Three Things for January 25
1. Broadway’s ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ actor fired
On Jan. 23 James Snyder, the actor playing Harry Potter in the Broadway production of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” was fired following a harassment complaint filed against him by a female co-star.
Snyder was suspended in early November immediately after the complaint was filed.
AP News reports, “Producers said Sunday night that, after an independent investigation of the incident, they decided to terminate the contract of James Snyder. The exact nature of his conduct was not specified.”
Although Synder was pulled from the show in November, reports regarding the reason for his absence were not officially released until Jan. 24.
The show is still running, but Snyder’s co-star is taking a leave of absence for the foreseeable future.
2. UK set to lift testing requirement for vaccinated travelers
Effective Feb. 11, the British government will no longer require vaccinated travelers to obtain negative COVID-19 test results before entering the country.
“Tourism and travel firms that have been hammered by pandemic restrictions welcomed the move, which makes the U.K. one of the most open countries in the world for international travel,” AP News reports.
The testing mandate has been in effect for the past two years, since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. The British government’s updated travel requirements will aid in the return to normalcy within international travel.
“The U.K. government sets public health policy for England. The other parts of the U.K. — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — set their own health rules, but said they would adopt the same rules as England for international travel,” reports AP News.
COVID-19 testing is still required for unvaccinated travelers, but quarantine is no longer required upon entering the country.
3. New space telescope reaches final stop
The James Webb Space Telescope, intended to give scientists access to parts of the galaxy that are currently unreached, arrived at its final destination after launching a month ago.
“The telescope was launched from French Guiana on Christmas,” said AP News.
NASA and the European and Canadian space agencies worked together on this $10 billion dollar project which is expected to begin operation in June.
Before observations begin in June, the mirrors must be aligned, the infrared detectors sufficiently chilled and the scientific instruments calibrated.
“At 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away, Webb is more than four times as distant as the moon,” reports AP News.
The expedition is expected to last a decade, assuming there are no irreparable damages.
