Friday, May 22, 2026

Week earlier lockdown ‘could have halved COVID deaths’

PressNewsAgency
-
0
Week earlier lockdown ‘could have halved COVID deaths’

A scientist whose modelling helped set Britain’s coronavirus strategy says the country’s death toll could have been cut in half if lockdown had been introduced a week earlier.

Britain has the second-highest confirmed death toll in the world from COVID-19, at more than 41,000. Including cases where coronavirus was suspected but not confirmed by a test, the total is over 50,000.

Neil Ferguson, professor of mathematical biology at Imperial College London, told lawmakers that when key decisions were being made in March, scientists underestimated how widely the virus had spread in the UK.

A medical worker takes a swab from a resident for the novel coronavirus test in Wuhan, Hubei, China. (Getty)

He told Parliament’s Science and Technology Committee overnight that “the epidemic was doubling every three to four days before lockdown interventions were introduced”, rather than the five to six days estimated at the time.

Ferguson said that “had we introduced lockdown measures a week earlier, we would have reduced the final death toll by at least a half.”

He also said the death toll would have been lower if residents of nursing homes had been shielded from infection, something that didn’t happen.

Ferguson developed models that predicted hundreds of thousands would die unless the UK imposed drastic restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

On March 16, Ferguson and colleagues published a paper suggesting that even with some social distancing measures, the UK could see 250,000 virus-related deaths and the United States a death toll of about 1 million. Ferguson predicted those figures could more than double in both countries in a worst-case scenario.

Boris Johnson. (Getty)

The following day, Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised Britons to work from home, if possible, and to avoid unnecessary social gatherings. A nationwide lockdown followed on March 23, barring people from visiting friends and family that they don’t live with.

Johnson’s Conservative government is facing strong criticism for allegedly being slow to act against the virus. The government says it followed the advice it was given at the time by scientific advisers.

Ferguson said the measures taken in March were warranted “given what we knew about this virus then in terms of its transmission and fatality.”

Source by [author_name]

A Library of Diversion While You Figure Things Out

PressNewsAgency
-
0
A Library of Diversion While You Figure Things Out

Welcome. We’re still working from home, those of us with work, anyway, those of us who can afford to be home, those who don’t have to commute to essential jobs as the pandemic continues on its silent path.

But sometime over the course of the last couple of weeks — as states began slowly to reopen, as Americans took to the streets in protest at racial injustice, as people began to vote in primaries, to pick up flowers at the market, to visit the beach — the mood of our lives at home seemed to shift a little, away from being on lockdown and toward a hesitant new normal, outside. It is thrilling to be there.

But it is not what it was, nor will it be, not anytime soon. We’re learning new protocols. We’re adjusting our routines. And if we’re joyous to be able to take a long walk in the woods or down a wide avenue under bluebird skies, we’re also aware that there is a lot that we still cannot do in the world, but only at home.

[Like this newsletter? Sign up to receive it in your inbox.]

And so, we still advocate reading: this week, Jesmyn Ward. And so we still advocate exploring the world’s great paintings: Wesley Morris recently recommended Faith Ringgold’s “American People Series #20: Die.” We want you to listen to music and make sheet-pan shrimp scampi. We want you to use your computer to explore the world, to imagine yourself living in Port Townsend, Washington, say, to imagine yourself in this house. We want you to play games.

That’s what At Home is, after all: a library of diversion for those moments when you’re sheltered alone or with family, wondering how to make sense of the world outside. We champion art and beauty and thought and deliciousness, and our best ideas for how to live a full and cultured life in a pandemic appear below. We publish more of them every day. Please visit.

And let us know what you think!

You can always find much more to read, watch and do every day on At Home. And you can email us: athome@nytimes.com.

Source link

Trans ‘Harry Potter’ fans try to reconcile J.K. Rowling’s recent tweets with the beloved franchise

PressNewsAgency
-
0
Trans ‘Harry Potter’ fans try to reconcile J.K. Rowling’s recent tweets with the beloved franchise

When Patrouious Raymond Achatz was in kindergarten, “Harry Potter” was his bedtime story.

At night, his mother would read from the books and, later, as he learned to read on his own, he continued to devour the pages that revealed the wizarding world to him. Achatz, now 26, of Pittsburgh, also watched every film adaptation of “Harry Potter.”

