Navalny protests lead to mass arrests and war of words with US

The biggest opposition protests in several years in Russia led to some 3,500 arrests over the weekend. Demonstrations in support of Alexei Navalny in Moscow (where some estimates put the crowd at 40,000), St Petersburg, Vladivostok and other cities led to clashes with police, though sometimes these were limited to protesters throwing snowballs, as seen in this video from The Guardian.  Crowds could be heard chanting “Putin is a thief!” and “Free Navalny!”. Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s wife, was among those arrested according to CNN. The US state department said it condemned the “harsh tactics” of the police and demanded the release of Navalny and the protestors, the FT reports. The Kremlin responded by saying it was “not ready for diktat”. The BBC has a picture report of the protests.

US join climate talks

Joe Biden is sending another strong signal of his administration’s intent to take climate change seriously as his special envoy, John Kerry, attends this week’s Climate Adaptation Summit. Kerry will be joined by the likes of Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, Boris Johnson and Chines deputy premier Han Zheng for the virtual confab hosted by the Netherlands. They hope to set an action agenda to create a climate resilient planet by 2030 says Reuters.

Birx claims she was censored on pandemic

Former White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx has said that former president Donald Trump was being given “parallel” data sets on the pandemic while she was in her post. Birx, who was often criticised for not contradicting Trump’s more contentious claims about coronavirus, told CBS programme Face The Nation that she “saw the president presenting graphs that I never made.” She also said she had been censored by the Trump administration but denied ever withholding information.

Sanders to run for Arkansas

Donald Trump's former press secretary Sarah Sanders will announce on Monday that she is running for governor of Arkansas, a source has told CNN. Her father, Mike Huckabee, was governor of the state from 1996 to 2007.

Horesca sector protests

Between 200 and 300 owners and workers from the hospitality sector staged a protest against their treatment by the government as they face continued closure until 21 February. Delano will have photos later on Monday.

Luxembourg covid update

Luxembourg reported 123 new coronavirus infections from the 7,769 tests carried out on Saturday. 73 people remain hospitalized, with 15 of those in intensive care. But there were no further deaths. Delano has daily updates.

Global roundup

France: Jean-François Delfraissy, head of the scientific council that advises the government, has said that France probably needs to move into a third lockdown, warning that without a tightening of regulations, “we will find ourselves in an extremely difficult situation from mid-March.” France24 reports. Mexico: president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced he has tested positive for Covid-19, the BBC reports. Brazil: motorcade rallies in more than 20 state capitals took place in protest at Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of the pandemic, according to The Guardian. New Zealand: authorities are treating as a “probable community case” the infection of a woman who tested positive for covid-19 two days after leaving quarantine following her return from overseas. Reuters has details.

Rebelo de Sousa wins in Portugal

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was elected to a second term as Portugal’s president on Sunday. The election was marked by low turnout due partially to coronavirus. Rebelo de Sousa polled 61% of the votes cast. More from Reuters and Politico.

Ireland-France ferry route success

Ferry company Stena sold out the first sailing of its new Dublin to Cherbourg service on Saturday. 175 trucks were booked on the ferry as hauliers avoid driving to France via the UK--traffic on Stena’s Dublin-Holyhead route is down 50%. RTE reports.

Larry King tributes

Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Streisand, Bill Clinton and even Kermit the Frog were among those paying tribute to broadcaster, chat show host and journalist Larry King, who died on Saturday at the age of 87. CNN and Vulture have a roundup of tributes, while The Chicago Sun Times has a nice obituary.

Doc Martens flotation

Dr Martens is expected to launch a stock market flotation on Monday that would value the firm at £3.5bn. The iconic footwear brand has been owned by private equity investment group Permira since 2013, but the original founders, the Griggs family, have retained a near-10% stake. The Guardian and CityAM have details.

Chinese miners rescued

11 gold miners who spent two weeks trapped underground following an explosion at a mine in Shandong province were brought to the surface at the weekend. But hope is fading for a further 10 miners, nine of whom have not been heard of since the accident. The Guardian and Aljazeera have details.

Double arm transplant patient recovering

48-year old Icelander Felix Gretarsson is said to be recovering after receiving the world’s first double arm and shoulder transplant at a hospital in Lyon, in France. Gretarsson’s arms were amputated after he suffered extensive injuries following a power cable accident in 1998. He will now need three years of rehabilitation to try and get some use out of his new limbs. The Guardian and RTE have more.

Chiefs and Bucs to contest Superbowl

The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they try to win a second successive Superbowl title on February 7. The Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills 38-24 and the Bucs overcame the Green Bay Packers by 31-26 in the championship games on Sunday. The BBC has reports.

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts