Raphael Stevens

HYDERABAD, INDIA – MAY 12: The Mumbai Indians celebrate after they defeated the Chennai Super Kings during the Indian Premier League Final match between the the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on May 12, 2019 in Hyderabad, India.Robert Cianflone | Getty Images Sport | Getty ImagesThe 2021 Indian Premier League season gets under way on Friday. Here’s everything you need to know about the eight teams battling it out for the title…CHENNAI SUPER KINGSEnglish players: Moeen Ali, Sam CurranOther overseas players: Dwayne Bravo (West Indies), Faf du Plessis (South Africa), Imran Tahir (South Africa), Lungi Ngidi (South Africa), Mitchell Santner (New Zealand), Jason Behrendorff (Australia)Indian players: MS Dhoni (captain), Ambati Rayudu, C Hari Nishanth, Cheteshwar Pujara, Deepak Chahar, Harisankar Reddy, K Bhagath Varma, K Gowtham, Karn Sharma, KM Asif, Narayan Jagadeesan, R Sai Kishore, Ravindra Jadeja, Robin Uthappa, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Suresh RainaHead coach: Stephen FlemingBest finish: Winners (2010, 2011, 2018)Story of last season: CSK beat defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener but that was as good as it got in a forgettable campaign for the three-time winners. The final table suggests they only narrowly missed out on the play-offs but two of Chennai’s six wins came after they had already been eliminated and only served to ensure they avoided the ignominy of a last-placed finish. It was not all doom and gloom though, Sam Curran excelled with bat and ball and young opener Ruturaj Gaikwad hit three fifties in just six innings to provide CSK with some optimism for the future.2021 chances: With one of the great white-ball captains, MS Dhoni, leading the side, you cannot rule Chennai out. However, it would take something special for them to end the campaign with a fourth IPL crown. Moeen Ali, Cheteshwar Pujara and Robin Uthappa have come in to add to a squad already packed with experience while if anyone is capable of producing something a bit special, it is Ravindra Jadeja, who should be back from injury to bolster the XI in all three departments. There are questions over whether some of that established core might have passed from experienced to, well, just plain old, so the performances of youngsters such as Gaikwad and Curran will be all the more important to their chances.Six-hitter? At 35, Ambati Rayudu is certainly part of a rather large group of elder statesmen in the CSK but when it comes to big-hitting, he can mix it with the best of the young talent coming through. Only Faf du Plessis scored more runs than him for Chennai last year but after passing 50 just once, Rayudu will be keen for more telling contributions this time out.Wicket-taker? Curran was a rare bright spark in 2020. He moved up and down the order with the bat, scoring quickly if not always for a long period of time, but with the ball, he was Chennai’s top performer with 13 wickets. He has shown his knack for taking wickets at key times with England and it was no different for CSK, Dhoni will want more of the same from the left-armer this time around.DELHI CAPITALSEnglish players: Sam Billings, Tom Curran, Chris WoakesOther overseas players: Kagiso Rabada (South Africa), Anrich Nortje (South Africa), Steve Smith (Australia), Marcus Stoinis (Australia), Shimron Hetmyer (West Indies)Indian players: Rishabh Pant (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Lalit Yadav, Lukman Meriwala, Manimaran Siddharth, Praveen Dubey, Prithvi Shaw, R Ashwin, Ripal Patel, Shikhar Dhawan, Umesh Yadav, Vishnu VinodHead coach: Ricky PontingBest finish: Runners up (2020)Story of last season: Inspired by South African pace duo Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje and the runs of Shikhar Dhawan, Delhi came flying out of the traps in the UAE, cementing their place in the top two before overcoming a wobble, returning to form and make the final for the first time. However, they came up short against the all-conquering Mumbai Indians in the final as their wait for a first title continued.2021 chances: The Capitals suffered a big blow when captain Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder issue, while star spinner Axar Patel could also miss the first game or two after contracting Covid-19. However, they have added one of the world’s leading batsmen in Steve Smith and even without Iyer, all the ingredients that made them such a force in 2020 remain: wicket-taking fast bowlers, wily homegrown spinners and an abundance of power hitters. Delhi are primed for another run at the title.Six-hitter? Rishabh Pant, who else? After a remarkable start to 2021, Pant has been appointed Delhi captain for this year’s competition. The left-hander is perhaps the most explosive batsman in world cricket and he’s in the form of his life. Can he smash Delhi to the title? You would not rule it out. Even if he misses out though, Dhawan, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Prithvi Shaw and Ajinkya Rahane are just a few of the DC batsmen capable of demolishing opposition attacks.Wicket-taker? If Pant is one of the most exciting batsmen on the planet, then Rabada holds an equivalent status among the bowlers. The Proteas pacer claimed the IPL purple cap and leading wicket-taker with 30 last year and is only getting better. A supporting cast of Nortje, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Amit Mishra and the newly arrived Chris Woakes isn’t too bad either!KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERSEnglish players: Eoin Morgan (captain)Other overseas players: Andre Russell (West Indies), Sunil Narine (West Indies), Pat Cummins (Australia), Ben Cutting (Australia), Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand), Tim Seifert (New Zealand), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)Indian players: Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Karun Nair, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Rana, Pawan Negi, Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tripathi, Gurkeerat Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Sheldon Jackson, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravathi, Venkatesh