World news

• UK should tilt foreign policy to Indo-Pacific region, report says

  22-11-2020 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Thinktank urges UK to build democratic counterweight to China’s growing influenceThe UK should make a major post-Brexit tilt towards the Indo-Pacific region, ploughing military, financial and diplomatic resources into building a major democratic counterweight to China’s growing threat to the post-1945 world order, a major report urges.The report, prepared by a group of UK politicians for the right of centre thinktank Policy Exchange, and endorsed by the former Japanese pri
  
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• Gaza’s health system on the verge of being overwhelmed by coronavirus, health advisers say

  22-11-2020 22:41 via independent.co.uk
  
  ‘Within a week, we will become unable to care for critical cases,’ says WHO doctor in Gaza
  
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• ‘Point of no return’: Ethiopia PM gives Tigray forces 72 hours to surrender

  22-11-2020 22:36 via independent.co.uk
  
  Abiy Ahmed issues ultimatum ahead of military offensive on city of Mekelle
  
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• Elephant trapped down well rescued with crane after 16-hour struggle

  22-11-2020 22:32 via independent.co.uk
  
  More than 50 officials battled to save the stricken elephant which was hauled out using a wench
  
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• Trump faces pressure from Republicans to drop 'corrosive' fight to overturn election

  22-11-2020 21:33 via theguardian.com
  
  John Bolton: Trump is ‘throwing rocks through windows’ HR McMaster: Trump’s actions sowing doubt among electorateDonald Trump faced growing pressure from Republicans on Sunday to drop his chaotic, last-ditch fight to overturn the US presidential election, as victor Joe Biden prepared to start naming his cabinet and a Pennsylvania judge compared Trump’s legal case there to “Frankenstein’s monster”.Despite Republican leadership in Washington standing behin
  
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• President-elect Joe Biden will announce cabinet picks Tuesday

  22-11-2020 21:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Scaled-down inauguration celebration expected because of risks of spreading coronavirus, says incoming White House chief of staffUS president-elect Joe Biden will announce the first names chosen for his cabinet on Tuesday, the incoming White House chief of staff said – and is expecting a scaled-down inauguration celebration because of the risks of spreading coronavirus.In a sign that his transition team is pressing ahead swiftly – despite Donald Trump’s failure to concede the e
  
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• National Guard troops replace prison inmates at overflowing Texas morgue as Covid deaths soar

  22-11-2020 21:09 via independent.co.uk
  
  Border city’s morgues overwhelmed by spike in cases
  
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• Widow criticises The Crown over avalanche episode

  22-11-2020 20:43 via theguardian.com
  
  The wife of Hugh Lindsay, who was killed while skiing with Prince Charles, had asked show not to feature the disasterThe widow of a British army major who died in an avalanche while skiing with Prince Charles has criticised the producers of The Crown as “unkind” for dramatising the disaster against her wishes.Major Hugh Lindsay, a former Queen’s equerry, was skiing off-piste at the Swiss resort of Klosters in 1988 with a group including senior royals when disaster struck, with
  
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• SHELL - Nueva York: Cientos de muertos por coronavirus se mantienen en camiones frigoríficos

  22-11-2020 20:09 via independent.co.uk
  
  SHELL 
  
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• G20 leaders pledge to distribute Covid vaccines fairly around world

  22-11-2020 19:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Virtual summit an awkward swan song for Trump who skipped some sessions to play golfG20 leaders meeting remotely pledged on Sunday to “spare no effort” to ensure the fair distribution of coronavirus vaccines worldwide, but offered no specific new funding to meet that goal. The virtual summit hosted by Saudi Arabia was an awkward swan song for Donald Trump, who skipped some sessions on Saturday to play golf, paid little attention to other leaders’ speeches and claimed the Paris
  
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• Guitar Center: Biggest musical instrument retailer in the US files for bankruptcy

  22-11-2020 19:25 via independent.co.uk
  
  Retailer has around 300 stores across US 
  
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• Dramatic video shows cigar-smoking Florida man rescue puppy from jaws of alligator

  22-11-2020 19:10 via independent.co.uk
  
  Don't worry. The puppy is ok.
  
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• Majority of Australian voters in favour of pill testing, election data shows

  22-11-2020 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Long-running study finds 63% of voters support drug minimisation strategy shunned by governmentsNearly two-thirds of the Australian public are in favour of pill testing at music festivals, new national data shows.The findings, drawn from the Australian National University’s long-running election study, show strong public support for a drug harm minimisation strategy that has largely been shunned by governments across the country despite high-profile cases of deaths at music festivals. Cont
  
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• MPs from seven parties urge government not to cut overseas aid

  22-11-2020 18:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Letter to PM says move would send a terrible signal as UK prepares to host G7 and COP26MPs from seven parties have urged the government not to cut the overseas aid budget, saying it had made the difference between life and death for countless people.The intervention by MPs, including the Tory “father of the house”, Peter Bottomley, comes after it emerged that the Treasury was considering cutting more than £4bn from the aid budget and breaching a commitment to spend 0.7% of GDP
  
