World news

• NYT to reassign reporter hoaxed by Isis ‘con-artist’ in flagship Caliphate podcast

  18-12-2020 23:34 via independent.co.uk
  
  'If you look at something like our coverage of Donald Trump's finances, I read so many versions of those stories that frankly, I could almost do Donald Trump's taxes. We did not do that in this case’
  
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• Afghanistan: Blast kills 15 children in eastern province

  18-12-2020 23:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  It is unclear if the explosion was a deliberate attack or unexploded ordnance going off.
  
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• Ahmaud Arbery: Body camera video shows police responding to shooting did not immediately try to help him

  18-12-2020 23:14 via independent.co.uk
  
  Police in the footage say the shooting appeared to be self defence
  
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• 'It can affect anyone': Macron urges French to follow rules after contracting Covid – video

  18-12-2020 23:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Emmanuel Macron has blamed his coronavirus infection on a combination of negligence and bad luck and urged his compatriots to stay safe in a self-shot video. The French president was isolating with symptoms that included headaches, fatigue and a dry cough. 'Despite everything I caught this virus,' Macron said. 'Perhaps, doubtless, a moment of negligence, a moment of bad luck too.'Emmanuel Macron blames Covid infection on negligence and bad luck Continue reading...
  
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• Two death row inmates to be executed by Trump administration test positive for Covid

  18-12-2020 22:58 via independent.co.uk
  
  Lawyers raise concerns that being sick with virus will impede their ability to advise their clients
  
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• Frontline workers protest at Stanford after hospital distributed vaccine to administrators

  18-12-2020 22:55 via independent.co.uk
  
  The hospital was accused of prioritising administrators over some medical residents and nurses in first wave of vaccine distribution
  
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• What happens if only half the country gets the Covid vaccine?

  18-12-2020 22:17 via independent.co.uk
  
  About 53 per cent of Americans say they will take a first-generation Covid-19 vaccine, poll finds
  
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• Watchdog: Floyd protests overwhelmed NYPD, sparking conflict

  18-12-2020 21:20 via independent.co.uk
  
  A new report finds that the New York Police Department was caught off guard by the size and scope of the spring protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd
  
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• ‘I don’t want to feel expendable’: California nurse reveals the racial disparities she’s witnessed on the Covid frontline

  18-12-2020 20:44 via independent.co.uk
  
  Asantewaa Boykin says the pandemic provides an opportunity to address inequalities in the healthcare system, writes Danielle Zoellner
  
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• E Jean Carroll offers to delay her DNA demands in rape defamation case against Trump if he gives up key records

  18-12-2020 20:23 via independent.co.uk
  
  ‘Any burden on President Trump’s official duties will end when he leaves office in a few weeks,' says court filing
  
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• Did France's Emmanuel Macron break his own Covid rules?

  18-12-2020 20:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The French president faces questions over whether he himself followed social distancing measures.
  
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• Tova O'Brien 2020 Politics year in review |Tova O'Brien

  18-12-2020 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Despite political screw-ups and scandal, New Zealand is in a relatively good place right nowRemember January 2020? We were young, carefree and full of hope. The political year in New Zealand started like any other but then the wheels came off spectacularly, and in a way none of us could have predicted.Covid, coups, conspiracies, scandal, leaks, lies, leadership, lockdowns, misinformation, ministerial screw-ups, a sexting MP. It was immense – and that was before we hit the campaign trail. C
  
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• Google's antitrust case won't go to trial until Sept. 2023

  18-12-2020 19:54 via independent.co.uk
  
  The U.S. government’s attempt to prove Google has been using its dominance of online search to stifle competition and innovation at the expense of consumers and advertisers won’t go to trial for nearly three years
  
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• Manchester police chief resigns after force fails to log a fifth of crimes

  18-12-2020 19:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Ian Hopkins steps down after force put into special measures for not recording 80,000 crimes in a yearThe chief constable of Greater Manchester police has stepped down after the force was placed in special measures for failing to record a fifth of all crimes in the past year.Ian Hopkins said he was bringing forward his retirement in the wake of a damning report by inspectors that found the force had failed to record 80,000 crimes in the year to 30 June. Continue reading...
  
