Smallpox Vaccine: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (2003)

Tuesday,  January 25th, 2022 

U.S. puts 8,500 troops on ‘heightened alert’ in Ukraine crisis Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin put 8,500 U.S. troops on “heightened alert” and President Biden is considering sending American forces to Eastern Europe to help NATO allies brace for a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Pentagon said Monday. “The decision has been made to put these units on higher alert and higher alert only,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said in a news briefing. “No decisions have been made to deploy forces from the United States at this time.” NATO said it was putting forces on standby and sending more ships and fighter jets to reinforce its military resources in Eastern Europe in response to Russia’s massing of 100,000 troops near its Ukraine border. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki reiterated Monday that U.S. citizens in Ukraine “should leave now.” Moscow denounced the Western reaction as “hysteria.”  REUTERS 

Study shows Pfizer booster remains effective against Omicron for 4 months Antibodies capable of blocking the Omicron coronavirus variant remain effective four months after a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, according to a new study. The laboratory study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, suggests that a fourth shot (a second booster) will not be necessary just yet, as some people have speculated. “That really shows that at least up to four months, post-dose three, there is still substantial neutralizing activity against Omicron,” said Pei-Yong Shi, a microbiologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, whose team tested antibodies in the blood of vaccinated people.  Antibodies fade in the months after vaccination. Omicron evaded protection from a second vaccine dose even in the month after it was administered, but a third shot restored strong immune protection. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Biden administration’s free N95 masks begin arriving at pharmacies The first free N95 masks sent out by the Biden administration started arriving in pharmacies around the country on Monday. The administration is distributing the high-quality masks as part of an effort to increase protection and testing to help slow the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant of the coronavirus, which is fueling a wave of new COVID-19 cases. The arrival of the first of 400 million N95 masks the government is providing for the public came as free COVID-19 tests are arriving through the mail to people who ordered them. “Last week masks began shipping and arriving at pharmacies and grocers around [the] country. We expect that throughout the week the number of stores and N95s arriving to scale up significantly,” an administration official said. CNN 

Sarah Palin tests positive for COVID, delaying Times defamation trial Sarah Palin’s defamation lawsuit against The New York Times was delayed on Monday after the former Alaska governor tested positive for the coronavirus. “She is, of course, unvaccinated,” Judge Jed Rakoff said. Rakoff rescheduled the start of jury selection to Feb. 3. Palin was tested for COVID-19 ahead of the trial. The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee wants to attend jury selection in person, and plans to testify in the trial. Palin is suing the Times over a 2017 editorial linking an ad by her political action committee to a mass shooting that left six people dead and then-Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) severely injured. The Times issued a correction and apologized, saying there was no established link. A judge dismissed the case but an appeals court revived it. CNN 

Webb telescope arrives at its observation point  The James Webb Space Telescope reached its intended position beyond the moon Monday after a month-long journey that started with a launch from French Guiana on Dec. 25. From its point of observation nearly a million miles from Earth and beyond the moon, the space observatory will be able to examine the universe in new ways, and look into the atmosphere of exoplanets. Webb’s orbit will keep it behind Earth as it orbits the sun, shielding it from heat and keeping it cool so it can observe the universe in infrared light, allowing it to detect faint, distant objects. The telescope, a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, is expected to transmit its first images this summer. CNN 

U.S. stocks bounced back from early Monday plunge, but volatility continues Markets fell dramatically early Monday but rallied later in the day, closing with modest gains. The S&P 500 fell briefly into correction territory, defined as 10 percent below its recent high, but closed up by 0.3 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3 percent, its first positive day in seven. The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell by 4.9 percent early Monday but ended the day up by 0.6 percent. Some analysts predicted that the market turbulence could continue as investors brace for more fallout from the Omicron coronavirus wave and rising interest rates. JPMorgan strategist Marko Kolanovic said the “recent pullback in risk assets appears overdone, and … we could be in the final stages of this correction.” U.S. stock futures fell early Tuesday. CNBC 

Ford stops taking orders for Maverick pickups, citing high demand Ford is cutting off orders for its new Maverick pickup because of overwhelming demand. The company told dealers in a memo Monday that it would resume taking orders for the 2023 Maverick this summer. “We didn’t want to take more orders than we could build,” Dean Stoneley, general manager of Ford trucks, told The Wall Street Journal in an interview. “We’re getting customers who would have perhaps bought a used car and are now buying the Maverick because it is so affordable.” Prices for the Maverick start at about $20,000. Ford unveiled the new pickup last fall, as car prices were broadly rising. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Fed leaders head into 2-day meeting expected to signal March rate hike Federal Reserve policymakers on Tuesday start a two-day meeting that analysts expect to end Wednesday with a signal that the central bank plans to raise interest rates in March to fight high inflation. The Fed is expected to indicate that it plans to start tapering the asset purchases that, along with near-zero interest rates, it has been using to support the recovery from the economic damage of the coronavirus pandemic. The expectations of higher interest rates have roiled stocks recently, dragging down shares of tech companies and other high-growth stocks expected to be hit hardest by higher borrowing costs. U.S. Treasury yields rose early Tuesday ahead of the start of the Fed meeting. REUTERS 

Unilever unveils plan to cut 1,500 management jobs Consumer goods giant Unilever on Tuesday said it would cut about 1,500 management jobs globally as it restructures in response to investor jitters over its failed $67 billion bid to acquire GlaxoSmithKline’s consumer healthcare business. Unilever, which makes products from Dove soap to Magnum ice cream, has about 149,000 employees. The company said it would re-organize itself by creating five divisions focused on beauty and wellbeing, personal care, home care, nutrition, and ice cream, resulting in management-chain changes. “Moving to five category-focused business groups will enable us to be more responsive to consumer and channel trends, with crystal-clear accountability for delivery,” Unilever CEO Alan Jope said.  BBC NEWS 

Prosecutor says 3 ex-officers did nothing to help George Floyd Lawyers gave opening arguments Monday to start the federal trial of three former Minneapolis police officers accused of violating the civil rights of George Floyd by failing to prevent their former colleague, Derek Chauvin, from killing him. Samantha Trepel, a federal prosecutor, said the three men — Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J. Alexander Kueng — ignored their duties by failing to stop Chauvin from kneeling on Floyd’s neck until he stopped breathing. “They watched as Mr. Floyd suffered a slow and agonizing death,” Trepel said in her opening statement. Defense attorneys said Floyd’s death after he was detained on suspicion of buying cigarettes with a counterfeit bill was a tragedy, but they argued that their clients committed no crime. One defense lawyer said Chauvin was the senior officer and “called all the shots.” NPR 

Monday,  January 24th, 2022 

Evan Rachel Wood alleges Marilyn Manson raped her on music video set Evan Rachel Wood reportedly details some disturbing new allegations against rock star Marilyn Manson in a new documentary. Phoenix Rising, a documentary about the Westworld star, premiered Sunday at the Sundance Film Festival, and in it, Wood alleges that Manson raped her during the production of his music video that she appeared in. During what was supposed to be a simulated sex scene, he “started penetrating me for real” without consent. “I was coerced into a commercial sex act under false pretenses,” Wood alleges. “That’s when the first crime was committed against me and I was essentially raped on camera.” Wood also says Manson instructed her to claim that “we had this great, romantic time” making the video, when in reality, this was the “beginning of the violence that would keep escalating over the course of the relationship.” THE GUARDIAN 

The United Kingdom begins withdrawing staff and their dependants from its embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, amid fears of a Russian invasion. Around half of all staff are being withdrawn, according to a statement from the Foreign Office. (The Guardian) 

A fire at a nightclub in Sorong, Indonesia, following a brawl kills at least 18 people. (AFP via France24) 

A COVID-19 vaccine pass that requires people over the age of 16 years to be fully vaccinated or show proof of recovery in order to enter bars, restaurants, and other public spaces, and to use inter-regional transport takes effect in France. (Euronews) 

Russia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 65,109 new COVID-19 cases, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 11,173,300. (The Moscow Times) 

China lifts its month-long lockdown for 13 million people in Xi’an as the number of COVID-19 infections decreases in the city. (AP) 

Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights suspects former Regent of Langkat, a regency in Sumatra, Indonesia, practicing modern slavery after KPK, in a sting operation, finds jail-like facility to house the workers. (Tempo English) 

Voting for the election of the President of the Italian Republic begins, with the process expected to take multiple days. (ANSA) 

