Per NPR: “President-elect Joe Biden became President Biden at noon Eastern time, after he took the oath of office to become the nation’s 46th commander in chief. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts conducted the swearing-in ceremony. Biden placed his hand on a family Bible. There ceremony took place on the West Front of the U.S.
COVID-19 news: The COVID-19 (novel Coronavirus) pandemic continues to pose serious challenges to health systems, governments and the population at large. Staying on top of the latest COVID-19 news and information is critical. With that in mind, we will continue to provide regular updates via this blog and our COVID-19 Response Team. Global Numbers: 95m
Per CNN: “The House voted Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time in a swift and bipartisan condemnation of the President’s role inciting last week’s riot at the US Capitol.” “The House voted 232 to 197 to impeach Trump exactly one week after rioters forced lawmakers to flee from the very chamber
Corporate America is taking a firm stance in response to the violent, insurrectionist attack on the Capitol on January 6. From NY Times: “Days after a pro-Trump mob attacked the United States Capitol, some of America’s biggest companies said they would pause political giving as they rethink their support of certain lawmakers and their own
Per CNN: “House Democrats formally [unveiled] their resolution to impeach President Donald Trump on Monday at 11am, January 11, 2021, charging him with “incitement of insurrection” for his role in last week’s riots at the US Capitol.” “The single impeachment article, which [was] introduced at 11 a.m. ET when the House [gaveled] in Monday, points to
The Bassiouni Group unequivocally condemns the insurrectionist, terrorist attack that took place on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. This was not a “peaceful protest”. This was an intentional effort, incited by Pres. Trump and many other political figures such as Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, to disrupt the halt the peaceful transfer of
The much-anticipated Georgia Senate runoffs take place today and promises to be a nail-biter as the Biden agenda rests on flipping back the Senate blue with victories by Ossoff and Warnock winning over Perdue and Loeffler respectively. Indeed, Democrats are pointing to record early turnout so far (over 3m including over 100k new voters who
The UK has now entered its third national lockdown with England following Scotland’s lead. Per the New York Times: “Prime Minister Boris Johnson imposed a strict new national lockdown on Monday as Britain’s desperate race to vaccinate its population risked being overtaken by a fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus that was on track to overwhelm
Per CNN: “President Donald Trump pushed Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” votes to overturn the election results after his loss to President-elect Joe Biden, according to an audio recording of a phone call obtained by CNN and first reported by the Washington Post.” “In excerpts of the stunning one-hour phone call Saturday,
According to Yahoo/Best Life: “Life in the time of the coronavirus pandemic has taught us plenty of new healthy habits that can help keep us safe. But even if you’re wearing a mask and social distancing in public and regularly washing your hands, there’s one common habit that you may not even realize is putting
Per Yahoo/Best Life: “There few symptoms more popularly associated with COVID than cough, fever, and shortness of breath. But a new international study suggests that there is another set of symptoms that can reveal a case of coronavirus with far more accuracy: a loss of taste or smell. According to the study, which has not
A new, highly contagious coronavirus (COVID-19) strain — with reportedly 70% more transmissibility — has been detected in the UK and it may already be in the U.S. Many countries have already temporarily suspended travel to/from the UK. Here’s what you need to know. CNBC: “The new coronavirus strain that was first detected in
This is a different tack from our usual focus on business, politics etc but it’s necessary to sometimes take a step back. With that in mind, we just wanted to speak to you (wherever you are in the world) and let you know that it’s okay not to be okay as we continue to fight
Vaccine Day! Today marks the first COVID-19 vaccinations in the United States and the first vaccine took place in New York City, which was the hardest hit. Frontline healthcare workers around the country are now receiving shots. Read some key excerpts below. New York Times: “The first coronavirus vaccination in the United States took place
Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) or Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (D, E&I) is now a critical component of business planning, HR and operations. Smart companies understand that investing in D&I is a critical part of business performance and short and long-term investment. Here are some reasons why you should consider developing and implementing a comprehensive D&EI
Once a week, we share the top news headlines around the world. Just scroll below to get the latest from the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Americas News Bill Gates says new ways of coronavirus testing and improved treatments will ‘mostly be valuable for the next pandemic’Business Insider, New York, N.Y, U.S.
