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Scientists have invented a type of satellite equipped with solar panels protect its energy back to Earth.   The panel known as (PRAM).

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CNN exclusive: A solar panel in space is collecting energy that could one day be beamed to anywhere on Earth | CNN

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Scientists working for the Pentagon have successfully tested a solar panel the size of a pizza box in space, designed as a prototype for a future system to send electricity from space back to any point on Earth.

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A five year old girl battling cancer got to live her dream for a day and become a U.S. Airforce Pilot for the day.

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A 5-year-old girl battling cancer achieved her dream of becoming a U.S. Air Force honorary pilot this week thanks to Florida's MacDill Air Force Base and the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

Honorary Capt. Ever Young was given her orders to be a pilot-for-the-day from Col. Benjamin Jonsson, 6th ARW commander, according to a Facebook post by the base on Tuesday.

"Ever was able to make her dream of becoming a U.S. Air Force pilot come true," the base wrote.
FLORIDA'S TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE SEES JET CRASH LAND: PILOTS HOSPITALIZED

During her visit to MacDill on Tuesday, Young flew and landed a flight simulator. She also toured a KC-135 Stratotanker and the Air Traffic Control Tower.

Photos of her visit were posted by MacDill on its Facebook page.

"What an amazing story! Congratulations to everyone who went above and beyond to give a little girl some joy during a difficult time in her life," one user wrote.
PILOTS IN ALABAMA DEADLY MILITARY PLANE CRASH IDENTIFIED
"These kinds of stories is what our military is all about. Congratulations to all the [sic] men and [sic] women of the 6th AWC MacDill, AFB," another wrote.
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MacDill Air Force Base is located in Tampa, Fla.

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Florida's MacDill Air Force Base makes dream come true for girl, 5, amid cancer battle

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A 5-year-old girl battling cancer achieved her dream of becoming a U.S. Air Force honorary pilot this week thanks to Florida's MacDill Air Force Base and the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. Honorary Capt. Ever Young was given her orders to be a pilot-for-the-day from Col.

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Nasa's Mars 2020 perseverance rover has sent back its first high-definition panorama, giving a 360-degree look from the planet's surface using its rotating Mastcam-Z instrument.

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NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover has sent back its first high-definition panorama, giving a 360-degree look from the planet's surface using its rotating Mastcam-Z instrument.
NASA LEAVES HIDDEN MESSAGE ON PARACHUTE OF MARS ROVER
The picture is the rover's second panorama since Perseverance landed on the planet on Feb. 18. The rover's Navigation Cameras -- also on the mast -- captured another panorama on Feb. 20.

The newly-released picture, captured on Feb. 21, was made using a combination of 142 images. Perseverance has already beamed back thousands to Southern California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

In it, the Jezero Crater rim and what NASA describes as the "cliff face of an ancient river delta" can be seen in the distance.

Researchers believe the 28-mile-wide crater was once flooded with water and home to an ancient river delta more than 3.5 billion years ago.

A large part of Perseverance's mission is to search for and attempt to document proof of ancient microbial life. It will also collect and cache Martian rock and sediment samples for later return to Earth.

The Mastcam-Z and the Supercam will be used to provide both imaging and analysis of the surface's mineralogy and chemical composition. It will assist in the identification of rocks and sediment worthy of examination by the mission team.

The Mastcam-Z is a dual-camera system equipped with high-definition video, zoom function, and the ability to take panoramic color and 3D images.

According to NASA's release, the camera can reveal details as small as 0.1 to 0.2 inches across close to Perseverance and 6.5 feet to 10 feet across in the distance.

Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in partnership with San Diego's Malin Space Science Systems, according to JPL.

Perseverance's Mastcam-Z is similarly designed to that of its predecessor Curiosity, which touched down in Mar's Gale Crater in 2012. However, Curiosity's imaging tech is less advanced.
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"We're nestled right in a sweet spot, where you can see different features similar in many ways to features found by Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity at their landing sites," Jim Bell, one of the leaders of the Mastcam-Z instrument team, said.

In a panel on Thursday, Bell said he and his team were "blown out of the water" by the images coming back from the Mastcam-Z and that technologies would only continue to improve in following missions to Mars.

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NASA's Perseverance rover sends back first HD Mars panorama

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NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover has sent back its first high-definition panorama, giving a 360-degree look from the planet's surface using its rotating Mastcam-Z instrument. NASA LEAVES HIDDEN MESSAGE ON PARACHUTE OF MARS ROVER The picture is the rover's second panorama since Perseverance landed on the planet on Feb. 18.

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A women's husband was shot and killed when they walked their dogs. She was begging for the man who did it to be brought to Justice. Shes now in jail for being involved in the murder.

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A Dallas woman who publicly pleaded for answers after her husband was gunned down while walking the dog has been arrested after authorities said she instructed the alleged killer to destroy evidence.

James Faith was killed on Oct. 9 after he was shot seven times while walking in his Oak Cliff neighborhood with his wife, Jennifer Faith.

About two months after the crime, Jennifer Faith spoke with local media and demanded justice.

"We walk our dog every morning, and it's kind of our bonding time in the morning," she told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. "Just the two of us."

She said on the day her husband was killed, she heard someone running behind them. When she turned around, the person "just started shooting at him," she said.

In another interview with WFAA, she said the gunman tackled her, beat her and taped her hands together. James Faith, an IT director with American Airlines, died at the scene.

At one point in the interview with WFAA, Jennifer Faith appeared to get emotional as she described losing her husband of 15 years.

"I'm not supposed to be widowed at 48," she said, pleading with the suspect to come forward. "I just hope that at some point maybe this person can recognize the gravity of what they've done and some sort of guilt enough to come forward."

While Jennifer Faith appeared to be a grieving widow, federal authorities said she had been in communication with the alleged gunman, Darrin Lopez, with whom she was having an affair.

Lopez, 48, of Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee, was arrested by local authorities on Jan. 11 and charged with murder. Federal authorities later charged him with transporting a firearm in interstate commerce.

He is accused of arming himself with a .45-caliber handgun and driving from his home in Tennessee to the Faiths' home in Texas on the morning of Oct. 9. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas said he "laid in wait, then shot the victim seven times" before fleeing and returning home.

The handgun was found in Lopez's home following his arrest, according to authorities.

Jennifer Faith was arrested at her home on Wednesday and charged with one count of destruction of an object with the intent to obstruct a federal investigation, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release. She was booked into the Dallas County jail, records show.

