5 million for 2020, the bank stressed that its CEO was unaware of the corruption.
David Solomon was not “involved in or aware of the firm’s participation in any illicit activity at the time… the board views the 1MDB matter as an institutional failure, inconsistent with the high expectations it has for the firm”.
His package consists of $2 million in cash base pay, a $4.65 million cash bonus, and $10.85 million in stock-based compensation.
In October, Goldman Sachs agreed to pay approximately $3 billion to government officials in four countries to end an investigation into work it performed for 1MDB. The bank collected $600 million for arranging the bond sales in 2012 and 2013.
It has spent years being investigated by regulators across the globe including those in the US, UK, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. In total, Goldman’s dealings with 1MDB cost the bank more than $5 billion.
Despite the costs and fines from the fallout from the 1MDB scandal, 2020 was a bumper year for Goldman’s businesses with annual revenue of $44.6 billion, its highest since 2009.
Goldman Sachs got a huge boost from the recovery in global stock markets from the depths of the coronavirus recession.
President Joe Biden has said he expects the United States will soon be able to vaccinate 1.5 million people a day after critics said his original goal was not bold enough.
The new president had announced last week that 1 million vaccines would be administered daily in the first 100 days of his presidency.
However, some media noted the US had already nearly reached that target under the Trump administration.
President Biden also renewed Trump-era Covid bans on January 25, adding South Africa.
In the first time formally taking reporters’ questions during his presidency, President Biden said on January 25 that he hoped they would be able to get to 1.5 million vaccinations administered daily.
He said: “I think with the grace of God… we’ll be able to get that to 1.5 million a day.”
Adding: “I hope we’ll be able to increase as we go along so we’ll get to 1.5 million. That’s my hope.”
Some media had questioned whether President Biden’s target of one million shots per day was ambitious enough.
Last week, at the tail-end of the Trump administration, the US had already reached an average of around 980,000 vaccine doses administered daily.
On January 25, the Biden administration renewed Trump-era Covid-19 travel bans on non-US visitors from Brazil and most of Europe, including the UK and Ireland.
The White House also imposed a new ban on South Africa over its virus variant.
Former President Donald Trump had ordered the bans to end on January 26 as one of his final acts in office.
The new travel restrictions came as Minnesota recorded the first US case of the Brazil variant from a resident who had recently travelled to that country.
The unnamed patient lives in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area, said the department.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed the decision to continue the restrictions on foreign travelers on January 25.
All international travelers must also present a negative test within three days of air travel to the US.
Travel restrictions have been in place since mid-March.
The White House is seeking to push forward a plan to make anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman the face of a new $20 bill.
A note featuring Harriet Tubman, who was born a slave in about 1822, was originally due to be unveiled in 2020.
The US Treasury said Harriet Tubman would replace former President Andrew Jackson, a slave owner.
The effort was delayed under former President Donald Trump, who branded it “pure political correctness”.
Now President Joe Biden has revived the project, with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki telling reporters the Treasury was “exploring ways to speed up” the process.
The move would make Harriet Tubman the first African American to appear on a US banknote, and the first woman for more than 100 years.
Jen Psaki said on January 25: “It’s important that our notes, our money – if people don’t know what a note is – reflect the history and diversity of our country, and Harriet Tubman’s image gracing the new $20 note would certainly reflect that.”
The women last depicted on US notes were former First Lady Martha Washington, on the $1 silver certificate from 1891 to 1896, and Native American Pocahontas, in a group image on the $20 bill from 1865 to 1869.
However, given the complexities of redesigning and producing US banknotes, the bill is not expected to be released any time soon.
In 2019, President Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said the redesign would be delayed until at least 2026. At the time, he said he was focused on redesigning bills to address counterfeiting issues, not making changes to their imagery.
Donald Trump, an admirer of his populist predecessor Andrew Jackson – whose portrait hung in his office – expressed opposition to the redesign.
While campaigning in 2016, Donald Trump suggested that Harriet Tubman be put on the $2 bill instead.
