Category Archives: headline

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Banksy painting raises $30 million for UK health charities

A Banksy painting honouring Britain's health workers in the pandemic has sold for a record £16.8 million ($30.18 million), auction house Christie's said Tuesday.

Proceeds from the sale will be used to fund health organisations and charities across the UK, it said.

The work by the mystery street artist, titled "Game Changer", first appeared on a wall at Southampton General Hospital in southern England in May, during the first wave of the pandemic.

READ MORE: Finnish astrophotographer spends 12 years creating Milky Way mosaic

The black-and-white picture depicts a young boy sitting on the floor playing with a nurse superhero toy, as Batman and Spiderman toy figures lie in a wastepaper basket next to him.

At the time it went up, the hospital said Banksy left a note for workers there saying: "Thanks for all you're doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it's only black and white."

Christie's said the sale price was a world auction record for Banksy. The auction house said it will donate a "significant portion" of the buyer's premium to health organisations.

A reproduction of the picture will stay at the hospital for patients, visitors and staff, Christie's added.

READ MORE: Banksy shares video revealing himself as artist behind prison piece

"Banksy is an extraordinary artist who is a constant barometer of nationwide sentiment," said Katharine Arnold, who heads the European post-war and contemporary art division at the auction house.

"With the perfect image of a little boy playing with his superhero doll, a nurse sporting the international Red Cross, he perfectly captured the essence of this moment in time."

The sale came on the day Britain held a minute's silence to mark one year since Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the first national lockdown.

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Brantley Seeks COVID Vaccines from US

Premier Mark Brantley, Minister of Foreign Affairs of St. Kitts and Nevis has reached out to the United States asking for a donation of COVID-19 vaccines for the Federation and the wider region. His request follows Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne chiding the US for leaving the Caribbean out of its plans for massive vaccine donations to Canada and Mexico.

Minister Brantley submitted the request through the US Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean, the OECS and Barbados, Linda Taglialatela.

He made the revelation during his presentation at a virtual forum which was hosted by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States on March 19.

The virtual forum was meant to address “Legal challenges faced by the Caribbean in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“We in the Caribbean continue to make the passionate plea that vaccines be made available to us with some alacrity. We are aware from reports in the New York Times just yesterday that the great United States of America has made vaccines available to Mexico and Canada. I have myself indicated to the United States that…having benefitted the other two borders Mexico and Canada, that it would perhaps be useful for them to think of their third border, the Caribbean, and to make vaccines available to us in the region as well,” he said.

Noting the challenges faced by the Caribbean and Latin America in their attempts to procure vaccines, Brantley urged the OAS Secretary-General for assistance in this regard.

“The difficulty, of course, is that we have not been able to access sufficient vaccines to satisfy our populations…The other issue of course has to do with the equality of vaccine access and that has proven problematic because naturally, some countries are in a better financial position than others, some countries are themselves producers of vaccines.

“And I’m happy Secretary-General that you are here because I think through your office we can assist each other in saying that there has to be a human right to the equitable access of vaccines because as we have secretary-Generale to maintain, none of us is safe until all of us are safe.”

Saint Kitts and Nevis Foreign Affairs Minister urged the OAS Secretary-General to be an advocate for the Caribbean.
“I feel that we have vested interest in insisting that vaccines be made available to our people on an equitable basis,” he said.

Mr Luis Amalgro, OAS Secretary-General, who was also a participant in the important forum, said he agreed with Minister Brantley’s position on equitable access to the vaccine for the region.

He said: “Most of us agree that the COVID-19 vaccine should be distributed fairly worldwide because we believe in the principle of fairness. The global pandemic requires a response based on unity, solidarity and multi-lateral cooperation to ensure that all states have access to vaccines.”

The OAS Secretary-General said he too joins the call for equal access to and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

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The post Brantley Seeks COVID Vaccines from US appeared first on The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

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Mind Boggling: Some Royal Carib Customers Balk at Needing Pre Cruise Vaccinations

After Royal Caribbean’s (RCL) announcement that it was returning to international sailing in June after a year of suspended operations due to the pandemic for fully vaccinated passengers, several customers have criticized the cruise line for its decision.

Some Royal Caribbean customers are now calling for a boycott of the company on Twitter, as noted by The Daily Mail, saying that the cruise line is forcing them to get the COVID vaccine to board its ships. Last week, Royal Caribbean said it will require all passengers and crewmembers 18 and older to be fully vaccinated to board its upcoming cruises to the Bahamas and Mexico. Guests under age 18 will be required to provide a negative COVID test result.

