U.S.Associated PressWoman investigated for theft of Pelosi computer due in court
Federal authorities arrested a woman whose former romantic partner says she took a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. Riley June Williams was arrested Monday, according to a Justice Department official. The federal prosecutors' office in Harrisburg, where she was jailed, said Williams was due in court Tuesday afternoon.
WorldReutersIndependent pandemic review panel critical of China, WHO delays
An independent panel said on Monday that Chinese officials could have applied public health measures more forcefully in January to curb the initial COVID-19 outbreak, and criticised the World Health Organization (WHO) for not declaring an international emergency until Jan. 30. The experts reviewing the global handling of the pandemic, led by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, called for reforms to the Geneva-based United Nations agency.Their interim report was published hours after the WHO's top emergency expert, Mike Ryan, said that global deaths from COVID-19 were expected to top 100,000 per week "very soon". "What is clear to the Panel is that public health measures could have been applied more forcefully by local and national health authorities in China in January," the report said, referring to the initial outbreak of the new disease in the central city of Wuhan, in Hubei province.
WorldThe TelegraphBrussels gives tentative backing to EU coronavirus 'passports' to boost travel
It is unlikely that Britain would accept the certificates from EU citizens hoping to travel to the UK. Brussels said that using the vaccination certificates to allow greater travel and tourism in the EU was “premature” at this stage but left the door open for the plans to be picked up in the future. We feel that now this is the time for these vaccine certificates to be recognised across the European Union, and even beyond the European Union.
- U.S.Associated Press
Political scientist accused of secretly working for Iran
A Massachusetts-based political scientist and author is accused of secretly working for the government of Iran while lobbying U.S. officials on issues like nuclear policy, federal authorities said Tuesday. Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi was arrested by FBI agents at his home in Watertown, Massachusetts, on Monday, officials said. Afrasiabi appeared before a Boston federal court judge via videoconference during a brief hearing and a detention hearing was scheduled for Friday.
HealthReutersModerna says possible allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccine under investigation
The company's comments come after California's top epidemiologist on Sunday issued a statement recommending providers pause vaccination from lot no. 41L20A due to possible allergic reactions that are under investigation. The vaccine maker said it was unaware of comparable cases of adverse events from other vaccination centers which may have administered vaccines from the same lot or from other lots of its vaccine. A total of 307,300 doses from the lot remain in storage, Moderna said, of the total 1,272,200 doses that were produced in the batch.
PoliticsBBCKamala Harris: A beginner's guide to the vice-president
Kamala Harris will make history when she takes the oath of office on Wednesday, becoming the first woman and first black and South Asian American to serve as US vice-president. Here's what awaits Ms Harris in her new job. "The role of the vice-president was, frankly, to just be that heartbeat away from the president," said Barbara Perry, the director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia's Miller Centre.
WorldAssociated PressUK: 'Genocide' clause to China trade deals narrowly defeated
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson narrowly avoided a defeat in Parliament on Tuesday after lawmakers voted against a controversial proposal seeking to bar trade deals with any country deemed by the U.K. High Court to be committing genocide. The amendment to the government's post-Brexit trade bill was largely designed to force international action in addressing China's alleged human rights abuses against the Uighur minority in the far western Xinjiang region. Campaigners had said that if the proposal passed, Britain would become the first country in the world to allow genocide cases to be considered in domestic courts.
WorldAssociated PressAP Photos: Snow fills Kashmir resort with tourists again
Snow lies knee-deep in the pastoral town of Gulmarg, or “meadow of flowers,” on Indian-controlled Kashmir's high plateau. With its blanket of white, the idyllic hill station is seeing tourists again fill its hotels and ski, sledge and trek its Himalayan landscape. The heavy influx of tourists is a dramatic change for the tourism industry in disputed Kashmir, which faced the double whammy of the coronavirus pandemic and harsh curbs on civil rights India imposed in the region in August 2019.
