A further 39,036 confirmed coronavirus cases have been recorded in the UK – the second-highest daily total to date – according to government figures. The only day which has surpassed this daily figure was Wednesday, when 39,237 new cases were confirmed. However, it is important to note the amount of testing has increased in the
US
A plane preparing for takeoff was halted in New York after a Florida couple with their pet dog fled via an emergency slide, authorities say. The incident took place on board an Atlanta-bound Delta flight as it was taxiing towards the runway at LaGuardia Airport on Monday. Witnesses reported seeing an agitated-looking male passenger force
Donald Trump has pardoned his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort – as he continues to offer clemency to associates convicted in the Russia probe. Mr Trump also pardoned his former adviser Roger Stone and the real estate developer Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, on Wednesday. Manafort, 70, had been sentenced to
Donald Trump has suggested he may not sign the $892bn (£665bn) coronavirus relief package that was approved by Congress. The US president said in a video shared from his Twitter account that the bill was delivering too much money to foreign countries and not enough to US citizens. The bill allows for most Americans to
US President Donald Trump has issued a number of controversial pardons in the final weeks of his tenure. The list of 20 people who have had their crimes pardoned includes ex-members of Congress convicted of corruption, two people charged in the Russia investigation that shadowed his presidency, and four security guards who opened fire on
The president-elect is known for favouring a tone of unity but in his pre-Christmas address he tore into Donald Trump for failing to prioritise America’s cyber security. One of the biggest cyber attacks in US history emerged last week. Hackers spent months exploring the systems of dozens of government agencies and corporations including the US
2020 is the deadliest year in US history – and is attributed mostly to the coronavirus pandemic. The US is on course to surpass 3.2 million overall deaths in 2020, according to preliminary data, which would mark the first time figures have topped three million. A rise in deaths between 20,000 and 50,000 is not
Facebook has removed a number of features from its Instagram and Messenger apps in Europe due to what it says is an update to EU privacy rules – including security features it uses to scan for child abuse content. A recent change to the ePrivacy Directive, that was designed to prevent companies such as Facebook
US President-elect Joe Biden will be vaccinated against COVID-19 this week, as the country’s second approved jab is moved from warehouses to healthcare facilities. Mr Biden will receive the vaccine on Monday, days after Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has not
Members of the US Space Force will be known as “guardians”, it was announced on the military service’s first birthday. US Vice President Mike Pence said: “It is my honour, on behalf of the president of the United States, to announce that henceforth the men and women of the United States Space Force will be
President-elect Joe Biden has called a massive cyber hack of the US government a “great concern” and said it will be a top priority for him from the moment he takes office. Reports have linked the attack – which has been going on at least since March – to Russia but there has not yet
A senior member of Donald Trump’s administration has accused Russia of carrying out a massive cyber hack that penetrated top secret US government agencies. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described the attack as a “pretty significant effort”. “I think it’s the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine has become the second to be approved for emergency use in the US. The country’s Food and Drug Administration announced the authorisation a day after the agency’s panel of outside experts backed the vaccine. The FDA based its decision on results from a late-stage study of 30,000 volunteers which found that the
A man has been rescued after his car was buried under 4ft (1.2m) of snow in a severe storm in upstate New York, leaving him stranded in freezing temperatures for more than 10 hours. New York State police sergeant Jason Cawley contacted Tioga County 911 on Thursday to see if any emergency calls were pending.
The US regulator says it will move quickly to authorise a second COVID-19 vaccine in the country. On Thursday, a panel of 20 advisers at the Food and Drug Administration ruled that the benefits of the vaccine outweighed the risks for adults. Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the FDA, said: “Following today’s positive advisory committee meeting
Lawyers fighting to clear the name of a man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing have described US moves to pursue the suspected ‘bombmaker’ as “cynical”. American media reports that outgoing Attorney General Bill Barr is seeking the extradition of Abu Agila Mohammad Masud from Libya. He is thought to be currently held prisoner there