U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery /
The Italian Senate has voted to allow prosecutors to put far-right leader Matteo Salvini on trial over charges of holding immigrants at sea.
Matteo Salvini, who previously
served as the country’s interior minister, is accused of illegally keeping
people on a boat off Sicily for days in August 2019.
Some 116 migrants remained aboard
the Gregoretti for close to a week.
On February 12, a majority of
senators voted for the trial of Matteo Salvini to go ahead.
The anti-immigration League leader has
repeatedly said he wants to go to court. He told the chamber he wanted “to
tell the world” that his migration policies “saved tens of thousands
of lives.”
He said: “I am absolutely calm and proud of what I have done. And I’ll do
it again as soon as I get back into government.”
Senators from his League party left
the chamber rather than take part in the vote.
Under Italian law, ministers have
parliamentary immunity for actions taken while they were in office. However, a
committee voted last month to strip Matteo Salvini of his immunity – leaving
the final decision in the hands of the Senate on February 12.
An official vote tally is expected by 19:00 local time. If
successfully prosecuted at trial, Matteo Salvini could face up to 15 years in
jail.
For years, some in Italy have complained that the country has taken in a
large number of migrants fleeing across the Mediterranean, and has called for
other EU nations to take their share.
Matteo Salvini in particular took a hard stance on migrant boats while he
was in office, implementing a closed ports policy.
On July 25, 2019, Italian coastguard
ship the Gregoretti picked up about 140 migrants trying to travel to Italy from
Libya.
While the Gregoretti allowed several
people off the ship for medical attention, some 116 people remained on board
for days while Matteo Salvini demanded other EU countries take them in.
The decision drew an immediate backlash.
Prosecutors opened an investigation into conditions aboard after reports that
migrants only had one toilet between them.
After the Catholic Church and a number of states agreed to care for those on board, in a deal which then EU commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos helped to broker, Matteo Salvini eventually consented to let them dock on July 31.
One of the protesters, who shouted
at Juan Guaidó and threw a liquid at him, was wearing the uniform of the
state-owned airline Conviasa, which has been directly hit by US sanctions.
There were also scuffles between the
protesters and supporters of Juan Guaidó, who had gone to the airport to
welcome him.
Lawmakers loyal to Juan Guaidó had
to walk to the airport after the bus they were traveling in was stopped by
police.
Journalists reported being attacked
and having their kit stolen by those who had turned out to boo Juan Guaidó.
His office later said that a
relative who was travelling with him had been held by airport officials, and
had not been seen since.
Meanwhile, without directly naming Juan Guaidó, President Maduro told his
supporters to focus on “defending Venezuela”.
He said at a ceremony that was broadcast on state television: “Let’s not get distracted by
stupidities, by dummies, by traitors to the homeland.”
Nicolas Maduro’s second-in-command Diosdado Cabello also denounced Juan
Guaidó’s three-week tour as a “tourism trip”, and said he did not
expect anything to change after his return.
“He is nothing,”
Diosdado Cabello added.
President Maduro and his officials have threatened Juan Guaidó in the past,
but these threats have, so far, not led to him being harmed or detained.
Despite this being the second time he defied a court-imposed travel ban,
Juan Guaidó was not arrested.
After landing, Juan Guaidó addressed a rally of about 500 people in Caracas,
where he called for renewed protests against the president.
During Juan Guaidó’s visit to the US, President Trump promised to “smash” Nicolas Maduro’s government.
South Korean movie Parasite has won best picture award at this year’s Oscars, becoming
the first non-English language film to take the top prize.
Renee Zellweger won best actress for playing Judy Garland in Judy. Joaquin Phoenix was named best
actor for Joker.
Laura Dern and Brad Pitt won the supporting acting awards for their roles in
Marriage Story and Once Upon A Time in Hollywood respectively.
Parasite won four awards in total,
while Sam Mendes’s 1917 took three.
The World War One epic 1917 had
been the favorite to win best picture, but its awards all came in the technical
categories.
Parasite‘s Bong Joon-ho beat Sam
Mendes to the prize for best director, and also took the best original
screenplay award.
The South Korean movie is a vicious social satire about two families from
different classes in Seoul – one who live in poverty in a semi-basement, and
another rich family residing in a large home.
It has now managed what no other subtitled film has done in the 92-year
history of the Academy Awards and won best picture.
Bong Joon-ho said: “I feel like
I’ll wake up to find it’s all a dream. It all feels very surreal.”
Producer Kwak Sin-ae, who collected the trophy, said: “I’m speechless. We never imagined this to happen. I feel like a
very opportune moment in history is happening right now.”
There were boos when organizers tried to cut short the best picture
acceptance speech by turning the stage lights off – leading the lights to be
turned back on, allowing the celebrations to continue.
Brad Pitt won the first acting Oscar of his career – picking up the best
supporting actor trophy for his role in Quentin Tarantino’s movie.
He was the first winner of the night, and immediately used his speech to
attack the way the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump were
handled.
Brad Pitt referred to the fact that Republican senators voted against
allowing witnesses including former National Security Adviser John Bolton to
give evidence.
He said: “They told me I only
have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John
Bolton this week.
“I’m thinking maybe Quentin does
a movie about it and in the end the adults do the right thing.”
Brad Pit, 56, moved from the political to the personal, paying tribute to
co-star Leonardo DiCaprio and reflecting on his journey to Hollywood
superstardom.
Joaquin Phoenix, who won best actor for his remarkable performance in the
origin story about Batman’s nemesis, also used the podium to send a heartfelt
message about the state of the world, saying actors have the power to give a
“voice for the voiceless”.
After telling the audience to stop clapping him as he took to the stage –
“Don’t do that” – Joaquin Phoenix managed to cover topics from animal
rights and the environment to racism and sexism.
The vegan activist told the audience that “we feel entitled to
artificially inseminate a cow, and when she gives birth, we steal her baby even
though her cries of anguish are unmistakable”.
The actor also pointed out his own flaws: “I’ve been a scoundrel in my life. I’ve been cruel at times and
hard to work with, but so many people in this room have given me a second
chance.”
Joaquin Phoenix ended his speech by quoting a lyric written by his late
brother River: “Run to the rescue
and love and peace will follow.”
Laura Dern won best supporting actress for playing a divorce lawyer in Marriage Story.
A day before her 53rd birthday, the actress said the award is the best
birthday present ever.
Laura Dern comes from an illustrious acting family, but in winning managed
something her parents have not. Mother Diane Ladd has been nominated for three
Academy Awards, and dad Bruce Dern has two unsuccessful nominations.
She told the audience: “Some say
never meet your heroes.
“But I say if you’re really
blessed, you get them as your parents.”
Renee Zellweger used her speech to pay tribute to Judy Garland, who was
nominated for two Oscars in the 1950s and 60s.
The actress said: “Judy Garland
did not receive this honor in her time,
“I am certain that this moment is an extension of the celebration of her legacy.”
A Thai soldier has killed 20 people and injured
dozens more in a gun rampage in the city of Nakhon Ratchasima.
According to media, Jakraphanth Thomma, a junior officer, killed his
commanding officer before stealing weapons from a military camp on February 8.
The suspect then continued his attack in a shopping centre, where he is now
believed to be holed up.
Jakraphanth Thomma also posted about the attack on social media.
His motives remain unclear.
Thaim authorities have sealed off the Terminal 21 shopping center in Nakhon
Ratchasima, also known as Korat, as they try to track down the suspect.
Troops and police have entered the building and there have been reports of
more gunshots.
Defense ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Kongcheep Tantravanich said hundreds of
people had been brought out of the complex safely, but there could be dozens
still in the building.
A tweet from security forces said the ground floor had now been cleared.
