Sunday, November 7th, 2021 

Iraq’s prime minister survives assassination attempt Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi called for “calm and restraint from everyone” on Sunday after surviving an assassination attempt at his residence in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone. Iraqi officials said at least two explosive-laden drones were used in the attack, which wounded seven of the prime minister’s security guards. Al-Kadhimi was not badly harmed. He later appeared on TV, speaking calmly, and chaired a security meeting. His left hand appeared to be wrapped in a bandage. “Cowardly rocket and drone attacks don’t build homelands and don’t build a future,” he said. The assassination attempt came as tensions escalated following Iran-backed militias’ refusal to accept the results of parliamentary elections last month. The State Department condemned what it called an “apparent act of terrorism.” CNN 

A drone is launched against the Baghdad home of Iraqi prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, wounding six members of his security personnel. Al-Kadhimi survives the assassination attempt. (Reuters) 

Appeals court puts Biden corporate vaccine mandate on hold A U.S. federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily halted the Biden administration’s coronavirus vaccine mandate for companies with at least 100 employees, saying there were “grave statutory and constitutional” issues with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule. The decision came shortly after numerous states filed lawsuits challenging the rule, which is scheduled to take effect Jan. 4. Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda said in a statement that the Labor Department was “confident in its legal authority” to require companies to make workers get vaccinated or take weekly COVID-19 tests. Federal law gives OSHA “the authority to act quickly in an emergency where the agency finds that workers are subjected to a grave danger and a new standard is necessary to protect them,” Nanda said. “We are fully prepared to defend this standard in court.” REUTERS 

Prevea Health drops Aaron Rodgers after vaccine comments Prevea Health announced Saturday that it would halt its partnership with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has made misleading and false claims about COVID-19 since testing positive Wednesday and later admitting he was unvaccinated. Rodgers has worked as a partner of Prevea Health since 2012, acting as a spokesperson and boosting the organization’s work across Wisconsin. “Prevea Health remains deeply committed to protecting its patients, staff, providers and communities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic,” a company statement said. “This includes encouraging and helping all eligible populations to become vaccinated.” Since he’s unvaccinated, Rodgers won’t be able to play for at least 10 days. USA TODAY 

SNL debuts a new portrayal of Donald Trump Saturday Night Live cast member James Austin Johnson took over the role of former President Donald Trump, long played by actor Alec Baldwin, in the comedy show’s latest cold open. The sketch started with Cecily Strong as Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, who first talked to Pete Davidson as Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers about his decision not to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Next up was Alex Moffat as Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin, who upset Democrat Terry McAuliffe last week after declining to campaign with Trump. Johnson’s Trump then popped up with Moffat’s Youngkin on a split screen, saying, “I just wanted to congratulate Glenn Youngkin and mostly myself on a tremendous victory in Virginia. Glenn, we did it together.” CNNDEADLINE 

100,000 protesters demand concrete climate action at COP26 An estimated 100,000 climate activists demonstrated in Glasgow on Saturday, following up Friday’s student protest with a demand for concrete action to fight climate change at the United Nations’ COP26 summit. Leaders of the demonstration echoed teen activist Greta Thunberg’s criticism of the summit as a “failure” where leaders were shirking their responsibility to prevent temperatures from rising enough to cause catastrophic damage. “Inside that conference of polluters, the climate criminals are hiding behind barbed wire and fences and lines of police,” COP26 Coalition spokesperson Asad Rehman told the crowd. “We’re not going to accept their suicide pact.” Inside the conference, participants discussed climate-change solutions related to nature and land use. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Protests continue nationwide and a intensive civil disobedience movement begins in different cities of the country, as pressure mounts on the military to hand power back to civilian leaders. Police use tear gas to disperse the crowds. (Deutsche Welle) 