In the first round of voting, two-thirds of electors cast blank ballots. (Euronews) 

The James Webb Space Telescope, a collaboration among NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, successfully enters orbit at its target destination, located near the Sun–Earth L₂ Lagrange point about 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 mi) from Earth. (AFP via Manila Standard) 

The End Tuesday 

The U.S. State Department orders its diplomats’ families to leave Ukraine, and authorizes voluntary departure of non-essential embassy staff in Kyiv. “Due to the continued threat” of a Russian invasion on Ukraine, American citizens are also urged to leave the country. (France 24) 

U.S. urges all U.S. citizens to leave Ukraine The State Department on Sunday recommended that all U.S. citizens leave Ukraine due to the threat of invasion by Russia, which has massed 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine. “Our recommendation to U.S. citizens currently in Ukraine is that they should consider departing now using commercial or privately available transportation options,” a senior State Department official told reporters. The State Department earlier told the families of embassy personnel to leave. Russia in 2014 seized and annexed Crimea, a peninsula on the Black Sea that the United Nations recognizes as Ukrainian, and Britain said over the weekend that Moscow is now plotting to install a pro-Russian regime in Ukraine. A U.S. National Security Council spokesperson called the alleged plot “deeply concerning.” Moscow called the allegation “ridiculous.” CNBC 

The United Kingdom begins withdrawing staff and their dependants from its embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, amid fears of a Russian invasion. Around half of all staff are being withdrawn, according to the Foreign Office. (The Guardian) 

Global stocks fall as Russia invasion threat looms in Ukraine Stocks fell around the world on Monday as concern about a possible Russian invasion in Ukraine steered investors away from riskier assets. The State Department over the weekend told families of embassy personnel to leave Ukraine, and The New York Times reported that President Biden is considering sending up to 5,000 troops to Eastern Europe, as Britain warns Moscow is plotting to install a pro-Russia regime in Ukraine. The Euro STOXX fell 1.3 percent, hitting its lowest point since Dec. 20. Indexes in London, Paris, and Frankfurt were down by about 1 percent, with tech stocks leading losses. Stock futures in the U.S. were slightly lower early Monday following the S&P 500’s worst week since March 2020. REUTERS 

French ‘vaccine pass’ rule takes effect France on Monday started enforcing a new law requiring people to show a COVID-19 “vaccine pass” to enter restaurants, bars, tourist sites, and sports venues. The rule exempts those who recently recovered from the virus. It is a key part of the French government’s strategy for curbing infections during an unprecedented COVID-19 wave driven by the highly infectious Omicron coronavirus variant. France has Europe’s highest-ever daily coronavirus infections, and many of its hospitals are overwhelmed with COVID patients, although the number requiring intensive care has declined recently. The country’s parliament and Constitutional Council approved the vaccine pass last week. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

A COVID-19 vaccine pass that requires people aged above 16 years to be fully vaccinated or showing proof of recovery from the disease in France takes effect as the replacement of health pass to enter bars, restaurants, inter-regional transport and other public spaces. (Euronews) 

Former Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy tests positive for the COVID-19 for the second time. (El Periódico) 

Anti-vaccine-mandate protesters march in Washington Protesters marched along the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Sunday in opposition to government-mandated COVID-19 vaccinations. Organizers of the rally said they were protesting mandates, not the vaccines themselves. “Since the vaccines do not stop people from getting sick, why should we impose them as a requirement to keep one’s job or to enjoy the freedoms that we have always enjoyed such as eating at a restaurant, going to a concert, or attending school or the university?” said Louisa Clary, an organizer, in an email to The Wall Street Journal. The demonstration came as the Biden administration is calling for more Americans to get vaccines and booster shots to help curb the spread of the highly infectious Omicron coronavirus variant, which has made so many workers sick that many businesses are struggling to stay open. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Fauci says Omicron wave has peaked, but warns against overconfidence Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s top medical adviser on COVID-19, said Sunday that the COVID-19 wave fueled by the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant was peaking nationally, but he warned Americans not to “get overconfident.” Fauci said on ABC’s This Week that he hoped that in a few weeks the level of infection would fall below the “area of control,” where the virus will still be around but it won’t “disrupt society.” Daily new infections have started falling in the Northeast and Midwest. Nationwide totals are declining, although they remain more than double last winter’s peak. Hospitalizations and deaths appear to be leveling off, although there could be “a bit more pain and suffering with hospitalizations” in areas with low vaccination and booster rates. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Israel says 4th COVID vaccine dose increases resistance to severe illness  A fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose made people over 60 in Israel three times more resistant to serious illness than people in the same group who had received three shots, Israel’s Health Ministry said Sunday. Those who got a fourth shot — the two initial doses and two boosters — were twice as resistant to infection than those who had received just one booster. A preliminary study published Monday by Israel’s Sheba Medical Center said the fourth shot increased antibodies but “probably” not enough to completely resist the highly infectious Omicron coronavirus variant. Israel earlier this month started offering people over 60 a fourth dose as Omicron drove a surge of infections. REUTERS 

Food shortages could last weeks as workers call in sick due to Omicron Food shortages in many supermarkets could persist for weeks as record numbers of workers at processing plants and grocery stores call in sick due to the wave of COVID-19 cases fueled by the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. In Arizona, for example, one produce company had 10 percent of its processing plant and distribution employees out sick recently. Food-industry experts said the crunch could continue for weeks or months, even if the number of new cases falls nationwide. Early in the pandemic, COVID-19 lockdowns prompted panic buying that resulted in shortages of meats, baking supplies, and paper goods, including toilet paper. But the shortages in the latest wave have been broader, as the lack of workers creates even more supply problems. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Trial begins in Palin’s defamation lawsuit against the Times Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s defamation lawsuit against The New York Times goes to trial on Monday. Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, has accused the Times of falsely linking her to the 2011 Arizona mass shooting that left six people dead and then-Rep. Gabby Giffords seriously wounded. The Times said in a 2017 editorial that Palin’s political action committee had incited the violence. Palin says the Times and former editorial page editor James Bennet defamed her. She is requesting unspecified damages and has argued in court papers that the editorial caused $421,000 in damage to her reputation. To win, Palin has to show that the editorial was written with “actual malice” toward her. REUTERS 

Jan. 6 committee has spoken with former Attorney General William Barr Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, said Sunday that investigators had spoken with former Attorney General William Barr. Thompson was asked on CBS’ Face the Nation about a draft executive order given to then-President Donald Trump seeking to have the Defense Department seize voting machines following Trump’s loss to President Biden in the 2020 election. “We are concerned that our military was part of this big lie on promoting that the election was false,” Thompson said. “So, if you are using the military to potentially seize voting machines, even though it’s a discussion, the public needs to know.” Several news outlets reported on the draft order last week. It was among the Trump White House documents the National Archives handed over after the Supreme Court turned down Trump’s request to keep the documents secret. CBS NEWS 

The United Arab Emirates Armed Forces intercepts two ballistic missiles over the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi. The Yemen-based Houthis claim responsibility for the attack. American troops stationed at Al Dhafra Air Base near the capital took shelter in bunkers during the attack. (ABC News) 

The process for the election of the President of the Italian Republic begins. The process is expected to take multiple days. (ANSA) 

Troops detain President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré amid reports of gunfire overnight in the capital Ouagadougou. The access to internet has reportedly been disrupted nationwide. It is the fourth coup to take place in West Africa in the past year. (BBC) 

Armenia’s president resigns over lack of power Armenian President Armen Sarkissian resigned on Sunday, saying the country’s constitution didn’t give him enough authority to enact policies to address a national crisis. “The roots of some of our potential problems are hidden in the current Basic Law,” he said in a statement. Sarkissian feuded last year over the dismissal of the head of the armed forces and other issues. The prime minister has had more power than the president since a December 2015 referendum making the country a parliamentary republic and limiting presidential authority. The leadership change comes as Armenia faces a border crisis with Azerbaijan, whose forces entered eastern Armenia in May 2021. THE HILL 

