World news

• Contraceptive pill could be sold over counter in UK first

  12-02-2021 23:40
  
  Public consultation led by the MHRA is looking for views on the potential reclassification of two pill typesTwo types of the contraceptive pill could be sold over the counter for the first time, the government has announced.As part of a public consultation, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is looking for opinions on the reclassification of two progestogen-only pills. Continue reading...
  
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• TJ Ducklo: White House suspends aide for 'threatening reporter'

  12-02-2021 23:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  TJ Ducklo allegedly told Politico reporter Tara Palmeri: "I will destroy you."
  
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• Mars, Nestlé and Hershey to face child slavery lawsuit in US

  12-02-2021 23:31
  
  Chocolate companies are among the defendants named in a lawsuit brought by former child workers in Ivory CoastEight children who claim they were used as slave labour on cocoa plantations in Ivory Coast have launched legal action against the world’s biggest chocolate companies. They accuse the corporations of aiding and abetting the illegal enslavement of “thousands” of children on cocoa farms in their supply chains.Nestlé, Cargill, Barry Callebaut, Mars, Olam, Hershey an
  
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• Covid-19 could become a seasonal flu instead of being eradicated, experts say

  12-02-2021 23:28 via independent.co.uk
  
  Experts predict Covid-19 is ‘here to stay’ and virus will transform to cause similar symptoms as common cold
  
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• Record-breaking snowfalls blanket Moscow – video

  12-02-2021 23:10
  
  A heavy blanket of snow covered the Russian capital, and record-breaking snowfalls descended on the central part of Russia on Friday.More snow is expected over the weekend, with temperatures hitting -15C  Continue reading...
  
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• Larry Flynt: I interviewed the controversial pornographer before his death. This is what he told me

  12-02-2021 23:10 via independent.co.uk
  
  Infamous Hustler publisher died on Feb. 10, aged 78
  
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• Larry Flynt: I interviewed the controversial pornographer years before his death. This is what he told me

  12-02-2021 23:07 via independent.co.uk
  
  Infamous Hustler publisher died on Feb. 10, aged 78
  
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• Hall of Famer Jordan set for biggest leap yet into NASCAR

  12-02-2021 22:56 via independent.co.uk
  
  Forget the green flag
  
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• Mario Draghi to take charge of Italy’s new government after receiving broad political support

  12-02-2021 22:39 via independent.co.uk
  
  Ex-governor of Bank of Italy chosen to guide country through pandemic and economic crisis
  
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• Port Kembla tragedy: two men die after being swept off rocks where three drowned in January

  12-02-2021 22:18
  
  Police say the pair and another man were swept into the sea at Hill 60 near Fishermans BeachTwo men have died after being swept off rocks into the sea at Port Kembla in New South Wales’s Illawarra region at the same spot where three men drowned three weeks ago.Police say the pair and another man were swept into the sea just before 7pm on Friday at Hill 60 near Fishermans Beach. It is believed at least two of the men were fishing. Continue reading...
  
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• Elizabeth Warren leads Democrats firing back after being singled out in ‘never-ending’ Trump impeachment video

  12-02-2021 22:02 via independent.co.uk
  
  Trump lawyers ridiculed for ‘never-ending’ video montage showing Democrats using ‘aggressive’ language
  
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• ‘Fight’: Trump lawyers ridiculed for ‘never-ending’ video montage showing Democrats using ‘aggressive’ language

  12-02-2021 21:46 via independent.co.uk
  
  Elizabeth Warren fired back with her own video after being painted as violent ‘fight’ advocator
  
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• CDC says schools can be reopened without teacher vaccinations

  12-02-2021 21:22 via independent.co.uk
  
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the nation’s leading federal health agency, has announced it was possible for schools to transition to in-person learning without requiring for all teachers to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.
  