In a complaint unsealed Thursday, authorities accused Jennifer Faith of sending Lopez text messages prior to their arrests instructing him "on how to respond to potential police questioning." She also told him to remove a "T" decal off the back of his truck because witnesses reported seeing it on the day of the murder, prosecutors said.

"So I woke up in a little bit of a panic ... something is eating away at me telling me you need to take the sticker out of the back window of the truck," Jennifer Faith texted Lopez on Dec. 3, according to the complaint.

Officials said Lopez responded that he didn't want to remove the decal all at once because his daughters "would notice that." Days later, he allegedly told Jennifer Faith that the decal had been removed.

"Oh YAY!!! Thank you!!" she replied, according to the complaint. "I feel SOOOOOO much better."

In another text, authorities said Jennifer Faith updated Lopez on her efforts to collect her husband's life insurance policy.

Proscecutors also alleged that she told Lopez that she was wiping her phone clean and instructed him on how to respond to police if questioned about the nature of their relationship.

"Don't text me Monday. I am going to factory reset my phone on Sunday night after deleting texts," one message read, according to the complaint.

"If asked about you, you are an old friend going through a divorce. We talk every night because I am helping/giving support with the girls since you have sole custody. If it ever comes to it, I'll answer the same way. Just so you and I have the same explanations," she allegedly wrote in a text. "Just thinking in case they [law enforcement] pulled phone records and asked."

The deleted messages were later recovered off of Lopez's cellphone, according to authorities.

"Thanks to the dedication of our agents and officers, Ms. Faith could not keep law enforcement from identifying her husband's killer," U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah said in a statement. "Even so, we cannot allow her obstruction of justice to stand. We are determined to hold her accountable for her crime."

Attorney information was not available for Jennifer Faith or Lopez.

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Dallas widow pleaded for answers in husband's murder. Now she is in jail.

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A Dallas woman who publicly pleaded for answers after her husband was gunned down while walking the dog has been arrested after authorities said she instructed the alleged killer to destroy evidence. James Faith was killed on Oct. 9 after he was shot seven times while walking in his Oak Cliff neighborhood with his wife, Jennifer Faith.

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In order to increase the economic tension of Taiwan, China will end all pineapple trade as of March 1st. China states their reasoning was because the found pests and wanted to protect themselves from a biological threat. Nearly 11% of Taiwanese pineapples are sold and most go to China.

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In Israel, one of the most ecological disasters happened in their country. A large oil spill happened in the Mediterranean Sea. Last week, clumps of tar started washing up on the beaches. There were images of fish, birds, turtles, and more are covered in the tar. The Israeli Ministry of Interior urges their citizens to stay away from the beaches.There is a massive cleanup as of right now. Egypt and Israeli may propose that every ship that is on the sea is powered by natural gas, rather than the polluting fuel. They are thinking about suing the insurance company of the ship.

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Oil spill leads Israel to close beaches as it faces one of its 'most severe ecological disasters' | CNN

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Israeli authorities are trying to locate the source of a suspected oil spill that has been described as one of the most severe ecological disasters to hit the country, threatening wildlife, forcing beaches to close and prompting a mass cleanup.

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In Lagos, Nigeria 317 schoolgirls were abducted by gunmen from a boarding school on Friday. Several other attacks like these have occurred there such as one in December where 344 children were taken. Teachers and families have had to stop going to school for safety, and the authorities there need to take action for it to stop.

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LAGOS, Nigeria -- Gunmen abducted 317 girls from a boarding school in northern Nigeria on Friday, police said, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of students in the West African nation.

Police and the military have begun joint operations to rescue the girls after the attack at the Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe town, according to a police spokesman in Zamfara state, Mohammed Shehu, who confirmed the number abducted.

One parent, Nasiru Abdullahi, told The Associated Press that his daughters, aged 10 and 13, are among the missing.

"It is disappointing that even though the military have a strong presence near the school they were unable to protect the girls," he said. "At this stage, we are only hoping on divine intervention."

Resident Musa Mustapha said the gunmen also attacked a nearby military camp and checkpoint, preventing soldiers from interfering while the gunmen spent several hours at the school. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.

Several large groups of armed men operate in Zamfara state, described by the government as bandits, and are known to kidnap for money and for the release of their members from jail.

"We are angered and saddened by yet another brutal attack on schoolchildren in Nigeria," said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF representative in the country. "This is a gross violation of children's rights and a horrific experience for children to go through." He called for their immediate release.

Nigeria has seen several such attacks and kidnappings over the years, notably the mass abduction in April 2014 by jihadist group Boko Haram of 276 girls from the secondary school in Chibok in Borno state. More than a hundred of the girls are still missing.

Friday's attack came less than two weeks after gunmen abducted 42 people, including 27 students, from the Government Science College Kagara in Niger State. The students, teachers and family members are still being held.

In December, 344 students were abducted from the Government Science Secondary School Kankara in Katsina State. They were eventually released.

Anietie Ewang, Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch, noted the recent abductions and tweeted that "Strong action is required from the authorities to turn the tide & keep schools safe."

Amnesty International also condemned the "appalling attack," warning in a statement that "the girls abducted are in serious risk of being harmed."

Teachers have been forced to flee to other states for protection, and many children have had to abandon their education amid frequent violent attacks in communities, Amnesty said.

---

AP writer Carley Petesch in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.

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Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls taken in mass abduction

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LAGOS, Nigeria -- Gunmen abducted 317 girls from a boarding school in northern Nigeria on Friday, police said, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of students in the West African nation.

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Famous golfer Tiger woods, considered to be one of the most famous people in the world at one point has recently gotten into a major car crash which will very likely ruin his career. He didn't suffer major injuries besides a concussion and a broken ankle, but these two things will likely very much affect the man in many ways

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uncertain road ahead after california crash

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Tiger Woods has a long, uncertain road ahead after California crash, emergency doctor says

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Even after his emergency surgery, the path to recovery is long and uncertain for golf legend Tiger Woods, following his car accident in California.

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American airstrikes along the Iraqi-Syrian border have shown effective. Iraqi backed militias have shown signs of backing down after the airstrikes against the organizations of Kait'ib Hezbollah (KH) and Kait'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS). These two groups have attacked US and Coalition instalations, including the US Embasy in Iraq.

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A structure was targeted in al-Bukamal, Syria.