The Bangkok Post reported earlier
that the suspect, who it said was 32 years old, had taken hostages, but this
has not been officially confirmed.
Jakraphanth Thomma’s mother has been brought to the shopping center to try
to persuade him to give himself up.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed that 16 people had died
at the scene of the shootings, with another four dying later in hospital. A
total of 31 people have been injured, with 10 of them in a critical condition.
But there are fears the numbers could rise.
The shooting began at about 15:30 local time at the Suatham Phithak military
camp, where the commanding officer, named by the Bangkok Post as Col Anantharot Krasae, was killed.
According to the publication, a 63-year-old woman and another soldier were
also killed there.
The suspect seized arms and ammunition from the camp before taking a
Humvee-type vehicle.
Jakraphanth Thomma then opened fire at a number of sites before arriving at
the Terminal 21 shopping center.
Local media footage appears to show the suspect getting out of his vehicle and
firing shots as people flee.
CCTV footage shows him inside the shopping center with a raised rifle.
PM Prayuth Chan-ocha is following developments and expressed condolences to
the families of those killed, a spokeswoman said.
The public health minister has put out an appeal for people to donate blood
at hospitals in the area.
Jakraphanth Thomma posted on his social media accounts during the attack,
with one post on Facebook asking whether he should surrender.
He had earlier posted an image of a pistol with three sets of bullets, along
with the words “it is time to get excited” and “nobody can avoid
death”.
Facebook has now taken the page down.
The social media platform said: “Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and the community affected by this tragedy in Thailand. There is no place on Facebook for people who commit this kind of atrocity, nor do we allow people to praise or support this attack.”
The presidential nominees will be chosen through a series of primaries and
caucuses in every state and territory that began in Iowa on February 3 and ends
in Puerto Rico in early June.
Short of a big shock, the Republican nominee will be Donald Trump. Even
though technically he has two challengers, he is so popular among Republicans,
he has a clear run ahead of him. With that in mind, the Democratic primaries
are the only ones worth watching.
Step
one: The start line
A whole year before the primaries,
the first candidates emerged from hibernation. Over the year, others woke up
and eventually 28 people announced they were running to become the Democratic
nominee for president.
But dwindling funds, luke-warm or
(ice-cold) public reaction and campaign infighting have, to varying degrees,
led to 16 candidates pulling out of the race.
At the start of primary season, 11
people remained in the running. In theory, any one of them could become the
nominee. In reality, only a few have a chance.
Step
two: The Iowa caucuses
The first event of the primary
season isn’t a primary at all – it’s a series of caucuses, in Iowa. These took
place on February 3, in somewhat chaotic fashion.
What are caucuses?
A caucus involves people attending a
meeting – maybe for a few hours – before they vote on their preferred
candidate, perhaps via a head count or a show of hands. Those meetings might be
in just a few select locations – you can’t just turn up at a polling station.
Caucuses used to be far more popular
back in the day, but this year, Democrats are holding only four in US states –
in Nevada, North Dakota, Wyoming and Iowa.
If any candidate gets under 15% of
the vote in any caucus, their supporters then get to pick a second choice from
among the candidates who did get more than 15%, or they can just choose
to sit out the second vote.
Why Iowa caucuses matter?
A win there for any candidate can
help give them momentum and propel them to victory in the primaries.
Why is Iowa first in the primary
calendar? You can blame Jimmy Carter, sort of. Iowa became first in 1972, for
various technical electoral reasons too boring to go into here. But when Carter
ran for president in 1976, his team realized they could grab the momentum by
campaigning early in Iowa. He won there, then surprisingly won the presidency,
and Iowa’s fate was sealed.
Why Iowa caucuses don’t matter?
Iowa doesn’t represent the entire US
– it’s largely white, so the way people vote there is very, very different than
in other states.
The sate’s record on picking the
eventual nominees is a bit rubbish too, at least when it comes to Republicans –
when there’s an open Republican race, Iowa hasn’t opted for the eventual
nominee since 2000. Such names as Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Ted Cruz
have won there in recent years.
Step three: The New Hampshire primary
Eight days after Iowa on February 11, is the first primary, in New
Hampshire. The tiny north-eastern state of only 1.3 million people will once
again become an unlikely hotbed of political activity.
What is a primary?
Unlike a caucus, where voters are expected to turn up at a few limited
locations at certain times and stick around for a while, primary voters can
just turn up at a polling booth and vote in secret. Then leave.
How does a primary work?
The more votes a candidate gets in a caucus or primary, the more
“delegates” they are awarded, and all candidates will be hoping to
win an unbeatable majority of delegates.
The number of delegates differs in each state, and is decided by a
convoluted series of criteria. In California’s primary, for example, there are
415 Democratic delegates up for grabs this year. In New Hampshire, there are
only 24.
This year is a bit different. Any candidate would need to get at least 15%
of the vote in any primary or caucus to be awarded delegates. There are still
11 candidates in the running – an unusually large number – so there’s a risk
the vote share will be spread out and some of the candidates may struggle to
reach 15%.
After New Hampshire, we could get a clear picture of who is struggling, but
whoever has claimed the most delegates at this stage is still far from
guaranteed to be the nominee.
Even those who are struggling may not drop out right after New Hampshire,
because there is so much at stake on…
Step four: Super Tuesday
A few other states vote in between New Hampshire and the end of February,
but this is when things really start to warm up: Super Tuesday, on March 3.
What is Super Tuesday?
It is the big date in the primary calendar, when 16 states,
territories or groups vote for their preferred candidate in primaries or
caucuses. A third of all the delegates available in the entire primary season
are up for grabs on Super Tuesday. By the end of the day it could be much
clearer who the Democratic candidate will be.
The two states with the most delegates are voting on Super Tuesday
– California (with 415 Democratic delegates) and Texas (228). California is
voting three months earlier than in 2016, making Super Tuesday even more super
than normal.
California and Texas are two states with very diverse populations, so we may
see them going for very different candidates than those chosen in Iowa and New
Hampshire.
Step five: The rest of the race
After hectic Super Tuesday, everyone gets to cool down for a week, before
another busy day on March 10, when six states vote, with 352 delegates
available.
After that, the primary season still has three months left to run, and at
the end, the role of those delegates will become clear…
Step six: The conventions
Donald Trump will almost certainly be sworn in as the Republican nominee at
the party convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, between August 24 and 27.
The Democrats will confirm their candidate at their own convention between July
13 and 16 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
What happens in a convention?
Here’s where those delegates come in.
Let’s say that during primary season, candidate A wins 10 delegates. During
the convention, those 10 delegates would vote for candidate A to become the
Democratic nominee. (Any party member can apply to be a delegate – they tend to
be party activists or local political leaders.)
All through the Democratic primaries, there are 3,979 delegates
available. If any one candidate wins more than 50% of those delegates during
primary season (that’s 1,990 delegates), then they become the
nominee in a vote at the convention.
But if we get to the Democratic convention and no-one has more than 50% of
the delegates, it becomes what’s known as a “contested” or
“brokered” convention. This could well happen this year. There are so
many candidates that no one frontrunner emerges in the primaries, and they
split the delegates between them. In that circumstance, a second vote
would follow.
In that second vote, all the 3,979 delegates would vote again, except this
time they would be joined by an estimated 771 “superdelegates”.
These are senior party officials past and present (former president Bill
Clinton is one, as is current Vermont senator and presidential contender Bernie
Sanders), and they’re free to vote for whomever they wish.
If a candidate wins 50% or more in that vote – 2,376 delegates – then they
become the nominee.
This is all thanks to a rule change in 2020: last time around, the
superdelegates voted at the start of the convention, with the delegates. But
many had pledged their support to Hillary Clinton even before the convention,
leading her rival Bernie Sanders to suggest the deck was stacked against him.