“If anything, Harry Potter has taught me that no one should have to live in the closet,” he said. “It’s very disappointing with J.K. Rowling’s tweets, that are very transphobic, because when we read the Harry Potter books, it helps us escape in a way.”

Achatz, who is transgender, is one of the “Harry Potter” fans left hurt and frustrated after the series’ author J.K. Rowling made several tweets Saturday deemed transphobic and TERF-y (trans-exclusionary radical feminist), which experts warned are harmful to the transgender, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming community.

Rowling appeared to take issue with a headline that used the phrase “people who menstruate,” which is language inclusive of people like transgender men, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people, all of whom could be people who menstruate, rather than using the word “women.”

“‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” Rowling tweeted. In several subsequent tweets, as critiques began rolling in, Rowling doubled down.

Although the tweets are not the first time Rowling has been accused of making transphobic remarks, the most recent tweets have left fans of the series attempting to reconcile the books and films that helped shape their childhoods with the author they now see as bigoted.

“Overall, it is devastating when someone that you love or that you look up to rejects you and says things about you that are really unkind, and, frankly, cruel, unnecessarily so,” Tia Dole, the chief clinical operations officer for The Trevor Project, said. “My sense is this is such a shock. It feels like an unprompted attack on kids who are reading her books and read them as a 7-year-old.”

Jaye, 23, who lives in California and asked that she only be identified by her first name, is a self-described former Harry Potter fan.

“I’ve been reading the series since I was really young. I was reading the books before I was allowed to watch the movies,” she said. “I went to the midnight releases of every book that came out when I was alive and the movies.”

Jaye, who is transgender, said she was taken by the themes of friendship that Rowling weaved throughout the series. It was only when Rowling began retroactively making characters of the series members of the LGBTQ+ community, that Jaye began to feel uneasy.

“That struck me as very odd and I thought, ‘Maybe I can look past it’ … but the first instance of transphobia that I saw from her and this weird obsession with women being people who menstruate and all this weird TERF-y stuff was happening right as I was coming out as trans last summer,” Jaye said.

Related

As Jaye learned about TERFs and transphobia during her transition, she said she was shaken to know that one of her idols appeared to align with that ideology.

“To have someone whose work I identified with for so long be the most prominent one of this new group of bigots that I just discovered— it kind of rocked me to my core,” she said.

Transphobia and transphobic comments can have serious consequences for those on the receiving end, according to data from The Trevor Project. A peer-reviewed study conducted by The Trevor Project and published in the Journal of Adolescent Health showed that transgender and nonbinary youth were almost 2½ times as likely to experience depressive symptoms, seriously consider suicide, and attempt suicide compared to their cisgender lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and questioning peers.

Additionally, when a young transgender person has gender-affirming care in their life, it can greatly reduce their risk of suicide, according to The Trevor Project. LGBTQ youth who reported having at least one accepting adult were 40 percent less likely to report a suicide attempt in the past year.

While transphobic language affects all members of the community negatively, it’s important to acknowledge that transphobia is an intersectional issue and Black transgender women are disproportionately affected by violence, according to Dole.

“The amount of bravery for a trans woman of color to live her life the way she wants to live her life and the amount of risk she takes stepping out of her home is incredible,” Dole said.

However, some young trans people said that while Rowling’s comments are hurtful, they will not stop loving the series that meant so much to them.

Ashton, 15, a GenderCool Champion of The GenderCool Project, which describes itself as “a youth-led movement replacing misinformed opinions with positive, powerful experiences meeting remarkable kids who identify as transgender and nonbinary,” said he’s aware of the weight of transphobic comments but that won’t come between him and the books and movies that helped to shape him.

“I have a tremendous love for the series. The relationships that I created with the characters, their experiences and the lessons I learned over the years, have really helped me become the person and young person that I am today,” Ashton said.

Related

Rowling’s tweets also appeared to draw pushback from stars of the films her work has birthed — including Harry Potter himself. Daniel Radcliffe, who stars as the titular character in the films, published a letter with The Trevor Project on Monday, affirming that trangender women are women.

“To all the people who now feel that their experience of the books has been tarnished or diminished, I am deeply sorry for the pain these comments have caused you. I really hope that you don’t entirely lose what was valuable in these stories to you. If these books taught you that love is the strongest force in the universe … then that is between you and the book that you read, and it is sacred,” Radcliffe wrote.