Several users of the social media platform have slammed the cruise line for requiring the shot. One upset customer wrote they did not “want the experimental gene therapy that’s mandatory to step aboard their ships.”

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID vaccine has shown to be up to 95% effective in protecting against the virus in two doses of the shot, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has shown to have at least 66% efficacy in protecting against COVID-19.

Royal Caribbean, along with its sister cruise line Celebrity Cruises, announced the COVID vaccine requirement as it looks to make its cruise ships safer for travelers.

Cruise ships were considered breeding grounds for the coronavirus during the height of the pandemic, with many travelers stuck at sea unable to dock due to passengers and crew members being infected with the virus while onboard ships.

Royal Caribbean, and several other cruise lines, have implemented a series of safety protocols since such as requiring negative COVID tests prior to boarding to prevent infection and to keep travelers safe – all in an attempt to restart operations and to prevent the reoccurrence of superspreader events on its ships.

But some customers don’t agree with the COVID vaccine rules, saying on Twitter that the vaccine requirement goes too far. One user said, “will never sail with you again” while another said, “canceling my cruise now.”

But others applauded Royal Caribbean for its efforts, telling the cruise line “This is Awesome news!” and “I can’t wait to sail again.”

Royal Caribbean International is requiring the COVID vaccine on its seven-night Bahamas and Mexico cruises at this time, which set sail from Nassau, Florida, starting on June 12. Bookings for the cruises start on Wednesday.

The cruise line previously announced that the vaccines were required for passengers booking cruises sailing from Israel to Cyprus and the Greek Isles, starting in May.

Shares of Royal Caribbean were trading at $87.78 as of premarket hours on Tuesday, down $1.12 or 1.26%.

A proposed debt offering by Royal Caribbean Cruises will offer the latest indication of investor appetite for a hard-hit sector A Royal Caribbean cruise ship is pictured. Photo: GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / JOE RAEDLE

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Scott Morrison 'deeply regrets' News Corp harassment complaint claim

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he deeply regrets his "insensitive response to a question from a News Ltd journalist" today claiming a staffer at the media company was subject to a misconduct complaint.

News Corp denied Mr Morrison's claim, describing it as "extraordinary".

"In the course of today's media conference when responding to further questions I deeply regret my insensitive response to a question from a News Ltd journalist by making an anonymous reference to an incident at News Ltd that has been rejected by the company," Mr Morrison said in a statement tonight.

"I accept their account. I was wrong to raise it, the emotion of the moment is no excuse.

"I especially wish to apologise to the individual at the centre of the incident and others directly impacted.

"I had no right to raise this issue and especially without their permission."

The comment came this afternoon after Sky News reporter Andrew Clennell challenged Mr Morrison on the issue of workplace harassment during an emotional press conference addressing systemic issues relating to the treatment of women within Parliament House.

"Right now, you would be aware that in your own organisation that there is a person who has had a complaint made against them for harassment of a woman in a women's toilet and that matter is being pursued by your own HR department," Mr Morrison replied.

"So let's not all of us who sit in glass houses here start getting into that."

READ MORE: Emotional PM asks Parliament to 'get house in order'

Scott Morrison listens to a question from Tanya Plibersek.

News Corp Australasia Executive Chairman Michael Miller released a statement in response.

"Prime Minister Scott Morrison was wrong today to claim an investigation is under way into a complaint accusing an employee of harassment against a woman in a female toilet," the statement said.

"No complaint has been received and News Corp and Sky News are not dealing with a complaint."

Mr Miller said News Corp normally does not comment on private matters but felt compelled to reply.

"However given the Prime Minister's extraordinary claims made at a press conference broadcast live across the nation, I want to put to rest any suggestion that an employee of our company is being investigated for conduct suggested by Mr Morrison," he said.

Mr Miller did say there had been a "verbal exchange" between two News Corp employees in Parliament last year.

"The exchange was about a workplace-related issue, it was not of a sexual nature, it did not take place in a toilet, and neither person made a complaint," he said.

"Following those inquiries, our HR team wrote to one of the people involved and the matter was resolved."

Today the Prime Minister gathered all government staffers into a meeting at Parliament to address the issue of sexual harassment.

