George Clooney ‘turned down 35 million dollars for one day’s work’

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Written by northsouth

Category: Life & Style

Published: 03 December 2021

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LONDON - George Clooney has said he was offered 35 million US dollars (around £26.3 million) for “one day’s work” but turned it down.

The Hollywood star said the offer was for him to star in an airline commercial but that, after speaking to his wife, human rights lawyer Amal, he had decided against it.

He told the Guardian: “I was offered 35 million dollars for one day’s work for an airline commercial, but I talked to Amal about it and we decided it’s not worth it.

“It was (associated with) a country that, although it’s an ally, is questionable at times, and so I thought ‘Well, if it takes a minute’s sleep away from me, it’s not worth it’.”

Clooney, who celebrated his 60th birthday in May, married Amal in 2014 and they have two children, twins Ella and Alexander, born in June 2017.

Speaking about childcare, he said they only have a nanny “four days a week”, as “it’s so important to Amal (to be involved)”.

He told the newspaper: “And during lockdown it was just us – for a full year! I felt like my mother in 1964 – doing dishes and six loads of laundry a day.”

The Clooneys were guests at the star-studded wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May 2018 and were given VIP seats in the Quire of St George’s Chapel, Windsor.

The actor has directed The Tender Bar, a coming-of-age film based on a book of the same name by JR Moehringer, which tells the story of a boy who seeks father figures at a bar run by his uncle.

The movie, released this month, is set in New York and stars Ben Affleck as bar owner Charlie, with Tye Sheridan playiing his nephew J.R.

It had its UK premiere in October at the London Film Festival, where Clooney said it had given him a welcome break from the “pretty dark” types of movie he normally works on.

“Most of the films I do are pretty dark and this one felt light, and it felt like the world was pretty dark so I wanted to work on something that was a little lighter, you know,” he said.

Central Europe struggles with new Covid-19 wave

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Written by northsouth

Category: Life & Style

Published: 18 November 2021

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BUDAPEST - A new wave of Covid-19 infections has been sweeping through central Europe, where the vaccination rate is generally below the EU average - partly due to low trust in institutions.

Hungary reported 10,265 new Covid-19 infections on Wednesday (17 November), its highest daily tally since the end of March, the government said .

The government also said that 178 people died in the previous 24 hours, and 5,852 people are in hospital, with 565 patients on ventilators.

21st century citizens

In practically every country, large majorities of youth said their countries would be safer from COVID-19 and other threats if Governments would work together, rather than on their own.

They have also demonstrated stronger support for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) rights, with young women at the forefront for equality.

The survey also revealed a strong alignment between the two generations, including on the issues of climate, education, global collaboration, though some of the deepest divides occurred around optimism, global mindedness and recognition of historical progress. 

“While this research paints a nuanced view of the generational divide, a clear picture emerges: Children and young people embody the spirit of the 21st century far more readily than their parents,” said Ms. Fore.

“As UNICEF prepares to mark its 75th anniversary next month, and ahead of World Children’s Day, it is critical we listen to young people directly about their well-being and how their lives are changing”.

While about 60 percent of people in Western Europe are fully immunized against Covid-19, only about half as many are vaccinated in the eastern part of the continent, where officials are struggling to overcome widespread vaccine hesitancy.

Within Europe, WHO said the highest numbers of new cases were in Russia, Germany and Britain. It noted that deaths jumped by 67 percent in Norway and by 38 percent in Slovakia.

The health agency previously described Europe as the epicenter of the ongoing pandemic and warned that there could be 500,000 more deaths by February if urgent actions aren’t taken on the continent.

In the last week, Austria has put tight restrictions on the movement of unvaccinated people, the Netherlands and some other European countries have reintroduced lockdown measures to try to slow infections, and the UK decided to roll out booster doses to everyone over 40.

OECD Health at a Glance 2021

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Written by northsouth

Category: Life & Style

Published: 13 November 2021

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PARIS - Results from Health at a Glance 2021 underline the need to strengthen resilience of health systems. COVID-19 contributed, directly and indirectly, to a 16% increase in the expected number of deaths in 2020 and the first half of 2021 across OECD countries. Life expectancy fell in 24 of 30 countries. Older people and socially disadvantaged groups are more likely to be severely ill or die from the virus.

In the 12 OECD countries with vaccinations rates above 65% (as of mid-October), weekly deaths from COVID-19 have fallen by an average of 86% since late-January 2021. However, vaccination rates remain very low in many developing countries.