IyerHead coach: Brendon McCullumBest finish: Winners (2012, 2014)Story of last season: It was a strange old campaign for KKR, one that ultimately saw them miss out on the play-offs on net run-rate after Sunrisers Hyderabad thrashed already-qualified Mumbai in the final match of the group phase. A mixed start saw everyone’s favorite Indian pundit Dinesh Karthik replaced as skipper by Eoin Morgan but results remained up and down. Andre Russell played 10 games but never seemed anything close to 100 per cent fit, while the usually ultra-reliable Pat Cummins blew hot and cold. Lockie Ferguson’s injection of pace late in the tournament was very encouraging for Kolkata though.2021 chances: Brendon McCullum has had time to get comfortable in his role as head coach, Morgan is firmly established as captain and the KKR squad looks strong. Russell’s fitness remains an issue but if he is at his best, it could make all the difference – both with bat and ball. A full season of Ferguson, alongside Cummins, Prasidh Krishna and Shivam Mavi, boosts their pace options while in Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravathi, they possess two highly effective spinners. Sunil Narine has played a big role in recent years but faces real competition now with Shakib Al Hasan back in the mix – settling on the right mix of overseas stars could be KKR’s biggest dilemma.Six-hitter? At his best, there is no competition: it’s Russell. Dre Russ is a six-hitting machine. As he struggled last term though, Morgan stepped up in his role as finisher and blasted 24 sixes, ranking him fifth in the IPL. The immensely talented Shubman Gill can also clear the ropes, as can Nitish Rana.Wicket-taker? Chakravathi led the way with 17 for KKR in the UAE, followed by Cummins with 12. Ferguson could well be the main man this year, though, he took six in just five matches last year and with his blistering pace, he is always going to make life tough for the batsmen.In this picture taken on October 10, 2020, a taxi drives past a hoarding of Mumbai Indians cricketers of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament in Mumbai.INDRANIL MUKHERJEE | AFP | Getty ImagesMUMBAI INDIANSEnglish players: NoneOther overseas players: Kieron Pollard (West Indies), Quinton de Kock (South Africa), Marco Jansen (South Africa), Trent Boult (New Zealand), James Neesham (New Zealand), Adam Milne (New Zealand), Chris Lynn (Australia), Nathan Coulter-Nile (Australia)Indian players: Rohit Sharma (captain), Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Arjun Tendulkar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Mohsin Khan, Piyush Chawla, Rahul Chahar, Saurabh Tiwary, Suryakumar Yadav, Yudhvir Singh CharakHead coach: Mahela JayawardeneBest finish: Winners (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020)Story of last season: Having had one year on, one year off since their first triumph in 2013, Mumbai decided to mix things up and win it back-to-back. It was a typically slow start before hitting their stride at just the right time, qualifying with time to spare and not only that but topping the group despite missing captain Rohit Sharma for a decent chunk of it. They then beat a strong side Delhi twice in the knockout stages to lift the IPL trophy for a fifth time.Read more stories from Sky SportsOle: Spurs loss hurt pride I Jose: 6-1 won’t happen againFierce Benn taunts rival in SpanishPL predictions: Liverpool to win at Anfield!?2021 chances: Mahela Jayawardene’s side remain the team to beat. There is a reason they have been labelled the best T20 side ever. Not only is their squad chock full of talent, the balance of their XI has been near-perfect and, frankly, they seem to have no weaknesses. Just look at the squad above and see if you can find an area in which they are light. Spin bowling perhaps? Even if they lack star performers in that department, in Krunal Pandya, Piyush Chawla and Rahul Chahar, they have proven and reliable IPL players to call upon. Of course, the players still need to do it when it counts but there is every chance of a Mumbai three-peat in 2021.Six-hitter? England fans were given a glimpse of what Ishan Kishan is capable of during the T20I series last month, it was an eye-opening display of hitting. Anyone who has paid attention to the IPL in recent years, though, had seen it all before – not that that made it any less impressive! Kishan hit a staggering – and IPL leading – 30 sixes in last year’s competition and the 22-year-old’s effort against England showed he is ready for more!Wicket-taker? Look no further than Jasprit Bumrah. Not only is he the preeminent white-ball bowler of his generation, capable of taking wickets and drying up runs at any stage of an innings, he is also very well rested after sitting out the final Test and all of the white-ball matches of India’s series with England.DHARAMSHALA, INDIA – MAY 17: View of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium where the IPL Twenty 20 cricket match being played between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings on MAy 17, 2012 in Dharamshala, India.Hindustan Times | Hindustan Times | Getty ImagesPUNJAB KINGSEnglish players: Dawid Malan, Chris JordanOther overseas players: Chris Gayle (West Indies), Nicholas Pooran (West Indies), Fabian Allen (West Indies), Jhye Richardson (Australia), Moises Henriques (Australia), Riley Meredith (Australia)Indian players: KL Rahul (captain), Arshdeep Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Deepak Hooda, Harpreet Brar, Ishan Porel, Jalaj Saxena, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammed Shami, Murugan Ashwin, Prabhsimran Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Sarfaraz Khan, Saurabh Kumar, Shahrukh Khan, Utkarsh SinghHead coach: Anil KumbleBest finish: Runners-up (2014)Story of last season: Another lost season. While their pride was salvaged somewhat with a run of five straight wins to have the team suddenly in playoff contention with two games to go, it was their start that saw them lose six of their first seven to have them firmly rooted to the bottom of the table that proved to be insurmountable.2021 chances: The Kings will be hoping