Cruise ship diverts from Miami after judge approves vessel’s seizure A cruise ship, Crystal Symphony, changed course over the weekend and sailed to the Bahamas instead of docking in Miami after a U.S. judge granted a request to have the vessel seized over $4 million in unpaid fuel. “We all feel we were abducted by luxurious pirates!” passenger Stephen Heard Fales posted on Facebook. Some passengers were sent by ferry to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday. The cruise ship can carry 848 passengers but it was not immediately clear how many were on board. About 400 crew members don’t know when they will get off the ship, or whether they remain employed, said Elio Pace, a musician who has toured on the Crystal Symphony. “This is about people and their jobs,” Pace said.  THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Activist investor pushes for Peloton CEO to go Activist investor Blackwells Capital is pushing exercise equipment maker Peloton to fire its CEO and consider selling itself following a sharp drop in its stock price, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. Peloton shares soared earlier in the pandemic as people started exercising more at home and demand spiked for Peloton’s stationary bikes and treadmills with livestreamed workouts. But the stock fell by 24 percent last week after a report it was pausing production due to falling demand. The shares have plunged by 84 percent in the last year as gyms reopened. Blackwells, which has a stake of less than five percent in Peloton, blames Peloton co-founder and CEO John Foley, and says the company would make a good acquisition for a larger tech or fitness company. Peloton declined to comment on the reports about Blackwells’ plans. FOX BUSINESS 

A shooting incident occurred in a lecture hall at the New Campus of the University of Heidelberg in Neuenheimer Feld, Heidelberg, Germany. Multiple injuries were reported, while the assailant shot himself. (Evening Standard) 

French adventurer dies at 75 while rowing solo across Atlantic French adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin was found dead over the weekend in the boat he was attempting to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean. If he had succeeded, Savin, 75, would have been the oldest person ever to accomplish the feat. But he sent out distress signals on Friday in what his daughter, Manon Savin, said was a sign of “great difficulty.” The Portuguese coast guard found Savin’s boat overturned near Portugal’s Azores archipelago. Savin left Portugal on Jan. 1, and celebrated his 75th birthday at sea on Jan. 14 as he pursued what he had described as his “last challenge at sea.” Savin successfully crossed the Atlantic in 2019 in a bright orange barrel-shaped vessel. “Unfortunately, the ocean this time was stronger than our friend,” his team said in a statement posted on Facebook. THE WASHINGTON POST 

Javier Bardem jumped out of a cake in drag on Daniel Craig’s birthday No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to … make a wish! Skyfall co-stars Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem chatted as part of Variety‘s Actors on Actors series, and they reminisced about that time Bardem jumped out of a cake in drag for the 007 actor’s birthday. This apparently happened during their joint birthday party, and the story came up after Craig asked Bardem if he had any musical experience prior to singing as Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos. “Well,” Bardem said, “apart from coming out of birthday cakes dressed like a Bond girl, not much!” Bardem recalled singing “Happy Birthday” to Craig, busting out his “best Marilyn Monroe impersonation.” Other highlights of the discussion included Bardem pointing out at the very end that Craig had been bleeding from his forehead the entire time without realizing. Craig joked, “No wonder I get f—ing injured every time I do a movie!”  VARIETYTHE WEEK 

Chris Evans cast in Dwayne Johnson’s new ‘holiday event film’ Is Dwayne Johnson’s new thing going to be starring in forgettable streaming films with red in the title? After Red Notice, The Rock is working on a “holiday event film” called Red One, and Captain America star Chris Evans has now joined its cast. The film was described as a “globe-trotting, four-quadrant action-adventure comedy,” which will introduce a “whole new universe to explore within the holiday genre.” Yes, a holiday film cinematic universe appears to be the goal here. A previous announcement declared that “this unique concept represents a property that could encompass not only a tentpole film, but could reach beyond entertainment across multiple industries and businesses,” whatever the heck that means, though nobody has really explained what the allegedly unique concept is. Clearly, having grand plans for an entire film universe before the first entry even comes out never goes wrong, as the folks behind Tom Cruise’s The Mummy could tell you.  DEADLINE 

Taylor Swift rips Damon Albarn for claiming she doesn’t write her songs Taylor Swift officially has bad blood with Damon Albarn. On Monday, Swift said she’s no longer a fan of the Gorillaz musician after he claimed to the Los Angeles Times that “she doesn’t write her own songs.” Albarn said “there’s a big difference between a songwriter and a songwriter who co-writes,” adding that he prefers Billie Eilish to Swift because her music is “just darker” and “less endlessly upbeat.” Ah yes, who could forget Swift’s famously upbeat Folklore? Swift fired back, tweeting directly at Albarn, “I write ALL of my own songs. Your hot take is completely false and SO damaging.” The Red singer also said Albarn doesn’t “have to like my songs” but that “it’s really f—ed up to try and discredit my writing” — and in a follow-up tweet, she clarified, “PS I wrote this tweet all by myself in case you were wondering.” You know what they say: say it in the street, that’s a knock-out, but you say it in a LA Times interview, that’s a cop-out.  LOS ANGELES TIMES 

‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’ fires star after investigation into his conduct Exit stage right. Actor James Snyder, who played Harry Potter in Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, has been fired from the show after an investigation into his conduct. Diane Davis, who plays Harry’s wife Ginny, filed a complaint “regarding the conduct of fellow cast member James Snyder” in November, producers said. After “an independent investigation by a third party,” the producers decided Snyder “should not return to the production and terminated his contract.” Details about Snyder’s conduct weren’t released. He and Davis both joined the cast of the Broadway show in 2019 to replace the original cast, and producers said Davis has made the personal decision to take a “leave of absence.” Add this one to the seemingly endless list of controversies related to the possibly cursed franchise.  VULTURE 

The End

Sunday, January 23rd, 2022 

The UK Health Security Agency designates the recently discovered Omicron sub-lineage known as BA.2 as a “variant of investigation”. (Sky News) 

Russia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 63,205 new COVID-19 cases, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 11.1 million. (Anadolu Agency) 

Russia plans to install puppet regime in Ukraine, U.K. government claims The United Kingdom’s government announced Saturday that their latest intelligence assessments suggest Russia plans to overthrow Ukraine’s elected government and install a pro-Russian puppet regime. Britain’s foreign ministry identified former Ukrainian parliament member Yevheniy Murayev as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top pick to lead the new government. U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss threatened “severe costs” if Russia attempts to invade Ukraine and install a friendly regime, while Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said Russia would face “very serious consequences.” Russia denied the allegations, calling them “disinformation.” REUTERS 

The British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office states that, according to the available information, the Russian government is planning to “install a pro-Russian leader in Kyiv as it considers whether to invade and occupy Ukraine.” (CNN) 

Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach resigns as Inspector of the German Navy following comments at a think tank in New Delhi, in which he called Russia’s intention to attack Ukraine “nonsense”, saying that Russian president Vladimir Putin “deserves respect”, and dismissing the prospects of Ukraine ever regaining Crimea and joining NATO. (The Guardian) 

German navy chief who said NATO should give Putin ‘the respect he demands’ resigns German naval chief Vice-admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach announced his resignation Saturday after his comments about the ongoing crisis on the Ukrainian border provoked outrage. At a think-tank discussion in India Friday, Schönbach said all Russian President Vladimir Putin really wants is “respect,” and that “giving him respect is low cost, even no cost. It is easy to give him the respect he demands, and probably deserves.” Ukraine’s foreign ministry said Schönbach’s remarks were “categorically unacceptable.” Germany has so far hesitated to provide weapons and other forms of “lethal aid” to Ukraine. THE GUARDIAN 

Families of U.S. Embassy personnel must evacuate Ukraine, State Department orders The State Department issued an order Saturday directing families of U.S. Embassy personnel in Ukraine to evacuate the country as soon as Monday. The State Department is also expected to issue guidance encouraging American civilians to begin leaving Ukraine on commercial flights. News of the evacuation order came only hours after the first shipment of a $200 million military aid package U.S. lawmakers approved last month arrived in Ukraine. Russia continues to move more troops to the Ukrainian border and refuses to back down from its demands that Ukraine be barred from NATO membership and that the alliance roll back its military presence in Eastern Europe. FOX NEWS 

Flights to and from Xi’an resume as China eases lockdown Seven planes took off from Xi’an Xianyang International Airport in China on Saturday, the first flights since Beijing imposed a strict COVID-19 lockdown on the city last month. The first inbound flights were expected to arrive at the airport Sunday. China locked Xi’an down on Dec. 22 after public health authorities recorded 52 new COVID cases in the city the previous day. Under the lockdown, residents were forbidden to leave their homes except in emergency situations. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian resigns on the grounds that the Constitution does not give him enough influence in the country’s decision-making process. (Reuters) 

