Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 

Rachel Zegler apologizes for dramatic reading of Britney Spears tweet Oops! Rachel Zegler has issued an apology for doing a dramatic reading of one of Britney Spears’ recent statements. The West Side Story star drew backlash after performing the singer’s tweet blasting her sister Jamie Lynn amid their ongoing feud, which included a denial of the claim that she once locked them in a room with a knife. While thanking “all who held me accountable,” Zegler said she’s “rooting for [Britney] always” and that “while I meant no disrespect whatsoever, I should have thought about how this could be perceived, and I’m so sorry for upsetting or disappointing anyone.” She added, “This is not a situation to be taken lightly, and we should all be lifting Britney up in this pivotal time.” It looks like one West Side Story star probably had a better holiday weekend than the other. PEOPLE 

Hong Kong orders the culling of 2,000 small animals, such as hamsters, chinchillas and rabbits, closes pet shops, and sends 100 people to a quarantine camp after nearly a dozen hamsters imported from the Netherlands and sold at Little Boss pet shop were infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant which also spread to two people. (Bloomberg) 

China reports economy slowed down in late 2021 Chinese officials announced Monday that the country’s economy expanded by just 4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021, the slowest pace since the start of the COVID-19 recovery in the second quarter of 2020. Beijing is trying to contain any further economic damage by dialing back some of its efforts to tighten monetary policy. China’s central bank said Monday it would cut two key interest rates, potentially setting the stage for further cuts. “More stimulus measures [are] likely to be unveiled if domestic and external circumstances remain unfavorable,” said Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy and economics at Cornell University and a former head of the International Monetary Fund’s China division. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

China’s birthrate falls to record low China announced Monday that its birthrate fell for the fifth straight year in 2021, hitting a record low. The decline is pushing China, the world’s most populous country, toward the potentially disastrous point where its population will start to shrink. Life expectancy is increasing, leaving the country with fewer people of working age relative to those too old to work. The changes could create labor shortages and slower economic growth that would make it harder to support an aging population. China’s ruling Communist Party has tried to raise the birthrate by relaxing its infamous “one child” policy, letting couples have two children starting in 2016 and up to three starting last year. “China is facing a demographic crisis,” said Yi Fuxian, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. CNN 

AT&T, Verizon agree to limit 5G rollout near airports AT&T and Verizon on Tuesday agreed to limit their 5G network rollout near airports to address warnings from airlines that the high-speed wireless service would cause catastrophic disruptions to passenger and cargo flights. The Federal Aviation Administration said the changes should eliminate much of the feared interference with airplane safety technology. The White House helped broker the temporary fix. “This agreement protects flight safety and allows aviation operations to continue without significant disruption and will bring more high-speed internet options to millions of Americans,” Biden said in a statement. The new 5G systems use a wireless spectrum, the C-band, that is close to airwaves used by radio altimeters, which measure how high planes are flying and are crucial in low-visibility landings. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Blinken to push for Ukraine diplomacy in meeting with Russian counterpart  Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken plans to meet Friday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva to keep diplomatic efforts alive to prevent Moscow from invading Ukraine, the White House said Tuesday. A series of three negotiating sessions in Europe ended last week in a deadlock, primarily due to Russia’s demand for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to pledge not to expand in Eastern Europe. The United States and Western Europe flatly rejected that condition. The White House said Blinken would urge Russia to “de-escalate.” “We’re now at a stage where Russia could at any point want an attack in Ukraine,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki, and Secretary Blinken will “highlight very clearly there is a diplomatic path forward.” THE NEW YORK TIMES 

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Kyiv, Ukraine, in a show of support for Ukraine. During a one-day visit, Blinken will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said yesterday that “Russia could at any point launch an attack on Ukraine,” and “No option is off the table.” Blinken’s next stop in Europe will be Berlin, Germany, this Thursday. (France 24) 

Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas warns that the presence of Russian troops in Belarus poses a “direct threat” to the country. (Politico.eu) 

New York AG pushes for Trump testimony, citing pattern of fraud New York Attorney General Letitia James filed court papers Tuesday accusing former President Donald Trump’s family business of “falsely and fraudulently” valuing properties to banks for economic benefit. James also sought to compel Trump and two of his children, Donald Jr. and Ivanka, to give sworn testimony in her ongoing civil investigation of the Trump Organization’s financial dealings. James had subpoenaed Trump in December and Don Jr. and Ivanka earlier in January, and Tuesday’s motion was in opposition to the Trumps’ attempts to quash those subpoenas. James said her office had “uncovered significant evidence” of the phony valuations — including tripling the value of Trump’s own Trump Tower apartment. James said the Trumps must comply because nobody “can pick and choose if and how the law applies to them.” POLITICO 

Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack on Tuesday subpoenaed Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, and Boris Epshteyn, all of whom defended former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The Jan. 6 committee’s chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), said in a statement the “four individuals we’ve subpoenaed today advanced unsupported theories about election fraud, pushed efforts to overturn the election results, or were in direct contact with the former president about attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes.” Giuliani, Ellis, and Powell claimed in a November 2020 news conference at Republican National Committee headquarters that Trump had been the victim of “centralized” voter fraud. Giuliani and Powell did not immediately comment on the subpoenas. NBC NEWS 

Biden administration launches website offering free COVID tests  The Biden administration on Tuesday quietly launched COVIDTests.gov, the website designed to help distribute free at-home coronavirus tests to American families. People can use a link on the site to access an order form allowing them to order four at-home tests per residential address. The United States Postal Service will deliver them. The program is part of President Biden’s push to make tests more widely available to help fight a COVID-19 wave driven by the highly infectious Omicron variant. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the website was in “beta testing” and functioning with “limited capacity” before its official, full-scale launch Wednesday morning. CNN 

Senate starts debate on voting rights legislation The Democrat-controlled Senate began debating President Biden’s ambitious — and likely doomed — voter protections on Tuesday. Under current Senate rules, Democrats would need a supermajority of 60 votes to stop a GOP filibuster, but they don’t have them. All 50 Senate Republicans oppose the legislation. The Democrats would need every member of their caucus to change the chamber’s filibuster rules to advance the bill to a vote with a simple, 51-vote majority, but moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) both oppose any change to the filibuster rule. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that any attempt by Democrats to circumvent the filibuster to pass their voting-rights legislation will not be “cost-free,” even if it fails, ABC News reported. ABC NEWS 

1st images of Tonga volcano, tsunami damage show communities covered in ash The New Zealand Defense Force on Tuesday released the first images of Tonga since the South Pacific archipelago was hit by a tsunami triggered by the eruption of an undersea volcano. The aerial photos showed trees, homes, and fields in Tonga’s central Ha’apai islands coated in gray ash emitted from the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano, which erupted Saturday. Rescue operations continued through the day as authorities confirmed the first three deaths in Tonga from the disaster. Aid workers warned that the toll could rise much higher as communication is restored and search crews reach isolated areas. CNN 

Conservative Party MP Christian Wakeford defects to the opposition Labour Party saying Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s behaviour has been “disgraceful”. There are growing calls within the ruling Conservative Party for Johnson to resign amid public outrage over Partygate. (Reuters) 

Microsoft to acquire game-maker Activision Blizzard Microsoft announced Tuesday that it would acquire Activision Blizzard, the publisher behind hit games like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty, and Overwatch, in a deal valued at $68.7 billion. Microsoft said the acquisition would bolster the offerings on its Game Pass subscription service. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick will continue in his role. The deal comes after Activision Blizzard was hit with a bombshell lawsuit by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing last year, which alleged the company created a “breeding ground” for sexual harassment and discrimination” that “was akin to working in a frat house, which invariably involved male employees drinking and subjecting female employees to sexual harassment with no repercussion.” Activision Blizzard has denied the claims. THE VERGE 

Texas synagogue gunman had been investigated by British intelligence The British man identified as the gunman killed after holding four people hostage at a Texas synagogue for 11 hours over the weekend was investigated by British security services in 2020 as a potential Islamist terrorist threat, according to U.K. media reports Tuesday. Two U.S. officials briefed on the matter confirmed that the man, identified by the FBI as Malik Faisal Akram, was a “subject of interest” on the watch list of Britain’s MI5 security service. Akram, 44, was from England but arrived in the United States just before the New Year. Investigators are still trying to determine why he targeted the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, during Saturday prayers. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Former Vogue editor André Leon Talley dies at 73 Trailblazing fashion journalist André Leon Talley, the former creative director of Vogue, died Tuesday. He was 73. Talley’s death after recent health struggles was confirmed by his friend Darren Walker, the president of the Ford Foundation, who described Talley as a “creative genius.” Talley was the first Black person to hold his position at Vogue, where he was the right-hand of editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. He advocated for diversity and encouraged designers to include more Black models on the runway. Known for his wit, over-the-top outfits, and height — he was 6-foot-6 — Talley served as a judge on America’s Next Top Model for four seasons and wrote two memoirs, 2003’s A.L.T.: A Memoir and 2020’s The Chiffon Trenches. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Daniel Radcliffe will play ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic in a biopic Daniel Radcliffe is ready to get weird. The Harry Potter star will portray “Weird Al” Yankovic in a biopic about the famed parody musician, Roku has announced. In a cheeky press release, Roku promised WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story will tell the story of Yankovic’s “torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle.” Yankovic, who previously wrote and starred in UHF, will write the film. “I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film,” Yankovic said, joking, “I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.” Following his lead role in the Harry Potter franchise, Radcliffe has starred in a number of more offbeat projects, including Swiss Army Man, the 2016 film about a farting corpse — and now, his love of all things weird is being taken to its natural conclusion. Time to brush up on the accordion! THE WEEK 

