World news

• California implements text alerts to implore residents to stay home as coronavirus surge worsens in state

  08-12-2020 23:58 via independent.co.uk
  
  The text message was sent to an estimated 33 million residents 
  
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• Watch: Great blue heron devours baby alligator in Florida lake

  08-12-2020 23:45 via independent.co.uk
  
  Even by Florida standards, this wildlife video is pretty…wild
  
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• US composer Harold Budd dies aged 84

  08-12-2020 23:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Composer of calmly beautiful works who rejected the term ‘ambient’ collaborated with Brian Eno, Cocteau Twins and moreHarold Budd, the left-field American composer whose work straddled minimalism, jazz, dream-pop and more, has died aged 84. His death was confirmed by his close collaborator Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins, who wrote on Facebook that he was “feeling empty, shattered lost and unprepared for this”.Cocteau Twins wrote on Facebook: “It is with great sadnes
  
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• Nine out of 10 in poorer countries set to miss out on Covid jabs as richer nations hoard vaccines

  08-12-2020 23:25 via independent.co.uk
  
  An alliance of charities has called for technology and intellectual property to be shared to allow billions more doses to be manufactured, Samuel Osborne reports
  
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• Coronavirus live news: Brazil records highest daily death toll in a month; Briton first to receive vaccine

  08-12-2020 23:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Pfizer Covid-19 vaccinations begin in UK; deaths from Covid-19 in US soar to more than 2,200 a day on averageUK woman becomes first in world to receive Pfizer jabOxford AstraZeneca Covid vaccine has 70% efficacy, full trial data showsFDA: Pfizer Covid vaccine data fits with guidanceSlovakia’s mass testing cut infection rate by 60%, researchers saySee all our coronavirus coverage10.03pm GMT Brazil reported another 51,088 confirmed coronavirus infection in the past 24 hours and a further 842
  
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• Trump defends hosting White House holiday parties during pandemic

  08-12-2020 23:01 via independent.co.uk
  
  Jenna Ellis, a Trump campaign legal adviser, was pictured maskless at one of the gatherings and later tested positive for Covid
  
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• Georgia man threatens to infect bank staff with Covid during robbery

  08-12-2020 23:01 via independent.co.uk
  
  Suspect is arrested after leaving the scene empty-handed
  
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• Johnny Depp applies to court of appeal over 'wife beater' ruling

  08-12-2020 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Actor launches attempt to overturn high court libel judgment that he assaulted ex-wife Amber HeardJohnny Depp has applied directly to the court of appeal in a bid to overturn a high court ruling that he assaulted his ex-wife Amber Heard and put her in fear for her life.The Hollywood star sued The Sun’s publisher for libel after a 2018 column by its executive editor Dan Wootton described him as a “wife beater”. Continue reading...
  
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• Helicopter crashes in French Alps with six passengers onboard

  08-12-2020 22:38 via independent.co.uk
  
  A helicopter with six passengers on-board has crashed in the French Alps and a search operation is ongoing, local authorities have said. 
  
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• Woodrow Wilson’s childhood home gets name change amid reconsideration of racist legacy

  08-12-2020 22:27 via independent.co.uk
  
  The move makes the site one of the country’s only museums to Reconstruction, the tumultuous period after the Civil War
  
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• Biden vows to reopen most schools after 1st 100 days on job

  08-12-2020 22:25 via independent.co.uk
  
  Joe Biden is pledging to bring the coronavirus pandemic under enough control to open most of the nation’s schools during his first 100 days as president
  
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• PSG v Istanbul Basaksehir suspended after fourth official accused of racism

  08-12-2020 22:17 via theguardian.com
  
  Incident occurs after Basaksehir assistant Pierre Webo sent off
  Players from both sides walk off with game in the balanceParis Saint-Germain’s home Champions League game against Istanbul Basaksehir was suspended following an incident of alleged racism by the fourth official, Sebastian Coltescu.Players from both sides left the pitch in the 23rd minute during their final Group H fixture in Paris. The match between will restart with a new fourth official, Uefa said in a statement, although th
  
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• '100m shots in 100 days': Biden urges Americans to wear masks as he makes vaccine pledge – video

  08-12-2020 21:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Joe Biden pleads with Americans to wear masks for 100 days after he takes office. 'It's not a political statement, it's a patriotic act,' says the president-elect. At an event announcing nominees for his health team, Biden pledged to vaccinate 100 million Americans in his first 100 daysUS politics live Continue reading...
  