Thousands to protest vaccine mandates in D.C. Sunday Organizers are reportedly expecting thousands of protesters for an anti-vaccine mandate rally in Washington, D.C., this weekend. The rally, largely organized in Facebook group “Defeat the Mandates DC” and on some internet forums, has raised at least $200,000 in crowdfunding. Leaders say they are expecting “tens of thousands of attendees” to begin protesting at the Washington Monument at 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday. Though the rally has been marketed as anti-mandate — not explicitly anti-vaccine — “organizers on Facebook have been quick to promote their links with anti-vaccine organizations,” including Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Children’s Health Defense fund, who filed the permit for the event.NBC NEWS 

Taliban in desperate need of humanitarian aid meets with Western leaders in Norway Representatives of Afghanistan’s Taliban government opened three days of talks with Western government officials and Afghan women’s rights and human rights activists in Norway on Sunday. Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who leads the Taliban delegation, said he hopes the trip will be “a gateway for a positive relationship with Europe.” He is also expected to press for Western countries to unfreeze nearly $10 billion of Afghan money. According to the United Nations, most of Afghanistan’s 38 million people live below the poverty line, and as many as one million children are in danger of starvation. POLITICO 

A French soldier is killed in a mortar attack on a military camp in Gao, northern Mali. (France 24) 

New Zealand prime minister cancels wedding as country locks down New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Sunday that she had canceled her wedding as a strict lockdown meant to control the spread of Omicron approaches. The new lockdown includes an indoor mask mandate, restrictions on gatherings, and social distancing requirements. “I am no different to, dare I say it, thousands of other New Zealanders who have had much more devastating impacts felt by the pandemic, the most gutting of which is the inability to be with a loved one sometimes when they are gravely ill,” Ardern said. She has been engaged to television host Clarke Gayford since 2019. In 2018, she gave birth to their daughter. BBC 

Sinema censured by Arizona Democrats over support for filibuster The Arizona Democratic Party (ADP) voted Saturday to censure Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) after she refused to support a Senate rule change to stop a filibuster of President Biden’s voting rights bill. The motion to censure the moderate Democrat passed unanimously. “I want to be clear, the Arizona Democratic Party is a diverse coalition with plenty of room for policy disagreements, however on the matter of the filibuster and the urgency to protect voting rights, we have been crystal clear. In the choice between an archaic legislative norm and protecting Arizonans’ right to vote, we choose the latter,” ADP Chair Raquel Terán said in a statement released after the vote to censure Sinema. ABC15 ARIZONA 

Aid flights and relief ships reach tsunami-ravaged Tonga Planes carrying aid from Australia, New Zealand, and Japan reached Tonga during the weekend, providing food, water, medical supplies, and communication equipment to the tsunami-ravaged archipelago. The Royal New Zealand Navy’s largest ship, NMNZS Aotearoa, arrived Friday, carrying a load of fresh water and a desalination plant capable of purifying 70,000 liters per day. Tonga’s islands remain blanketed in ash and largely cut off from the outside world as a result of damage to their primary submarine cable. Tonga was struck by a tsunami and covered with ash after an undersea volcano erupted 40 miles south of the capital city on Jan. 15. At least three people were killed. ABC NEWS 

Aaron Rodgers may retire after stunning loss to 49ers The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Green Bay Packers 13-10 Saturday night, knocking the Packers out of the playoffs and potentially marking an ignominious end to Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ career. The Packers delivered one of the “worst special teams performances in postseason history,” allowing the 49ers to successfully block a field goal and a punt, the latter of which they returned for a touchdown. “I’m very proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish here, deeply thankful for so many years here and all the incredible teammates and coaches I’ve had. Man, so much gratitude for this city and this organization, such a long career here,” the 38-year-old Rodgers said after the game. THE NEW YORK POST 

‘Laura Ingraham’ pushes non-Islamic ‘chickpea mash’ in new SNL cold open In the latest Saturday Night Live cold open, Kate McKinnon played Fox News host Laura Ingraham. “Good evening. I’m Laura Ingraham, and as soon as I marry your dad, I’m sending you straight to boarding school,” McKinnon said before listing several drawbacks of living in Biden’s America, including the green M&M being “canceled.” Later, McKinnon-as-Ingraham paused to thank her sponsors, including “Paula Deen’s Chickpea Mash”: “It’s not radical Islamic hummus; it’s American chickpea mash!” Guests included Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz (Aidy Bryant), Novak Djokovic (Pete Davidson), Candace Owens (Ego Nwodim), and former President Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson). CNN 

Saturday, January 22nd, 2022 

Russia positions additional troops as U.S. military aid arrives in Ukraine The first shipment of a $200 million military aid package U.S. lawmakers approved last month arrived in Ukraine Saturday. As U.S. and Russian diplomats continue to pursue a peaceful solution, Russia has moved more troops to the Ukrainian border and has not backed down from any of its demands. Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced joint military drills on Ukraine’s border with close ally Belarus as well as new naval exercises in the Black Sea. Putin has also threatened to deploy Russian military assets to Cuba and Venezuela.REUTERS 

Stock market has worst week since pandemic started Between Tuesday and Friday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,400 points, the worst week since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The S&P 500 fell by 5.1 percent and the Nasdaq by 6.2 percent during the same time period. “The biggest drive of the plunge” was reportedly “growing concerns that persistently high inflation will force the Federal Reserve … to aggressively raise interest rates this year.” After a crash at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, markets quickly bounced back and had been on an upward trajectory for almost two years. Some analysts say the market was overvalued and that this drop was a necessary correction.THE WASHINGTON POST 

Judge blocks Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal workers President Biden’s vaccination guidelines have hit another snag. A federal judge on Friday blocked the administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal workers, just one week after the Supreme Court struck down his vaccine-or-testing mandate for the nation’s large private employers. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown in Texas said Biden did not have the power to mandate “that all federal employees consent to vaccination against COVID-19 or lose their job.” The Justice Department plans to appeal Brown’s decision.THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Studies show boosters keep Omicron patients out of hospitals Booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are 90 percent effective against hospitalization with the Omicron variant, according to new data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday. Booster shots were also found to have “reduced the likelihood of a visit to an emergency department or urgent care clinic,” and were shown most effective against infection and death in Americans aged 50 and older, the data revealed. “I think we have to redefine fully vaccinated as three doses,” Dr. William Schaffner, a CDC vaccine adviser who was not involved in the studies, said. “I think it’s the third dose that really gives you the solid, the very best protection.”CNN 

Japan reports a record for the fifth consecutive day of 54,576 new COVID-19 cases, including a record 11,227 new cases in Tokyo and a record 7,675 new cases in Osaka Prefecture. (Kyodo News) 

Poland reports a record for the second consecutive day of 40,876 new COVID-19 cases, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 4,484,095. (Polskie Radio) 

Romania surpasses two million cases of COVID-19. (Digi24) 

Biden orders $15 minimum wage for all federal employees Federal agencies were directed on Friday to raise the minimum wage for government employees to $15 an hour. The rule will take full effect on Jan. 30, and the new pay guidance will impact close to 70,000 federal employees. Just over 2 million federal workers are already earning at least $15 an hour. The pay bump excludes the U.S. Postal Service and Postal Regulatory Commission, both of which fall outside the purview of the Office of Personnel Management.AXIOS 

Air strike on Yemeni prison kills at least 70, Houthis claim Saudi-led coalition forces reportedly carried out an air strike against a detention center in Yemen Friday, killing at least 70 people, injuring over 100, and drawing condemnations from the United Nations. In a statement released Saturday, the coalition denied targeting the prison. “The target in question” lacked the “distinctive symbols and preventative measures” necessary to mark it as non-military and had “not been placed on the No Strike List (NSL) in accordance with the agreed upon mechanism,” the statement read. The Saudi-led coalition, supported by the U.S., intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015 after Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seized the nation’s capital.BBC 

McConnell says he misspoke when he contrasted ‘African-American voters’ with ‘Americans’ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) attempted to set the record straight Friday after he drew criticism for saying Wednesday that “African American voters are voting in just as high a percentage as Americans.” McConnell and his staff have said he inadvertently omitted one word from the statement, a word they have identified as “all” and “other.” McConnell also defended his record on race relations, pointing to his presence in the audience at Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and his role in organizing a civil rights march while a university student. CNN 

