Tag: Suspends

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Business

NBA suspends Suns proprietor Robert Sarver for utilizing racial slurs, harassing workers

NBA fines and suspends Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner for misconduct

The NBA suspended Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver for a year and fined them $10 million Tuesday after an independent investigation uncovered multiple violations of workplace standards of conduct.

The investigation revealed that Sarver repeated the N-word at least five times. He also made gender-related comments and inappropriate language related to female employees. He also abused employees by yelling and verbally abusing them.

The investigation also found that Suns’ human resources department was historically ineffective.

The league launched the investigation in November after an ESPN article detailed alleged wrongdoing by Sarver. The NBA hired the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which reviewed more than 80,000 documents — including emails, text messages and videos — related to Sarver’s conduct.

Sarver initially called the allegations “false,” “inaccurate,” and “misleading,” while firmly denying the allegations of misconduct. In November he said: “I would very much welcome an impartial NBA investigation that could prove ours only outlet to clear my name and the reputation of an organization of which I am so proud.”

The review of Sarver’s 18-year tenure as managing partner of the teams found the results corroborated the original reporting.

“The statements and behavior described in the findings of the independent investigation are disturbing and disappointing,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “We believe that the result is correct, taking into account all the facts, circumstances and context brought to light by the comprehensive investigation of this 18-year period.”

The $10 million fine is the maximum permitted by the NBA’s constitution and bylaws. Sarver will also be banned from all NBA and WNBA facilities, events, games, practices and business activities.

“The NBA’s organizational findings are largely focused on historical issues that have been addressed in recent years,” said a statement from Suns Legacy Partners, the company that manages the Suns and Mercury. “Robert Sarver also accepts responsibility for his actions. He recognizes that his behavior during his eighteen years of ownership at times did not reflect his values ​​or those of the Suns.”

Sarver’s fine will be donated to organizations working to address race and gender issues inside and outside the workplace. During his suspension, Sarver will complete a training program on respect and proper behavior in the workplace.

“While I disagree with some of the details of the NBA report, I would like to apologize for my words and actions that have offended our staff,” Sarver wrote in a statement sent to CNBC. “I take full responsibility for what I have done. I am sorry for causing this pain and these misperceptions do not align with my personal philosophy or values.”

The findings echo revelations about former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was fined $2.5 million and banned for life after audio recordings caught him making racist remarks. The ban forced Sterling to sell the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $2 billion after 33 years in ownership. Sterling’s lawsuit against the NBA was settled in 2016.

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Politics

Twitter Suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene for Posting Coronavirus Misinformation

Twitter Suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene for Posting Coronavirus Misinformation

SAN FRANCISCO – Twitter announced Monday that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene would be suspended from her duty for 12 hours after posting news that violated her policy on disclosing misleading information about the coronavirus.

Ms. Greene, a Republican from Georgia, was a staunch opponent of vaccines and masks as a means of containing the pandemic. In tweets on Sunday and Monday, she argued that Covid-19 is not dangerous for people unless they are obese or over 65 and said vaccines shouldn’t be required.

But coronavirus cases are on the rise, and the highly contagious Delta variant accounts for more than half of new infections in the U.S., federal health officials said this month. In Ms. Greene’s home state of Georgia, new cases have increased 193 percent in the past two weeks.

Twitter said Ms. Greene’s tweets were misinformation and banned her from duty until Tuesday. “We have taken enforcement action against the @mtgreenee account for violating the Twitter rules, in particular the misleading Covid 19 information guidelines,” said a Twitter spokesman. The company also added labels to Ms. Greene’s posts about the vaccines, calling them “misleading” and pointing out information about the safety of the vaccines.

In a statement, Ms. Greene said Silicon Valley companies are working with the White House to attack freedom of expression. “These big tech companies are doing the Biden regime’s commandments to restrict our voices and prevent the distribution of messages that are not state-approved,” she said.

Twitter took action after President Biden urged social media companies to do more to combat the spread of vaccine misinformation on their platforms. On Friday, Mr Biden said sites like Facebook “kill people” by allowing misinformation to flourish freely, adding, “Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated, and that – and they are killing people . “

His statement ended weeks of frustration in the White House over the spread of online misinformation that resulted in hesitant vaccination, health officials say.

Facebook, which took the brunt of the criticism, argued that Mr Biden’s testimony was unfounded. “The Biden government has chosen to blame a handful of American social media companies,” said Guy Rosen, Facebook’s vice president of integrity, in a blog post on Saturday. “The fact is that the adoption of vaccines by Facebook users in the US has increased.”