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• Fans, Ono, bandmates mark 40 years since John Lennon's death

  08-12-2020 21:41 via independent.co.uk
  
  Fans have remembered John Lennon on the 40th anniversary of the former Beatle’s death with flowers, candles and songs in New York's Central Park
  
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• How UAE sheikh came to buy infamous Israeli football club

  08-12-2020 21:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Some Beitar Jerusalem fans are notorious for anti-Arab prejudice and the club's never hired an Arab player.
  
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• Manchester bomber may have trained with Libyan militia, inquiry told

  08-12-2020 21:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Senior police officer says it is ‘not unreasonable’ to suggest Salman Abedi fought or trained with militia in 2011The Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi may have trained and fought with Islamist militia in Libya, an inquiry into the attack has been told.Abedi’s cousin Abdurrahman Forjani told police that he had travelled to Libya during the 2011 revolution and got a job “locating Gaddafi supporters”. Continue reading...
  
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• Executioners test positive for Covid after putting Texas man to death in ‘super-spreader event’

  08-12-2020 21:05 via independent.co.uk
  
  Around 50 to 125 individuals travel to the Terre Haute prison complex for each execution, leading two inmates to sue Bill Barr seeking a halt to the ‘super-spreader events’ 
  
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• ‘It’s punishing’: Covid killing one-two Americans every minute, says WHO chief as death rate hits levels not seen since April

  08-12-2020 20:55 via independent.co.uk
  
  'It's widespread. It's quite frankly shocking,' says Dr Michael Ryan
  
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• 'No point dying now, is there?': 91-year-old's vaccination interview goes viral – video

  08-12-2020 20:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Martin Kenyon, 91, was outside Guy's Hospital in London after getting the Pfizer Covid vaccine when he was chanced upon by CNN correspondent Cyril Vanier. Asked how it felt to be one of the first people in the world to receive the jab, Kenyon said:' I don't think I feel much at all, except that I hope that I'm not going to have the bloody bug now.'During the interview, which went viral after being shared by CNN's Oliver Darcy on Twitter, Kenyon added that he intended to hug his family for Christ
  
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• Artist sues LA museum after his empty sack exhibit gets thrown away

  08-12-2020 20:45 via independent.co.uk
  
  Artist said premature removal of artwork by city maintenance crew was ‘gut wrenching’ 
  
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• Chances of Brexit deal hang on Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen dinner

  08-12-2020 20:41 via theguardian.com
  
  News that PM will meet European commission president comes as Michel Barnier says chance of deal is ‘very slim’The future of Britain’s relationship with the rest of Europe will hang on the success of a dinner between Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Wednesday, it has emerged, as the EU’s chief negotiator warned the chance of a Brexit deal was now “very slim”.Downing Street said the prime minister would join the European commission presiden
  
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• Execution staff have COVID-19 after inmate is put to death

  08-12-2020 20:27 via independent.co.uk
  
  As the U.S. government plows forward with its plan for lame-duck executions in the midst of a pandemic, the Justice Department disclosed that eight staff members who took part in an execution last month tested positive for the coronavirus but five of those staffers would take part in executions scheduled for this week
  
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• 10,000 US restaurants to close in next three weeks, report says

  08-12-2020 20:27 via independent.co.uk
  
  ‘The restaurant industry simply cannot wait for relief any longer,’ association warns
  
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• Oliva Jade Giannulli learning from family college 'mess-up'

  08-12-2020 20:26 via independent.co.uk
  
  Maybe Olivia Jade Giannulli had hoped for kid-glove treatment in choosing the family vibe of “Red Table Talk” for her first public comments about the college admissions scandal involving her famous parents
  
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• LA to end cash bail and death penalty