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• Fort Worth pile up: Driver gasps in shock while filming video capturing deadly accident

  12-02-2021 21:11 via independent.co.uk
  
  The pile up left six people dead and more than 30 injured
  
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• Olympic swimmer faces seven charges over Capitol riots

  12-02-2021 20:55 via independent.co.uk
  
  Klete Keller was seen in video where other Trump supporters fight back against police as they try to retake rotunda in Capitol building on 6 January
  
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• Beverly Hills police are playing Beatles songs to avoid being filmed on Instagram, activist claims

  12-02-2021 20:54 via independent.co.uk
  
  Accusation highlights the complicated role video plays in addressing police conduct
  
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• Mario Draghi's new government to be sworn in on Saturday

  12-02-2021 20:52
  
  Italians optimistic as former ECB chief appoints mix of political and technocratic ministers to cabinetItaly’s new government, led by former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, will be sworn in on Saturday, ending weeks of political turmoil.Draghi, 73, announced his cabinet, which contains a mix of political and technocratic ministers, to president Sergio Mattarella on Friday. Continue reading...
  
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• Ex-boyfriend arrested after model's body found near highway

  12-02-2021 20:48 via independent.co.uk
  
  Police officers were able to track down a Texas man after his details were found on a note in the 47-year-old’s pocket
  
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• Covid: France says just one jab needed for previously infected

  12-02-2021 20:34 via bbc.co.uk
  
  They already have some immunity and a single dose will "act as a booster", the health agency says.
  
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• Elizabeth Warren fires back with her own video after being painted as violent ‘fight’ advocator in impeachment trial

  12-02-2021 20:22 via independent.co.uk
  
  Elizabeth Warren hit back on Twitter, after Donald Trump’s impeachment trial defence team played videos of prominent Democrats calling on their supporters to “fight”.
  
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• ‘You did it to yourself, hon’: New video captures pepper-sprayed girl’s wait for medical treatment

  12-02-2021 20:12 via independent.co.uk
  
  Mayor Lovely Warren released 90 minutes of new footage in an effort to provide transparency
  
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• Roman Abramovich: An apology

  12-02-2021 20:04 via independent.co.uk
  
  In an article we published on 6 February 2021 headed “Vladimir Putin is a ‘monkey with a grenade’: Navalny aide says it is time to get tough with Russian leader” we wrongly reported claims by Mr Leonid Volkov that Mr Abramovich is a bag carrier for President Putin’s illicit presidential wealth and named him as an individual who should be sanctioned.
  
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• 'Too good to be true': the deal with an Isis-linked Australian family that betrayed PNG's most marginalised

  12-02-2021 20:00
  
  A sustainable forestry project established to develop some of PNG’s most marginalised communities has become mired in an international corruption scandal “There is always the stench of corruption around a deal that is too bad to be true or too good to be true,” a full-page advertisement in Papua New Guinea’s Post Courier baldly declared in May 2018.“Usually, because it’s not true.” Continue reading...
  
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• Opportunists and smugglers: illicit trade in sacred Māori greenstone thrives

  12-02-2021 20:00
  
  Covid hardships mean pounamu is increasingly being targeted for its value, Indigenous leaders sayThe rugged west coast of New Zealand is home to many secrets. Rivers that run flush with gold, beaches that conceal ambergris, and waterways dotted with boulders of the sacred Māori stone, pounamu.Imbued with spiritual significance to New Zealand’s Indigenous tribes, pounamu – otherwise known as greenstone or New Zealand jade – is highly prized. For centuries Māori have fa
  
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• Why Myanmar protesters see Aung San Suu Kyi as their greatest hope – video explainer

  12-02-2021 19:57
  
  Hundreds of thousands of people have been protesting across Myanmar since the army overthrew the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi and detained most senior leaders on 1 February. Aung San Suu Kyi’s rise to power prompted hope she could end years of ethnic strife in Myanmar, but she has been accused of standing by while genocide was committed against the Rohingya people. The Guardian's south Asia correspondent, Hannah Ellis-Petersen, explains why – despite her fall from
  
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• Fresh inquest ordered into New Lodge Six killings in Belfast

