G GLOBAL INFO:TWITTER SHIFTED AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL ACCOUNT TO BIDEN

As US President Joe Biden took office on Wednesday, Twitter handed him the reins of an official @POTUS account as part of the transfer of power. The one-to-many messaging service gave Biden's team control of all the official White House accounts and activated a new @SecondGentleman handle for the husband of the country's first female vice president Kamala Harris.Accounts for the White House, President, Vice President, First Lady, and White House Press Secretary "have now inherited their new institutional usernames," according to Twitter. Tweets posted at the accounts prior to Biden being sworn in as the 46th US president will be archived, and the accounts will not automatically retain followers who signed on during the Trump administration.Outgoing president Donald Trump was an obsessive Twitter user from his personal account -- which was banned by the platform over his incitements to violence -- while also using the official accounts associated with the presidency."There is no time to waste when it comes to tackling the crises we face," Biden said in a tweet at @POTUS."That's why today, I am heading to the Oval Office to get right to work delivering bold action and immediate relief for American families."A message tweeted from the @VP account, Harris tweeted "Ready to serve" from her @VP account. In his @SecondGentleman profile, Douglas Emhoff described himself as a proud husband. Biden's team also inherited the official @WhiteHouse, @PressSec, and @FLOTUS accounts. After the unprecedented violence in the seat of Congress, Trump was banned for inciting the rioters -- on platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Google-owned YouTube, and Snapchat.

G BUSINESS INFO: MICROSOFT TEAM UP WITH GM FOR A NEW ELECTRIC CAR

General Motors announced an alliance Tuesday with Microsoft on its Cruise autonomous driving venture, combining forces to challenge Tesla and others in an electric car market expected to rev with Joe Biden’s environment-friendly administration in the White House. The companies have established “a long-term strategic relationship,” and Microsoft will join GM, Honda and institutional investors in a new $2 billion equity investment round, GM and its Cruise subsidiary said in a press release. “This is a major shot across the bow from Microsoft to Tesla and Waymo and other EV (electric vehicle) autonomous players that Redmond is on its way,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives.“There is an arms race in the EV world and this is the latest collaborative deal with many more on there way, speaking to this trillion dollar market over the next decade.” Ives and others think Apple is poised to begin putting its technology to work in self-driving, electric cars although the iPhone maker has remained mum on the subject. Microsoft Azure is a powerhouse in the cloud computing market, so synching GM electric vehicles with Azure computing and artificial intelligence capabilities promises a boon for the car maker, Ives reasoned. Microsoft also will provide hardware and software engineering support to GM as part of the alliance, which values Cruise at some $30 billion.“Our mission to bring safer, better, and more affordable transportation to everyone isn’t just a tech race — it’s also a trust race,” Cruise chief executive Dan Ammann said.“Microsoft, as the gold standard in the trustworthy democratization of technology, will be a force multiplier for us as we commercialize our fleet of self-driving, all-electric, shared vehicles.”Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said the venture will help GM and Cruise to “scale and make autonomous transportation mainstream.”Last week, GM announced plans to build a fleet of new electric vans. Windscreen-free future? The partnership comes on the heels of a series of GM announcements to reposition the Detroit giant to compete with Tesla and other newer players. “It makes a lot of sense,” said Edmunds executive director of insights Jessica Caldwell. “Microsoft and General Motors, both massive, historical American companies, tackling a problem that companies around the world are working on.” Companies such as GM are still trying to figure out what the self-driving car of the future looks like, Caldwell added.Perhaps seats will face each other as in train cars, or there will be no need for front windows or driver seats. Electric vehicle maker Rivian separately said it raised $2.65 billion in a new funding round valuing the Amazon-backed US company at $26.7 billion. Investors included Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund and Fidelity Management and Research, according to Rivian.Amazon is set to launch its own electric delivery vans ordered from the startup. Waymo, the autonomous car unit of Google-parent Alphabet, late last year opened its robo-taxi project to the general public in the US city of Phoenix, becoming the first widely available driverless ride service. Early last year, Waymo raised $2.25 billion in its first external funding round to accelerate its deployment of autonomous cars and trucks.