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• Keir Starmer: Christmas relaxation of Covid rules is Boris Johnson's 'next big mistake' – video

  18-12-2020 19:46 via theguardian.com
  
  Plans to relax Covid restrictions over Christmas are an error, says the Labour leader, as swathes of England have either entered or will enter tier 3 this week, and with mounting cases and hospitalisations. But Boris Johnson has resisted calls to reverse the five-day relaxation, instead urging the public to take individual responsibility. 'The prime minister should take the hard decisions, not hand them over to individuals,' says Starmer.UK coronavirus liveBoris Johnson refuses to rule out third
  
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• Covid: Austrians who pass antigen test to be exempt from lockdown

  18-12-2020 19:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Italy prepares for national lockdown over Christmas; Spanish minister warns of third waveCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAustria is to enter a third lockdown from Boxing Day but will stage mass coronavirus tests in mid-January to determine who will be exempt from certain restrictions, the government announced on Friday.Italy is preparing to outline new measures that could lead to a complete lockdown over the Christmas and new year period, while the Spanish gover
  
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• Tucker Carlson says Covid-19 vaccine slick PR campaign ‘feels false’, gets called evil and vile

  18-12-2020 19:27 via independent.co.uk
  
  ‘If you want people to take your vaccine they must trust your vaccine, and if you want them to trust it you have to let them speak freely about it’
  
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• Pence receives Covid vaccine on TV as FDA panel recommends Moderna – live

  18-12-2020 19:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Vice-president becomes highest-ranking official to receive vaccine so farFDA panel clears way for emergency use of Moderna’s vaccineSupreme court dismisses challenge to Trump’s census proposalMcConnell: ‘I’m even more optimistic’ about Covid relief deal
  Sign up to receive First Thing – our daily briefing by email 6.14pm GMT Pelosi tweets about getting the vaccination The Speaker of the House said she did so with ‘confidence in science’:Today, with
  
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• US scrambling to understand fallout of suspected Russia hack

  18-12-2020 19:23 via theguardian.com
  
  At least six government departments breached in likely Russian intelligence operation thought to have begun in MarchThe US government is still in the dark over how deeply Russian hackers penetrated its networks during the worst ever cyber attack on federal agencies, members of Congress warned on Friday.At least six government departments were breached in a likely Russian intelligence operation thought to have begun in March. Although there is no evidence that classified networks were compromised
  
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• Give NHS staff Covid vaccine now or face growing winter crisis, say hospital bosses

  18-12-2020 19:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Trust chiefs say making frontline workers wait until early 2021 is ‘kick in the teeth’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHospital bosses in England want NHS staff to start getting the Covid vaccine urgently because soaring rates of sickness among frontline personnel are threatening to intensify the service’s growing winter crisis.Doctors and nurses are asking their hospitals to vaccinate them, but are being told they will have to wait until early
  
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• Michel Barnier seeks to end Brexit deadlock with fresh fishing proposal

  18-12-2020 19:05 via theguardian.com
  
  EU chief responds in final hours to Boris Johnson’s request for Brussels to seal deal Brexit news – latest updatesMichel Barnier has sought to break the deadlock in what he described as the final “few hours” of the post-Brexit trade talks with a new proposal on EU fishing access in British waters, after Boris Johnson called on Brussels to move to seal a deal.After meetings with aides to the EU’s heads of state and government and fisheries ministers, Barnier was lock
  
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• Coronavirus live news: Sweden tightens rules after nearly 10,000 daily cases; Austria to lock down after Christmas

  18-12-2020 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Sweden introduces tougher measures after recording 9,654 cases; Austria announces third lockdown just 11 days after ending last oneMacron faces criticism over behaviour before Covid testMike Pence receives Covid-19 vaccine Covid in Europe: Spain facing ‘third wave’UK coronavirus – latest updates
  US coronavirus – latest updates 6.00pm GMT World Health Organization (WHO) officials said an international team would be going to China in the first week of January to investigate
  
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• Belgian minister tweets EU's Covid vaccine price list to anger of manufacturers

  18-12-2020 18:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Pharmaceutical companies complain of breach of confidentiality after amount EU has agreed to pay for leading vaccines goes publicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA Belgian minister has inadvertently blown the lid off a sensitive and commercial secret – the price that the EU has agreed to pay for the leading Covid vaccines.Belgium’s budget state ecretary, Eva De Bleeker, posted the price list on Twitter, with the amounts of each vaccine that her countr
  
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• Six Hampshire police officers guilty of misconduct over offensive comments

  18-12-2020 18:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Officers in elite unit were recorded making racist, homophobic and sexist remarksSix police officers who were part of an elite unit plagued by racist, homophobic and sexist behaviour have been found guilty of gross misconduct at a disciplinary hearing.A covert bug recorded members of Hampshire police’s serious organised crime unit regularly making offensive remarks, including wishing death on foreigners, and an investigation found that part of the office where a black officer worked was ca
  
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• Is it an invasion of privacy when a person is portrayed in fiction?