In Question Time today, before the News Corp statement, Labor's Tanya Plibersek challenged Mr Morrison on his remarks.

"Today the Prime Minister sought to use a confidential complaint about alleged workplace misconduct inside a media organisation to dismiss questions," Ms Plibersek said.

"Is it any wonder victims of sexual assault and harassment in this building and around Australia are afraid of coming forward when the Prime Minister of this country uses a confidential complaint in a nationally televised media conference as a way to try to stop journalists asking questions about these important issues?"

READ MORE: Morrison blasts 'disgusting, sickening' reports alleged lewd acts

Scott Morrison has defended referencing a sexual misconduct allegation purportedly made against a media staffer.

But Mr Morrison said he was making a broader point on sexual misconduct.

"These issues are not combined to one side of politics," Mr Morrison said.

"The problems that we are experiencing in this country are not confined simply to the offices of member for senators and ministers in this place, and go well beyond that."

He said he invoked the media organisation's allegation in an "an anonymised way".

Ms Plibersek probed him further.

"Why is it Prime Minister knew about the confidential complaint in a media organisation but claims he didn't know about the reported sexual assault, that allegedly occurred just metres from his office, for two years?" she asked.

The Prime Minister answered: "Because it's the truth, Mr Speaker."

Scott Morrison challenges a reporter at a press conference.News Corp has denied Scott Morrison's claims there was a misconduct investigation in place over a Parliament House encounter.

Later in Question Time, Mr Morrison was questioned about reports which surfaced last night that staffers had allegedly brought sex workers into Parliament House for government MPs, including a minister.

"I understand the report referred to a former minister, not a current minister, so I would simply make that point," Mr Morrison said.

"Obviously we're seeking to pursue those matters with those who are already known to us, and there is only one individual that was subject of the reports yesterday and that person has had their employment terminated."

Mr Morrison said that last night's allegations of lewd acts performed in Parliament took place before he was Prime Minister.

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A&B: PM Browne Angry Over US Omitting Caribbean for Vaccine Donations

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has hit out at last week’s announcement by the US that it is sending four million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Mexico and Canada- and omitting the Caribbean.

Mexico is set to receive 2.5m doses and Canada1.5m doses by way of “loans” in the US’s first export of shots.

Browne expressed his disappointment to radio listeners on Saturday saying, “a week before that announcement was made, we did say to Canada and the United States that they should assist the Caribbean region. They are like our bigger brothers and you know when you have a crisis like this, you have to be your brother’s keeper and your sister’s protector and I cannot see how they can be making these policy decisions to assist Canada and Mexico and leave the Caribbean out”.

He continued, “In fact, I find it astonishing that Caribbean countries have been left now to shop for vaccines out of Russia, China and elsewhere and our big brother to the north has vaccines that they are willing to donate and you’re not including your ‘third border’.”

Browne previously wrote to US President Joe Biden lobbying for a donation of vaccines to Caricom countries, but it appears that he is yet to receive a response.

Meanwhile the local Pharmaceutical Council has approved the importation of two more vaccines into Antigua and Barbuda, namely the Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm, and the Russian vaccine, Sputnik V.

Browne reiterated this over the weekend. “We have written to the Pharmacy Council to ask them for the approval to import the Sputnik vaccine for sure, and the Chinese vaccine Sinopharm,” he said.

“We have gotten approval for the importation of the two vaccines, so we are making attempts to get in those vaccines as soon as possible.”

He explained that when these jabs gain approval from international bodies such as the World Health Organization they will be nabbed by wealthier nations.

In fact, Browne shared that a Russian official had told the government via Zoom that, “based on the increase now in the amount of emergency authorisations that they have, and the orders they have had, they cannot guarantee what amount, even though we know we will get some Sputnik, but it is now in high demand.”

The Prime Minister said Sputnik’s high demand is due to its effectiveness in preventing Covid-19 infections.

“The Sputnik vaccine ranks with the Pfizer and the Moderna; it has a 93 percent efficacy, so it is a really good vaccine using the old vaccine technology,” he stated.

He said that Sputnik has even got excellent reviews from some of the world’s most respected medical journals.

But the government is still hoping to receive more AstraZeneca vaccines, he added.

Russia’s first approved vaccine was developed and produced entirely domestically – and has a name intentionally invoking the space race of the 1950s. As the world’s first registered vaccine against Covid-19, it is said to have shown an efficacy rate of more than 90 percent.