Born into slavery in about 1822, Harriet Tubman grew up working in the cotton fields in Dorchester County, Maryland. She was the fourth of nine children born to two enslaved parents, Benjamin Ross and Harriet Rit.
As a teenager, Harriet Tubman was hit in the head by an iron weight thrown by an overseer, leaving her severely injured.
She escaped from a slave plantation in 1849, fleeing north to the neighboring state of Pennsylvania.
In the years that followed, Harriet Tubman returned multiple times to Maryland to rescue others, conducting them along the so-called “underground railroad”, a network of safe houses used to spirit slaves from the south to the free states in the north.
Harriet Tubman is estimated to have made some 13 missions to rescue more than 70 enslaved people, including family and friends, using the network.
Later, she became a spy for the Union Army during the Civil War, a prominent supporter of the women’s suffrage movement, and a famous veteran of the struggle for the abolition of slavery.
After the war, Harriet Tubman toured eastern cities giving speeches in support of women’s suffrage, drawing on her experiences in the fight against slavery.
Harriet Tubman died in 1913, aged 91, surrounded by her family.
The statement issued by Rob Cohen’s spokesperson described the pair as having “an excellent working relationship and Mr. Cohen considered her a friend, so this claim dating back to 2002 is bewildering”.
The Trump administration’s rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine calling it “chaotic” and “very limited”, President Joe Biden’s Chief of Staff Ron Klain has said.
Ron Klain said there was no plan in the federal government for the distribution of vaccines across the United States.
President Joe Biden, who took office on January 20, has promised 100 million vaccine shots in his first 100 days.
The US has now reported more than 25 million Covid-19 cases.
About 417,500 deaths have been linked to the new coronavirus. In recent weeks, the daily number of Covid-linked deaths in the US has, on some days, exceeded 4,000.
President Biden signed a raft of new measures last week, including boosting vaccinations and testing. He has urged Americans to wear masks and warned that the death toll could get much worse.
His efforts follow widespread criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of the pandemic and of the vaccination program.
Vaccines have been distributed to states, and states and cities are carrying out the inoculations. But some have complained they are struggling with supply.
According to the CDC, about 41 million doses had been distributed by January 23 across the country, but only 20.5 million had been administered.
Speaking to NBC News, Ron Klain said: “The process to distribute the vaccine, particularly outside of nursing homes and hospitals out into the community as a whole, did not really exist when we came into the White House.”
He said it was a “complex” process but that the Biden administration would set up federal vaccination sites to help states without enough places.
Covid- 19 infections have spiraled in recent months – with a jump in new infections after Thanksgiving and Christmas, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
Hospital numbers hit their highest levels during the pandemic earlier this month but are slowly starting to drop alongside daily cases.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said on January 21 that rolling average data appeared to show infections leveling off.
Although the national picture has stabilized slightly, he warned the country remained in a “very serious situation”.
The CDC is particularly concerned that new variants could accelerate the virus spread.
The strain has been detected in 20 states, Dr. Fauci said January 21, but warned the country had “limited ability” to track its spread through the population.
President Biden has already enacted a raft of executive measures to combat the virus and he wants Congress to pass a $1.9tn package of economic relief funding.
He is hoping to get bipartisan approval for his broad stimulus agenda, but the proposal has already been met with skepticism and resistance by some Republicans.
Another one of the new president’s key promises is to oversee 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days in office, but some have criticized this policy as not ambitious enough.
The current approved suppliers – Moderna and Pfizer – have pledged to deliver 200 million doses by March. Dr. Fauci has also suggested emergency approval of a third vaccine, a single-dose jab by Johnson & Johnson, could be just weeks away.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was appointed chief medical adviser by the new president, has expressed hope that if 70-85% of the US population is vaccinated by the end of summer, the country could “approach a degree of normality” by autumn.
Israel has expanded its Covid-19 vaccination campaign to teens aged 16 -18, in an effort to enable them to sit exams.
