Melting ice in the Arctic allowed a Russian gas tanker to sail through the Northern Sea Route in the middle of winter for the first time. Stretching 3,000 nautical miles (5,556km), the route is the shortest passage between Europe and Asia.

Diplomatic efforts to resolve Myanmar’s political crisis are intensifying as protests continue across the country calling for the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the restoration of civilian rule.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has renamed the world’s largest cricket stadium after himself, prompting sycophancy from supporters and charges of flagrant narcissism by opponents.

AstraZeneca expects to deliver less than half the 180 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to the EU in the second quarter of 2021. The total will be about 130 million doses -- well below the 300 million contracted.

Police are seeking to determine what caused a sport utility vehicle driven by Tiger Woods to swerve off a Southern California road, leaving the 15-time major golf champion seriously injured.

Pope Francis is set to make a four-day trip to Iraq, marking the first time that a pope has ever visited the country. It will be his first foreign visit since the coronavirus pandemic struck the world.

The interactive version of the World Agenda in March, also includes the trial of a former police officer in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd, elections in the Netherlands, and the 36th America’s Cup.

The United States has passed the grim milestone of 500,000 Covid-related deaths, a staggering number that all but matches the U.S. death tolls from World War II, Korea and Vietnam combined.

The top ten titans of the trading floor earned $20.1 billion during the pandemic year of 2020. According to the Institutional Investor, that’s a 50 percent rise from $13.4 billion in 2019.

Each month Graphic News publishes a World Agenda of forthcoming events. Events in March include the first anniversary of the WHO declaring the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, elections in Israel, and the start of the Formula 1 season.

U.S. planemaker Boeing has recommended grounding dozens of its 777 jets around the world following an “uncontained engine” on a United Airlines plane over Denver on Saturday -- the same day that a similar event occurred over the Netherlands.

Stress, isolation and financial hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic led to nearly 84,000 overdose deaths in the year to July 2020 -- the highest number of drug fatalities ever recorded in a single year.

The Duke of Edinburgh remains in hospital for a period of “observation and rest”. He was admitted to hospital in London on Feb 16 for an undisclosed reason although it is not related to coronavirus.

A shortage of semiconductors has hit carmakers around the world. Analysts predict the lack of chips -- used in engine management and driver-assistance systems -- will wipe out $61 billion of sales in 2021.

Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp reached a landmark global deal with Google that it said would bring “significant” licensing payments for content used on Google’s “News Showcase.”

A video game series that’s sold over 110 million units, made “Zelda” a household name and created a multibillion dollar franchise, was released 35 years ago.

Samples from mammoth remains thought to be 1.2 million years old have yielded the oldest full genome known to date. The finding provides new insights into how mammoths evolved.

NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance landed on Mars on Thursday, starting a high-tech mission to hunt for signs of life in an ancient lakebed. The landing at 20:55GMT marked the fifth NASA rover to successfully reach the Red Planet.

A huge winter storm sweeping across the southern U.S. has killed at least 30 people and left millions without power. The extreme weather is forecast to continue until the weekend.

Saudi Arabia is moving to release some political prisoners and repair relations with regional rivals as it prepares for a policy reset with U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration.

Houthi rebels could take full control of north Yemen with the capture of the oil-rich city of Marib, weakening the government’s negotiating position amid growing U.S. pressure for a political solution.

Israeli start-up Redefine Meat is planning to launch its plant-based 3D-printed steak substitutes globally this year. Industrial-scale printers will produce around 100kg of Alt-Steak per hour.

Bitcoin has reached a new record, rising above $49,000 for the first time. The cryptocurrency is up by almost 63 per cent since the start of the year, buoyed by JP Morgan and Tesla’s endorsements.

Pro-independence parties in Catalonia increased their majority in regional elections but the Socialists, who support the union with Spain, took the largest individual share of the vote.

To avoid creating a hard border with the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland remains within the EU’s single market -- potentially separating the province from the rest of the UK’s internal market.

Prominent Saudi women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul, 31, has been released from a Saudi Arabian prison, her family said on Wednesday. Here are some details about al-Hathloul, who had been detained since 2018.

A planned balloon test flight is under fire from environmentalists who fear it is a step towards solar radiation management that could see particles released into the atmosphere to reduce global warming.

Tesla is worth more than the combined value of the next seven largest car companies globally. The electric-car maker’s market capitalisation sits at more than $800 billion -- up from $160 billion a year ago.

Indonesian investigators say that a malfunction of the auto-throttle system, which controls the thrust of a plane’s engines, may have led to the crash of a Sriwijaya Air jet on Jan 9 that killed all 62 people on board.

Italy’s political parties on both the left and right are backing Mario Draghi to form a technocratic government. Crippled with a debt load at almost 160% of GDP and a raging pandemic, Italy faces one of its biggest challenges since World War II.

Saudi Arabia is constructing a vast entertainment zone near Riyadh, which will include the world’s tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster.

Claims by President Donald Trump that sparked a deadly riot at the Capitol cost the U.S. taxpayer over $500 million in enhanced security, property repairs and legal fees, according to the Washington Post.

