Letter from Africa: The continent no longer needs lectures from the US

In our series of letters from African journalists, Waihiga Mwaura looks at what the continent could expect from new US President Joe Biden. The red carpet was unrolled, the hall was packed, security was tight and Joe Biden took to the stage. This was Nairobi in 2010 and Kenyans had come to listen to the-then US vice-president.

Israeli police, ultra-Orthodox protesters clash over schools

Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators clashed with Israeli police in two major cities on Sunday, as authorities faced new difficulties in enforcing coronavirus restrictions in the country's religious communities. The clashes occurred in Jerusalem and Ashdod as police attempted to close religious schools that had opened in violation of lockdown orders. Throughout the pandemic, many major ultra-Orthodox sects have flouted safety regulations, continuing to open schools, pray in synagogues and hold mass weddings in funerals.

Biden on collision course with Saudi Arabia that could upset Trump's alliance against Iran

The Biden administration has already set itself on a collision course with Saudi Arabia after its director of National Intelligence vowed to declassify a report on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The push to release the intelligence community's assessment of the murder of the dissident journalist, which is believed to implicate Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has the potential to trigger a major fallout with the kingdom. Avril Haines, who was confirmed in her new role on Thursday, told Congress “we will follow the law” regarding the report, referring to the Trump administration's refusal to release the full version for US House representatives.

• 
  Saudi Arabia expects 'excellent relations' with Biden administration

  Reuters
• 
  Schiff asks new intel chief Avril Haines to declassify Jamal Khashoggi report

  Axios

Sri Lanka Minister who promoted 'Covid syrup' tests positive

Sri Lanka's health minister, who endorsed herbal syrup to prevent Covid, has tested positive for the virus. Pavithra Wanniarachchi tested positive on Friday, a media secretary at the Ministry of Health told the BBC. She had promoted the syrup, manufactured by a shaman who claimed it worked as a life-long inoculation against the virus.

Lucas Interior Embraces Color to Modernize Palm Springs Spanish Revival Home

The materials and colors took center stage,” said David Lucas when it came to the design of the home. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

The Bidens were reportedly left waiting outside the White House on Inauguration Day because Trump sent the staff home

Biden reportedly wasn't greeted by White House staff on Inauguration Day because Trump sent them home. Trump reportedly sent the butlers home so "there would be no-one to help the Bidens when they arrived." Chief usher Timothy Harleth left his role before the Bidens arrived at the White House.

• 
  For Biden, pandemic safety starts at home: In the White House

  Yahoo News
• 
  Bidens left stuck outside White House on Inauguration Day after ‘petty’ final Trump act

  The Independent

US reaffirms Taiwan support after China sends warplanes

The U.S. has reaffirmed its support for Taiwan following China's dispatch of warplanes near the island in an apparent attempt to intimidate its democratic government and test the resolve of the new American presidential administration. The U.S. State Department on Saturday said it was concerned by China's "pattern of ongoing attempts to intimidate its neighbors, including Taiwan.” “We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan's democratically elected representatives," Ned Price, a spokesman for the department, said in the statement.

Letters to the Editor: Trump did a lot of bad things, but he outdid himself with this pardon

To the editor: Former President Trump did a lot of things that were terrible, but none was as disturbing to me as his pardon of a man who paid to have his daughter accepted to USC under false pretenses. The fact that the pardon was backed by several businesspeople who were financial supporters of Trump is yet another example of people being able to buy their way out of almost any crime. To the editor: Pardon me, but Trump's pardon of his former campaign manager Stephen K. Bannon may actually further endanger him.

Scottish leader says PM Johnson fears democracy over independence issue

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon accused British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday of fearing democracy when it comes to letting the Scottish people express their will on independence from the United Kingdom. Scotland voted against independence by 55% to 45% in a 2014 referendum. But a majority of Scots also backed staying in the European Union in the subsequent 2016 Brexit vote, stoking demands by Scottish nationalists for a new independence vote after the UK as a whole voted to leave.

Citizenship data is latest rollback of Trump census efforts

The U.S. Census Bureau is suspending efforts to create neighborhood-level statistics on the citizenship and age of residents, using 2020 census data, in the latest rollback of Trump administration census-related initiatives that critics feared would be used to favor Republicans and whites during the drawing of state and local districts. As part of an order President Joe Biden signed Wednesday on the 2020 census, the Census Bureau said Friday that it would discontinue efforts to create citizenship tabulations at the city-block level using 2020 census data combined with administrative records.

Man who punched cop during Capitol riot has brother in Secret Service who is friends with Michelle Obama, the Huffington Post has revealed

Scott Kevin Fairlamb, 43, of Stockholm, New Jersey, was arrested on five charges on January 22. Preston Fairlamb III led Michelle Obama's service detail while she was First Lady. The son of a police officer who punched a cop during the Capitol riots also has a brother in the Secret Service who Michelle Obama previously described as a "real friend," the Huffington Post found.

10 Republicans Voted to Impeach Trump. The Backlash Has Been Swift.

It's been less than two weeks since Reps. Peter Meijer, Tom Rice and Liz Cheney broke with nearly all of their Republican colleagues in the House and voted to impeach President Donald Trump, but in their home states, the backlash is already growing. In Michigan, a challenger to Meijer received a boost when Steve Bannon promoted him on his podcast. In South Carolina, a local Republican is getting so many calls urging him to run against Rice that he can't keep his phone charged.