G GLOBAL INFO:35 NEW DISCOVERED ANIMALS AND INSECTS IN THE WORLD

35 remarkable new animal and insect species that will freak you out (pictures) Day-Glo-colored fish, cute-looking carnivores -- these are just some recently discovered creatures. Pleasant dreams! Spiked crustacean The Epimeria loerzae is one of 28 new species of crustaceans discovered in the Antarctica, per a 2017 report. Like the pictured specimen, many of the new species are colorful -- and spiky. Hitchhiking beetle Look closely. There are two insects in this picture, one on top of another. The red legs and red body belong to that of an ant; the darker upper body belongs to that of the Nymphister kronaueri, a new beetle species discovered in a Costa Rican rainforest, and reported on in 2017. The beetles score piggyback rides by clamping onto ants via their mandibles. That's not a bird Madagascar's pelican spiders feature the "illusion of a 'neck' and 'beak,'" as Smithsonian.com puts it. The Eriauchenius milajaneae, one of 18 new pelican spider species identified by researchers who published their findings in 2018, may be the most pelican-y of all. Itty-bitty frog Meet the Robinmoore's Night Frog, one of seven new night-frog species discovered in an Indian mountain range, and unveiled by a University of Delhi researcher in 2017. A venomous snake you can feel sorry for 5 of 35 Lauren Dibben via University of Queensland A venomous snake you can feel sorry for As a rule, venomous bandy-bandy snakes are burrowers. But this new species, Vermicella parscauda, discovered by University of Queensland-led biologists in Australia, was found hanging out on a concrete block, the university reported in 2018. It's described as in danger of extinction due to local mining. Deep blue 6 of 35 Newcastle University, UK/HADES Project Deep blue These fish belong to a species so new they don't yet have proper names; they're merely known as the blue Atacama Snailfish. The species was discovered by scientists trolling the depths of the Pacific's Atacama Trench. So. Much. Color. 7 of 35 Luiz Rocha © California Academy of Sciences So. Much. Color. Called "one of the most beautiful fishes I've ever seen" by a California Academy of Sciences researcher, this new, Day-Glo-colored fish was named Tosanoides aphrodite after the Greek goddess of beauty. It was found off the coast of Brazil, per the 2018 announcement. A see-through Kermit 8 of 35 Brian Kubicki/Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center A see-through Kermit Uncharted territory may be dwindling on our planet, but biologists discover hundreds of new species every year. Here are our recent favorites...including a wasp that will absolutely terrify you. This new species of glass frog, dubbed Hyalinobatrachium dianae, was recently found by researchers at the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center. Looks cute, right? Well, flip it over. It's completely see-through under there. You can see its organs and blood vessels and everything. So cute it's scary 9 of 35 MBARI So cute it's scary The 7-inch-long flapjack octopus has been on researchers' radar since 1990, but many details about how it lives are still a mystery, and it has yet to be officially named. This little guy was photographed by aquarists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute at about 1,080 feet below the ocean's surface. Small shrimp, huge "appendage" 10 of 35 James Darwin Thomas, Ph.D., Nova Southeastern University Small shrimp, huge "appendage" This newly discovered Leucothoe eltoni shrimp is named after Sir Elton John. "I have listened to his music in my lab during my entire scientific career," James Darwin Thomas, a professor at Nova Southeastern University, said in a statement released by publisher Pensoft. "So, when this unusual crustacean with a greatly enlarged appendage appeared under my microscope after a day of collecting, an image of the shoes Elton John wore as the Pinball Wizard came to mind." Hair down there 11 of 35 Cheng Li, Imaging Biodiversity Expedition, and