Stella Tennant, the aristocratic British model who was a muse to designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Gianni Versace, died suddenly at the age of 50, her family said Wednesday. Tennant, the granddaughter of a duke, rose to fame in the 1990s while walking the runway for Versace, Alexander McQueen and other designers. FILE – Model Stella Tennant poses during a photocall before Chanel Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2018 fashion collection presented in Paris, Jan. 23, 2018.In a statement, her family said: “It is with great sadness we announce the sudden death of Stella Tennant on Dec. 22.” “Stella was a wonderful woman and an inspiration to us all. She will be greatly missed,” it said. The family asked for privacy and said arrangements for a memorial service would be announced later. They did not disclose her cause of death. Police Scotland said officers were called to an address in the Scottish Borders town of Duns on Tuesday following the sudden death of a 50-year-old woman. Police said there were no suspicious circumstances. The granddaughter of the 11th Duke of Devonshire Andrew Cavendish and his wife Deborah Mitford of a glamorous, unconventional aristocratic family, Tennant was one of the leading British models of the 1990s. Late in the decade, Lagerfeld announced her as the new face of Chanel, with an exclusive modeling contract, and she became a muse to the designer. Fashion house Versace paid tribute to Tennant on Twitter, saying: “Versace is mourning the death of Stella Tennant. Stella was Gianni Versace’s muse for many years and friend of the family. We will miss you forever, Stella. Rest in peace.” Donatella Versace posted a photo of Tennant on Instagram in a tribute to the model.”Stella, I cannot believe you are gone,” she wrote. “You have left us way too soon. We met when you were at the beginning of your career. I cherish every moment we spent together. Ciao. Rest in peace.” FILE – Italian designer Gianfranco Ferre, right, acknowledges applause on the catwalk with top model Stella Tennant, in Milan, March 2, 2003.Stella McCartney said she was “speechless” after hearing the news.”What sad, horrific news to end this already shocking year!” McCartney wrote in a post on Instagram that included a photo of her and Tennant. “Rest in peace, you inspiring woman. Your soul and inner beauty exceeded the external perfection, Stella.” Tennant also appeared in advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein, Chanel, Hermes and Burberry. In 1999, Tennant married French photographer David Lasnet. She is survived by him and their four children. “From the first time I met Stella I was completely blown away,” fashion designer Marc Jacobs said on social media. “Her beauty, style and body language combined with her manners, kindness, sense of humor and personality were like no other. … My condolences to David and her family. What a terrible, heartbreaking loss.”
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Day: December 23, 2020
Pfizer-BioNTech said Wednesday they will supply the United States with an additional 100 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine as the country struggles to contain surges in infections.The drug makers said they expect to complete the delivery by the end of July in a nearly $2 billion deal with the federal government.“Securing more doses from Pfizer and BioNTech for delivery in the second quarter of 2021 further expands our supply of doses across the Operation Warp Speed portfolio,” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. “This new federal purchase can give Americans even more confidence that we will have enough supply to vaccinate every American who wants it by June 2021.”On December 11, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, clearing the way for the drug makers to supply the government with an initial 100 million doses.The agreement announced Wednesday stipulates the companies will deliver at least 70 million of the additional doses by June 30, with the remaining 30 million doses being delivered by July 31. The government can also purchase up to an additional 400 million doses.The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first of two to be approved for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, the other developed by rival Moderna, Inc. The first shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine throughout the U.S. began December 13.The U.S. continues to lead the world in COVID-19 deaths, with nearly 323,000, and in infections, with more than 18.2 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. The coronavirus causes the COVID-19 disease.Health care workers and nursing home residents have been among the first to be vaccinated. More than 600,000 people in the U.S. received their first doses as of Monday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two shots to be fully effective.
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To many people classical music evokes images of European musical masters like Mozart slaving over their symphonies. But the world of classical music is much wider, as Warangkana Chomchuen reports.
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Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona did not consume alcohol or illicit narcotics in the days before his death, an autopsy released on Wednesday said.Maradona, who died in November at age 60, had taken seven different medicines to treat depression, anxiety and other ailments but “there was no presence of [illegal] drugs,” a judicial official told Reuters.The autopsy, which was based on blood and urine samples and was released by the Buenos Aires Scientific Police, said Maradona had problems with his kidneys, heart and lungs.Investigators are looking into various facets of his death, which rocked Argentina and the wider footballing world, and they have not ruled out wrongful death.The more detailed autopsy confirmed the results of one carried out immediately after his death that said the former Boca Juniors and Napoli player died from “acute pulmonary edema secondary to exacerbated chronic heart failure with dilated cardiomyopathy.”In an angry broadside at her father’s critics, Maradona’s daughter Gianinna said the autopsy showed “a result compatible with cirrhosis of the liver.”The charismatic 1986 World Cup winner, regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, had battled alcohol and drug addiction for much of his life.A judge last week ruled that Maradona’s body could not be exhumed or cremated in case DNA is needed at a later date for use in paternity or other cases.Maradona has five recognized children and six with filiation requests. They are part of a complex inheritance process under way in Argentina.