  18-12-2020 18:40 via independent.co.uk
  
  Artistic freedom is seen as sacrosanct in France, yet an argument over privacy is raging between an novelist and his ex-wife over his most recent book, ‘Yoga’, writes Laura Cappelle
  
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• Leading Saudi women’s rights activist’s family condemns potential 20 year jail sentence

  18-12-2020 18:36 via independent.co.uk
  
  ‘They say she is a terrorist – in reality, she is a humanitarian, an activist and a woman who simply wants a better fairer world,’ says Loujain Al-Hathloul’s sister
  
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• Capacity at Southern California ICUs falls to 0% amid COVID-19 surge

  18-12-2020 18:25 via independent.co.uk
  
  The state reported a record 53,711 new coronavirus cases in a single day on Wednesday
  
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• Syrian refugees in Lebanon ‘barely surviving’ with 90% living in extreme poverty

  18-12-2020 18:23 via independent.co.uk
  
  Refugees tell Bel Trew they are terrified about making it through the winter months
  
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• Nigerian schoolboys meet president after kidnap ordeal

  18-12-2020 18:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Some of 344 children recount their ordeal as they meet with Muhammdu Buhari in Katsina
  Nigeria’s president, Muhammdu Buhari, has met with more than 300 schoolboys kidnapped a week ago in the country’s restive north-west as authorities celebrated their freedom amid widespread anger in the country at deepening insecurity.The 344 boys arrived in the city of Katsina on Friday morning, relieved to be free but exhausted from a week spent in captivity following their abduction by local band
  
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• Suspected Russian cyber-attack growing in scale, Microsoft warns

  18-12-2020 18:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Government agencies around world among targets in SolarWinds ‘espionage-based’ hackMicrosoft has said the UK and six other countries outside the US have been affected by a suspected Russian hacking attack that US authorities have warned poses a grave risk to government and private networks.Brad Smith, Microsoft’s chief legal counsel, said the company had uncovered 40 customers, including government agencies, thinktanks, NGOs and IT companies, who were “targeted more preci
  
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• Sweden looks to change law so 1994 ferry disaster can be re-examined

  18-12-2020 18:04 via theguardian.com
  
  New documentary questions findings of original investigation into cause of sinking in Baltic Sea that claimed 852 livesSweden will seek to lift a ban on inspections of the wreck of the Estonia ferry that sank in the Baltic Sea in 1994 with the loss of 852 lives in one of the worst maritime disasters of the 20th century.The Swedish Accident Investigation Authority has made a request to amend a law banning dives in order to allow a re-examination of the wreck after a documentary presented evidence
  
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• New York Times: ‘Caliphate’ podcast didn’t meet standards

  18-12-2020 17:52 via independent.co.uk
  
  The New York Times says it was wrong to trust the story of a Canadian man whose claims of witnessing and participating in atrocities as a member of the Islamic State was a central part of its award-winning 2018 podcast “Caliphate.”
  
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• Millions of lifesaving vaccine doses stuck in limbo as Pfizer awaits instructions from Trump administration

  18-12-2020 17:52 via independent.co.uk
  
  ‘We have millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses’
  
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• Cyberpunk 2077: how 2020's biggest video game launch turned into a shambles

  18-12-2020 17:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Starring Keanu Reeves and hyped to the heavens, Projekt Red’s dystopian but glitchy romp has been pulled from sale. What went wrong? Cyberpunk 2077, one of the most-anticipated video games of the year was released last week. A dystopian romp around a Blade Runner-inspired city, it had all the ingredients for a perfect storm of hype: it’s been nearly a decade in the making; its creator, Warsaw’s CD Projekt Red, was behind one of the greatest games of the last decade (The Witcher
  
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• Swiss to shut restaurants, other sites as virus cases climb

  18-12-2020 17:26 via independent.co.uk
  
  The Swiss government says it's ordering shut restaurants, bars, cultural venues and sports facilities next week as the Alpine country grapples with an ongoing rise in coronavirus cases
  
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• Mexico: assassin shoots former state governor in restaurant bathroom

  18-12-2020 17:22 via theguardian.com
  
  Aristóteles Sandoval was shot in the back in bathroom in Puerto Vallarta, and died soon afterwards at local hospitalThe former governor of Mexico’s violence-wracked western state of Jalisco has been shot dead in a restaurant bathroom in the popular beach resort of Puerto Vallarta.Aristóteles Sandoval was dining with four others when at around 1.40 on Friday he got up from the table and went to the toilet, where the killer shot him in the back, said the state attorney general,
  
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• Sweden could introduce mask-wearing as infection rates hit record

  18-12-2020 17:21 via independent.co.uk
  
  PM Lofven announced new restrictions as country records highest ever number of new cases
  
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• Greece travel: Can you still travel there and what are the rules during lockdown? OLD