The United States conducted a military airstrike in eastern Syria along the border with Iraq targeting Iranian-backed militias in retaliation for a recent rocket strike in Erbil in northern Iraq that left several Americans injured, according to a U.S. official.

The airstrike targeted structures in the eastern Syrian town of Al Bakumal that belong to Kataib Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias that have launched rocket attacks in the past against American facilities in Iraq, said the U.S. official.

Another official described the airstrike as targeting a location through which smuggling occurred.

The airstrike was ordered by President Joe Biden in retaliation for a Feb. 15 rocket attack against a U.S. base in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil that killed a coalition contractor and left several American contractors and a U.S. military service member wounded.

The Pentagon had not blamed Iranian-backed militias for the attack even though forensic evidence recovered soon after the attack pointed to a connection to Iranian-backed militias that have conducted similar attacks in the past.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last week that the U.S. "reserves the right to respond in the time and manner of our choosing" to the attack.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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US carries out airstrike against Iranian-backed militia in Syria

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A structure was targeted in al-Bukamal, Syria. The United States conducted a military airstrike in eastern Syria along the border with Iraq targeting Iranian-backed militias in retaliation for a recent rocket strike in Erbil in northern Iraq that left several Americans injured, according to a U.S. official.

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The Dutch Parliament passed a motion yesterday that stated how the actions China took in Xinjiang against the Muslim minorities were considered genocide. They are the second country to make this accusation, the first in Europe. The other country with this same accusation is Canada, who filed their claims earlier this week. It is said there are at least one million Muslims are being held in camps. They even go as far to say China is using torture, forced labor, and sterilizations. Obviously, China still denies these claims and continues to try and cover them up.

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china uyghurs: dutch parliament becomes second in a week to accuse beijing of genocide in xinjiang - cnn

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Dutch parliament becomes second in a week to accuse China of genocide in Xinjiang

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The Dutch parliament on Thursday passed a non-binding motion saying the treatment of the Uyghur Muslim minority in China amounts to genocide, the first such move by a European country.

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Myanmar's ambassador to the UN begged for immediate international intervention to help with the military coup that has happened in their country. The US joined Myanmar in condemning the military coup.

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CNN 17 mins ago By Richard Roth and Zamira Rahim, CNN

Myanmar's United Nations ambassador has pleaded for immediate international action to help overturn the country's military coup.

Kyaw Moe Tun, remaining loyal to the civilian government ousted on February 1, delivered an impassioned speech while addressing the UN General Assembly on Friday.

"We need further strongest possible action from the international community to immediately end the military coup, to stop oppressing the innocent people, to return the state power to the people and to restore the democracy," he said.

The diplomat received a rare round of applause from his UN colleagues at the end of the speech.

The new US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, praised the envoy's "courageous" remarks.

"The United States continues to strongly condemn the military coup in Myanmar," she said Friday, addressing the assembly.

"And we condemn the security forces' brutal killing of unarmed people."

Thomas-Greenfield added that the US "will continue to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance, including to Rohingya and other vulnerable populations in Chin, Kachin, Rakhine, and Shan states."

Myanmar was plunged into unrest when a military coup ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi has been detained in her house in the capital since the coup.

The country has since seen 21 consecutive days of anti-military protests, with demonstrations held in Mandalay and Yangon on Friday.

Earlier in the day, some protesters gathered peacefully outside Suu Kyi's house to pray.

Military leaders have imposed an internet curfew as the unrest continues.

On Thursday police officers fired "at least 10 rounds in the air" to break up a crowd of protesters in Yangon, according to sources on the ground.

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Myanmar's UN ambassador pleads for immediate global action to help overturn coup

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CNN 17 mins ago By Richard Roth and Zamira Rahim, CNN Myanmar's United Nations ambassador has pleaded for immediate international action to help overturn the country's military coup. Kyaw Moe Tun, remaining loyal to the civilian government ousted on February 1, delivered an impassioned speech while addressing the UN General Assembly on Friday.

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An airstrike was targetted at Syrian bases used to house Iranian malitia thought to have been attacking America. This Marks the first attack sent out by the Biden administration.

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WASHINGTON - U.S. airstrikes targeted bases in Syria used by Iranian militant groups suspected of attacking American and allied forces in northern Iraq last week, the Pentagon announced late Thursday.

The strikes, the first authorized by President Joe Biden, hit multiple targets used by the militias the Pentagon blames for rocket attacks on a base in northern Iraq that killed a contractor and wounded U.S. and allied troops.

"The operation sends an unambiguous message: President Biden will act to protect American and Coalition personnel," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. "At the same time, we have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to de-escalate the overall situation in both eastern Syria and Iraq."

Biden's decision to attack in Syria did not appear to signal an intention to widen U.S. military involvement in the region but rather to demonstrate a will to defend U.S. troops in Iraq.

"I'm confident in the target that we went after, we know what we hit," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters flying with him from California to Washington, according to the Associated Press. Speaking shortly after the airstrikes, he added, "We're confident that that target was being used by the same Shia militants that conducted the strikes," referring to a Feb. 15 rocket attack in northern Iraq that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a U.S. service member and other coalition personnel.

Austin said he recommended the action to Biden.

"We said a number of times that we will respond on our timeline," Austin said. "We wanted to be sure of the connectivity and we wanted to be sure that we had the right targets."

Earlier, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. action was a "proportionate military response" taken together with diplomatic measures, including consultation with coalition partners.

"The operation sends an unambiguous message: President Biden will act to protect American and coalition personnel," Kirby said. "At the same time, we have acted in a deliberate manner that aims to deescalate the overall situation in eastern Syria and Iraq."

Further details were not immediately available.

Biden administration officials condemned the Feb. 15 rocket attack near the city of Irbil in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish-run region, but as recently as this week officials indicated they had not determined for certain who carried it out. Officials have noted that in the past, Iranian-backed Shiite militia groups have been responsible for numerous rocket attacks that targeted U.S. personnel or facilities in Iraq.

Kirby had said Tuesday that Iraq is in charge of investigating the Feb. 15 attack.

"Right now, we're not able to give you a certain attribution as to who was behind these attacks, what groups, and I'm not going to get into the tactical details of every bit of weaponry used here," Kirby said. "Let's let the investigations complete and conclude, and then when we have more to say, we will."