Eddie Redmayne, star of the “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” series, also refuted Rowling’s tweets, according to statement made to Variety.

“This is an ongoing process. As someone who has worked with both J.K. Rowling and members of the trans community, I wanted to make it absolutely clear where I stand. I disagree with Jo’s comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and nonbinary identities are valid,” Redmayne said.

For Amber Briggle, whose son Max, 12, is trans, hearing the actor reaffirm the identity of trans people gave her hope after the initial wave of hurt and frustration caused by Rowling.

“I thought Daniel Radcliffe’s statement was really powerful … I think silence equals complicity and I think he’s recognizing that and I think it’s really powerful what he said,” Briggle said.

Source link

Ex-Judge Says Push To Dismiss Flynn Case Is ‘Abuse Of Power’

PressNewsAgency
-
0
Ex-Judge Says Push To Dismiss Flynn Case Is ‘Abuse Of Power’

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former federal judge appointed to review the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss criminal charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn has found that the government’s request should be denied because there is “clear evidence of a gross abuse of prosecutorial power.”

Former U.S. District Judge John Gleeson said in a filing Wednesday that the government “has engaged in highly irregular conduct to benefit a political ally of the President.”

Gleeson was appointed by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in a special role to weigh in on the case, but it will ultimately be up to Sullivan and potentially an appeals court whether to accept the Justice Department’s motion to drop the case.

Flynn pleaded guilty, as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, to lying to the FBI about conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the presidential transition period.

In January, Flynn filed court papers to withdraw his guilty plea, saying federal prosecutors had acted in “bad faith” and broken their end of the bargain when they sought prison time for him.

Initially, prosecutors said Flynn was entitled to avoid prison time because he had cooperated extensively with the government, but the relationship with the retired Army lieutenant general grew increasingly contentious in the months before he withdrew his plea, particularly after he hired a new set of lawyers who raised misconduct allegations against the government.

But the Justice Department filed a motion last month to dismiss the case, saying the FBI had insufficient basis to question Flynn in the first place and that statements he made during the interview were not material to the broader counterintelligence investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Officials have said they sought to dismiss the case in the interest of justice, upon the recommendation of a U.S. attorney who had been appointed by Attorney General William Barr to review the handling of the Flynn investigation.

“The Government’s ostensible grounds for seeking dismissal are conclusively disproven by its own briefs filed earlier in this very proceeding,” Gleeson wrote. “They contradict and ignore this Court’s prior orders, which constitute law of the case. They are riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact. And they depart from positions that the Government has taken in other cases.”



Source link

Developer warns VR headset damaged eyesight

PressNewsAgency
-
0
Developer warns VR headset damaged eyesight

Image copyright
Getty Images

Image caption

Oculus has sold around half a million of its PC-tethered headsets

A software developer has tweeted about how wearing a VR headset for hours a day has damaged his eyesight.

A visit to the opticians left him “worried about my future VR use” after a doctor blamed the technology for a problem with his vision.

Glasses should correct the issue but would normally only “be prescribed to 40-year-olds”, he tweeted.

The Association of Optometrists said it had not seen evidence that VR headsets could cause permanent eye damage.

Facebook-owned Oculus states in its handbook that one in 4,000 may suffer “dizziness, seizures, eye or muscle twitching.” It recommends users suffering these symptoms discontinue using the headset and see a doctor.

Doctors have previously warned that virtual reality, which is the computer-generated simulation of a real or imaginary environment, can cause eye strain because the brain is forced to process visual stimuli in a different way to normal.

And users have complained about nausea and dizziness when using headsets, which is generally put down the the way a user perceives space around them, leading to motion sickness.

Danny Bittman, who has worked as a virtual reality developer for four years, suggested it could have affected his eyesight.

“Just had my first eye doctor visit in three years. Now I’m very worried about my future VR use. I have a new eye convergence problem that acts like dyslexia. The doc, a headset owner, is convinced my VR use caused this. He said “these glasses we usually prescribe to 40-year-olds”, he tweeted.

He went on to describe the problem: “My eyes jump when I read things like a screen or books. I’ve always had a small level of this but it’s greatly intensified now. It’s also linked to headaches and vertigo.”

