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Biden pushes unity two days before taking over crisis- laden White House

According to US media, one of Trump's final actions could be announced Tuesday at the latest: scores of pardons for convicted criminals.

Meghan’s bid to throw out Mail’s defence to privacy claim begins at High Court

The Duchess of Sussex is suing Associated Newspapers Limited.

Mary Berry says pandemic has taught us to use what’s in fridge

Dame Mary Berry has said changes brought on by the pandemic have taught people to adapt when it comes to home cooking. The Celebrity Best Home Cook judge, 80, said she hoped fewer shopping trips results in smaller quantities of food going to waste. Asked how the last 12 months have changed home cooking, Dame Mary said: “It has taught us all to use what’s in the fridge and store cupboard and to adapt if something wasn’t available. “Shopping once...

Australia says 'no' to tennis stars amid calls for quarantine change

Australia says 'no' to tennis stars amid calls for quarantine change

Blackpool sees increase in struggling families

Many more now rely on the services of soup kitchens in order to feed their families as lockdown puts pressure on families.

Capitol protester accused of trying to give Pelosi laptop to Russian intelligence

The FBI is investigating whether one of the Capitol protesters stole a laptop or computer hard drive from the office of House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and tried to pass it to Russian intelligence.

Mexico's president hopes Biden will pass US immigration reform

The president of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said he hoped Joe Biden would reform US immigration policy during his presidency.

UK has highest daily Covid death rate in the world, Oxford research shows

An average of 935 daily deaths over the last week was the equivalent of more than 16 people in every million dying each day with Covid.

Tory rebels could block post-Brexit trade deal with China by backing Labour’s ‘genocide clause’

Tory MPs are being urged to “vote with their consciences” when Labour attempts to reverse post-Brexit trade deals the UK has made with countries that are committing genocide. Ministers want to reverse key amendments to the Trade Bill, recently passed by the House of Lords, when it returns to the Commons on Tuesday – including one which would force the government to withdraw from any free trade agreement with countries the High Court rules are...

Pro-gun and anti-government: Suspicion and fear on America's streets

Rival armed militia roamed the streets of Richmond in Virginia, a little more than 100 miles from the American capital, amid heightened security concerns in the last few days before the presidential inauguration.

Italian PM wins confidence vote, but tougher test comes next week

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte won a crucial confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies on Monday, hanging on to power after a junior partner quit his coalition and opened a political crisis amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Had he lost the vote, Conte would have been forced to resign. After his appeal to opposition and non-aligned lawmakers to back him following last week’s walk-out by former premier Matteo Renzi’s Italia Viva party,...

U.S. lawmakers aim to curtail face recognition even as the technology IDs Capitol attackers

U.S. lawmakers aim to curtail face recognition even as the technology IDs Capitol attackers

Facebook claims it does not conduct business in Australia in Cambridge Analytica appeal

Facebook is claiming it does not conduct business in Australia and does not collect and hold data in the country in its effort to avoid liability over the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Last year, the privacy commissioner took Facebook to court over an alleged mass privacy breach involving the use of Australians’ Facebook data in a vote-influencing operation involving Cambridge Analytica, a company that assisted the Trump campaign and was then...

Inauguration Day 2021: schedule and celebrity concerts

A woman wearing a face mask is reflected in a shop window while walking in Lisbon on January 15, 2021 as Portugal entered a fresh lockdown over a surge in coronavirus cases.

A woman wearing a face mask is reflected in a shop window while walking in Lisbon on January 15, 2021 as Portugal entered a fresh lockdown over a surge in coronavirus cases.

Census Bureau director to resign following criticism over data

Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham announced on Monday that he will resign on Wednesday, the day President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated. Dillingham's term was set to expire at the end of 2021, but last week, a watchdog agency said it found that Dillingham pressured employees to use state and federal administrative records to determine how many undocumented immigrants are in the United States. He wanted a report on the information filed...