Anti-abortion protesters gather in D.C. as Supreme Court weighs curtailing abortion rights Pro-lifers from around the country gathered in Washington, D.C., Friday for the annual March for Life, a protest that has been held annually since the Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade. This decision, which gave American women the right to an abortion up until the point of fetal viability, could be weakened or overturned entirely this summer when the conservative-dominated court rules on a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks. The theme of this year’s March for Life was “Equality Begins in the Womb.” NBC WASHINGTON 

Friday,  January 21st, 2022 

A Royal Saudi Air Force airstrike on a prison in Saada, Yemen, kills at least 100 people and injures more than 200 others. Médecins Sans Frontières reports over 200 casualties. The United Nations condemns the attack. (Dawn) (BBC News) 

ISIL militants attack Al-Sina’a prison in the city of Al-Hasakah, freeing prisoners and leading to clashes that kill 67 people. (SOHR) 

Japan reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 49,854 new COVID-19 cases. (Jiji Press) 

Poland reports a record 36,665 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 4,443,217. (Polskie Radio) 

Australia reports a record 88 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including a record 46 deaths in New South Wales, thereby bringing the nationwide death toll to 2,976. (SBS News) 

The World Health Organization recommends the usage of the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. (Reuters) 

Argentina formally requests that Russia arrest Iranian minister Mohsen Rezai, who is on a trip to Russia, based on the accusation by Argentina of Rezai’s involvement in the 1994 AMIA bombing. Russia did not immediately respond to the request. (Infobae) 

The French Constitutional Council conditionally approves a new COVID-19 vaccine pass law that would require people over the age of 16 years to be fully vaccinated in order to enter public venues and use intra-regional public transport but rejects the mandatory use of the vaccine pass for political rallies. The new vaccine pass will take effect on January 24. (France 24) 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announces it is officially investigating the standoff at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, U.S., on Saturday as a “federal hate crime” and an “act of terrorism”. (WFAA-TV) 

Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra welcome 1st child via surrogate Surprise! Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra revealed Friday they have become parents. “We are overjoyed to confirm that we have welcomed a baby via surrogate,” they wrote on Instagram. According to TMZ, the baby girl was born on Saturday in California, though they haven’t revealed her name. Jonas and Chopra have been married since 2018, and they had previously said they hoped to have kids. “I do want children, as many as I can have,” Chopra told the Sunday Times, and in a Vanity Fair interview published just last week, she said kids were a “big part of our desire for the future.” Might their baby girl one day have some Jonas brothers of her own? TMZ 

Pete Davidson and Colin Jost drop $280,000 on a decommissioned Staten Island ferry Just call them the kings of Staten Island. Saturday Night Live stars Pete Davidson and Colin Jost have partnered with comedy club owner Paul Italia to buy a decommissioned Staten Island ferry boat. The three reportedly spent $280,000 on the boat at a city auction — and Italia told the New York Post they have “grand plans” for it. “The idea is to turn the space into a live entertainment event space, with comedy, music, art, et cetera,” Italia said. “We’re in the early stages, but everybody involved had the same ambition — not to see this thing go to the scrapyard.” The ferry was listed as being in “poor condition” and was decommissioned due to mechanical issues. It’s unclear when this possible ferry club might open, though when it does, Kanye West will presumably just happen to be in the area that same day for unrelated reasons. NEW YORK POST 

Adele ‘so upset’ to postpone Las Vegas residency at the last minute Adele won’t be saying hello to Las Vegas today after all. The singer took to social media on Thursday evening to emotionally announce that her Las Vegas residency dates are being postponed because “we’ve been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and COVID,” adding, “Half my team are down with COVID.” The Vegas residency, “Weekends With Adele,” was set to begin today at the Caesars Palace Hotel and run through mid-April, with two shows each weekend. Adele cried as she told fans she’s tried “absolutely everything” to get the show ready in time and that she’s “gutted” to be postponing it at the last minute. “We’ve been awake for over 30 hours now trying to figure it out, and we’ve run out of time,” she said. “I’m so upset, and I’m really embarrassed, and I’m so sorry to everyone who’s traveled.” It’s disappointing news for fans who had tickets, but given the circumstances, hopefully they’ll go easy on her. VARIETY 

Next ‘Mission: Impossible’ delayed yet again Here’s a dispiriting thought: movies scheduled for release nearly three years after COVID began are still getting delayed over COVID. Paramount Pictures announced Friday that the next two films in the Mission: Impossible franchise starring Tom Cruise have been delayed yet again. Mission: Impossible 7 was scheduled to open on Sept. 30, 2022, but it now won’t be released until July 2023. The eighth film will then open in June 2024 instead of June 2023. The former sequel was previously expected to open in July 2021, only to be delayed to November 2021, May 2022, and then September 2022. It was a bit of a surprise after Spider-Man: No Way Home absolutely destroyed at the box office amid the Omicron surge and Paramount’s own Scream did pretty well last weekend, too. But clearly, releasing these next Mission: Impossible movies in theaters has turned out to be the most impossible mission of all.   THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 

Godzilla is heading to Apple TV+ Remember less than a year ago when the epic monster mash Godzilla vs. Kong was such a big screen spectacle it helped revive movie theaters? Well, the franchise is now set to continue … in a new TV show. Apple TV+ announced a new Godzilla streaming series in the “Monsterverse” is in the works. The show will be set in the aftermath of “the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are real,” centering around “one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch,” Apple said. A new King Kong movie called Son of Kong was previously reported to be under consideration, presumably for theaters — perhaps answering the question of who really won that battle in the end. Anyway, we’ll look forward to Godzilla vs. Ted Lasso sometime in 2025 or so. DEADLINE 

Nineteen-year-old Belgian-British pilot Zara Rutherford returns to Kortrijk, Belgium, to complete her five-month circumnavigation, becoming the youngest female pilot to fly solo around the world. (CNN) 

9 million stay home from work due to COVID-19 Nearly 9 million Americans had to stay home from work because they or someone they were caring for had COVID-19 in early January, CBS News reported Thursday, citing data collected by the Census Bureau. The surge of workers calling in sick came as the highly contagious Omicron variant drove infections and hospitalizations to record levels. Vital businesses including hospitals and airlines faced staffing shortages in what has been called the “great American sickout.” The Census Bureau has been tracking workplace absences since the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. two years ago, and the January numbers marked a record of about 6 percent of the workforce staying home. “Time and time again, we see that this economic recovery is tied to the pandemic and public health measures,” noted Luke Pardue, an economist at payroll services company Gusto. CBS NEWS 

Biden says U.S. won’t accept ‘minor incursion’ in Ukraine  President Biden on Thursday sought to clarify remarks that critics said suggested the United States would accept a “minor incursion” by Russia into Ukraine. Biden warned that the U.S. would unleash a “severe and coordinated economic response” to any invasion. “I’ve been absolutely clear with President [Vladimir] Putin. He has no misunderstanding,” Biden told reporters, adding: “If Putin makes this choice, Russia will pay a heavy price.” At a news conference marking the end of his first year in office a day earlier, Biden had said the U.S. response if Putin decides to “move in” to Ukraine “depends on what it does.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Biden’s earlier remarks by tweeting that “there are no minor incursions.”  THE WASHINGTON POST 

Blinken, Lavrov meet to discuss Ukraine U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are meeting in Geneva on Friday in high-stakes talks aiming to defuse escalating tensions over Ukraine. The U.S. is trying to avert a Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine, but negotiations at a series of meetings in Europe last week failed to produce a breakthrough, largely due to Russia’s demand for a guarantee from NATO not to expand in Eastern Europe. Blinken on Thursday tried to douse expectations of a quick resolution in Geneva, saying a fix “won’t happen quickly.” The U.S. and its allies in Western Europe have threatened “severe” sanctions and other consequences short of military action if Russia, which has massed 100,000 troops near the Ukraine border, invades. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

U.S. imposes sanctions on 4 Ukrainians for role in Russian propaganda The Treasury Department on Thursday imposed sanctions against four Ukrainians for allegedly helping Russia create the pretext for another invasion. The targeted individuals included parliament members Taras Kozak and Oleh Voloshyn, and two former government officials. The Treasury said they had been deeply involved in a disinformation campaign by Russia’s FSB federal security service. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Kremlin started the effort in 2020 “to degrade the ability of the Ukrainian state to independently function.” “The United States is taking action to expose and counter Russia’s dangerous and threatening campaign of influence and disinformation in Ukraine,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement. “We are committed to taking steps to hold Russia accountable for their destabilizing actions.” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

