Sunday, February 7th, 2021 

Scientists belonging to a German-Malagasy expedition announce the discovery of Brookesia nana, a lizard found in Madagascar. The male’s body spanning only 13.5 millimetres (0.5 in), it is potentially the smallest reptile on Earth. (BBC) 

French religious sister Nathalie Becquart is named by Pope Francis one of the Undersecretaries of the Synod of Bishops, becoming the first woman to reach that office and having a right to vote in the Synod. (CNN) 

Governor Gavin Newsom issues revised COVID-19 mitigation guidelines for churches after the U.S. Supreme Court lifts the state’s ban on indoor worship in areas hardest hit by the pandemic. The new guidelines limit indoor services to 25 percent of the church’s capacity in hard-hit areas and restricts indoor singing and chanting. (ABC News) 

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei says that the United States should “lift all sanctions” if it wants to reverse its nuclear steps, saying that Iran complied with all obligations of the 2015 deal and accusing the United States and European countries of not doing so. (Reuters) 

A limited-size clinical trial in Johannesburg suggests the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is weak against the 501.V2 variant of SARS-CoV-2. (The Wall Street Journal) 

Afghanistan receives 500,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine from India. (The Hindu) 

Cambodia receives the first 600,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine from China. (ABC News) 

Vietnam surpasses 2,000 cases of COVID-19. (Reuters) 

 

 

Khamenei: Iran will return to nuclear commitments only if U.S. lifts all sanctions  If the United States wants Iran to return to the commitments it made under the 2015 nuclear deal, “it will must lift all sanctions in practice,” Iranian state television quoted Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying Sunday. Khamenei added that Tehran will then verify whether the U.S. was following through. “This is the definitive and irreversible policy of the Islamic Republic, and all of the country’s officials are unanimous on this, and no one will deviate from it,” he said. Khamenei has final say on all matters of state in Iran, The Associated Press notes. Former President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the nuclear pact, and Iran has recently begun enriching its uranium, raising concerns it could soon reach weapons-grade levels. President Biden has said he wants to revive the 2015 agreement, but has insisted Tehran reverse course first, Source: The Associated Press 

 

 

Chiefs, Buccaneers to clash in Super Bowl  Super Bowl LV will kickoff Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS. The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they look to capture their second straight title. Tampa Bay reached the Super Bowl by winning three straight road games against the Washington Football Team, New Orleans Saints, and Green Bay Backers, but they’ll coincidentally be playing in their home stadium Sunday, as Tampa Bay was selected as the host back in 2017. The NFL is allowing 22,000 fans, including 7,500 vaccinated health care workers, to attend the game in-person amid the coronavirus pandemic. On the field, the spotlight will be on the quarterbacks, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady, who at age 43 is making his tenth Super Bowl appearance, but his first not in a New England Patriots uniform. Source: ESPN

 

Saturday,  February 6th, 2021 

The Cuban Council of Ministers approves a measure authorizing private activity in most sectors. (AFP via CTV News) 

Four skiers are killed and four others are injured in an avalanche in Millcreek Canyon, Utah, United States. (KSTU-TV) 

China’s National Medical Products Administration gives a conditional approval to Sinovac’s Coronavac vaccine for general use. (France 24) 

Myanmar approves the use of the Sputnik V vaccine developed by Russia. (Sputnik V) 

The government eases the restrictions on business operating hours outside of the Seoul Capital Area, allowing those businesses to operate until 10 pm local time amid a backlash over prolonged restrictions. (The Korea Herald) 

Italy signs a decree authorizing the emergency use of monoclonal antibodies to treat COVID-19 patients. (Reuters) 

The Netherlands surpasses one million cases of COVID-19. (NL Times) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The End Sunday 

 