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Child Migrants Still Kept in Crowded, Bare Dorms

The Biden administration has said it will open additional facilities for migrants after images from a detention centre in Texas showed children huddled together in crowded makeshift rooms.

The Texas site, a government-run tent city in Donna at the US-Mexico border, is reportedly housing 1,000 people.

The photos are the first to show conditions at such facilities since President Joe Biden took office.

Critics have blamed Mr Biden for a surge in illegal migration to the US.

Since taking office in January, Mr Biden has removed some of the restrictions for those entering the US introduced by his predecessor, Donald Trump.

His administration has reversed a policy of turning away unaccompanied children at the border, instead opting to process them and place them with sponsoring families in the US.

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the US government was working to provide further accommodation for arrivals “in the coming days and weeks”.

“Places where kids can have access to healthcare, can have access to educational resources – even legal resources,” she said.

Her comments came after images released on Monday by Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar, a Democrat, showed children at the facility in Donna sleeping on thin mattresses on the floor under foil blankets.

The photos, reportedly captured at the weekend, have also raised concerns over a possible lack of social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people remain 2m (6ft) apart to help prevent the spread of virus infections.

Mr Cuellar said that those being housed at the centre had been divided among eight plastic “pods” that were overcrowded.

Activists have also said that those housed at the site had not been given adequate access to soap or food.

Migrants at the US Customs and Border Protection temporary processing centre in Donna, Texas, 22 March 2021
People are seen separated by plastic sheeting in makeshift rooms

“These photos show what we’ve long been saying, which is that these border patrol facilities are not places made for children,” Ms Psaki said. “They are not places that we want children to be staying for an extended period of time.”

She said the alternative was to send children back “on this treacherous journey – that is not, in our view, the right choice to make”.

Journalists have not been permitted inside the detention centres since Mr Biden took office, although the White House has said that they will be.

Lawyers who represent the children, and lawmakers who have toured the facilities, have described conditions as cramped.

Migrants at the US Customs and Border Protection temporary processing centre in the city of Donna
The number of unaccompanied minors at the border has sharply increased in recent months

The number of unaccompanied minors at the border has increased sharply in recent months.

The US government has said it wants to work with Mexico and Guatemala to address the root causes of the problem, which include widespread poverty and violence in Central America.

Ms Psaki said there was special concern about the growing number of unaccompanied children arriving at US border crossings, and that their wellbeing was a priority.

“Children presenting at our border who are fleeing violence, who are fleeing persecution, who are fleeing terrible situations is not a crisis,” she said.

“We feel that it is our responsibility to humanely approach this circumstance and make sure they are treated… and put in to conditions that are safe.”

The government-run tent city in Donna at the US-Mexico border
The government-run tent city in Donna at the US-Mexico border is reportedly holding 1,000 people

There has been a big influx of arrivals to the US southern border since Mr Biden took office, including hundreds of unaccompanied children who are being held in US immigration detention facilities.

Since January, the president has ordered the reunification of migrant children with their families, ended construction of Mr Trump’s border wall and called for reviews of legal immigration programmes terminated by the former president.

While in office, Mr Trump faced criticism over the conditions inside border facilities holding children.

Some Trump-era facilities – now renovated and upgraded – are being used again. Despite concerns about coronavirus, health officials from the CDC have said these facilities can open at 100% capacity.

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Common Cold May Knock Out COVID-19

The virus that causes the common cold can effectively boot the Covid virus out of the body’s cells, say researchers.

Some viruses are known to compete in order to be the one that causes an infection.

And University of Glasgow scientists say it appears cold-causing rhinovirus trumps coronavirus.

The benefits might be short-lived but rhinovirus is so widespread, they add, it could still help to suppress Covid.

Think of the cells in your nose, throat and lungs as being like a row of houses. Once a virus gets inside, it can either hold the door open to let in other viruses, or it can nail the door shut and keep its new home to itself.

Influenza is one of the most selfish viruses around, and nearly always infects alone. Others, such as adenoviruses, seem to be more up for a houseshare.

There has been much speculation about how the virus that causes Covid, known as Sars-CoV-2, would fit into the mysterious world of “virus-virus interactions”.

The challenge for scientists is that a year of social distancing has slowed the spread of all viruses and made it much harder to study.

