First U.S. Coronavirus Patient Receives Double Lung Transplant

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Surgeons in Chicago have given a new set of lungs to a young woman with severe lung damage from the coronavirus.

Northwestern Medicine on Thursday announced the procedure, which took place last Friday. Only a few other COVID-19 survivors, in China and Europe, have received lung transplants. The Chicago patient is in her 20s and was on a ventilator and heart-lung machine for almost two months before her operation at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

The 10-hour procedure was challenging because the virus had left her lungs full of holes and almost fused to the chest wall, said Dr. Ankit Bharat, who performed the operation.

She remains on a ventilator while her body heals but is well enough to visit with family via phone video and doctors say her chances for a normal life are good.

Read more: The Coronavirus Sidelined Me From My Work as a Doctor. Soon I’ll Be Back on the Frontlines

“We are anticipating that she will have a full recovery,” said Dr. Rade Tomic, medical director of the hospital’s lung transplant program.

The patient was not identified but Bharat said she had recently moved to Chicago from North Carolina to be with her boyfriend. She was otherwise pretty healthy but her condition rapidly deteriorated after she was hospitalized in late April. Doctors waited six weeks for her body to clear the virus before considering a transplant.

Lungs accounted for just 7% of the nearly 40,000 U.S. organ transplants last year. They are typically hard to find and patients often wait weeks on the transplant list.

The Chicago patient was in bad shape, with signs that her heart, kidneys and liver were beginning to fail, so she quickly moved up in line, Bharat said.

Contact us at editors@time.com.

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Revolve Sale: Save Up to 65% Off on Top Fashion Brands


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Brighton boss Graham Potter says lack of home advantage won’t be a concern

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“It’s not like the Amex was a massive fortress for us before and now we haven’t got that anymore. So we have to play football and we get on with it”

Last Updated: 11/06/20 6:47pm


Brighton have won four out of 14 league games at the Amex this season

Brighton manager Graham Potter says he is not concerned by the loss of home advantage for teams when the Premier League gets back underway behind closed doors following the coronavirus shutdown.

Brighton begin their run-in with a home match against Arsenal and have four more games at the Amex Stadium as they look to guarantee their survival.

The evidence from Germany, where Bundesliga matches have been back since mid-May, suggests that the absence of fans has all-but removed home advantage, though a record of four wins from 14 outings at their own stadium suggests Brighton do not have as much to lose as others.

Potter said: “It’s not like the Amex was a massive fortress for us before and now we haven’t got that anymore. So we have to play football and we get on with it.

“I think the hostility of the home crowd in the Premier League is where the advantage is. Certainly, the crowd in the British game get so involved in the game and little moments can change things in the match.

“As an away team it’s difficult when there’s 30, 40, 50, 60,000 people at a game – that’s normal. But it’s not there, we haven’t got the crowd and you just have to play football as well as you can. That’s the challenge now.”

Brighton face Arsenal at home in their return to Premier League action on June 20

Brighton face Arsenal at home in their return to Premier League action on June 20

Brighton were without a win in their previous 10 games before the coronavirus crisis halted the campaign, leaving them just two points above the relegation zone with nine games to play. But, since full-contact training has been back on the agenda, Potter has seen plenty of reason for optimism.

“The players have adapted really well and come back in good spirits – they’re focused and positive. The boys came back in a really good way and it’s been the best two or three weeks training since I’ve been at the club,” he said.

“The performance, the attitude, the quality has all been really high. We’ve had a long period out and it’s not been nice to go through, because people have been losing their lives, which puts things in perspective.

“But now we’ve got to go ahead and play and we want to get out there. We’re looking forward to starting and I’m really happy with how the players have approached the return.”

Brighton sit two points above the relegation zone with nine games remaining

Brighton sit two points above the relegation zone with nine games remaining

Potter also said that he expects the club to make an acknowledgment towards the Black Lives Matter movement when they return to action, adding that recent events have given everyone the chance to talk about the issues and gain greater understanding of the historical background.

Brighton will also have cardboard cutouts of fans in the stands at the Amex, and while Potter doesn’t believe it’ll have any influence on the game, it’s good for the fans to be able to engage.

“It’s hard for a cardboard cutout to generate the same atmosphere that 30,000 in the Amex can, but it’s an opportunity for fans to engage,” said Potter.

“To have real-life supporters would be far better – unless they’re hurling abuse at me, in which case I’m happy with the cutouts.”

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Boris Johnson, EU leaders to hold Brexit video summit Monday

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U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson | Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images

London and Brussels must decide by July 1 on whether the transition period should be extended.

