Here are the top headlines in the world today.
Coronavirus outbreak: Latest news and live updates – CNN
The virus: At least 17 people are dead in China and nearly 600 confirmed infected as the Wuhan coronavirus continues to spread throughout Asia and across the world. Wuhan in lockdown: The city of 11 million people, where the outbreak began, is under partial lockdown in an effort to contain the spread.
Snakes could be the source of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak
Snakes — the Chinese krait and the Chinese cobra — may be the original source of the newly discovered coronavirus that has triggered an outbreak of a deadly infectious respiratory illness in China this winter.
Emmanuel Macron shouts at Israeli security officers in altercation in Jerusalem
French President Emmanuel Macron has been involved in an altercation with Israeli security officers in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Troll armies, ‘deepfake’ porn videos and violent threats. How Twitter became so toxic for India’s women politicians
Women politicians in India face high levels of harassment, including sexist abuse from organized “troll armies,” discouraging their political participation, new Amnesty International study finds.
Zion Williamson stuns for New Orleans Pelicans in record-breaking NBA Debut
Expectation is higher for the 2019 NBA draft’s number one overall selection Zion Williamson than any rookie since LeBron James.
The rich have had enough of negative interest rates. Some are pulling cash out of Swiss banks
Banks are meant to hold cash. But in Switzerland, some rich savers are looking for alternatives.
The 737 Max grounding cost Southwest $828 million in 2019
Southwest Airlines reported a sharp drop in profit in the fourth quarter because of the continued grounding of the Boeing 737 Max. It said it will seek additional compensation from Boeing as the problem is expected to stretch deep into 2020.
These brands spend nearly $100 billion on ads. They want Facebook and Google to raise their game
Some of the world’s biggest advertisers have joined forces with Facebook, YouTube and Twitter in an attempt to prevent harmful online content messing with their campaigns.
Dos Santos banker found dead in Lisbon
A banker implicated in the embezzlement and money-laundering case against Africa’s richest woman, Isabel dos Santos, has been found dead in Lisbon. Nuno Ribeiro da Cunha, 45, managed the account of oil firm Sonangol, formerly chaired by Ms Dos Santos, at the small Portuguese lender EuroBic.
Vesuvius eruption ‘turned man’s brain to glass’
Extreme heat from the Mount Vesuvius eruption in Italy was so immense it turned one victim’s brain into glass, a study has suggested. The volcano erupted in 79 AD, killing thousands and destroying Roman settlements near modern-day Naples. The town of Herculaneum was buried by volcanic matter, entombing some of its residents.
Africa Live: SA army drops charges against Muslim officer – BBC News
The parliament of Burundi has voted to pay one billion Burundi francs ($530,000; £400,00) to President Pierre Nkurunziza as he prepares to leave office. Mr Nkurunziza has promised not to run for another term in the general election due in May.
US treasury chief goads Greta Thunberg on economics
Greta Thunberg should go away and study economics before lecturing investors, the US treasury secretary has said. Steven Mnuchin said the activist’s call for investors to divest fossil fuels showed a lack of understanding about the economy and jobs.
Tesla market value passes Volkswagen to hit $100bn
Tesla has displaced Volkswagen as the world’s second most valuable carmaker, after a dramatic rise in share price pushed its market value to more than $100bn ($76.1bn). The milestone sets the stage for chief Elon Musk to collect billions in pay tied to hitting that target.
Trump tweeted so hard during his impeachment trial he broke a record
If you were to glance regularly at Donald Trump’s Twitter feed, you could be fooled into the thinking the guy’s got too much time on his hands. Pretty much every day marks a fresh tweetstorm in Trump-land, but Wednesday – the second day of the president’s impeachment trial – he took things to a whole new level.
Jeff Bezos’ DMs hint Saudi crown prince knew private info from hack, report says
It sure looks like Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman spent some time poking around Jeff Bezos’ private business after the Amazon CEO’s phone was reportedly hacked. According to the New York Times , investigators have pieced together a timeline and determined that, after the hack, the Saudis learned about Bezos’ private affair with Lauren Sanchez.
Trump says society needs to ‘cherish’ and ‘protect’ Elon Musk
Society must come together to “protect” and “cherish” Tesla CEO Elon Musk like the walking Fabergé egg that he is. So insisted Donald Trump today during a freewheeling CNBC interview that covered everything from Trump’s best bud Tim Apple to how he’s pretty sure Zuckerberg wants to run for president.
Samsung’s new foldable phone already sounds way better than the Galaxy Fold
We’re still a few weeks away from Samsung officially unveiling its new foldable phone, but it’s already sounding like it will be a significant improvement over the Galaxy Fold. At least, if the latest rumors are any indication.
Mic on Bezos’ hacked phone possibly compromised for months
What secrets does Jeff Bezos spill behind closed doors? The Amazon CEO and owner of the Washington Post meets with industry heads, politicians, and regulatory officials as a matter of course. And, as a forensic analysis of Bezos’ hacked phone obtained by Motherboard shows, there’s a possibility the Saudi government was listening in on those very conversations for months.
Jeff Bezos tweets reminder that Saudi government murdered a journalist
Jeff Bezos has some thoughts for the Saudi government. Following yesterday’s bombshell report that the Amazon CEO’s phone was likely hacked at the direction of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), Bezos took a moment to remind the world that the same government murdered and dismembered journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