More than 25% of Israel’s population of 9 million have received at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine since December 19, the health ministry says.
Israel started with the elderly and others at high risk, but people aged 40 and over can also now get the vaccine.
It hopes to start reopening its economy in February.
The inclusion of 16 to 18-year-olds – with parental permission – is meant “to enable their return (to school) and the orderly holding of exams”, an education ministry spokeswoman said.
The matriculation exams that Israeli students sit at the end of high school play an important role in deciding where they will go to university. Their results can also affect their placement in the military, where many young Israelis do compulsory service.
However, the education ministry has said it is too early to say whether schools will reopen next month.
Israel started its rapid vaccination drive – the fastest in the world – in on December 19, reaching 10% of its population by the end of 2020.
The country has recorded more than 596,000 cases and 4,392 deaths with Covid-19, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.
On January 24, the government said it would ban passenger flights in and out of the country from January 25 for the rest of the month, in an effort to halt the spread of new virus variants.
PM Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Other than rare exceptions, we are closing the sky hermetically to prevent the entry of the virus variants and also to ensure that we progress quickly with our vaccination campaign.”
Foreigners have largely been blocked from entering Israel during the pandemic.
You would expect certain businesses to thrive during a pandemic lockdown. Things like Dropbox and Zoom are more useful and more used than ever. Food delivery services are thriving as well.
It is somewhat unexpected that the plastic surgery industry would experience a mini-boom, but plastic surgeons are reporting an increase of about 60% in business.
There were over 18.1 million cosmetic procedures performed in 2019, with 1.8 million cosmetic surgical procedures and 16.3 million cosmetic minimally-invasive procedures. Neither of these numbers was a significant increase from 2018’s stats. However, we’re poised to see a notable spike when 2020’s numbers are released.
The Zoom Boom
One of the leading factors in this new wave of plastic surgery is the emergence of daily video calls. Millions of people are logging into Zoom every day. Many spend a lot of that timelooking at their own faces and wondering if they need acheek lift or a hair transplant.
People are also wondering if they need a liposuction procedure, as they start to see double chins emerge on Zoom calls, and they deal with theso-called Quarantine 15.
At the same time, people with longstanding insecurities about some part of their appearance are now being forced to face it from new and unflattering angles during video chats. They’re now armed with enough impetus to get the rhinoplasty procedure they have always wanted.
A Shift in Attitudes
An eye-opening survey byThe American Society of Plastic Surgeons revealed that a startling number of people are now thinking about getting plastic surgery. Roughly 49% of respondents said that they are currently open to getting their first procedure.
This is particularly surprising when you consider that a similar survey in 2014 revealed that only 17% of respondents were open to getting their first procedure, while 49% were firmly against the idea.
An Unexpected Opportunity
The COVID-19 crisis has also created a business landscape where an estimated42% of the entire American workforce is now working from home on a full-time basis.
This actually creates the perfect opportunity for people to discreetly recover from surgery while working from home, without having to use vacation days.
It’s now possible for people to get a procedure on a Friday, take the weekend to recover, and then be back to work at 9 am on Monday without anyone knowing that they had surgery.
Cancelled Plans and Vacations
Almost half of all Americans had to cancel travel plans over the summer of 2020, with countless more also having to cancel winter/ spring vacations and destination weddings.
While most of these people are incredibly disappointed, many have decided to put their travel money towards a plastic surgery they have always wanted. They now have the means and the opportunity to finally treat themselves.
The most common plastic surgery in 2019 was the breast augmentation procedure and it has held the #1 position for several years in a row. However, experts are saying it’s entirely possible that the Zoom boom leads to the boob job being dethroned from the top spot by a facial procedure.
Hundreds of protesters have been detained in Russia as police try to stop nationwide protests in support of jailed activist Alexei Navalny.
Alexei Navalny’s wife, Yulia, said she had been detained at a protest in the capital Moscow, where officers were breaking up the demonstrations.
Thousands of people have already taken part in rallies in Russia’s Far East.
