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1. Russia approves coronavirus vaccine before final clinical trials are completed

   

   Russia has become the first country to grant regulatory approval to a coronavirus vaccine, after less than two months of human testing, a move hailed by Moscow as evidence of its scientific prowess. But the vaccine has yet to complete final trials, raising serious concerns among some experts.

2. California judge sides with drivers in landmark case against Uber and Lyft

   

   A judge on Monday ordered ride-hailing giants Uber and Lyft to treat their California drivers as employees instead of independent contractors, a shift that would guarantee benefits such as overtime, sick leave and expense reimbursement for workers who make up much of the freewheeling gig economy.

3. Belarusian opposition leader flees to Lithuania after contesting Lukashenko's re-election

   

   Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanouskaya says she fled to Lithuania for the sake of her children, after two nights of clashes following the contested re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko.

4. Hong Kong residents defend free press as China cracks down

   

   Last year, people took to the streets of Hong Kong to demand full democracy, many encouraged by a tabloid newspaper critical of China's ruling Communist Party. On Tuesday, they lined up at newsstands to buy that same paper in a bid to help the Apple Daily — and press freedom — survive.

5. Dwarf planet Ceres is an 'ocean world,' NASA finds

   

   Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, is an "ocean world" with a big reservoir of salty water under its frigid surface, scientists said in findings that raise interest in this dwarf planet as a possible outpost for life.