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• Saudi G20 summit pledges fair global vaccine access but stops short of developing world debt relief

  22-11-2020 18:16 via independent.co.uk
  
  G20 communique pledges to “spare no effort” on vaccine access but promises no new money
  
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• A terrible time for the UK to cut foreign aid | Letter

  22-11-2020 18:10 via theguardian.com
  
  There are no grounds for breaking legal commitments or for turning our backs on countries and people at a time of great need, write Sam Hickey, Uma Kambhampati and others
  News that the UK government is set to renege on its commitment to spending 0.7% of gross national income on foreign aid could not come at a worse time for the world’s poorest countries and people and for international cooperation more broadly (UK aid budget facing billions in cuts, 17 November). The World Bank estimates t
  
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• Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: Ethiopia troops to 'encircle and shell' Tigray city

  22-11-2020 17:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  People in the region's capital should "save themselves", the army warns as it advances on the city.
  
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• France culls 1,000 mink after discovering mutated coronavirus in farm

  22-11-2020 17:55 via independent.co.uk
  
  No mink farmer tested positive to mink-related coronavirus in France so far
  
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• Analysis: why ‘final’ offensive may not end Ethiopian conflict

  22-11-2020 17:50 via theguardian.com
  
  PM Abiy Ahmed has implied operation will soon be over, but many leaders have found their planned short wars will not end quicklyWithin days, the conflict in the north-western Ethiopian region of Tigray may reach a bloody climax.The fighting between federal forces and those loyal to the ruling party of the unsettled province has been chaotic and bitter. Hundreds have been killed – both combatants and civilians – and many thousands forced to flee their homes. Regional and international
  
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• Dozens arrested as thousands of demonstrators join Belarus protests

  22-11-2020 17:49 via independent.co.uk
  
  So far 70 people have been detained in the Belarusian capital Minsk
  
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• Operation Warp Speed advisor says US could return to normal by May if vaccines distributed as planned

  22-11-2020 17:25 via independent.co.uk
  
  ‘70 per cent or so of the population being immunised would allow for true herd immunity to take place’
  
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• Elephant trapped in well in India rescued during 12-hour crane operation – video

  22-11-2020 17:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Forest staff and villagers in the Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu hoisted an elephant out of the bottom of a well in an operation that took more than 12 hours. A farmer heard the cries of the elephant and alerted local authorities who arrived at the 55ft-deep (16.7-metre) well with a team of 50.Despite the depth of the well, the water inside was shallow and was pumped out to make it easier to access the 25-year-old male elephant. Two excavators, trucks and a crane were used
  
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• Covid: Gaza health system 'days from being overwhelmed'

  22-11-2020 17:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Palestinian enclave is running out of ventilators as Covid-19 cases soar, experts warn.
  
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• Covid: First Americans 'could get vaccine in December'

  22-11-2020 16:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  US vaccine chief Moncef Slaoui says the vaccination programme could begin as soon as 11 December.
  
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• Bodies of hundreds who died during New York coronavirus surge are still being stored in freezer trucks

  22-11-2020 16:47 via independent.co.uk
  
  Makeshift morgues remain as city officials work to locate families
  
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• US vaccine expert predicts life could be back to normal around May

  22-11-2020 16:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Operation Warp Speed chief says if immunization plan goes well enough Americans should be vaccinated by MayAs the United States recorded its 12th million Covid-19 case, the Trump administration’s vaccine program adviser predicted that life in America could be back to normal around May of 2021 as immunization is set to begin.The note of optimism came even as millions of Americans were expected to travel for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday this week and many appeared to be ignoring warning
  
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• France to ease Covid rules as Asian countries consider stricter action

  22-11-2020 16:02 via theguardian.com
  
  WHO says Europe faces third wave early in 2021 if nations repeat their failures to prepareCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageFrance is preparing to ease its Covid-19 lockdown rules in the weeks leading up to Christmas with new daily caseloads falling and pressure building from retailers to allow the annual shopping season to go ahead.But parts of east Asia that were thought to be controlling the disease have raised the possibility of new restrictions. Continue read
  
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• Is this the beginning of an mRNA vaccine revolution? | Adam Finn

  22-11-2020 16:00 via theguardian.com
  
  No one knew whether mRNA technology would work against this virus – but it does. It’s an extraordinary moment for scienceCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe past few months have brought a number of scientific terms to public attention. We’ve had to digest R (a virus’s reproduction number) and PCR (the polymerase chain reaction method of testing). And now there’s mRNA. This last one has featured heavily in recent news reports because
  
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• Elephant trapped in Indian well rescued in 12-hour crane operation

  22-11-2020 15:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Animal fell into well covered with bushes in village in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri districtForest officials in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state said they used a crane to pull an elephant from a well after working for more than 12 hours to rescue the animal.The elephant, which strayed into a village bordering a forest in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district, fell into the well that was covered with bushes and did not have a fence or wall around it, Rajkumar, the district forest office
  
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• WHO Covid envoy fears third wave of virus in Europe next year

  22-11-2020 15:48 via independent.co.uk
  
  Governments should lift restrictions when ‘case numbers are low and stay low’, says David Nabarro 
  