He said that the issue was about “prolonged use”, and admitted that he could spend up to six hours a day wearing a headset, split into 30-minute sessions.

Ceri Smith-Jaynes, from the Association of Optometrists, told the BBC: “We currently do not have any reliable evidence that VR headsets cause permanent deterioration in eyesight in children or adults. There have been some studies looking into the effects of short-term use of VR headsets only; these did not reveal a deterioration in eyesight.

“However, some people do suffer from temporary symptoms such as nausea, dry, irritable eyes, headache or eyestrain. “

But she did have some advice about usage: “If you spend all day in VR without a break, you’ll need time to readjust to the light and the different visual environment of the real world. I would suggest taking a five-to-ten minute break each hour, using that time to move about, blink and look out of a window, or take a short walk.

“The number of hours of headset use a person can comfortably tolerate will vary depending on your binocular vision status (ask your optometrist) and the task you are doing in VR.”

VR headsets have been adapted to help improve eyesight. Start-up GiveVision created a device called SightPlus, that aims to restore vision to people whose eyesight has deteriorated beyond repair by projecting a video of the real world into the working part of the retina.

A clinical trial at Moorfields Eye Hospital suggested it improved eyesight in 59 of the 60 participants, with nearly half saying they would wear the device for watching TV, reading or going to the theatre. The firm is partnering with Sony to develop its next device.



Source link

New York Philharmonic Cancels Fall Season

PressNewsAgency
-
0
New York Philharmonic Cancels Fall Season

With the number of coronavirus cases down sharply in New York, the city began a gradual reopening this week. But in yet another sign that the full resumption of cultural life is still far off, the New York Philharmonic announced on Wednesday that it was canceling its fall season.

“We’re in a marathon,” Deborah Borda, the orchestra’s chief executive, said in an interview, adding: “It is possible we could lose this entire upcoming season. But we will do our best to find some way of doing some kind of performances. There must be live music for people.”

The decision not to resume performances before Jan. 6, 2021, at the earliest came the week after the Metropolitan Opera said it would not reopen before the end of December. Like the Philharmonic, the Met has been closed since March, and has furloughed its orchestra, chorus and stagehands and some administrative staff, while continuing to provide them with health benefits.

But symphonies are smaller operations than grand opera companies, and the Philharmonic has been able to continue to pay its musicians. As they have since May, they will earn about $2,200 per week — 75 percent of the orchestra’s base pay — through Sept. 21, when their current contract expires. The musicians and management plan to meet through the summer to negotiate a new contract.

The orchestra’s administrative staff, which over the past months has had pay cuts but not the widespread furloughs or layoffs of some other arts institutions, may well now be a target of cuts.

“Now that we’ve announced the cancellation,” Ms. Borda said, “we can’t sustain in our current format with the staff.” She anticipates announcing by the end of June a plan for the organization to survive the closure in what she called a “pulled-back format,” though she said she hoped to produce some form of socially distanced events for small audiences. (Even smaller-scale performance, though, will be challenging: Also on Wednesday, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center announced the cancellation of its own fall season.)

The cancellation of the Philharmonic’s fall means the loss of approximately $9 million in ticket revenue. That is in addition to a net loss of $7 million to $10 million associated with the cancellation of concerts starting in March. Ms. Borda said that the Philharmonic, unlike some other arts organizations, did not plan to increase its draw from its endowment, which at $194 million (as of the end of May) is considered small relative to its $87 million budget.

  • Updated June 5, 2020

    • Does asymptomatic transmission of Covid-19 happen?

      So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.

    • How does blood type influence coronavirus?

      A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.

    • How many people have lost their jobs due to coronavirus in the U.S.?

      The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.

    • Will protests set off a second viral wave of coronavirus?

      Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission.

    • How do we start exercising again without hurting ourselves after months of lockdown?

      Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home.

    • My state is reopening. Is it safe to go out?

      States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.

    • What’s the risk of catching coronavirus from a surface?

      Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.

    • What are the symptoms of coronavirus?

      Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.

    • How can I protect myself while flying?

      If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)

    • Should I wear a mask?

      The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.

    • What should I do if I feel sick?