Bernie Sanders is the one who campaigned for the change – and it may benefit
him in 2020.
Step seven: The presidency
After inching past Iowa, negotiated New Hampshire, survived Super Tuesday and come through the convention, there is only one step left for the nominee: the presidential election, on November 3.
President Donald Trump has recalled Gordon
Sondland and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, two senior officials who testified
against him at his impeachment trial.
Gordon Sondland, the US envoy to the
EU, said he “was advised today that the president intends to recall me
effective immediately”.
Just hours earlier, Lt. Col.
Alexander Vindman, a top expert on Ukraine, was escorted from the White House.
President Trump is said to desire a
staff shake-up after senators cleared him in the impeachment case on February 5.
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s twin
brother, Yevgeny Vindman, a senior lawyer for the National Security Council,
was also sent back to the Department of the Army on February 7.
In a statement issued by his lawyer,
Gordon Sondland said: “I was advised
today that the president intends to recall me effective immediately as United
States ambassador to the European Union.
“I am grateful to President Trump for having given me
the opportunity to serve, to Secretary [of State Mike] Pompeo for his
consistent support, and to the exceptional and dedicated professionals at the
US mission to the European Union.
“I am proud of our
accomplishments. Our work here has been the highlight of my career.”
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman had
reportedly turned up for work at the White House as usual on February 5.
As he left the executive mansion on February
5 for North Carolina, President Trump told reporters: “I’m not happy with him [Lt. Col. Vindman].
“You think I’m supposed to be happy with him? I’m
not.”
President Donald Trump has so far
not commented further.
According to White House sources,
Alexander Vindman had been expecting a transfer. He was telling colleagues for
weeks that he was ready to move back to the defense department, where he still
holds active-duty soldier status.
On February 5, Defense Secretary
Mark Esper told reporters his department welcomes back all of its personnel
from assignment.
He added: “And as I said we protect all of our service members from retribution
or anything like that.”
Testifying in Congress last
November, Gordon Sondland was very clear in his testimony that a White House
visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was conditional on Kyiv
launching investigations that could be politically helpful to President Trump.
He said: “Was there a quid pro quo [a favor granted in return for
something]?
“As I testified previously, with regard to the
requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes.”
Gordon Sondland was at that time
working with President Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, on Ukrainian
policy at the explicit direction of the president.
Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman also
testified last November. He said he was “concerned” after hearing
President Trump’s “improper” phone call on July 25, 2019 with
Ukraine’s president.
The call led to Presidnet Trump’s
impeachment in December by the House for abuse of power and obstruction of
Congress.
Democratic lawmakers argued that President
Trump had dangled US aid in exchange for political favors.
When asked how he had overcome his
fear of retaliation in order to testify, Alexander Vindman testified: “Congressman, because this is
America… and here, right matters.”
President Trump mentioned the
Vindman twins in a tirade against his political enemies at the White House one
day before ousting them.
Eliot Engel, Democratic chairman of
the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, said in a statement: “This is shameful of course.
“But this is also what we should now expect from an
impeached president whose party has decided he is above the law and accountable
to no one. “
However, Republican Congressman
Thomas Massie said he would have fired Alexander Vindman.
He said: “He’s a leaker, not a whistleblower.
“Current Commander in Chief doesn’t take orders from a
Lt Col!”
In his comments to media on February
5, President Trump said reports that his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney would
be fired were “false”.
The president said: “I have a great relationship with Mick.”
North Carolina lawmaker Mark Meadows
is being tipped by the Washington rumor mill as a replacement for Mick
Mulvaney.
Mark Meadows, who is retiring from
the House of Representatives where he led the hardline conservative Freedom
Caucus, traveled with President Trump on Air Force One on February 5.
At a rare White House press conference in October, Mick Mulvaney appeared to
implicate the president in an alleged corrupt deal with Ukraine.
The acting chief of staff told stunned reporters: “We do that all the time.”
President Trump was reportedly outraged by the gaffe.
Mick Mulvaney then walked back his comments in a written statement that said: “Let me be clear, there was absolutely no quid pro quo between Ukrainian military aid and any investigation into the 2016 election.”
Despite the hyper-partisan political landscape in Washington, on January 16, 2020 the Senate approved the USMCA trade deal. Congress had previously passed the legislation on December 19, 2019 by a vote of 385-41, and Mexico’s Senate passed the legislation on June 19, 2019 by a vote of 114-4. That leaves only Canada’s Parliament left to ratify the successor to NAFTA — which may not be as straightforward as once expected.
That’s because the Canadian government is currently led by the Liberal
Party, which has a minority of seats in the House of Commons (a.k.a.
Parliament). For those unfamiliar with the Westminster system, this basically
means that the Liberal Party — which was in power during the extensive and
often thorny negotiations that brought about the USMCA — does not have enough
votes to unilaterally ratify the new trade deal. As such, it must “reach across
the aisle” and get support from at least 13 Parliamentarians from other
parties; namely the Conservatives (right-leaning), the New Democrats
(left-leaning), or the Bloc Quebecois (based in the Canadian province of
Quebec, and mandated to exclusively focus on promoting legislation that
benefits Quebec).
However, those who have been eagerly waiting for the trade uncertainty to end — everyone from cross-border shoppers buying organic kratom, to giant logistics and manufacturing companies — can probably afford some cautious optimism, given that there are likely enough votes among the pro-business Conservatives to push the USMCA through the Canadian parliament sometime during 2020.
While NAFTA was not wholly beloved in Canada — particularly across labor groups — the USMCA is even less popular. Among the most vocal opponents is the country’s small, yet politically powerful dairy producers who have historically benefited from strong protective quotas (which Canadians call “supply management”) to keep U.S. dairy producers from tapping into the lucrative Canadian market valued at $16 billion annually. While these protective quotas still exist in the USCMA, they have been significantly weakened — fulfilling a longstanding Trump campaign promise. Another major change is the sunset clause, which calls for the USMCA to expire 16 years after trilateral ratification. However, to avoid trade chaos, the deal is subject to review every six years, at which time the three countries can mutually agree to extend it if they wish. Considering that it took more than two years to negotiate the USMCA, it’s hard to imagine that any potential extensions will be any less complicated, confrontational or controversial. Time will tell, and we’ll be watching closely.
In a televised address on September 11, 2019, President Donald Trump dropped a bombshell on the U.S. vaping industry by announcing his intention to ban e-liquid across the country in all flavors except tobacco. The stated reasons behind the ban were twofold. First, a terrible lung illness relating to vaping had just begun to sweep across the country, and health officials didn’t yet understand that the illness was caused by the use of illegal cannabis products rather than legal nicotine products. Second, it had become obvious by 2019 that underage use of vaping products had taken hold across the country and wasn’t going to resolve itself any time soon. Members of the federal government felt that, without direct action, the number of teen vapers would only continue to grow.
What happened next was a firestorm that no one in the Trump
administration – not even Trump himself – could ever have predicted.
Trump Underestimates the Importance of Vaping Voters
The first sign that President Trump potentially made a grave mistake on September 11 came in the form of widespread reports suggesting that Trump’s allies in the Republican party were unhappy about the proposed e-liquid flavor ban. As it turned out, Trump had failed to consider the number of people he’d be offending – and more importantly, where those people lived – before proposing the ban. In the 2016 Presidential election, Trump won by extremely narrow margins in key battleground states such as Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Georgia. The margins were smaller, in fact, than the populations of people who vape in those states.
Many of those who vape claim that they will vote based on
that issue alone and will vote against anyone who limits their access to vaping
products. If what those people say is true, banning all flavored e-liquids
could easily lead to a loss of support in the battleground states in which
Trump won in 2016 – and that could easily ruin Trump’s bid for reelection in
2020.