The U.S. State Department approves the delivery of U.S.-made weapons systems from the Baltic states to Ukraine, including FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles and FIM-92 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. (Euractiv) 

Mortgage rates rise to highest in 22 months Mortgage rates this week jumped to their highest level in 22 months as Treasury yields rose. The rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage rose from 3.45 percent last week to 3.56 percent. Homebuyers rushed to lock in rates before they went any higher, with mortgage applications to purchase homes increasing by 8 percent last week. The changes followed recent increases in Treasury yields as investors factored in expectations that the Federal Reserve would raise its target interest rates faster and farther than previously predicted as the central bank tries to counter high inflation. The 10-year Treasury has risen to its highest point since December 2019.  YAHOO FINANCE 

Nasdaq falls deeper into correction territory U.S. stock indexes dropped sharply on Thursday, extending a sell-off that has dragged the tech-heavy Nasdaq into correction territory. Wall Street started out the day strong but the rally quickly fizzled, and the Nasdaq closed down by 1.3 percent, putting it nearly 12 percent below the record high it set in November. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 fell by 0.9 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively. Stock futures fell further early Friday. Futures tied to the Dow were down by 0.2 percent at 6:30 a.m. ET. S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were down by 0.5 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively. The Nasdaq has been struggling as concerns about rising interest rates have dragged down technology and other growth stocks. REUTERS 

Intel to invest $20 billion in Ohio chip-making complex Intel plans to spend $20 billion on a new chip-making complex in Ohio, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reported Friday. The facility, to be built near Columbus, would boost Intel’s push to expand its chip-making business. The White House said early Friday that the company’s investment would help the United States meet its goal of increasing domestic production of computer chips as a shortage of semiconductors, largely manufactured in Taiwan, hampers production of automobiles and other products. “The COVID-19 pandemic shined a spotlight on the fragility in the global semiconductor supply chain,” the White House said. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Netflix shares plummet on forecast of slower subscriber growth Netflix on Thursday predicted that its subscriber growth would slow far more than previously expected in early 2022, sending its shares plunging by nearly 20 percent in after-hours trading. The streaming video giant added more than 8 million subscribers in the holiday quarter, meeting analysts’ expectations. That brought its global total to 221.8 million subscribers at the end of 2021. But Netflix said a lack of new original programming in early 2022 and other factors would slow growth to just 2.5 million net new subscribers in the first quarter of 2022. Netflix saw a surge in new subscriptions early in the COVID-19 crisis as people spent more time at home, but growth waned as the pandemic dragged on. MARKETWATCH 

House Jan. 6 committee requests Ivanka Trump’s cooperation The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack on Thursday requested an interview with Ivanka Trump, former President Donald Trump’s daughter and ex-senior adviser. The committee’s chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), said in a letter to Ivanka Trump that it had collected evidence that she had twice urged her father to call off the mob of his supporters rioting at the Capitol in an attempt to block the certification of his election loss to President Biden. The request suggested the panel had stepped up efforts to determine what the former president said and did during the attack. In the letter, Thompson indicated that the committee already had substantial evidence about Trump’s refusal to condemn the violence. AXIOS 

Munich report accuses Pope Benedict of mishandling abuse cases  A report commissioned by the Catholic Church in Germany accused Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI of “wrongdoing” in his handling of at least four sexual abuse cases when he ran the Munich Archdiocese from 1977 to 1982. In one case, Benedict, then known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, knew that a priest had been convicted of sexual abuse in a criminal court, but accepted him into his archdiocese, anyway, the law firm that conducted the investigation said Thursday at a news conference where it unveiled its 1,900-page report. Matthias Katsch, a spokesman for the Eckiger Tisch victims’ group, reacted to the report by saying “the building of lies to protect Pope Benedict has just collapsed with a crash.” Benedict’s personal secretary made no immediate comment, but the Vatican said it would pay “appropriate attention” to the findings. THE WASHINGTON POST 

China limits Winter Olympics torch relay in latest anti-COVID change China is limiting the Winter Olympics torch relay to three days in the latest change in response to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers of the Games said Friday. The flame will only be displayed in “safe and controllable” enclosed venues, and no public transit routes will be disrupted by the Feb. 2-4 relay, officials said. China also said recently that it was halting ticket sales and allowing only selected and vetted spectators to attend events. Athletes, officials, staff, and journalists are required to remain within a bubble. ESPN said Thursday it would not send news personnel to the Winter Olympics, and would instead “focus on covering the Games remotely.” NBC will anchor its coverage from the U.S. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Singer Meat Loaf is dead at 74 Meat Loaf, the singer and actor best known for his 1977 album Bat Out of Hell and his role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, died Thursday night, according to a statement on his official Facebook page. He was 74. No cause of death was given. Meat Loaf, born Marvin Lee Aday, and composer Jim Steinman released Bat Out of Hell, which included the hit singles “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” and “Paradise by the Dashboard Light,” in 1977, then came together again in 1993 with Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell. That album included “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” which reached No. 1 in 28 countries and won Meat Loaf a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance. CNN 

Thursday, January 20th, 2022 

Get ready for the longest Batman movie ever Holy strained bladders, Batman! The runtime for Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman, which stars Robert Pattinson, has been revealed: an eye-popping 2 hours and 55 minutes, or 2 hours and 47 minutes without credits. That will make it one of the longest superhero movies ever made, not to mention the longest solo Batman movie, surpassing The Dark Knight Rises’ 2 hours and 45 minutes. (Zack Snyder’s Justice League came out to an absurd four hours, but that debuted on HBO Max). Pattinson’s first outing as Batman will continue the trend of blockbusters that strengthen the case for bringing back intermissions, from the 2 hour and 43 minute No Time to Die to the 2 hour and 37 minute Eternals and 3 hour Avengers: Endgame. Those editors who manage to trim films down to a cool 100 minutes are the heroes we deserve, but not the ones Hollywood needs right now.  VARIETY 

Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader have reportedly been dating for more than a year It was a Christmas miracle for Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader. On Thursday, People revealed that Kendrick and Hader have been dating “quietly for over a year,” according to a source. “They met years ago,” the source told People. “She’s hosted Saturday Night Live and they’ve done a movie together, but they got together well after the movie.” That movie would be Noelle, the 2019 Disney+ Christmas film you’ve almost certainly forgotten about where they play siblings. For those wondering how we’ve never heard about this until now, People‘s source said, “They are both very private people, and with the pandemic it was easy to keep it quiet.” Presumably, Hader’s relationship with the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World star began only after an epic battle against Edgar Wright and the rest of Kendrick’s evil exes.  PEOPLE 

Johnny Knoxville broke into Eric Andre’s house on Christmas Eve Hi, I’m Johnny Knoxville, and this is “giving Eric Andre a Christmas Eve heart attack”! Andre chatted with Jimmy Kimmel about the upcoming Jackass Forever, revealing co-star Johnny Knoxville “broke into my house” over the holidays. Apparently, Knoxville wanted to cheer his buddy up while Andre was at home with a case of COVID-19, so he naturally showed up on Christmas Eve and “started toilet-papering my house.” Andre was not only sick but also stoned, and he recalls yelling out the window “I have a gun!” and calling the police as his security alarms went off. Knoxville’s reaction, according to Andre? “Dude, how good publicity would it have been if you had gotten me arrested and shot me right before Jackass comes out?” Knoxville was evidently filming, so might we have a last-minute post-credits scene on our hands here?   COMPLEX 

Charisma Carpenter blasts ‘tyrannical narcissist’ Joss Whedon Charisma Carpenter won’t abide by Joss Whedon’s efforts to get un-canceled. The Buffy the Vampire Slayer star described him as her “former tyrannical narcissistic boss who is still unable to be accountable and just apologize,” after a recent New York magazine profile about him. Carpenter previously alleged Whedon has a “history of being casually cruel” and “abused his power,” alleging he called her fat and fired her after she got pregnant. In the profile, Whedon admitted he was “not mannerly” while speaking to Carpenter after she got pregnant but denied calling her fat (immediately followed up by New York reporting, “But he did call other pregnant women fat”). Carpenter also slammed Whedon over his claim that Gal Gadot mistakenly thought he threatened her because English isn’t her first language. “I believe Gal Gadot not only understands career threats in English but also in Hebrew and Arabic,” Carpenter wrote. “Possibly French, Spanish, and Italian too.”  DEADLINE 