a slight tweak to their name prompts a turnaround in their fortunes from traditional tournament strugglers to playoff contenders – Kings have finished in the top four only twice in 13 years, while they’ve occupied the bottom spot on three occasions. As well as the name change, the No 1 ranked T20 batsman in the world, England’s Dawid Malan, arrives to strengthen the batting, while Australian pace pair Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson could prove shrewd pickups.Six-hitter? KL Rahul finished the 2020 season as the leading run-scorer in the IPL – 670 runs, averaging 55.83 – and so could rightfully stake a claim for the six-hitting crown for Kings, but for the fact that Nicholas Pooran resides in their middle order. There are few sweeter strikers of the cricket ball in the world than the languid, left-hander West Indian who cleared the ropes 25 times in 2020 – tied for the fourth-most sixes in the tournament.Wicket-taker? Meredith. The young Australian quick is taking part in his first IPL, so might seem a strange choice here, especially when considering that his fellow quick and countryman, Richardson, outperformed him in the 2020/21 Big Bash, ending as the tournament leading wicket-taker – 29 in 17 games at an average of 16.31. But just ask Shane Warne for his thoughts on the 24-year-old Tasmanian, Meredith – who made his T20I debut for Australia in March – and you’ll soon realize why he was snapped up by Kings.RAJASTHAN ROYALSEnglish players: Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Liam LivingstoneOther overseas players: Chris Morris (South Africa), David Miller (South Africa), Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh), Andrew Tye (Australia)Indian players: Sanju Samson (captain), Akash Singh, Anuj Rawat, Chetan Sakariya, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, KC Cariappa, Kuldeep Yadav, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Mayank Markande, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Yashasvi JaiswalHead coach: Andrew McDonaldBest finish: Winners (2008)Story of last season: A hugely disappointing last-placed finish, especially when you consider the breadth of talent, in particular English talent, available to them. The Royals had some impressive performances along the way; Jofra Archer was sensational, claiming 20 wickets at an average of 18.25 for the tournament, with a paltry economy of 6.55 an over; Ben Stokes impressed when moved to open the innings, as he struck a match-winning, unbeaten 107 in a victory over Kings, but Rajasthan could never find any consistency to string a run of wins together to keep them in contention.2021 chances: The talent remains, with English contingent Archer, Stokes and Jos Buttler all retained (and Liam Livingstone resigned), but Archer’s availability is in doubt after he recently had surgery on his hand and has a persistent elbow injury that continues to trouble him. A fast start out of the gates is essential, with the hope being that the Royals are in contention for when the England quick comes into the lineup.Six-hitter? Buttler will surely feel put out at being overlooked for his England team-mate, but it was Stokes who excelled last year when promoted up the order to open at Buttler’s expense. Plus, if you need any further evidence of his six-hitting prowess, just watch his utterly destructive 99 from 52 balls in England’s second ODI win over India on their recently concluded tour, in which he cleared the ropes 10 times.Wicket-taker? Chris Morris will be expected to contribute with both bat and ball, having set Rajasthan back an IPL record £1.61m in the auction, and Archer will no doubt lead the attack once fit, but with questions currently hanging over both, could it finally be Jaydev Unadkat’s time for the Royals? The left-arm seamer has largely been a disappointment since signing for the team in 2018, but the team have stood by him and retained him once again – he now needs to repay that faith.Rajasthan Royals player Ben Stokes during the practice session ahead the IPL match against Kings XI Punjab at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, on Sunday, March 24,2019.NurPhoto | NurPhoto | Getty ImagesROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALOREEnglish players: NoneOther overseas players: AB de Villiers (South Africa), Glenn Maxwell (Australia), Adam Zampa (Australia), Dan Christian (Australia), Daniel Sams (Australia), Kane Richardson (Australia), Kyle Jamieson (New Zealand), Finn Allen (New Zealand)Indian players: Virat Kohli (captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Harshal Patel, KS Bharat, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Pavan Deshpande, Rajat Patidar, Sachin Baby, Shahbaz Ahmed, Suyash Prabhudessai, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra ChahalHead coach: Simon KatichBest finish: Runners-up (2009, 2011, 2016)Story of last season: Despite the fourth-placed finish, RCB continue to flatter to deceive in the IPL, despite their loaded roster. Fans can point to a first trip to the playoffs in four seasons (since their runners-up finish in 2016) as a sign of progress but, dig a little deeper, and RCB very much stumbled their way into the final four with four-straight defeats to finish the season – which swiftly became five as Sunrisers knocked them out in the Eliminator.2021 chances: The expectation of Virat Kohli’s men will once again be for them to finally be crowned IPL champions. The reality is though that, while they will once again be challengers for the title and could well make the playoffs, they still don’t look a completely balanced side, relying too heavily again on the batting talent they have at their disposal.Six-hitter? Glenn Maxwell. The long-time Kings stalwart is now headed for Bangalore, where he will only add to an already explosive batting lineup. It could prove to be the perfect move for Maxwell, who was often burdened by expectations in Punjab and, instead, may well be freed up and given greater license to wield the willow due to the platforms that will surely be provided for him by Kohli, AB de Villiers and the like.Wicket-taker? Yuzvendra Chahal. And RCB will be hoping it’s the 2020 version