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While the Omicron COVID variant is generally mild, this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that future variants may not be and low vaccination rates in Africa make conditions "ideal" for a more dangerous variant to emerge. The WHO has long been cautioning countries against approaching the pandemic at a domestic level instead of a global one. Officials warned that highly-vaccinated countries will have a false sense of security if other countries have low vaccination rates because the virus rapidly spreading anywhere will lead to new variants that may be more deadly or evade therapeutics and vaccines. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told attendees at the Munich Security Conference on Friday that high vaccine coverage in some countries and Omicron's lower severity is driving a "dangerous narrative" that the COVID-19 pandemic is over. The pandemic, he said, is not over when 70 thousand people are dying each week, 83 percent of Afric...

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said during a press conference Wednesday that he thinks the vaccine requirements for athletes and entertainers preventing Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving from playing in home games is "unfair," but also said he is "struggling with" the idea of changing city rules to accommodate one athlete. Adams was asked whether he would change the requirement Wednesday after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on ESPN's Get Up that he did not understand why the rule stopped Irving from playing home games, while unvaccinated players on visiting teams could come to NYC and play. Irving, the only unvaccinated player on the Nets or the New York Knicks, is not allowed to play in home games in the Nets' Barclays Center or the Knicks' Madison Square Garden because of the city's vaccine requirements for athletes and entertainers. About 97 percent of the NBA is fully vaccinated, Silver said Wednesday. Irving has maintained his opposition to get...

The Batman has secured a coveted Chinese release date, an accomplishment that none of the past four MCU films have been able to achieve. The Batman has secured a Chinese release date, which appears to be a rarity among Hollywood films as of late. The latest entry in the Batman film franchise is set to introduce an entirely new take on the famous superhero, as anticipation grows and early tracking indicates it could be the biggest opening weekend for a Batman movie domestically. Yet, given how Batman is an icon the world over, the demand to see his latest film is something shared the world over. It appears Warner Bros. has found a way to make sure the film plays in one of the biggest film markets in the world. According to Deadline, The Batman has secured a Chinese release. No official date has been confirmed yet. This is the second major Hollywood film of 2022 to secure a Chinese release date, the first being Death on the Nile. This also comes as none of the Marvel movies released in 2...

Jean Claude Van Damme has been an action movie icon since the 1980s, but the Belgian actor says that his next action film will be his last one. Belgian actor and martial arts superstar Jean Claude Van Damme is planning to retire from action filmmaking after releasing one last pulse-pounding, bare-knuckle adventure. After having made a name for himself in the Belgian martial arts world, Van Damme moved to America in the early '80s to pursue a dream of acting. After playing a few smaller roles in movies like No Retreat, No Surrender and War and Remembrance, he burst onto the American martial arts movie scene as the leading man in 1988's Bloodsport.  Following the success of Bloodsport, the fact that Van Damme was officially an action star was undeniable. He'd lead nearly 20 movies in the next ten years alone and, to this day, hasn't gone more than a year in between projects since Bloodsport. Van Damme's celebrity continued to rise throughout the '80s and '90s ...

Tottenham Hotspur embarrassingly lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the match week 25 of the 2021-2022 Premier League on Sunday (13/2/2022) night WIB. Playing at home, The Lilyhites – Tottenham's nickname – actually fell 0-2 at the hands of the team nicknamed The Wolves. With this defeat, Antoni Conte's troops then dropped to eighth in the 2021-2022 Premier League standings. Tottenham's position in seventh position was taken over by Wolverhampton who won in that match. The course of the match First round Status as the home team, The Lilywhites appear quite dominant. Harry Kane and his friends immediately stepped on the gas to control the ball and put pressure. Antonio Conte's style of play is also successfully displayed. But unfortunately, the resulting opportunities were not enough to break the deadlock. Instead of wanting to win quickly, Tottenham were conceded. Ruben Neves' kick which was saved by Hugo Lloris resulted in a rebound in the 6th minute. Quickly, Raul...

MANCHESTER – Manchester United had to be willing to only get one point after being held 1-1 by Southampton in the 2021-2022 Premier League match on Saturday (12/2/2022) night WIB. The Red Devils actually had taken the lead in the 21st minute thanks to a goal from Jadon Sancho, but Southampton replied in the second half. The equalizing goal for the visitors took place in the 48th minute through the action of Che Adams. Because of Adams' goal, Man United's victory at Old Trafford immediately dispersed. The course of the match First round Playing in front of the public itself, Man United is quite superior in terms of ball possession when compared to Southampton. However, they also had time to get threats from the visitors. The match could be said to be quite tough. The reason is, until the game runs until the 15th minute no goals have been created. Even though Man United had the opportunity, the Southampton players could still counter this opportunity. After carrying out attack a...

In a new interview with Vogue, Kim Kardashian revealed how prioritizing her happiness led to so many changes in her life, including her Feb. 2021 split from Kanye "Ye" West. For a year now, fans have been keeping up with the drama surrounding Kim Kardashian and Kanye "Ye" West's divorce. And despite their public split, the reality TV star has remained fairly tight-lipped about the end of their marriage. But in a new interview for Vogue's March 2022 cover story, Kim offered rare insight into what led to the breakup.  "For so long, I did what made other people happy," Kim, who wed Ye in 2014, said. "And I think in the last two years I decided, I'm going to make myself happy. And that feels really good. And even if that created changes and caused my divorce, I think it's important to be honest with yourself about what really makes you happy. I've chosen myself. I think it's okay to choose you." As Kim put it, her 40s are all ...

