 More than 160 people have been killed and 5,800 arrested during ongoing anti-government protests in Kazakhstan, according to an update provided by the Kazakh Health Ministry on Sunday. Kazakhstan government officials claim the country is now "stabilized" and buildings have returned under state control after the violence erupted in western Kazakhstan last weekend. More: - The protests over a fuel price hike were initially peaceful before spreading across the country and leaving Kazakhstan's most populous city, Almaty, in disarray.
- As of Sunday, most of the country's phone lines and internet were down, and its airports were shuttered or opened in a limited capacity. A state of emergency remains in place.
- The Collective Treaty Security Organization, an alliance of former Soviet states, has deployed roughly 2,500 troops to Kazakhstan, who will remain there until the situation is "fully stabilized," a Russian general said.
- The true number of deaths is believed to be higher than the 164 reported on Sunday.
- Some reports noted the Interior Ministry's claims of stabilization could be an effort to alter public perception after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev reportedly issued a shoot-to-kill order to security forces.
- On Saturday, authorities announced that Kazakhstan's former intelligence chief, Karim Massimov, was detained on suspicion of treason but provided no further details.
AL JAZEERA 
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A Cyprus researcher claims to have discovered a coronavirus strain that combines elements of the delta and omicron variants. The potential new strain has been called "deltacron," as it's said to contain omicron-like genetic signatures within the delta genomes. More: - A team led by Leondios Kostrikis, biological sciences professor at the University of Cyprus, claims to have discovered 25 cases of the virus so far.
- The cases were found among 11 patients in Cyprus hospitalized with COVID-19 and 14 samples from the general public.
- Their findings have been sent to GISAID, an international virus-tracking database based in Germany.
- Kostrikis dismissed claims that the findings were the result of laboratory contamination, telling Bloomberg that the new cases "indicate an evolutionary pressure to an ancestral strain to acquire these mutations" and are not caused by a single recombination event.
- However, Britain-based virologist Tom Peacock believes they could be coinfections of the two strains, and other labs will need to detect any new variant before it becomes classified.
BLOOMBERG
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a list of 50 airports that will have 5G "buffer zones" to prevent potential flight disruptions when AT&T and Verizon launch their C-Band networks on Jan. 19. The list includes the country's busiest airports, such as Los Angeles International and Chicago O'Hare, and smaller hubs like San Francisco International that are frequently impacted by foggy conditions. More: - Experts have noted that 5G deployment could interfere with commercial planes' radar altimeters, which help pilots land safely in low visibility.
- Federal officials are concerned that 5G could prompt an "unacceptable disruption" to aviation as flights are canceled or diverted over safety risks.
- As a result, AT&T and Verizon agreed to turn off transmitters and make other adjustments near the 50 airports for six months.
- Some major hubs, such as Hartsfield/Jackson International in Atlanta, are not on the list, either because they don't permit low-visibility landings or aren't locations where 5G deployment is planned.
- The 5G services are set to deploy in nearly 50 U.S. cities on Jan. 19. The wireless companies paid $80B in a government auction last year to access nearly all of the C-Band spectrum and build out their networks.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
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 GOOD NEWS: The James Webb Space Telescope unfolded its final mirror wing on Saturday, ending its month-long deployment of 50 features that were the most complicated maneuvers ever performed in space. “What an amazing milestone — we see that beautiful pattern out there in the sky now almost complete,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s science chief, after the final deployment. Described as the “largest and most technically complex space science telescope NASA has ever built,” the $10B space telescope was launched on Dec. 25 and is on a million-mile journey into solar orbit. James Webb is expected to reach its final destination in about two weeks, where it will orbit the Sun and collect data and observations about deep space. NBC NEWS
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The U.S. Department of Labor has sued a Georgia auto repair shop and its owner after he paid a former employee's final paycheck in pennies. Miles Walker, the owner of A OK Walker Autoworks in Peachtree City, is accused of improper retaliation and failure to pay appropriate overtime fees, violating the Fair Labor Standards Act. More: - In a complaint filed in a Georgia federal court, the Labor Department alleges that Walker owes $36,971 in back wages and liquidated damages.
- The complaint claims Walker discriminated against a former employee, Andreas Flaten, after Flaten called the Labor Department to report not having received his final paycheck.
- Walker is accused of leaving 91,500 pennies on Flaten's driveway, equal to $915, along with a copy of his last paycheck with "an expletive written on the outside."
- The Labor Department claims Walker failed to pay overtime wages and instead used a flat rate after 40 hours.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
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IBM is once again looking to sell its IBM Watson Health AI business for roughly $1B. The company reportedly spent a total of $4B to build up its "artificial intelligence-in-healthcare" unit but is seeking to reorganize and exit the healthcare market, reports said. More: - Watson Health, which was expected to use IBM's Watson AI to help solve healthcare challenges, has not met the company's expectations, according to reports.
- The WSJ first reported that IBM was exploring a Watson Health sale, led by Morgan Stanley, last February. At the time, the publication said the business generated $1B in annual revenue and wasn't profitable.
- After nearly a year of no success, IBM recently hired BofA Securities to find a buyer. At least one strategic buyer and a handful of private equity firms have expressed interest.
- The unit's brands include medical imaging-focused Merge Healthcare, data and analytics business Truven Health Analytics, and population health firm Phytel, which IBM acquired for an overall cost of $3.8B.
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Quick Hits: - Coin Cloud is giving away $100,000 in Bitcoin! You could pocket up to $5,000 while watching "Easy Buckets." Enter now for your chance to win!*
- Saudi Arabia released princess Basmah bint Saud, a member of the royal family, and her daughter after they were detained by the kingdom without public explanation for three years.
- U.S. figure skater Nathan Chen, a three-time world champion, broke his previous record at Saturday's U.S. Figure Skating Championships, solidifying himself as a gold contender at next month's 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
- Former President Trump's social network, Truth Social, is expected to go live on Feb. 21, according to an Apple App Store listing.
- Colombian Victor Escobar, 60, who had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, became the first person in the country to undergo euthanasia for a non-terminal illness.
- Kate Middleton turns 40 today. Kensington Palace released three new portraits of the Duchess of Cambridge taken by fashion photographer Paolo Roversi, which will enter the permanent collection at the London-based National Portrait Gallery.
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 |  | Beth is an Inside Analyst and a former public policy/investigative reporter. She has covered AI, VR, technology, and e-commerce for Inside. When she's not busy writing, she's hiking in Arizona's desert, playing pickleball, or trying out new Mexican food recipes. |   | | Editor | Aaron Crutchfield is based in the high desert of California. Over the last two decades, he has spent time writing and editing at various local newspapers and defense contractors in California. When he's not working, he can often be found looking at the latest memes with his kids or working on his 1962 Ford. | |
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