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Spain, a country once hard-hit by COVID-19, now has more than 80% of its population fully vaccinated and is seeing a decline in new cases. The United Arab Emirates has nearly 90% of its citizens inoculated and life has largely returned to normal. Closer to home, at least 74% of the entire population of Puerto Rico are fully vaccinated, compared to 59% in the U.S. as a whole. Jesús Rodríguez Baño, the head of infectious diseases at the Virgen de la Macarena Hospital in Seville, Spain, told The Lancet that while it’s still unclear how much of the population needs to be immune to reach herd immunity, the “very high” vaccination rate in Spain is “the only plausible explanation” for the decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations....

The Eastern Browns, considered the second deadliest species of snake in the world, had crawled into the drainpipe to conduct their mating session. The male snake was irate at the disturbance by the team of Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers 24/7, and became aggressive. The mating snakes were caught by company owner and operator Stuart McKenzie at a home in Nambour, Queensland, Australia. The video was posted on the team’s Facebook page and can be seen here....

But it’s one whose time has come. Increasing wealth and leisure, a slow shift in social mores and exposure to international role models mean that Asian women are flocking to gyms and playing fields around the region. Southeast Asian career women are destressing on weekends playing ultimate Frisbee. Japanese moms are catching waves on their surfboards. Women are hitting Stairmasters from Mumbai to Bangkok. With the fresh burst of energy has come a new beauty aesthetic....

Is the Little Ol’ Band from Texas angling for a spot on the next do-gooder benefit anthology and positioning itself as a progenitor of “alternative” rock? (Hey, Nirvana is just guitar, bass and drums, too.) RCA might need a marketing ploy this farfetched after cutting the group a deal for a reported $40 million. Since the multiplatinum “Eliminator” (1983), each new ZZ Top album has sold fewer copies; their last, 1990’s stripped-down, hard-kicking “Recycler,” moved a comparatively mere 3....

Senate Republicans have come under increased pressure in recent days after revelations from Bolton’s unpublished memoirs further highlighted the importance of having him testify as a witness in the ongoing impeachment trial of Trump. Bolton reportedly claims in the book that Trump told him last August that he wanted to keep withholding $391 million in military assistance to Ukraine until its officials agreed to help investigate his Democratic rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden....

A rare exception to the rule is Roy Jenkins. Notwithstanding a 30-year career in British and European politics (he was both chancellor of the exchequer and home secretary in Labour governments in London, and president of the European Commission in Brussels), Jenkins loves his food and drink and can discuss a host of subjects in an accent that, despite his origins in the working class of south Wales, is now as posh as that of a duchess....

Only a few years ago globalization seemed irrepressible. We were all advancing (it was said) on flood tides of international trade and investment. After World War II, countries were mainly self-contained economies, with trade concentrated in raw materials (food, fuels, minerals) and some advanced industrial products. This world no longer exists. In 2000, exports equaled 23 percent of global economic output (gross domestic product), says the World Bank. That was almost double the 1960 level (12....

If someone not familiar with Malaysian football were to look at Kedah’s achievements in 2016, it might not even cross their mind that the Red Eagles had just been promoted back to the Super League at the start of the 2016 season. They finished third in the league, reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, before capturing the Malaysia Cup at the end of the season. Kedah lifting the 2016 Malaysia Cup....

“As an official partner, we will not only act as a content provider, but also help the Arab Championship exploit its major overseas potential.” “All the region will gather around this tournament this summer” said Ibrahim Mohtaseb, Chief Business Development Officer at Sela Sport. “And our partnership with Goal, we will give fans the best opportunity to enjoy football by leading teams across the region. “Goal is the biggest football website globally and this will help the Arab Championship reaching all the football fans throughout the world....

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW It’s hard to believe that, following so many years of top flight football, Alex Brosque is just 33-years-old, and perhaps more importantly, still one of the A-League’s best. That should come as no surprise though; despite possessing a wealth of talent, Brosque demonstrates that it all counts for precious little without hard work. And after grounding it out for a decade and a half or so, the veteran attacker does not look like slowing down, even if his age suggests that he should be in the twilight of his career....

Treatments fall into four categories, based on their potential outcomes: PreventiveCurativeDisease management (including pain management)Palliative No matter which goal you choose, you’ll want to consider the pros and cons of each treatment approach. What follows are descriptions for each of the treatment goals: Vaccines We are given vaccines to prevent certain diseases that are particularly debilitating, often for a lifetime, or may cause death. Vaccines may be injected, inhaled or swallowed....

Nashville mostly ignored Judd’s announcement. After all, she is a singer who’s Christian, not a Christian singer. But the town did its best to make English’s problems an occasion for reflecting on the temptations of stardom. Warner Records’ Christian division, Warner Alliance, said it would stop selling English’s records. A week after sweeping six categories at the GMA’s Dove Awards, English, 32, halted his career – and sent the six trophies back....

Suddenly, green roofs are sprouting across North America. Designed to curb air pollution, decrease energy expenses and reduce storm runoff, the environmentally friendly assemblies are adding a decidedly earthy element to urban skylines — a sign that the green roof industry is rapidly coming into its own. Particularly in cities, the rise of roof-topping grasses, succulents and other vegetation is fueling a boom for landscape architects, growers, builders and consultants in the know....

The awkward blunder, immediately corrected by the congenial media personality, even became fodder during an appearance later by Affleck promoting his new film The Tender Bar on Jimmie Kimmel Live. Kimmel jokingly cut to the clip of the butchering of Affleck’s name when introducing the Academy Award winner as he walked on stage. “Yet another indignity,” quipped Affleck, referring to the clip in addition to the press’s recent pounding of him after snippets from a two-hour interview with Howard Stern were taken out of context in which Affleck commented that “he’d still be drinking if he remained in his marriage to Jennifer Garner....

McCrimmon, who served as assistant general manager from the team’s inception, was promoted to general manager Thursday. He takes over the role from George McPhee, who will remain Vegas’ president of hockey operations. “Working with the Golden Knights has been an incredibly rewarding experience and I am very grateful for this new opportunity,” McCrimmon said. McCrimmon will now absorb the responsibilities of representing the Golden Knights at league meetings and serve as the point of contact for other general managers....

The game is at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET Gonzaga (27-3) beat No. 16 Georgia State 93-72 in the first round. Longtime coach Mark Few is trying to take the Bulldogs back to the Sweet 16 for the seventh consecutive tournament. Gonzaga is a double-digit favorite heading into the matchup. Memphis (22-10) squeaked into the NCAA tournament, but it beat No. 8 Boise State 64-53 in the first round....

It’s been a long time since Medellin was described with such upbeat words. Billionaire cocaine king Pablo Escobar, who headed the Medellin cocaine cartel from the early 1970s until his death in December 1993, had turned the so-called City of Eternal Spring into the City of Eternal Violence. During la epoca Escobar, car bombs, murder (a horrific homicide rate of about 450 per 100,000) and kidnappings paralyzed the city with fear....

The dachshund is recognized as a German symbol and its status was strengthened back in the 1970s with the creation of the Weiner dog doll with a wobbling head. The dachshund bobblehead, or Wackeldackel, originated as a vehicle accessory and could be found perched on the rear dash of traditional German notchback cars. The word Wackeldackel comes from “wackel” meaning wobble, and “dackel” meaning dachshund. In the late 1990s, the Wackeldackel was featured in a German advertisement and as a result, 500,000 were sold in eight months, reigniting the Weiner dog doll’s popularity....