5 things to know for January 4: Transition, coronavirus, Congress, Iran, China

India has approved two coronavirus vaccines and is now part of one of the most ambitious vaccination programs in history. The country, worth 1.35 billion, plans to inoculate 300 million people by August. In the U.S., about 4.2 million doses of vaccine have been administered and health experts say things need to be accelerated to keep pace with vaccination targets. Over the past month in the United States, more than 100,000 people have been in the hospital battling Covid-19 every day. If infection rates get worse, a doctor said we could be seeing a “total collapse” of the health care system. It is further proof that a vaccine does not provide an immediate solution to the pandemic. In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted that coronavirus restrictions could be tougher there as cases increase, even though vaccines are already being administered.

The 117th Congress was sworn in yesterday and some things seem a little different. On the one hand, the chambers are historically diverse, with a record number of women, black and Latino members and those who identify as LGBTQ. In the House, Republicans achieved a net gain of 11 seats, reducing the Democratic majority. Some members of Congress, including President-elect Kamala Harris, will step down to take up positions in the Biden administration. Other things, however, remain the same: Nancy Pelosi won a fourth non-consecutive term as Speaker of the House, despite some defections from her own party.

The United States and Iran are raising tensions in the Persian Gulf around the anniversary of the death of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike on January 3rd. Some Iranian military forces have increased their preparedness levels in recent days. , according to U.S. sources, including the transfer of short-range ballistic missiles to Iraq, where they could attack U.S. bases. Similar attacks took place last year following Soleimani’s death. Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller has also ordered an American aircraft carrier to remain in the Persian Gulf region after the transfer was scheduled.

Wall Street will expel three Chinese telecommunications companies for complying with a Trump order banning Americans from investing in companies that government suspects own or control in the Chinese military. China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange for years, but most of their business is in China. Thus, even though trading volumes are low in the US, the decision could affect stock values ​​elsewhere. The Trump administration has long been putting pressure on Chinese companies like these. Trump has recently signed new rules that could force Chinese companies to withdraw from U.S. stock markets if they do not comply with U.S. audit standards.

Sending love to a CNN legend.

Shocking. Amazing. A totally unexpected confrontation and never seen before.

No, you can’t get hooked.

They are aged between 75 and 97 years and their combined age is 1,042 years. These are good genes.

What you expect here … is worse.

A British judge has rejected a US request for the extradition of Julian Assange to America, ruling that the measure would be “oppressive”. The US said it would appeal the decision.

This is how there are many diamonds in the ring that have just set a new Guinness World Record for, well, one-ring diamonds. The bastard weighs 5.8 oz (more than a quarter of a pound) and occupies half of the wearer’s hand.

Pope Francis, which criticized people who reportedly go on holiday to Europe to escape the pandemic. He said he was “saddened” to learn of this behavior.

It’s long, but this explanation of the forced perspective on Disney theme parks is so fascinating. If you want to skip the calculations, the examples of this optical illusion start around 10 minutes. (Click here to see it.)