Alexei Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most high-profile critic, called for protests after his arrest last weekend.
The opposition leader was detained on January 17 after he flew back to Moscow from Berlin, where he had been recovering from a near-fatal nerve agent attack in Russia last August.
On his return, Alexei Navalny was immediately taken into custody and found guilty of violating parole conditions. He says it is a trumped-up case designed to silence him, and called on his supporters to protest.
Several of Navalny’s close aides, including a spokeswoman, have also been detained in the run up to January 23 protests.
Prior to the rallies, Russian authorities had promised a tough crackdown, with police saying any unauthorized demonstrations and provocations would be “immediately suppressed”.
OVD Info, an independent NGO that monitors rallies, said that more than 800 people had been detained so far in protests across the country.
Thousands are currently attending a protest in Moscow’s central Pushkin Square, where police have erected metal barriers to deter demonstrators.
Russia’s interior ministry said 4,000 had turned up in Moscow, but opposition sources say it may be as high as 15,000.
One witness told Reuters at least 100 people may have been detained there already.
Among them is Lyubov Sobol, a prominent aide of Alexei Navalny who had already been fined for urging Russians to join the protests. Lyubov Sobol tweeted a video of police roughly pulling her away from an interview with reporters.
Yulia Navalnya also said she was being held by police at the same protest, posting an image on her Instagram account with the caption: “Apologies for the poor quality. Very bad light in the police van.”
Several of Alexei Navalny’s key aides had already been taken into police custody in the days leading up to January 23 protests, including his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh.
Prominent Navalny activists are also being held in the cities of Krasnodar, Vladivostok and Novosibirsk.
Talk show legend Larry King has died at the age of 87.
The giant of US broadcasting, who achieved worldwide fame for interviewing political leaders and celebrities, conducted an estimated 50,000 interviews in his six-decade career, which included 25 years as host of the popular CNN talk show Larry King Live.
Larry King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA, according to Ora Media, a production company he co-founded.
Earlier this month, the veteran talk show host was treated in hospital for Covid-19.
Larry King had faced several health problems in recent years, including heart attacks.
Ora Media said in a statement: “For 63 years and across the platforms of radio, television and digital media, Larry’s many thousands of interviews, awards, and global acclaim stand as a testament to his unique and lasting talent as a broadcaster.”
Larry King rose to fame in the 1970s with his radio program The Larry King Show, on the commercial network Mutual Broadcasting System.
He was then the host of Larry King Live on CNN, between 1985 and 2010, carrying out interviews with a host of guests.
Larry King also wrote a column for the USA Today for over 20 years.
Most recently, he hosted another program, Larry King Now, broadcast on Hulu and RT, Russia’s state-controlled international broadcaster.
Given how much Los Angeles has to offer new residents, there’s little wonder as to why it’s such a popular relocation destination. In addition to year-round gorgeous weather and amazing local culture, the City of Angels has ample job opportunities for people in creative fields. As the show business capital of the world, L.A. is the preferred city for scores of artists, writers and performers. If you’re considering a move to Los Angeles, there are a number of preparations you’ll need to make before hitting the road. To ensure that your big move goes off without a hitch, attend to the following tasks before charting a course for L.A.
Get Yourself a Car
You can save yourself a fair amount of time, money and hassle by moving to Los Angeles with a car. As any longtime Angelino will attest, a working vehicle is basically a necessity in L.A. This is the main thing that separates Los Angeles from other major metropolitan areas in the U.S. While the majority of residents in other large cities primarily get around by foot and via public transit, many Angelinos need cars to traverse the city in anything resembling a timely manner.
Unlike other metropolises, Los Angeles was designed to be driven, not walked. The basic layout of the city facilitates the need for vehicle ownership, so if you were hoping that moving to L.A. meant being able to bid farewell to car payments, you’re likely to be disappointed. In other words, if you don’t already own a vehicle, make sure to acquire one before the big move.