A little-known Shiite militant group calling itself Saraya Awliya al-Dam, Arabic for Guardians of Blood Brigade, claimed responsibility for the Feb. 15 attack. A week later, a rocket attack in Baghdad's Green Zone appeared to target the U.S. Embassy compound, but no one was hurt.

Iran this week said it has no links to the Guardians of Blood Brigade.

The frequency of attacks by Shiite militia groups against U.S. targets in Iraq diminished late last year ahead of President Joe Biden's inauguration, though now Iran is pressing America to return to Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal. The U.S. under the previous Trump administration blamed Iran-backed groups for carrying out the attacks. Tensions soared after a Washington-directed drone strike that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and powerful Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis last year.

Trump had said the death of a U.S. contractor would be a red line and provoke U.S. escalation in Iraq. The December 2019 killing of a U.S. civilian contractor in a rocket attack in Kirkuk sparked a tit-for-tat fight on Iraqi soil that brought the country to the brink of a proxy war.

U.S. forces have been significantly reduced in Iraq to 2,500 personnel and no longer partake in combat missions with Iraqi forces in ongoing operations against the Islamic State group.
Contributing: Lolita C. Baldor and Robert Burns of the Associated Press

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US bombs facilities in Syria used by Iran-backed militia

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WASHINGTON - U.S. airstrikes targeted bases in Syria used by Iranian militant groups suspected of attacking American and allied forces in northern Iraq last week, the Pentagon announced late Thursday. The strikes, the first authorized by President Joe Biden, hit multiple targets used by the militias the Pentagon blames for rocket attacks on a base in northern Iraq that killed a contractor and wounded U.S.

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The United States military conducted a airstrike in Syria along the border with Iraq.  They conducted the air strike on Iranian-backed militias who were said to have recently conducted a  rocket strike in Erbil that left many Americans injured.  "These strikes were authorized in response to recent attacks against American and Coalition personnel in Iraq, and to ongoing threats to those personnel."  John Kirby said.

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A structure was targeted in al-Bukamal, Syria.

The United States conducted a military airstrike in eastern Syria along the border with Iraq targeting Iranian-backed militias in retaliation for a recent rocket strike in Erbil in northern Iraq that left several Americans injured, according to a U.S. official.

The airstrike targeted structures in the eastern Syrian town of Al Bakumal that belong to Kataib Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias that have launched rocket attacks in the past against American facilities in Iraq, said the U.S. official.

Another official described the airstrike as targeting a location through which smuggling occurred.

The airstrike was ordered by President Joe Biden in retaliation for a Feb. 15 rocket attack against a U.S. base in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil that killed a coalition contractor and left several American contractors and a U.S. military service member wounded.

The Pentagon had not blamed Iranian-backed militias for the attack even though forensic evidence recovered soon after the attack pointed to a connection to Iranian-backed militias that have conducted similar attacks in the past.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last week that the U.S. "reserves the right to respond in the time and manner of our choosing" to the attack.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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US carries out airstrike against Iranian-backed militia in Syria

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A structure was targeted in al-Bukamal, Syria. The United States conducted a military airstrike in eastern Syria along the border with Iraq targeting Iranian-backed militias in retaliation for a recent rocket strike in Erbil in northern Iraq that left several Americans injured, according to a U.S. official.

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At an attempt to try and persuade more people to get the covid vaccine, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has spoken about the benefits of receiving the vaccine. She told people that the shot is quick, harmless, and will protect others against disease.

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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is encouraging people to be vaccinated against COVID-19, saying the shot is quick, harmless and will help protect others against the disease

LONDON -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is encouraging people to be vaccinated against COVID-19, saying the shot is quick, harmless and will help protect others against the disease.

In a video call with the officials responsible for rolling out the vaccine, the 94-year-old monarch compared the effort that's gone into Britain's national vaccination campaign to the way people worked together during World War II. The Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, 99, received their first dose of the vaccine last month.

"Well, once you've had the vaccine you have a feeling of, you know, you're protected, which is, I think, very important," the queen said on a tape of the call broadcast Friday. "And as far as I can make out it was quite harmless, very quick. And I've had lots of letters from people who've been very surprised by how easy it was to get the vaccine."

The queen also highlighted the fact that being vaccinated helps protect everyone, not just the person who gets the shot.

"It is obviously difficult for people, if they've never had a vaccine, because they ought to think about other people rather than themselves," she said.

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Queen says COVID vaccine is quick, painless and helps others

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Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is encouraging people to be vaccinated against COVID-19, saying the shot is quick, harmless and will help protect others against the disease LONDON -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is encouraging people to be vaccinated against COVID-19, saying the shot is quick, harmless and will help protect others against the disease.

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Former womens olympic gymnastics coach John Geddert died by suicide thursday night. He had been convicted of 24 crimes including sexual assault, human trafficking, and running a criminal enterprise. He worked with former doctor Larry Nassar, who was also convicted of similar crimes.

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Olympics Timothy Rapp Kathy Willens/Associated Press @@TRappaRT Featured Columnist
Former U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics team coach John Geddert was charged with 24 crimes on Thursday, including sexual assault,human trafficking and running a criminal enterprise, per the Associated Press.

6 News later reported Geddert died by suicide Thursday.

Geddert, who worked with convicted criminal and former doctor Larry Nassar when Geddert was the coach of the 2012 U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics team, was also charged with recruiting minors for forced labor, per the AP and court documents.

Nassar was convicted on numerous sexual assault and child pornography charges in both federal and state cases, with combined sentences totaling over 200 years of prison time.

"What a great best friend John was to Larry for giving him an entire world where he was able to abuse so easily," gymnast Lindsey Lemke said during Nassar's trial in 2018. "You two sure do have a funny meaning of friendship. You, John Geddert, also deserve to sit behind bars right next to Larry."

Authorities also said Geddert lied to investigators in 2016 when he told them he had never received any complaints about Nassar during his career and had "zero knowledge" of Nassar's various crimes. Some gymnasts told authorities Geddert was physically abusive and forced them to visit Nassar.

One woman said Geddert knew that Nassar performed an "inappropriate procedure" on her in the 1990s when she was 16.

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Ex-USA Gymnastics Coach John Geddert Dies by Suicide After Criminal Charges

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Olympics Timothy Rapp Kathy Willens/Associated Press @@TRappaRT Twitter Logo Featured Columnist Former U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics team coach John Geddert was charged with 24 crimes on Thursday, including sexual assault,human trafficking and running a criminal enterprise, per the Associated Press. 6 News later reported Geddert died by suicide Thursday.

