World news

• General's assassination pierces Moscow's air of normality

  17-12-2024 23:58 via bbc.com
  
  The killing of Igor Kirillov is a wake-up call for the Russian capital, writes Steve Rosenberg.
  
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• Hunter killed when bear shot in tree falls on him

  17-12-2024 23:55 via independent.co.uk
  
  It is illegal to shoot at or dislodge a bear in a tree in Virginia for the purposes of hunting
  
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• US Bureau of Prisons pays ‘historic’ $115m to survivors of staff sexual abuse

  17-12-2024 23:43
  
  Payout settles claims of abuse and retaliation at women’s prison in Dublin, California, now permanently closedThe US Bureau of Prisons (BoP) has agreed to pay $115m to more than 100 survivors of a major sexual abuse scandal, a historic settlement of litigation that exposed widespread misconduct of officers at a federal prison.The payout settles 103 claims of sexual abuse and retaliation for reporting misconduct by people who were incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dubli
  
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• SpaceX was advised not to seek higher clearance for Elon Musk due to Putin contacts: Report

  17-12-2024 23:38 via independent.co.uk
  
  Sources told The Wall Street Journal that Musk’s drug use and contact with foreign nationals could lead to his existing security clearance being revoked if he attempts to upgrade it
  
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• GOP House subcommittee wants Liz Cheney investigated for ‘witness tampering’

  17-12-2024 23:04 via independent.co.uk
  
  Cheney communicated with key witness and provided recommendation for new legal representation, GOP report finds
  
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• UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect indicted on murder charges with prosecution calling it ‘act of terrorism’

  17-12-2024 22:49 via independent.co.uk
  
  The indictment comes as a poll found four in 10 young adults admit they find the killing of health insurance CEO ‘acceptable’
  
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• Syria mass graves: Daunting task of searching for and naming the dead

  17-12-2024 22:36 via bbc.com
  
  Most of the more than 100,000 people who disappeared in Syria since 2011 are now believed to be dead.
  
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• New York tax preparer called ‘the Magician’ charged for tax fraud of $145m

  17-12-2024 22:24
  
  In the decade-long scheme, Rafael Alvarez provided false documents that reduced individuals’ tax burdenA New York tax preparer known as “the Magician” has pleaded guilty to filing tens of thousands of false tax returns costing the government $145m in tax loses.Rafael Alvarez perpetrated and oversaw one of the largest ever tax frauds by a return preparer, according to prosecutors in the southern district of New York. Continue reading...
  
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• Luigi Mangione latest: Prosecutors indict CEO shooting suspect on murder charges

  17-12-2024 22:03 via independent.co.uk
  
  Brian Thompson shooting suspect is set to return to court for a preliminary hearing in Pennsylvania on Thursday
  
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• Amazon workers across US gear up to strike this week

  17-12-2024 22:03
  
  Move comes after company fails to meet deadline to begin contract talks with workers in Staten Island, New YorkThousands of Amazon workers are gearing up to strike from Thursday, days before Christmas, over the tech giant’s refusal to begin negotiations over a contract.Union locals are preparing members for pickets and actions outside Amazon facilities around the US. Continue reading...
  
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• Drones latest: Pentagon claims East Coast objects are not military as Congress gets briefing on mysterious origins

  17-12-2024 22:01 via independent.co.uk
  
  Federal agencies come together to address unidentified flying objects amid growing concern
  
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• Trump lashes out at judge who refused to dismiss business fraud conviction – as it happened

  17-12-2024 22:00
  
  This live blog is now closed. For the latest on US politics, see our full coverage here. Donald Trump posted a long and angry message on Truth Social, after a New York judge refused to dismiss his conviction on 34 business fraud charges. His lawyers had argued, to no avail, that the supreme court’s ruling earlier this year granting presidents immunity for official acts should get the verdicts against him overturned. Trump’s attorneys were nonetheless busy with other matters today, af
  
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• Trump formally secures Electoral College win as his nominees push for Senate support: Live updates

  17-12-2024 21:59 via independent.co.uk
  
  Robert F Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard head to Capitol Hill to drum up support ahead of confirmation hearings
  
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• Palestinian families sue Biden administration over ‘failure’ to sanction Israel for human rights abuses

  17-12-2024 21:55 via independent.co.uk
  
  Gaza residents and their American families accuse the State Department of creating illegal loopholes on Israel’s behalf to evade federal law blocking aid to foreign militaries complicit in human rights abuses
  
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• NJ mayor suggests drones are looking for missing radioactive material - pushing conspiracy theory about their origins

  17-12-2024 21:38 via independent.co.uk
  
  Belleville Mayor Michael Melham has theorized that the lights people have been seeing above Essex County are ‘looking for something’
  
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• Luigi Mangione latest: Prosecutors indict CEO shooting suspect on murder charge

  17-12-2024 21:34 via independent.co.uk
  
  Brian Thompson shooting suspect is set to return to court for a preliminary hearing in Pennsylvania on Thursday
  