      If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

One beneficiary of the grim news could be the Philharmonic and Lincoln Center’s long-delayed effort to renovate David Geffen Hall, the orchestra’s home. The project is expected to cost $550 million, of which nearly $200 million remains to be raised, and construction is scheduled to begin in May 2022 — but Ms. Borda said that the orchestra was exploring whether it could use its unexpected absence this fall to start construction early.

“We’re looking to see if we can accelerate some of the work right away,” she said, “to move us ahead in our plans.”

Source link

‘I Am George Floyd’: NFL Star Von Miller Writes Powerful Essay On Racism

PressNewsAgency
-
0
‘I Am George Floyd’: NFL Star Von Miller Writes Powerful Essay On Racism

Four days after he and his NFL teammates led a protest march through downtown Denver in support of social justice and racial equality, Von Miller has penned a powerful, cautiously hopeful essay on the urgency of the moment.

Writing for Time, the Denver Broncos linebacker and Super Bowl MVP reflects on his own firsthand encounters with racism growing up, including in elementary school, at the hands of a high school football coach, through college and even in the present.

“Since George Floyd died, tears have overcome me at least once a day,” he writes. “I have felt this pain in varying degrees for as far back as I can remember.”

Miller adds: “It’s an emotional pain. It’s a physical pain. It is the pain of oppression in a country that’s supposed to be free.”

Despite having achieved celebrity, wealth and extraordinary success on and off the football field, Miller says he still identifies with the long string of Black men whose lives have been brutally and unjustly cut short.

“I am George Floyd,” Miller says. “I am Ahmaud Arbery. I am Tamir Rice. I am Eric Garner. I am Philando Castile. I am Alton Sterling. I am Oscar Grant. I am Trayvon Martin. I am Emmett Till.”



Von Miller leads the crowd at a protest on Saturday in Denver.

Miller urges readers and NFL team owners to confront the current moment, which “has been building up for years, decades, generations.” The alternative, he says, is to give in to complicity and “the perpetuation of our disease because we refuse to admit we are ill.”

But he nevertheless sees reason for hope.

“This time may be different,” Miller writes. “I pray that it is different. This time, many of the protesters are not black. This time, the entire country is engaged. This time, the entire world has taken notice. We have really begun to talk with each other, not just ‘at’ each other.”

Miller concludes: “I am not a football player named Von Miller. I am Von Miller ― a strong, proud, African-American who loves making kids smile, people laugh and my parents shake their heads. I also just happen to play football, which has given me a platform. My love for our country compels me to use it.

“I am all in for unity, equality and justice. If you are committed to that, we can ride together. Let’s goooo!”

Read the full essay in Time.



Source by [author_name]

CrossFit CEO Steps Down After Stunningly Racist Commentary

PressNewsAgency
-
0
CrossFit CEO Steps Down After Stunningly Racist Commentary

CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman announced Tuesday that he is stepping down after more insensitive comments he made about George Floyd emerged.

In a Zoom conference with CrossFit affiliates Saturday obtained by BuzzFeed, Glassman was asked why the company hadn’t made a statement on the anti-police brutality protests over the police killing of Floyd.

“Can you tell me why I should mourn for him? Other than that it’s the white thing to do — other than that, give me another reason,” Glassman answered, according to the outlet. “We’re not mourning for George Floyd — I don’t think me or any of my staff are.” Glassman also questioned systemic racism and the motives of protesters, BuzzFeed wrote. 



Greg Glassman, the founder of CrossFit (pictured in 2015), said he was stepping down as CEO and was retiring.

“On Saturday I created a rift in the CrossFit community and unintentionally hurt many of its members,” Glassman said in a statement announcing his retirement. “I cannot let my behavior stand in the way of HQ’s or affiliates’ missions. They are too important to jeopardize.”

The conference call happened before Glassman joked on Twitter about the coronavirus pandemic and the police killing of Floyd. In response to an Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation tweet calling racism a public health issue, Glassman tweeted back: “It’s Floyd-19.”

In response, Reebok, which is owned by Adidas, announced it would sever ties with CrossFit. Several gyms also said they were ditching their affiliation with the workout brand.

Glassman apologized, but it was too late. The company, in a long-winded statement Tuesday, said the founder’s comments were “incredibly insensitive and hurtful.”

Dave Castro is taking over as CEO, the company said.