Build Your Savings
While L.A. isn’t the most expensive city in the U.S., it’s not exactly cheap, either. Although cities like NYC and San Francisco are considerably pricier than Los Angeles, you’ll need a fair amount of money to get by in the City of Angels. With this in mind, make a point of building your savings before making a go of it in L.A. This will ensure that you have a nice financial cushion to fall back on if things don’t work out exactly as you planned.
Before setting out for Los Angeles, you should have a minimum of $5,000 saved up. Ideally, you should have $10,000 or more, but $5,000 will do if you absolutely can’t wait to get to L.A. However, keep in mind that $5,000 won’t get you as far in Los Angeles as it will in less expensive locales. So, if you make your move with the bare minimum in your savings account, be prepared to start looking for work immediately.
Conversely, if you have a $10,000+ cushion, you’ll have the luxury of being able to take it easy for a while and find a job at a far more leisurely pace. Taking the time to build your savings may force you to postpone your big move, but this minor hitch in your plan will prove extremely beneficial in the long run.
Find a Residence That’s Close to Where You Work
Since the majority of Angelinos drive, L.A. is home to some of the most congested traffic conditions in the country. As such, getting from Point A to Point B in the City of Angels can take a frustratingly long time, regardless of how close those two points are. This means your daily commute is likely to eat up a fair amount of time. However, you can minimize your time on the road by finding a residence that’s within comfortable driving distance of your place of business. So, when scouring the city for potential residences, make sure that proximity to work is prominently on your mind. Additionally, if your new place leaves something to be desired space-wise or you haven’t yet decided on a permanent residence, you can safely house any excess possessions by seeking out storage Los Angeles.
It’s easy to see why transplants from all around the country flock to Los Angeles. Not only is L.A. the heart of the entertainment industry, the city itself is rife with one-of-a-kind culture, amazing sights and unique experiences. Furthermore, if you’re looking to break into a creative field, there’s no better place to do it than the City of Angels. However, this isn’t to say that moving to Los Angeles will be a stress-free experience – particularly if you’ve never spent time in L.A. To help facilitate a smoother transition, make sure to take care of the previously discussed preparations in advance of your big move.
President Joe Biden will sign 10 executive orders to boost the fight against Covid-19 which has ravaged the United States.
Vaccination will be accelerated and testing increased. Emergency legislation will be used to increase production of essentials like masks.
In a break with former President Donald Trump, the policy stresses a national strategy rather than relying on states to decide what is best.
The moves come a day after Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president.
The Trump administration was widely accused of failing to get to grips with the pandemic.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the US is the worst-hit country with more than 406,000 lives lost to Covid-19. Nearly 24.5 million have been infected.
In his inauguration speech, Joe Biden warned that the coronavirus pandemic in the US was entering its “deadliest period”.
The president’s Covid-19 task force co-ordinator, Jeff Zients, told reporters that under President Trump there was no strategy at federal level and a comprehensive approach was lacking.
He said: “As President Biden steps into office today, that all changes.”
The Biden administration unveiled a seven-point plan which included efforts to facilitate effective distribution of vaccines and reliable access to testing.
On top of the already announced rules on wearing masks and social distancing on all federal government property, face coverings will become mandatory on many planes and trains.
Jeff Zients said: “What we’re inheriting is so much worse than we could have imagined.”
In a further break with the previous administration, Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, said the US would join the Covax scheme designed to deliver Covid vaccines to poor countries.
Speaking by video call to the WHO in Geneva, Dr. Anthony Fauci also stressed that the US would continue to provide funding for the WHO, in line with President Biden’s move to reverse Donald Trump’s decision to leave.
Five people have died in a fire at Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer.
The fire started at a building which was still under construction at the Serum Institute facilities in Pune on January 21.
Footage showed thick plumes of smoke billowing from a building on the company’s sprawling site.
However, the company said vaccine production would not be affected. The cause of the fire has not been identified.
The blaze was later brought under control, but the city’s mayor confirmed that five people had died.