The new ‘Scream’ snuck in some hidden cameos from the original cast What’s your favorite scary movie? If it’s Scream, you’ll get a kick out of this. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett chatted with Fandom and Bloody Disgusting about their confusingly-titled Scream sequel Scream, revealing it features multiple sneaky voice cameos from the original stars. Drew Barrymore, who was killed off in the opening minutes of the original Scream, is apparently in there voicing a high school principal delivering an announcement, while Jamie Kennedy, who played Randy (R.I.P.), and Henry Winkler voice attendees during the party scene. Plus, after fans were convinced Matthew Lillard would return as Stu Macher despite having a TV dropped on his head in the first movie, it turns out they were sort of right — Lillard voices Ghostface in the movie-within-the-movie, Stab 8, and also can be heard as another anonymous partygoer. Make of that what you will, #StuLives conspiracy theorists. BLOODY DISGUSTING 

Rioters injure a police officer with live ammunition on the sidelines of unauthorized demonstrations. The administrative building of the Basse-Terre hospital is invaded by about forty people.(Le Figaro) 

A truck carrying explosives to a gold mine explodes after crashing into a motorcycle in Apiate, Western Region, Ghana; the explosion destroyed nearby buildings and vehicles, killing 17 people and injuring 59 others. (Reuters) 

The Austrian National Council votes 137–13 to approve a bill requiring people over 18 years to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning on 1 February, becoming the first country in the European Union to do so. (Reuters) 

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announces that a new COVID-19 vaccine pass will go into effect on January 24 pending approval from the Constitutional Council. The new pass will ban unvaccinated people from entering most public venues and travelling on domestic flights and inter-regional trains. Additionally, the mandate to work from home for more than 3 days per week will be lifted on February 2 and children between the ages of 12 and 17 years will be eligible to receive a booster dose beginning on Monday. (ABC News) 

Western Australia indefinitely suspends the reopening of its borders to fully vaccinated international and inter-state travellers in order to allow people to recieve a booster dose due to the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. (The Guardian) 

The Medicines Patent Pool signs an agreement with 27 pharmaceutical companies in 11 countries to produce both raw ingredients and finished products of Merck & Co.’s Molnupiravir COVID-19 drug, which will be used in 105 low- and middle-income developing countries. (France 24) 

Two men are arrested in Manchester and Birmingham, England, as part of an investigation into the standoff that occurred at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, United States, on Saturday. (The Guardian) 

The International Committee of the Red Cross appeals to hackers who stole personal data from the organisation to come forwards. (TheJournal.ie) 

The End Friday 

Thursday, January 20th, 2022 

The U.S. State Department approves the delivery of U.S.-made weapons systems from the Baltic states to Ukraine, including FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles and FIM-92 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to deter Russian military aggression. (Euractiv) 

Two people are killed and 26 more injured during a bomb attack at a busy shopping district in Lahore, Pakistan. (Al Jazeera) 

Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to block documents from Jan. 6 committee The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected former President Donald Trump’s request to block the release of some of his White House records to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Trump tried to use executive privilege to keep his White House records secret. But President Biden has signed off on letting the National Archives give more than 700 documents to lawmakers to help shine light on what Trump and his aides did before, during, and after the riot. The Supreme Court, with only Justice Clarence Thomas publicly dissenting, let stand an appeals court ruling that said providing a full accounting of the attempt to overturn the election result was more important than Trump’s desire to keep his White House communications secret. CNN 

Biden defends record and blasts Republicans as 1st year ends President Biden marked the end of his first year in office by holding his first news conference in 10 months, highlighting his accomplishments, acknowledging COVID-19 frustrations, and accusing Republicans of stalling his agenda with obstructionism. Biden said Republican lawmakers are afraid to do anything former President Donald Trump doesn’t like, saying they were intimidated by him. The criticism contrasted with his tone a year ago, when he came into office predicting that partisan gridlock would ease during his presidency. Biden vowed to pursue a scaled-down version of the $2 trillion proposal to expand the social safety net and fight climate change, saying it will be split into smaller bills, and predicted Russian President Vladimir Putin would “move in” to Ukraine but regret it. THE WASHINGTON POST 

GOP blocks voter protections as Democrats fail to change filibuster Democrats on Wednesday failed to push their voting rights legislation through the Senate, lacking the votes to overcome a Republican filibuster. Moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) blocked an effort by their party to change Senate rules to let the measure pass with a simple majority in the evenly divided chamber, instead of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. That effectively killed the voter protections that President Biden and leading Democratic lawmakers saw as a top priority. Democrats say that beefing up federal voting rights protections is necessary to counter voting restrictions passed by Republican-controlled state legislatures. Republicans say Democrats are misrepresenting the state laws to grab more power. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL 

Biden administration offering free N95 masks The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it was making highly efficient N95 masks available to the public — three per person, free of charge — as part of its stepped-up efforts to fight the record-breaking COVID-19 surge driven by the fast-spreading Omicron variant. The government will send 400 million nonsurgical N95 masks to community health centers and pharmacies across the country in what officials described as the “largest deployment of personal protective equipment in U.S. history.” N95 respirators, when used correctly, filter 95 percent of airborne particles. The announcement came on the day the Biden administration officially launched a website it is using to let every American family order four free at-home COVID-19 tests to be delivered by the United States Postal Service. THE NEW YORK TIMES 

University of Michigan agrees to $490 million sexual abuse settlement The University of Michigan has agreed to pay $490 million to settle lawsuits by 1,050 former athletes and other students who say they were sexually assaulted by the former football team doctor, the late Dr. Robert Anderson, lawyers for the plaintiffs and the university announced Wednesday. The suits accused the university’s administration of failing to act after learning of alleged sexual assaults by Anderson, who worked at the school from 1968 to 2003, and died in 2008. The university said $460 million of the settlement money will go to the initial claimants, and $30 million will be set aside for other victims who might decide to participate in the settlement before the end of July 2023. DETROIT FREE PRESS 

Boris Johnson says U.K. will ease COVID restrictions British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday that his government would ease coronavirus restrictions in England. The so-called Plan B rules were put into place to curb the COVID-19 wave driven by the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant and included mask requirements, guidance for working from home, and vaccination passports. “Our scientists believe that the Omicron wave has now peaked nationally,” Johnson said, explaining the new policy. The announcement of the lifting of the tighter restrictions came as Johnson faces calls to resign and broad criticism over a series of parties at his office during lockdowns. THE WASHINGTON POST 

CIA doubts ‘Havana Syndrome’ caused by hostile foreign actor The CIA has determined it’s unlikely that “Havana Syndrome,” a mysterious set of symptoms first detected among U.S. diplomats in Cuba, is the result of a sustained global campaign by a hostile foreign actor, NBC News and The New York Times reported late Wednesday, citing CIA officials familiar with a new intelligence assessment. Most of the 1,000 cases reported by U.S. diplomats and spies have plausible, alternate explanations, like undiagnosed medical conditions, environmental causes, or stress. But the agency could not rule out foreign involvement in two dozen cases, including many of those affecting people at the U.S. embassy in Havana starting in 2016, NBC News reported. A group of victims said in a statement that the interim findings “must not be the final word on the matter.” NBC NEWS 

French actor Gaspard Ulliel, 37, dies in ski accident Award-winning French actor Gaspard Ulliel, who played Hannibal Lecter and stars in Marvel’s upcoming show Moon Knight, died Wednesday in a ski accident in the Alps. He was 37. Ulliel collided with another skier at the intersection of two runs, and suffered brain trauma. He was taken to a hospital by helicopter but died of his injuries. Ulliel starred as Hannibal Lecter in 2007’s Hannibal Rising, and in 2017, he won the César Award for Best Actor for his role in It’s Only the End of the World. He was previously nominated for the award for playing fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in 2014’s Saint Laurent, and was awarded Most Promising Actor for 2004’s A Very Long Engagement. He was also the face of Bleu de Chanel, the Chanel fragrance. Ulliel is survived by his girlfriend, Gaëlle Pietri, and their 6-year-old son. FRANCE24 

Vaccination and prior infection both protected against COVID, CDC study says Coronavirus vaccination and natural immunity from prior infection both protect people against new COVID-19 cases, but vaccinations are more effective at keeping people out of hospitals, according to a study released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers looked at infections and hospitalizations among 1.1 million vaccinated and unvaccinated people, with and without prior infection. COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates were highest among unvaccinated people with no prior infection. Unvaccinated people who had already survived COVID-19 had higher hospitalization rates than vaccinated people initially, although that shifted months later as vaccine effectiveness waned and the Delta variant surged, before most Americans were eligible for booster shots. CNN 