of the legspinner, who claimed 21 wickets at an average of 19.28 a pop in last year’s tournament, as opposed to the one who struggled mightily in the recent T20 series against England before being dropped. Another to watch out for is Kiwi quick Kyle Jamieson, who has made quite the name for himself since returning incredible figures of 6-7 in the 2019 Super Smash in New Zealand. International recognition has since followed, as well as an IPL bidding war for his services which RCB ultimately won.SUNRISERS HYDERABADEnglish players: Jason Roy, Jonny BairstowOther overseas players: David Warner (Australia, captain), Mitchell Marsh (Australia), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan), Jason Holder (West Indies)Indian players: Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Khaleel Ahmed, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Virat Singh, Wriddhiman SahaHead coach: Trevor BaylissBest finish: Winners (2016)Story of last season: Starting with back-to-back defeats, Sunrisers limped their way to seven losses from their opening 11 games and were staring at an early exit. A slight tweak to their lineup, strengthening their bowling by bringing in Jason Holder for Jonny Bairstow – who was having an impressive tournament till then (31.36 average, 126.83 strike rate) – seemed to have the desired effect as they won their last three to sneak into the playoffs, before ultimately being knocked out by Delhi in the final qualifier.2021 chances: Sunrisers are always competitive. They’ve not once failed to make the final four since winning the tournament in 2016, however they have returned to the final itself on only one occasion when beaten by Chennai in 2018. They remain a very settled side, and are further bolstered for 2021 by the return to fitness and form of seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose death-bowling brilliance caused England all sorts of problems on their recent white-ball tour of India.Six-hitter? David Warner consistently finds himself atop the run-scoring charts in the IPL, so why should 2021 be any different? His 2020 tournament haul of 548 runs, at an average of 39.14 and strike rate of 134.64 was good enough for third-best in the league.Wicket-taker? Rashid Khan is another one, a supremely consistent IPL performer for Sunrisers and widely considered the best T20 bowler in the world. The Afghanistan leg-spinner has another stellar season in 2020, finishing with 20 wickets at an average of 17.20 – and that’s despite teams rarely choosing to take him on and attack him, proven by his paltry economy rate of just 5.37 runs an over. More

In this articleMCDWMTA shopper carrying a child returns to their car outside a Walmart store in Duarte, California, U.S., on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020.David Swanson | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesMcDonald’s is closing hundreds of restaurants inside of Walmart, as customers increasingly shop online and opt for the drive-thru window.The big-box retailer confirmed Friday that the fast-food chain will have around 150 locations that remain across its 3,570 SuperCenters. That has gradually fallen over the years from a peak of about 1,000 locations.The closures were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.For about three decades, the two corporate giants have teamed up and made it possible for Walmart shoppers to order a burger and fries after filling up their shopping cart with groceries and other merchandise. Yet the pandemic has shaken up the way that customers prefer to shop and dine.Many Walmart shoppers now buy their groceries online and have them dropped in their trunk in the parking lot or delivered to their home, eliminating the need for them to step inside stores. Walmart’s e-commerce sales in the U.S. grew by 79% in the most recent fiscal year ended Jan. 31, compared with the previous year — a reflection of the foot traffic that’s become web traffic.Chains like Sweetgreen, Shake Shack and Chipotle Mexican Grill have announced plans to add more drive-thru lanes as customers prefer the convenient and more contact-free approach.McDonald’s speeded up plans to close the restaurants during the pandemic. In a call with investors in July, Chief Financial Officer Kevin Ozan said the fast-food chain would accelerate closures that it expected in future years — including more than 100 Walmart locations with a low-volume of business.Walmart plans to convert former McDonald’s locations into other types of restaurants and services, including some with a more regional feel or unique spin, Walmart spokeswoman Molly Blakeman said. For example, she said, one store has a smoothie vending machine and several others will become ghost kitchens, a central kitchen that cooks for multiple brands or restaurants.She said it is testing locations with Yum Brand’s Taco Bell and Domino’s Pizza. In other stores, she said the space has become other types of shops that offer a wide range of products, from tool rentals to hair braiding. More

One in five Americans are fully vaccinated, according to the latest data published on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website Thursday afternoon. A third of the population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.The U.S. is currently administering a seven-day average of 3 million vaccine doses per day, as daily case counts remain at levels below the winter peak but in line with the surge seen over the summer.U.S. share of the population vaccinatedMore than 66 million Americans, or 20% of the population, are now fully vaccinated with one shot of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine or two shots of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. About a third of the population has received at least one dose of a vaccine.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsOne in four of those 18 and older are fully vaccinated and nearly 60% of those 65 and older are fully vaccinated, according to CDC data.U.S. vaccine shots administeredFollowing a reported 3.4 million vaccine shots given Thursday, the seven-day average of doses administered sits at 3 million per day. Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsU.S. Covid casesThe rate of new coronavirus cases in the U.S. is well below January’s peak of about 250,000 new cases per day but more in line with numbers seen during the summer surge. In July, average daily case counts reached nearly 70,000.The latest seven-day average of new Covid-19 cases in the U.S. is 66,000, according to data tracked by Johns Hopkins University.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsU.S. Covid deathsThe seven-day average of Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. is 978, according to Hopkins data. The nationwide trend in Covid deaths over the past couple days is being impacted by a bulk data release of about 1,800 deaths from Oklahoma. These deaths are all currently all being reported for April 7, 2021, though they may have occurred in weeks or months prior. The Oklahoma State Department of Health announced that the state is in the process of transitioning to data reporting guidelines in line with CDC requirements, which is the cause for this increase.Prior to this reporting anomaly, the daily Covid death toll in the U.S. had been trending downward from the record levels seen in January.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards More

LONDON — Prince Philip, the Greece-born royal who as the husband of Queen Elizabeth II was the longest-serving consort to a British sovereign, died Friday. He was 99.”His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle,” the royal family announced. “Further announcements will be made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss.”   The Duke of Edinburgh’s death came 12 days before Queen Elizabeth’s 95th birthday on April 21, two months before what would have been his 100th birthday on June 10 and on the 16th anniversary of the marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla. Under a long-standing plan known as “Operation Forth Bridge,” his death ushers in a period of national mourning.The royal family webpage was replaced with a tribute page in black in memory of the prince, who was married to Elizabeth for nearly 74 years.”The official website of the Royal Family is temporarily unavailable while appropriate changes are made,” the royal.uk site said.Philip had insisted that he did not want the “fuss” of a state funeral at Westminster Hall, according to The Times of London. Instead, his body is expected to lie in St. James’s Palace, where Prince Diana’s body lay before her funeral. But the Covid pandemic is expected to add complications to any mass gatherings because of social distancing. Philip, whom the queen referred to as “my strength and stay,” was hospitalized in February after “feeling unwell,” and was treated for an infection and a preexisting heart condition, Buckingham Palace said. He was released a month later after undergoing a heart procedure.Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement that “it was with great sadness” he had been informed of Philip’s death, reflecting on the duke’s “extraordinary life and work” and offering his condolences to the queen.”Like the expert carriage driver that he was he helped to steer the royal family and the monarchy so that it remains an institution indisputably vital to the balance and happiness of our national life,” Johnson said. “We mourn today with Her Majesty The Queen, we offer our condolences to her and to all her family, and we give thanks, as a nation and a Kingdom, for the extraordinary life and work of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.”The duke, who popularized the sobriquet “The Firm” for Windsor family business, ended his official duties in the fall of 2017. Months earlier, in June, he was hospitalized for an infection and missed the Queen’s Speech opening the newly elected Parliament that month.Two days after missing Easter 2018 services at St. George’s Chapel, he was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital for previously scheduled hip replacement surgery, the palace said. That 10-day hospitalization came weeks before the birth of Prince William and Kate’s third child, Prince Louis Arthur, and the marriage of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018, at St. George’s.In January 2019, Philip was uninjured after he was involved in a collision while driving a Land Rover — at age 97 — near the queen’s Sandringham estate. The vehicle overturned, according to witnesses, and two women were treated for injuries. Weeks later, he decided to turn in his driver’s license.During the coronavirus pandemic, Philip and Elizabeth had been staying at Windsor Castle, west of London.The Duke of Edinburgh supported his wife throughout an unprecedented time of social, economic, technological, political change and family crises.Fourteen prime ministers held office while Philip was British consort — companion to the sovereign — from Winston Churchill in 1952 through Johnson.Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh wave from the balcony at Buckingham Palace during the queen’s coronation celebrations June 2, 1953.Keystone | Getty ImagesBoth the duke and the queen, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, witnessed the transformation of a once-global British Empire into a Commonwealth of 52 independent member states, a free association headed by the queen.Philip’s public statements had been few and far between in recent years and, even rarer were his direct dealings with the media. Previously, the duke was renowned for speaking his mind at public engagements, many times with cringe-worthy remarks that bent the bounds of humor.During the 1981 recession, for example, he said: “Everybody was saying we must have more leisure. Now they are complaining they are unemployed.””Aren’t most of you descended from pirates?” Philip asked a wealthy resident of the Cayman Islands in 1994.”You’re too fat to be an astronaut,” he told a 13-year-old boy in 2001.When meeting in 2012 with a mayor who used a mobility scooter, Philip asked him: “Have you run over anybody?”Early lifePhilip was born June 10, 1921, on the Greek island of Corfu as the youngest child and only son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg. Andrew, whose father, King George I of