Given the anti-immigrant hysteria that gripped some parts of Europe and the U.S., it’s worth noting that immigrants are behind the Moderna and Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines and they really deserve the credit. Reason notes the following: “Noubar Afeyan, co-founder of Moderna, emigrated with his parents from Lebanon to Canada, as a teenager. Ugur Sahin and
The UK became the first Western country to initiate a mass COVID vaccination program, a milestone moment in the course of the pandemic. Some key stories below. CNN: The first Briton to get the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine — 90-year-old Margaret Keenan — received the first of two doses at 6:31 a.m. local time on Tuesday at University Hospital
Rochelle Walensky, the highly respected chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, has been selected by President-elect Biden to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Given the long-running issues with the CDC during the Trump administration, including politicization, alleged mismanagement and data suppression, Dr. Walensky’s appointment is a welcome relief for
President-Elect Biden will re-commit to the Paris Agreement and has already established the Green Economy/Sustainability as a core part of his “Build Back Better” economic recovery plan. So, will the Biden admin move quickly to generate (green) new jobs & address the climate? Much depends on the GA Senate runoffs in January but we still
Given that vaccines typically take years to develop, development of the COVID-19 vaccine is the fastest in history. With vaccine distribution now underway in the UK and the United States, there’s still one lingering question: How did the scientific world make such rapid progress and what lessons can we take forward to tackle new epidemics and/or
President-Elect Biden is moving forward with key selections for his Cabinet despite being hamstrung by the GSA, which only engaged the transition process today, and President Trump’s steadfast refusal to concede. The selection of key officials, most of whom are experienced professionals drawn the Obama presidency, is an indication of Biden’s determination to focus on
The biggest challenge we face with COVID-19 is not just a public health challenge, it’s deconstructing the fatal “mass denial”, disinformation and conspiracy theories that have been been carefully constructed by right-wing media and politicians. Take South Dakota. The “Mount Rushmore” state has one of the highest COVID-19 infection and death rates in the
On Monday, Pfizer announced a major breakthrough related to its COVID-19 vaccine. According to the NYT, “an early analysis of its coronavirus vaccine trial suggested the vaccine was robustly effective in preventing Covid-19, a promising development as the world has waited anxiously for any positive news about a pandemic that has killed more than 1.2
The U.S. Presidential Election takes places today and, after all of the drama and controversy, it promises to be a monumental and highly consequential finale. Here are five key themes to look for in the hours and days to come: (1) Early Voting Shatters Records — Despite the pandemic and other challenges to the democratic
Herd Immunity (HI) is a phrase that you tend to hear a lot these days and it’s become a controversial issue during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in Sweden and the UK which attempted HI. But what exactly is Herd Immunity and how does it factor into the current COVID-19 pandemic? Let’s take a closer look.
As part of its new 5 Year Plan, China plans to adopt a “Dual Circulation” policy. So, what exactly does this mean? The Dual Circulation policy is broadly split into two parts: “internal circulation” focused on growing China’s domestic market, and “external circulation” — or trade with other countries. Per Reuters: “Chinese President Xi Jinping
All eyes on Beijing this week: The central committee of China’s ruling Communist Party, led by President Xi Jinping, is set to meet in Beijing from Oct. 26 to 29 to discuss a proposal for national development for the next five years — from 2021 to 2025. This is the 14th 5-year Plan and will
The 2020 Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Survey from TBG Purpose is designed to help Fortune 1000 companies quickly assess their standing in the D&I landscape. Access the 2min survey and get your free Report Card and recommendations. Why is D&I so important for businesses? As you’ll see in the list below (source: BuiltIn), diverse companies
We’re excited to announce the launch of “TBG: Global Intel”, a new series featuring experts from all over the world and critical insights into timely topics. At The Bassiouni Group, we’re proud to work with exceptional strategic partners and over 500+ experts in over 150 countries. For this first episode of Global Intel, we sat
75th UN General Assembly highlights: On its 75th anniversary, and amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic, the “United Nations will for the first time convened world leaders in a virtual format to seek action and solutions for a world in crisis. Several major events, in addition to the General Debate, [highlighted] action and solutions to ignite
How do you prevent COVID in schools? Right now, millions of parents and teachers around the world are concerned about their kids/students going back to school during the COVID-19 pandemic. How can you ensure student safety in classrooms and proceed with classroom instruction in the “new normal”? We’re excited to be working with our PPE
South Korea successfully held its general election on April 15 and provided some key lessons for how to conduct an election during COVID-19. This should come in handy for the U.S. presidential election in November: First, let’s look at how South Korea managed COVID-19: At the beginning of the pandemic, South Korea (51m pop.) had