On Monday, the president softened his criticism, saying that it was not Facebook but certain users who were responsible for the spread of misinformation. The company should do more to combat “the outrageous misinformation” spreading on its platform, rather than taking what he said as a personal insult, added Mr Biden.

Twitter has long banned users from sharing misinformation about the coronavirus that could cause harm. In March, the company introduced a policy outlining penalties for sharing lies about the virus and vaccines.

Updated

July 19, 2021, 9:32 p.m. ET

“We have seen the emergence of persistent conspiracy theories, alarmist rhetoric that is unfounded in research or credible reporting, and a wide range of unfounded rumors that, out of context, can deter the public from making informed decisions about their health and individuals, Families and communities at risk, “the company said in its policy against the disclosure of Covid misinformation.

Individuals who violate this policy are subject to escalating penalties known as strikes and could face a permanent ban if they repeatedly spread misinformation about the virus. A twelve-hour ban, as Ms. Greene learns, is Twitter’s response to users who have either two or three strikes. After four strikes, Twitter bans users for seven days, and after five strikes, Twitter bans the user altogether.

Other Republicans who have been banned from Twitter have complained that the social media company is censoring them.

In January, Twitter banned President Donald J. Trump after the company found his social media posts played a role in inciting violence during the riot in the U.S. Capitol. Mr Trump has argued that Twitter and Facebook, which also blocked his account, censored him, saying the companies need government oversight.

Ms. Greene had previously been banned from Twitter in April, but the company said it was a bug caused by one of its automated spam and abuse detection systems.

“Everyone knows this is a LIE and it wasn’t a mistake,” Ms. Greene tweeted after her suspension was lifted.

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Health

Florida governor DeSantis suspends all remaining Covid restrictions

Florida governor DeSantis suspends all remaining Covid restrictions

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks wearing his face mask about the rise in coronavirus cases in the state during a press conference at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami on July 13, 2020.

Chandan Khanna | AFP | Getty Images

WASHINGTON – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order on Monday suspending immediately all pending local Covid-19 emergency orders and related public health restrictions.

“The fact is that we are no longer in a state of emergency,” DeSantis said during a press conference. He conceded that Florida was not finished with its fight against the coronavirus, but reiterated the nation’s decline in Covid-19 cases and deaths.

“I think that’s the evidence-based thing,” DeSantis said, adding that asking vaccinated people to continue wearing masks would undermine confidence in the coronavirus vaccine.

Private businesses may still require masks and enforce social distancing and other protective measures.

DeSantis signed a draft law on Monday that will bring the implementing regulation into effect on July 1st. The implementing regulation is designed to close the gap by then. The move, which is effectively ending all local restrictions related to pandemics, also bans vaccination certificates.

Florida has reported the third most common Covid-19 cases in the US with more than 2.2 million since the pandemic began and the fourth highest death toll with more than 35,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. However, the average number of new cases there has dropped more than 13% in the past week and dropped to 4,885 according to data on Sunday.

The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

Last week, the Biden government announced a relaxation of federal health guidelines on wearing masks outdoors.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that fully vaccinated individuals can exercise outdoors and attend small gatherings without a face mask. The agency also recommends that fully vaccinated individuals wear a mask in crowded outdoor areas.

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World News

BAFTA Suspends Award for Actor Noel Clarke Amid Harassment Allegations

BAFTA Suspends Award for Actor Noel Clarke Amid Harassment Allegations

LONDON – The organization that awards the UK equivalent of the Oscars has suspended a celebrity actor and director weeks after receiving one of its main awards after 20 women accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment and bullying.

Producers, actresses and production assistants said actor Noel Clarke secretly filmed auditions where they were naked, fondled or forcibly kissed them, and sent unsolicited intimate pictures. The testimonies were detailed in an extensive synopsis that The Guardian published on Thursday evening.

The 45-year-old Clarke grew up in London and established himself in the 2000s as an actor on the television series “Doctor Who”. In Great Britain he is known as a filmmaker and performer for his trilogy “The Hood” about the life of teenagers in West London and for the TV police dramas “Bulletproof” and “Viewpoint”. His production company, Unstoppable Film & Television, has made more than 10 films and television shows.

According to The Guardian, Mr. Clarke denied all allegations made by his lawyers, with the exception of one episode in which he was accused of making inappropriate comments on a woman. He said he later apologized on the case.

A spokesman for artist management agency 42 M&P said it stopped representing Mr Clarke in April. Other efforts to contact Mr. Clarke and his agents were not immediately successful.