EU leaders will confer by videoconference with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson about the state of Brexit negotiations on Monday, June 15, EU and U.K. officials said Thursday.

Talks have been virtually deadlocked, and the sides are facing a July 1 deadline by which a decision must be taken on extending the U.K.’s stand-in-place transition period. Johnson and his government have repeatedly insisted they do not want to extend the transition, which ends on December 31.

The U.K. had been pushing for a meeting later in June, after EU leaders meet for a virtual summit on June 19. But in the end, they settled for the earlier date preferred by the EU side.

A U.K. government spokesperson confirmed the news: “The High Level Meeting between the Prime Minister and [European Commission] President von der Leyen, [European Council] President Michel and [European Parliament] President Sassoli will take place by video conference on the afternoon of Monday 15 June.”

They added: “The UK and the EU have agreed an intensified timetable for FTA negotiations in July. This new process will involve a mix of formal negotiating rounds and smaller group meetings, both in London and Brussels assuming public health guidelines enable this. There will be talks each week of the 5 weeks between W/C 29 June and W/C 27 July.”

This article has been updated.



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Ramaphosa appoints members of the State-Owned Enterprise Council

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President Cyril Ramaphosa, on Thursday 11 June, announced the members of the State-Owned Enterprise Council. 

The State-Owned Enterprise Council, chaired by Ramaphosa, is intended to help the government reposition state-owned enterprises as effective instruments of economic transformation and development. 

HERE’S WHO WILL MAKE UP THE STATE-OWNED ENTERPRISE COUNCIL 

The State-Owned Enterprise Council will be composed of ministers responsible for SOEs.

The following South Africans with “proven leadership” and “strategic capabilities” have been appointed by the president:

  • Ms Monhla Hlahla: Chairperson of Denel Soc Ltd;
  • Mr Joel Khathuthshelo Netshitenzhe: Executive Director and Board Vice-Chairperson of the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA);
  • Mr Vusi Khanyile: Chairperson of Thebe Investments;  
  • Mr Michael Sachs: Adjunct Professor at Wits University;
  • Ms Marion Lesego Dawn Marole: Non-Executive Director of MTN Group Ltd and Development Bank of South Africa;
  • Ms Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala: Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer at African Development Bank;
  • Mr Sipho Nkosi: Director of the Sanlam Board;
  • Ms Kandimathie Christine Ramon: Chief Financial Officer at Anglo Gold Ashanti;
  • Mr Ian Kirk: Group Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director at Sanlam; and
  • Ms Nazmeera Moola: Economist and Head of investments at Ninety One plc, an asset management business.

COUNCIL MANDATE 

According to the presidency, the state-owned enterprise council’s mandate includes the following:  

  • Strengthening the framework governing SOEs, including the introduction of an overarching Act governing SOEs; and
  • The determination of an appropriate Shareholder Ownership Model.

The council will also ensure that State-Owned Enterprise-specific interventions are implemented to stabilise companies through the strengthening of their governance, addressing their immediate liquidity challenges and implementing agreed turnaround strategies.

The council mandate will extend to a review of the role and mandate of State-Owned Enterprises to ensure a positive socio-economic contribution and alignment to the national development agenda.

“The council will also review SOE corporate plans to ensure alignment to government priorities and to ensure appropriate systems are in place to monitor implementation of such plans, as well as the operational and financial performance of SOEs,” said the presidency. 

“Furthermore, the council will review business models, capital structure and sources of financing for SOEs and will monitor and mitigate risks,” it added. 

The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) will serve as the secretariat for the council as the department is the shareholder representative for government, with oversight responsibility for State-Owned Enterprise. 



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Snapchat Expands Deals With N.F.L., Disney and Others

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LOS ANGELES — Disney, NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, the National Basketball Association and the National Football League are expanding deals to supply Snapchat with customized short-form content, underscoring the platform’s renewed momentum.

Snap, which makes the ephemeral-messaging app, unveiled the multiyear deals on Thursday, along with a spate of original series and a breaking news feature called “Happening Now” that counts The Washington Post, Bloomberg and ESPN as partners. Maggie Suniewick, president of NBCUniversal Digital Enterprises, said in an email that Snapchat was “a brand-safe environment where we can reach millions of new viewers.”

