Early Bird: Eilish opened up about her breakup. Third Covid-19 vaccine approved in the USA. Archaeologists are celebrating an extraordinary find

Putin promised Zeman the Sputnik vaccine

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In an interview with a Czech TV station on Saturday, President Miloš Zeman stated that Vladimir Putin had promised him a delivery of the Russian Sputnik vaccine. Miloš Zeman said he had written a letter to Vladimir Putin asking him for the Sputnik V vaccine in agreement with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.

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"According to my information, this request will be granted. However, we will of course need that certification,"

Zeman said for the CNN Prima NEWS television.

Personally, Zeman wouldn't insist on the approval of the vaccine by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and he would be satisfied, if it were certified by the State Institute for Drug Control (SUKL).

In this respect, Zeman disagrees not only with a number of experts, but also with the Minister of Health Jan Blatný, who has previously stated that using Sputnik V can be considered only once it has been approved by the EMA. However, the approval process in itself is lengthy. Hungary and Serbia have already bought Sputnik without the approval of the European authorities and are vaccinating their citizens with it.

An exceptional ceremonial carriage was found near Pompeii

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Italian archaeologists have unearthed a ceremonial carriage near the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, and it's in excellent condition. The archaeologists said that due to the fragility of the materials used, their efforts had been particularly difficult. Special techniques, including plaster forming, needed to be used to uncover the carriage without damage. According to the director of the Pompeii excavations, Massimo Osanna, this is the first find of this kind in the Pompeii region.

"This is an extraordinary discovery that advances our understanding of the ancient world,"

said Osanna.

He explained that the newly discovered carriage would have accompanied festive moments for the community, such as parades and processions. The four-wheeled carriage was found near a stable at the ancient villa, where three horses had been unearthed in 2018, one of them still harnessed. The carriage was made of iron, wood, bronze and tin and was found about 700 meters north of Pompeii, a town that had been buried by an explosion of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The governor of New York faces new sexual harassment charges

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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo became one of America's most influential Democrats at the start of the pandemic, but is currently facing further charges of sexual harassment. The governor's former health policy adviser, Charlotte Bennett, told the American press that he had harassed her last year. The 25-year-old claimed that the governor had asked her a number of questions about her personal life, including whether she believed that age affected romantic relationships. She also revealed in an interview that in June last year, Mr Cuomo had told her he was feeling lonely during the pandemic and asked her who was the last person she'd hugged.

"I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared. And was wondering how I was going to get out of it and assumed it was the end of my job,"

Benett told the media.

Cuomo denied any inappropriate behaviour and ordered an independent investigation into the allegations. In the past, the 63-year-old governor had also faced charges of bullying. Another former assistant, Lindsey Boylan, had previously accused the governor of sexual harassment.

A single dose coronavirus vaccine was approved in the USA

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US regulators have formally approved the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine. The vaccine is intended to be a cost-effective alternative to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and can be stored in the refrigerator instead of in the freezer.

The vaccine, manufactured by the Belgian company Janssen, is the third approved vaccine in the USA. Unlike the two products already in use, it doesn't have to be administered in two doses. The company has agreed to provide the United States with 100 million doses by the end of June. The first doses could be made available to the American public as early as next week.

President Joe Biden welcomed the approval of the new vaccine as exciting news for all Americans and encouraging development, but warned that the fight was far from over, as new coronavirus strains posed the main threat.

"While we are celebrating today's news, I urge all Americans to keep washing their hands, social distancing, and wearing masks,"

Biden said in a statement.

Billie Eilish spoke openly about her breakup with her boyfriend

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For the first time, singer Billie Eilish opened up about her ex-boyfriend, rapper Brandon Adams, who performs under the stage name 7: AMP. In her new documentary on Apple TV +, the 19-year-old singer confided to her fans in detail about her relationship with the musician she calls "Q". Adams first appears in footage from a documentary from late 2018, when Eilish was 16 years old. The documentary also shows her holding hands with him at her 17th birthday party and confesses her love to him over the phone. At the end of the documentary, Eilish alias Bad Guy and Q no longer form a pair.

"I just wasn't happy, and I didn't want the same things he wanted,"

Eilish said openly.

The popular singer broke up with Adams in June 2019, but neither of them had ever confirmed they were actually dating.

That's all for this morning. We wish you a pleasant rest of the weekend, and if you feel sad about tomorrow's tightening of the restrictions on the free movement of persons, think of all the celebrities. As Billie Elish said:

"Fame is hard work, I can't go anywhere."