Virus nose graphicimage copyrightGetty Images

The team at the Centre for Virus Research in Glasgow used a replica of the lining of our airways, made out of the same types of cells, and infected it with Sars-CoV-2 and rhinovirus, which is one of the most widespread infections in people, and a cause of the common cold.

If rhinovirus and Sars-CoV-2 were released at the same time, only rhinovirus is successful. If rhinovirus had a 24-hour head start then Sars-CoV-2 does not get a look in. And even when Sars-CoV-2 had 24-hours to get started, rhinovirus boots it out.

“Sars-CoV-2 never takes off, it is heavily inhibited by rhinovirus,” Dr Pablo Murcia told BBC News.

He added: “This is absolutely exciting because if you have a high prevalence of rhinovirus, it could stop new Sars-CoV-2 infections.”

Similar effects have been seen before. A large rhinovirus outbreak may have delayed the 2009 swine flu pandemic in parts of Europe.

Further experiments showed rhinovirus was triggering an immune response inside the infected cells, which blocked the ability of Sars-CoV-2 to make copies of itself.

When scientists blocked the immune response, then levels of the Covid virus were the same as if rhinovirus was not there.

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It May Take 10 Years for the UK to Recover from Pandemic

 

Britain faces a “Covid decade” of social and cultural upheaval marked by growing inequality and deepening economic deprivation, a landmark review has concluded.

Major changes to the way society is run in the wake of the pandemic are needed to mitigate the impact of the “long shadow” cast by the virus, including declining public trust and an explosion in mental illness, the British Academy report found.

Published on the anniversary of the UK’s first lockdown, the report brings together more than 200 academic social science and humanities experts and hundreds of research projects. It was set up last year at the behest of the government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance.

The British Academy warned that failure to understand the scale of the challenge ahead and deliver changes would result in a rapid slide towards poorer societal health, more extreme patterns of inequality and fragmenting national unity.

Government-led intervention including major investment in public services is required to repair the “profound social damage” caused or exacerbated by coronavirus across areas including the economy, mental health, public trust and education, it said.

“With the advent of vaccines and the imminent ending of lockdowns, we might think that the impact of Covid-19 is coming to an end. This would be wrong. We are in a Covid decade: the social, economic and cultural effects of the pandemic will cast a long shadow into the future – perhaps longer than a decade,” it said.

The report’s publication came as Boris Johnson delivered an upbeat reflection on what he called one of the most difficult years in the UK’s history, offering condolences to those who lost family and friends to the virus but paying tribute to the “great spirit” shown by the nation.

“We have all played our part, whether it’s working on the frontline as a nurse or carer, working on vaccine development and supply, helping to get that jab into arms, home-schooling your children, or just by staying at home to prevent the spread of the virus,” the prime minister said. “It’s because of every person in this country that lives have been saved, our NHS was protected, and we have started on our cautious road to easing restrictions once and for all.”

The British Academy cautions against overoptimism as the UK thinks about recovery from Covid, however, warning that it is “no ordinary crisis” that can be fixed by a return to normal, but one that thrived amid pre-existing social deprivations and inequalities and which has exposed deep-seated flaws in public policy.

Too many people experienced the pandemic in poor housing, were badly equipped for home schooling and home working and vulnerable to poor mental health, and found themselves at high risk of economic insecurity, the report said, pointing out that “many people are ‘newly poor’ and only one month’s wages away from poverty”.

Areas for action highlighted by the report include:

  • Declining public trust: after an initial surge in the first months of the pandemic, trust in UK government and feelings of national unity collapsed, with little sign that progress on vaccinations has halted the trend. Unless addressed, this will erode social cohesion and undermine future public health campaigns.
  • Widening inequalities: geographic, health, racial, gender, digital and economic inequalities have been exacerbated by Covid. If not tackled, they risk becoming permanently locked in, scarring the prospects of groups disproportionately affected by the social impact of the virus, such as young people.
  • Worsening mental health: soaring mental illness, especially among children, low-income households and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, risks embedding long-term problems if the underlying causes are not tackled.

The report calls for renewed spending on community services, local government, social care and local charities, especially in deprived areas, noting that some of the most effective responses to Covid have been at a local level, where public trust has remained strong. Investment was need to erase the digital divide and establish internet access as a “critical, life-changing public service”.

With unemployment expected to rise, the report questions whether the existing social security system, which is geared more towards helping low-paid workers than people without jobs, could cope with a pandemic-induced recession, saying: “This may prompt reflection on what kind of system the country wants and needs.”