  12-02-2021 19:47
  
  Attorney general’s decision comes after campaign by families of six men allegedly shot by British army in 1973
  The attorney general for Northern Ireland has ordered a new inquest into the deaths of six men allegedly shot by the British army in Belfast in 1973.Families of the men, known as the New Lodge Six, for the area where they died, have campaigned for an inquest for decades. They hope the coroner will be able to force the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the Ministry of D
  
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• Lincoln Project launches external probe after sexual harassment claims against co-founder

  12-02-2021 19:38 via independent.co.uk
  
  Open letter from former employees spurs action as allegations cause internal rifts
  
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• US government appeals UK ruling against Julian Assange's extradition

  12-02-2021 19:25
  
  Justice department confirms Joe Biden intends to have WikiLeak’s co-founder stand trial in USThe US government has appealed a UK judge’s ruling against the extradition of the WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, according to a justice department official.The appeal made clear that Joe Biden intends to have Assange stand trial on espionage- and hacking-related charges over WikiLeaks’ publication of hundreds of thousands of US military and diplomatic documents. Continue reading..
  
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• Texas officials rush to find tanker of 80 migrants who said they were running out of air in harrowing 911 call

  12-02-2021 18:33 via independent.co.uk
  
  Police believe the incident is a human trafficking event gone wrong
  
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• Spiked New York Times column on reporter's exit published by New York Post

  12-02-2021 18:28
  
  Bret Stephens piece criticizing newspaper’s handling of Donald McNeil departure over racist language was pulled by senior bossesAn article that was spiked by the New York Times – in which a conservative columnist criticised the newspaper’s handling of a former reporter who left the paper over his use of a racist slur – has been published in full by the New York Post. Related: Trump’s defense team expected to push for swift conclusion of second impeachment trial &nda
  
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• Timberlake apologizes to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson

  12-02-2021 18:20 via independent.co.uk
  
  In a lengthy social media post, Justin Timberlake says that he wants to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson “because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”
  
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• Nepal plan to force women to get family permission before flying abroad ‘will put them at greater risk’

  12-02-2021 18:19 via independent.co.uk
  
  Women under the age of 40 will need a waiver to leave the country alone if the new rule moves forward
  
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• Prankster who stuck cup to face for ‘Gorilla Glue challenge’ ends up in hospital

  12-02-2021 18:16 via independent.co.uk
  
  ‘I didn’t think it was that strong,’ said the 37-year-old who disputed TikTok influencer’s ordeal
  
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• Canada military trumpets diversity … with picture of eight white men

  12-02-2021 18:01
  
  The new chief of defence staff has apologised after his message of ‘diversity, inclusion and culture change’ missed the markInstitutions around the world are keenly aware that it is important not only to increase diversity and inclusion – but to do so in a transparent and public way. Related: Canada designates Proud Boys as terrorist organization beside Isis and al-QaidaContinue reading...
  
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• Cuomo faces calls to resign amid allegations of hiding nursing home Covid deaths

  12-02-2021 17:58
  
  New York’s governor criticized following leaked recording of top aide admitting the administration withheld dataAndrew Cuomo – New York’s governor who was once hailed the king of the US Covid-19 response – was facing fresh calls for his removal from office on Friday after new allegations emerged that he and senior staff covered up the extent of the virus deaths in the state’s nursing homes.The New York Post said it obtained a leaked recording of the governor’s
  
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• People offering money on Craigslist to act as caregivers to receive Covid vaccine

  12-02-2021 17:54 via independent.co.uk
  
  ‘You should only reach out to somebody you know or trust to bring as your companion’
  
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• Hong Kong joins China with ban on BBC World Service radio in apparent retaliation for Ofcom ruling

  12-02-2021 17:47 via independent.co.uk
  
  Beijing accused of trying to force foreign media to adhere to its agenda
  
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• Cuomo administration 'froze' over nursing home data requests

  12-02-2021 17:46 via independent.co.uk
  
  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide has told Democratic lawmakers that his administration took months to release data on the coronavirus death toll among nursing home residents because officials “froze” over worries that information was “going to be used against" them
  