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There is an active storm pattern that is moving through the country. The storm has brought heavy snow, damaging winds, and flooding rains. Some parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Alabama are expected to see 3-5 inches of rain through the next week. Also right now there are 9 states across the West side of the United States that are on alert. In Southern California there was 98 mph gusts of wind just East of Los Angeles.

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Heavy rain will continue off and on across the South through the weekend.

An active weather pattern with several storm systems is moving through the country, from West to East, with heavy snow, damaging winds, severe thunderstorms and flooding rain.

Already overnight severe thunderstorms brought huge hail from Texas to Arkansas.

Hail was as large as 2 inches in diameter just north of Dallas.

On Friday morning strong thunderstorms will continue to move from Texas to Alabama, threatening to bring with them damaging winds and large hail.

This same storm system will move into the Northeast and the East Coast Friday night into Saturday with icy mix and snow from North Carolina to Maryland, where a winter weather advisory has been issued.

Snow may also fall on Saturday, from central Pennsylvania into upstate New York and New England, which could see 2 to 3 inches.

Along the I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Boston, it should be mild enough for the precipitation to remain as all rain.

Heavy rain will continue off and on across the South through the weekend, from eastern Texas into Tennessee where flooding will be possible.

There, 3 to 5 inches of additional rain could fall through the weekend and into early next week.

Meanwhile, across the West, nine states are on alert, from California to Colorado, for damaging winds, heavy snow and high surf.

On Thursday more than 16 inches of snow fell just south of Denver.

In Southern California winds gusted at 98 mph just east of Los Angeles, where semi-trucks were overturned by the strong winds.

On Friday and through the weekend, as the storm track remains active, more snow is expected for the Cascades and the Rockies, where 1 to 3 feet of additional snow is possible.

Some computer weather models are hinting a swath of snow is possible for the Upper Midwest and the western Great Lakes this weekend, from the Dakotas to Minnesota and into Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Some areas could even see up to a half a foot.

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Active storm pattern with cross country storms bringing heavy snow, damaging winds, flooding rain

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Heavy rain will continue off and on across the South through the weekend. An active weather pattern with several storm systems is moving through the country, from West to East, with heavy snow, damaging winds, severe thunderstorms and flooding rain. Already overnight severe thunderstorms brought huge hail from Texas to Arkansas.

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The US conducted a military airstrike in eastern Syria along the border with Iraq on Thursday which targeted structures in the eastern Syrian town that belonged to two Iranian-backed militias that have launched rocket attacks against American facilities in the past.

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A structure was targeted in al-Bukamal, Syria.

The United States conducted a military airstrike in eastern Syria along the border with Iraq targeting Iranian-backed militias in retaliation for a recent rocket strike in Erbil in northern Iraq that left several Americans injured, according to a U.S. official.

The airstrike targeted structures in the eastern Syrian town of Al Bakumal that belong to Kataib Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias that have launched rocket attacks in the past against American facilities in Iraq, said the U.S. official.

Another official described the airstrike as targeting a location through which smuggling occurred.

The airstrike was ordered by President Joe Biden in retaliation for a Feb. 15 rocket attack against a U.S. base in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil that killed a coalition contractor and left several American contractors and a U.S. military service member wounded.

The Pentagon had not blamed Iranian-backed militias for the attack even though forensic evidence recovered soon after the attack pointed to a connection to Iranian-backed militias that have conducted similar attacks in the past.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said last week that the U.S. "reserves the right to respond in the time and manner of our choosing" to the attack.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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US carries out airstrike against Iranian-backed militia in Syria

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A structure was targeted in al-Bukamal, Syria. The United States conducted a military airstrike in eastern Syria along the border with Iraq targeting Iranian-backed militias in retaliation for a recent rocket strike in Erbil in northern Iraq that left several Americans injured, according to a U.S. official.

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317 girls were abducted by gunmen from a boarding school in Nigeria. The girls have not been found. The children are starting to not go to school because of the several abductions. The teachers are being forced to leave and go to different states. They are trying to find ways to make the schools more safe.

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LAGOS, Nigeria -- Gunmen abducted 317 girls from a boarding school in northern Nigeria on Friday, police said, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of students in the West African nation.

Police and the military have begun joint operations to rescue the girls after the attack at the Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe town, according to a police spokesman in Zamfara state, Mohammed Shehu, who confirmed the number abducted.

One parent, Nasiru Abdullahi, told The Associated Press that his daughters, aged 10 and 13, are among the missing.

"It is disappointing that even though the military have a strong presence near the school they were unable to protect the girls," he said. "At this stage, we are only hoping on divine intervention."

Resident Musa Mustapha said the gunmen also attacked a nearby military camp and checkpoint, preventing soldiers from interfering while the gunmen spent several hours at the school. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.

Several large groups of armed men operate in Zamfara state, described by the government as bandits, and are known to kidnap for money and for the release of their members from jail.

"We are angered and saddened by yet another brutal attack on schoolchildren in Nigeria," said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF representative in the country. "This is a gross violation of children's rights and a horrific experience for children to go through." He called for their immediate release.

Nigeria has seen several such attacks and kidnappings over the years, notably the mass abduction in April 2014 by jihadist group Boko Haram of 276 girls from the secondary school in Chibok in Borno state. More than a hundred of the girls are still missing.

Friday's attack came less than two weeks after gunmen abducted 42 people, including 27 students, from the Government Science College Kagara in Niger State. The students, teachers and family members are still being held.

In December, 344 students were abducted from the Government Science Secondary School Kankara in Katsina State. They were eventually released.

Anietie Ewang, Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch, noted the recent abductions and tweeted that "Strong action is required from the authorities to turn the tide & keep schools safe."

Amnesty International also condemned the "appalling attack," warning in a statement that "the girls abducted are in serious risk of being harmed."

Teachers have been forced to flee to other states for protection, and many children have had to abandon their education amid frequent violent attacks in communities, Amnesty said.

---

AP writer Carley Petesch in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.

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Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls taken in mass abduction

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LAGOS, Nigeria -- Gunmen abducted 317 girls from a boarding school in northern Nigeria on Friday, police said, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of students in the West African nation.

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Gunman abducted 317 girls from a boarding school in Northern Nigeria. Police and military are carrying out joint operations to rescue the girls. Unfortunately, this is not the first attack or abduction carried out on Nigerian schoolchildren.