Paul Walter Hauser deletes Twitter account after raging about ‘New York Times’ Oscar picks Paul Walter Hauser is having a normal one. The Richard Jewell star has deleted his Twitter account after he completely melted down apparently in response to The New York Times‘ picks for what should win at the 2022 Oscars. The Times recently published an article in which critics Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott simply put forth the films they would nominate for awards. This seemed to really, really upset Hauser, who proclaimed that “these lists are psychotic,” and after he faced criticism, things escalated quickly as he wrote, “Twitter needs to go shut the f— up or come say it to my face in public and see how fun it is to wipe their a– with a broken arm.” After complaining that “actors like me get canceled over this kind” of thing, he ended up leaving Twitter entirely. File this one under “never tweet.”  THE DAILY BEAST 

Javier Bardem inadvertently made a Prince show start an hour late Javier Bardem has some ‘splainin to do to Prince fans. The Being the Ricardos star revealed on The Tonight Show he was once responsible for a Prince concert starting an hour late. Bardem recalled having dinner with Penelope Cruz and their friend before one of Prince’s concerts in London, and after eating and having a few drinks, “We were like, ‘nobody’s coming here to pick us up,’” Bardem said. Prince himself, who was apparently close with Cruz, then came by to ask if they were done, at which point he told them to go down to their seats at the concert and the show finally started. “We were like, ‘Oh my god!’” Bardem said. “‘They’ve been waiting an hour for us to finish the dinner!’” Years later, Bardem wanted those concertgoers to know, “I’m so sorry.”  ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY 

Dakota Johnson put fake hair in men’s jacket pockets If you ever attend a party with Dakota Johnson, look for some hair in your pocket the next day. Johnson sat down with her former Social Network star Andrew Garfield for Vanity Fair, and after Garfield recalled seeing her at a party after the Oscars, she noted that this was back when she used to have “pieces of [fake] hair in my hair to make it look full.” And at these parties, she said, “I’d probably get a little drunk and then just take them out and put them in people’s pockets, like men’s jacket pockets because they’re so annoying and I’d just find a place to put them.” Garfield floated the idea that this was an attempt to get these men in trouble with their girlfriends when they found mysterious hair in their pockets, but Johnson insisted it was just because men’s jacket pockets were “so available,” adding, “It would be like, ‘Can you hold this for me? I’ll get it later.’ And then I’d forget.” After Johnson previously revealed she lied about loving limes, though, it might be worth taking this hair anecdote with a grain of salt. VANITY FAIR 

Argentine minister of economy Martín Guzmán warns that the International Monetary Fund will “lose legitimacy” if it fails in negotiations with the country, with Guzmán citing his country’s growth of nearly 10 percent as an argument. (Ámbito) 

A federal judge signs a plan to restructure Puerto Rico’s economy, allowing it to start repaying debt to creditors and lifting it out of bankruptcy. (AP News) 

Germany reports a record 112,323 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Deutsche Welle) 

Japan reports a record 32,197 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (The Mainichi) 

France reports a record 464,769 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (Anadolu Agency) 

Brazil reports a record 137,102 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 23,211,894. (Reuters) 

Australia reports a record 77 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (SBS News) 

Merck & Co. and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics sign an agreement with UNICEF to distribute up to 3 million courses of their COVID-19 antiviral pill molnupiravir to 100 low and middle-income countries in the first half of the year. (Thomson Reuters Foundation) 