Sexual harassment allegations in the film industry have surfaced in recent years following revelations in the New York Times about Harvey Weinstein that touched the #MeToo movement. Mr Clarke is one of the first prominent actors to face such allegations in the UK.

In a statement to The Guardian, Mr. Clarke said: “In a 20 year career I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and have never filed a complaint against me.”

“If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespectful, I sincerely apologize,” said Mr. Clarke, denying any sexual misconduct or misconduct and dismissing the allegations as false.

The extent of the possible ramifications for Mr Clarke became clear on Friday when ITV television took the unusual step of saying in a statement that it would not air the finale of “Viewpoint,” a drama starring the actor, on its main channel Friday night because of the allegations against him.

Mr Clarke was recently awarded the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, commonly known as BAFTA, the Award for Great Britain’s Outstanding Contribution to Cinema at its annual ceremony earlier this month, despite being made aware of the allegations almost two weeks ago the ceremony.

BAFTA said in a statement Friday that it had received emails accusing him of sexual misconduct in the days following the announcement that Mr Clarke would receive the award.

The allegations, the organization said, were either anonymous accounts or second- or third-hand accounts through intermediaries, adding that they would have reacted differently if the statements had come directly from the prosecutors.

“Names, times, dates, productions or any other details were never given,” BAFTA said. “If the victims had been registered with The Guardian, the award would have been suspended immediately.”

BAFTA, which previously honored Mr. Clarke with the Rising Star Award in 2009, said in an earlier statement released shortly after the article was published that it would cancel his award and membership in the Academy “immediately and until further notice “suspended.

The Guardian report cited nearly two dozen women in the film industry who said they had suffered a range of ill-treatment, including unwanted physical contact, groping and forced kissing, and unwanted sexual behavior on the set, including eight on the nudes.

Norwegian film producer Synne Seltveit said Mr Clarke slapped her buttocks in 2015 and later sent an unwanted explicit sexual image. Actress Gina Powel said Mr Clarke exposed her in a car and later fondled her in an elevator in 2015 as well. Anna Avramenko, an assistant The film director said Mr Clarke kissed her violently on the set in 2008 and tried several times after the incident.

Helen Atherton, art director on “Brotherhood,” which is part of “The Hood” trilogy, said Mr. Clarke violated the norms for ethical filming of sex and nude scenes, including hiring a non-professional actress to do one Play scene in which intimate parts of their anatomy were visible.

In recent years, as television and film productions grapple with the effects of the #MeToo movement, “intimacy coordinators” have become more common on the set. Your job is to make sure that sex scenes do not endanger or exploit the performers. In recent British and Irish shows like “It’s a Sin” and “Normal People”, intimacy coordinators have been added to their crew.

On screen, the plots of some recent British hits like “Sex Education” and “I May Destroy You” have raised questions of sexual consent.

British actress and writer Michaela Coel, who created “I May Destroy You,” in which she plays a young Londoner investigating her own rape, said in a statement she supported the women who accused Mr. Clarke.

“Talking about these incidents takes a lot of effort because some people call them ‘gray areas’. However, they are far from gray, ”said Ms. Coel.

“These behaviors are unprofessional, violent, and can irreparably destroy a person’s perception of themselves, their place in the world, and their career.”

In his speech at the BAFTA Awards earlier this month, Black Mr Clarke dedicated his award to “the underrepresented person who sits at home believing they can do more.”

“This is especially for my young black boys and girls out there who never believed this could happen to them,” said Mr. Clarke.

He added, “Hopefully people will see that I’ve been trying to make changes in the industry.”

The British Academy has been repeatedly criticized for the lack of diversity in its nominee list and announced a number of changes to its nomination and award process over the past year.

For this year’s awards, BAFTA’s 6,700 voting members had to undergo unconscious bias training and watch each nominated film before they could cast their ballots for each category – an attempt to deter voters from focusing on the most hyped films.

In Friday’s statement, BAFTA said it had asked individuals to show their accounts and identify themselves.

“We very much regret that women have felt unable to give us the kind of firsthand testimony that has now appeared in The Guardian,” it said. “Had we received this, we would never have presented the award to Noel Clarke.”

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Business

Germany suspends use of AstraZeneca’s Covid shot for the under-60s

Germany suspends use of AstraZeneca's Covid shot for the under-60s

Medical syringes and small figures of people can be seen in front of the AstraZeneca logo displayed on a screen. On Saturday March 26th 2021 in Dublin, Ireland.