Biden suggests Trump shouldn’t receive intelligence briefings  In an interview with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell, President Biden said he doesn’t think former President Donald Trump should receive classified intelligence briefings, though it’s unclear if that will be the official White House policy going forward. Cutting off Trump’s access to intelligence briefings, which Biden has the authority to do, would be unprecedented — former presidents have traditionally been allowed to request and receive them. But Biden told O’Donnell he doesn’t think there’s any “value” in sending them to Trump. He didn’t specify what exactly he fears could happen if Trump was briefed, but he suggested his predecessor’s “erratic behavior” could lead to him revealing sensitive national security information. Trump, who was not known for devoting much attention to his daily intelligence briefings while in office, has not submitted any requests to the Biden administration so far. Source: CNN 

Supreme Court lifts California ban on indoor worship, allows capacity limits The Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision along ideological lines granted an appeal from a San Diego church, ruling that California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) coronavirus pandemic restrictions cannot include a ban on indoor worship services because they violate the Constitution’s free exercise of religion. The court’s three liberal justices dissented, arguing their judgment should not stand in for the opinions of scientists and public health officials. However, the majority also ruled the state can limit attendance at indoor services to 25 percent capacity, and restrict singing and chanting, which can contribute to the virus’ spread. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas would have granted those requests, as well, but their conservative colleagues, Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh opted for the middle-ground position. Source: Politico

China approves 2nd COVID-19 vaccine for general public use  The Chinese government has authorized the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech for general public use, the company said Saturday. Sinovac’s jab, which requires a two-dose regimen, will be the second coronavirus vaccine approved in China. The green light is based on results from two months’ worth of late-stage trials in Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, and Chile, although Sinovac said final analysis data is not yet available and more confirmation on safety results is needed. The trial results, which were light on details, varied fairly significant depending on the country — the vaccine was found to be just over 50 percent effective in Brazil, 91 percent in Turkey (that figure is based on a preliminary analysis of just 29 cases), and 65 percent in Indonesia. In Brazil, however, the vaccine appeared more effective at preventing COVID-19 infections that required medical attention, registering a nearly-84 percent rate in that category, and 100 percent effective against hospitalization. Source: The South China Morning Post 

 

Friday,  February 5th, 2021 

Swedish troops are deployed to Mali to join French-led counter-insurgency operations against jihadist groups. The Riksdag approved the deployment of up to 150 soldiers in June 2020. (France 24) 

 

Ukraine secures 12 million doses of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Novavax. (UNIAN) 

India reaches past 5 million vaccinations. (Business Standard) 

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announces that the state will lift its mask mandate and gathering restrictions, which will take effect on Sunday. (Des Moines Register) 

Oklahoma reports its first case of the Lineage P.1 variant originated from Brazil in a woman who had a travel history. (KFOR-TV) 

Virginia reports its first case of the 501.V2 variant in a person from eastern Virginia. (Richmond Times-Dispatch) 

South Korea surpasses 80,000 cases of COVID-19. (The Korea Herald) 

AstraZeneca-Oxford developers say that their vaccine candidate is effective against the UK variant of SARS-CoV-2. (BBC) 

Spain approves the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in people aged 18 to 55. (El Mundo) 

Spain reports its first case of the Lineage P.1 variant in a 44-year-old man who travelled from Brazil to Madrid on January 29 and later tested positive for COVID-19. (RTVE) 

 

Israel announces that it will ease its lockdown measures beginning February 7. People will no longer be restricted to within one kilometer of their homes, many services will be allowed to operate, and all national parks will reopen. However, international borders will remain closed until February 20. (MedicalXpress) 

The International Criminal Court announces that it will pave the way for investigations into alleged war crimes in Palestinian territories. Israel and groups like Hamas could be investigated. (NBC News) 

 

The United States Senate votes 51–50 to pass a budget resolution as a step to pass the $1.9 trillion stimulus package without Republican support, with Kamala Harris casting her first tiebreaking vote as Vice President. (CBS News) 

The United States House of Representatives votes 219–209 to approve the Senate’s budget resolution, with all Republicans and one Democrat voting against the resolution. (The Hill) 

Greece imposes a ten-day curfew in Attica, Thessaloniki and Halkidiki, and also closes high schools in these areas beginning tomorrow in an attempt to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases. (Ekathimerini) 