Biden celebrates passage of infrastructure bill President Biden on Saturday celebrated Congress’ approval of his $1 trillion infrastructure package after months of infighting among Democrats. “Finally, infrastructure week,” Biden said, referring to unfulfilled Trump administration promises to push through an infrastructure package. “I’m so happy to say that: infrastructure week.” Biden called the package a “once-in-a-generation” investment in the country’s roads, bridges, ports, internet, and rail systems. The bill reached his desk after months of wrangling between progressive and moderate Democrats that dragged down Biden’s approval rating and contributed to the party’s election setbacks last week. The 13 Republicans who voted with House Democrats to pass the bill faced a backlash from GOP colleagues. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) called them RINOS – Republicans in name only. USA TODAY 

FBI raid of James O’Keefe’s home linked to stolen Ashley Biden diary Federal authorities on Saturday searched the New York home of conservative documentary filmmaker James O’Keefe, according to witnesses. The raid came a day after O’Keefe confirmed that the Justice Department was investigating the group he founded, Project Veritas, in connection with the alleged theft of a diary belonging to President Biden’s daughter Ashley Biden. The F.B.I. investigated at the homes of two of O’Keefe’s associates before conducting the court-ordered search of his Mamaroneck, New York, apartment. O’Keefe acknowledged Friday that Project Veritas discussed the diary with sources last year. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Nicaraguans head to the polls to elect their president. Incumbent Daniel Ortega seeks his fourth term, in what the United States has called a “sham election” due to many opposition candidates being in prison. (France24) 

Nicaragua holds vote after crackdown on opposition Nicaraguans are voting Sunday in general elections that international observers are calling “a parody” and “a sham.” The balloting follows a crackdown on opposition by the government of President Daniel Ortega that critics said had created “the worst possible conditions” for a vote. Ortega is expected to win a fourth term alongside his vice president and wife, Rosario Murillo. Since a 2018 wave of opposition demonstrations, tensions have escalated in the Central American nation as Ortega’s government blocked potential campaigns by rivals. Half a dozen possible presidential candidates were detained in recent months, including journalist and former candidate Cristiana Chamorro Barrios, whose mother beat Ortega in a 1990 election. CNN 

Houston officials investigate deadly concert crowd surge Houston police said Saturday that they were reviewing video footage and concert protocols, and interviewing witnesses to determine what caused a Friday crowd surge that left eight people dead at the sold-out Astroworld music festival. The crowd pushed forward at the start of a performance by the main performer, rapper Travis Scott. There were about 50,000 people in NRG park. “As soon as he jumped out on the stage, it was like an energy took over and everything went haywire,” concertgoer Niaara Goods said. “All of a sudden, your ribs are being crushed. You have someone’s arm in your neck. You’re trying to breathe, but you can’t.” Scott said he was “devastated” by the “tragic loss of life,” and committed to “help heal and support the families in need.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Sudan talks hit ‘semi-deadlock’ as military digs in Talks to resolve Sudan’s political crisis hit a “semi-deadlock” over the military’s refusal to restore the country’s democratic transition, sources from the government recently ousted by the military said Saturday. The sources, Reuters reported, said the military has tightened restrictions on Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who has been under house arrest since the military disbanded his government and took over on Oct. 25. Under the new conditions, the military further limited Hamdok’s contact with political allies and others. Sudan’s military leader, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has said he remains committed to transition plans leading to 2023 elections, but that the takeover was necessary to prevent civil war. Unions have called for strikes and civil disobedience on Sunday and Monday to protest the coup. REUTERS 

Saturday, November 6th, 2021 

Greece imposes new restrictions that require unvaccinated people to show a negative rapid or PCR test in order to enter retail stores, banks, public offices, mixed entertainment venues and hairdressers and also require unvaccinated children to show a negative self-test in order to enter any establishments that cater to a mixed clientele. (Ekathimerini) 

Dozens of countries vow to phase out coal-fueled power plants More than 40 countries at the United Nations’ COP26 climate summit pledged Thursday to phase out the use of power plants fueled by coal, the single biggest contributor to climate change. The countries signing onto the deal included major coal users, including Poland, Vietnam, and Chile. Some of the world’s biggest consumers of coal, including China and the United States, did not join in. “The end of coal is in sight,” said Kwasi Kwarteng, the U.K.’s business and energy secretary. A critic said the coal pledge was “not a game-changer.” The U.S. signed a separate deal backed by 20 countries committing to end public financing of “unabated” fossil-fuel projects, which don’t capture CO2 emissions, abroad by the end of 2022. Several major banks agreed to stop funding new coal plants. REUTERS