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• UK immigration officials 'have had no information' about hotel quarantine

  12-02-2021 17:32
  
  Border staff not briefed about even basics of Covid protection system starting on Monday, says unionCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageImmigration officials expected to enforce a mandatory quarantine intended to protect the UK from new coronavirus variants have not been briefed on even the basics about how the system will work, little more than 48 hours before it begins, the Guardian has been told.The Immigration Services Union (ISU), which represents many of the H
  
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• Texas officials rush to find tanker of 80 migrants who say they are running out of air in harrowing 911 call

  12-02-2021 17:32 via independent.co.uk
  
  A 911 call from a group of 80 migrants stuck in a tanker truck and running low on air has sparked a race against time for Texas authorities hoping to save them.
  
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• 'I did what I thought was right': a Myanmar protester voices her fears for the future

  12-02-2021 17:23
  
  Almost two weeks after the military coup, one demonstrator explains why she is still out on the streetsIn previous years on Union Day – the Myanmar public holiday marking the agreement between ethnic leaders on 12 February 1947 to forge a unified country – Khin* had worn her traditional htamein, a snug maxiskirt. But since it would prevent her from running away if the police opened fire, this year she opted for loose trousers, large sunglasses, a baseball cap and face mask.For the se
  
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• Viral Vegas: Deaths jump, tourism slumps amid long pandemic

  12-02-2021 17:15 via independent.co.uk
  
  The toll of the coronavirus is reshaping Las Vegas almost a year after the pandemic took hold
  
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• French police to interview 11 women about Gerald Marie abuse allegations

  12-02-2021 17:01
  
  Former model agency boss denies rape and sexual misconduct in 1980s and 90sEleven women who accused the French former model agency boss Gerald Marie of sexual misconduct and rape have been invited to Paris to meet investigators, in the next step of a criminal investigation.The women, who are based all over the world, are expected to fly to Paris together in the coming weeks to be interviewed by the Paris Brigade de Protection des Mineurs, the city police’s child protection department. Cont
  
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• What we know about Covid reinfection, immunity and vaccines

  12-02-2021 16:48
  
  With new variants of coronavirus popping up around the world, what do the latest studies tell us?Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThere is no clearcut answer to this, but several studies suggest protection generated by a previous infection lasts for at least a few months. Continue reading...
  
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• Fort Worth: Nurse crawled out of deadly 1.5-mile Texas pile-up and went to work

  12-02-2021 16:37 via independent.co.uk
  
  Rebecca Benson says aftermath of accident was ‘like a zombie movie’
  
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• Lunar new year celebrations around the world – in pictures

  12-02-2021 16:29
  
  Some of the best photographs as people welcome the arrival of the year of the ox Continue reading...
  
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• Myanmar coup: UN Human Rights Council holds urgent session as UK and EU call for release of Suu Kyi

  12-02-2021 16:28 via independent.co.uk
  
  ‘Growing reports and photographic evidence’ security forces have used live ammunition against protesters, investigator says
  
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• Vaccine delay in North Macedonia stirs political tension

  12-02-2021 16:18 via independent.co.uk
  Like many other countries bordering the EU, North Macedonia is scrambling to procure COVID-19 vaccines, suffering disproportionately from recent manufacturing delays
  
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• Fourteen arrested in Germany and Denmark over terror plot

  12-02-2021 15:56 via independent.co.uk
  
  ‘We found things that can be used to make a bomb’
  
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• Myanmar police confront protesters and fire rubber bullets – video

  12-02-2021 15:50
  
  Police in Myanmar have clashed with protesters and fired rubber bullets at crowds in the  south-eastern city of Mawlamyine on the largest day of demonstrations so far against the military coup. The use of force left at least three people wounded and came hours before the UN human rights council was due to hold a special session to discuss the crisisPeople of Myanmar in 'great peril', UN told as police clash with protestersContinue reading...
  
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