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LAGOS, Nigeria -- Gunmen abducted 317 girls from a boarding school in northern Nigeria on Friday, police said, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of students in the West African nation.

Police and the military have begun joint operations to rescue the girls after the attack at the Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe town, according to a police spokesman in Zamfara state, Mohammed Shehu, who confirmed the number abducted.

One parent, Nasiru Abdullahi, told The Associated Press that his daughters, aged 10 and 13, are among the missing.

"It is disappointing that even though the military have a strong presence near the school they were unable to protect the girls," he said. "At this stage, we are only hoping on divine intervention."

Resident Musa Mustapha said the gunmen also attacked a nearby military camp and checkpoint, preventing soldiers from interfering while the gunmen spent several hours at the school. It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.

Several large groups of armed men operate in Zamfara state, described by the government as bandits, and are known to kidnap for money and for the release of their members from jail.

"We are angered and saddened by yet another brutal attack on schoolchildren in Nigeria," said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF representative in the country. "This is a gross violation of children's rights and a horrific experience for children to go through." He called for their immediate release.

Nigeria has seen several such attacks and kidnappings over the years, notably the mass abduction in April 2014 by jihadist group Boko Haram of 276 girls from the secondary school in Chibok in Borno state. More than a hundred of the girls are still missing.

Friday's attack came less than two weeks after gunmen abducted 42 people, including 27 students, from the Government Science College Kagara in Niger State. The students, teachers and family members are still being held.

In December, 344 students were abducted from the Government Science Secondary School Kankara in Katsina State. They were eventually released.

Anietie Ewang, Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch, noted the recent abductions and tweeted that "Strong action is required from the authorities to turn the tide & keep schools safe."

Amnesty International also condemned the "appalling attack," warning in a statement that "the girls abducted are in serious risk of being harmed."

Teachers have been forced to flee to other states for protection, and many children have had to abandon their education amid frequent violent attacks in communities, Amnesty said.

---

AP writer Carley Petesch in Dakar, Senegal contributed to this report.

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Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls taken in mass abduction

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LAGOS, Nigeria -- Gunmen abducted 317 girls from a boarding school in northern Nigeria on Friday, police said, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of students in the West African nation.

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Doctors and nurses help deliver a baby during a snowstorm and the baby was only 1 pound.

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The life of a premature, 1-pound baby born during a catastrophic winter storm in Texas was saved thanks to the ingenuity of a team of doctors and nurses, including some who packed a truck with neo-natal intensive care unit equipment and drove through snow to help.

The baby, a girl named Zaylynn, was born at 24 weeks on Feb. 17, just as snow and ice dumped on central Texas, causing power outages and making roads impassable.

A baby born at 24 weeks has only a 50% to 60% chance of survival in the best of times, according to Dr. Curtis Copeland, a family medicine physician at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Marble Falls, Texas, the hospital where Zaylynn was born.

Zaylynn faced additional odds because Baylor Scott & White is a Level 1 hospital that does not offer the specialized neonatal care premature babies require. In normal circumstances, the expectant mom would be transferred to a larger facility ahead of delivery, or in the case of an emergency birth like Zaylynn's, the infant would be transferred immediately after birth.

Zaylynn's mom, Kimberly Arias, drove through snow and ice to get to Baylor Scott & White the morning of Feb. 17 after experiencing pain that turned out to be contractions. Less than two hours after she arrived, Arias gave birth to Zaylynn, who weighed just 1 pound, 6 ounces at birth and had to immediately be put on a ventilator to breathe, according to Meredith Schubert, the labor and delivery nurse on duty when Arias arrived.

The entire time Schubert, Copeland and an "all hands on deck" team of nurses and doctors were helping Arias deliver and then stabilize Zaylynn, another team was trying to locate a medical transport team that could fly or drive through the snowstorm to transport Zaylynn to a NICU.

"We had five or six people out at the nurses' station calling hospital networks all over the state of Texas," said Schubert. "Nobody could answer our cry for help."

The team struggled for several hours until their call for help reached Dr. John Loyd, division neonatologist chief at Dell Children's Medical Center, part of Ascension, in Austin, Texas. Loyd said he was in the process of trying to arrange transport for another baby when he heard about Zaylynn.

"The Baylor Scott & White team had done an amazing job well out of their scope of their routine practice to get a breathing tube in, to provide IV glucose and to keep this baby warm," he said. "I knew that they needed help and more importantly the baby and the family needed help so I decided I was going to go."

"Having a sturdy, 7,500-pound, four-wheel drive [SUV] I just felt like I could get there and I wasn't OK with the notion of doing nothing," Loyd explained.

Around 5 p.m. on Feb. 17, after already having worked a full shift, Loyd packed his SUV with equipment, turning it into a makeshift NICU, and he and two NICU nurses from Dell Children's set out for Marble Falls, about 55 miles away.

What would normally be a one-hour drive took Loyd and the nurses about two hours as they drove in the night through ice and snow.

The trio arrived at the Marble Falls hospital around 8 p.m., where they were met with appreciation from Copeland, Schubert and others who had been working to keep Zaylnn alive. While they waited for Loyd, the Baylor Scott & White team, led by Copeland, had been FaceTiming with NICU teams at other hospital systems to make sure they were providing the correct treatment.

"I think my jaw was on the floor," Schubert said of her reaction to learning Loyd was driving himself to provide help. "I knew Dr. Loyd from previous employment and I knew what kind of guy he was and when I heard he was coming, it was just a huge feeling of relief."

The two teams, which work for competing hospital systems, worked together throughout the night to continuously monitor Zaylynn. Baylor Scott & White's cafeteria opened after hours when they learned Loyd and his team needed dinner, and the hospital provided beds so the doctors and nurses could continue working past their shifts.

By the afternoon of Feb. 18, just over 24 hours after Zaylynn's birth, the weather cleared enough to allow for a helicopter from Dell Children's to safely land.

When doctors transferred Zaylynn into a specialized Isolette with a ventilator to allow her to travel, the baby's heart rate dropped dramatically, giving everyone a scare and demonstrating again her fragile condition, according to Schubert.

Just before 6 p.m. though, the helicopter took off with Zaylynn and less than one hour later, it landed safely at Dell Children's in Austin.