  18-12-2020 17:15 via independent.co.uk
  
  Everything you need to know 
  
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• Greece holidays: Am I allowed to visit, do I need a PCR test and what are the rules

  18-12-2020 17:14 via independent.co.uk
  
  Only some parts of Greece are on the travel corridors list
  
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• Saunas to sourdough: Unesco updates culture heritage list

  18-12-2020 17:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Thirty-five entries from around the world added to 2020 list of national traditions
  Sauna culture in Finland, sourdough making in Malta, Budima dancing in Zambia and a grass mowing competition in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been added to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s prestigious list of intangible cultural heritage.The entries were among the 35 from around the world added to the list for 2020, and also included the tradition of playing the hunting h
  
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• The battle for the Kabul Nandari cinema

  18-12-2020 16:59 via independent.co.uk
  
  The ‘Kabul Nandari’ cinema was built in the 1960s during the reign of Zahir Shah
  
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• South Sudan faces 'catastrophic' famine unless conflict ended

  18-12-2020 16:55 via theguardian.com
  
  UN agencies say millions at risk if aid can’t reach areas of country stricken by floods, violence and Covid-19Parts of South Sudan are facing a “catastrophic” conflict-fuelled famine, humanitarian groups warned on Friday.Three UN agencies have called for a halt to violence to allow urgent access to parts of Jonglei state, where they said people have already run out of food because of insecurity, flooding and the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘My parents told people I had been in a car crash’: readers’ office Christmas party disasters

  18-12-2020 16:28 via theguardian.com
  
  Most workplace festivities will be virtual this year – but, on the evidence of this lot, maybe that’s not such a bad thingWe were a party of about 15 in All Bar One, which was filled with other office parties. It was a sit-down Christmas dinner and, after the main course and cracker pulling, I wiped my mouth with a large cloth napkin and accidentally put it down on a lit tealight. It caught on fire immediately – there were flames and smoke and the waiter was hitting it with a c
  
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• ‘It feels like the Iron Curtain lifting’: Israelis flock to Dubai in wake of historic peace deal

  18-12-2020 16:03 via independent.co.uk
  
  More than 50,000 Israelis have brushed aside coronavirus concerns, a terrorism warning and decades of tension to make the three-hour flight across the Arab peninsula, writes Steve Hendrix
  
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• My older brother makes me feel stupid and I can't laugh it off

  18-12-2020 16:00 via theguardian.com
  
  It might be worth looking at why it’s so easy for him to make you feel like an idiot, says Annalisa BarbieriI am a 40-year-old woman who has been talked down to and patronised by my older brother my entire life. He often speaks to me as though he assumes I don’t understand simple things, and when I try to communicate to him that I do understand, he doesn’t seem to listen. I looked up to him when I was a child, so there’s this loud voice inside my head that says: “He
  
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• 'I had a surge of power': the Bristol woman whose statue replaced Edward Colston's

  18-12-2020 16:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The image of Jen Reid raising her fist against racism went viral on social media, then inspired a sculpture by Marc Quinn. She’s still making a standOn 7 June, Black Lives Matter protesters in Bristol pulled down the statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston in spectacular fashion. Among the jubilant crowd, which jumped on the statue and rolled it down the street before pushing it into Bristol harbour, was 50-year-old Jen Reid, attending her first protest.She walked towards the no
  
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• French students protest after suicide of transgender classmate

  18-12-2020 16:00 via independent.co.uk
  
  Fouad, 17, died after tensions with school officials for her gender identity
  
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• Senate, House and Supreme Court to receive Covid vaccine doses under continuality of government plan

  18-12-2020 15:49 via independent.co.uk
  
  Senator Chuck Schumer says he will not skip the line in taking the vaccine
  
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• 'Important and symbolic': US vice-president Mike Pence vaccinated for Covid – video

  18-12-2020 15:33 via theguardian.com
  
  The US vice-president, Mike Pence, received his Covid-19 vaccine on Friday morning. Dr Anthony Fauci, who was present for the 'symbolic' inoculation, said it should serve as an example for all Americans called to do so to get vaccinated. US deaths from coronavirus topped 3,000 for a third straight day and the country reported a record number of new infectionsCoronavirus live news Continue reading...
  
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• Covid in Europe: Spain facing 'third wave' while Macron has 'real symptoms'

  18-12-2020 15:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Italy considers national lockdown over Christmas while Portugal has banned New Year’s Eve gatheringsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNEED TO ADD PHIL’S BYLINEAustria is to enter a third lockdown from Boxing day but will stage mass coronavirus tests in mid-January to determine who will be exempt from certain restrictions, the government announced on Friday. Continue reading...
  
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