Monday, May 20

Contents:

1. UK Pays 10 Billion Pounds to Recipients of Infected Blood in the 1970s and 1980s

2. Upcoming Events

3. Fact of the Day

4. Quote of the Day

5. Word of the Day

The United Kingdom is paying over £10 billion pounds ($12.7 billion USD) to recipients of infected blood as compensation for a huge scandal that occurred during the 1970s and 1980s.

During that time period, over 30,000 people were given infected blood transfusions containing HIV or Hepatitis C. Many of the patients needed those transfusions to be treated for hemophilia, which is a disease that causes improper blood clotting in the body. Over 3,000 of the recipients of the infected blood died, and numerous others have been plagued with the diseases ever since.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to make a formal apology for the scandal today, and multiple other past prime ministers have also apologized in past years. However, the British government is being criticized by the people for their slow response to the crisis-- it has been over 40 years since the infected blood transfusions took place, and they are only starting to give compensation now.

Upcoming Events:

• World Bee Day (Monday, May 20)

• French Open Begins (Monday, May 20)

• US Primary Voting Day (Tuesday, May 21)

• World Mindfulness Day (Tuesday, May 21)

• International Tea Day (Tuesday, May 21)

• World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (Tuesday, May 21)

• Declaration of the Ba

• International Day for Biological Diversity (Wednesday, May 22)

• Vesak (Thursday, May 23)

• International Day to End Obstetric Fistula (Thursday, May 23)

• International Day of Markhor (Friday, May 24)

• World Football Day (Saturday, May 25)

• Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix (Sunday, May 26)

• Indianapolis 500 (Sunday, May 26)

• Trinity Sunday (Sunday, May 26)
  

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): There is only one US state capital without a McDonald's: Montpelier, Vermont.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I always feel like I have to keep going. You can sit back and say, ‘Maybe I can stop.’ But then you’re yesterday, and I love tomorrow. (Ralph Lauren)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Sequester (verb) - To sequester a person or group is to keep them separate or apart from other people. Sequester is also often used to mean “to bind or absorb (carbon dioxide) as part of a larger chemical process or compound.”

In a Sentence: The jury was sequestered until a verdict was reached.