Lusia Harris, the ‘Queen of Basketball,’ dies at 66 Lusia Harris, the only woman ever drafted by an NBA team, has died at age 66, her family confirmed in a statement Wednesday. The family noted in a statement that Harris died unexpectedly, not long after receiving an “outpouring of recognition” due to the short 2021 documentary The Queen of Basketball, which told her story. Harris led Delta State to three consecutive AIAW national collegiate championships from 1975 to 1977. A 6-foot-3 center who averaged 25.9 points and 14.5 rebounds per game, she was named an All-American three times. She was drafted by the New Orleans Jazz in the seventh round of the 1977 NBA draft, but didn’t try out for the team because she was pregnant. She also played on the inaugural U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team, which won a silver medal in Montreal. YAHOO SPORTS 

Airlines cancel some flights but avoid major 5G disruption Airlines canceled about 320 flights into and from the United States on Wednesday as AT&T and Verizon rolled out high-speed 5G service, but an agreement by the wireless carriers to scale back around airports helped prevent the widespread disruptions airline CEOs feared. International carriers that use wide-body Boeing 777s and other Boeing aircraft switched to different planes or canceled flights after the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing warned that 5G could interfere with equipment that measures altitude. The reduced rollout around airports was a temporary fix to provide time for the industry and the government to negotiate a lasting solution. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Starbucks drops vaccination requirement after Supreme Court decision Starbucks has scrapped its coronavirus vaccine mandate following the Supreme Court’s rejection last week of President Biden’s vaccinate-or-test requirement for big companies. The coffee company told workers in a Jan. 4 letter that they would have to get vaccinated by Feb. 9 or submit to weekly COVID-19 testing to comply with guidance from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. After the Supreme Court decision, the company said it still encouraged employees to get vaccinated but was dropping the mandate, although it would continue to follow local coronavirus regulations. “We respect the Court’s ruling and will comply,” John Culver, chief operating officer and group president for North America at Starbucks, told workers in a Tuesday message. CNN 

U.S., U.K. to begin talks on lifting Trump steel, aluminum tariffs The United States and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement Wednesday that they had agreed to start negotiations on lifting tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump on British steel and aluminum. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, and U.K. Trade Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the two countries were aiming for a quick deal that “strengthens their democratic alliance” and benefits their steel and aluminum industries. Trump in 2018 imposed the tariffs — 25 percent on foreign steel, and 10 percent on aluminum — citing national security concerns. Britain and other U.S. allies called the move outrageous. President Biden last year made a deal with the European Union that dropped tariffs on EU metals up to import quotas, keeping taxes on anything exceeding them. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS 

Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 

Jeff Daniels honored to have a parasitic worm named after him What an honor! Jeff Daniels says he’s finally made it now that scientists have named a species of parasitic worm after him. Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, discovered a worm that kills tarantulas, and they went ahead and named it “tarantobelus jeffdanielsi” after Daniels, according to Variety. It’s a reference to his role in Arachnophobia, the 1990 movie about a town being attacked by spiders. His character in the movie was a “spider killer, which is exactly what these nematodes are,” parasitologist Adler Dillman said. Daniels joked that when he heard the worm would be named after him, he wondered, “Why? Is there a resemblance?” But, he added, “I was honored by their homage to me and Arachnophobia. Made me smile. And of course, in Hollywood, you haven’t really made it until you’ve been recognized by those in the field of parasitology.” Emmys, Shemmys, right?  VARIETY 

Amazon reveals the title of its insanely expensive ‘Lord of the Rings’ show How many times can Amazon squeeze the words “the” and “rings” into the name of its new Lord of the Rings show? Prime Video revealed its upcoming The Lord of the Rings streaming series will be titled: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The showrunners teased that “until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring — but before there was one, there were many … and we’re excited to share the epic story of them all.” Prime Video’s dramatic teaser video slowly reveals the title graphic, and the company said it actually “physically forge[d] the title in a blacksmith foundry, pouring fiery molten metal into hand-carved wooden ravines shaped to the letterforms.” Okay, now they’re just boasting about how expensive this endeavor is. One season will reportedly cost over $450 million, and Jeff Bezos himself posed with the wooden title. We’ll find out whether his quest for the next Game of Thrones flops when the show debuts on Sept. 2.   VANITY FAIR 

Brian Cox says Jeremy Strong ‘got hoisted’ by that ‘New Yorker’ profile Good news: the Jeremy Strong New Yorker profile discourse is back! Succession star Brian Cox weighed in on the December profile of Strong, which prompted some colleagues to jump to the actor’s defense. “It was Jeremy’s idea, the whole article,” Cox told Variety. “He pushed for it, and you know, and people kept warning him about it. In a sense, he got hoisted by it, and I think it was unfortunate.” The profile of Strong drew some pushback from people like Jessica Chastain and Aaron Sorkin, who suggested it made his acting process look ridiculous and unreasonable, while others defended the piece as fair. Cox argued Strong put himself in a “very, very vulnerable position” with the profile, and when asked if Cox might be putting himself in a similarly vulnerable position with the release of his brutally honest new book, he shot back, “No, no. Listen, I’m too old, too tired and too talented for any of that sh–.”  DEADLINE 

The Rock clarifies the massive T-Rex skull in his office is just a replica The Rock says … no, he didn’t drop over $30 million on an actual T-Rex skull. When Dwayne Johnson recently appeared on Monday Night Football, viewers couldn’t help but notice the massive T-Rex skull that was just casually sitting in the background of his shot. After a T-Rex skull known as “Stan” was anonymously purchased at an auction for $31.8 million in October 2020, some speculated this buyer was, in fact, Johnson. But the Rock took to Instagram to clarify, “I am not the mystery buyer,” explaining that he actually has a “REPLICA CAST of STAN” in his home office that he “had made and purchased.” He added that considering the real fossil is “considered to be the most perfectly preserved skull ever found,” if he did own it, “I sure as hell wouldn’t keep him in my office.” And to think all we’ve got going on in the background of our Zoom shots is piles of dirty laundry.  CNN 

Jason Mantzoukas will voice Tommy Lee’s penis It sounds like the new series about Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee may just leave us asking, How did this get made? Lily James and Sebastian Stan play Anderson and Lee in the new Hulu show Pam & Tommy, and Variety revealed it features what the outlet dubbed a “penis tête-à-tête.” One scene reportedly involves Lee wondering “whether he’s falling in love” with Anderson, and he “discusses it in a heart-to-heart talk with his penis,” Variety writes. Providing the voice of Lee’s penis will be Jason Mantzoukas. Director Craig Gillespie said shooting the scene was “just awkward” because “you’ve got four puppeteers working with an animatronic penis,” while Stan declared, “I treated it like it was an intimate buddy conversation that one might have when they’re falling in love.” Writer Robert Siegel also said Hulu was supportive of the idea, although there was some “gentle pushback” because “you’ve got to push back a little when a talking penis is presented to you.” Yes, we’re always saying that!  VARIETY 

US President Joe Biden states that a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine will result in a more severe penalty than a “minor incursion” as he predicts that Russian President Vladimir Putin “will move in [on Ukraine]; he has to do something.” (Reuters) 

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 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said yesterday that “Russia could at any point launch an attack on Ukraine” and that “No option is off the table.” (France 24) 

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

The United Kingdom‘s Royal Air Force continues flights to Ukraine delivering “thousands” of MBT LAW anti-tank missiles to the Ukrainian military. Russia accuses Britain of “fuelling the crisis” by sending lethal weapons to Ukraine. (UK Defence Journal) (The Times) 

Twenty-nine people are killed during a stampede at an open-air Pentacostal church in Monrovia, Liberia, triggered by panic erupted after gangsters entered the prayer ground after a collection. (BBC) 

The Japanese government announces that it will place Tokyo and 12 other prefectures under a quasi-state of emergency from January 21 to February 13 amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases due to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, with the country reporting a record for the second consecutive day of 41,487 new cases of COVID-19. (Kyodo News) 

The Czech government suspends plans to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for key workers and people over the age of 60, which was expected to come into effect in March. (ABC News) 

Mexico reports a record for the second consecutive day of 60,552 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 4,495,310. (Bloomberg) 

Conservative Party MP Christian Wakeford crosses the floor to the opposition Labour Party, stating that 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) 

The End

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