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announces that hotels, theatres, swimming pools and other indoor facilities will be allowed to reopen at 50 percent capacity on February 12, but that restaurants and fitness centres will continue to remain closed. (The National Herald) 

 

 

Thursday, February 4th, 2021

U.S. President Joe Biden announces that the United States will end their support for Saudi Arabia in their intervention in Yemen. However, he also said the United States will continue targeting al-Qaeda operations in the country. (The Financial Times)

Lebanese political activist and Hezbollah critic Lokman Slim is assassinated, with his body being found inside his car with multiple gunshot wounds in Sidon District. (BBC)

Former U.S. President Donald Trump resigns from the SAG after they voted to consider expelling him for his alleged role in causing the storming of the United States Capitol, as well as accusing him of “discrediting and ultimately threatening the safety of journalists”. (The Washington Post)

New Zealand announces a new floating public holiday to commence in 2022 based on the Māori celebration of Matariki. (RNZ)

Governor Tony Evers issues a new mask mandate after the Legislature voted to repeal it. (AP)

Johnson & Johnson requests emergency approval for their vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration. (CNET)

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says he is in “good health and recovering” after testing positive for COVID-19. (Reuters)

The Ministry of Health grants emergency use authorization for China’s Sinopharm vaccine. (Khmer Times)

Iran receives their first shipment of 500,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. (The Times of Israel)

France reports four cases of the Lineage P.1 variant first detected in Brazil. (Reuters)

Peru signs a deal with Pfizer to purchase 20 million doses of its vaccine. (Gestión)

Somalia declares a state of emergency due to swarms of desert locusts. (Daily Sabah)

 

British broadcasting regulator Ofcom revokes the license of China Global Television Network (CGTN), an English-language Chinese news network, after concluding the network was “ultimately controlled” by the Chinese Communist Party. China responds to the move by accusing BBC News of spreading “fake news” about COVID-19. (Reuters)

Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu accuses the United States of being behind the coup d’état attempt in 2016, which killed more than 250 people. The U.S. State Department says the accusation was “wholly false”, and “inconsistent with Turkey’s status as a NATO ally”. (Reuters)

 

American technology company Facebook, Inc. reports that multiple Internet service providers in Myanmar have restricted access to its social networking services, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The company has urged authorities to restore connectivity. (AFP via Deccan Herald)

Private gatherings in Victoria are limited to 15 people after a worker at a quarantine site for tennis players competing in the Australian Open tests positive for COVID-19. (The Guardian)

Somalia declares state of emergency due to a new generation of desert locust swarms that hit the region. (Daily Sabah)

 

 

San Francisco sues school district over protracted closures San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera sued the San Francisco Board of Elections, the San Francisco Unified School District, and Superintendent Vince Matthews on Wednesday, accusing them of violating a state law mandating that school districts have a plan “to offer classroom-based instruction whenever possible,” especially for students experiencing “significant learning loss due to school closures.” San Francisco’s public schools have been closed to in-person learning for 11 months, despite prodding from Mayor London Breed (D) and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). “I know this is a drastic step, but I feel we are out of options at this point,” Breed said Wednesday. The San Francisco school districts has developed plans to start reopening but failed to reach agreement with its teachers’ unions. Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Jobless claims remain high but dip to lowest level since November The number of Americans filing new jobless claims declined last week but still remained high and above the pre-pandemic record. The Labor Department on Thursday said 779,000 Americans filed new jobless claims last week, a decline of 33,000 from the revised level of the previous week. This number was below the 830,000 claims economists had been expecting. It was also the lowest level since the end of November. Still, the number remains high nearly a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began to shutter businesses around the United States and above the pre-pandemic weekly jobless claims record of 695,000. “Approaching the one-year mark of the pandemic, it is quite striking that new claims remain so elevated,” Bankrate economic analyst Mark Hamrick said, per NBC News. Source: CNBC