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• Canada’s turmoil is harbinger of diplomatic havoc in second Trump term

  17-12-2024 21:32
  
  Chrystia Freeland’s exit as deputy prime minister shows how ‘America First’ policies can decimate political tiesJustin Trudeau’s political future has been thrown into doubt by the shock resignation of his own deputy, as Canada’s prime minister faces plummeting popularity and growing fears over a second Donald Trump presidency.The sudden exit of Chrystia Freeland – the deputy prime minister and minister of finance – unleashed a political earthquake in Ott
  
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• Energy chief Granholm warns against 'unfettered exports' of liquefied natural gas

  17-12-2024 21:21 via independent.co.uk
  
  Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says the incoming Trump administration should proceed cautiously as it considers proposals for new natural gas export terminals
  
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• DC lawmakers frustrated as officials reject drone conspiracies – but provide no real answers

  17-12-2024 21:05 via independent.co.uk
  
  ANALYSIS:From Iranian ‘mother-ships’ to federal conspiracies to a Star Wars prop, a lack of official information means the drone scare is generating more heat than light, writes John Bowden
  
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• Activist Raquel Willis believes Democrats have abandoned trans people

  17-12-2024 21:05 via independent.co.uk
  
  In the face of ‘eradication’, one trans activist is preparing to fight – and she’s sick of silence and neglect from her supposed allies. Raquel Willis tells Io Dodds why Republican bathroom bans are everybody’s problem
  
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• Kidnapped journalist Austin Tice went missing in Syria 12 years ago. The Assad regime collapse has renewed hopes he may be alive

  17-12-2024 21:02 via independent.co.uk
  
  The recent fall of the Assad regime has infused new hope in the search for Austin Tice, an American detained in Syria for a decade, as prisoners in jails across the country are released, Gustaf Kilander writes
  
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• Wisconsin shooting latest: Police investigating if bullying led teen girl to kill two at Madison school

  17-12-2024 20:55 via independent.co.uk
  
  Natalie Rupnow, a 15-year-old student at Abundant Life Christian School, has been identified by police as the suspected shooter
  
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• Trump-backed lawmaker roasted after apparently mistaking Star Wars prop for captured drone

  17-12-2024 20:52 via independent.co.uk
  
  The Pennsylvania state senator later insisted he knew the image he posted was a meme
  
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• Russian opposition figure says fears of his mother's poisoning in Berlin proved false

  17-12-2024 20:52 via independent.co.uk
  A prominent Russian opposition politician freed as part of the largest East-West civilian prisoner swap since the Cold War says that fears of his mother’s poisoning in Berlin have proven false
  
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• Ros Atkins On... Igor Kirillov's death

  17-12-2024 20:34 via bbc.com
  
  The BBC's Analysis Editor, along with BBC Verify, takes a look at material from the scene to assess what we know.
  
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• Car removed from swimming pool after driver crashes through fitness center’s wall

  17-12-2024 20:07 via independent.co.uk
  
  A crashed car was recovered from a pool at a Redlands, California fitness center on the 27000 block of San Bernardino Ave.
  
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• Car removed from swimming pool after driver crashes through fitness center wall

  17-12-2024 19:58 via independent.co.uk
  
  A crashed car was recovered from a pool at a Redlands, California fitness center on the 27000 block of San Bernardino Ave.
  
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• New York men die from pneumonia after using bat poop to grow marijuana

  17-12-2024 19:54 via independent.co.uk
  
  Researchers are warning people about the use of bat poop as fertilizer, which can carry a harmful fungus
  
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• ‘How do you live with these reminders everywhere’: Neighbors of Wisconsin shooter describe the block’s new sadness

  17-12-2024 19:51 via independent.co.uk
  
  Exclusive: “It’s f*****g crazy that that’s where the shooter lived,” Suzy De Wilde told The Independent. “... Every day, I get to look at that front door now.”
  
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• Hannah Kobayashi breaks silence to claim she ‘was unaware’ of huge firestorm over her disappearance

  17-12-2024 19:32 via independent.co.uk
  
  Hawaii woman was reported missing on November 11 but has now returned to US safely
  
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• Fire erupts after lightning strike ruptures gas line in Tennessee

  17-12-2024 19:28 via bbc.com
  
  The damaged pipeline sparked a massive fire prompting road closures and emergency responses.
  
