BRIEF – ME! – DAILY NEWS BRIEFING
In today’s briefing update, We start with the indictment of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu who remains defiant despite being charged with corruption. In Colombia, hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets to express their dismay with government policies. The largely peaceful protests turned violent in some areas with police responding with tear gas and water cannons. In France, we take a deeper look at the growing femicide rate and why critics say a ‘deeply sexist society’ is to blame.
From the UK, a man has been found guilty of the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane. The two-week trial in New Zealand has come to a close and the unidentified man will be sentenced early next year. In Nottingham, a homeless man has been found dead behind the luxury Hilton hotel. Experts say the alarming homeless figures don’t even scratch the surface of real crisis. His death is the latest in a wave of homeless death as the winter cold draws closer.
Finally, from the world of entertainment; Coldplay has announced they will pause the tour for their new album until they can offer an environmentally friendly tour.
All this and more in today’s news briefing – A daily roundup of all the news headlines that you need to know, summarised as part of WTX News Briefing.
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Israeli PM Netanyahu defiant after being charged with corruption
Aljazeera news says Benjamin Netanyahu has been indicted on a series of corruption charges. But the defiant leader has vowed to stay on as PM in Israel and has rejected all allegations of fraud. 
Netanyahu denounced what he called the “false” and “politically motivated” allegations just hours after being charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
“What is going on here is an attempt to stage a coup against the prime minister,” Netanyahu said. “The object of the investigations was to oust the right-wing from [the] government.”
But the Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said the indictment was based only on solid legal evidence. He announced it early Thursday calling it a “heavy-hearted decision.”
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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Police fire tear gas & water cannons as mass anti-govt protests in Colombia’s capital turn violent
RT News says mass protests in cities across Colombia in a largely peaceful strike against the government of President Ivan Duque has seen hundreds of thousands of people turn out. While largely peaceful, clashes with riot police broke out as some of the protests dispersed. 
The protests started due to general dissatisfaction with government policies including a recent proposal to cut pensions. An estimated 207,000 Colombians joined the demonstrations on Thursday.
As the protest in Bogota came to an end, witnesses described “hooligans” who initiated confrontations with police. The police responded with tear gas, water cannons and billy clubs.
Read the full story on RT News
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137 women have been killed by their partners in France this year. Critics blame a ‘deeply sexist society’
CNN reports on the death of Marie-Alice Dibon, who died in April this year at the hands of her abusive partner. In the report, CNN reveals how Dibon tried to escape the abusive relationship before she was murdered. 
But Dibon is just one of at least 137 women in France to die at the hands of their partner in 2019, according to advocacy groups who track the issue. Last year the figure was 121.
Critics say France has a problem with misogyny and still views women as belonging to men. But the criticism from the groups has now led to the government announcing a national debate on domestic violence.
The femicide rate in France is higher than in most countries in Europe. More women are killed in France than in England, Italy, Spain or Switzerland. Only Germany had more.
Read the full story on CNN
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Grace Millane murder: Man found guilty of killing backpacker in New Zealand
BBC News says a man has been found guilty of the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane. 
The man, 27 was found guilty of strangling Grace and stuffing her body inside a suitcase which was found buried in bushland outside Auckland, New Zealand. Her parents cried in the public gallery as the jurors found the defendant guilty.
The two-week trial heard the defendant claim Grace had died accidentally during “rough sex.”
He showed no emotion as the verdict was read out. He will be sentenced on 21 February next year.
Read the full story on BBC News
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A man dies behind the Hilton hotel amid a wave of deaths in the UK
The Independent says a homeless man has died in an alleyway beneath a hotel after spending the night in sub-zero temperatures. His death marks the latest in a series of rough sleeper deaths across Britain as the cold weather 
continues.
The man was discovered on Tuesday morning next to a Hilton hotel in Nottingham city centre and pronounced dead at the hospital. Police confirmed there was nothing suspicious about his death.
The UK’s homelessness figures show a surge by 165 per cent in the past eight years, with 4,677 people sleeping rough last year. And experts say this data underestimates the scale of the problem.
Read the full story on The Independent
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Coldplay pause touring until they can offer ‘environmentally beneficial’ concerts
The Guardian says Coldplay has said they will make any tour for their new album “actively beneficial” to the environment. 
Chris Martin told BBC News that the group had decided to pause their tour for their new album so they can ensure the future tour is carbon neutral.
“Our next tour will be the best possible version of a tour like that environmentally,” he said. “We would be disappointed if it’s not carbon neutral. We’ve done a lot of big tours at this point. How do we turn it around so it’s not so much taking as giving?”
Coldplay isn’t the only musicians to address the impact of touring on the planet. Billie Eilish has announced plans to make her world tour “as green as possible.”
Read the full story on The Guardian
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