BRIEF – ME! – DAILY NEWS BRIEFING
In today’s briefing update, We start with shock poll results in Hong Kong after the majority of the public backed the pro-democracy unrest. Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam says she will listen to the public humbly. In Iraq, protests flared up again on Sunday resulting in 13 protester deaths. It was one of the worst days since the protests began. In the US, a top Navy chief has been fired after his reported mishandling of an Iraq misconduct case.
University staff in the UK begin an eight-day strike today. The strikes are likely to affect almost half of UK universities. Members of the UNU are striking over pay, pensions and conditions. And climate activist Greta Thunberg is set to guest edit Radio 4’s Today programme.
In Entertainment and Sport, Kanye West performed a surprise concert for inmates at a Texas County jail. In NFL news, Tom Brady threw the only touchdown of the Patriots game against the Dallas Cowboys – scraping a win for the Pats.
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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Hong Kong leader vows to ‘listen humbly’ after poll results
Arab News says Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam has said her government would ‘listen humbly’ to the public after voters dealt a humiliating election setback to the establishment she heads.
“The government will certainly listen humbly to citizens’ opinions and reflect on them seriously,” she said in a statement.
Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp scored a crushing victory in community-level elections on Sunday. The result made it clear, the majority of the public back the protests movement that has thrown Hong Kong into unrest.
Candidates favouring greater democracy won an overwhelming majority of the 452 seats in the city’s 18 district councils. The councils have historically been firmly in the grip of the Beijing back establishment.
Read the full story on Arab News
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Deadly clashes in Iraq as protests flare once again
France24 says on Sunday, 13 anti-government protesters were killed by Iraqi security forces in one of the “worst” days of clashes as protests swept through the oil-rich south.
The demonstrators, outraged by rampant government corruption and poor services, burned tires and blocked main roads. And security forces used tear gas and live fire to break up the protesters.
Security and hospital officials said seven protesters were killed in the southern province of Basra, near the Umm Qasr port. Four protesters were killed in Nassiriya province and one killed in both Najaf and Diwanieh provinces.
Read the full story on France24
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US Defence Secretary fires Navy Chief over Iraq misconduct case
Aljazeera says US Defense Secretary Mark Esper fired the US Navy’s top civilian on Sunday over the handling of the case of a Navy SEAL who was convicted of battlefield misconduct in Iraq but later won the support of President Trump.
Navy Secretary Richard Spencer had been pushing for Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher to face a peer review board that could have led to him being forced out of the elite force.
The SEAL was acquitted of murdering a captured and wounded ISIS fighter in Iraq by stabbing him in the neck. But the military jury did convict him of illegally posing with the detainee’s corpse.
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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University staff strike over pensions and pay
BBC News reports 60 universities across the UK have started an eight-day strike. Lecturers and support staff have walked out and the strikes are to affect almost half of all UK universities.
Members of the University and Colleges Union (UCU) are taking action in two separate disputes – pensions and pay and conditions.
In addition to the strikes, union members will begin other forms of industrial action when they return to work, including working strickly to contract, not covering for absent colleagues and refusing to reschedule lectures lost during the strikes.
Read the full story on BBC News
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Climate activist Greta Thunberg will guest edit Radio 4’s Today programme
iNews reports Greta Thunberg is set to appear as a guest editor for a Christmas special of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
The flagship current affairs programme will be taken over by the 16-year-old who is one of five high-profile figures set to host the show over the Christmas period.
She will speak to the world’s leading climate change figures and hear front frontline activists said the BBC. Thunberg has also commissioned reports from the Antarctic and Zambia as well as a Mishal Husain interview with the governor of the Bank of England.
Read the full story on iNews
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Kanye West performs a surprise concert for Texas inmates
ITV News says Kanye West performed a surprise concert for inmates at the Harris County Jail in Texas. The rapper-turned-gospel-singer performed songs from his new album Jesus Is King. And performed one of his best-known songs from the College Dropout album – Jesus Walks.
West and his gospel choir performed for more than 200 inmates at one prison before heading across the street to perform at a women’s prison. West reportedly told inmates the surprise appearance was a “mission, not a show”.
Read the full story on ITV
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Dallas Cowboys 9-13 New England Patriots: Tom Brady throws the only touchdown as Patriots win
SKY Sports says the New England Patriots‘ number one defence held the Dallas Texas Cowboys’ top-ranked offence and stopped them from achieving a single touchdown, the first time this season.
The Patriots struggled to move the ball on the offence just like last week against the Philly Eagles but did just enough to win. Dallas also struggled to move the ball on the offence, they converted just two of 13 third downs.
Read the full story on SKY Sports
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