PoliticsReutersU.S. Senate Republican leader McConnell says Trump 'provoked' Jan. 6 riot
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday accused President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican, of provoking the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. The U.S. House of Representatives last Wednesday impeached Trump for a second time. The Senate has yet to schedule a trial to determine Trump's guilt or innocence.
EntertainmentArchitectural DigestThe Coolest New Automotive Technology at CES 2021
Mercedes-Benz's Hyperscreen, General Motors' Bright Drop, and Jeep's Electric Wrangler were among the unveils that turned heads Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldAssociated PressThai court gives record 43-year sentence for insulting king
A court in Thailand on Tuesday sentenced a former civil servant to a record prison term of 43 years and six months for breaching the country's strict law on insulting or defaming the monarchy, lawyers said. The Bangkok Criminal Court found the woman guilty on 29 counts of violating the country's lese majeste law for posting audio clips to Facebook and YouTube with comments deemed critical of the monarchy, the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said. The sentence, which comes amid an ongoing protest movement that has seen unprecedented public criticism of the monarchy, was swiftly condemned by rights groups.
PoliticsThe IndependentJen Psaki: Who is Joe Biden’s pick for White House press secretary?
In November, Joe Biden named veteran Democratic spokesperson Jen Psaki as his White House press secretary, rounding out an all-woman senior communications team for his administration. Ms Psaki will be one of seven women to fill the upper ranks of Mr Biden's communications team, and currently oversees the confirmations team for the Biden-Harris Transition. The 42-year-old graduate of the College of William and Mary previously held a number of senior roles in the Obama administration when Mr Biden was Vice-President.
WorldAssociated PressPakistan PM angry over reports TV anchor knew about strike
Pakistan's prime minister reacted angrily Monday to media reports of a text exchange between an Indian TV anchor and a former media industry executive that suggests a 2019 Indian airstrike inside Pakistan was designed to boost Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's chances for reelection. Imran Khan took to Twitter to respond to Indian media reports of an exchange on the WhatsApp messaging service between popular Indian TV anchor Arnab Goswami and Partho Dasgupta, the former head of a TV rating company.
U.S.Business InsiderThe man accused of breaking the window Ashli Babbitt tried to climb through when she was shot during the Capitol insurrection has been arrested
Chad Barrett Jones, 42, of Coxs Creek, Kentucky, was arrested in Louisville on Saturday, the FBI said in a news release. Jones is accused of breaking a window of the Capitol building moments before Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot during the insurrection earlier this month. He's facing multiple charges, including assault on a federal officer, destruction of government property, obstruction of justice, unlawful entry on restricted building or grounds, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
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National Guard troops posing threat to Biden is 'absolutely ridiculous': Jeremy Hunt
Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen questions the loyalty of the National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C. for the inauguration; West Point graduate and Army veteran Jeremy Hunt responds.
PoliticsBBCBiden to block Trump's Covid rule change on president's final day in office
US President-elect Joe Biden is to undo one of Donald Trump's last actions in office by blocking his decree lifting Covid travel bans on visitors from much of Europe and Brazil. Mr Biden's spokeswoman said now was not the time to be easing travel measures. Joe Biden will take office at 12:00 (17:00 GMT) on Wednesday.
WorldAssociated PressTaiwan military stages drill aimed at repelling China attack
Taiwanese troops using tanks, mortars and small arms staged a drill Tuesday aimed at repelling an attack from China, which has increased its threats to reclaim the island and its own displays of military might. “No matter what is happening around the Taiwan Strait, our determination to guard our homeland will never change,” said Maj. Gen. Chen Chong-ji said, director of the department of political warfare, about the exercise at Hukou Army Base south of the capital Taipei. Chen said the exercise was intended as a show of Taiwan's determination to maintain peace between the sides through a show of force.
U.S.Business InsiderWhat we know about the laptop that was stolen from Nancy Pelosi's aide during the Capitol siege
Since the deadly siege on the US Capitol, lawmakers have reported various items stolen from their offices. A laptop that belonged to an aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was one of the items reported stolen. On Monday, the FBI arrested a 22-year-old woman accused of stealing the laptop and planning to sell it to Russia.