"It was incredible when the helicopter lifted off. There were tears from all of us," said Schubert. "It was a huge relief and sense of accomplishment and joy, that she was doing so well and getting to the place that she needed to be."

Zaylynn's mom, Arias, 21, was discharged from the hospital shortly after her daughter. She is staying in a Ronald McDonald House at Dell Children's, where Zaylynn is expected to stay hospitalized for several months, according to Loyd.

"If everything goes perfectly, they're usually in the NICU until their due date," he said of premature babies. "Zaylynn's chance of survival at this point is very good and her chance of her growing up and going to school and having friends and growing up and getting a job and all those things that we want our children to do, is very good."

Arias, who was not available for an interview, told local ABC station KVUE-TV that she is thankful for the doctors and nurses who worked together to save her daughter.

"They made me feel like my baby was really safe and in good hands," she said. "Honestly, I didn't get much sleep, but the few hours I got, I could be calm because I knew someone was there with my baby. She was [taken good care of] during that whole process and still is."

Loyd, Schubert and Copeland all praised the teamwork that it took to keep Zaylynn alive. Loyd described the baby as "probably the most vulnerable patient in the state of Texas" during the winter storm.

"The response to this was what health care really should be all about, which is, how can we go help?" he said. "I knew I certainly wouldn't be OK with not doing something when it was within my power to do something."

"Everyone else did the same thing," Loyd added. "They rallied. They colored outside the lines. They worked flexibly with each other, and because of that, little Zaylynn has a very reasonable chance of surviving and doing all the things we as parents want our children to do."

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Doctor, nurses pack car with NICU equipment to save baby born at 28 weeks during Texas snowstorm

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The life of a premature, 1-pound baby born during a catastrophic winter storm in Texas was saved thanks to the ingenuity of a team of doctors and nurses, including some who packed a truck with neo-natal intensive care unit equipment and drove through snow to help.

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2 United States Navy ships in the middle east are experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19 onboard. The crew are trying to isolate, and test the crew members for COVID-19. Both the ships have gone into port in Bahrain. One of the ships had 12+ people test positive for the virus.

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More than 12 sailors tested positive for the virus aboard one ship.

The amphibious transport ship USS San Diego has gone into port in Bahrain after 12 service members tested positive for the virus, the Navy's Fifth Fleet said.

The cruiser USS Philippine Sea is still at sea but is expected to head into port after several sailors are believed to have been exposed to the virus and are considered to be "persons under investigation."

The port where the cruiser will dock is not being disclosed for operational reasons.

Once in port, the exposed sailors will receive additional testing and access to medical care.

"U.S. 5th Fleet took immediate actions to identify, isolate, test and treat affected Sailors and Marines aboard two ships," the Navy said in the statement.

"Medical health professionals are conducting a thorough contact investigation to determine the source of COVID-19 aboard the ships and whether any other personnel may have been exposed," it added.

The sailors aboard the USS San Diego have been isolated aboard the ship, and the ship itself is "in a restricted COVID bubble."

The recent exposures aboard the two ships at sea come a week after three sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt tested positive for the virus while it was deployed to the Pacific Ocean.

A previous large-scale coronavirus outbreak aboard that ship in 2020 ultimately infected a quarter of the 5,000 sailors on board. As a result, the Navy imposed strict mitigation procedures for ship crews at sea and two-week quarantines for those preparing to deploy.

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2 US Navy ships in Middle East facing COVID-19 outbreaks

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More than 12 sailors tested positive for the virus aboard one ship. The amphibious transport ship USS San Diego has gone into port in Bahrain after 12 service members tested positive for the virus, the Navy's Fifth Fleet said.

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LONDON -- As rich countries race to inoculate their populations against COVID-19, poorer nations have fallen behind in the biggest vaccination campaign in history.

But a global vaccine-sharing scheme aims to ensure rapid and equitable access to vaccines for all countries regardless of income. Although there are a number of obstacles, the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) initiative may be the best bet on worldwide immunization against the novel coronavirus.

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LONDON -- As rich countries race to inoculate their populations against COVID-19, poorer nations have fallen behind in the biggest vaccination campaign in history.

But a global vaccine-sharing scheme aims to ensure rapid and equitable access to vaccines for all countries regardless of income. Although there are a number of obstacles, the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) initiative may be the best bet on worldwide immunization against the novel coronavirus.

What is COVAX?

COVAX is part of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a framework for global collaboration that was set up in response to a call from G20 leaders in March 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic and was subsequently launched by the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission, France and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in April 2020. The ACT Accelerator is made up of three pillars: Diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, according to the WHO.

COVAX is the vaccines' pillar and is co-managed by three partner agencies: Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the WHO. It is the only global initiative that is working with governments and manufacturers to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide to both higher-income and lower-income countries.

"The pandemic has highlighted more than ever the nexus between equity and global health security," Anuradha Gupta, deputy CEO of Gavi, said in a video statement on Feb. 23. "It has also highlighted the vital importance of global solidarity that is epitomized by COVAX."

COVAX acts as a platform that will support the research, development and manufacturing of a wide range of COVID-19 vaccine candidates and will negotiate the pricing. By joining COVAX, all participating countries and economies -- regardless of their ability to pay -- will have access to a portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines, once they are developed and proven to be both safe and effective, according to GAVI.

The portfolio of vaccine candidates -- the largest in the world -- is managed by CEPI's research and development experts.

"The best chance of success is to hedge risk by creating a diverse portfolio of vaccine candidates, based on a range of vaccine technologies," CEPI says on its website. "The breadth of our portfolio will increase our chances of developing multiple successful vaccines, which is crucial if we are to meet global demand and protect vulnerable populations."

What is the goal?

The initial goal is to procure and fairly distribute 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines across almost 200 countries and economies by the end of 2021 through a mechanism, the COVAX Facility, created by Gavi. That should be enough to protect high-risk and vulnerable people as well as front-line health care workers, according to Gavi.

Most importantly, COVAX also aims to ensure that 92 middle- and lower-income countries that cannot fully afford to pay for COVID-19 vaccines themselves get equal access to them, just as higher-income, self-financing countries do and at the same time.

Vaccine research and development is critical to achieving this goal, with an estimated $2.1 billion needed to move three COVID-19 vaccine candidates to licensure, according to CEPI. COVAX has already made bilateral agreements with various vaccine makers, including U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

In late December, the WHO issued an emergency use listing for a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. In mid-February, the WHO issued emergency use listings for two versions of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by England's University of Oxford and British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca -- one made in India and the other in South Korea. The WHO is on track to approve other vaccine candidates for emergency use in the coming months.