Greece, was assassinated in 1913, was a commander in the Greek army during the 1919-1922 war with Turkey. With Greece’s defeat, Andrew and the family were exiled in 1922, settling in France.Philip’s maternal grandfather, Prince Louis of Battenberg, renounced his German titles, adopted the surname Mountbatten, an Anglicized version of the German Battenberg, and became a British citizen.At age 7 in 1928, Philip was sent to school in England. He lived with his maternal grandmother, Victoria Mountbatten, and his uncle George Mountbatten.Philip’s four sisters married German aristocrats, and three of them — Sophie, Cecilie and Margarita — joined the Nazi party. To be sure, one of his brothers-in-law was among those implicated in the 1944 plot to kill Adolf Hitler.In an interview with historian Jonathan Petropoulos published in his 2006 book “Royals and the Reich,” Philip stressed that he was never “conscious of anybody in the family actually expressing anti-Semitic views,” but he acknowledged there were “inhibitions about the Jews” and “jealousy of their success.”Lt. Philip Mountbatten, prior to his marriage to Princess Elizabeth, saluting as he resumes his attendance at the Royal Naval Officers School at Kingsmoor, Hawthorn, England, July 31, 1947.Keystone | Hulton Archive | Getty ImagesAs a teenager, Philip joined the Royal Navy and went on to serve in World War II, including participating in the battles of Cape Matapan and Crete and the invasion of Sicily. He was in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender on Sept. 2, 1945, and would later receive the Greek War Cross of Valor for his services in the Navy.Royal matrimonyIn 1947, the 26-year-old Philip married his third cousin, Princess Elizabeth, 21, and in doing so, renounced his Greek title to become a naturalized British subject. He was later made Duke of Edinburgh by Elizabeth’s father, King George VI.The royal matrimony at that time was not without controversy since Philip was not a native son. The Queen Mother reportedly referred to him as “the Hun.” Nevertheless, the couple married in Westminster Abbey and received more than 2,500 wedding gifts from around the world. One year later, son and heir to the throne Charles was born, followed by Anne, Andrew and Edward.Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, waving to a crowd from the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London shortly after their wedding at Westminster Abbey.Keystone | Hulton Royals Collection | Getty ImagesPhilip’s naval career, which had seen the newly married couple stationed in Malta for a short period, subsequently ended when George VI died Feb. 6, 1952, and Princess Elizabeth became queen.The duke assumed his new role as consort, accompanying Her Majesty around the world on domestic trips, state visits and Commonwealth tours.Elizabeth was formally crowned queen in 1953 in the first live television coronation to be broadcast globally. Shortly thereafter, Philip and Elizabeth embarked upon a seven-month international tour, visiting 13 countries and logging over 40,000 miles.’Nobody’s ever forgotten meeting him’Alongside his royal commitments, the duke became a qualified pilot and regularly played polo until his 50th birthday. Philip achieved many flying qualifications that would see him receive his Royal Air Force wings in 1953, helicopter wings two years later and private pilot’s license in 1959.Prince Philip, in flying overalls, being presented with his army wings by Brigadier Colin Kennedy, commandant of the Army Air Corps Centre, during the duke’s visit.PA Images | PA Images | Getty ImagesIn an official capacity, Philip traveled to more than 140 countries.”The great thing about my father is that nobody’s ever forgotten meeting him, so they’ve all got their stories,” Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, said during an engagement at Windsor Castle in May 2017.”Wherever he’s been, wherever in the world — people remember him. You can’t really get a better accolade than that,” he added.Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s reign also had to endure times of crises, including the British monarch being shot at with blanks in 1981. Two years earlier, the queen’s art advisor, Anthony Blunt, was revealed to be a Communist spy, and Philip’s uncle, Louis “Dickie” Lord Mountbatten, was killed by an Irish Republican Army bomb.In 1992, the marriages of three of their children collapsed. Andrew and Anne divorced from their spouses and Charles and Diana began a separation that ended in divorce four years later. Also in 1992, fire gutted Windsor Castle, one of the couple’s official residences. The queen described this 12-month period as an “annus horribilis.”Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Diana at Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour. In front are Prince Harry and Prince William.Tim Graham | Getty ImagesDuring Charles and Diana’s troubles, Philip reportedly counseled the couple to reconcile, but to no avail. A year after the 1996 divorce, Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed were killed in a Paris car crash as photographers were chasing their limousine. Before the funeral, Philip successfully encouraged his 15-year-old grandson, William, to walk behind Diana’s casket. Sixty years earlier, the then-16-year-old Philip marched behind the casket of his sister Cecilie after she was killed in a plane crash.”If you don’t walk, I think you’ll regret it later,” Philip told William, according to British media accounts. “If I walk, will you walk with me?”Fayed’s father claimed that Philip had ordered the couple executed, but in 2008, a London coroner rejected Mohamed al Fayed’s conspiracy allegations, ruling there was no such evidence. The jury eventually decided that the crash resulted from grossly negligent driving by the couple’s chauffeur and the pursuit of their limousine by paparazzi.’I … owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim’Queen Elizabeth II sits with Prince Philip as she delivers her speech during opening ceremony of Parliament in the House of Lords at Westminster on June 4, 2014, in London.Getty ImagesIn the decades following his marriage to the queen, the