Tibet Forestry Hair down there This white-cheeked macaque was discovered in April 2015 by researchers at Dali University's Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research. The feature that gave it away: a distinctive-looking penis and unusually hairy scrotum. The beast may be new to science, but according to researchers, it's already threatened by illegal hunting in Tibet. Elusive bird 12 of 35 Pamela Rasmussen/Michigan State University Elusive bird Meet the new Sichuan bush warbler. Discovered in part by Pamela Rasmussen, an integrative biologist at Michigan State University, the bird has a shy disposition and a distinctive song. See-through "shrimp" 13 of 35 SINC See-through "shrimp" This ghostly, shrimp-like creature was discovered by a team from the University of Seville in Spain in 2013. The new species, which are actually members of another crustacean group called amphipods, live in caves off the coast of Catalina Island, near Los Angeles. Fairy-like moth 14 of 35 CSIRO Fairy-like moth The enigma moth, announced just this year by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia, has been described as a "living dinosaur," part of a group of moths with ancient roots. Their adult lives are lived in a single day, in which they emerge from their cocoons, mate, reproduce and die. Toothy frogs 15 of 35 Jim McGuire/University of California Berkeley Toothy frogs Meet Limnonectes larvaepartus. Discovered in late 2014 by scientists at the University of California at Berkeley, the frog has fangs, sort of -- two projections on its lower jaw that are used for fighting. But it gets better. This species also gives birth to live tadpoles, which may be guarded early in life by protective frog fathers. Fanged frogs give live birth 16 of 35 Jim McGuire/University of California Berkeley Fanged frogs give live birth Here's a closeup of the newly unveiled Limnonectes larvaepartus tadpole, a rare example of live young borne of a frog species. Red dragons 17 of 35 Western Australia Museum Red dragons Announced just last month, this vibrant ruby seadragon proves that "we definitely have many more exciting discoveries awaiting us in the oceans," according to co-discoverer Nerida Wilson of the Western Australia Museum. New fish 18 of 35 California Academy of Sciences New fish Here's a newly discovered species of ghost shark, the Chimaera carophila, from New Zealand. The California Academy of Sciences introduced it to the world in December last year. Living branch 19 of 35 Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Living branch That's no stick, but rather a very, very large new species of stick bug, discovered in late 2014 in Vietnam. It's more than a foot long, making it the second-biggest living insect ever found. Fearless ant 20 of 35 California Academy of Sciences Fearless ant All hail the hero ant from Madagascar, discovered last year. When it senses an invading insect, it grabs the intruder and hurls itself off the ant equivalent of a cliff. Once the unwelcome guest is away from the colony entrance, the ant picks itself up and gets back to work. Vicious wasp 21 of 35 Michael Staab/University of Freiburg, Germany Vicious wasp Sure, this bone-house wasp, unveiled in July last year by scientists at the University of Freiburg in Germany, looks like any other stinger. But it's way meaner: it uses ant corpses to build its home, and lays its eggs inside living spiders. Pleasant dreams! I'm hoppin' here 22 of 35 AP Photo/Rutgers University, Jeremy Fineberg I'm hoppin' here Yep, this newly categorized leopard frog, announced in October last year by a graduate student at Rutgers University, is 100 percent New Yorker: it was discovered near the Statue of Liberty. It also has a loud, guttural call. Glowing...thing 23 of 35 California Academy of Sciences Glowing...thing This nudibranch is a new slug species called the Phyllodesmium undulatum. Unveiled in 2014 by the California Academy of Sciences, it's essentially a poison-eating sea slug that glows. Battle-ready spider 24 of 