Trump largely went silent on the vaping issue after his September 11 announcement. News reports suggested that Trump hadn’t been aware before the announcement of the impact that a total e-liquid flavor ban would have on his support among voters or on small businesses across America. The loss of the country’s vape shops would also mean the loss of tens of thousands of jobs – not exactly the kind of event that Makes America Great Again.
Trump Administration Proposes a Compromise on the Vaping Issue
By the end of 2019, news reports suggested that the
possibility of an all-out ban on all flavored e-liquids was no longer on the
table. By that time, President Trump had met with representatives from the
vaping and tobacco industries along with various public health advocates. The
meetings gave Trump a better understanding of the impact that a flavor ban
would have on the economy and on his support among adult vapers. In addition,
it was very clear by then that the vaping-related lung illness had nothing to
do with commercial nicotine e-liquid products.
In the end, the Trump administration did two things in an
attempt to curb teen vaping.
The federal government raised the minimum age nationwide
for buying tobacco and vaping products from 18 to 21. That was done with the
goal of preventing 18-year-old students from buying things like JUUL pods and giving
them to younger students.
The FDA removed all pre-filled vape pods and
cartridges in flavors other than tobacco and menthol from the market. Bottled
e-liquid for refillable vaping devices remained legal in all flavors. Teen
vapers overwhelmingly prefer the JUUL e-cigarette brand – which uses pre-filled
pods – and in surveys, underage vapers have said that sweet flavors are a major
part of what attracts them to vaping. In removing those products from the
market, the government hopes that vaping will become less attractive to teens.
The government conducts a yearly survey of students to gauge the effectiveness of its tobacco control policies. The results of that survey are released around the end of the year. As of late 2019, more than 5 million teens – about 27.5 percent of high school students and 10.5 percent of middle school students – reported vaping regularly. We will find out in late 2020 whether the government’s new policies have done anything to reduce teen nicotine use.
How Will Vaping Influence the 2020 Presidential Election?
In a private Oval Office meeting in early 2020, President Trump reportedly expressed regret over his involvement in federal vaping policy. Supposedly, he said that he “never should have done that [expletive] vaping thing.”
The reason for Trump’s unhappiness, however, has nothing to
do with the infringement on vapers’ rights or the impact that the government’s
policies may have on small business. The problem is that Trump unwittingly made
himself the face of those policies when he could have easily left the decisions
to Congress and the FDA and let others handle the political fallout.
The government’s new vaping policies are a compromise, and a
compromise means that none of the stakeholders are completely happy. On one
side, Trump is dealing with angry adult vapers who are upset over the lack of
respect for their rights and angry about the fact that the government opted to
punish everyone instead of going after the individual companies that obviously
stepped over the line and marketed their products inappropriately.
On the other side, Trump is dealing with angry tobacco control activists who believe that the government’s new policies haven’t gone far enough – and, in terms of combating teen vaping, they are probably correct. Teens might say that the flavors the flavors of the products have enticed them to vape, but that isn’t really true. Youth-oriented marketing enticed those teens to vape, and the extremely high nicotine strengths of products like JUUL kept them coming back. Banning flavored pods isn’t going to stop teens from vaping when they’re already addicted to nicotine.
Tobacco control has always been a contentious topic, and the
teen vaping issue is not going away. If President Trump loses his bid for
reelection in 2020, it’s entirely possible that it’ll be because he “did that
vaping thing.”
Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, whose
acting career spanned seven decades, has died at the age of 103.
Kirk Douglas, a stage and screen
actor, was well-known for a range of roles, including the 1960 classic
Spartacus, in which he played the titular character.
Born in New York in 1916, Kirk
Douglas rose to prominence during Hollywood’s “golden age”, earning
his first Oscar nomination for the 1949 film
Champion.
The legendary actor was also the father of Oscar-winning actor Michael Douglas.
Michael Douglas said in a statement:
“It is with tremendous sadness that my
brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today.”
“To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the
golden age of movies… but to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply
Dad,” the statement read.
“Let me end with the words I told him on his last
birthday and which will always remain true. Dad – I love you so much and I am
so proud to be your son.”
Michael Douglas’s wife and Kirk’s
daughter-in-law, Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones, posted a photo of the two
together, writing: “I shall love you
for the rest of my life. I miss you already.”
Kirk Douglas was prolific as a film actor, with more than 90 credits to his
name – ranging from the 1940s to the 2000s.
He is perhaps best-known for Spartacus,
a Stanley Kubrick film which won four Oscars and was so popular that its iconic
“I am Spartacus” scene entered the pop cultural lexicon.
Kirk Douglas was himself nominated for an Oscar three times – for Champion (1949), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), and Lust for Life (1956). He eventually won the honorary award in 1996
in recognition of his 50 years in the industry.
The actor faced difficulties in his personal life. He narrowly survived a
helicopter crash in 1991 that left two people dead. Five years later, he
suffered a major stroke that affected his speech.
In 2004, his son Eric died at the age of 46 of an accidental drug overdose.
In his later years, Kirk Douglas turned his attention to charity. He donated millions of dollars to charitable causes and helped fund an Alzheimer’s unit at a retirement home in Los Angeles.
A Pegasus Airlines Boeing 737 landing at an
airport in Istanbul has skidded off the runway and broken into three parts,
killing one person and injuring more than 150, Turkish officials say.
The plane was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members from Izmir
province in the west when it crashed at Sabiha Gokcen airport.
The jet was trying to land in heavy tailwinds and rain.
The airport was closed and flights diverted after the accident.
According to Turkish media, the majority of people on board were Turkish but
there were also about 20 foreign nationals.
Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya said: “Unfortunately,
the Pegasus Airlines plane couldn’t hold on the runway due to poor weather
conditions and skidded for around 50-60m [164-196ft].”
The governor said the plane then fell between 30 and 40 meters off the end
of the runway.
Turkey’s Health Minister Fahrettin Koca confirmed a Turkish citizen had died
and 157 other people had been injured. He said none of the wounded people were
in a critical condition.
Video footage showed passengers climbing through one of the large cracks to
escape via one of the wings, and dozens of rescuers working around the jet.
Other footage on social media showed a blaze inside the aircraft, which was
later put out by firefighters.
Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan said authorities had not yet been
able to speak to the pilots, a Turkish national and a South Korean, who were
believed to have been injured in the accident.
Meanwhile, Istanbul’s public prosecutor has launched an inquiry.
The low-cost Pegasus Airlines has a fleet of 83 aircraft – 47 Boeings and 36
Airbus planes – and has been flying for 20 years.
A Pegasus Boeing 737 coming in from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates
skidded off the runway at the same airport on January 7. There were no
casualties but the airport had to be temporarily closed.
Another Pegasus Boeing 737 also skidded off the runway at Trabzon airport in January 2018, plunging down the side of a cliff overlooking the sea. There were no casualties.
Hong Kong has decided to impose a
mandatory 14-day quarantine on all visitors from mainland China as it battles
to prevent the spread of a coronavirus outbreak.
The policy comes into effect on February
8, but officials refused to close the border entirely, as demanded by medical
staff who have gone on strike.
Hong Kong, which has 21 confirmed
cases and one fatality, suffered 300 deaths in the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003.
There are 24,300 confirmed coronavirus
cases and 490 deaths in mainland China.
Those figures included an additional
4,000 cases and 65 deaths on February 4.
The new virus has spread overseas,
with 25 nations confirming a total of 191 cases, although there has so far been
only one death, in the Philippines.
The WHO has declared the outbreak a
global health emergency. On February 5, WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
appealed for $675 million to fund a three-month response plan.
The coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory infection and symptoms usually start with a fever, followed by a dry cough. Most people infected are likely to fully recover – just as they would from a flu.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam
said anyone arriving from the mainland, including foreigners, would be quarantined
for 14 days from February 8, although she did not say how this would be
imposed.
It is unclear where the quarantines
would take place or whether Hong Kong residents could spend the time at home.
Tens of thousands of people arrived
from the mainland on February 4.
Carrie Lam has not moved to close the border entirely, although thousands of
medical staff on February 5 entered the third day of their strike over the
issue and have threatened to escalate their action.
Hong Kong will, however, close the Ocean and Kai Tak cruise terminals.
Some 3,600 passengers and crew on the World Dream, docked at Kai Tak, are
being tested for the virus after three Chinese passengers who were on the ship
between January 19 and 24 tested positive after disembarking.
Hong Kong remains concerned about a repeat of the deadly Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, although the mortality rate of the new
virus is much lower than that of SARS, which was around 9.6%.
There have been massive queues for masks which are in short supply and are
selling at inflated prices.
Separately, the Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific is asking 27,000 staff to take three weeks unpaid leave over the coming months as it deals with the impact of the outbreak.
According to Japanese health authorities, at
least 10 people on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in the port of
Yokohama have tested positive for coronavirus.
Almost 300 of the 3,700 people on the cruise ship have been tested so far.
The number of infected could rise.
The checks began after an 80-year-old Hong Kong man who had been on the ship
last month fell ill with the virus.
Some 3,600 people on a second cruise ship docked in Hong Kong are also being
tested.
Chinese health authorities are stepping up efforts to control the spread of
the virus, with approximately 18 million people in the east of the country now
required to stay at home.
In Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, 11 large public venues including
sports arenas are being turned into makeshift hospitals to provide an
additional 10,000 beds for the sick. Two new hospitals have already been built
there since the outbreak started.
President Xi Jinping said China’s preventive measures were “achieving a
positive effect”, state media reported. He said China was confident and
capable of winning the war against the virus, after authorities were criticized
for their initial handling of the outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global health emergency
over the outbreak but said it did not yet constitute a “pandemic”, or
the worldwide spread of a new disease.
However, the number of cases in
China jumped by nearly 4,000 on February 4 alone to more than 24,300, with
another 65 deaths bringing the total to 490.
The new coronavirus causes severe
acute respiratory infection and symptoms usually start with a fever, followed
by a dry cough. Most people infected are likely to fully recover – just as they
would from a flu.
There is a much smaller number of
cases in countries around the globe other than China – two people outside of
mainland China have died of the disease.
The Hong Kong man believed to be the
source boarded the cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan, on January 20, and
disembarked in Hong Kong on January 25. He was only later found to have tested
positive for the virus.
Officials on the cruise ship began
screening guests on February 3, and the vessel was placed under quarantine on
February 4.
Passengers and crew on the ship will
now be under quarantine for 14 days. The incubation period of the virus is
believed to be around two weeks.
All 10 cases are in those over the
age of 50 and one is in their 80s, Japanese broadcaster NHK said.
Two of them are said to be Japanese, and none are in “serious condition”, it added.
Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders are taking
the lead in the Iowa caucuses, the first vote to choose the Democratic
candidate to run against President Donald Trump in November’s election.
The vote has been chaotic, beset by technical problems and delays in
reporting results.
According to Iowa’s Democratic Party, data from 71% of precincts showed Pete
Buttigieg on 26.8%, with Bernie Sanders on 25.2%.
Elizabeth Warren was third on 18.4% and Joe Biden fourth on 15.4%.
According to the other preliminary results released on February 4 from all
of Iowa’s 99 counties, Amy Klobuchar was on 12.6%, and Andrew Yang on 1%. Tom
Steyer and Tulsi Gabbard were on less than 1%.
However, the state party has still not declared a winner from February 3
vote. Democrats have blamed the delay on a coding error with an app being used
for the first time to report the votes.
Iowa was the first contest in a string of nationwide state-by-state votes,
known as primaries and caucuses, that will culminate in the crowning of a
Democratic nominee at the party convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in July.
Eleven candidates remain in a Democratic field that has already been
whittled down from more than two dozen.
The results represent the share of delegates needed to clinch the party
nomination under America’s quirky political system. Iowa awards only 41 of the
1,991 delegates required to become the Democratic White House nominee.
In the popular vote count, partial results showed Bernie Sanders leading
with 32,673 ballots, while Pete Buttigieg was second at 31,353.
However, Pete Buttigieg, 38, came top in certain rural areas with smaller
populations, and so far has more delegates.
Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price told a news conference on February
4 the fiasco had been “simply unacceptable”.
“I apologize deeply for
this,” he said of the turmoil, which has provoked calls for Iowa to
lose its coveted spot atop the presidential voting calendar.
“This was a coding error,”
Troy Price said, while insisting the data was secure and promising a thorough
review.
Elizabeth Warren was third with 25,692, followed by Joe Biden at
16,447 and Amy Klobuchar at 15,470.
State party officials earlier said
the problem was not the result of “a hack or an intrusion”.
Officials were being dispatched
across the Hawkeye state to retrieve hard-copy results.
They were matching those numbers
against results reported via a mobile app that many precinct captains said had
crashed.
The mobile app was developed by tech
firm Shadow Inc., run by veterans of Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 presidential
campaign.
The app was put together in just two
months and had not been independently tested, the New York Times reported, quoting people briefed on the matter by the
Iowa Democratic Party.
The Democratic Party in Nevada, where
caucuses will be held on February 22, has reversed a decision to use the
company’s software.
Voters flocked on February 3 to more
than 1,600 caucus sites, including libraries, high schools and community centers.
President Trump said earlier that
the Iowa Democratic caucuses had been an “unmitigated disaster”.
If elected, Pete Buttigieg would be
the first openly gay US president.
The 38-year-old is the former mayor
of South Bend, Indiana, a city of just over 100,000 people.
Pete Buttigieg is a former Harvard
and Oxford University Rhodes scholar, who served as a military intelligence
officer in Afghanistan and used to work for global management consultancy
McKinsey.
Rivals say Pete Buttigieg, who is younger than Macaulay Culkin and Britney Spears, is too inexperienced to be US president.
At his annual State of the Union address, President
Donald Trump has hailed the “great American comeback”.
His speech to Congress exposed sharp divisions
at the top of US politics.
President Trump was speaking on the eve of his expected acquittal on
corruption charges in his impeachment trial.
At one point the Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped up a copy of
the president’s speech behind him.
Donald Trump delivered the nationally televised speech in the
Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, where he was impeached in
December.
His trial in the Senate culminates on February 5 but with Republicans in
charge there he is all but certain to be cleared and escape being thrown out of
office.
President Trump did not mention
impeachment at all in his speech although he did jab at Democrats.
Republican lawmakers chanted
“four more years” as Donald Trump prepared to speak, urging him on
for November’s White House election.
The State of the Union address is a
speech delivered by the president to Congress towards the beginning of each
calendar year in office.
The speech is usually used as a
chance to report on the condition of the nation, but also allows the president
to outline a legislative agenda and national priorities.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been
one of the president’s fiercest critics – she was the one who first launched
formal impeachment efforts last year. President Trump has frequently taunted
her as “Crazy Nancy”.
It was the first time the two had
come face-to-face since Nancy Pelosi stormed out of a White House meeting four
months ago.
Before President Trump began speaking
at the podium in the well of the House, he appeared to snub the outstretched
hand of Nancy Pelosi, America’s most powerful elected Democrat.
The House speaker, critics noticed,
skipped the traditional introduction welcoming the president as a
“distinct honor”.