Snapchat’s reassertion of itself in entertainment and news comes as one would-be competitor, Quibi, an app offering short-form shows designed for viewing on phones, attempts to regroup after a disastrous arrival in April. Quibi fell out of the list of the 50 most downloaded free iPhone apps in the United States a week after it went live. On Thursday it ranked No. 285.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, the Hollywood mogul behind Quibi, blamed the coronavirus pandemic for its rough start, but people have been spending more time on platforms like Snapchat and TikTok, an app for making and sharing short videos, since the shutdowns began. Snap said in April that daily active users had grown more rapidly than expected, reaching 229 million people. To compare, Twitter had about 166 million. Snap said time spent watching its original shows had doubled in recent months compared to a year earlier.

Snap sells six-second, non-skippable ads for its originals. The company, based in Santa Monica, Calif., introduced scripted programs and docuseries in 2018 and unscripted shows in 2016. “The Rundown,” an E! News series, just celebrated its 500th episode. Episodes for scripted shows are typically five minutes long, with eight to 12 episodes in a season.

Entertainment and news programming is still a small part of Snap’s business, however. “It’s not enough to move the needle — yet,” said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities.

Snap’s programming emphasizes inclusion and new storytelling tools, notably augmented reality lenses. A continuing unscripted series, “Nikita Unfiltered,” stars the transgender beauty influencer Nikita Dragun. Shows announced on Thursday include “Coach Kev,” billed as a daily dose of “positivity and wisdom” from the comedian Kevin Hart, and “Life by the Horns,” a docuseries about Ezekiel Mitchell, an African-American bull rider.

Scripted shows coming to Snapchat include “Frogtown,” about an all-female skate crew (directed by Catherine Hardwicke of “Twilight” fame), and “Action Royale,” about a teenager who starts an underground e-sports gambling ring.

“We’re getting better and better at programming,” Sean Mills, Snap’s content chief, said by phone. “It’s not about episode length. It’s not about aspect ratio. It’s not about how many stars you have. It’s how you tell the story and how well you know your audience.”

Mr. Mills declined to give many specifics about the company deals that Snap unveiled, including how long “multiyear” meant. (“At least two,” he said.) All the deals call for expanded programming commitments. For instance, Disney has long had an agreement with Snap that covers exclusive content from ESPN; the new deal also covers Disney-owned properties like ABC and Freeform, a cable channel aimed at young adults, as well as unspecified Disney franchises.

Under the expanded N.F.L. deal, the league will triple the number of what it calls “near real-time” highlights shows on Snapchat. The league will also continue to supply Snapchat with other video programming year-round and develop augmented-reality lenses and filters tied to specific teams and events, including the Super Bowl.

Blake Stuchin, the league’s vice president for digital media business development, said that 70 percent of Snapchat users that view N.F.L. content are under the age of 25. Courting younger fans is crucial for the league’s future. Snapchat reaches more 13 to 34 year olds in the United States than Facebook or Instagram, according to public data from the companies.

“We want to meet our fans where they already are, whether that means making sure they know there is a game coming up or telling them more about a favorite player or giving them creative tools to express themselves,” Mr. Stuchin said.

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Railways witnesses an increase of 8.4% in gross earnings

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The passenger traffic (km million), freight carried (tonnes million), and freight (tonnes km million) declined by 3.54%, 0.56%, and 0.07%, respectively during financial year 2020 (July-February) . — AFP/Files

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways’ witnessed an increase of 8.4% in its gross earnings in the first eight months of the financial year 2020 (July-February) that amounted to Rs 36,916.85 million as compared to Rs34,066.12 million during the same period last year.

According to the Economic Survey 2020 issued on Thursday, during the above mentioned term, the number of carried passengers decreased to 39.4 million against 39.9 million during the corresponding period last year, representing a decline of 1.20%.

The passenger traffic (km million), freight carried (tonnes million), and freight (tonnes km million) declined by 3.54%, 0.56%, and 0.07%, respectively.

The department comprises a total of 474 locomotives including 458 diesel engines and 12 steam engines for the 7,791km length of the route across the country.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) assisted the department to prepare the Pakistan Railways Strategic Plan (PRSP), which has been approved by the Railways Board.

The ADB also gave training to Pakistan Railway staff on route optimisation bringing efficiency in current operations.

PRSP includes suggestions to facilitate the railways in achieving its targets of being efficient and profitable. The policy dialogue was still on-going.

Pakistan Railways has recently submitted a business plan to the Supreme Court of Pakistan that outlines a strategy for turning the railways into a profitable entity.

The 121-page report was prepared in connection with a suo-motu case on the losses incurred by the institution.

It was informed in the report that 50% of its engines were old and needed replacement, meanwhile, a shortage of the required funds was affecting the repair work of engines.

As per the proposed plan, the railways would need to sign international joint venture agreements to become a profitable entity.