35 California Academy of Sciences Battle-ready spider That tiny dot at the bottom of the web is a newly categorized ray spider, discovered in 2014 by an arachnologist at the California Academy of Sciences. "Ray spiders aren't filter feeders," the Academy's Charles Griswold said. "They tend to stretch their sticky webs into a cone-like shape and hold on tightly while they wait for unsuspecting prey. Once spotted, they shake or let their webs fly out to catch a meal." Smallest sengi 25 of 35 California Academy of Sciences Smallest sengi This relatively tiny species of Namibian elephant shrew, Macroscelides micus, debuted last year as well. Only about a dozen new mammal species are discovered yearly. Massive eel 26 of 35 California Academy of Sciences Massive eel Yes, this Pylorobranchus hearstorum worm eel, which officially debuted in 2014, is the largest of its kind, about 50 inches long from head to tail, making it about twice as long as other known worm eels. But if that isn't mind-blowing enough, consider: the worm eel is actually neither worm nor eel. It's a fish. Bright frog 27 of 35 Alessandro Marco Catenazzi Bright frog The vast majority of Telmatobius frogs, including the newly catalogued yellow Telmatobius ventriflavum, discovered by Alessandro Catenazzi, are considered threatened. The yellow variant was officially recognized as a new species in February. Deadly sponge 28 of 35 MBARI Deadly sponge Announced by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in April 2014, these shrub-like sponges trap small sea creatures and then digest them over several days. Definitely not a teddy bear 29 of 35 Mark Gurney/Smithsonian Definitely not a teddy bear Don't let its cuddly looks fool you: The raccoon-related, Ecuador-dwelling olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina) is a carnivorous mammal -- the first new carnivore species found in the Americas in 35 years, Smithsonian scientists announced in 2013. New croc on the block 30 of 35 Matthew Shirley/Florida International University New croc on the block This is no ordinary croc. According to Florida International University, this is a distinct Central African slender-snouted crocodile, or Mecistops leptorhynchus -- billed as the "first new living crocodile species to be defined and named in nearly 85 years." Smooth frog operator 31 of 35 Cesar Jaramillo/Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Smooth frog operator Poison dart frogs are known for being potentially deadly. At least the bright orange Andinobates geminisae is small: about the size of a fingernail. Uncovered in Panama, it was revealed to the research world in 2014. Mr. Lizard 32 of 35 P.J. Venegas/Copyright Pablo J. Venegas, Omar Torres-Carvajal, Vilma Duran, Kevin de Queiroz Mr. Lizard This new species of wood lizard was discovered in Peru's Cordillera Azul National Park, per a research paper published by ZooKeys in 2015. Females are largely brownish, while males, such as the one pictured, are greenish. New gecko 33 of 35 Grant Connette/Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute New gecko The photogenic Tenasserim Mountain bent-toed gecko is one of two new gecko species found in a deforested part of Myanmar, per a 2017 paper authored by a Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute fellow and other scientists. On the rocks 34 of 35 Grant Connette/Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute On the rocks The Lenya banded bent-toed gecko is the other new gecko species found in the Myanmar study. Like the bent-toed gecko, it's considered endangered by the very deforestation that revealed the species. No slug 35 of 35 Terry Gosliner © California Academy of Sciences No slug This newly identified sea slug, the Hypselodoris iba, hails from the coral reefs of Indonesia. The species is found in both purple, and in white with orange spots. "Sea slugs have an arsenal of strategies for surviving, from mimicry to camouflage to cryptic patterns," zoologist Terry Gosliner said in an October 2018 announcement.