Britain has auctioned seabed rights that will allow around 8 gigawatts of new wind farms -- enough to power more than 7 million homes -- with oil majors BP and Total taking a majority of the projects.

While some countries can reach so-called “herd immunity” within months -- with 75-85 per cent of the population vaccinated -- others could take several years, according to data collected by Bloomberg.

Nintendo has sold 79.9 million units of its Switch hybrid handheld/home video game system, eclipsing those of its predecessor, the 3DS, according to the firm’s latest financial statements.

U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday he plans to raise annual refugee admissions to 125,000 in the coming fiscal year, a more than eight-fold increase after former President Donald Trump slashed levels to historic lows.

According to an analysis by the New York Times, federal charges against 176 people who took part in the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol in January provide an initial portrait of the perpetrators, with one in eight being from the military.

Oil behemoth Shell has reported a sharp drop in full-year profits as the Covid-19 pandemic takes a heavy toll on the oil and gas industry, posting a net loss of $21.7bn for 2020.

In his first two weeks in office, President Biden has signed nearly as many executive orders as Franklin Roosevelt signed in his entire first month. And President Roosevelt holds the record.

Scientists are urgently studying more transmissible variants of the coronavirus, such as those identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, to understand what threat they pose.

Google parent Alphabet reported that its quarterly profit rocketed over 40 per cent to $15.2 billion at the end of 2020, buoyed by heavy digital advertising spending during the holiday shopping quarter.

The number of active hate groups in the United States declined for a second straight year in 2020, but levels of hate remained as extremists migrated to online networks, according to the Southern Poverty Law Centre.

Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s armed forces commander-in-chief, has emerged as the country's new strongman following Monday’s coup. Min Aung Hlaing became the public face of the 2017 offensive against the Rohingya.

McDonald’s has rolled out its McPlant burger in Denmark and Sweden, ahead of introducing the plant-based alternative-meat burger to McDonald’s locations in other markets.

The long-delayed movie Wonder Woman 1984 had the biggest ever U.S. streaming premiere, racking up over 2.25 billion minutes viewed in three days, according to ratings service Nielsen.

Countries with the least corruption are best positioned to weather the health and economic challenges of the pandemic, according to an annual survey by anti-graft watchdog Transparency International.

The Doomsday Clock – which indicates how near our planet is to annihilation – stands at 100 seconds to midnight for the second year running, the closest it has ever been

Global numbers of oceanic sharks and rays have fallen by 71% in the last 50 years, due primarily to overfishing. A new study calls on governments to act immediately to prevent a collapse in populations

A major survey on climate change finds two-thirds of people around the world view it as a “global emergency”.

French exports of champagne fell by 17.6 per cent in 2020 as the pandemic forced drinking venues to close and put celebratory events on ice, according to producers’ group CIVC.

Just three years ago, things didn’t look so great for guitar maker Fender, facing plummeting figures and saddled with $246 million of debt. A year into a pandemic a guitar revival, especially among women, has triggered a surge in sales.

With recorded cases of Covid-19 around the world now exceeding over 100 million, and over two million deaths, the U.S. has more confirmed cases than any other country according to Johns Hopkins University.

Of the 50 or so countries that have begun administering coronavirus vaccines, all of them are high- or middle-income nations. Vast numbers of low-income countries have yet to begin their campaigns.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX SmallSat Rideshare Program has set a record by launching 143 satellites into orbit in a single rocket mission. The number beats the previous record of 104 satellites carried aloft by India in 2017.

The Boeing 737 Max will be approved to resume flights in Europe, following nearly two years of reviews after the aircraft was involved in two deadly crashes that saw the planes grounded worldwide.

Joe Biden became the oldest president in U.S. history at age 78, taking the helm at a moment of profound political division and economic turmoil across the nation.

The incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to cancel the $8 billion Keystone XL pipeline project, prompting the Canadian energy sector to seek damages.

A rollable smartphone has been shown at CES 2021, featuring a design that allows a smartphone screen to extend to the size of a small tablet.

After being delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Olympic flame, which has been held in Tokyo for a year, is set to be carried around all 47 of Japan's prefectures in a lengthy 121-day long Torch Relay.

The Indian Navy will receive a major boost with the deployment of its second ballistic missile submarine. The INS Arighat is in the final stages of sea trials and is likely to be commissioned into service in early 2021.

All viruses naturally mutate when they replicate, changing the genome – the genetic blueprint – enabling a virus to function. The British coronavirus variant B117 has now spread to more than 30 countries, including the U.S., France and India.

Graphic shows anniversaries and events on this day in history for 2021. The graphic is “auto-updating”, automatically changing each day to show a different picture and selection of events. Come back tomorrow to see anniversaries and events for that date.

Japanese car giant Toyota, says that in 2021 it will demonstrate a prototype electric vehicle (EV), powered by a solid-state battery, capable of driving 500 kilometres on a single charge, and rechargeable in 10 minutes.