Source by [author_name]

In Israel, German foreign minister expresses concern over annexation plan

PressNewsAgency
-
0
In Israel, German foreign minister expresses concern over annexation plan

Jun 10, 2020

Visiting Israel on June 10, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas expressed serious concern over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intention to promote his West Bank annexation plan. Maas urged Israel’s government to avoid any unilateral steps and return to the two-state solution.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, Maas said, “I repeated here today the German position as well as our serious concerns as a special friend of Israel of the possible consequences of such a step.” Maas stopped short of threatening Israel with sanctions, simply stating, “I have not set up any price tags. We are in agreement in the [European Union] that we seek dialogue. Today, I am in Israel to be informed about the plans of the new government.’’ In an effort to preserve a positive approach, Maas tweeted, “What we need now is fresh, creative impetus to revive the talks between Israel and the Palestinians. We are prepared to work towards this together with our partners in Europe and the region if this is requested.”

Maas’ visit comes only three weeks before Germany takes over the presidency of the EU on July 1. This role will push Germany into an uncomfortable corner, especially since July 1 is also the date set by the unity government for the deal that enables Netanyahu to bring up his annexation plan for a vote. Traditionally considered Israel’s most important ally within the EU, Germany would rather not be the one sanctioning Israel over implementing sovereignty over West Bank settlements.

Germany is not standing at the forefront of the countries pushing to sanction Israel in case of annexation, but it has not refrained from voicing its concerns and warning Israel of the possible implications of such a step. Already in November 2019, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesperson, Steffen Seibert, addressed Netanyahu’s annexation plan, saying, “We are calling on the Israeli government to refrain from actions that could hamper a two-state solution.’’ On April 30, Germany’s ambassador to Israel, Susanne Wasum-Rainer, was one of the 11 European envoys who registered a demarche with Israel’s Foreign Ministry, warning against the annexation plan.

Still, Berlin would rather not be caught between its alliance with Israel and the Israeli plan it considers to be a blatant breach of international law. Berlin estimates that such a dilemma would be counterproductive, leading to a breakup in the dialogue between Jerusalem and Brussels. There are also German diplomats who estimate that European sanctions won’t be enough to stop Netanyahu’s race to annexation.

Addressing German concerns, Ashkenazi signaled that no decision has been taken so far by the government over Netanyahu’s plan, and he pledged that US President Donald Trump’s peace plan “will be implemented responsibly, in full coordination with the United States, while maintaining Israel’s peace agreements and strategic interests. We intend to do it in a dialogue with our neighbors.” Defense Minister and alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz related to Maas the same message in their meeting, telling him that Trump’s plan would be promoted responsibly and through large international dialogue. Is that something that Maas could take with him as insurance to his meetings in Amman this evening? Not so sure.

More so, Netanyahu offered Maas little to go on. He told his German guest that the world should stop “feeding the illusion of displacing people from their homes,” adding that “any realistic plan must recognize the Israeli settlements in the area and not feed the illusion of displacing people from their homes.”



Source link

Single people can stay the night with loved ones

PressNewsAgency
-
0
Single people can stay the night with loved ones

People living alone in England will be able to stay at one other household as part of a further easing of coronavirus restrictions.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that, from Saturday, single adults can spend the night at another house in a “support bubble”.

No 10 said the change aims to help combat loneliness and that people are being trusted to observe the rules.

The relaxation does not apply to those who are shielding, or other UK nations.

Mr Johnson told the daily Downing Street briefing the new rule applies to single adult households or single parents with children under 18.

“All those in a support bubble will be able to act as if they live in the same household, meaning they can spend time together inside each others’ homes and do not need to stay two metres apart,” he said.

He added: “I want to stress that support bubbles must be exclusive, meaning you can’t switch the household you are in a bubble with or connect with multiple households.

“And if any member of the support bubble develops symptoms, all members of the bubble will need to follow the normal advice on household isolation.”

Mr Johnson said the new rule is “not designed for people who don’t qualify to start meeting inside because that remains against the law”.

Source link

1...65,80265,80365,804...66,329Page 65,803 of 66,329

FOLLOW US

© Copyright 2025 - PressNewsAgency LLC . . . All Rights Reserved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Naeem T Ahmed { Editor / Publisher } . . . . Contact@PressNewsAgency.org . . . . . . . . . Phone: +1.8884110555 +1.5055960123