NurPhoto | NurPhoto | Getty Images

Germany has stopped using the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University in the under 60s due to renewed concerns over reports of blood clots.

The move comes after the country’s medicines agency found 31 cases of a rare type of blood clot in a small number of people immunized with the coronavirus vaccine made by the Anglo-Swedish drug maker. The suspension is likely to deal another blow to the vaccine’s reputation.

What happened?

Initially, some regions suspended the use of the shot on Tuesday due to concerns about a possible link to rare but serious forms of blood clots. However, it was announced on Tuesday that the entire country will no longer distribute the vaccine to anyone under the age of 60 after the country’s independent vaccine committee known as STIKO recommended it.

The committee said in a statement on Tuesday that “after several consultations, the majority of the STIKO, with the help of external experts, decided to only recommend the Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccine to people aged 60 and over.”

This decision was based “on the currently available data on the occurrence of rare but very severe thromboembolic side effects. This side effect occurred 4 to 16 days after vaccination, mainly in people (under) 60 years of age,” it said.

Regarding the question of giving the second dose of vaccine to younger people who have already received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the German vaccine committee announced that it would issue guidelines on the matter by the end of April.

Germany’s Paul Ehrlich Institute, a federal agency and medical regulator, told CNBC that there have been 31 cases of blood clots in the cerebral veins – a condition known as sinus vein thrombosis or cerebral venous sinus thrombosis – reported as part of a spontaneous admission.

Out of that number, thrombocytopenia (a condition characterized by abnormally low blood platelet levels) has also been reported in 19 cases. In nine of these cases, those affected died.

All but two of the 31 cases concerned women between the ages of 20 and 63, while the two men affected were 36 and 57 years old, according to the Paul Ehrlich Institute.

It added that it “continues to examine and evaluate all incoming case reports and actively participate in the relevant discussions at EMA, the European Medicines Agency, where case reports from all EU Member States are evaluated.

To put the numbers in context: By Monday, almost 2.7 million people in Germany had received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 767 people had received a second dose, according to the German health department, the Robert Koch Institute.

Hit AstraZeneca

“Everything is based on a principle and that is trust,” said Merkel at a press conference, reported Reuters. “Trust arises from the knowledge that every suspicion is counted in every individual case.” The 66-year-old Chancellor added that she would also be ready to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine “when it is my turn,” reported Deutsche Welle.

Still, the German move is sure to cause AstraZeneca more pain and confuse the public and worry about the vaccine.

AstraZeneca has already suspended its shot in a handful of European countries before the EMA and World Health Organization reviewed the vaccine’s safety data and concluded that it was “safe and effective” and that the benefits outweigh the risks.

The EMA said at the time, however, that it could not rule out a connection between the shot and the blood clots, which at least occur regularly in the general population. Enough concerns have been raised for Canada to suspend use of the vaccine in those under 55 due to fears of a possible association with blood clots.

However, clinical and real world data has shown the vaccine to drastically reduce Covid cases, hospital stays and deaths. The vaccine is a key part of vaccination programs in the UK and other countries and is viewed as an inexpensive vaccine that is easy to transport and store.

Drugmaker defends himself

Many scientists and the UK government have defended the shot, claiming it had saved thousands of lives.

In a statement to CNBC, AstraZeneca said that international regulators had determined that the benefits of the sting significantly outweighed any possible risks.

It said it continues to analyze its database of tens of millions of records for the vaccine to understand “whether these very rare cases of thrombocytopenia-related blood clots are more common than would naturally be expected in a population of millions of people “.

“We will continue to work with the German authorities to answer any questions,” he added.

The drug company stressed that “tens of millions of people around the world have received our vaccine. The vast amounts of data from two large clinical datasets and real evidence demonstrate its effectiveness and reinforce the role the vaccine can play in this public health crisis.”

Germany had previously not given the vaccine to people aged 65 and over because there was insufficient data on its effectiveness in this age group. However, when more data emerged showing it was safe and effective, it reversed that policy.

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Business

Hong Kong Suspends Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Use Over Packaging Defects

Hong Kong Suspends Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccine Use Over Packaging Defects

Hong Kong on Wednesday suspended use of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine after packaging defects ranging from cracked containers to loose caps were discovered in a batch of cans. This was a major blow to a city that was already struggling to vaccinate its seven million residents against Covid-19.