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• Trump backs idea to make the Postal Service — which is included in the Constitution — private

  17-12-2024 19:25 via independent.co.uk
  
  The president-elect has given the clearest signal yet that he’s reviving plans to gut the nation’s postal system
  
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• Tennessee DA charged for shooting at a suspect fleeing police in car chase

  17-12-2024 19:19 via independent.co.uk
  
  Warren County District Attorney Chris Stanford, 43, from McMinnville, faces one count of reckless endangerment
  
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• Tech consultant found guilty of second-degree murder for killing of CashApp founder Bob Lee

  17-12-2024 19:16 via independent.co.uk
  
  In 2023, Bob Lee was found staggering on a deserted downtown San Francisco street, dripping a trail of blood and calling for help. He later died at a hospital
  
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• Middle East crisis: UN envoy to Syria warns conflict is not over amid ‘significant hostilities’ – as it happened

  17-12-2024 18:54
  
  This live blog is now closed. For the latest on the Middle East, read our full coverage here.France has raised its flag over its embassy in Damascus, Syria, after it had been closed for 12 years during the country’s civil war, the foreign ministry said.France sent a team of diplomats to Syria on Tuesday to assess the political and security situation. The team will not be staying, however, and the gesture does not mean the embassy has reopened, according to reports. Continue reading...
  
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• A teacher and student were fatally shot in a Wisconsin Christian school: What to know about the victims

  17-12-2024 18:53 via independent.co.uk
  
  Police were yet to officially name the two ahead of a press conference on Tuesday
  
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• Harris campaign head admits talking to NYT and Washington Post is pointless: ‘Those readers are already with us’

  17-12-2024 18:47 via independent.co.uk
  
  Alternative media, such as podcasts and streams, became a popular venue for the candidates
  
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• What to know about the Wisconsin school shooting victims

  17-12-2024 18:42 via independent.co.uk
  
  Police were yet to officially name the two ahead of a press conference on Tuesday
  
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• Rafael Nadal says he thought about taking a mental health break a few years ago

  17-12-2024 18:39 via independent.co.uk
  
  Rafael Nadal says in an essay posted online that he thought about taking a mental health break from tennis a few years ago
  
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• UK government denies rift with Mauritian PM over Chagos Islands deal

  17-12-2024 18:38
  
  Downing Street says ‘details’ being discussed after newly elected Navinchandra Ramgoolam criticised the agreementDowning Street has denied that a deal with Mauritius to hand over control of the Chagos Islands is in peril after the new Mauritian prime minister said the arrangement as it stood was not beneficial to his country.The agreement, under which the UK would hand over its final African colony while keeping control of the UK-US military base on the island of Diego Garcia for at
  
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• Garage CCTV shows moment earthquake hits Vanuatu

  17-12-2024 18:27 via bbc.com
  
  Footage shows people running and items falling off shelves as the earthquake strikes.
  
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• Ex-wife now accused of orchestrating murder plot in ambush killing of celebrity rehab doctor

  17-12-2024 18:18 via independent.co.uk
  
  Ahang Mirshojae is accused of ‘effectively hiring a hitman’ to kill her husband
  
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• Russian general killed in Moscow scooter blast by Ukrainian agents

  17-12-2024 18:16 via independent.co.uk
  
  Ukrainian security services sources say Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov was a completely legitimate target whowas head of Russia’s nuclear, biological and chemical defence forces
  
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• Hopes for Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages deal rise

  17-12-2024 18:16
  
  Israeli officials, Hamas sources, and US and Arab figures say deal may be within reach – perhaps within daysThe pace of talks aimed at securing a ceasefire-for-hostages agreement in Gaza appeared to be accelerating, amid claims on both sides that a deal may be within reach, perhaps within days.Senior Israeli officials, Hamas sources, and US and Arab officials have all expressed optimism that a deal may be close for a phased release of the surviving hostages in Gaza in exchange for a ceasef
  
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• Senate’s progressive wing proposes bill to end the Electoral College and ‘restore democracy’

  17-12-2024 18:03 via independent.co.uk
  
  Senators propose abolition of ‘flawed and outdated’ system that ‘disenfranchises millions of Americans’
  
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• Son-in-law of top foe of Venezuela’s president sentenced to 30 months on money laundering charge

  17-12-2024 18:02 via independent.co.uk
  
  The son-in-law of a prominent Venezuelan opposition leader has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for his role in a vast bribery conspiracy to siphon $1.2 billion from the state-owned oil company, some of which allegedly landed into accounts controlled by President Nicolás Maduro’s stepsons
  
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• LA Times staffers say billionaire owner’s pro-Trump meddling worse than previously reported

  17-12-2024 17:58 via independent.co.uk
  
  Editorials with Donald Trump are now only allowed if they present the ‘opposing view’
  
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• Electoral college ready to ratify Trump’s election win over Harris as his nominees push for Senate support: Live

  17-12-2024 17:48 via independent.co.uk
  
  Nominees for HHS and director of national intelligence head to Capitol Hill to drum up support ahead of confirmation hearings
  
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• Trump meets TikTok CEO as platform fights US ban

  17-12-2024 17:35 via independent.co.uk
  
  President-elect tried to ban TikTok in 2020 but changed his tone on it once he realized it could help him win
  
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• MSNBC anchor jokes Trump told her to ‘go f*** myself’ when she called for an interview

  17-12-2024 17:26 via independent.co.uk
  
  Stephanie Ruhle contrasted the relative ease that she had connecting to Trump with the beauracratic barries she’s faced when attempting to reach out to President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris
  
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