• 
  Majority of House GOP reportedly supports removing Liz Cheney from leadership after impeachment vote

  The Week
• 
  Biggs on Liz Cheney's vote to impeach Trump

  FOX News Videos

Protests against Israeli PM Netanyahu continue nationwide

Over a thousand protesters gathered in Jerusalem on Saturday for weekly demonstrations demanding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu step down over corruption charges, as smaller protests were staged at intersections and bridges across the country. The protests have taken place each week since last summer, primarily at a Jerusalem square near Netanyahu's official residence, and continued despite lower turnout in the cold winter nights. In March, Israel will hold its fourth national election in less than two years, and Netanyahu is facing further challenges from defectors within his Likud party.

Over 3 dozen Democrats lawmakers urge Biden to commute the sentences of all remaining federal death row inmates

Thirty-seven lawmakers asked President Joe Biden to commute the sentences of all remaining federal death row inmates. The effort was led by Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Cori Bush of Missouri. Biden is opposed to the death penalty and campaigned on ending the practice.

Arab Spring exiles look back 10 years after Egypt uprising

The Egyptians who took to the streets on Jan. 25, 2011, knew what they were doing. Police forces backed off, and within days, former President Hosni Mubarak agreed to demands to step down. A decade later, thousands are estimated to have fled abroad to escape the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi that is considered even more oppressive.

Three cases linked to Australia Open carry highly virulent COVID-19 variant

Three people in hotel quarantine associated with the Australian Open tennis tournament have tested positive for the highly transmissible coronavirus variant linked to the United Kingdom, officials said on Saturday. "Three quarantine residents associated with the Australian Open who tested positive for coronavirus have been found to have the UK variant of the virus," COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria said in a statement. Victoria, Australia's second most-populous state, recorded its 17th day without any new local infections on Saturday as officials focus on keeping the community separated from staff and players here for the Grand Slam tournament.

• 
  Nine active cases of COVID-19 in Australian Open quarantine, officials say

  Reuters
• 
  WTA event added for quarantining players in Melbourne

  Associated Press

Trump did ‘more harm than expected’ to transition, says senator close to president

Senator Chris Coons has said that Donald Trump and “his team caused more harm than expected” during the transition period after Joe Biden's transition team was not permitted access. The revelation came during an interview on MSNBC during which the Democratic senator was asked for his opinion on the flurry of executive actions passed by the president since Wednesday. Senator Coons, who holds Mr Biden's old seat and has known the president for 30 years, said the president had been thoroughly preparing since he won the election in November.

'You shouldn't be calling yourself a Ranger': Tom Cotton's military service is under scrutiny from a fellow Army veteran in Congress

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton's past characterization of his military service is drawing scrutiny from critics. A recent Salon report resurfaced a longtime debate over military titles. Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, a US Army veteran, took note of the debate said that the "truth matters."

Arizona Republicans censure Cindy McCain, GOP governor

Arizona Republicans voted Saturday to censure Cindy McCain and two prominent GOP members who have found themselves crosswise with former President Donald Trump. The censures of Sen. John McCain's widow, former Sen. Jeff Flake and Gov. Doug Ducey are merely symbolic. But they show the party's foot soldiers are focused on enforcing loyalty to Trump, even in the wake of an election that saw Arizona inch away from its staunchly Republican roots.

Kyle Rittenhouse's bond conditions modified after prosecutors said he was seen using white power hand symbols with Proud Boys members at a bar

The terms of Kyle Rittenhouse's bond were modified after he was seen at a bar with his mother and members of the far-right Proud Boys, according to FOX 6. Kenosha County prosecutors previously requested to adjust his bond conditions after being spotted using white power associated hand symbols and drinking beers following his release. Rittenhouse,18, is the gunman associated with the deaths of two people and injuring another during a Jacob Blake protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin last summer.

• 
  Judge: Kenosha shooter can't associate with supremacists

  Associated Press
• 
  Kenosha killing suspect Rittenhouse's bond terms changed after bar visit

  NBC News

Elon Musk's SpaceX reportedly plans to drill near a Texas launchpad for natural gas

Elon Musk, who recently relocated to Texas, now reportedly has plans to to drill for natural gas there, too. SpaceX, Musk's space company, is looking to drill wells close to the company's Boca Chica, Texas, launchpad, according to Bloomberg. The site in Boca Chica previously hosted prototype launches for the company.

Team UK edges Luna Rossa to win AmCup Challenger series

Forced to sail mostly on guesswork after a technical glitch, Britain's INEOS Team UK broke the magical 50-knot barrier in beating Italy's Luna Rossa by 33 seconds on Saturday in the final round-robin race of the America's Cup challenger series at Auckland, New Zealand. In doing so Team UK, which had been a lame duck due to equipment and systems issues in pre-Christmas racing, retained its unbeaten record after five races in the Prada Cup challengers series to qualify automatically for the final. When the boats came together on opposing gybes near the bottom of the last leg — Team UK on port and Luna Rossa with the right of way on starboard — Britannia slid just across the bow of Luna Rossa; only meters separated the yachts.

• 
  No British bust: Team UK into America's Cup challenger final

  Associated Press
• 
  Ben Ainslie puts in 'best race' of his career as Ineos Team UK make final of Prada Cup

  The Telegraph

Norwegian Cruise Line will require crew members to get the COVID-19 vaccine before boarding as sailings continue to be pushed back

Norwegian Cruise Line and its Regent Seven Seas Cruises brand will be asking all of its crew members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine prior to boarding, the cruise companies' spokespeople told Insider in an email statement. It's just the latest sign that cruise sailings won't be departing any time soon. Cruise ships first gained their reputation of being coronavirus hotspots in February 2020 after Princess Cruises' Diamond Princess left thousands of passengers stuck and hundreds infected with the virus.