According to an interim distribution forecast published in early February, COVAX plans to distribute an initial batch of 336 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine by mid-2021. It also aims to start shipping 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the first quarter of the year.

"We're on track to meet our targets. We have countries signed up; we have doses secured; and we have raised billions of dollars in funding," Aurelia Nguyen, managing director of the COVAX Facility, said in a video statement on Feb. 24. "Nothing like this has ever been attempted before, and so every day has brought new challenges - both seen and unforeseen - but we are now delivering on our promise to people across the world, and vaccines are on their way."

How does it work?

Countries and economies of all income levels can participate in the COVAX Facility, either in a self-financing capacity or through a separate financing instrument called the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC). The AMC is funded mainly through government aid, as well as contributions from the private sector and philanthropy, and it supports access to COVID-19 vaccines for 92 middle- and lower-income countries, according to Gavi.

Self-financing participants will be guaranteed sufficient doses of COVID-19 vaccines to protect a certain proportion of their population, depending how much they buy into the scheme. Additionally, richer countries and economies will pay a premium to subsidize poorer ones.

Meanwhile, funded participants will receive enough COVID-19 vaccine doses to inoculate up to 20% of their population in the longer term, subject to funding availability.

Since the United States officially rejoined the WHO, President Joe Biden has pledged $4 billion in contributions to COVAX.

Allocation of vaccine doses will be spread across participants based on the amount that's available. These allotments will grow as availability increases, according to Gavi.

The COVAX Facility has access to vaccine doses through deals that Gavi strikes with vaccine manufacturers on behalf of the program. Meanwhile, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is leading the vaccine procurement and delivery efforts on behalf of COVAX.

UNICEF has already begun delivering initial shipments of COVID-19 vaccine doses. This week, the West African nations of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire became the first and second recipients, respectively, to receive doses from the COVAX Facility -- a historic step in the global endeavor.

"It's about a million doses total to begin with and that will just begin accelerating now," Michael Nyenhuis, president and CEO of UNICEF USA, told ABC News in a recent interview. "We've done all of the pre-work necessary in many, many of these countries to make sure that the supply chains are ready, that the health systems are ready, that the refrigeration is ready where it's needed for the vaccines, that the vaccinators, the people actually administer the vaccine in communities, are ready."

Why do we need it?

The global pandemic has already claimed the lives of millions of people and has disrupted the lives of billions more. In addition to reducing further loss of life and helping to get the virus under control, the WHO estimates that the introduction of a vaccine will prevent the loss of $375 billion to the global economy every month.

Global equitable access to a vaccine is the only way to mitigate the public health and economic impact of the pandemic, according to the WHO.

"Developing a vaccine against COVID-19 is the most pressing challenge of our time -- and nobody wins the race until everyone wins," the WHO says on its website.

Without a global initiative like COVAX, there is a very real risk that the majority of people in the world will go unprotected against COVID-19, allowing the virus and its impact to continue unabated, according to Gavi.

"With a disease that spreads as fast as COVID-19, vaccines will only be effective if everyone is protected," Gavi CEO Seth Berkley said in a video statement on Feb. 24.

COVAX was created to maximize the chances of successfully developing COVID-19 vaccines and to produce them in the quantities needed to end the pandemic, all while ensuring that income level does not become a barrier to accessing them.

"It's an all-hands-on-deck effort to do something that's never been done before, the largest global vaccine campaign ever and the largest single thing that UNICEF has ever done," Nyenhuis said. "This is nothing less than a historic effort to end the global pandemic. The only way that we're going to end this is if enough people are vaccinated all around the world to put a stop to it."

What are the challenges?

A global effort to vaccinate the world's population won't be without its challenges.

"There are three things that really need to come together well in order for this to happen," Nyenhuis noted. "One is the production of the vaccine."

COVID-19 vaccines need to continue being developed and manufactured and production needs to ramp up. Vaccine makers also must monitor new variants of the virus to see if any changes need to be made to their vaccines, Nyenhuis said.

"The second piece is supply chain and logistics," he continued. "How do you get all those vaccines from manufacturing out to everybody who needs them? We've seen here in the U.S. what a challenge that has been and it's an even greater challenge when you're talking about countries with less sophisticated infrastructure."

UNICEF, however, has an advantage in this part of the puzzle. The agency is the main procurement partner of Gavi and is the largest single vaccine buyer in the world, procuring more than 2 billion doses of life-saving vaccines every year for routine immunization and outbreak response on behalf of nearly 100 countries. UNICEF will use the same supply chains and expertise to coordinate the procurement and supply of COVID-19 vaccines for the COVAX Facility, according to Nyenhuis.

"The third piece is vaccine confidence or, to put the other way, hesitancy," he said. "How do you combat hesitancy at the community level for people? How do you build confidence so that people actually take the vaccine?"

In the past, vaccine hesitancy has been a challenge in some parts of the world when trying to stamp out other virus outbreaks. Trust and confidence in vaccines need to be built at the community level so that people will actually choose to get inoculated when doses become available, Nyenhuis said.

"So you really need all three of these pieces. You need the production side, you need the supply chain side and you need the community-level confidence," he added. "And there are challenges in all three pieces of that. That's why this is such a Herculean task and such an important effort."

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What is COVAX? How a global initiative is helping get COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries

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LONDON -- As rich countries race to inoculate their populations against COVID-19, poorer nations have fallen behind in the biggest vaccination campaign in history. But a global vaccine-sharing scheme aims to ensure rapid and equitable access to vaccines for all countries regardless of income.

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The principal Jason Smith at Stonybrook Intermediate and Middle School, fixed one of his students hair after he confessed to being self conscious about it. The student was wearing a hat which was against the schools dress code. After talking with the boy the principal assured the student that his hair looked fine, but the student was still not confident. ¨If I run home and get my clippers and fix your line, will you go back to class?'" Smith said. The boy hesitated but said yes. "All behavior is communication and when a student is struggling, we need to ask ourselves what happened to this child instead of what's wrong with the child," Smith said.

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A middle schooler was insecure about his haircut. So his principal fixed it himself instead of disciplining the boy for wearing a hat | CNN

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We've all had at least one bad haircut in our lifetimes, and chances are, we remember how that bad haircut made us feel.