| | | Seven-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady called time on the most successful NFL career ever. The president of Guinea-Bissau survived a military coup that he claims had links to the global drug trade. Russian President Vladimir Putin ended his silence on the Ukraine situation, slightly easing fears of Cold War II becoming hot. And drugmaker Pfizer applied to have its jab approved for under-5s — at the behest of the FDA. All this and more in today’s PDB. | | |
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| IMPORTANT | | | 1 - Thanks for the Memories 22 Seasons and 7 Super Bowls Later, Tom Brady Retires The most successful NFL player in history put an end to days of speculation surrounding his future. Describing his career as a “thrilling ride” that required 100% commitment, 44-year-old Brady explained he was not going “to make that competitive commitment anymore.” Despite being at least a decade older than many of his rivals, Brady was able to call time at the top of his game after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the 2021 Super Bowl (as well as doing so six times with the New England Patriots). His laundry list of NFL records may last another 44 years. (Source: ESPN) |
| 2 - Cock-a-Doodle Coup Guinea-Bissau’s President Survives Attempted Putsch A week after Burkina Faso’s president was deposed in a military coup, another West African leader found himself under siege. By Tuesday evening, Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo was clinging to power, but many members of his security forces had been killed repelling an attack that Embalo suggested was linked to drug trafficking. The impoverished country is an important steppingstone for Latin American cocaine bound for Europe, and its military has long been suspected of involvement in the trade. “It wasn’t just a coup. It was an attempt to kill the president, the prime minister and all the Cabinet,” said Embalo. (Source: Reuters) |
| 3 - Putin Speaks Russian President Attempts to Calm Tensions Over Ukraine Speaking for the first time since December about the Russia-Ukraine détente, President Vladimir Putin seemingly tried to assail fears of a full-scale invasion — but he still had harsh words for the West. Ignoring the fact that Moscow has amassed over 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border, Putin accused the U.S. of “pulling us into some armed conflict” while adding he’s prepared to pursue further diplomacy. There were no such gray areas for White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who compared his comments to “when the fox is screaming from the top of the henhouse that he’s scared of the chickens.” (Source: NYT) |
| 4 - Pfizers for Under-Fivers BioNTech-Pfizer Requests US Approval to Vaccinate Under-5s At the Food and Drug Administration’s request, the drugmaker lodged an application on Tuesday for a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine regimen for children aged between 6 months and 5 years. If approved, 23 million young Americans will be eligible for two 3-microgram doses (over-12s get 30 micrograms) three weeks apart. Pfizer is expected to apply for approval for a third dose, as trials have shown that double doses don’t achieve desired antibody levels. The idea, said Pfizer CEO Albert Burla, is for parents to begin a “vaccination series for their children while awaiting potential authorization of a third dose.” (Source: DW) |
| 5 - Briefly Here are some things you should know about today: Heads must roll. Australian police announced that two human heads have been stolen from mausoleums in a Melbourne cemetery. (Source: 7 News) Grab him by the horns! A 40-year-old suspect bound for Malaysia was arrested at South Africa’s O.R. Tambo International Airport after 11 rhino horns were found in his luggage. (Source: Times Live) Landslide defeat. Ecuador’s heaviest rains in nearly 20 years have triggered a landslide that killed at least 22 people in the capital, Quito. Twenty more people are missing. (Source: BBC) |
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| | | Watch Bill Gates As He Shares His Thoughts on the COVID Vaccine: It Will Only Make Us Stronger for the Next Pandemic |
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| INTRIGUING | 1 - Cry Wolf Wolves in the Northern Rockies Are Being Hunted by the Hundreds Who’s afraid of the big bad governor? Changes in hunting laws in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming have seen more than 500 gray wolves killed in recent months — numbers not seen since the animals were driven to near extinction. The dramatic rise in wolf populations, thanks to a highly successful reintroduction program, led to ending federal protections for Canis lupus and opened the floodgates for trigger-happy legislators. One-fifth of Yellowstone's wolves, which often roam outside the park, have since been killed, a development wildlife biologist Doug Smith of the National Park Service describes as a “huge setback” for research on wolf populations. (Source: Science) |
| | | 2 - Crappy New Year No More Grindr for China Amid Government Cleanup China just swiped left. Gay dating app Grindr has vanished from multiple app stores in the world’s most populous nation amid Beijing’s monthlong campaign to root out controversial and illegal content during Lunar New Year celebrations and the Winter Olympics. China decriminalized homosexuality in 1997, but same-sex marriage remains illegal and life is seldom easy for the LGBTQ community. A Grindr spokesperson said the company removed its app from stores over a new privacy law that took effect in November, but the move comes days after China vowed to “create a civilized, healthy, festive and auspicious online atmosphere for public opinion.” (Sources: AFP, Bloomberg) |
| 3 - Special Treatment? Pregnant Kiwi Journo Who Sheltered With Taliban Gets Ticket Home While New Zealand has been lauded for limiting the spread of COVID-19, strict border policies meant many Kiwis have been unable to return home for years. Charlotte Bellis, a reporter who drew global attention for questioning the Taliban about their treatment of women on live TV, has now been granted an emergency spot in New Zealand’s government quarantine. Until the intervention, Bellis, who is expecting her first child, had been forced to stay in Afghanistan, where she said the Taliban offered her “safe haven.” She’s vowed to fight on behalf of other stranded, pregnant Kiwis who don’t have her public profile. (Sources: NZ Herald, Stuff NZ) |
| 4 - Whoopi’s Whoopsie Whoopi Goldberg Temporarily Taken Off the Air After Holocaust Comments The Color Purple star has been suspended as co-host of The View for two weeks after saying that the Holocaust was “not about race” during a discussion on Monday about a Tennessee school board banning Maus, a graphic novel about Nazi death camps. Her comments caused outrage in the Jewish community, with Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center attributing them to “a new definition of racism … that defines racism exclusively as the targeting of people of color. And obviously history teaches us otherwise.” Goldberg, who is Black, has apologized and vowed to learn more about racism. (Source: NPR) |
| 5 - Red Card! Manchester United Star Arrested After Rape Claims British police confirmed 20-year-old Mason Greenwood is under “further arrest” on suspicion of sexual assault and making death threats and will remain in custody until Wednesday. He was first arrested Sunday after police “became aware of online social media images and videos posted by a woman reporting incidents of physical violence.” Greenwood won’t play for the Red Devils “until further notice” and sponsors EA Sports, Nike and Cadbury have distanced themselves. The case increases pressure on English soccer to address violence against women: Man City’s Benjamin Mendy and former Man U player Ryan Giggs are both awaiting trial on similar charges. (Sources: BBC, Marca) |
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