The lead author of the report, Dominic Abrams, professor of social psychology at the University of Kent, said the investment package needed would be expensive, but that much could be achieved by reframing existing policies. “I don’t think this is necessarily about extra money, it’s [about shining] a laser light over existing policies.

 

Asked whether he was optimistic that the government was open to making changes on the scale the academy called for, Abrams said this was an opportunity to address a range of serious social issues that were not going away. Without a post-pandemic strategy, he said, “these things will get worse”.

Hetan Shah, the chief executive of the British Academy, said: “A year from the start of the first lockdown, we all want this to be over. However, in truth, we are at the beginning of a Covid decade. Policymakers must look beyond the immediate health crisis to repair the profound social damage wrought by the pandemic.”

A government spokesperson said: “Coronavirus is the biggest public health challenge the UK has faced in decades and as we recover from this pandemic this government is committed to building back better and levelling up outcomes for every individual across the country.

“That’s why we’ve implemented robust support to those who need it most – raising the living wage, spending billions to safeguard jobs, investing £2.4bn each year for disadvantaged pupils, and boosting welfare support and local authority funding. On top of that, we are providing an additional £500m for mental health services and £79m to expand mental health support teams in schools and colleges.”

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CORONAVIRUS WORLDWIDE

The UK is marking one year since the first coronavirus lockdown was announced.

On 23 March 2020 Boris Johnson outlined measures to stop the spread of Covid-19. Since then, the UK’s official death toll has risen from 364 to 126,172.

With the lockdown have come tough restrictions on socialising, closures of schools, pubs and shops with many rules currently still in place.

A minute’s silence will be held at midday as part of a day of reflection.

A year on, Mr Johnson has praised the “great spirit” shown since that moment and he offered his condolences to those who have been bereaved during the pandemic.

People are also being encouraged to stand on their doorsteps at 20:00 GMT with phones, candles and torches to signify a “beacon of remembrance”.

It is being organised by end-of-life charity Marie Curie.

The prime minister, who himself spent time in hospital seriously ill with Covid, said the last year had taken a “huge toll on us all” and said the anniversary was an opportunity to reflect on the year – “one of the most difficult in our country’s history”.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast the last year had been “probably the hardest year in a generation” but treatments and vaccines now provided “hope”.

On the day of the first nationwide lockdown, it was announced that 340 people had died with the virus. That total was later adjusted upwards when the way that figure is measured was changed during the summer.

From the start, ministers said they were putting their faith in the measures slowing down the impact of the virus while scientists in the UK and around the world found a way to combat what had become both a threat to health and to the population’s freedom to enjoy life.

That came with the development of several vaccines – and the UK has already seen 28 million people receive a first dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.

Over the months, scientists, politicians and the public have assessed several key figures that are updated each day showing the number of new cases, the numbers in hospital, how many are being treated in ventilation beds, and how many have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test.

In recent weeks all of those measures are down – as a result of the lockdown and the effects of the vaccine rollout – but on Monday Mr Johnson warned that the effects of a third wave of coronavirus will “wash up on our shores” from Europe and said the country should be under “no illusion” the country will feel the effect of increasing cases on the continent.

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The European commission’s chief vaccine negotiator, Sandra Gallina, said on Tuesday the European Union will use all available means to secure the Covid-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca.

Reuters reports:

AstraZeneca said earlier in March it would aim to deliver to the European Union 10m vaccines by the end of June, three times fewer than it had committed to in the contract with the EU.
“It’s a shame, it’s reputational damage,” Gallina said and noted that only one of the five vaccine-production plants listed in the EU contract with AstraZeneca was delivering vaccines to the EU.
Updated at 10.25am GMT

55m ago 09:52

France will open 35 Covid-19 mass vaccination centres in the coming days to increase the pace of inoculations, following criticism that the campaign is too slow.

AFP reports:

“We are working with local representatives to put them in place,” industry minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher told BFMTV channel.
France had previously baulked at setting up super-sites to rapidly dispense vaccines in large numbers after a failed experiment with “vaccinodromes” during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in 2009.
Until now, the jabs have been dispensed in community halls, hospitals, doctor’s surgeries and pharmacies.
But with hospitals struggling to cope with a third wave of infections health minister Olivier Véran on Monday announced that France would follow the lead of countries like the US and Britain that have turned stadiums into inoculation sites.