Duke of Edinburgh had taken up more than 22,000 solo engagements, 637 overseas visits, delivered an estimated 5,493 speeches and worked as a patron to almost 800 organizations, according to the royal website.One of his most successful associations has arguably been the creation of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, a youth self-improvement program that has been running for 65 years.In May 2017, the palace announced that the then-95-year-old prince would permanently discontinue his royal duties as of the fall. Philip and his wife had gradually passed on some of their respective workload in recent years. Their son and heir, Prince Charles, as well as grandsons, Princes William and Harry and other family members assumed more collective responsibility until Andrew was effectively stripped of his royal duties in 2019 because of his association with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and Harry stepped back as a senior royal in 2020.The queen said in tribute to her husband on their golden wedding anniversary on Nov. 20, 1997, “Quite simply, (he has) been my strength and stay all these years, and I and his whole family, in this and many other countries, owe him a debt greater than he would ever claim or we shall ever know.”The couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in November 2017. During their private celebration at Windsor Castle, Elizabeth presented him with the Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order for “services to the sovereign.”Survivors include his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, and their children: Charles, Prince of Wales; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. The queen and Philip also had eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, including Augustus Philip Hawke Brooksbank, who was born Feb. 9, 2021, to Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and is is named in part to honor the Duke of Edinburgh.Britain’s Prince Philip, in his role as captain general of the Royal Marines, attends a parade to mark the finale of the 1664-mile Global Challenge run, on the Buckingham Palace forecourt, in central London Aug. 2, 2017. The 100-day trek recognizes the year the Royal Marines were founded.Yui Mok | Reuters— CNBC’s Marty Steinberg is based in New Jersey. More

Small business closures across the U.S. and the world are creeping back toward their pandemic peaks, according to a report from Facebook and the Small Business Roundtable.”It continues to be a very painful time for small businesses,” John Stanford, co-executive director of the Small Business Roundtable, told CNBC’s “Worldwide Exchange” on Thursday.The report, which surveyed over 35,000 small and medium-size businesses across the world, found that 22% of U.S. small businesses were closed in February. Those figures were up from October’s 14%. At the peak in May, the pandemic saw 23% of small and medium-size businesses closed — only 1 percentage point higher than the current closure rate. While the overall closures are nearing Covid highs, the report found that different areas of the country were experiencing varying degrees of difficulty. Some states, like Maine, Idaho and Colorado, were seeing 9%-10% closures, while others like New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts were seeing at least 30% closed.Within states, the report also found that certain demographics were getting hit harder than others: 27% of minority-led small and medium-size businesses reported closures, compared with 18% of others. Female-led businesses saw 25% closure rates, while 20% of male-led businesses closed.Small and medium-size businesses are continuing to see the impact of the pandemic despite a relative bounce back for larger corporations. “Small businesses are really our front-line defense for the business community,” Stanford said. “They feel impacts first, and those impacts stay the longest.””So while larger companies with larger capital reserve may be doing OK, small businesses can’t just take the risk to stay open, and I think we’re seeing that play out with these high numbers,” he added.During a year of Covid closures, Congress rolled out programs like the Payroll Protection Program, designed to help small businesses keep their employees on payroll. Stanford said while the data shows that the PPP was “instrumental” to small businesses, these types of programs weren’t designed to be sustainable a year out.”We have to remember, PPP was a bridge program,” Stanford said. “It was meant to keep people on the payroll, it wasn’t meant necessarily to keep businesses open.”According to the report, 27% of small and medium businesses said they had to reduce their workforce — and 48% of those companies said they had to lay off at least half of their workforce. When it comes to getting those employees back, 51% of the businesses surveyed said they were not planning to rehire former employees within the next six months.”PPP and others really helped get us through a shutdown of a year’s economy, but I think we’ve got a tough road ahead,” Stanford said.However, 18% of small and medium-size businesses said they had already hired back some of their employees within the last three months. The report noted that those businesses account for 60%-70% of workforces across the world, so the prospect of rehiring would be critical to the rebound of many economies. Stanford said that overall, he’s optimistic about small businesses’s ability to bounce back. “Entrepreneurs are survivors. … We reopen the economy, we reopen states, when things get back to normal, we are going to come back in a fast way,” he said. “When life picks back up in just a few months here, you’re going to see small business numbers turning around.” More