Health officials called the stop a precaution, saying that none of the broken vials had been administered to patients and that they had not identified any health risks. However, if the suspension continues, Chinese territory may not have had enough shots to protect its population as the coronavirus continues to spread. Hong Kong officials counted 7.5 million doses of the vaccine, which was developed by Pfizer in the US and BioNTech in Germany to meet their needs.

The discovery has also sparked a hunt for the source of the flaws, as well as questions whether there might be more out there. The cans were made in BioNTech’s factories in Germany, while a Chinese company called Fosun Pharma was responsible for the transport, storage and distribution of the recordings in Hong Kong.

“I’m confused about why this is being reported for the first time in Hong Kong and we haven’t heard about it anywhere else,” said Benjamin Cowling, head of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Hong Kong.

“Was there anything special about that particular batch? Presumably they were made in the same way as the other batches in Germany. “

In a statement on Wednesday, BioNTech said the batch in question had only been sent to Hong Kong and Macau, another nearby Chinese area. The company said it is investigating the root cause of the problem.

“At this point in time, we have no reason to believe that there is a safety risk to the population,” said BioNTech.

Fosun Pharma said BioNTech had identified problems with the lids within a batch of vaccines shipped to Hong Kong and Macau, where authorities have also suspended vaccine administration. Fosun Pharma shares fell 4.8 percent in Hong Kong trading on Wednesday.

Hong Kong’s vaccination campaign has already been plagued by public doubts. Vaccine bookings were down after reports were made that several people died after receiving the other vaccine Hong Kong uses, made by Sinovac, a Beijing-based company. Residents tried hard to book appointments for the BioNTech vaccine, which, according to official figures, had booked about twice as many as Sinovac in the past six days.

The Hong Kong government has not found a direct link between the shooting and the deaths. However, some people do not trust the government after mainland China officials tightened their control over the former British colony following anti-government protests in 2019.

In January, a poll of 2,733 residents found that only 39 percent of Hong Kong residents were willing to take a Covid-19 vaccine.

“There are some key risks here that further undermine confidence in the vaccines available,” said Karen Grépin, associate professor at the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health, who received the BioNTech shot on March 12.

Professor Grépin said many Hong Kong residents waited to see what the early stages of the rollout would be before deciding on a vaccine.

The suspension created uncertainty in the city’s clinics and doctor’s offices as vaccinations stalled.

Lindsay Eng, 36, was vaccinated at 9:11 a.m. on Wednesday. When she was sitting in the waiting area afterwards, she noticed that no more people were coming in. When she left the center, the staff put up a sign saying that the vaccination service had stopped. A lot of people who came to have their vaccinations were asked questions.

Ms. Eng said she was not particularly concerned for her own health but was more concerned that the incident would result in fewer people being vaccinated in Hong Kong.

“Just talking to the locals here is pretty clear that there are a lot of people who say, ‘Let’s wait and see,'” said Ms. Eng, who is from Toronto but has elderly family members in Hong Kong who hesitate Received vaccine.

Hong Kong officials had reached out to Fosun for answers after receiving reports from frontline workers and pharmacists about defective vials and packaging, Hong Kong health director Constance Chan said in a news conference on Wednesday. The defects were found before the doses were administered, she said, adding that workers carefully inspected containers and vials.

In total, the government received eight reports of cracked containers, 22 reports of leaks, 16 reports of loose closures, and 11 reports of stains or marks on the outside of bottles, said Dr. Chan.

The defective cans were part of a batch of 585,000 cans with the order number 210102, the Hong Kong government said on Wednesday, citing data from a subsidiary of Fosun in Hong Kong. So far, 150,200 people had received shots from this batch, according to the government.

Authorities said they would hold another batch of 758,000 doses of the BioNTech vaccine with catalog number 210104.

“This is a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the vaccine continuously,” the Hong Kong government said in a statement.

According to Dr. Chan would work with Fosun to work with BioNTech to conduct factory site inspections in Germany.

Compared to the USA and Great Britain, Hong Kong has started its vaccination campaign only slowly. Just over 5 percent of Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents have been vaccinated. The city has reported more than 11,000 cases and 204 deaths since the pandemic began, but it has just beaten back a new outbreak that resulted in hundreds of people being rounded up for quarantine.

It is unclear when concerns about the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine will be addressed or how quickly Hong Kong can make up the deficit. The city has also ordered 7.5 million doses of vaccine from Anglo-Swedish company AstraZeneca, which are expected to arrive in the second quarter. The company has not yet filed for approval of its vaccine in Hong Kong.

As quickly as the problem was resolved, confusion was created.

