Names and faces
■ Bill Gates, the billionaire philanthropist whose foundation has focused on efforts to fight covid-19, is planning a May 3 release for a book on how to ensure that the pandemic is the last great global plague. “Whenever I see the suffering that COVID has created — every time I read about the latest death toll or hear about someone who lost their job or drive by a school that is closed — I can’t help but think: We don’t have to do this again,” he wrote in a blog post announcing the publication of “How to Prevent the Next Pandemic.” The book will cover lessons learned as well as tools and innovations needed to save lives and stop pathogens early. It will discuss his views on vaccines and on what it has felt like to become the target of conspiracy theories. (Anti-vaccine activists and others have alleged he seeded the virus for his own purposes.) Last year the Microsoft co-founder outlined a plan to stop the next pandemic, calling for a global alert system, massive testing, a cadre of 3,000 first responders ready to spring into action and tens of billions of dollars of annual spending. The Gates Foundation has spent more than $2 billion helping fund the global response to the pandemic, with money going to such groups as the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. The good news is that progress on vaccines and the expertise gained in combating respiratory illnesses will help prevent another crisis, Gates said. Covid-19 has shown the world the cost of failure, he said.
■ Fernando Leon de Aranoa’s “The Good Boss” was the big winner of Spain’s most prestigious film awards, winning six prizes including best picture and best actor for Javier Bardem. Shortlisted for an Oscar in the international feature film category, the workplace satire of an owner set on winning a business prize also earned Leon de Aranoa the awards for best director and original screenplay, and also picked up prizes for editing and best score at Saturday’s gala. “The Good Boss” entered the night with a record 20 nominations for the Spanish Academy’s Goya awards. Blanca Portillo beat out Penelope Cruz for best actress for her role in “Maixabel,” the true story of the widow of a politician who was assassinated by the Basque separatist group ETA. Cruz has another shot for her role in Pedro Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers” after being nominated for a best-actress Oscar, while Bardem, her husband, will compete for best actor for his role in “Being the Ricardos.”