Greta Thunberg calls COP26 a ‘failure’ during youth climate protest Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg led a massive protest of young activists outside the United Nations’ COP26 climate summit in Glasgow on Friday. Thunberg, who called the conference a “failure,” said world leaders should be taking bold action to prevent catastrophic climate change. Instead, “history will judge them poorly” because they are turning the potentially pivotal conference into “a global greenwash festival” and “a two-week long celebration of business as usual.” Leaders at the conference have touted pledges made by dozens of nations during the first week to end deforestation, phase out coal power plants, and halt public investment in fossil fuel projects abroad, but many youth activists demanded more radical action. “We don’t need any more empty promises,” Thunberg said. CNN 

Dozens of countries vow to phase out coal-fueled power plants More than 40 countries at the United Nations’ COP26 climate summit pledged Thursday to phase out the use of power plants fueled by coal, the single biggest contributor to climate change. The countries signing onto the deal included major coal users, including Poland, Vietnam, and Chile. Some of the world’s biggest consumers of coal, including China and the United States, did not join in. “The end of coal is in sight,” said Kwasi Kwarteng, the U.K.’s business and energy secretary, but critics said the coal pledge was “not a game-changer.” The U.S. signed a separate deal backed by 20 countries committing to end public financing of “unabated” fossil-fuel projects, which don’t capture CO2 emissions, abroad by the end of 2022. Several major banks agreed to stop funding new coal plants. REUTERS

OPEC+ resists pressure and sticks to slow oil production hikes OPEC and allied oil-producing countries on Thursday agreed to keep pushing a plan to slowly increase oil production despite surging fuel prices and pressure from President Biden to pump more crude to meet rising demand and lower gasoline prices. The OPEC+ alliance, which is led by Saudi Arabia and includes non-OPEC-members led by Russia, decided to increase production by 400,000 barrels per day in December, sticking with targets for increases every month into next year to gradually restore deep cuts made during the global economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this week, Biden blamed rising oil prices on the reluctance of Russia and OPEC members to pump more oil. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

A protest is organized by Fridays for Future during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, with Swedish activist Greta Thunberg delivering a speech.  (The Independent) 

Big companies have until Jan. 4 to impose Biden vaccine mandate  The Biden administration said on Thursday that large companies will have until Jan. 4 to comply with President Biden’s coronavirus vaccine requirement for their workers. Biden told the Labor Department in September to invoke its workplace-safety emergency powers to require companies with 100 or more employees to make vaccinations mandatory for their workers. Those who refuse to get the shots will have to submit to weekly testing. Many major corporations, including Tyson Foods and United Airlines, have already announced they were imposing mandates for their workers. Others have held off, waiting for final rules from the federal government. A Mercer poll of 1,088 companies found that as of Oct. 4, 13 percent of respondents were requiring vaccinations company-wide, and 11 percent were only doing it for those coming to the office. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Four women, including an activist, are killed by gunmen in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, Balkh Province. Two suspects are arrested. (France24) 

A day after urging its citizens to leave Ethiopia, the U.S. government orders its embassy in Addis Ababa to evacuate non-emergency personnel due to armed conflict, civil unrest and potential supply shortages. (The Jerusalem Post) 

At least 99 people are killed and more than 100 injured by a fuel truck colliding with a truck causing an explosion in Freetown, Sierra Leone. (Reuters) 

Three people are wounded as a man stabs passengers on an express train between the cities of Regensburg and Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. (Reuters) 

Kanye West on Kim Kardashian divorce: ‘We’re not even divorced’  During a feature-length interview on the Drink Champs podcast, the artist formerly known as Kanye West declared Kim Kardashian is “still my wife,” despite that whole divorce thing. Though Kardashian filed for divorce from West this year, the rapper, whose legal name is now Ye, claimed he’s “never even seen the papers.” He also slammed Saturday Night Live over a joke from Kardashian’s recent monologue where she referenced divorcing him. “We’re not even divorced,” West proclaimed. “That ain’t no joke to me.” West added that his children “want their parents to stay together,” and “I want us to be together,” too. Could a Pete Davidson diss track from West be on the way? E! ONLINE