Serum Institute’s CEO Adar Poonawalla tweeted: “We have just received some distressing updates; upon further investigation we have learnt that there has unfortunately been some loss of life at the incident.
“We are deeply saddened and offer our deepest condolences to the family members of the departed.”
Adar Poonawalla said there would be no impact on the production of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, known locally as Covishield, “due to multiple production buildings that I had kept in reserve to deal with such contingencies”.
Covishield is one of two vaccines approved by the Indian government for use in its inoculation program, which began last week and is the largest in the world.
India aims to vaccinate 300 million people by early August.
Many other low and middle-income countries are also depending on the Serum Institute for production of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
India has recorded the second-highest number of Covid-19 infections in the world after the United States. Since the pandemic began India has confirmed more than 10.6 million cases and almost 153,000 deaths, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
Basically, what the question boils down to is this: should your company fund its own devices for its employees to use, or should you let these workers use devices they already own? At first glance, the latter might seem the cheaper and more streamlined way of doing things, but the choice isn’t quite that simple.
Implementing a BYOD – that stands for bring-your-own-device – strategy in your business can incur a range of costs that might not be manifested entirely clearly until much further down the line. That’s why your firm needs to tread carefully when trying to decide whether it should really opt for the BYOD approach.
BYOD: a strategy that makes sense on paper
If your company’s finances are under strain, as is surely the case for many businesses, you might not want to hesitate in enacting a BYOD policy. After all, according to research mentioned by Karen D Schwartz in an article on Samsung’s website, 77% of Americans have a smartphone and constantly keep it with them.
However, the problems start when your company wants to keep a tight check on what goes onto those devices. In order to go ahead with that, your firm will need to install, onto each of the applicable mobile devices, the client for what is known as a mobile device management (MDM) platform.
Some of your employees could be reluctant to have such software installed on their phone, perhaps fearing what privacy implications could arise from their employer being able to monitor work activities they undertake on what are supposed to be predominantly personal devices.
Would furnishing company-owned devices be a better alternative?
It would have obvious financial drawbacks, especially for smaller businesses that could be somewhat cash-strapped compared to their better-established competitors. In the long run, however, the tactic could help to pay for itself more effectively than keeping up a BYOD policy would.
Naturally, you would have to make room in your business budget for buying devices through the company. On the plus side, though, you could choose to buy multiple units of the same device model – and, in the process, make savings by capitalizing on the likes of negotiated discount rates and volume discounts.
However, people might not always keep on top of security updates with their personal handsets as much as they would with company-owned devices, on which you could install enterprise mobility management (EMM) software to ensure that the latest security patches are added as they arrive.
All the same, though, your company could easily require either BYOD or company-owned devices to use Wandera’s zero trust network access solution so that a wide array of work practices can be completed securely.
Hungary is the first country in the EU to give preliminary approval to the Russian coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V.
On January 21, PM Viktor Orban’s chief of staff confirmed both the Russian vaccine and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine had been given the green light by the health authorities.
Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto is travelling to Russia for further talks, where he is expected to discuss a shipment and distribution deal.
Early results from trials of the Russian vaccine have shown promising results.
Hungarian health officials are also in Beijing for talks with the Chinese authorities over the approval and immediate delivery of one million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine, which is already being used in neighboring Serbia.
Sinopharm, a Chinese state-owned company, announced last month that phase three trials of its vaccine showed that it was 79% effective – lower than that of Pfizer and Moderna.
However, PM Viktor Orban has said the only way Hungary can satisfy the demand for vaccination, given the “frustratingly” slow delivery of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, is by buying from Russia and China.
At least 140,000 Hungarians have already been vaccinated. But government efforts to popularize the Russian and Chinese vaccines have already run into opposition.
The skepticism and suspicion among Hungarians is, in the public imagination at least, related to the Communist domination of the country from 1948 to 1989.
The move has also drawn criticism from the EU, which is wary of yet another example of Viktor Orban’s government going its own way and undermining EU solidarity.