Sweden’s decision not to lockdown has made residents of its Nordic neighbours feel less positively towards the country, according to a survey.

Reuters reports:

Almost 40% of respondents in Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland said they had become less positive about Sweden over the last year, with its pandemic strategy the most widely cited reason, the survey by the Swedish Institute, a public agency that promotes the country around the world, showed.

“People think that Sweden’s handling of the pandemic has been flawed or wrong,” the Institute said. “The reason put forward is that Sweden has failed to protect Swedish citizens well enough, especially vulnerable groups.”

Borders have been shut and relations have been strained over disruptions to the flow of people and goods between the usually tight-knit Nordic countries.

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Associated Press World View: US Shooting, Astra Zenica Concerns, Israel’s 4th Election, China-Russia Vs. US -EU

March 23, 2021

Alternate text

. A suspect is in custody after a shooting attack that killed 10 people in a Colorado supermarket — the seventh mass killing in the U.S. this year. U.S. health officials are raising questions about AstraZeneca’s vaccine trial. And in Israel, voters are casting ballots in the country’s fourth parliamentary election in two years. Those are among the top stories in The AP’s news report this morning.

 

KARL RITTER

Southern Europe News Director
The Associated Press

Rome

 

The Rundown

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BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A shooting at a crowded Colorado supermarket that killed 10 people, including the first police officer to arrive, sent terrorized shoppers and workers scrambling for safety……Read More

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Results from a U.S. trial of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine may have used “outdated information,” U.S. federal health officials said in a statement early Tuesday. Late Monday, the Data and… …Read More

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JERUSALEM (AP) — Israelis began voting on Tuesday in the country’s fourth parliamentary election in two years — a highly charged referendum on the divisive rule of Prime Minister Benjamin… …Read More

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration has tried for weeks to keep the public from seeing images like those released Monday of immigrant children in U.S. custody at the border… …Read More

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LONDON (AP) — The U.K. has a lot to reflect on. A year to the day since Prime Minister Boris Johnson first put the country under lockdown to slow the fast-spreading coronavirus, a national… …Read More

OTHER TOP STORIES

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will showcase health insurance cost cuts in a speech in Ohio Tuesday during what may be the best time for Democrats to talk up the Aff…Read More

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has sold a digital version of his first tweet for more than $2.9 million more than two weeks after he announced a digital aucti…Read More

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Florida’s famed South Beach is desperately seeking a new image. With more than 1,000 arrests and nearly 100 gun seizures already during this year’…Read More

BEIJING (AP) — The foreign ministers of China and Russia displayed unity at their meeting Tuesday amid criticism and Western sanctions against them over human rights. Wang…Read More

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Haiti: Belize Soccer Team Bus Held-Up by Armed Gang

The Belize Football Federation has expressed its “disappointment and disgust” after a bus taking the national team to their hotel in Haiti was held up by an armed gang.

The incident occurred on Monday shortly after the squad had arrived in the country for a 2022 World Cup qualifier.

Police escorting the team were forced to negotiate with the gang to allow the bus to proceed to the hotel.

Captain Deon McCauley described the incident as “a moment of intense fear”.

“I am happy everyone is safe and I commend you guys for being brave,” he added.

“Let’s continue to stick together and please make the best decisions when it comes to the team.”

An image posted on the Federation’s (FFB) Facebook page showed the gang on motorbikes, wearing masks and carrying weapons.

In a statement, the FFB said: “The Football Federation of Belize takes this time to express its disappointment and disgust at an unfortunate incident faced by the Jaguars as the team was headed from the airport to the hotel in Haiti.

“Despite the four-man police escort, the team bus was stopped by an uproar of insurgents with assault rifles on motorcycles and police escorts were forced to negotiate with them for the team bus to continue its journey to the hotel.

“We are pleased to report that our Jaguars, although shaken by the terrible experience, are safely at their hotel.”

The FFB added the safety of the team was its “top priority” and had contacted Fifa and the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) over moving them to a safer environment.

The team is scheduled to play Haiti in their opening World Cup qualifier in Port-au-Prince on Thursday.

Fifa has been contacted by the BBC for comment.

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US Carnage: Gunman Kills 10 at Boulder, Colorado Market

BBC- A gunman has killed 10 people, including a police officer, following an hours-long stand-off at a grocery market in the US state of Colorado.

The attack in Boulder ended with police detaining an injured suspect at the King Soopers market.

