32.9: A new poll shows Brazil's rightwing president Jair Bolsonaro's approval rating has plunged to 32.9 percent, down nearly 10 points since October. In part the dip reflects his recent unpopular decision to appoint a retired general with no energy experience to run the state oil company, sending Brazil's markets into a tailspin. Bolsonaro — up for re-election next year — has been pretty resilient despite leading an incompetent pandemic response. Is his number up?
7: Protests have continued in Madrid and Barcelona for seven straight days over the arrest of pro-independence Catalan rapper Pablo Hasél, accused of insulting the Spanish crown and "glorifying terrorism." Some of the protesters have clashed with police, vandalized banks, and ransacked stores.
3: Militants in the Democratic Republic of Congo killed three people Monday, including Italy's ambassador, in an attack on a UN convoy. UN peacekeeping troops have struggled to keep the peace in eastern DRC, where weak governance has left a power vacuum that's been filled by militias, forcing thousands of Congolese to flee.
17 million: Now that Britain has given vaccines to 17 million people (around 27 percent of the population) Prime Minister Boris Johnson is unveiling a cautious reopening plan. Schools in England will reopen in two weeks time, Johnson announced, while restaurants, bars, shops, and gyms will resume business at the end of March. The PM said the reopening will move slowly because he wants this to be the country's last lockdown.