'This is what keeps Americans safe'

Indonesia air crash investigator hopes for recovery of cockpit voice recorder

Indonesia air crash investigator hopes for recovery of cockpit voice recorder

Herd immunity is not the only goal of vaccinating Australians during the pandemic

Last week a controversy played out in the media regarding the vaccine strategy in Australia. This was as a result of calls to delay the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout because of the potential availability of other vaccines that have a higher vaccine efficacy. While not discounting the importance of asking questions and raising concerns, it’s important to highlight that this call was driven by a misunderstanding of what we are aiming for in terms of...

Guatemalan military clears U.S.-bound migrant caravan from road

Guatemalan military clears U.S.-bound migrant caravan from road

Drone tested for search and rescue in Wales bought by Canada to save whales

EXCLUSIVE: Experts hailed the Ottawa government for bringing in the unmanned aircraft - and said the devices could be used to monitor UK marine environments

Melania Trump releases farewell video after historic Jill Biden snub

Melania Trump delivered her farewell speech today in a video message posted to Twitter. Ms Trump praised members of the military and law enforcement during her speech, and said she had been "moved by children" she visited in hospitals. She also thanked healthcare professionals for their work battling the coronavirus. "I am humbled to have had the opportunity to represent a nation with such kind and generous people," Ms Trump said. It came after...

Report: On 1st day in office, Biden to propose overhaul of immigration laws

On his first day in office, President-elect Joe Biden will propose a sweeping overhaul of the country's immigration laws, while also addressing the reasons why people migrate, The Washington Post reports. Biden's legislative proposal will include an eight-year pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants; the expansion of refugee admissions; and a security plan that deploys technology to the border, at and between ports of entry. To...

UK vaccinates 4million people including half of over-80s and care home residents

The latest figures come as the mass rollout moves to the next stage, with over-70s and the clinically extremely vulnerable invited to book their jabs

Asia Today: China sees virus outbreaks across its northeast

BEIJING (AP) — China was dealing with coronavirus outbreaks across its frigid northeast on Tuesday, prompting additional lockdowns and travel bans ahead of next month's Lunar New Year holiday. The country reported another 118 cases on Tuesday, with 43 of those in the province of Jilin. Hebei province just outside Beijing saw another 35 cases, while Heilongjiang province bordering Russia reported 27 new cases. Beijing, where some residential...

Trump orders assessment of security risks of Chinese drones

Philippines to buy 20 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine

Philippines to buy 20 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine

Biden to propose 8-year citizenship path for immigrants

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden plans to unveil a sweeping immigration bill on Day One of his administration, hoping to provide an eight-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal status, a massive reversal from the Trump administration's harsh immigration policies. The legislation puts Biden on track to deliver on a major campaign promise important to Latino voters and other...

Pink seesaws across US-Mexico border named Design of the Year 2020

A collection of bright pink seesaws that allowed people to interact over the US-Mexico border has won the prestigious Design of the Year award, with its creators saying they hoped the work encourages people to build bridges between communities. The Teeter Totter Wall, which bridged across El Paso in Texas and Ciudad Juárez in Mexico during a 40-minute session, was described as not only feeling “symbolically important” but also highlighting “the...

NHS warns social distancing remains ‘critical’ as vaccine is rolled out

Scientists fear the public could drop their guard as the coronavirus jab is delivered across the country.

Biden reportedly plans on canceling Keystone XL pipeline permit

Following his inauguration on Wednesday, President-elect Joe Biden plans on rescinding the cross-border permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, three people familiar with the matter told Politico. "President-elect Biden is showing courage and empathy to the farmers, ranchers, and tribal nations who have dealt with an ongoing threat that disrupted their lives for over a decade," Jane Kleeb, founder of Bold Nebraska, told Politico. The...

Guatemalan police break up large migrant caravan headed for US

Police in Guatemala have broken up for now a large migrant caravan from Honduras headed for the US.

Dominion threatens to sue MyPillow CEO over baseless claims of voter fraud

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has received a letter from Dominion Voting Systems, warning him that litigation is "imminent" due to his false claims that the company's machines were rigged to change the outcome of the election. Lindell, an enthusiastic supporter of President Trump, has been spreading baseless claims of widespread voter fraud for months. In the letter, Dominion's lawyers told Lindell, "You have positioned yourself as a prominent...