Face masks can help slow the spread of coronavirus to other people, but updated guidance from U.S. health officials suggests that masks may also protect wearers who are not infected, though to a lesser degree.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna deliver genetic instructions which enable a recipient’s cells to make viral proteins that prime the immune system to produce protective antibodies.

Manned submersibles company, OceanGate, is planning tourist dives to RMS Titanic, allowing up to three passengers to descend in its Titan sub. The firm intends to dive 18 times each May-September, the ticket price for the trip set at $125,000.

The 2021 America’s Cup sees Emirates Team New Zealand take on Luna Rossa of Italy in the AC75 class, which could be the fastest seen to date. Since the first race in 1851, only four nations, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland, have ever claimed the prestigious trophy affectionately known as the “Auld Mug”.

UEFA Europa League Round of 32 second leg contests include Bayer Leverkusen taking on Young Boys of Switzerland, Benfica facing a heavyweight clash with Arsenal, and PSV Eindhoven hosting Olympiacos.

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg matches, including match-ups between Atalanta and Real Madrid at the Stadio di Bergamo, and Borussia Monchengladbach against Manchester City at the Puskas Stadium, Budapest.

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg matches, including match-ups between Lazio and Bayern Munich at the Stadio Olimpico, and Atletico Madrid against Chelsea at the National Stadium, Budapest.

Due to ongoing international travel restrictions, the Super Rugby season kicks off with two domestic tournaments – Super Rugby AU and Super Rugby Aotearoa – as five teams from Australia and New Zealand compete to be crowned national champions.

The opening race of the Formula 1 World Championship signals the starting lights on a season of thrilling manoeuvres, breathtaking drama and unrivalled precision over more than 20 Grands Prix that span the globe.

With Formula 1’s radical rule changes pushed back to 2022, teams will run their current cars in 2021. Some aerodynamic rule changes to trim downforce, and new tyres from Pirelli, will throw up fresh challenges.

The Last 16 in the UEFA Champions League takes place across Europe. Germany and Spain are both represented by four teams, including heavyweights Bayern and Real Madrid. Three teams each from England and Italy, and one each from France and Portugal, complete the line-up.

The Six Nations Championship, the northern hemisphere’s premier rugby union tournament, kicks off, with England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy set for six weeks of fierce rivalries, tough tackles and thrilling sporting theatre.

The Six Nations Championship 2021. Reigning champions England will begin their campaign with a Calcutta Cup clash against Scotland at Twickenham, as the northern hemisphere’s premier rugby union tournament kicks off.

The Six Nations Championship is played each year between England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. Each team plays every other team over five rounds, a total of 15 matches, with home advantage alternating between seasons.

The partial WTA schedule – reflecting the ongoing uncertainty due to the coronavirus pandemic – features 31 tournaments, including the first three Grand Slam showpieces of the year and four WTA 1000 events in Dubai, Miami, Madrid and Rome.

The new ATP Tour season continues to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with the first major showpiece of the year -- the Australian Open -- delayed until February.

The 2021 MotoGP season comprises 20 Grands Prix, commencing with the Qatar GP in March and concluding in Valencia, Spain in November.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) season continues. The NBA has been dominated by a fierce rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, each winning 17 titles.

The draw for the Last 16 in the Champions League pits defending champions Bayern Munich against Italian outfit Lazio. Elsewhere ties of the round include 2020 finalists Paris St-Germain against competition heavyweights Barcelona and emerging Leipzig facing reigning Premier League title-holders Liverpool.

The draw for the Last 16 in the Champions League takes place in Nyon, Switzerland, as the tournament reaches the knockout stages. Group winners will be paired with runners-up, with the first matches taking place on February 16/17.

The draw for the Last 32 in the UEFA Europa League features 2017 champions Manchester United -- dropping into the tournament following a difficult UEFA Champions League campaign -- against Real Socieded, and a heavyweight clash between Arsenal and Benfica.

The 72nd Formula One World Championship, comprising 22 races around the world, commences with the Australian Grand Prix and concludes in Abu Dhabi in December.

The European Rugby Heineken Champions Cup, the northern hemisphere’s premier club rugby union tournament kicks off, with 24 teams battling to lift the trophy -- English Premiership’s Exeter Chiefs are aiming to defend their title.

The new Heineken Champions Cup season kicks off with an expanded 24 teams from England’s Aviva Premiership, France’s Top 14 and the Pro14 -- contested by Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy -- competing in an adapted tournament, enforced by the Covid-19 pandemic

Starting in in the north-west city of Brest, Brittany, the defining characteristic of the 2021 Tour de France is the inclusion of a double ascent of the iconic Mont Ventoux and a visit to Andorra.

The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the premier international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, taking place at more than 30 venues in 13 countries. The season begins in Soelden, Austria, and concludes in March at the World Cup finals in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

European Champions Bayern Munich open the defence of their title against Atletico Madrid, as the new Champions League season opens, culminating with the final at Turkey’s Atatürk Olympic Stadium on May 29, 2021.

The 2020-21 football season gets underway just weeks after the late finish of the previous season due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Premier League champions Liverpool hosting Championship winners Leeds Utd.