World hits two million Covid-19 deaths with cases still surging
Led by the US, the world has hit a frightening Covid-19 threshold, with two million people dead and few expectations for the numbers to start dropping any time soon.
"It's very hard to project out in any fine level of resolution how many people will be dead from this, in even six months to a year," said Gregg Gonsalves, an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health.
With the rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Moderna shot going slowly in the US - and virtually non-existent in many parts of the world - the odds of controlling the outbreak before the summer at the earliest are slim, especially because it can take weeks for an infected person to die.
Overall, the US is leading all countries in deaths with 388,705, with Brazil, India, Mexico and Britain next in line.
Trump plans to depart Washington on Inauguration Day morning
President Donald Trump now plans to leave Washington on the morning of Inauguration Day next Wednesday after considering a departure on Tuesday, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.
Trump, who had already said he will not attend President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, is planning a ceremonial farewell at Joint Base Andrews, the base outside Washington where Air Force One is headquartered, the sources said.
The sources stressed that the plan could change. It was unclear whether Trump would speak on Wednesday.
Pelosi leaves Congress guessing on when US Senate gets Trump case
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described the impeachment of President Donald Trump as "urgent" but declined to say on Friday when the House will send the single charge for inciting insurrection to the Senate to begin his trial.
Speaking to reporters two days after the House impeached Trump for encouraging his supporters who stormed the US Capitol, Pelosi choked up as she described some rioters celebrating the Holocaust and White supremacy after they breached the "temple of Democracy".
She avoided repeated questions about the timing for transmitting the single article of impeachment to the Senate, a decision that has implications for how quickly Congress can act on President-elect Joe Biden's Cabinet choices and agenda, including a US$1.9 trillion coronavirus-relief package.
WhatsApp delays data-sharing change after backlash
WhatsApp on Friday postponed a data-sharing change as users concerned about privacy fled the Facebook-owned messaging service and flocked to rivals Telegram and Signal.
The smartphone app, a huge hit across the world, cancelled its Feb 8 deadline for accepting an update to its terms concerning sharing data with Facebook, saying it would use the pause to clear up misinformation around privacy and security.
"We've heard from so many people how much confusion there is around our recent update," WhatsApp said in a blog post. "This update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook."
PSG coach Pochettino positive for Covid-19 after just two weeks in job
Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has tested positive for Covid-19, the French champions said on Friday, just two weeks after taking up his job.
The 48-year-old Argentine will "respect isolation and is subject to the appropriate health protocols", PSG said on Twitter.
Three PSG players had already tested positive for the virus in the last week - Brazilian Rafinha, Germany's Thilo Kehrer and French youth international Colin Dagba.