G GLOBAL INFO:BIDEN VOWS TO PROVIDE COVID-19 RELIEF

President-elect Joe Biden introduced a $1.9 trillion spending package Thursday that aims to speed distribution of the coronavirus vaccines and provide economic relief caused by the pandemic. The package proposal includes investing $20 billion in a national vaccination program, $1,400 stimulus checks and expanding unemployment insurance supplements to $400 per week. "During this pandemic, millions of Americans through no fault of their own, have lost the dignity and respect that comes with a job and a paycheck," Biden said during a nearly 25-minute speech Thursday. "There is real pain, overwhelming the real economy." "There's no time to waste. We have to act, and we have to act now," he said. During his speech, Biden noted that this was the first of a two-part plan to in the road to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden said that he would introduce a recovery plan next month during his address to a joint session of Congress.Biden’s proposed relief package comes several weeks after Congress passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package in December, which the president-elect said at the time was a “down payment.” More than 385,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, including more than 4,300 on Tuesday alone. Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan will build off the bipartisan relief legislation passed in December. Wanna talk politics?: Join the USA TODAY politics Facebook group For example, Biden is suggesting $1,400 stimulus checks in addition to the $600 direct payments passed in December. Democrats, as well as President Donald Trump, pushed for $2,000 in the December legislation. About 10 million people have been left unemployed since the pandemic smothered the economy last spring.Biden’s proposed relief package comes several weeks after Congress passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package in December, which the president-elect said at the time was a “down payment.” More than 385,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, including more than 4,300 on Tuesday alone. Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan will build off the bipartisan relief legislation passed in December. Wanna talk politics?: Join the USA TODAY politics Facebook group For example, Biden is suggesting $1,400 stimulus checks in addition to the $600 direct payments passed in December. Democrats, as well as President Donald Trump, pushed for $2,000 in the December legislation. About 10 million people have been left unemployed since the pandemic smothered the economy last spring.Biden’s relief package also lays out his vaccine distribution plan. The national vaccination program, which will be in partnership with states, tribes and territories, will deploy mobile vaccination units to areas that are hard to reach and make the vaccine free to everyone in the United States. The relief plan also calls for $50 million to expand testing for COVID-19, purchase rapid tests, invest in expanding lab capacity and help school and local governments implement testing protocols. Biden said he would introduce his vaccine distribution plan Friday. During his Thursday remarks, Biden criticized the Trump administration's rollout of the vaccine. "The vaccine rollout in the United States has been a dismal failure thus far," he said, adding that he "will have to move heaven and earth to get more people vaccinated." The relief plan also includes: $170 billion to help reopen schools, as well as provide financial relief to students Expand to 14 weeks paid sick and family and medical leave $25 billion in rental assistance and an additional $5 billion to cover home energy and water costs Extending the 15 percent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits increase to September 2021 $15 billion for grants to more than 1 million small businesses A $20 billion investment to Indian Country to support tribal governments' response to the COVID-19 pandemic Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour Biden’s goal is to provide 100 million vaccinations during the first 100 days of his administration starting Jan. 20. But the pace has been slower than that so far, with 22 million doses distributed and 6.7 million administered by Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 150,000 people have received both necessary doses, according to a New York Times survey of 50 states. “My No. 1 priority is getting vaccine in people’s arms,” Biden said Monday as he received his second dose. “It’s going to be hard. It’s not going to be easy. But we can get it done.” The American Hospital Association has urged the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate vaccination efforts among the states and resolve barriers to rapid deployment of doses. Biden may have a difficult time getting his proposal passed through Congress, as Democrats hold a slim majority in the House and Senate. Congress approved $1,200 payments in the CARES Act that was passed in March and $600 payments in the December relief package. Democrats called for the second payment to be larger, but Republicans warned against growing deficit spending. “I’ve been speaking with some of my Republican colleagues about being able to move on a second package sooner than later,” Biden said Monday. Shortly after Biden’s transition team announced details of the proposal, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a joint statement, “We will get right to work to turn President-elect Biden’s vision into legislation that will pass both chambers and be signed into law.” “These proposals by the Biden-Harris administration will be critical to getting our country through this challenging period and towards a period of recovery,” the statement continued. “We echo the president-elect’s call for bipartisan action on his proposal and hope that our Republican colleagues will work with us to quickly enact it.” More than 10 million workers have been left unemployed since the pandemic began last spring, with another 140,000 jobs lost in December. Biden has argued that borrowing with low interest rates is crucial to prevent longer-term harm to the economy. “The bottom line is the job report shows we need to provide more immediate relief for working families and businesses now. Now,” Biden said Friday, while introducing economic nominees. “Not just to help them get to the other side of this painful crisis, but a larger purpose to avoid a broader economic cost that exists out there, that will happen due to long-term unemployment, hunger, homelessness and business failings.” Biden said Thursday that he looks forward to working with both parties in Congress "to move quickly to get the American rescue plan to the American people." "I know what I just described does not come cheaply," he said. "But failure to do so will cost us dearly."

