A look at some of today’s top headlines.
Analysis: Biden unveils his administration as Trump’s firewall crumbles
Not even Donald Trump, the great twister of truth, could keep reality at bay forever.
Satellite images appear to show China developing area along disputed border with India and Bhutan
New satellite images appear to show China has built up an area in the Himalayas along a disputed border with India and Bhutan that was the site of a months-long standoff in 2017.
‘Devastating and unrelenting’ Covid-19 crisis will cost airlines $157 billion, says IATA
More huge losses are looming for the airline industry as carriers brace for the Covid-19 crisis to extend well into 2021.
Tigray forces battling Ethiopia government vow to fight on despite call to surrender
Forces battling Ethiopia’s federal government have vowed to continue the fight in the north of the country, despite a 72-hour ultimatum to surrender, raising fears of further bloodshed in a conflict that threatens to destabilize the Horn of Africa.
Pope Francis refers to China’s Uyghurs as ‘persecuted’ for the first time
Pope Francis has for the first time publicly named China’s Uyghur minority among a list of the world’s persecuted peoples, breaking his silence on allegations of widespread human rights abuses in the country’s far-western Xinjiang region.
Utah helicopter crew discovers mysterious metal monolith deep in the desert
Written by Leah Asmelash, CNN What started as routine wildlife assistance took an extraterrestrial turn for Utah’s Department of Public Safety after officers stumbled upon a mysterious monolith in the middle of rural Utah.
Elon Musk is now tied with Bill Gates as world’s second richest man
Elon Musk and Bill Gates are each worth $128 billion, tying as the world’s second richest man, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires index.
Pope Francis meets with NBA players to discuss social injustice
Five NBA players visited the Vatican on Monday to discuss social and economic injustice with Pope Francis.
253 Supreme T-shirts expected to sell for $2M in Christie’s auction
In 2014, James Bogart bought his firstT-shirt from the cult US streetwear brand Supreme. In the six years since, he has acquiredevery single retail-released tee sporting the label’siconic box logo — a collection now expected to sell for around $2 million.
‘We can convince Messi to stay’
Barcelona presidential candidate Victor Font says he hopes to convince forward Lionel Messi to stay at the Nou Camp – and wants to create the “right conditions” for former coach Pep Guardiola’s return. In a wide-ranging interview with BBC World Service’s John Bennett, the 48-year-old also spoke about Ronald Koeman’s turbulent first three months as coach, transfer targets and the club’s position on a European Super League.
Hamilton deserves knighthood – Murray
Three-time Grand Slam tennis winner Andy Murray believes Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton deserves to join him as a British sporting knight. that Hamilton, who won a record-equalling seventh title last week, will be awarded a knighthood in the New Year Honours.
Ethiopia’s Tigray crisis: Debretsion Gebremichael vows to fight on
Debretsion Gebremichael denied federal government claims that the regional capital, Mekelle, was surrounded. Hundreds have reportedly been killed and tens of thousands have fled in nearly three weeks of fighting. The UN has warned it could trigger a humanitarian crisis.
Africa Live: Trump imposes new rule for some African travellers – BBC News
The leaders of Ethiopia’s Tigray region are using the ongoing conflict to seek international sympathy and to get pardons for their past crimes, the country’s former prime minister has said in an article in the Foreign Policy Magazine.
Trump Administration Finally Clears Way For Biden Transition To Begin
Emily Murphy, the administrator of the General Services Administration, said the transition between President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden can begin, releasing millions of dollars in funds and clearing the way for a new administration.
Joe Biden Lights Up The Internet With Just 3 Letters On His New Website
President-elect Joe Biden on Monday shared a tweet showing off a new website for his transition effort. And his supporters are excited by just three letters in the URL: .gov.
We, for one, welcome our new metal monolith overlord in Utah
2020 was the year many of us said “beam me up” with a bit too much enthusiasm. Well, it turns out our wishes might have come true, because an inexplicable metal monolith has been found in the Utah desert by a helicopter crew. I, for one, would like to welcome our new metal monolith overlord to Earth.
Joe Biden flexes shiny new .gov address, Twitter very much approves
Everything’s getting more and more official by the day. Late on Monday, just a few short hours after Donald Trump accepted a formal U.S. presidency transition, “recommending his team do what needs to be done” while continuing to pledge his quest to contest the election result, President-elect Joe Biden took to Twitter to unveil a shiny new web address that contains a subtle flex.
Twitter will now warn you before you like a tweet with a fact-check label
Last week, Twitter released a preliminary look at how their election-year anti-misinformation measures had worked. The verdict? Well enough that they’re keeping some, ditching others – and expanding at least one. Twitter applied labels to, and in a few cases even masked, tweets containing disputed info about the election or voting – including Trump’s repeated attacks on mail-in ballots and the count that eventually saw him declared the loser.
Elon Musk’s pile of money is now bigger than Bill Gates’s pile of money
In the battle of rich, white dudes becoming even richer, Elon Musk is winning. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has overtaken Bill Gates to become the second richest man in the world, behind Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Bloomberg has assessed.
PayPal’s version of GoFundMe is called Generosity Network
PayPal has launched the Generosity Network, a platform that allows users to create customized, personal fundraising campaigns. Yes, just like you can on GoFundMe. You can raise a maximum of $20,000 over a 30-day period, which is how long a campaign remains open.
