Ticker
Jack Palladino on life support after attempted robbery in front of his home
Movement nominated for Nobel peace prize
Facebook letting fake news spreaders profit, investigators claim
Russia cultivated Donald Trump as asset for 40 years – ex-KGB spy
Apple, Facebook report increase in earnings at the end of 2020
World is at its hottest for at least 12,000 years
YouTube extends ban
Health
Maybe the vaccine ‘doesn’t work’ and ‘they’re not telling you that’
Fox News host Tucker Carlson seized on Tuesday’s news about the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to casually suggest to his viewers that the American government knows that the COVID-19 vaccines don’t work but are purposely “not telling you that.”


Donald Trump targets Fauci, Birx in lengthy diatribe
Former President Trump on Monday went on a tirade against Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, two of his former top medical advisers on the COVID-19 pandemic, excoriating their decision-making during his administration on the day after CNN aired previews of comments by the top government health experts.

Covid vaccine falsehoods still thriving on Facebook and Instagram
Under pressure to contain an avalanche of falsehoods, Facebook announced on 3 December that it would ban debunked claims about the safety and efficacy of vaccines now being distributed worldwide. The company said it removed more than 12m pieces of content from Facebook and Instagram between March and October, and that it worked with factcheckers to place labels on 167 million more pieces of content over the same period.

How CDC takes the citizens for a ride
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control pulled new guidelines acknowledging the new coronavirus could be transmitted by tiny particles that linger in the air, saying a draft version of proposed changes was posted in error on the agency’s website. For months, the CDC said the new coronavirus is primarily transmitted between people in close contact through large droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. On Friday, however, it added that tiny particles known as aerosols could transmit the virus.

Woodward tapes 'reveal strong leadership' on Covid
The revelation that Donald Trump deliberately downplayed the coronavirus pandemic forced key aides on to desperate defence on Sunday, barely 50 days from the presidential election.

Trump official preventing Fauci from discussing Covid children risk
A health official hired by a Donald Trump appointee has been working to prevent Dr Anthony Fauci from talking about dangers that Covid-19 poses to children, Politico reported on Wednesday.

Task force reports show dire US-reality
As President Donald Trump was painting a positive picture of the coronavirus pandemic and urging states to reopen the nation's businesses and schools, data from the White House coronavirus task force released Monday shows he was getting increasingly dire reports about the spread of the pandemic in July and August.

Task force discussed CDC guidelines when he was in surgery
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and member of the White House coronavirus task force, said Wednesday he was undergoing surgery during the task force meeting when updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 testing guidelines were discussed.

California battles more than 500 fires
Some of California’s largest wildfires in state history are growing larger and more destructive, with no end in sight as emergency response efforts are stretched thin and tens of thousands of people are forced to evacuate their homes.

Herd immunity would lead to massive death tolls
If the United States allowed coronavirus infections to run rampant to achieve possible herd immunity, the death toll would be massive, especially among vulnerable people, the nation's top infectious doctor said.

Fauci says family has faced threats, harassment amid pandemic
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said he and his family are getting death threats because people don’t like what he says about COVID-19.

There may never be a "silver bullet" for Covid-19
There might never be a “silver bullet” for Covid-19 in the form of a perfect vaccine, and the road to normality could be long, the World Health Organization has said.

Lifestyle changes could delay or prevent 40% of dementia cases
Excessive drinking, exposure to air pollution and head injuries all increase dementia risk, experts say in a report revealing that up to 40% of dementia cases worldwide could be delayed or prevented by addressing 12 such lifestyle factors.

71,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year
Nearly 71,000 Americans died of drug overdoses last year, a new record that predates the Covid-19 crisis, which the White House and many experts believe will drive such deaths even higher.

I think you can trust me
Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious diseases expert, has pushed back at a concerted campaign by Donald Trump and his allies to discredit his response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hungry rats torment alfresco diners after lockdown famine
New York City is starting to tentatively emerge from the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic but a revival in outdoor restaurant dining is facing a new hazard – a plague of rats.