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• WHO Covid envoy fears third wave of virus in Europe next spring

  22-11-2020 15:48 via independent.co.uk
  
  Governments should lift restrictions when ‘case numbers are low and stay low’, says David Nabarro 
  
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• Dying Alabama man charged with murder after confessing to 1995 killing

  22-11-2020 15:41 via independent.co.uk
  
  ‘We were scrambling to try to figure out what he was talking about,’ says Decatur Police Department detective Sean Mukaddam
  
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• Prep talk: 'yindies' revive 80s Wall Street look for generation Z

  22-11-2020 15:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Ironic take on corporate attire reboots yuppie look in age of The Crown and new Gossip Girl
  In the ultimate moment of fashion revival, the 80s yuppie look is back – but with a difference. The “yindies” (young ironic nostalgic dresser), is bringing back the suited, Wall Street look but with a touch of knowing self-reference and elements of preppy style too.The first cast photograph of the new Gossip Girl reboot, the current season of The Crown, which features Diana Spencer&rsquo
  
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• Pakistan opposition seeks end to Imran Khan's 'puppet' rule

  22-11-2020 15:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Protesters in Pakistan say the PM came to power in rigged elections backed by the military.
  
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• Which countries and hackers are targeting Covid vaccine developers?

  22-11-2020 15:25 via theguardian.com
  
  The states and their hackers that security experts believe are targeting vaccine developersHackers try to steal Covid vaccine secretsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageRussia’s best-known hacker groups – Fancy Bear and Cozy Bear – are considered to be linked to the country’s intelligence organisations, according to western security agencies. Continue reading...
  
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• The Biden two-step: How nations around the world are scrambling to prepare for new White House

  22-11-2020 15:05 via independent.co.uk
  
  Analysis: While some nations celebrate the end of a presidency oft-described as chaotic and incoherent, for others the loss of Trump represents a major check on their ambitions, by Borzou Daragahi
  
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• The Biden two-step: How nations around the world are scrambling to prepare for a new White House

  22-11-2020 15:05 via independent.co.uk
  
  Analysis: While some nations celebrate the end of a presidency often described as chaotic and incoherent, for others the loss of Trump represents a major check on their ambitions, writes Borzou Daragahi
  
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• US election 2020: Why Trump gained support among minorities

  22-11-2020 15:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Joe Biden won the election, but support for Donald Trump increased among black and Latino voters. Why?
  
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• The world's deepest diving pool in Poland

  22-11-2020 14:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Deepspot is a diving pool that goes 45.5m (150ft) down and provides a space for divers to train.
  
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• Covid: Australia state reopens border after Covid cases plummet

  22-11-2020 14:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  New South Wales opens its border with Victoria for the first time since a second wave struck in July.
  
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• US election: Trump camp's lawsuit struck down in Pennsylvania

  22-11-2020 14:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The judge said the efforts to invalidate millions of mail-in votes were "without merit".
  
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• Charleston weighs wall as seas rise and storms strengthen

  22-11-2020 14:33 via independent.co.uk
  
  Charleston, South Carolina has remained relatively unscathed this hurricane season
  
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• US surpasses 12 million coronavirus cases

  22-11-2020 14:18 via independent.co.uk
  
  America registers record breaking 195,000 positive Covid-19 tests from Friday to Saturday
  
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• France easing lockdown in three stages

  22-11-2020 14:13 via independent.co.uk
  
  The restrictions have been in place since 30 October 
  
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• Sunak refuses to apologise for PPE contracts given to firms with ties to MPs – video

  22-11-2020 14:07 via theguardian.com
  
  The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, declined to apologise for PPE contracts given to companies with links to MPs and ministers during the first wave of coronavirus. Appearing on BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show, Sunak was questioned on the government's purchase of 50 million face masks from Ayanda Capital that were later deemed unusable for NHS workers.  
  'It was right to try to do everything we can, and I'm not going to apologise for us reacting in that way,' Sunak said.  Contin
  
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• Brazil: Death of Black man beaten by Carrefour security guards sparks protests

  22-11-2020 13:39 via independent.co.uk
  
  Videos show supermarket security guards beating and kneeling on Beto Freitas for minutes before his death
  
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• End SARS: Soldiers fired ‘live bullets’ at Nigerian anti-police brutality protesters, army admits

  22-11-2020 13:30 via independent.co.uk
  
  Admission follows deaths of at least 10 demonstrators last month
  
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• South Korea to close bars and restrict restaurants amid coronavirus spike

  22-11-2020 13:14 via independent.co.uk
  
  "The third wave of Covid-19 outbreaks is increasingly in full swing," said Health Minister Park Neung-hoo
  
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• US citizen killed in Burkina Faso

  22-11-2020 12:56 via independent.co.uk
  
  The man was shot outside of the Baba Sy military camp on the outskirts of the capital
  
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• California's Covid curfew to begin, as US cases hit 12-million mark

  22-11-2020 12:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Millions face stay-at-home orders as the US faces a surge in coronavirus infections.
  
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