Ruby Callaghan Brown, 32, and her husband arrived at a vaccination center on the east side of Hong Kong Island at 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday. 15 minutes before opening. A staff member shooed her away, saying that all vaccinations had been stopped and that an announcement would come.

Then they read online that the center had reopened and returned. they were about to submit their records when they were told again that the vaccinations had been suspended.

They waited 45 minutes before leaving. “I thought I was just going to sit here until you change your mind,” she said.

Elsie Chen contributed to the research.

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Health

Fosun Pharma falls as Hong Kong suspends BioNTech Covid vaccinations

Fosun Pharma falls as Hong Kong suspends BioNTech Covid vaccinations

Vaccination program branding on the clothing of a staff member outside a community vaccination center administering the BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine imported by Fosun Pharma on Wednesday March 17, 2021 in Hong Kong, China.

Chan Long Hei | Bloomberg via Getty Images

Shares in China’s Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group fell after Hong Kong and Macau announced on Wednesday that they would suspend vaccinations for BioNTech Covid.

Fosun Pharma, BioNTech’s partner in the development and distribution of the Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccine in Greater China, has informed the cities of a packaging error in batch 210102 of the vaccine.

Hong Kong and Macau said they would suspend vaccinations made in Germany as a precaution.

The cities said BioNTech and Fosun Pharma are investigating the cause of the vial cap failure, adding that there is currently no reason to doubt the vaccine’s safety.

Macau says all of its messenger RNA or mRNA vaccines belong to the affected batch. Hong Kong said it would also temporarily suspend vaccinations from batch 210104 until the investigation is completed.

Hong Kong-listed Fosun Pharma shares fell 4.83% in the city on Wednesday afternoon.

Hong Kong approved the BioNTech emergency vaccine in January, while Macau gave the vaccine a special import permit in late February. Both areas received their first shots in late February.

BioNTech’s mRNA-based vaccine has a proven efficacy of 95% in adults, according to data from its global Phase 3 clinical trial. Real-world data has shown that Pfizer-BioNTech’s two-dose Covid vaccine delivers “very strong” results after just one shot.

The news comes as countries around the world struggle to vaccinate their populations amid rising Covid cases in most regions.

More than 124 million infections have been reported worldwide and the death toll from Covid has exceeded 2.7 million, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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Business

Denmark suspends use of AstraZeneca Covid vaccine

Denmark suspends use of AstraZeneca Covid vaccine

The Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine.

Karwai Tang | Getty Images

LONDON – Denmark announced on Thursday that it would temporarily stop using the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

The Danish health authority said it would temporarily suspend the use of the shot in its vaccination program “following reports of severe cases of blood clots in people vaccinated with AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine”.

“With this in mind, the European Medicines Agency has launched an investigation into the AstraZeneca vaccine. One report relates to a death in Denmark. It cannot currently be concluded whether the vaccine is related to the blood clots.” Authority said in a statement.

No information was provided about the number of reports of blood clots or where they came from.

The announcement comes after a similar move in Austria earlier this week, where authorities are investigating one person’s death and another person’s illness after receiving doses of the vaccine.

AstraZeneca’s shares in the London market were down 2.4% on Thursday morning. Oxford University would not comment on the announcement when contacted by CNBC.

An AstraZeneca spokesman said the company was aware of a statement by the Danish health authority that it is investigating possible adverse effects of the vaccine.

“Patient safety is a top priority for AstraZeneca. Regulators have clear and strict standards of efficacy and safety for approving new drugs, including the COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca. The vaccine’s safety has been thoroughly investigated in Phase III clinical trials. Review data confirms the vaccine is generally well tolerated, “AstraZeneca said in a statement to CNBC.

Søren Brostrøm, director of the National Health Department in Denmark, insisted that the 14-day suspension was a precautionary measure during the investigation.

“It is important to emphasize that we did not decide against the AstraZeneca vaccine, we are deferring it. There is good evidence that the vaccine is both safe and effective. But both we and the Danish Medicines Agency need to respond Reports of possible serious side effects from both Denmark and other European countries, “he said.

Austria concerns

The Austrian health authorities stopped using batch ABV5300 of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a person was diagnosed with multiple thrombosis (formation of blood clots in blood vessels) and died 10 days after vaccination. Another person was hospitalized with pulmonary embolism after vaccination.

“The latter is now recovering,” said the European Medicines Agency on Wednesday.

However, the EMA added that “there is currently no evidence that vaccination caused these conditions that are not listed as side effects with this vaccine.”