G SPORTS: LUCAS PIAZON IN CHELSEA AGREED ON BRAGA'S DEAL

The 26-year-old signs a four-years contract with Portuguese side Braga; Piazon made just one substitute appearance in the Premier League during his decade-long stint at Chelsea; Brazilian spent time on loan with seven clubs in six different countries over the last nine years.Piazon arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 2011, and made a very positive impression in his first season at the club. He went on to play in two League Cup games the following season, before coming off the bench for a sole Premier League appearance, in which he had a late penalty saved during an 8-0 thrashing of Aston Villa. Since then, Piazon has been on loan at seven clubs - in six different countries - in the past nine years. He played for Malaga in Spain, before stints at Vitesse in Holland and German side Eintracht Frankfurt. Piazon then returned to England for loan spells with Reading and Fulham, who he helped earn promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs. He went on to spend time with Chievo in Italy and Rio Ave in Portugal.Piazon will now settle in Portugal, having signed a deal with Braga that runs until at least 2025.

G HEALTH: WHO ORGANIZED AN IMPROMPTU MEETING OVER COVID 19

The World Health Organization’s emergency committee met, two weeks early, on Thursday to discuss the urgent threat from rapidly-spreading new coronavirus variants. Newly identified mutations of the virus, which appear to be significantly more infectious, come as spiking case numbers force many countries to enforce new restrictions. The committee normally gathers every three months but the WHO brought the meeting forward to discuss the mutations. “There are two urgent issues which need particular attention, and for which we seek your advice,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told members, in his opening remarks. “The first is the recent emergence of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus; and the second is the potential use of vaccination and testing certificates for international travel. “One theme ties both issues together: solidarity. We cannot afford to prioritise or punish certain groups or countries.” It is the WHO International Health Regulations emergency committee’s sixth meeting on Covid-19. Following its second meeting on January 30 last year, Tedros declared that the outbreak discovered in China constituted a public health emergency of international concern — the WHO’s highest level of alert. The latest meeting comes as global infections soared past 92 million and deaths approached two million, with governments around the world reimposing painful economic lockdowns and social restrictions. “When you first met almost a year ago, just 557 cases of the disease we now call Covid-19 had been reported to WHO,” Tedros lamented. Vaccines and variants There are concerns that the new variant strains of the virus may render certain vaccines less effective, undermining hopes that immunisation offers the best hope of recovery from the global pandemic. The recently-discovered variants can only be identified by sequencing their genetic code — an analysis that is not possible everywhere. In its weekly epidemiological bulletin, the WHO said the coronavirus mutation first found in Britain had spread to 50 territories, while a similar South African-identified strain has now been found in 20. A third mutation, originating in the Brazilian Amazon and whose discovery Japan announced on Sunday, is currently being analysed and could impact the immune response, according to the WHO.“I’m sure, like me, your main hope and wish for 2021 is that together we can end the pandemic and help to restore a sense of normalcy in all countries,” said Tedros. “The roll-out of vaccines is, of course, giving all of us hope of light at the end of the tunnel.“WHO’s most urgent focus now is ensuring that all countries have access to vaccines on an equitable basis.” The UN health agency’s emergencies director Michael Ryan said Wednesday that about 28 million vaccine doses had been administered so far, in around 46 countries — 38 of which are high income, and just one low-income. The emergency committee of experts is overseen by French doctor Didier Houssin and its recommendations will be published after the meeting, likely on Friday.

G POLITICS: CONGO ANNOUNCED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FOR MARCH 21

The Republic of Congo will hold its presidential election on March 21, public television said Thursday, with President Denis Sassou Nguesso, in power for a total of 36 years, named his party’s candidate. The defence and security forces will vote on March 17, enabling them to be deployed on polling day four days later. It is the first time since the Republic of Congo, also called Congo-Brazzaville, has adopted a two-phase ballot since it introduced multiparty elections in 1992 A low-scale effort to update the national electoral roll vote has been under way since January 7. But it is being boycotted by the opposition, which says a census known as RGPH that began last year should be the basis for voter registration. That scheme has yet to finish and has no set end date. His ruling Congolese Party of Labour (PCT) last week named him their candidate, alongside 17 other groups belonging to the governing parliamentary majority — although Sassou Nguesso has not yet himself said whether he will accept the nomination. Candidate facing him in the polls include 73-year-old Mathias Dzon, a former finance minister, and 60-year-old Guy-Brice Parfait Kolelas, the runner up in 2016’s fiercely contested presidential vote.