New York is set to drop its indoor mask mandate, as Democrat-led states appear keen to move on with life beyond the coronavirus pandemic, which a poll has shown has caused frustration among voters across the political divide. New York Governor Kathy Hochul is due to announce on Wednesday an end to the COVID mitigation measures, according to The New York Times as one public health expert told Newsweek, "it makes sense to have an off-ramp for mandates now." Thursday will see the expiration of the rule requiring businesses in New York State to demand customers have proof of vaccination and wear masks indoors, except when eating or drinking. While it is not clear if Hochul will renew or drop a separate mask mandate for schools that expires on February 21, the move comes as polls have suggested that two years on from its outbreak, Americans are done with the pandemic and want to move on. A poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) in January suggested that nearly three-quarters o...

Fans rushed to make speculations about Rihanna's pregnancy after Gigi Hadid posted a curious comment on the post, which contained pics of the pop star's baby bump. Gigi Hadid, do you know something we don't about Rihanna's pregnancy? That's what many fans wondered after the supermodel and mother of one commented on the pop star and fashion designer's Feb. 2 post containing her first personal photo of her baby bump, as well as media pics of partner A$AP Rocky kissing her as she bares her belly in NYC, which were released Jan. 31 and marked her official pregnancy reveal. "Three angels," Gigi wrote, adding a crying face, a pleading face, and pink heart with an arrow emoji. Fans were shook. "Did Homegirl say twins," asked user @taylorrenee.0711, while many others asked the same question. Gigi, who has modeled for Rihanna's Savage x Fenty brand, later clarified in another comment, "I just caught word of this commotion [laughing emoji]. Me...

Conte joined Tottenham in November and has just overseen his first transfer window at the club Tottenham manager Antonio Conte says the club must pay "more attention" in the transfer market because of "mistakes in the past". Conte oversaw his first transfer window with the club in January, when record-signing Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil all left on loan. Ndombele cost Spurs £54m in 2019, while Lo Celso was £27.2m in 2020 and Gil joined from Sevilla for £22.5m in July. "Usually you buy players to reinforce your team," said Conte. "But if you send on loan after two or three years it is strange," the 52-year-old added. "It means that maybe in the past you have to see what you did and maybe to understand that there were some mistakes in the past. "We have to pay more attention in the future when we go into the market. It becomes a fundamental importance if we want to enforce the team, otherwise you drop the quality of y...

Savannah Chrisley and her ex-fiancé Nic Kerdiles, along with Todd Chrisley, opened up about Nic's recent suicide attempt in the hopes that sharing his story would help anyone else who's struggling. To anyone struggling, you're not alone. Todd Chrisley, Savannah Chrisley and her ex-fiancé Nic Kerdiles took to Instagram last night, Feb. 2, to share an emotional recollection of Nic's recent suicide attempt.  The Chrisley Knows Best stars began the nearly 20-minute long video by providing statistics about the coronavirus pandemic's negative impact on mental health, assuring anyone who's experienced increased depression or anxiety that they're not alone.  Afterward, Nic spoke his truth. "I'm super grateful to be here today," Nic said. "As Todd mentioned, I recently went through COVID as well and now [I'm] reading a lot more about it to kind of understand why this situation might have happened that occurred the other night." He continu...

Makayla Noble, the high school cheerleader who was paralyzed in a freak accident last year, has said being happy is "easier" than she thought it would be following the incident, despite having to to deal with numerous mental and physical challenges. The 17-year-old, who lives in Prosper, Texas, suffered a severe spinal cord injury on September 20, 2021 that left her paralyzed from the chest down and unable to move her hands. The teenager spent several weeks in the hospital and a rehabilitation facility before finally being allowed to return home. She is currently undergoing therapy to improve her range of movement. Noble, a world champion cheerleader, has received an outpouring of support from people in her local community, around the country, and even further afield. Thousands of people are following the Facebook group "Makayla's Fight" where her family is posting regular updates about her progress, while more than $216,000 has been donated to a GoFundMe page s...

Amember of the South Korean boy band BTS has undergone surgery for acute appendicitis. The singer and dancer Jimin also tested positive for COVID, his management agency revealed on Monday in a post on fan website Weverse. On Sunday, the 26-year-old BTS member, whose real name is Park Ji-min, experienced what BigHit Music described as "sudden abdominal pain along with a mild sore throat." Ji-min visited an emergency room, where he was diagnosed with the two conditions. Ji-min underwent surgery on Monday, with his management agency saying that the procedure was successful. The Mayo Clinic describes appendicitis as the inflammation of the appendix, a finger-shaped "pouch" that extends out from the colon on the lower right side of the abdomen. The first signs of appendicitis are usually pain in the lower right abdomen or pain around the navel that migrates to the lower right. The site of this pain can vary depending on the sufferer's age and the position of their ap...