The EMA found that the same batch of ABV5300 was shipped to 17 EU countries and comprised 1 million doses of the vaccine.

“Some EU countries have also suspended this batch as a precautionary measure while a full investigation is in progress. Although a quality defect is considered unlikely at this point, the batch quality will be investigated,” said the EMA.

It added that its safety committee was reviewing the issue and “investigated the cases reported with the batch, as well as all other cases of thromboembolic events and other blood clot-related conditions post-vaccination.”

“The information available so far shows that the number of thromboembolic events in vaccinated people is no higher than in the general population.”

As of March 9, “22 cases of thromboembolic events have been reported among the 3 million people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the European Economic Area,” the EMA said.

Trust in the UK and the EU

In late clinical studies, the AstraZeneca-Oxford shot was found to have an average of 70% effectiveness in protecting against the virus. A recent study by Oxford researchers found that the Covid vaccine was 76% effective at preventing symptomatic infection for three months after a single dose and that the effectiveness rate actually increased with a longer interval between the first and second dose.

The AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine is widely used in the launch of vaccination in the UK and the European Union.

The UK has so far vaccinated over 22 million people with a first dose of a coronavirus vaccine and is currently only using the AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech shot.

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Business

Slate Suspends Mike Pesca of “The Gist” After Debate Over Racial Slur

Slate Suspends Mike Pesca of "The Gist" After Debate Over Racial Slur

The online publication Slate has suspended a well-known podcast host after discussing with colleagues whether people who are not black should be able to quote a racist Slur in certain contexts.

Mike Pesca, the host of “The Gist,” a podcast about news and culture, said in an interview that he was suspended indefinitely on Monday after defending the use of the arc in certain contexts. He argued last week during a conversation with colleagues on the Slack interoffice messaging platform.

In a long line of messages, Slate staff discussed the resignation of Donald G. McNeil Jr., a reporter who said this month he had resigned from the New York Times after holding the arc during a discussion on racism at work had used as a guide for a student trip in 2019.

Mr Pesca, who is white, said he felt there were contexts in which the arc could be used, as shown in screenshots of the Slack conversation shared with The Times. Dan Check, Slate’s general manager, stepped in to end the discussion.

Katie Rayford, Slate’s spokeswoman, confirmed that “The Gist” had been suspended pending an investigation but did not want to comment on Mr. Pesca. “While I cannot address certain allegations that are being investigated,” Ms. Rayford said, “I can confirm that this was not a decision based on an isolated abstract argument on a Slack channel.”

Defector Media, a digital outlet focusing on sports and culture, previously reported on the suspension of Mr Pesca and the internal debate at Slate.

Mr Pesca investigated the dispute over the use of the bow in a 2019 podcast about a black security officer who was fired for its use. In a recording of the episode, Mr Pesca said he used the term while quoting the man but asked his producer to do a version without the term. After consulting with his producers and supervisor who protested his quote of the bow, they decided to use the version without it, he said.

“The version of the story with the offensive word was never aired and that’s how I think the editorial process should go,” Pesca said in an interview.

No action was taken against him following an investigation by the human resources department into his quote from the arch, Pesca said. He said he apologized to the producers involved.

In November 2019, Slate introduced a policy that requires podcast presenters and producers to discuss the use of racial terms in an upcoming episode in or from quoted material before it is recorded.

Mr Pesca said Mr Check, the executive director, and Jared Hohlt, editor-in-chief of Slate, raised the previous instance of his citing the sheet when they spoke to him after speaking with Slack. He added that they had mentioned another case where he used the term which he did not remember.

Mr Pesca, whose interview style at times seemed to epitomize Slates’ contrary brand, said he was told on Friday that he would be suspended for a week without pay. He was told on Monday the suspension was indefinite, he said.

Mr Pesca, who has worked at Slate for seven years, said he had “heart disease” for hurting his colleagues but added, “I hate the idea of ​​things that cannot be discussed and things that cannot be said can.”

Jacob Weisberg, Slate’s former chairman and editor-in-chief, who left the company in 2018 for the podcast start-up Pushkin, described Mr. Pesca as “a great talent and a fair journalist”.

“I don’t think he did anything that deserves discipline or consequence, and I think it’s an example of some kind of overreaction and lack of judgment and perspective that is unfortunately spreading,” said Weisberg.

Joel Anderson, a black Slate employee who hosted the third season of the Slow Burn podcast, disagreed. “It is an extremely small question for black employees not to hear that particular bow and not debate whether it is okay for white employees to use that particular bow,” he said.