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court and a pioneering advocate for women’s rights, who in her ninth decade became a much younger generation’s unlikely cultural icon, died on Friday at her home in Washington. She was 87. NYT article below: The cause was complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer, the
Photo by Kiyoshi Ota – Pool/Getty Images The new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will succeed Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving PM who resigned due to health complications. Suga was voted in as the new leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), securing about 70% of the votes, paving the way for the 71-year-old to
Photo Credit: Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty Images Is there a connection between wildfires and climate change — the fires that are currently devastating the Western states (particularly California, Washington, Oregon)? As of September 14th (10pm ET), CNBC notes that: Historic wildfires are burning millions of acres and destroying homes and entire towns in California, Oregon and Washington
What’s in the Biden economic plan? Currently leading in the polls, Vice President Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris are now focusing significant efforts around shoring up the economy vote and tying the current economic decline to Trump’s mishandling of the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. Here’s what you need to know: According to this excellent
Photo:Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images Over the last few days, the news cycle has been dominated by President Trump’s admission about the dangers of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in Bob Woodward’s new book “Rage”. According to veteran journalist Peter Bergen, the Woodward book is devastating to Trump for several reasons. CNN article enclosed below: “Rage” may be
Why do some companies succeed while others just do “okay” or fail? Why do some leaders inspire greatness while others don’t? The reason is deeply engrained in biology and how our brains work. It’s not the “WHAT” — it’s the “WHY”. This Simon Sinek TED Talk never (ever) gets old: “Start with Why”. “People don’t
As New Yorkers and Americans, we take time today to honor all of those lost on 9/11 and to honor their memories. We also take time to reflect on the unity we felt after that day — confident in the knowledge that it can be restored. #911 #NeverForget #911Remembered #September11
Photo: Francis Dean / Contributor / Getty Images Which region is leading the global Cleantech Revolution? You may think it’s North America but that’s not actually true. When it comes to Cleantech innovation, no other region even comes close to Scandinavia/the Nordics — Denmark, Finland and Sweden, to be exact. The top three positions in the Global
Photo: Stephen Brashear / Stringer Need some motivation today? Still waiting for the coffee kick in? While we’re talking about coffee, here’s something to keep in mind whenever you’re facing a professional or personal challenge: Howard Schultz, the founder of Starbucks, was rejected 242 times when he tried to secure capital. Think about that. Think about Schultz’
Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images We are used to the usual voting blocs (e.g. white working class, non-college, suburban, urban etc) in U.S. elections but we believe that will see the emergence of new kind of voter this November. We believe that the “COVID Voter” will become the critical swing vote
Photo by Jeff Hutchens/Getty Images Today marks the passing of a Civil Rights legend and national American icon — the great John Lewis. Today marked the end of a 5-day celebration of Rep Lewis’ life with a funeral service that spoke to his life, mission and purpose. Three Presidents (Clinton, Bush, Obama) spoke and Pres.
New York/NYC is now in the middle of a phased reopening but what is going to drive the economic recovery? Is it “business as usual” or something better? Can NYC unlock trillions of dollars and thousands of new jobs via the Sustainability Economy? Why rebuild if you’re not innovating and improving? Gov. Cuomo has spoken
Female leaders all over the world are besting their male counterparts when it comes to fighting COVID-19. From PM Jacinda Ardern to Germany’s Merkel to Finland’s Marin, women are showing the way to fight COVID-19.
The TBG Purpose division, which provides CSR/Sustainability solutions for companies of all sizes, has compiled this essential list of Sustainability resources. Just click below and send any additions here. SDGs: About the SDGs SDG Knowledge Platform Global Goals SDG Resource Center SDG Compass SDG Business Hub SDG Resources Business: Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE)– network of socially
As part of our COVID-19 efforts, we are showcasing key articles that are particularly notable. The following is from The Conversation. After a rapid rise in coronavirus cases throughout Europe – particularly Italy and Spain – tough public health measures “flattened the curve.” That is, the spread of the virus slowed enough so fewer people would
Did Russia place a bounty on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan? Did the Trump administration know and, if so, what did they know and when? This is the story that is currently sending the White House, all of Washington, the Pentagon and the media into a tailspin. The allegations could not be more damaging. As the
As New York City celebrates 50 years of Pride parades, TBG joins the #LGBTIQ community in celebrating #PrideMonth. Love is love. While the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted most parades, many are finding ways to participate and celebrate anyway. So,we want to wish Happy Pride to everyone. Here are some good articles: New York City Celebrates