Goldman Sachs earnings fall short of expectations Goldman Sachs shares plunged by 7 percent on Tuesday after the investment bank posted fourth-quarter profit that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Earnings came in at $10.81 per share compared to the $11.76 that analysts surveyed by Refinitiv expected on average. Revenue rose by 8 percent and slightly exceeded estimates at $12.64 billion, but profit fell by 13 percent compared to a year earlier as operating expenses jumped by 23 percent due to increased pay for Wall Street workers after a year of strong performance, and higher litigation reserves. “Goldman Sachs’ disappointing Q4 earnings are a stark reminder that wage inflation is hitting the banking sector hard,” Octavio Marenzi, CEO of bank consultancy Opimas, told MSN in an emailed statement. “It is clear that employees are able to demand significantly higher pay.” MSN 

Tuesday,  January 18th, 2022 

China ends Winter Olympics ticket sales due to Omicron concerns China announced Monday that it was halting ticket sales for the Beijing Winter Olympics two days after the city’s first case of the highly transmissible Omicron coronavirus variant. China said last fall it was barring foreign spectators, but on Monday Beijing’s Winter Olympics Organizing Committee said it would not let domestic fans attend, either, “to ensure the safety of all participants and spectators.” The organizers said they would have an “adapted program” under which some groups of spectators will be allowed in the stands, suggesting that there will be a process to screen and quarantine people invited to watch in person. China has tried to isolate Beijing with a travel ban and other measures, partly to shield the Olympics from the pandemic. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Fauci: Too soon to say whether Omicron wave will be last pandemic surge Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s top medical adviser, said Monday that it was too soon to tell whether the current COVID-19 wave caused by the fast-spreading Omicron variant would be the last surge of the coronavirus pandemic. Omicron has quickly become the dominant strain of the virus, and it has driven a record increase in new cases. It has caused less-severe cases of COVID-19, fueling hopes that it could boost natural immunity and help bring the pandemic to an end. But Fauci said via videoconference at The Davos Agenda virtual event that it was still impossible to predict whether that would happen. “It is an open question whether it will be the live virus vaccination that everyone is hoping for,” Fauci said. CNBC 

Airline CEOs warn 5G rollout could disrupt flights, commerce Top airline executives on Monday warned that a “catastrophic” aviation crisis could cause “the nation’s commerce” to “grind to a halt” Wednesday when AT&T and Verizon launch new 5G service. The chief executives of American, Delta, United, Southwest, and other airlines wrote in a letter to federal transportation and commerce officials that potential interference with sensitive aircraft instruments such as altimeters could render some widebody aircraft unusable, potentially stranding “tens of thousands of Americans overseas” and triggering “chaos” on domestic routes. “Unless our major hubs are cleared to fly, the vast majority of the traveling and shipping public will essentially be grounded,” the CEOs wrote in the letter. The Federal Aviation Administration has told the wireless carriers to reduce power to 5G transmitters near airports. REUTERS 

Europe EV sales surpass diesels for 1st time Europeans had more sales of electric cars than diesels in December, a first. EVs accounted for more than 20 percent of new cars sold in Europe and Britain during the month, according to data compiled by Matthias Schmidt, a Berlin analyst who tracks electric-vehicle sales. Diesel-car sales fell below 19 percent, down from more than 50 percent as recently as 2015. The figures underscored how quickly electric vehicles are pushing into the mainstream as diesels, once popular in the European Union, are falling out of favor. Incentives offered by governments struggling to fight climate change by reducing carbon emissions have helped, as has the increasing variety of electric vehicles that motorists have to choose from.  THE NEW YORK TIMES 

France says no exception from vaccine-pass rule for Djokovic at French Open  The French Sports Ministry said Monday that it would not grant any exemptions from a new vaccine pass law that received final approval on Sunday. The statement suggested that Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, who is unvaccinated, could be frozen out of the French Open in May. Djokovic, who is ranked No. 1 in the world and is chasing a record 21st Grand Slam title, was deported from Australia on Sunday, dashing his hope of winning the Australian Open. Djokovic had hoped to compete in the tournament but lost his court appeal to have the cancellation of his visa overturned. REUTERS 

Investigators identify person they believe betrayed Anne Frank’s family to Nazis More than 75 years after Anne Frank’s family was betrayed to the Nazis, a team of investigators say they have identified the person they think may have revealed the address of their hiding place in Amsterdam. The researchers said Arnold van den Bergh, a notary who served on the Jewish council the Nazis set up, might have provided information on Jewish individuals in hiding in exchange for protection. Van den Bergh was never sent to a concentration camp. He died in 1950. Investigators brought together by a documentary filmmaker uncovered a report from a decades-old police inquiry that said Otto Frank, Anne’s father and the only family member to survive Nazi concentration camps, received an anonymous note saying it was van den Bergh who betrayed them. CBS NEWS 