When President Trump accused
Democrats of planning to force American taxpayers to provide unlimited free
healthcare to undocumented immigrants, Nancy Pelosi was observed twice
mouthing: “Not true.”
Nancy Pelosi stunned onlookers by
shredding a copy of the president’s remarks as he concluded.
She told reporters afterwards her
gesture was “the courteous thing to do, considering the
alternatives”.
Nancy Pelosi did rise to applaud the
president more than once, including when he promoted his pet project of
infrastructure investment, a possible area of bipartisan co-operation.
President Trump struck an upbeat
note in a speech lasting one hour and 18 minutes that contrasted sharply with
his lament of “American carnage” in his 2017 inaugural presidential
address.
In an implicit rebuke to his
predecessor Barack Obama, President Trump told his audience: “In just three short years, we have
shattered the mentality of American decline and we have rejected the downsizing
of America’s destiny.
“We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable
just a short time ago, and we are never going back!”
President Trump repeatedly swiped at
Democrats, including left-wing candidates such as Bernie Sanders, who are vying
to challenge him for the presidency.
As is tradition, President Trump
invited several special guests, including Venezuelan opposition leader Juan
Guaidó, military veterans and the brother of a man killed by an undocumented
immigrant.
In a move certain to infuriate
liberal critics, President Trump announced he would award the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor, to firebrand conservative
radio host Rush Limbaugh, who revealed this week he has lung cancer.
First Lady Melania Trump bestowed
the honor on an emotional Rush Limbaugh as the president spoke.
A protester was escorted from the
chamber while President Trump defended gun rights. It was Fred Guttenberg, the
father of Jaime Guttenberg, a student killed in a mass school shooting at
Parkland, Florida, in February 2018.
Fred Guttenberg was a guest of Nancy
Pelosi.
Each year after the State of the Union speech, a member of the main
opposition party is tasked with responding and this year it fell to Michigan
Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
The governor accused the president of failing to fix America’s problems.
She said: “Bullying people on
Twitter doesn’t fix bridges – it burns them.”
As they did last year, many female Democrats – including Nancy Pelosi – wore
white as tribute to the suffragettes who won the vote for US women a century
ago.
Several liberal Democratic lawmakers, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of
New York and Maxine Waters of California, boycotted President Trump’s address.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted that she would “not use my presence at
a state ceremony to normalize Trump’s lawless conduct & subversion of the
Constitution”.
Other left-wing Democrats, including Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, walked out
during President Trump’s speech.
As is traditional during the State of the Union, one member of the president’s
cabinet did not attend the address.
He or she remains at a secret location to make sure the government can
continue should calamity befall the nation’s president, vice-president and
other top leaders.
This time, that person, who is known as the designated survivor, was Interior Secretary David Bernhardt.
A pediatric nurse practitioner is an advancedpractice registered nurse who has either completed a master’s program in nursing or a doctoral degree program. Their main role is to provide care and treatment to children from as young as newborns to young adults. They also have to interact and communicate with family members of all ages. These medical professionals are trained to diagnose illness, preform annual checkups and prescribe medication, as well as consult clients alongside their family members and apply for patient testing.
This highly specialized and varied role gives a fantastic opportunity for registered nurses to progress. It puts them in a position that is extremely close to that of a doctorwhile continuing to care and have close relationships with their patients, as well as the other things they love as a nurse. If you are on the fence about studying nursing or continuing your study to become a pediatric nurse practitioner, then here are sevenreasons why you should consider it.
You Get to Work with Kids
According to the AANP (American Association of Nurse Practitioners), around 60 percent of nurse practitioners will choose to specialize in family practice, while only 5 percent choose to specialize in pediatric primary and acute care. This is a very small percentage, which is crazy considering all of the benefits that come from working with children. Due to the small number of people choosing to specialize in this field, there is a very high demand for pediatric nurse practitioners. However, the best and most rewarding part of this role is that you can be the one to make a difference to a child’s life, as well as their family.
It Improves Your Education
Whether you choose to work in mental health, women’s health or a pediatric environment, all nurse practitioners must have an MSN.There are many ways you can study to obtain this, like through online pediatric nurse practitioner programs.There are many advantages to online pediatric nurse practitioner programs because you can study in your own time alongside work and family commitments. A pediatric nurse practitioner will also need to be certified by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board. This means that you will gain an advanced degree, as well as a specialized certification. This will be respected in all settings that focus on health care. These credentials will give you the privilege to:
Diagnose patients
Perform evaluations
Prescribe medications
These are all essential to pediatric care.
Your Salary Will Increase
An increase in pay tends to follow you once you have a higher education and become specialized in a particular field. The mean salary for a nurse practitioner working full time will be around six figures (according to the AANP). The competitive wages you can receive are high due to your degree and certification, which means that your advanced education would be worth the time and money compared to that of other medical professionals. In the United States, there is currently a shortage when it comes to primary care. This means that many medical systems and hospitals will actually pay for certain full-time registered nurses to study and become a nurse practitioner.
Chance to Improve Personal Skills
To become a successful pediatric nurse practitioner, you will need to have a number of skills and attributes in order to succeed. Although education to the correct level is essential, there are some things you won’t learn in the classroom but must have to succeed. Nurse practitioners will require a multitude of skills and attributes, like:
Mental and physical endurance
Enthusiasm, advocacy, empathy, and optimism
Fantastic communication skills
Excellent interpersonal skills
Fast responses and problem-solving skills
Attention to detail
You Will Always Be Busy
Most nurse practitioners will see over three patients per hour. If you tend to get bored easily and don’t enjoy watching the clock, then this field will be perfect for you. You will be on your feet for most of the day, so make sure you invest in some comfortable footwear to make this part of your job easier. The field of a pediatric nurse practitioner is constantly changing, so they will constantly seek extra training and certifications to keep up with the changes. There is also a huge range of environments that will allow you to work there and there are several ways a nurse practitioner can specialize in these fields, so you will always be kept busy.
You Can Open Your Own Practice
In some states, being a nurse practitioner means you can open up your own private practice. There are presently 22 states that permit full practice autonomy. This means that nurse practitioners will be allowed to practice without having to be supervised by a physician.Owning your own practice will come with a lot of responsibility and you will have to put in the time and research to ensure you set it up correctly. However, there are many advantages that come with being your own boss and having full control. In the medical community, there is a significant push for more independence for nurse practitioners throughout the United States to help address the extreme shortages in care.
There is a Huge Demand
As mentioned before, in the United States, there is a big shortage of primary care. The AANP states that there is a high demand for pediatric nurse practitioners and this demand is always rising. They have also said that their role may be the answer to a future physician shortage. It is thought that this profession will grow a lot quicker compared to others due to this huge demand. Just like any career, some nurse practitioners will be needed more than others, and this will vary amongst areas. However, if you want to ensure you have a secure job for the rest of your life, then you should definitely look at becoming a nurse practitioner.
The role of a nurse practitioner isn’t easy, but what comes alongside it will be extremely rewarding. There are many reasons you should look at specializing in the field of a pediatric nurse practitioner. These reasons can benefit you as well as others, but you need to make sure this will be right for you before you take that step.
Many have spent the past few weeks vigorously campaigning in Iowa, which is
always the first to vote. The primaries contest goes on until early June, and
moves on to New Hampshire next Tuesday.
Polls suggest that Bernie Sanders
has risen to be the favorite in Iowa.
He is one of four senators running
for president who have had to stay behind in Washington to attend President
Trump’s impeachment trial, but his supporters, including Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez, a well-known congresswoman, have been energetically campaigning
on his behalf in Iowa.
Four years after losing out to
Hillary Clinton, the 78-year-old is now backed by a huge pot of donations and a
team of hundreds.
Some of the other big names
including Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg will be hoping
Bernie Sanders doesn’t have it all his own way in Iowa.