Aaron Rodgers says ‘woke mob’ attacking over his vaccination stance  Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss Sunday’s game, said on The Pat McAfee Show on Friday that the “woke mob” is trying to “cancel” him after it was revealed he’s not vaccinated. The NFL star said on the radio show he wanted to clarify his views before the “final nail gets put in my cancel culture casket.” Rodgers said he did his own research, and has an allergy to an ingredient in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. He questioned why “people are still getting COVID” if the “vaccine is so great.” Rodgers said he was taking ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug not proven effective against COVID-19. Trials have shown COVID-19 vaccines work and are safe. THE PAT MCAFEE SHOW

Billy Porter apologizes to Harry Styles over ‘Vogue’ cover comments Billy Porter is offering an apology to Harry Styles for “having your name in my mouth.” The Pose star recently slammed Vogue‘s cover that showed Styles in a dress, saying he “had to fight my entire life to get to the place where I could wear a dress to the Oscars,” whereas Styles just had to “be white and straight” to get on the cover of Vogue. But on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Porter clarified these comments were “not about” Styles himself, but rather “about the systems of oppression and erasure of people of color who contribute to the culture.” He apologized to Styles, though, telling him, “I didn’t mean no harm. I’m a gay man! We like Harry!”  VANITY FAIR 

House approves bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill House lawmakers on Friday approved a bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, sending President Biden a key piece of his economic agenda for his signature. “Generations from now, people will look back and know this is when America won the economic competition for the 21st century,” Biden said. The legislation includes projects to improve U.S. roads, bridges, pipes, ports, and internet connections. Democrats repeatedly delayed the vote as they negotiated Biden’s larger Build Back Better”plan, a $1.75 trillion tax-and-spending plan seeking to expand the social safety net and fight climate change. Democrats tried to resolve a conflict between progressives and moderates by introducing both bills together, but instead reached a deal to take up the spending legislation later this month. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Hiring bounced back as economy added 531,000 jobs in October U.S. employers added 531,000 jobs in October, the most since July, the Labor Department reported Friday. The hiring exceeded economists’ expectations of a gain around 450,000, and marked a rebound from disappointing September gains. The government also increased its  August and September estimates by a combined 235,000 jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent from 4.8 percent in September. The hiring rebound came as the summertime coronavirus surge driven by the Delta variant eased. “This is the kind of recovery we can get when we are not sidelined by a surge in COVID cases,” said Nick Bunker, director of economic research at the employment website Indeed. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

8 die in crowd surge at Astroworld music festival At least eight people were killed Friday in a crowd surge at the Astroworld music festival in Houston during a performance by rapper Travis Scott. “Scores” of people were injured, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña said. “The crowd began to compress towards the front of the stage, and that caused some panic, and it started causing some injuries,” Peña added. “People began to fall out, become unconscious, and it created additional panic.” Houston Police Executive Assistant Chief Larry Satterwhite said he was near the front of the crowd when the surge “happened all at once,” quickly leaving several people “experiencing some type of cardiac arrest or some type of medical episode” and needing CPR. The show was called off shortly after the tragedy. USA TODAY 

3 professors sue just before UF lifts order not to testify against voting rights law  Three professors filed a lawsuit against the University of Florida on Friday for ordering them not to testify in a voting rights lawsuit against the administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). Administrators had said the testimony would have created a conflict for the state’s flagship public university by clashing with DeSantis over the law, which imposes new limitations on ballot drop boxes and vote-by-mail practices that critics say curtail voting rights. The professors said in their lawsuit that the university was “stifling faculty speech against the state” in violation of “the principles of academic freedom and free speech.” On the same day that the lawsuit was filed, school officials reversed course after an angry backlash, and said the professors should not be barred from testifying. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Fuel tanker explodes in Sierra Leone, killing at least 91  A fuel tanker exploded in a suburb of Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, on Saturday, killing at least 91 people. Mohamed Lamrane Bah, director of communications for the West African nation’s National Disaster Management Agency, said several other people were injured in critical condition. A staff member at Connaught Hospital stated that about 30 people had been so badly burned they were not expected to survive. Video obtained by The Associated Press showed a giant fireball burning following the explosion, as survivors screamed in pain and charred bodies lay in the street. President Julius Maada Bio, who was in Scotland at the United Nations’ COP26 climate talks, tweeted his “profound sympathies with families who have lost loved ones and those who have been maimed.” CNNTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