Joint Chiefs chair Gen. Mark Milley tests positive for COVID Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, tested positive for COVID-19 and “is experiencing very minor symptoms,” Joint Staff spokesperson Col. Dave Butler said Monday. Butler added that Milley has been vaccinated and received a booster shot, and had tested negative on several previous days. Milley is the latest of several top Defense Department officials to be infected this month as the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant spreads quickly across the country. Butler said Milley is working remotely in isolation and performing his normal duties. Milley had contact with President Biden on Wednesday at the funeral of Army Gen. Raymond Odierno. The Marine Corps said Monday that its top general, Commandant David Berger, also had tested positive. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Federal appellate court punts Texas abortion law to state Supreme Court  A divided U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals panel sided with Texas on Monday and sent a challenge to the state’s privately enforced restrictive abortion law to the Texas Supreme Court, where it is expected to linger as the law stays in effect. The Texas abortion clinics challenging the law, which bars the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy, had requested the case be sent to a federal district judge who previously blocked the law, until the conservative 5th Circuit appellate court reversed the decision less than 48 hours later. The appellate panel decided that before the federal judge gets the case again, the Texas Supreme Court needs to determine whether state law allows the clinics to sue state licensing officials, as the U.S. Supreme Court allowed. THE TEXAS TRIBUNE 

British woman died trying to rescue dogs in Tonga tsunami A British woman, 50-year-old Angela Glover, died after being swept away by a tsunami that hit Tonga after an underwater volcano erupted over the weekend, her brother Nick Eleini said. Glover and her husband James had established the Tonga Animal Welfare Society in the South Pacific archipelago, where they rehabilitated stray dogs and found them new homes. “I understand that this terrible accident came about as they tried to rescue their dogs,” Eleini said. Glover’s husband managed to hold onto a tree and survived. Australian officials said no mass casualties were reported after the disaster, although communication remained limited and search and rescue crews reported extensive damages in many coastal areas. REUTERS 

Stock futures plunge as Treasury yields rise U.S. stock futures fell sharply early Tuesday as government bond yields hit pandemic-era highs ahead of more corporate earnings reports. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 were down by 0.8 percent and 1.2 percent at 6:30 a.m. ET. Futures for the tech-heavy Nasdaq were down by 1.8 percent. U.S. markets were closed Monday for the Martin Luther King holiday. The turmoil came after the closely watched two-year Treasury yield rose above 1 percent for the first time since February 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic hit and dragged the U.S. economy into a recession. The 10-year Treasury rose to 1.83 percent, the highest since January 2020. The movement came as expectations mounted that the Federal Reserve will speed up rate hikes to fight high inflation. CNBC 

Monday,  January 17th, 2022 

Surgeon general warns COVID wave hasn’t peaked Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned Sunday that the record-setting wave of COVID-19 cases fueled by the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant had not peaked yet in the United States. Murthy said on CNN’s State of the Union that hospitalizations and deaths could continue to rise for the next few weeks, with many hospitals overwhelmed with a nationwide record number of COVID-19 patients. The “good news,” Murthy said, is that the surge of new infections has leveled off or dropped in the Northeast, particularly in New York City and New Jersey. “The challenge is that the entire country is not moving at the same pace,” he said. “We shouldn’t expect a national peak in the coming days,” adding that “the next few weeks will be tough.” The seven-day average of new cases was more than 800,000 over the weekend.  THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Djokovic is deported from Australia, and disqualified from the Australian Open. He is replaced with Salvatore Caruso from Italy. (ABC News Australia) 

A Parisian court fines far-right French television pundit and presidential candidate Eric Zemmour €10,000 for calling unaccompanied migrant children “rapists” and “murderers” during a September 2020 television broadcast. (BBC News) 

Canada deploys a small contingent of special forces to Ukraine as part of a NATO response to deter Russian aggression. The unit is also being tasked with evacuating diplomatic personnel from the Canadian embassy in Kyiv in the event of a full-scale invasion. (Reuters) 

The United Kingdom begins supplying anti-tank guided missiles to Ukraine amid tensions with Russia, according to a statement from Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace. A small number of British military personnel will also be deployed to help train Ukrainian troops. (Reuters) 