What the papers say – January 19

Tuesday’s front pages feature a range of stories on the coronavirus and beyond.

Case backlog threatens UK criminal justice system, say inspectors

The number of ongoing cases in crown courts was 44% higher in December compared with February 2020.

Philippines says country free of H5N6 bird flu

Philippines says country free of H5N6 bird flu

Pandemic review panel criticises China, WHO for acting too slowly on Covid-19

China and the World Health Organization could have acted faster to avert catastrophe during the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak, a panel of independent experts has concluded. The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response said its evaluation of the start of the crisis in China “suggests that there was potential for early signs to have been acted on more rapidly”. Containment measures should have been implemented...

Parler partially reappears with support from Russian technology firm

Parler partially reappears with support from Russian technology firm

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says city to extend social distancing measures

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says city to extend social distancing measures

Magic Breakfast to expand vital food support for thousands more children in 20th anniversary year

The expansion means Magic Breakfast will be doubling the number of schools it works with compared to last year

German zookeeper seriously injured by camel bite

A zookeeper is in hospital with serious injuries after being bitten by a camel in northern Germany. The 54-year-old man was cleaning out the camel enclosure and feeding the animals at Perleberg Zoo on Sunday morning when one turned suddenly and bit him in the face, police said. The worker, who has not been named, was taken to a local hospital for treatment after sustaining “serious” injuries. The zoo, located between Berlin and Hamburg, is...

Inauguration day 2021 updates: Joe Biden tasked with healing US as Donald Trump ‘to issue 100 pardons’

President-elect Joe Biden will be tasked with healing the US when he enters the White House on Wednesday as outgoing President Donald Trump is reportedly set to issue 100 more pardons and commutations. Mr Biden will be sworn in as US President in person atop a specially built platform. There will be no parade this year, however, and the number of attendees will be reduced. Tensions are high in the US after a closely fought election shrouded in...

Trump scraps UK and Brazil COVID travel bans - but Biden will ignore it

Donald Trump has scrapped a travel ban on people from countries such as the UK and Brazil - but incoming president Joe Biden intends to ignore it.

Portugal tightens Covid-19 lockdown amid record numbers of new cases, deaths

Stricter lockdown rules are being enacted in Portugal, the government announced Monday, as a surging COVID-19 pandemic sets grim records and pushes hospitals to the limit of their capacity. Prime Minister António Costa said too many people had taken advantage of exceptions included in the lockdown that began last Friday, with authorities reporting 70% of normal movement over the weekend. “We are going through the most serious phase of the...

UK weather: ‘Major incident’ declared as Storm Christoph barrels towards country

A major incident has been declared in South Yorkshire as Storm Christoph is set to bring widespread flooding, gales and snow to parts of the UK. Forecasters have issued an amber weather warning for Tuesday and Wednesday for central northern England. The warning says there is a “danger to life” due to fast-flowing or deep floodwater and a “good chance some communities cut off by flooded roads”. Up to 70mm is expected to fall in areas around...

More criminals are escaping with a slap on wrist, report reveals

More criminals are getting away with a slap on the wrist instead of being prosecuted since the pandemic started. A report warns this could make the public lose faith in the criminal justice system.

Acting Pentagon chief: No indication of insider threat before inauguration

Acting Pentagon chief: No indication of insider threat before inauguration

Field of Flags lit up on National Mall for Biden inauguration

The Presidential Inaugural Committee for Joe Biden and lights the 'Field of Flags' Art Display on the National Mall, Washington DC. The flags represent those Americans that cannot attend the inaugurtation ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Clashes in Sudan’s Darfur region leave dozens dead

The latest inter-ethnic violence to rock Sudan’s restive Darfur region had killed nearly 140 people by Monday, tribal leaders said just weeks after a peacekeeping mission ended operations. Clashes left 55 people dead in South Darfur on Monday, after a separate round of violence in West Darfur reportedly killed 83 and displaced tens of thousands over the weekend. It was the worst violence reported since the signing of a peace agreement in...

Kazakhstan to vaccinate six million people this year against coronavirus

Kazakhstan to vaccinate six million people this year against coronavirus