States ask courts to block Biden’s vaccine mandate for big companies  Attorneys general representing more than half of the states in the U.S. filed multiple lawsuits on Friday seeking to block the Biden administration from imposing new rules requiring companies with more than 100 employees to make their workers get coronavirus vaccinations or submit to weekly tests. The lawsuits, filed in various courts, said the federal government was overstepping its authority on an issue that states should control. “States have been leading the fight against COVID-19 from the start of the pandemic,” Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) said Friday. “It is too late to impose a federal standard now that we have already developed systems and strategies that are tailored for our specific needs.” The Biden administration said earlier in the week that the rule would take effect Jan. 4. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

 Blue Origin loses lawsuit against NASA over lunar lander contract with SpaceX A federal judge on Thursday ruled against Blue Origin’s lawsuit over NASA’s multi-billion-dollar moon lander contract awarded to Elon Musk’s SpaceX earlier this year. Blue Origin, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space-flight company, has been fighting for months for a piece of the project. NASA initially planned to award two contracts, but consolidated them when Congress allocated less funding than expected. The court battle threatened to delay NASA’s plan to return astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972. Under the $2.9 billion contract, SpaceX will use its Starship rocket to carry astronauts to the moon in NASA’s Artemis missions. Work on the lander was halted while the lawsuit was in court, but is scheduled to start again Monday. CNBC 

It is revealed that a Russian diplomat was found dead outside the country’s embassy in Berlin, Germany, on October 19. The diplomat had apparently fallen from an upper floor, but it was unclear how this occurred. (BBC News) 

Friday,  November 5th, 2021 

Special Counsel John Durham accuses key Steele dossier source of lying to FBI A Russian analyst who was a “primary sub-source” for British former intelligence agent Christopher Steele’s Trump-Russia dossier was indicted in federal court Thursday on charges of lying to the FBI about his sources. The analyst, Igor Danchenko, signaled through his lawyer he would plead not guilty. The indictment came out of special counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the FBI’s inquiry of contacts between former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia as Moscow tried to influence that year’s election. The FBI interviewed Danchenko in 2017 to track down information in the dossier. The FBI cited the dossier to get warrants to wiretap a former Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page, in October 2016, but it was not a factor in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Juror in Kyle Rittenhouse trial dismissed after telling joke about Jacob Blake  A male juror in Kyle Rittenhouse’s homicide trial in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was removed from the case on Thursday for making a joke about the shooting of Jacob Blake, who is Black, by a white police officer. The juror reportedly made the joke to a deputy earlier in the week while being escorted to his car. The juror declined to repeat the joke on Thursday, but prosecutor Thomas Binger said it was something to the effect of, “Why did the Kenosha police shoot Jacob Blake seven times? Because they ran out of bullets.” Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty to homicide charges after fatally shooting two people and injuring a third during a protest sparked by the police shooting of Blake. Rittenhouse, who is from across the state line in Illinois, traveled to Kenosha during the protests and carried a semiautomatic rifle in the streets, joining others saying they were protecting property. Rittenhouse’s legal team has argued he acted in self-defense. CNN

Eight people are dead and several more injured during a stampede and crowd crush at the Astroworld Music Festival in Houston, Texas, United States. (USA Today) 

Two hyenas at Denver Zoo test positive for COVID-19, marking the first time the virus has infected that animal worldwide. (The Hill) 

Gunmen attack a military outpost in the village of Anzourou, Tillabéri Region, Niger, killing fifteen soldiers. (Reuters) 

