The world watches as the UK and Russia begin vaccination campaigns

Russia opened 70 vaccination facilities in Moscow as the country begins its COVID-19 vaccination campaign.͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today Russia and the UK set for widespread COVID-19 vaccination rollout [Russian medical worker, right, administers a shot of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 5, 2020.]( Credit: Pavel Golovkin/AP Russia opened 70 vaccination facilities in Moscow on Saturday [as the country begins its COVID-19 vaccination campaign]( to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the launch of the immunization effort on Wednesday last week despite the fact that the Sputnik V vaccine [has not undergone]( advanced safety and efficacy studies. The United Kingdom is also gearing up to begin wide-spread vaccinations on Tuesday after health officials approved the coronavirus vaccine developed by American drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech for emergency use. Around 800,000 doses of the vaccine [were expected to be in place by Tuesday]( arriving in super-cold refrigeration containers. The vaccination effort includes health centers in England, Wales and Scotland. “To know that they are here, and we are amongst the first in the country to actually receive the vaccine and therefore the first in the world, is just amazing,” said Louise Coughlan, joint chief pharmacist at Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, just south of London. What The World is following Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro [will take control of the country’s National Assembly]( — the last major branch of government out of his grasp — after his political alliance claimed victory Monday following controversial elections held over the weekend. The congressional elections [were boycotted by top opposition politicians]( including Juan Guaidó, who is backed by the US and several other nations. Maduro’s United Socialist Party of Venezuela and allied parties said on Monday they captured 67% of seats. And, the [National Academy of Sciences said on Saturday]( in a report commissioned by the US State Department, that “directed pulsed radio frequency energy” was likely the cause of illnesses among American diplomats in Cuba and China. In 2016, US diplomats reported unexplained symptoms of head pressure, dizziness and cognitive difficulties. --------------------------------------------------------------- Invest in global journalism! Be one of the 1,000 people to donate $100 or pledge $8.33 a month to receive an invite to a virtual party with Marco Werman and The World team to thank you for your support! Many of you have stepped forward and shown your support for The World with thoughtful messages like this one: "I love The World and listen every day!" – Richard in Washington DC Thank you for your support. Visit [www.theworld.org/give]( to donate. [Donate now]( --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Exiled Venezuelan dissident said Sunday's National Assembly elections are a 'fraud']( [Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López kisses his wife Lilian Tintori with their son and daughter after a news conference in Madrid on Oct. 27, 2020.]( Credit: Andrea Comas/AP Leopoldo López, in exile in Spain, is speaking out against the Venezuelan National Assembly elections held Sunday by the government of President Nicolás Maduro. López told The World last week that the elections are a fraud. "And it’s not just us saying that, it’s the European Union and the Organization of American States," [he said](. "We have absolutely no clue how Maduro’s electronic electoral system works. There is absolutely no auditing, no international observation for the elections and therefore, no possibility of having a fair election." [How women and girls are especially at risk of hunger during the pandemic]( [People walk along a downtown street in Johannesburg, South Africa, Monday, March 16, 2020. Millions of women and girls globally have lost access to contraceptives, abortion services and related care because of the coronavirus pandemic.]( Credit: Themba Hadebe/AP The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has driven an unprecedented increase in hunger across the world, according to the United Nations’ assessment of humanitarian needs in 2021, released this week. It says the number of people across the globe at risk of hunger is up 82% from a year ago, to an astounding 270 million. [A whopping 70% of them are women and girls](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Podcast [Things That Go Boom: The Blob]( In 1958, a movie about a man-eating, bloodcurdling mass from outer space introduced the world to "The Blob." But in recent years, that term has taken on a whole new meaning among foreign policy professionals in Washington. What exactly defines this Blob can be as amorphous as the movie monster, so we reached out to three people to explain who exactly belongs in this group. The term, we learned, describes a perspective that transcends party lines and has remained relatively unchallenged for decades. In this new episode of "[Things That Go Boom](," The World's partner podcast from PRX, host Laicie Heeley explores the moment all of that changed, and the Blob came face-to-face with ... the anti-Blob. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot Kenya's Kibiwott Kandie [broke the world record on Sunday]( for the half marathon by 29 seconds running a time of 57:32 in Valencia, Spain. That's fast! But, it was also a very fast race. Kandie was one of four runners that broke the world record time set by Geoffrey Kamworor in 2019. [A screen grab of a tweet from World Athletics]( Credit: Courtesy of Twitter. --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Poland’s latest trend? Political disco.]( - [A political dissident speaks about Venezuela’s elections]( - [A growing push to halt US-Mexico border wall construction]( - [Will Brexit halt Ireland from getting British potatoes?]( - [Ukraine’s mushrooms are plentiful. Tourists? Not so much.]( - [How is COVID-19 talked about around the world?]( - [Sexual harassment trial opens in Beijing]( - [COVID-19 drives an increase in hunger that hits women hardest]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.