Katalin Kariko, a Hungarian biochemist who left the country for the United States in 1985, played a key role in developing the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Some polls suggest only seven percent of Hungarians would accept the Sputnik V vaccine, while acceptance of the Chinese version has been measured as low as one percent by some surveys.
Russia is funding and building a major expansion of Hungary’s nuclear power station at Paks. The Chinese Fudan University is also due to open a campus in Budapest in 2024, and plans are advancing for a high-speed Chinese railway that would link Budapest to Thessaloniki and bring Chinese goods to Europe.
According to recent reports, 6,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine will be administered to 3,000 paid Hungarian volunteers in phase three of a clinical trial in the coming weeks.
Highlighting a message of unity after the turbulent Trump years, Joe Biden promised to be a president “for all Americans” – including those who voted against him.
He has set out a flurry of executive orders. In a statement on January 2, Joe Biden said he would sign 15 orders after he is sworn in. Among them are:
Reverse Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the US from the Paris climate change agreement;
Revoke the presidential permit granted to the Keystone XL Pipeline, which is opposed by environmentalists and Native American groups;
Revoke Trump policies on immigration enforcement and the emergency declaration that helped fund the construction of a Mexican border wall;
Bring about a mask and distancing mandate for federal employees and in federal buildings, and a new White House office on coronavirus;
End a travel ban on visitors from some, mainly Muslim, nations.
Other orders will cover race and gender equality, along with climate issues.
Joe Biden’s legislative ambitions could be tempered by the slender majorities he holds in both the Senate and House of Representatives.
Joe Biden has become the 46th president of the United States, ending one of the most dramatic political transitions in American history.
After taking the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts, Joe Biden said: “Democracy has prevailed.”
Donald Trump – who has not formally conceded the presidency to Joe Biden – snubbed the inauguration ceremony, in a departure from longstanding precedent.
He was the first president not to attend his successor’s inauguration since 1869.
President Biden has announced a raft of measures reversing Trump policies.
Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice-president ahead of Joe Biden.
She is the first woman – and the first black and Asian-American person – to serve in a role, a heartbeat from the presidency.
The inauguration took place at the Capitol, where an extra-tight security was imposed after the building was stormed by violent pro-Trump protesters in a deadly riot on January 6.
Some 25,000 National Guards are protecting the ceremony, which is missing the traditional hundreds of thousands of spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In his inaugural address, Joe Biden said it was a day of “history and hope”.
“My whole soul is in putting America back together again,” he added.
Highlighting a message of unity after the turbulent Trump years, Joe Biden promised to be a president “for all Americans” – including those who voted against him.
Among those attending the inauguration ceremony were three of Joe Biden’s predecessors: Barack Obama – under whom Biden served for eight years as vice-president – Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Former VP Mike Pence also attended. He skipped Donald Trump’s farewell military salute event.
The inauguration ceremony included musical performances by Lady Gaga – who sang the national anthem – as well as Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks.
An evening concert at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC will be hosted by Tom Hanks and include Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, Jon Bon Jovi, Justin Timberlake, and Demi Lovato.
Earlier on the day, Joe Biden, 78, attended Mass at a cathedral in Washington – along with four Roman Catholic congressional leaders, both Democrats and Republicans.
Donald Trump left the White House at about 08:00AM on January 20, and flew to the nearby Andrews Air Force base.
In his farewell address at the base, Donald Trump highlighted what he regarded as the successes of his presidency.
He said: “What we’ve done has been amazing by any standard.”
Donald Trump, 74, then left for his Mar-a-Lago golf club in Florida, where he arrived later in the morning.
In his last hours as president, Donald Trump granted clemency to more than 140 people, including his former adviser Steve Bannon, who had been facing fraud charges.
The political drama surrounding Donald Trump is far from over. The Senate is expected to put him on trial soon, following his record second impeachment by the House of Representatives for allegedly inciting the Capitol riot.
On January 19, the Senate’s Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, said the mob had been provoked by Donald Trump and fed lies.