McKinsey agrees to pay $573 million over opioid-epidemic role Consulting firm McKinsey & Co. has agreed to pay $573 million to settle claims by 43 states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories over its alleged role in the opioid epidemic, people familiar with the matter told news agencies on Wednesday. McKinsey allegedly advised companies, including OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, on how they could “supercharge” opioid sales. The consulting firm did not immediately respond to Associated Press requests for comment. Purdue filed for bankruptcy in 2019 under a proposed $10 billion settlement to resolve lawsuits alleging its aggressive painkiller marketing fueled the opioid epidemic, which resulted in 450,000 overdose deaths from 1999 to 2018, according to federal government data. Source: Reuters

 

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2021

Israel launches airstrikes in Syria, Syrian forces responded late on Wednesday to “Israeli aggression” in the south of the country, the state news agency said. (Al Jazeera) (i24 News)

General Motors announces the suspension of operations at its Fairfax, Ingersoll, and San Luis Potosí assembly plants due to a global shortage of semiconductors. (AFP via RFI)

Spain reports its first case of the 501.V2 variant in Catalonia. Experts believe that it has no relation to South Africa, the variant’s country of origin, and that it originated in Europe. (El Periódico)

Spain surpasses 60,000 deaths from COVID-19. (MedicalXpress)

The Swedish government announces that all travellers will be required to show a negative COVID-19 testing result within 48 hours of arrival beginning February 6 in order to prevent the spread of variants of SARS-CoV-2. Swedish citizens as well as foreign residents living in Sweden will be exempt from this rule. (The Local Sweden)

The number of people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United Kingdom surpasses 10 million. (ITV)

The Japanese House of Councillors passes a law that will introduce fines for people and businesses that do not comply with restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (The Japan Times)

The Health Sciences Authority approves the use of the Moderna vaccine for people aged above 18 in Singapore, becoming the first country in Asia to do so. (CNA)

Medsafe provisionally approves the use of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine in New Zealand with certain conditions. (RNZ)

GlaxoSmithKline and the German biotech firm CureVac sign an agreement worth 150 million euros ($180.7 million) to develop a vaccine to counter many variants of SARS-CoV-2. The vaccine, which is subject to regulatory approval, is expected to be introduced in 2022. (MarketWatch)

Preliminary tests indicate that the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine may reduce transmission of COVID-19 and not simply prevent symptomatic infections. (U.S. News & World Report via MSN)

Authorities in Brandenburg, Germany, cull 14,000 turkeys due to an outbreak of H5N8 bird flu on a farm in the Uckermark area. (Reuters)

 

Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announces the designation of 13 groups as terrorist organizations, including the American far-right group Proud Boys and white supremacist organizations such as the Russian Imperial Movement, Atomwaffen Division, and The Base. In the process, Canada has become the first country to designate the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization. (The Washington Post) (USA Today)

 

 

Tuesday,  February 2nd, 2021

 

The United States Senate votes 50–49 to pass a budget resolution that would allow Democrats to pass President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief package without support from Republicans. (Business Insider)

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announces that he will step down as CEO during the third quarter. Current Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy is expected to replace him. (CNBC)

The French National Authority for Health approves the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for people aged under 65. (France 24)

Mexico approves the use of Sputnik V vaccine in the country. (CTV News)

Malaysia reports a record 21 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide death toll to 791. (The Star)

Malaysia extends its movement control order in all states and territories except Sarawak until February 18. (CNA)

Prime Minister Imran Khan launches the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in Pakistan, with the first dose of Sinopharm’s vaccine administered to a doctor in Islamabad. (DAWN)

Palestinian Authority begins a vaccination campaign against COVID-19 starting with healthcare workers in the occupied West Bank. (Daily Sabah)

A peer-reviewed result published in the journal The Lancet finds Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine to be 91.6% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 infection. It is the third major vaccine candidate to exceed 90% efficacy, along with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. (CBS on MSN)

China blocks a United Nations Security Council statement formally condemning the military coup in Myanmar. (BBC)

 

The Senate also confirms Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security, making him the first Jewish person, first Latino person and first immigrant to head the Department of Homeland Security. (The Hill)

 

The End