There are also Republican caucuses on February 3, and two people are running
against Donald Trump, but the president’s popularity within his own party is
such that his nomination is all but a formality.
Iowa, to some extent, provides a glimpse of what went wrong for Democrats in
2016.
In the last election, more than 200 counties flipped from supporting
President Barack Obama in 2012 to backing Donald Trump – and 31 of those
counties were in Iowa.
Democrats will be hoping to lure back those swing voters in 2020.
Howard County in northern Iowa flipped by 41 percentage points in 2016, the largest change in the US.
The 2020 BAFTA Awards have taken place at the Royal Albert Hall in London on February 2. The BAFTAs can be an indicator of which films go on to win Academy Awards weeks later.
Here are the full list of this year’s winners.
Best
film
WINNER: 1917
The Irishman
Joker
Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
Parasite
Outstanding
British film
WINNER: 1917
Bait
For Sama
Rocketman
Sorry We Missed You
The Two Popes
Leading
actress
Jessie Buckley – Wild Rose
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
WINNER: Renée Zellweger – Judy
Leading
actor
Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Taron Egerton – Rocketman
WINNER: Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes
Supporting
actress
WINNER: Laura Dern – Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh – Little Women
Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Margot Robbie – Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
Supporting
actor
Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
Al Pacino – The Irishman
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
WINNER: Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
Director
WINNER: Sam Mendes – 1917
Martin Scorsese – The Irishman
Todd Phillips – Joker
Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood
Bong Joon-Ho – Parasite
EE
Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)
Awkwafina
Jack Lowden
Kaitlyn Dever
Kelvin Harrison Jr
WINNER: Micheal Ward
Outstanding
debut by a British writer, director or producer
WINNER: Bait – Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite
For Sama – Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
Maiden – Alex Holmes
Only You – Harry Wootliff
Retablo – Álvaro Delgado-Aparicio
Film
not in the English language
The Farewell
For Sama
Pain and Glory
WINNER: Parasite
Portrait of a Lady On Fire
Documentary
American Factory
Apollo 11
Diego Maradona
WINNER: For Sama
The Great Hack
Animated
film
Frozen 2
WINNER: Klaus
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Toy Story 4
Original
screenplay
Booksmart – Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah
Haskins, Katie Silberman
Knives Out – Rian Johnson
Marriage Story – Noah Baumbach
Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood – Quentin Tarantino
WINNER: Parasite – Han Jin Won, Bong Joon Ho
Adapted
screenplay
The Irishman – Steven Zaillian
WINNER: Jojo Rabbit – Taika Waititi
Joker – Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
Little Women – Greta Gerwig
The Two Popes – Anthony McCarten
Original
score
1917 – Thomas Newman
Jojo Rabbit – Michael Giacchino
WINNER: Joker – Hildur Gudnadottir
Little Women – Alexandre Desplat
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – John Williams
Cinematography
WINNER: 1917 – Roger Deakins
The Irishman – Rodrigo Prieto
Joker – Lawrence Sher
Le Mans ’66 – Phedon Papamichael
The Lighthouse – Jarin Blaschke
Costume
design
The Irishman – Christopher Peterson, Sandy Powell
Jojo Rabbit – Mayes C Rubeo
Judy – Jany Temime
WINNER: Little Women – Jacqueline Durrant
Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood – Arianne Phillips
Editing
The Irishman – Thelma Schoonmaker
Jojo Rabbit – Tom Eagles
Joker – Jeff Groth
WINNER: Le Mans ’66 – Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker
Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood – Fred Raskin
Production
design
WINNER: 1917 – Lee Sandales
The Irishman – Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
Jojo Rabbit – Ra Vincent, Nora Sopková
Joker – Mark Friedberg, Kris Moran
Once upon a Time… In Hollywood – Barbara Ling, Nancy
Haigh
Make-up
and hair
1917 – Naomi Donne
WINNER: Bombshell – Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne
Morgan
Joker – Kay Georgiou, Nicki Ledermann
Judy – Jeremy Woodhead
Rocketman – Lizzie Yianni Georgiou
Sound
WINNER: 1917 – Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael
Tate, Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson
Joker – Tod Maitland, Alan Robert Murray, Tom Ozanich,
Dean Zupancic
Le Mans ’66 – David Giammarco, Paul Massey, Steven A.
Morrow, Donald Sylvester
Rocketman – Matthew Collinge, John Hayes, Mike
Prestwood Smith, Danny Sheehan
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – David Acord, Andy
Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood
Geeks around the world are celebrating
palindrome day, a day so rare that it’s certain to happen only once in their
lifetimes.
This is when the date – in this case
02/02/2020 – reads the same way back to front.
However, while palindrome days come
and go – 20/02/2002 is another example – this one is special.
Unlike the date in 2002, this one
reads the same in the US, where dates are written as month-day-year instead of
day-month-year as in much of the rest of the world.
It also works for China and a
handful of other countries which put the year first.
The last time a palindrome like this
happened was November 11, 1111.
We don’t have to wait quite so long for the next international
palindrome day, though – it’s 12 December 2121.
Those who are super-engaged with dates and numbers will have pointed out
another anomaly.
Sunday, February 2, is number 33 in days of the year – 33 being another palindrome. And as this is a leap year, it’s also 333 days from the end of the year – a third palindrome.
As someone ages, their bodies weaken and it becomes more likely that they will fall and injure themselves. We all stumble occasionally, but for an elderly person, this can be serious. Whether they are in a nursing home or still living at home there are steps they can take to try and prevent this from happening.
In the US fall prevention alarms in nursing homes are being phased out. These alarms are important for elderly residents to be able to call for assistance if they need a drink, the bathroom or if they have an unexpected fall. Without them, they may end up feeling trapped and it can result in more falls if they try to do things themselves. When choosing a nursing home, you should make sure that they are still using an alarm system.
Exercise
Daily exercise has lots of benefits for elderly people. It will keep their bodies stronger and prevent falls. There are many exercises which can be done from their seats or someone should walk with them to make sure they are safe.
Exercise will also keep them feeling better in themselves and give them more independence. One fantastic new trend for people who are still able is aqua sports, as the water takes on any weight whilst eliminating strain – it allows people to do exercises that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. You may be able to find classes at your local gym, or you can find some ideas for exercise for elderly people here.
Home adjustments
If they are still living at home, then some adjustments should be made to their home. One idea could be to have everything on one level so that they don’t have to go upstairs. Handrails are also a fantastic option and can be installed in several places. Being able to sit down quickly could also prevent falling. A seat should be accessible in the shower and even in the kitchen.
Keeping the house tidy and free from clutter is also important as well as any trip hazards, such as removing any rugs. Grip flooring could also be installed such as carpet. Bathrooms and kitchens can be dangerous when wet so high-quality non-slip mats could be a great idea.
It may also be difficult for people to bend down low or reach high so some cupboards should be emptied, and the contents moved so everything is accessible.
Mobility aid
Some kind of mobility aid could make all the difference. A walking stick or walker, for example, they should discuss this with their doctor. This will keep them walking for longer.
Wheelchairs or mobility scooters are great if it means retaining independence for longer, but it also stops people from using their legs, which results in them further deteriorating. Therefore, walk assists should be used if possible.
Mobility aids could also include remote control chairs and beds to help people stand up, stairlifts and ‘reachers’ to help people to get things that are far away, high up or low down.
Clothes
Socks can be a big cause of slips, so opt for slippers with a strong grip. Furthermore, baggy clothes that can be caught on things are another culprit. Tight-fitting clothes are best.
A public health emergency has been declared in
the US over the spread of the coronavirus and said it would deny entry to any
foreign nationals who have visited China in the past two weeks.