Passengers would be provided with secure, comfortable, and affordable travel facilities.

The entity would require the assistance of other departments as well to make itself financially stable.

It would also need political and financial support and effective monitoring of its governance and the Railways board. The entire Railway system would be digitalised.

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Audrey Gelman Resigns As CEO Of The Wing, Employees Stage Virtual Walkout

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Audrey Gelman, CEO and founder of The Wing, stepped down from her post as employees staged a digital walkout from the company, saying it “doesn’t practice the intersectional feminism it preaches.”

Dozens of employees at the women’s social co-working space tweeted a statement Thursday after news broke that Gelman, who launched The Wing in 2016 with Lauren Kassan, was resigning.

Tech reporter Kara Swisher tweeted a screenshot of the resignation email from Gelman that indicated she’d be replaced by a “newly formed Office of the CEO that will include Celestine, Ashley & Lauren,” referring to Celestine Maddy, Ashley Peterson and Lauren Kassan. Gelman also wrote that this was an “interim solution.” 

A spokeswoman for The Wing confirmed Swisher’s tweet. “The past three months have brought change to our society, our culture, our business and our team in ways no one could have imagined,” the spokeswoman said in an email to HuffPost. “The Wing remains a vital resource for thousands of women navigating their path to success. But the moment calls for a rethinking of how we meet their needs moving forward and for new leadership that can guide The Wing into the future.”

Gelman’s resignation will help the company “create a sustainable business, and achieve the bold vision of advancing all women through community,” the statement added.

Several employees shared a statement about the company’s practices, saying “Audrey Gelman’s resignation is not enough @thewing.” Workers “made a list of demands in order to correct” the brand’s not practicing intersectional feminism.

“Today we’re participating in a digital walkout in solidarity with the people without whom The Wing would not exist ― particularly our Black and brown coworkers,” the statement said.

The Wing’s organizing employees said in a statement to HuffPost that they “have been told over and over by our leadership that we’re a mission-driven company, even as the company’s actions consistently prove otherwise.”

The statement added: “In solidarity with so many of our colleagues — past, present, and in particular, the Black and brown people without whom The Wing would not exist —as a united group of employees, we are participating in a virtual walkout beginning today, Thursday, June 11, 2020.” 

The employees said they are “frustrated and saddened by the incompetence and lack of accountability” demonstrated by The Wing’s leadership, adding that “without transparency and clear growth paths for employees,” leadership decisions have “disproportionately failed and continue to fail people of color at The Wing.”

“A quick look at our social media reveals several detailed accounts from former space team members, most of whom are Black and brown people, about the abuse they endured in our spaces and the lack of support they received from The Wing’s leadership. The public perception of The Wing is at an all-time low — and rightfully so,” they said.

The employees did not share the details of their demands, but they said that they have asked for the board to meet to consider them and “several commitments to long term changes once new leadership is instated.”

The employees said that “93% of our current full-time employees — 67 out of 72 people — have signed the petition in support of our demands.”

The statement concluded: “We look forward to working together to rebuild The Wing and create a company, culture, and community that’s equitable, profitable, and representative of the values and causes we claim to uplift.”

Various reports over the last three years have accused The Wing of racism, exclusivity, transphobic admission policies and mistreatment of employees by Gelman specifically.

The New York Times interviewed 26 former Wing employees earlier this year and documented how women of color were tokenized while workers hired to work the front desk were also told to clean — and to do so out of view of the members so as not to disrupt the environment. 

Former front desk employee Vei Darling told the Times that she believed she was hired “only so that they could exploit my presence and my image for their own purposes to make it seem like they were more inclusive than they actually were.”

The Times also reported that employees might “find themselves to be the only black women in the room” and that members and their guests “could be casually racist.” 



Audrey Gelman, the founder of The Wing, on April 9, 2018, in Washington.

Vox reported in 2019 that the company’s “several hundred dollars a month for membership” put it “out of reach of the very women who could use them most, especially women of color and low-income women.”

Vox said the company co-opted “the language and iconography of feminism to make money.”

Writer Daisy Alioto told Study Hall in 2018 that Gelman is less of a “pioneer for feminism” and more of “an opportunist.”

The Wing did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment on the employee walkout.



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Coronavirus Outbreak: Players temporarily allowed to play for up to three clubs over season, says FIFA – Firstpost

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FIFA also said it would allow national associations to open their transfer window for the 2020/21 season before the current campaign has finished

The post Coronavirus Outbreak: Players temporarily allowed to play for up to three clubs over season, says FIFA appeared first on Firstpost.

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