WHO: COVID cases and deaths continue to fall globally
The number of coronavirus cases reported globally has dropped for a second consecutive week and confirmed COVID-19 deaths also fell last week, according to a World Health Organization report issued Wednesday. In its latest pandemic report, WHO said 9 million cases were reported, a 16% weekly decline, and more than 26,000 new deaths from COVID-19. The U.N. health agency said confirmed coronavirus infections were down in all regions of the world. However, it warned that the reported numbers carry considerable uncertainty because many countries have stopped widespread testing for the coronavirus, meaning that many cases are likely going undetected.
US says it secretly removed malware worldwide, preempting Russian cyberattacks
The United States said Wednesday that it had secretly removed malware from computer networks around the world in recent weeks, a step to preempt Russian cyberattacks and send a message to President Vladimir Putin of Russia. The move, made public by Attorney General Merrick Garland, comes as U.S. officials warn that Russia could try to strike U.S. critical infrastructure in response to the crushing sanctions that the United States has imposed on Moscow over the war in Ukraine. The malware enabled the Russians to create “botnets” — networks of private computers that are infected with malicious software and controlled by the GRU, the intelligence arm of the Russian military.
Justice Dept. charges Russian oligarch with violating sanctions
The Justice Department said Wednesday that it had charged a Russian oligarch with violating U.S. sanctions and unveiled additional measures intended to counter Russian money laundering and disrupt online criminal networks in an effort to enforce financial penalties on Moscow. The moves came as the U.S. has ratcheted up pressure on the Kremlin and some of the wealthiest Russians in light of growing evidence of atrocities in Ukraine and as Attorney General Merrick Garland said the U.S. was helping its European partners investigate potential war crimes. The oligarch, Konstantin Malofeev, 47, is widely considered one of Russia’s most influential business moguls.
House votes to hold two Trump aides in contempt in Jan. 6 inquiry
The House on Wednesday voted to recommend criminal contempt of Congress charges against Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino, close allies of former President Donald Trump, after the pair defied subpoenas from the special committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The mostly party-line vote of 220-203 referred contempt charges to the Justice Department, calling for prosecutions of Navarro, a former top White House adviser, and Scavino, a former deputy chief of staff. It came as congressional investigators have grown increasingly frustrated with some of Trump’s staunchest supporters who have refused to meet with the panel or turn over a single page of evidence to the committee.
No charges against police in Amir Locke shooting
The Minneapolis police officer who shot and killed Amir Locke, a Black man, during a raid in February at an apartment complex will not face criminal charges, prosecutors announced Wednesday. Locke, 22, who was awakened in the early morning hours by officers entering the apartment under a no-knock warrant, was holding a handgun he owned legally. In announcing they would not file charges, prosecutors were critical of the raid that the police carried out but said they would not be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer had committed a crime in violation of Minnesota law that allows officers to use deadly force in certain situations.
Israel’s government in crisis after senior lawmaker quits coalition
Israel’s government was thrown into crisis Wednesday after a senior lawmaker quit the coalition. Idit Silman, chair of the governing coalition, said in a letter to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that she was resigning because coalition colleagues had failed to compromise and that the government’s direction did not reflect the values of the right-wing voters who brought their party, Yamina, to power. The coalition will be unable to pass legislation without the support of opposition lawmakers, and the opposition would need only one more coalition lawmaker to cross the lines to muster a possible majority to disperse Parliament and force new elections.
Hard-liner who led crackdown on protests favorite to run Hong Kong
John Lee rose through the ranks of Hong Kong’s security services, earning a reputation as a hard-liner by crushing the city’s 2019 protest movement and curbing dissent as the city’s No. 2 official. Now he is widely expected to be Beijing’s choice to take over as Hong Kong’s leader, an appointment that would reflect the central government’s emphasis on reinforcing its grip on the once-restive city. Lee said Wednesday he had submitted his resignation as Hong Kong’s chief secretary and that he planned to run for chief executive if Beijing accepted his notice.
In South Korea, Ukraine war revives the nuclear question
When Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in the 1990s, experts debated whether the decision would make the country safer or more vulnerable to an invasion from Russia, its nuclear-armed neighbor. Now, as Russia pounds Ukrainian cities, many in South Korea say there is no more room for debate. South Koreans have flooded online chat rooms with discussions about their country’s need to have nuclear weapons to prevent an invasion from North Korea, their own nuclear-armed neighbor. On Tuesday, North Korea warned that it would use its nuclear weapons “at the outset of war,” should one with the South ever start.
By wire sources