Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's Facebook page has been frozen by the tech giant for claiming without evidence that a herbal remedy was a "miracle" cure for COVID-19, Reuters first reported.
Driving the news: Facebook said it removed a video, posted in January, in which Maduro makes the claims about Carvativir, an oral solution derived from thyme. The tech company said the video violated its policy against false claims "that something can guarantee prevention from getting COVID-19 or can guarantee recovery from COVID-19."
Myanmar security forces on Saturday killed more than 100 people, including children, during anti-coup protests, several news agencies reported.
Why it matters: It's the bloodiest day of protests since the military last month overthrew the country's democratically elected government and comes as Myanmar’s military celebrates the annual Armed Forces Day holiday with a parade in the country's capital, Naypyidaw.
German officials warned Friday the third wave of the coronavirus in the country is going to be "harder to curb" and could be far worse than the previous two.
Why it matters: The number of new confirmed cases has jumped in recent weeks largely due to the more transmissible B.1.1.7 variant and the relaxation of some lockdown measures, according to Reuters.
China and Iran, both subject to U.S. sanctions, signed a 25-year cooperation agreement in Tehran on Saturday.
Why it matters: China agreed to invest $400 billion in Iran's economy over that time period in exchange for a steady and heavily discounted supply of oil from the country, according to a draft of the agreement obtained by the New York Times.
The Biden administration has concluded that China "is flirting with the idea of seizing control of Taiwan as President Xi Jinping becomes more willing to take risks to boost his legacy," the Financial Times reports.
Why it matters: An invasion of Taiwan, the self-governed island claimed by Beijing, would force the U.S. to decide whether to go to war with China to defend an implicit ally.
Hundreds of women, students and members of the LGBTQ community rallied in Istanbul on Saturday against Turkey's recent withdrawal from a Council of Europe treaty on preventing violence against women, according to AP.
Why it matters: Demonstrators demanded the government reverse its exit from the treaty, which comes amid a surge in femicides and domestic violence in Turkey, per Reuters.
Chinese officials briefed diplomats in Beijing on Friday on four possible ways the coronavirus arrived in Wuhan, AP reports.
Why it matters: The briefing comes ahead of the release of the World Health Organization's report on the virus' origin, and "is based on a visit earlier this year by a WHO team of international experts to Wuhan," the AP writes.
A train collision in southern Egypt on Friday left at least 32 people dead and more than 160 others injured, AP reports.
What happened: A passenger train heading to Alexandria was rear-ended by another train, causing two cars carrying people to derail and flip on their sides in Sohag province, around 270 miles south of Egypt's capital, Cairo. The exact cause of the collision is still being determined.
At least 20 Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan's air space on Friday, according to Taiwan's defense ministry.
Why it matters: It is the largest incursion by China's air force since Taiwan's defense ministry has announced almost daily Chinese military exercises into its air space, per Reuters.
Yemen's humanitarian crisis has never been more dire, but the arrival of the Biden administration and a renewed push to end the conflict have created “the best chance for six years to end the war," International Rescue Committee CEO David Miliband tells Axios.
The state of play: Prices of staples like flour have more than doubled since 2016, per the IRC, and an economy that was already among the world’s poorest has been devastated by the fighting.
Former Mexican governor Tomas Yarrington Ruvalcaba told a federal judge in Texas he accepted $3.5 million in bribes in Mexico and used the money to fraudulently purchase property in the U.S.
The state of play: Yarrington on Thursday pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering and said he accepted the money from individuals and private companies to do business with the state of Tamaulipas, which borders Texas, while he was governor.
Former CDC Director Robert Redfield told CNN on Friday that he believes the coronavirus "escaped" from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and that it was spreading as early as September or October of 2019 — though he stressed that it was his "opinion."
Why it matters: It's a stunning assertion, offered with little evidence, by the man who led the U.S. government's public health agency from the time the virus was first detected in Wuhan through the entirety of the Trump administration's response.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday approved a resolution to repeal Congress' 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force in Iraq, sending the measure to the full chamber for consideration.
Why it matters: The effort to repeal the AUMF — a longtime priority for members on both sides of the aisle — is expected to have widespread support among lawmakers. And for the first time, it has an amenable president in Joe Biden, according to Politico.
12 billion doses of 13 different vaccines could become available by the end of the year — enough to vaccinate 70% of the globe, a new analysis from the Duke Global Health Innovation Center shows.
Yes, but: Key barriers, like unpredictable manufacturing and the variants, make it difficult to ensure supply can be distributed equitably, the report says.
China sanctioned individuals and entities in the United Kingdom on Thursday, claiming they "maliciously spread lies and disinformation" on Chinese government human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.
Why it matters: The sanctions come after the U.S., U.K., European Union and Canada this week coordinated sanctions against Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region.