Presseverband stellt Strafanzeige gegen Brasiliens Präsidenten
Jair Bolsonaro habe das Leben und die Gesundheit anderer gefährdet, lautet der Vorwurf. Der Präsident hatte am Dienstag vor Reportern seine Mund-Nasen-Maske abgenommen.

Amtlich: USA treten offiziell aus WHO aus
Die USA haben ihren Austritt aus der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) vollzogen. Eine entsprechende Erklärung ist UN-Generalsekretär António Guterres überreicht worden.

Young people are throwing coronavirus parties
Some young people in Alabama are throwing Covid-19 parties, a disturbing competition where people who have coronavirus attend and the first person to get infected receives a payout, local officials said.

‘Window is closing’ to stop coronavirus as US cases pass 2.5m
US health secretary Alex Azar has warned that “the window is closing” on the country’s chance to take action to effectively curb the coronavirus, as the number of confirmed cases surpassed 2.5m.

Trump visits golf course as US battles rapid surge in coronavirus cases
Donald Trump visited one of his own private golf courses in Virginia on Saturday as America continued to see fallout from a rapid surge in coronavirus cases. The trip came a day after the US president said he would stay in Washington DC to “make sure law and order is enforced” amid ongoing anti-racism protests.

Trump claims 1m want tickets for Tulsa rally opposed by top health official
Donald Trump claimed that “one million people” had requested tickets for his campaign rally in Tulsa this weekend. The Tulsa World newspaper, however, backed the city’s top public health official in asking the president not to come.
Shortnews
Supreme Court reinstates restrictions on abortion pill
The Supreme Court on Tuesday night granted the Trump administration’s request to reinstate federal rules requiring people seeking medication abortions to obtain the pills in-person from a medical provider. The court’s 6-3 decision along ideological lines halted a lower court ruling that waived Food and Drug Administration rules to allow abortion pills to be distributed by mail during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Vaccine is ‘unlikely’ by U.S. election
White House coronavirus advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday a coronavirus vaccine probably won’t be ready by the U.S. presidential election even as the Centers for Disease and Prevention asks states to ready distribution facilities by Nov. 1. At a health conference, Fauci said it’s more likely a vaccine will be ready by “the end of the year” as drug companies Moderna and Pfizer race to complete patient enrollment for their late-stage vaccine trials by the end of September.
Pentagon forms new task force
The Pentagon is forming a new task force to investigate UFO sightings that have been observed on several occasions by U.S. military aircraft. The creation of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force, or UAPTF, continues an effort begun in recent years to investigate unexplained aerial incidents encountered by the U.S. military. “The Department of Defense established the UAPTF to improve its understanding of, and gain insight into, the nature and origins of UAPs. The mission of the task force is to detect, analyze and catalog UAPs that could potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security,” the Pentagon wrote in a statement late Friday.
Jürgen Klopp zum Fußball-Manager des Jahres gewählt
Jürgen Klopp ist nach dem Gewinn der Meisterschaft mit dem FC Liverpool von seinen Trainerkollegen zum Fußball-Manager des Jahres in England gewählt worden. Der Coach erhielt die Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy für seine herausragenden Leistungen. Klopp hatte Liverpool in der abgelaufenen Saison zum ersten Meistertitel seit 30 Jahren geführt. "Das ist sehr besonders für mich, weil ich von meinen Kollegen gewählt worden bin", sagte Klopp. Ferguson, der einst Manchester United zur Weltmarke formte, hob die "außerordentliche" Leistung von Klopps Team hervor. "Du hast es absolut verdient".
Lovren und Lallana verlassen Liverpool
Der kroatische Nationalspieler Dejan Lovren und Adam Lallana verlassen den von Jürgen Klopp trainierten englischen Fußballmeister FC Liverpool. Nach sechs Jahren bei den Reds wechselt der 31 Jahre alte Innenverteidiger Lovren in die russische Premjer-Liga zu Zenit St. Petersburg. Das gaben beide Clubs bekannt. Beim russischen Meister unterschrieb Lovren einen Dreijahresvertrag bis 2023. Lallana zieht es indes zu Brighton and Hove Albion. Beim Premier-League-15. erhält der 32-Jährige einen Dreijahresvertrag.