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A crisis in South Africa’s competitive chess world has demanded the attention of the nation’s parliament and Olympic committee, with Parliament saying the pair of dueling chess factions in the nation’s chess federation are holding back eager players from playing in major events — and in doing so, holding back the trajectory of an African chess powerhouse. As VOA’s Anita Powell found in this report, from Johannesburg, the issues in the sport cut to the very core of South Africa’s own struggles to build as a fair society. Camera: Zaheer Cassim
Producer: Alessandro Parodi
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More than 170 people have died from yellow fever outbreaks in Nigeria this year, despite vaccines being available since 2004. A preference among some Nigerians for traditional, herbal medicine is part of the problem. But experts say apathy to vaccines in rural areas is the biggest challenge, as Ifiok Ettang reports from Bauchi, Nigeria.Producer: Marcus Harton
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Researchers in Britain say the new strain of COVID-19 is more infectious than other variants, and could be more transmissible in children. Scientists with the country’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) told reporters earlier this week the new variant is about 71% more transmissible than other versions. The new variant of the novel coronavirus has swept through southern Britain in recent weeks, prompting more than 40 countries to ban travelers from Britain. Singapore, the Philippines and South Korea added themselves to the long list Tuesday: Singapore imposed an indefinite ban on all passengers from Britain into the city-state effective midnight local time Wednesday, the Philippines is suspending all flights to Britain effective Thursday, Christmas Eve, and South Korea has suspended flights from Britain until next Thursday, New Year’s Eve. A sign in the window of a truck driver’s cab reads “Merry Christmas, Merci France”, as the heavy goods vehicle sits in a queue trying to enter the Port of Dover, in Kent, south east England, Dec. 23, 2020.But France has reversed course and lifted a 48-hour ban imposed Monday on all travel from Britain, allowing all passengers and truck drivers to enter the country as long as they have tested negative for the coronavirus within the previous 72 hours. The ban left thousands of freight trucks carrying tons of perishable food and other goods stranded in Dover and other vital crossing points at the iconic English Channel that separates Britain and France. Elsewhere in the world, Peru has become the latest country to surpass 1 million total confirmed coronavirus cases. The Health Ministry announced Tuesday that 1,000,153 people have been infected, including 37,218 deaths. Peru is the fifth nation in Latin America to top the 1 million mark, joining Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Mexico. Birx retiring Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, says she plans to retire from government service after helping with the transition to the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden. In an interview Tuesday with the media outlet Newsy, Birx said her tenure on the task force “has been a bit overwhelming” and has been difficult on her family. FILE – White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx listens during an event in honor of World Nurses Day in the Oval Office of the White House, May 6, 2020, in Washington.Birx had previously stated her wish to remain with the Biden administration after it takes over in January. But she came under scrutiny earlier this week after The Associated Press reported that she had traveled to her property in Delaware during the Thanksgiving weekend and visited with several members of her family, despite advice issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention against traveling during that holiday period because of the escalating numbers of COVID-19 cases across the country. Birx said she had gone to the home to prepare it for the winter season, but acknowledged she shared a meal with her family during the visit.
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Twitter said Tuesday it would not automatically transfer the millions of followers of official Trump administration accounts to the incoming Biden administration but instead would give users the option to continue or not. The move affects followers of government-led accounts such as @WhiteHouse and @POTUS, which will be transferred to Joe Biden when he takes over the presidency in January. Twitter’s decision won’t affect the personal account @realDonaldTrump, which is frequently used by President Donald Trump and has some 88 million followers. FILE – President Donald Trump’s Twitter feed is photographed on an Apple iPad in New York, June 27, 2019.The official government accounts “will not automatically retain their existing followers. Instead, Twitter will notify followers of these accounts to provide context that the content will be archived and allow them the choice to follow the Biden administration’s new accounts,” a Twitter statement said. “For example, people who follow @WhiteHouse will be notified that the account has been archived as @WhiteHouse45 and given the option to follow the new @WhiteHouse account.” Twitter has been working on the transition for the platform widely used by Trump since the election results were finalized and has indicated that as a private citizen Trump may not have as much leeway in stretching the rules for newsworthy comments. While not as widely followed as Trump’s personal account, @POTUS has some 33 million followers and @WhiteHouse 26 million. The transfer will affect other institutional accounts such as @VP, @FLOTUS, @PressSec, @Cabinet, and @LaCasaBlanca, according to Twitter. Last month, Twitter indicated any special treatment that Trump has enjoyed ends with his presidency. “Twitter’s approach to world leaders, candidates and public officials is based on the principle that people should be able to choose to see what their leaders are saying with clear context,” the San Francisco company said. “This policy framework applies to current world leaders and candidates for office, and not private citizens when they no longer hold these positions.”
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