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Public sale Home Suspends Sale of 19th-Century Jewish Burial Data

Auction House Suspends Sale of 19th-Century Jewish Burial Records

Under National Socialist rule in 1944 around 18,000 Jews were deported in six trains from the city of Cluj-Napoca in what is now Romania to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. Almost all of them perished. Jewish homes, offices, archives and synagogues in Cluj have been searched and properties looted, including books and historical records, leaving little traces of a once lively, mainly Hungarian-speaking community.

Today, decades after many of the few Holocaust survivors emigrated, the Jewish community there is only 350 and has little evidence of its history.

But this month a rare relic of Cluj’s Jewish past popped up at a New York auction house. A bound memorial register for Jewish burials in the city between 1836 and 1899 was one of 17 documents that were offered and then withdrawn from sale at Kestenbaum & Company, a Judaica auction house in Brooklyn.

The withdrawal was canceled at the request of the Cluj Jewish community and the World Jewish Restitution Organization, who requested the sale of the funeral register listed in the catalog for the February 18 auction and known as Pinkas Klali D’Chevra Kadisha.

The register, handwritten in Hebrew and Yiddish, with a detailed front page praising the funeral company leaders, was discovered online by a genealogist who alerted Robert Schwartz, president of Cluj’s Jewish community.

“Very little parish membership survived World War II,” says Schwartz. “It’s surprising that the book turned up at auction because nobody knew anything about its existence. We have few documents or books, so this manuscript is an important source of information about the 19th century church. “

Schwartz was one of the Holocaust survivors from Cluj. He was born hidden in a basement after his pregnant mother fled the city’s ghetto. As an eminent chemist, he has headed the Jewish community of Cluj, the fourth largest city in Romania and home to the country’s largest university, since 2010.

Under his leadership, the community has sought to rebuild, celebrate Jewish religious festivals with a wider audience, and hold scientific events in pre-pandemic times. The Neolog Synagogue, the only one of the three synagogues there that is still used as a Jewish place of worship, is currently being renovated and will house a small museum, Schwartz said. “This document could be very valuable as a key exhibit,” he said.

In a letter to the auction house earlier this month, Schwartz described the manuscript – which was estimated to fetch between $ 5,000 and $ 7,000 – as “very valuable to our community’s history” and said it was “illegally appropriated by those who did not were identified. “

He also sought assistance from the World Jewish Restitution Organization, which asked the auction house to stop selling both the Cluj funeral records and a similar register of the births and deaths of Jews from nearby Oradea. In its letter, the restitution organization stated that private institutions such as Kestenbaum were “responsible for ensuring that claims for the recovery of property seized by the Nazis are resolved quickly,” and cited international agreements on the return of cultural property and assets from the Holocaust looted by the Nazis. Time.

“Given the historically sensitive nature of the items we are entrusted with, the title question is of the utmost importance to us,” wrote Daniel Kestenbaum, founding chairman of the Judaica auction house, in an email. “In relation to recently acquired information, manuscripts were withdrawn from our Judaica auction in February.”

The shipper is “a learned businessman who has made enormous efforts for decades to save and preserve historical artifacts that would otherwise have been destroyed,” said Kestenbaum. The seller agreed to further discuss the matter with the refund organization, he said.

Zoltan Tibori Szabo, director of the Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Cluj, said he was counting on the goodwill of the sender. If it is made available to researchers, the name of the newly discovered register will give scholars the names of the ancestors of the deportees, he said.

“When a person dies, they are usually remembered by their community and family,” he said. “But with hundreds of thousands of Jews in Eastern Europe, nothing was left of them – even their documents were robbed and disappeared. You cannot restore a community’s history without documents. We don’t even have a list of their names. “

While historical Jewish community registers are occasionally put up for sale, it’s unusual for so many to be auctioned off at once, said Jonathan Fishburn, a London-based Jewish and Hebrew book dealer. The market is generally limited to museums and libraries, although some private collectors with a connection to a particular region would also be potential customers, he said. Kestenbaum said that of the roughly 30,000 auction lots he has worked on in his career, only about 100 related to records he identified as critical to genealogical research.

“It’s about saving history,” said Gideon Taylor, chairman of operations for the World Jewish Restitution Organization. The newly discovered register “is a treasure and a rare window into the past,” he said. “Every name on this list is important.”

The discovery of these documents was “a symbol of a greater challenge,” he said. “How do we make sure that these pieces of history aren’t traded? We want to make sure we have a roadmap for the future. We will approach auction houses more systematically and look for partnerships. “