  08-12-2020 20:01 via independent.co.uk
  
  New top prosecutor says “tough-on-crime” approach has failed as he is blasted by police union
  
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• More monoliths found in Belgium, Spain and Germany

  08-12-2020 19:38 via independent.co.uk
  
  Shiny structures resemble those discovered in US, Romania and UK 
  
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• Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine has 70% efficacy, full trial data shows

  08-12-2020 19:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Newly published data shows 90% efficacy only in small group who got half-dose firstCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine has efficacy of 90% in a small group who got a half-dose first, but only 62% in the majority, full trial data newly published in the Lancet has confirmed.The results may create a quandary for regulatory bodies, which will have to decide on how the vaccine should be used if they approve it. Continue reading...
  
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• More than 150 people arrested at massive LA house party

  08-12-2020 19:37 via independent.co.uk
  
  Los Angeles County is the hardest-hit district in the United States for coronavirus, with more deaths and more cases than anywhere else
  
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• Zuckerberg threatened to pull investment from the UK

  08-12-2020 19:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Minutes of a 2018 meeting show Facebook chief complaining UK was anti-tech and saying he might look elsewhere in Europe to investFacebook founder Mark Zuckerberg threatened to pull investment out of the UK if the government did not look to soften its stance on the regulation of Silicon Valley companies, according to a document published on Tuesday.In response Matt Hancock, who held the meeting with Zuckerberg in 2018 when he was culture secretary, said that the UK could “shift from threate
  
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• UN torture envoy calls for immediate release of Julian Assange on 10th anniversary of arrest: ‘He’s not a criminal and poses no threat to anyone’

  08-12-2020 19:15 via independent.co.uk
  
  Wikileaks’ founder awaiting court decision on extradition to US
  
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• Armed police raid home of Florida scientist fired over Covid-19 data

  08-12-2020 18:43 via theguardian.com
  
  Rebekah Jones claims Governor Ron DeSantis, with whom she has clashed repeatedly since her dismissal in May, was involvedRebekah Jones, the Florida data scientist embroiled in a dispute with the state’s Republican governor over the handling of coronavirus figures, had her home raided on Monday by armed police who confiscated her computers.In a stream of posts on Twitter, Jones posted a video of the raid that showed state police carrying handguns escorting her out of her Tallahassee home. S
  
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• US Army disciplines 14 at Fort Hood after incidents of sexual assault and murder

  08-12-2020 18:34 via independent.co.uk
  
  US Army officials have disciplined 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood following an investigation into leadership failures at the base that led to violence, sexual assault and murder. 
  
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• RAF plane flies low over world's biggest iceberg

  08-12-2020 18:29 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The RAF releases footage from its reconnaissance flight over the giant Antarctic berg known as A68a.
  
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• Romanian PM resigns as populists flourish in general election

  08-12-2020 18:18 via independent.co.uk
  
  Ludovic Orban’s party was beaten by the Social Democrats 
  
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• Japan to fund AI matchmaking systems for single people to tackle declining birth rate

  08-12-2020 18:16 via independent.co.uk
  
  Officials hope artificial intelligence can help reverse plummeting population
  
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• FDA finds Pfizer Covid vaccine is effective against coronavirus, so now what?

  08-12-2020 18:06 via independent.co.uk
  
  The health agency could give emergency authorisation to the vaccine as early as Thursday
  
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• Thieves target Russia's nuclear war ‘doomsday’ plane

  08-12-2020 18:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Radio equipment stolen from Ilyushin-80 aircraft designed to protect Putin and top officialsThieves have targeted a Russian “doomsday” plane, the military aircraft that would be used by top officials, including Vladimir Putin, in case of a nuclear war.The robbery of the Ilyushin-80, a mobile command post specially designed to keep officials alive and in command of the military during a nuclear conflict, took place at an airfield in southern Russia, state media reported. Continue read
  
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• US Army secretary to fire and suspend ‘significant number’ of officers and soldiers at Fort Hood military base

  08-12-2020 18:02 via independent.co.uk
  
  140-page report on base’s culture expected to be released on Tuesday
  
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• Revealed: how Mexico's Sinaloa cartel has created a global network to rule the fentanyl trade

  08-12-2020 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Drugs bust in India sheds light on how adaptable cartels have come to dominate the lucrative trade in the powerful synthetic opioidCarlos is a Mexican businessman employed by an import-export company that specializes in the trade of tequila and agricultural and chemical products. But in January 2016, he was a long way from his home in Culiacán, capital of Sinaloa state.Two associates accompanied him as he travelled from Shanghai to Hong Kong, Japan, and finally, India. Continue reading...
  
