COVID cover up, social media jail sentence, and weird winter sports.

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Big Stories

China withheld COVID info before the pandemic

A Chinese researcher published the COVID-19 virus sequence two weeks before China released it publicly, according to The Hill.

• The sequence, published on a US-run database, was reportedly uploaded on December 28, 2019. China didn’t give the information about COVID to the WHO until January 11, 2020.

• The two-week delay between the submission to the US database and the release by China to the WHO backs up claims that the Chinese government hid key information as the world was trying to study and manage the new virus.

• The information was found by a US committee investigating COVID’s origins. That committee said that the discovery highlights why we can’t trust any of the “so-called facts or data provided by China.” Their probe hasn’t led to any new information about the origin of the disease.

• China hasn’t commented on the claims.

Thai man sentenced to 50 years for Facebook posts

A Thai man, Mongkol Thirakot, has been given a 50-year prison sentence for criticizing the monarchy on his personal Facebook account.

• The sentence is the longest ever handed down under the country’s strict lese-majesty laws. It comes after several years in which Thailand has increased the use of laws against pro-democracy protestors.

• Thailand's lese-majesty law, known as Section 112, shields King Vajiralongkorn and his family from criticism. Thirakot was initially sentenced to 28 years for his critical Facebook posts and given 22 more in a higher court. He plans to appeal the rulings.

• Thailand experienced youth-led protests in 2020 and 2021, demanding changes to the strict lese-majesty laws. Tens of thousands took to the streets, and more than 250 activists have faced charges under these laws since the 2020 protests. Thirakot was initially arrested during a 2021 protest calling for the release of political prisoners.

SpaceX launches first all-European commercial crew

Axiom Space, a Houston-based company, has successfully launched the first all-European commercial crew to the ISS via SpaceX from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

• Unlike NASA missions, Axiom Space is a private company paying for the mission, marking its third group of paying passengers to the ISS. Axiom plans to construct its own space station in orbit, using these missions for planning and design insights.

• The Ax-3 crew capsule will take approximately 36 hours to reach the ISS, where the crew will spend two weeks conducting around 30 experiments, including microgravity research, technology demonstrations, and outreach engagements.

• The Ax-3 crew is led by Michael López-Alegría, a former NASA astronaut and ISS commander. Walter Villadei, Alper Gezeravcı (the first Turkish astronaut in space), and Marcus Wandt round out the rest of the crew.

Little Stories

• Tennis may have found its next big star after Mirra Andreeva made a strong debut at the Australian Open by defeating 6-seed Ons Jabeur in straight sets. The 16-year-old secured her first career top-10 victory with a 6-0, 6-2 win in just 54 minutes. (More)

• The House and Senate have both kicked the spending bill can down the road and funded the government through early March. Speaker Mike Johnson said that giving the lawmakers more time to draft funding legislation will allow him to pursue conservative policies in the longer-term spending bills. (More)

• A Department of Justice report found some of the casualties of the 2022 school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, could have been prevented. The report said officers should have stopped the attack sooner — the shooter was active for 77 minutes before he was neutralized. (More)

• According to an Axios analysis of Census Bureau data, new business applications in the Midwest and Mountain West regions have significantly increased. Colorado (+115%), North Dakota (+37.7%), and Iowa (+33.7%) showed the highest year-over-year change in new business applications between December 2022 and December 2023. (More)

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls by the US to open a path for a Palestinian state. Netanyahu said that he opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state in any post-war situation and restated Israel's commitment to continue its offensive until achieving a "decisive victory over Hamas." (More)

Extra Credit

TCU’s women’s basketball team has run out of healthy players.

A look into five of the world’s weirdest winter sports.

The best and worst states to drive in (2024).

Scientists discovered four new species of octopus near Costa Rica.