Royal Air Force C-17 transport aircraft arrive in Ukraine with “light anti-armour weapons” as part of British military support for Ukraine. Germany reportedly denies the aircraft access to German airspace. (UK Defence Journal) 

Three people are killed in a suspected drone attack on petrol tanks at a major oil storage facility near Abu Dhabi International Airport, United Arab Emirates. The Yemen-based Houthis claims responsibility for the attack, saying that they launched “five ballistic missiles and a large number of drones”.  (CNN) 

An independent investigation team identifies Arnold van den Bergh, a member of Amsterdam’s Jewish Council, as the most likely person responsible for reporting The Diary of a Young Girl author Anne Frank and her family to the Nazis in 1944, leading to their deaths in a concentration camp. (BBC News) 

The South China Morning Post reports that Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, stated that the first patient infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Beijing received a letter mailed from Canada on January 7 and does not rule out the possibility that the patient was infected via contact with the letter. (South China Morning Post)

Leader of the Official Opposition of Canada Erin O’Toole responds to the report, calling it “comical”. (National Post) 

Greece begins to introduce monthly fines for people over the age of 60 who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 amid an increase in the number of new cases in the country. The monthly fine will initially be €50 this month and will be €100 per month thereafter. (NPR) 

The Netherlands reports a record 42,472 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. (NL Times) 

Businesses urge Congress to pass more coronavirus relief A host of businesses, from hotels to minor league ball clubs, are lobbying Congress for more coronavirus relief funding as the Omicron variant drives an unprecedented wave of COVID-19 cases. The new surge has forced many companies to curtail their operations or shut down completely due to safety concerns, staff shortages, and canceled orders. Some Republican lawmakers support a fresh round of funding for certain industries, but most oppose more funding, arguing that the federal government already has provided sufficient relief. “The U.S. government has no money to give anyone,” said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). Jason Freier, the owner of the Chattanooga Lookouts Double-A baseball team in Tennessee, said that after the 2020 season was canceled and 2021 revenue fell by nearly 20 percent compared to 2019, “it is pretty urgent.” THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Netanyahu negotiating plea deal in corruption case Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is negotiating a plea deal on corruption charges that threaten to tarnish his legacy and force him out of politics for years, The Associated Press reported Sunday, citing a person involved in the talks. A deal could be signed as early as this week. If an agreement is finalized it could ignite a race for leadership of Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party, but spare Netanyahu from a potentially damaging trial. One issue holding up an agreement is the inclusion of a “moral turpitude” charge that would bar Netanyahu from politics for seven years under Israeli law. Any agreement could face a challenge in court, and demonstrators gathered outside the attorney general’s house over the weekend to protest the potential deal. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

French lawmakers approve vaccine pass France’s parliament on Sunday voted 215 to 58 to give final approval to establish a vaccine pass and other measures to step up efforts to curb coronavirus infections. Under the new law, people will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations to enter restaurants, movie theaters, long-range trains, and other public places. The measure, which will take effect within days, was passed over the objections of anti-vaccine protesters. President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month told Le Parisien newspaper that he hoped to “piss off” unvaccinated and disrupt their lives so much that they give in and get the shots. REUTERS 

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries announces that the United Kingdom‘s state broadcaster BBC will be reformed, with the television licence fee being abolished in 2027. Funding of the BBC will also be frozen for the next two years. (The Guardian) 

Denmark reopens cinemas, zoos, museums and theatres as well as allowing limited number of spectators in indoor and outdoor sports despite the rising number of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant cases in the country. (AP) 

The Philippines says that it has agreed to buy 32 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters from Polish aerospace manufacturer PZL Mielec for 32 billion pesos ($624 million) in order to replace its aging fleet of Huey helicopters. (Reuters) 

The French National Assembly votes 215-58 to give a final approval of mandatory vaccine pass that will require people aged above 16 years to be fully vaccinated in order to enter public places and long-distance public transport. The new law regarding vaccine pass will take effect in coming days once the law gets approved from the Constitutional Council. (Voice of America) 

The Federal Court of Australia confirms the lawfulness and legality of the visa cancellation and deportation order against Novak Djokovic issued by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Alex Hawke. Djokovic’s lawyers are considering legal recourse while Djokovic himself has said that he is disappointed with the decision but will cooperate with Australian authorities. (ABC News Australia) 

The End