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• Diplomats back claims Eritrean troops have joined Ethiopia conflict

  08-12-2020 18:00 via theguardian.com
  
  US official among sources saying soldiers from Eritrea are fighting in operations against Tigray People’s Liberation FrontA US official and other diplomatic sources have backed accusations that Eritrean soldiers are fighting alongside Ethiopian troops to help Abiy Ahmed’s government in the war on the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), complicating an already dangerous conflict.The claims made to Reuters, which interviewed several unidentified diplomats in the region and a
  
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• Texas sues four states over election results in effort to help Donald Trump

  08-12-2020 17:55 via theguardian.com
  
  Long-shot lawsuit against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin is latest legal effort intended to reverse Biden’s victoryThe state of Texas, aiming to help Donald Trump upend the results of the US election, decisively won by Joe Biden, said on Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit against the states of Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin at the US supreme court, calling changes they made to election procedures amid the coronavirus pandemic unlawful. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Frankly, I don’t know’: Trump’s Covid vaccine czar says he can’t explain president’s new executive order

  08-12-2020 17:54 via independent.co.uk
  
  ‘Frankly, I’m staying out of this. So, I can’t comment. I honestly don’t know’
  
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• Gaza on brink of ‘worst health crisis’ in history

  08-12-2020 17:52 via independent.co.uk
  
  With no more PCR tests and only 20% of ICU beds available, health officials warn they will be unable to contain Covid without urgent international help 
  
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• Mystery of the monoliths: if only it were aliens

  08-12-2020 17:45 via theguardian.com
  
  The strange, reflective objects that have appeared in wildernesses worldwide were an inspiring stunt but are now just a tedious prankSomeone had to spoil it. That could be the motto of the social media age when things that begin as wonders become mere memes. Now our inability to let well alone is turning the most mysterious art happening of 2020 into another tedious prank.Strange metal monoliths are materialising everywhere, in California, Romania, the Isle of Wight and, according to the latest
  
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• Christchurch shooter donated thousands to far-right groups and websites before attack, report shows

  08-12-2020 17:39 via independent.co.uk
  
  Brenton Tarrant made several donations to Generation Identity white nationalist group
  
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• Four lions test positive for Covid in Spanish zoo

  08-12-2020 17:33 via independent.co.uk
  
  Barcelona Zoo in touch with counterparts in New York to learn how to treat infected felines
  
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• Polish priest apologizes for defense of disgraced priest

  08-12-2020 17:29 via independent.co.uk
  
  A popular Polish priest has apologized for a sermon in which he defended a bishop accused of covering up for pedophile priests
  
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• 'It has given people hope': patients and NHS staff on day one of Covid vaccination

  08-12-2020 17:25 via theguardian.com
  
  The givers and receivers of the first Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccines talk about what it means to themCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIt was 6.31am when early-riser Margaret Keenan rolled up her sleeve while sitting on a chair at her local hospital in Coventry, with the world press watching, and became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. The 90-year-old made history in a penguin Christmas sweater.The sun had yet to rise,
  
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• High politics: Why Mount Everest’s new height is as much about diplomacy as measurements

  08-12-2020 17:16 via independent.co.uk
  
  The new official height for the world’s tallest mountain reflects warming ties between China and Nepal, reports William Yang
  
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• Billionaire accused of blasting Gilligan’s Island theme song on loop wants to end feud with neighbour

  08-12-2020 17:10 via independent.co.uk
  
  Mr Gross suggested that legal expenses should be donated to food banks and other charities in Orange County
  
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