PoliticsThe Daily BeastIncoming Dem Chairman to Trump Admin: Why Did You Slow Walk Ukrainian Disinfo Sanctions?
A top Senate Democrat wants answers from the Trump administration about what he calls a suspiciously-timed sanctioning of the man behind the bogus narrative that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election, and a promoter of the debunked claims that President-elect Joe Biden acted corruptly to help his son's business in the country. On Jan. 11, the Treasury Department announced sanctions on Andrii Telizhenko for his involvement in a “Russia-linked foreign influence network” steered by Andriy Derkach, a Ukrainian politician who was deemed a Russian intelligence asset when Treasury sanctioned him in September 2020.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderCuomo asks Pfizer to sell its COVID-19 vaccine directly to New York as the head of WHO warns of mounting inequities in vaccine distribution
On Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on Pfizer to sell doses of its coronavirus vaccine directly to New York. The proposal would require Pfizer to bypass the federal government's Operation Warp Speed campaign to vaccinate hundreds of millions of Americans. "The distribution of any doses obtained directly from Pfizer will follow the rigorous guidance the State has established, while enabling us to fill the dosage gap created this week by the outgoing federal administration," Cuomo wrote in a letter to Pfizer.
SportsAssociated PressRahane was always thinking of win in 4th test vs Australia
Against all odds, interim captain Ajinkya Rahane managed to lead an injury-affected India to victory in the fourth cricket test and retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India was forced to make four changes for the series finale after salvaging a draw in Sydney, and a draw in Brisbane would have been good enough to retain the trophy. Turns out Rahane had a plan for victory all along.
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'American leadership still matters': Blinken
President-elect Joe Biden's nominee to be secretary of state, Antony Blinken, pledged on Tuesday that he will work to revitalize damaged American diplomacy and build a united front to counter the challenges posed by Russia, China and Iran. At his confirmation hearing a day before Democrat Biden takes over from Republican Donald Trump, whose four-year tenure was marked by unilateral American action that often upset allies, Blinken said he would work with them and with humility. Blinken, 58, a veteran foreign policy hand and close confidant of Biden, also explained why U.S. leadership is vital for the world, while promising a foreign policy that will deliver for the American people.
EntertainmentArchitectural Digest19 Stylish Bar Cabinets to Elevate Your Space in 2021
Store your stemware and sauvignon blanc in style Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
WorldAssociated PressIran kicks off ground forces drill on coast of Gulf of Oman
Iran's military kicked off a ground forces drill on Tuesday along the coast of the Gulf of Oman, state TV reported, the latest in a series of snap exercises that the country is holding amid escalating tensions over its nuclear program and Washington's pressure campaign against Tehran. According to the report, commando units and airborne infantry were participating in the annual exercise, along with fighter jets, helicopters and military transport aircraft. Iran's National Army chief Abdolrahim Mousavi was overseeing the drill.
PoliticsAssociated PressThe Latest: Trump declassifies Crossfire Hurricane material
He will spend the night at Blair House, the president's official guesthouse, and will be inaugurated as the nation's 46th president on Wednesday. Biden arrives for inauguration with big plans, big problems — 'Shameful': US virus deaths top 400,000 as Trump leaves office — Plunged into virus 'dark winter,' Biden must lead US out — McConnell: Trump 'provoked' Capitol siege, mob 'fed lies' HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON: 5:50 p.m. At a memorial for the lives taken by COVID-19, President-elect Joe Biden is calling on Americans to remember those lost to the coronavirus and to begin to heal.
“If you’re looking to win elections, it is probably best not to urge your supporters not to vote.”
“Warnock’s portrayal of himself as a dog lover, a means of overcoming white suspicions of Black men, smacked of pure genius.”
“Trump has done damage to the Republican brand among suburban voters that goes well beyond just races where he is on the ballot.”
“Once more, Democrats must profusely thank activist Stacey Abrams.”
“Overall, demographic trends show that the state’s electorate is becoming younger and more diverse each year.”