The shooting was live-streamed by witnesses and broadcast on YouTube.

Among the dead was 51-year-old Eric Talley, who was the first police officer to respond to the shooting.

“This is a tragedy and a nightmare for Boulder County,” the area’s district attorney, Michael Dougherty, said.

“These were people going about their day, doing their shopping. I promise the victims and the people of the state of Colorado that we will secure justice.”

No other details have been released about the nine other victims or a motive for the attack.

The grocery store is located in a busy shopping plaza in Boulder, a north-central Colorado city about 30 miles (50km) away from the state capital of Denver.

The supermarket attack comes less than a week after a mass shooting that left eight dead, including six Asian women, at three spas in Atlanta.

What do we know about the shooting?

The incident began at about 14:30 local time (20:30 GMT) on Monday when the suspect entered the supermarket and began firing.

Shoppers and employees of the store said they had to dive for cover or run to safety as the shooting unfolded.

Some of the stand-off was captured on camera by a passer-by, showing victims near the grocery store.

Police officers surround King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive in Boulder after reports of shots fired inside on 22 March 2021.image copyrightGetty Images
Dozens of FBI and SWAT officers were deployed to the scene

“I don’t know what’s going on… I heard gunshots, someone’s down,” the cameraman shouts. “There’s an active shooter, get away”.

Gunshots can be heard as he runs away from the shop.

The video continues, with police arriving on the scene and surrounding the market.

The Boulder police department later warned people to avoid the area and told them not to “broadcast on social media any tactical information you might see”.

“We were at the checkout, and shots just started going off,” said Sarah Moonshadow, a customer caught up in the shooting with her son Nicholas.

Sarah Moonshadow is comforted by David and Maggie Prowell after Moonshadow was inside King Soopers grocery store during a shooting in Boulder, Colorado, on 22 March 2021.image copyrightReuters
 Moonshadow, who was inside the store when shooting began, being comforted by two others outside the store

She told Reuters she had tried to help one of the victims lying on the pavement outside the store, but her son pulled her away saying “we have to go”.

“I couldn’t help anybody,” she said.

Ryan Borowski, who was also inside the store, told CNN he could not believe what had happened in his town: “This feels like the safest spot in America, and I just nearly got killed for getting a soda and a bag of chips.”

Eyewitnesses said the suspect was armed with a rifle. A police source told CNN it was an AR-15 style rifle, a semi-automatic gun that has been used in several mass shootings across the US.

Aerial footage later showed a handcuffed, shirtless man with an apparent injury to his leg being put onto a stretcher for treatment. Authorities did not say whether he was the suspect or not.

Speaking at a press conference, Boulder police chief Maris Herold confirmed that a suspect was in custody and was receiving hospital treatment. “I want to reassure the community that they are safe,” she said.

Ms Herold named the officer killed as Eric Talley, a father of seven who had been with the Boulder Police Department since 2010.

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“The heroic action of this officer when he responded to the scene… phone calls of shots fired in the area and a phone call about a possible person with a patrol rifle,” she said.

Ms Herold did not provide further details about the shooting, but said that the investigation was “very complex” and would take “no less that five days to complete”.

The names of the other victims will not be released until relatives have been informed.

What’s been the reaction?

“Today we saw the face of evil. I am grieving with my community and all Coloradans,” tweeted Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

The supermarket shooting was the seventh mass killing so far this year following a lull in mass killings during the pandemic last year, according to a database compiled by the Associated Press (AP), USA Today and Northeastern University. The database defines mass killings as four or more dead.

It has already led to renewed calls for tighter gun controls in the US, a starkly divisive issue that has seen little in the way of change over the years despite hundreds of mass shootings.

Former Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a gun control advocate who was seriously injured in a mass shooting in 2011, said: “It’s been 10 years and countless communities have faced something similar… this is not normal.”

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Responding to the news, US Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on Twitter: “This Senate must and will move forward on legislation to help stop the epidemic of gun violence.”

President Joe Biden, who has been briefed about the latest attack, said last month he would be recommending tougher legislation to ensure background checks on anyone wishing to purchase a firearm.

The right to bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment to the US constitution and is staunchly defended by many conservatives, including ex-president Donald Trump.

The state of Colorado has seen a number of mass shootings over the last few decades, including the 1999 Columbine High School attack that left 12 students and a teacher dead and the 2012 attack at a cinema in Aurora that killed 12 people.

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