Nine factions opposed to the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed form a political and military alliance “to reverse the harmful effects of the Abiy Ahmed rule on the peoples of Ethiopia and beyond”. (DW) 

The Ministry of Economy announces a measure to decrease the price of importation tariffs by 10%, amid an increase in inflation, which reached two digits in Brazil. The government also argued that the COVID-19 pandemic in the country has increased the prices of food. (Folha) 

A late-stage trial of the oral drug Paxlovid conducted by Pfizer shows an 89% reduction in hospitalizations and deaths. (Financial Times) 

Researchers from James Cook University report that 98% of the Great Barrier Reef has been affected by coral bleaching as a result of climate change, which is more than was previously thought to have been affected. (The Guardian) 

U.K. becomes 1st country to approve Merck’s COVID pill The United Kingdom on Thursday approved a promising pill developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics to treat COVID-19. In trials, it reduced the chances of hospitalization and death by almost half. The recommendation by the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency made Britain the first country to sign off on using the antiviral medicine, molnupiravir, to treat people with moderate COVID-19 and at least one risk factor for developing a severe case. Those preexisting conditions include obesity, heart disease, and older age diabetes. The regulator said molnupiravir should be given to patients as soon as possible after they test positive, and within five days of their first symptoms. U.S. experts are meeting later this month to consider whether to recommend use of the drug there. REUTERSTHE NEW YORK TIMES 

Gunmen kill 69 in volatile southwestern Niger region  Gunmen ambushed the mayor of the city of Banibangou and members of his delegation as they traveled through a rural area in Niger near the border with Mali, killing 69 people, Interior Minister Alkache Alhada said Thursday. About 15 people survived, and the government is searching for them. The attack occurred Tuesday in a region where militants, many affiliated with the Islamic State, are active. Armed groups are fighting for control of the impoverished borderlands of Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, and trying to drive out local and international military forces. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, which tracks violence in the region, found that before the attack more than 530 civilians had been killed in remote parts of southwestern Niger so far in 2021. THE GUARDIAN 

Activists challenge Tennessee ban on transgender athletes in schools  Civil rights groups on Thursday filed a lawsuit challenging a Tennessee law barring transgender students from participating in public middle and high school sports based on their gender identity rather than the sex listed on their original birth certificates. Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the ACLU of Tennessee argued that the policy was discriminatory and unconstitutional. The law’s supporters said it was necessary to ensure fairness because transgender athletes listed as males at birth would have a physical advantage on female teams. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a transgender student seeking to play on the boys’ golf team at his school. The lawsuit said the Tennessee law “was passed not to protect female athletes but to marginalize transgender people.” REUTERS 

Thursday, November 4th, 2021 

The Biden administration announces January 4, 2022 as a deadline for private companies to require their employees fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or face weekly testing in a effort to encourage private businesses to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (The New York Times) 

After eight months of deficit, October becomes the second positive month for trade between Argentina and Brazil. Argentina ended a record seven years of surpluses as the market was boosted by iron and steel. (MercoPress) 

Germany reports a record 33,949 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, surpassing the previous record of 33,777 new cases reported on December 18, 2020. (Euronews) 

Russia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 1,195 deaths from COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 243,255. (Anadolu Agency) 

The Netherlands reports an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu among ducks at a poultry farm in the central province of Flevoland. To reduce the spread of the virus, the Dutch government will kill 10,000 animals. (U.S. News & World Report) 

During his trial at Maidstone Crown Court in Kent, England, David Fuller admits two murders and the sexual abuse of at least 100 corpses. (BBC) 

In an upset, truck driver Edward Durr defeats longtime New Jersey Senate president Stephen M. Sweeney to represent New Jersey’s 3rd legislative district after the Associated Press called the race for him. (CBS News) 

President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa calls a snap election for January 30 after the Socialist Party was defeated in a key budget vote last week. (Politico Europe) 

Pope Francis appoints Raffaella Petrini as the new secretary general of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, becoming the highest-ranking woman in the Roman Curia and the first woman to ever hold the position. (Vatican News) 

The End