USA mourn 500,000 corona deaths

In the USA, the number of corona deaths has exceeded the symbolic threshold of half a million.
According to a count by the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, more than 500,000 people have
died after being infected with the coronavirus since the pandemic began. Accordingly, more than 28
million infections have now been confirmed. The USA is thus the country with by far the most
confirmed corona infections and deaths worldwide. US President Joe Biden said the flags should be
hoisted at half mast for five days in memory of the corona dead.

Johnson Submits Plan for No Corona Precautions

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants to lift all corona restrictions in England by the end of
June. Johnson tabled a four-step easing plan in the House of Commons, due to begin when schools
reopen March 8. According to the current status, all shops should be allowed to reopen on April
12th, and from June 21st, no contact restrictions should apply.

Georgian opposition leader Melia arrested

The Georgian police arrested opposition leader Nika Melia. When his party office was stormed, tear
gas was also used, as TV pictures show. Supporters of Melias and the heads of the other opposition
parties had gathered in front of the headquarters of the United National Movement (UNM).
Numerous demonstrators were arrested. The dispute over the arrest of Melias had already sparked
a government crisis in Georgia. Prime Minister Giorgi Gacharia resigned on Thursday and his
successor Irakli Garibashvili was sworn in on Monday.

Khamenei shows toughness in the dispute over the nuclear program

Iran's highest political and religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has demonstrated toughness in
the nuclear dispute with the West. He reserved the right to have uranium enriched by up to 60
percent, if necessary, well above the limit value agreed in the international nuclear agreement. US
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Khamenei's remarks sounded like a threat. But he
stressed that the US is ready to talk to Iran about a return to the 2015 nuclear program. The atomic
pact stipulates that Iran may enrich uranium up to a maximum of 3.67 percent.

Australia reaches an agreement with Facebook

The Australian government has reached an agreement with Facebook to regulate the digital news
market. The controversial media law will be changed on some points, said Treasury Secretary Josh
Frydenberg. In return, the Internet giant will lift the ban on Australian news sites on its online
network in the coming days. It is not yet known exactly what the compromise will look like. Since
Thursday, Facebook has blocked all journalistic content nationwide - because of a bill that should
distribute advertising revenue more fairly in Australia.

Wife of drug lord "El Chapo" arrested in the USA

The wife of the imprisoned Mexican drug lord Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán has been arrested in the
United States. Emma Coronel Aispuro is accused of being involved in the activities of the Sinaloa
cartel formerly run by her husband. "El Chapo" was extradited to the USA in 2017 by the Mexican
authorities. In July 2019, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for drug trafficking, money
laundering and other offenses.

NASA rover sends videos and audio recordings from Mars

The US rover "Perseverance" has sent the first videos of its landing and audio recordings from Mars
to Earth. Such video and sound recordings have never been made before, announced the US space
agency NASA. The pictures show the last eleven kilometers of the route of "Perseverance" (in
German about: stamina). The rover "Perseverance", weighing around 1000 kilograms and the size of
a small car, landed last week in a dry lake called "Jezero Crater". He had previously covered around
472 million kilometers in 203 days of flight.