According to authorities, US citizens returning from Hubei province, where
the outbreak started, will be quarantined for two weeks.
Nearly 10,000 cases of the new virus have been confirmed, most of them in
China, since it emerged in December.
More than 100 cases have been reported outside China, in 22 countries.
On January 31, Beijing said the death toll had risen by 45 to 258 – all of
them in China and 249 in Hubei.
Earlier, it emerged that the number of new coronavirus cases worldwide had
overtaken that of the SARS epidemic, which spread to more than two dozen
countries in 2003.
There were around 8,100 cases of SARS – severe acute respiratory syndrome –
during the eight-month outbreak. In total, 774 people were killed by SARS.
On January 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global health
emergency over the new outbreak.
WHO spokesman Chris Lindmeier warned that closing borders could in fact accelerate
its spread, with travelers entering countries unofficially.
“As we know from other scenarios,
be it Ebola or other cases, whenever people want to travel, they will. And if
the official paths are not opened, they will find unofficial paths,”
he said.
He said the best way to track the virus was at official border crossings.
In a public statement on January 31, Health Secretary Alex Azar said US
citizens returning from Hubei province would face 14 days of quarantine while
those returning from other parts of China would be allowed to monitor their own
condition for a similar period.
He told reporters: “Following the
World Health Organization decision, I have today declared that the coronavirus
represents a public health emergency in the United States.”
Citing the need to relieve pressure
on authorities, Alex Azar said that foreign nationals who had travelled in
China in the past two weeks would be denied entry to the US.
He added: “The risk of infection for Americans remains low and with these,
and our previous, actions we are working to keep the risk low.”
Another confirmed case in the US on
January 31 – in California – brought the number there to seven. Robert
Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
said 191 people were under observation for the disease.
The US announcement came as other
countries around the world scrambled to contain the spread of the new virus,
2019-nCov.
On January 31, the UK confirmed its first two cases.
Estimates by the University of Hong Kong suggest the true total number of
cases could be far higher than official figures suggest. Based on mathematical
models of the outbreak, experts there say more than 75,000 people may have been
infected in the city of Wuhan alone, where the virus first emerged.
Most cases outside China involve people who have been to Wuhan. Germany,
Japan, Vietnam, the US, Thailand and South Korea have reported person-to-person
cases – patients being infected by people who had travelled to China.
Meanwhile in Wuhan, voluntary evacuations of hundreds of foreign nationals
are under way.
Australia, South Korea, Singapore, New Zealand and the UK are expected to quarantine all evacuees for two weeks to monitor them for symptoms and avoid contagion.
In a message released on social
media an hour before the UK’s departure, Boris Johnson said: “For many people this is an astonishing
moment of hope, a moment they thought would never come.
“And there are many of course who feel a sense of
anxiety and loss.
“And then of course there is a third group – perhaps
the biggest – who had started to worry that the whole political wrangle would
never come to an end.
“I understand all those feelings and our job as the
government – my job – is to bring this country together now and take us
forward.”
The prime minister said that “for all its strengths and for all its
admirable qualities, the EU has evolved over 50 years in a direction that no
longer suits this country”.
“The most important thing to say
tonight is that this is not an end but a beginning,” he said, and
“a moment of real national renewal and change”.
Brexit parties were held in pubs and
social clubs across the UK as the country counted down to its official
departure.
Hundreds gathered in Parliament
Square to celebrate Brexit, singing patriotic songs and cheering speeches from
leading Brexiteers, including Nigel Farage, the leader of Brexit Party.
He said: “Let us celebrate tonight as we have never done before.
“This is the greatest moment in the modern history of
our great nation.”
Pro-EU demonstrators earlier staged
a march in Whitehall to bid a “fond farewell” to the union – and
anti-Brexit rallies and candlelit vigils were held in Scotland.
Other symbolic moments on January 31
included:
The UK flag was removed from the EU institutions in Brussels;
The Cabinet meeting in Sunderland, the first city to declare in favor of Brexit when the 2016 results were announced;
A light show illuminating 10 Downing Street and Union flags lining The Mall;
A 50p coin to mark the occasion entering circulation.
If you’ve
decided to make the commendable decision to charter a yacht – be it the first
time or the twentieth – deciding when to set sail might not be as simple as you
might think. There are quite a few variables to consider when planning your
voyage – fluctuating seasonal costs, ideal periods to visit certain locations,
and what you want to get out of your itinerary can all affect when you decide
to embark. To help guide you in deciding what might be the best course of
action for you, read on to learn in more detail the factors that can influence
your voyage. Remember: good preparation is paramount if you want to have the
best trip possible without all of the headaches that often accompany poor
planning.
Choosing a
time of year that best suits you
Although
embarking on a cruise in a yacht in the peak of summer might seem like a good
idea on paper – crystal clear skies, tranquil oceans and gorgeous beaches may
immediately come to mind – summer may not necessarily be the best option.
Instead, consider where in the world you’re wanting to travel to, and how
seasons in these locations will affect what you plan to do. For example, if
you’re wanting to travel around the Mediterranean and want to primarily swim
and sunbathe, it would absolutely make sense to travel in the peak of summer
when the weather is scorching. If instead you want to relax aboard your yacht,
spring and autumn are still very viable months, and are less vulnerable to
intense heatwaves. This is also true if you want to moor your vessel and go on
active adventures – sweltering heat makes many physical activities prohibitive,
so make sure the weather is cooler before you plan a multi-day hike.
Considering
seasonal costs
Another thing people should consider when planning your yachting are costs associated with seasons, particularly if you decide to hire your vessel through a service such as Ahoy Club. The peak of summer, a time during which many will flock to the seas, will attract the highest fees and can throw your budget out of whack. With this being the case, a pre-defined budget could net you two very different yachts depending on the season – would you prefer a more well-fitted out, comfortable yacht to relax on during the cooler months, or a smaller, agile yacht to visit crystal clear beaches during the warmer months? Because the warmer months also tend to attract more keen charterers, you should also expect that mooring may be more of a problem than it would be in cooler months. If you aren’t able to find a convenient spot to anchor your vessel, you might find that getting around won’t be as simple as you anticipated.
Ready to
embark on a life-changing voyage?
If you’ve always dreamed about setting sail on a luxury yacht, it should now be apparent how important planning is for your voyage. It’s also a good idea to keep in mind that chartering during summer also has its drawbacks. To help give you an idea of what services your needs in the best way possible, it’s recommended to write a detailed list of what you hope to see and achieve while chartering. This way, you’re much less likely to get caught out.
Vanessa Bryant, the widow of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, has made her first comments since the helicopter crash that killed her husband, one of their daughters and seven others on January 26.
In a post on Instagram with a family photo, Vanessa Bryant said she was “completely devastated” and that there were not “enough words to describe our pain”.
Kobe and Vanessa had four daughters including Gianna, 13, who died in the crash.
There has been no word yet on funeral arrangements.
The cause of the crash in foggy weather west of Los Angeles is still being
investigated.
Kobe Bryant, 41, was on his way to coach his daughter’s basketball team in a
local youth tournament at the Mamba Sports Academy.
In the Instagram post, Vanessa Bryant also said: “We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring
husband, Kobe – the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet
Gianna – a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to
Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.”
The devastated wife added: “I
wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken
from us too soon. I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s
impossible to imagine life without them.”
Vanessa Bryant also thanked for the public support, and announced the formation
of a fund to help support the other families that were affected by the crash,
the Mamba Sports Foundation.
The other victims included the pilot, two other 13-year-old girls involved
in the tournament, three of their parents and another coach.
Kobe Bryant was a five-time NBA champion for his only team,
the Los Angeles Lakers, and a double Olympic gold medalist.
After a 20-year career with the team Kobe Bryant retired in April 2016.
