Early Bird: Singer Ariana Grande got engaged. Biden received his vaccine. Apple is toying with the idea of making cars

Nicaragua's Parliament has passed a controversial law

Open in gallery (6)

Nicaragua's National Assembly has passed a law to prevent people opponents of the president to participate in the election. Participation in next year's general election should be denied to those whom the government believes to have funded attempts to overthrow President Daniel Ortega. The lavishly named Law in Defence of the Rights of the People to Independence, Sovereignty and Self-Determination for Peace was backed by 70 votes out of a total of 92. Critics of the government see it as an attempt to suppress opposition ideas in the country. In the November presidential election, Ortega will run for his third term in a row next year. In addition, the law does not specify who and how will assess the incompetence of potential voters.

The government has approved the program Vlastní bydlení (Homeowners)

Open in gallery (6)

People up to 40 years of age can now use the resources of the State Fund for Investment Support to fund their housing. The loan can newly also be used to purchase a cooperative share.

"Our goal is for the new program to be used by as many families trying to purchase their own housing as possible. We are therefore coming with a significant relaxation of requirements within this program. The interest rate will again be based on the EU rate, but will now be reduced by 0.2 percentage points for each child under 15 years of age cared for by the applicant on a permanent basis,"

says Minister for Regional Development Klára Dostálová.

There is also an increase in credit limits. People can now apply for a loan of up to 600,000 CZK for the modernization of their home. The limit for the purchase of an apartment is set at 2 million and it's possible to apply for up to 2.4 million Czech crowns for the acquisition of a family house. The program will take effect on January 15, 2021.

Prodej luxusního mezonetu 4 + 1, Praha, Praha 5

Show property

Biden has been vaccinated against COVID-19

Open in gallery (6)

Newly elected US President Joe Biden received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. It happened live on television, and Biden claimed he was getting vaccinated to show the Americans that the shot was safe. A growing number of politicians have made the same choice to support public interest in the vaccine. To date, more than half a million Americans have been vaccinated, and very few of them experienced a non-standard reaction.

Joe Biden also said that the Trump administration, which launched the vaccination program in the country, deserves some recognition. Even Biden's wife Jill underwent vaccination. Vice President Kamala Harris should join the list of vaccinated people in the coming days. Biden's team has set out an ambitious task - at least 100 million Covid vaccine shots into the arms of the American people in the first 100 days of the new president's term in office.

Ariana Grande got engaged

Open in gallery (6)

The most-followed woman on Instagram, American singer Ariana Grande, announced her engagement. The lucky guy is real estate agent Dalton Gomez. The 27-year-old singer has been dating the businessman of roughly her age for about a year; the paparazzi brought their first photos together in February. The couple currently live in Los Angeles.

"They couldn't be any happier. They're experiencing a period of intense love. Their parents are also happy about their engagement,"

a source close to the couple confirmed for the American magazine People. At the end of October, Ariana Grande released her sixth studio album Positions, which dominated music charts worldwide. She is still the woman with the most followers on Instagram (211 million) and this week, she released a recording of her concert in London along with a behind-the-scenes documentary capturing the entire tour on Netflix, called Excuse me, I love you.

A pool has been turned into an office space in Shanghai

Open in gallery (6)

The Linehouse design studio turned a pool in Shanghai into an extra workspace using pallets, leather and wood. The swimming pool had been part of a fitness facility for staff in the offices of Jing'An Kerry Center. This multi-purpose complex in Shanghai's Jing'An district had been designed by the architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox in 2013. However, the pool hadn't been used frequently, so it was converted into an office space where employees can work or meet informally. The pool is still the dominant feature of the room, but it was drained and lined with blue vinyl from flooring specialists, Tarkett. The fact that the pool had several levels allowed for the space to be used in a practial manner, different from a room with a typical layout. Comfortable, often multi-level seats were created here. A small café and a formal meeting room, enclosed by a curved glass pane, are also available for the employees.

Apple seems to be planning to produce cars

Open in gallery (6)

Apple first had the idea of ​​producing their own cars many years ago. Reuters now says it's being eagerly discussed again. The company would like to introduce their own car in 2024 or 2025. It should be a passenger car with a special drive. Of course, the technology giant wants to come up with something revolutionary that the automotive industry hasn't seen yet. Rumour has it they're working on a breakthrough battery technology.

The company started to develop their own car as early as 2016. However, they have abanoded the project over time and focused on providing software to car manufacturers instead. Apple's automotive technology team has lost many employees recently. The report says Apple relies on many parts to be provided by third parties. However, the battery should be entirely within the competence of the company. It should be a monocell design that allows for greater capacity by not splitting into individual cells.

That's all from us this morning. Enjoy every hour of your Tuesday to the fullest and don't forget the wise words of the frontman of the band Nirvana, Kurt Cobain:

"You can't buy happiness."