A healthcare worker prepares to inject an AstraZeneca coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine.Eloisa LopezControversy over AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine has sparked some investor concerns about its stock, according to Jefferies – but it’s not all bad news for the British pharmaceutical company.Australia, the Philippines and the African Union have become the latest to either curb or abandon planned purchases of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca coronavirus shot due to possible links to blood clots. It comes after the U.K.’s health and vaccine regulators issued a change of guidance on Wednesday over who should receive the shot, proposing that under-30s get an alternative vaccine. Both the U.K. and European medicines regulators (the MHRA and EMA, respectively), have emphasized that the benefits of the jab still outweigh the risks, but EU leaders have yet to agree on a joint policy regarding the shots.In a research note earlier this week, Jefferies Research Analyst Peter Welford said he had received pushback from clients over a recent decision to upgrade AstraZeneca’s stock to buy, based on the “noise” around the vaccine. This despite the fact that the company has pledged that the vaccine will be not-for-profit for the “duration of the pandemic,” and will be offered on a non-profit basis in perpetuity to low and middle-income countries.The overall blood clot risk has been estimated at around one in 250,000, and British policymakers and health experts have rushed to defend the vaccine in recent days.Welford noted that despite the company’s “remarkable successes” in gaining regulatory approval and ramping up manufacturing of its profit vaccine, the safety concerns raised in Europe are “top of mind for many generalists.””We view FDA Emergency Use Authorization and agreements around dose distribution in U.K./EU as key to shift debate beyond the COVID-19 vaccine, albeit concerns it has been a distraction for management may linger,” he contended.The vaccine has been approved for use in the U.K., Europe and elsewhere, and hundreds of millions of doses have been ordered by countries across the world. However, it has not yet been granted emergency use authorization in the U.S.Looking beyond the shot, Jefferies upgraded AstraZeneca to buy in mid-march, pointing to its “compelling growth profile within EU pharma” and its relative discount based on the expected strategic benefits of its $37 billion acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, expected to close in the third quarter.Welford defended the move by highlighting that the company’s 15x estimated 2022 price-to-earnings ratio — a mechanism for determining whether a company’s stock is fairly valued — is similar to its peers, despite its “leading growth profile.”Promising pipelineAstraZeneca was trading at £7,337 per share on the London Stock Exchange Friday, and Jefferies has set a price target of £8,850. In Wednesday’s research note, Welford again pointed to multiple catalysts in the pipeline which could propel the stock higher in the coming months.Phase three trial data is expected for its breast cancer treatment enhertu is due in the second half of 2021, along with potential approvals for its anifrolumab drug to treat lupus. Jefferies also anticipates approvals for asthma drug tezepelumab in the first half of 2022 after “impressive” phase three data, and a long-delayed approval for anemia candidate roxadustat in the second half of 2021. Updated phase one and two data on lung cancer treatment datopotamab is also expected soon.In a recent note, Morningstar Director of Healthcare Equity Research Damien Conover said of AstraZeneca, “the strong overall innovation seen with the vaccine and pipeline reinforces our conviction in the firm’s wide moat.”He added that AstraZeneca was “making strides in targeting areas of unmet medical need,” projecting that phase three trial data for the company’s farxiga treatment for preserved heart failure was likely to result in approval for the medication.Conover categorized anifrolumab as “higher risk of approval,” while roxadustat was deemed “medium risk” and tezepelumab “lower risk.””Longer term, we are encouraged by the robustness of the company’s early-stage pipeline, and opportunities to create combinations with Farxiga look well positioned to treat several large cardiometabolic indications where unmet medical need remains high,” Conover said. He added that Morningstar also remains bullish on AstraZeneca’s pipeline for cancer drugs. More

In this articleFORDGeneral Motors announced a halt in production at several North American plants and Ford announced additional downtime at two plants, the latest disruptions to the auto supply chain because of a chip shortage.Shares for GM were down 1% on Thursday, the day of its announcement. Ford closed down nearly 2%.Both stocks have risen more than 40% for the year, despite the continuing production issues.JC O’Hara, chief market technician of MKM Partners, identified one way to get exposure to the auto stocks without the headwind risk.”Used car sales are through the roof so one play that I’m very interested in here is CarMax. They are a huge used car sales company, and the positivity from used car sales is being reflected in the chart,” O’Hara told CNBC’s “Trading Nation” on Thursday.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsCarMax has rallied more than 100% over the past 12 months. Shares are up 36% just this year.Gina Sanchez, chief market strategist at Lido Advisors and CEO of Chantico Global, warned that the chip shortage is “something that’s probably not going away.”With Ford and GM moving into electric vehicles, Sanchez noted, “the outlook for Ford is significantly better than GM, based on the idea that they’re really moving into the electric car space, but what’s interesting about that is that electric cars are going to require more chips, not less.””Suppliers just did not stockpile enough chips because auto demand plummeted during Covid, and so now they’re just caught on the wrong foot, and it’s not so easy to just order up more chips,” she said in the same interview. “This is going to take probably several months to work through, and it’s going to dampen the recovery for the auto sector.”Still, for long-term investors, O’Hara said GM and Ford could present a more stable opportunity over more volatile electric vehicle makers such as Tesla.”We have a chance to move into lower volatility names. GM and Ford, who are now looked at as EV plays. I think you will get a pullback and I think that pullback is buyable,” said O’Hara.Disclaimer More