BRIEF – ME! – DAILY NEWS BRIEFING
In today’s briefing update, the Queen will meet with senior royals at Sandringham today to discuss the future of the Sussexes’ – and hopes for it to be sorted within a matter of days.
A second day of protesting in Iran following the accidental downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane. Iranians have taken to the streets to demand senior leaders resign.
A Russian soldier who is accused of a mass shooting at a military garrison in Serbia has claimed he is the victim of hazing.
In the US, Secretary of Defence Mark Esper says he ‘didn’t see’ any evidence Iranian general Soleimani was planning an attack.
Space, a Japanese billionaire has launched an online search for a girlfriend to fly to the Moon with.
Entertainment, a TV host who said the BBC underpaid her has won her case.
IN LONDON
London’s Ambulance Service (LAS) has raised nearly £7,000 to help the Australian bushfire relief effort. A quarter of LAS come from Australia, following a recruitment campaign. The funds are going to the Australian Red Cross.
IN MANCHESTER
A stabbing in Manchester city centre has left four people injured. Police were called to reports that people had been stabbed in Market Street in Manchester at about 18:20 GMT on Sunday.
A 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of serious assault, and police confirmed they had tasered him before the arrest.
It is said to be an isolated incident and it is not believed to be a wider threat to the public.
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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Royals gather for talks over Sussexes’ future
BBC News reports a meeting held by the Queen with senior royals in Sandringham will begin today to discuss the future roles of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Prince Harry, Prince William and the Prince of Wales will all attend the meeting, and it has been reported Meghan will join via conference call from Canada.
The meeting follows the announcement Prince Harry and Meghan will step back as senior royals and will work to become financially independent.
BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond said a deal “might take time.” But reports suggest the Queen wants to find a solution within a matter of days.
Read the full story on BBC News
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Second day of protests in Iran after plane shot down
Aljazeera reports protesters are demanding the resignation of senior leaders in Iran, following the admission – after denials – that Iranian forces accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane. All 176 people on board were killed.
Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 bound for Kyiv, Ukraine, crashed minutes after take-off from the Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran on Wednesday.
The accidental shooting down of the passenger flight happened just hours after Iran launched missile attacks on US forces in Iraq. The US attack was in retaliation to the US killing of top commander Qassem Soleimani.
Read the full story on Aljazeera
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Wanted: Girlfriend to fly to the Moon with Japanese Billionaire
France24 says a Japanese billionaire has launched an online search for a girlfriend who will fly around the Moon with him on a SpaceX rocket.
Yusaku Maezawa, recently single, is accepting applications from “single women aged 20 or over” who want to enjoy life to the fullest.
The matchmaking exercise is being turned into a TV show for a web streaming service.
The entrepreneur said he agreed to the idea due to loneliness.
“I have lived exactly as I’ve wanted to until now,” said Maezawa.
“I’m 44 now. As feelings of loneliness and emptiness slowly begin to surge upon me, there’s one thing that I think about: Continuing to love one woman,” he said in the ad.
Read the full story on France24
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Russian soldier accused of mass shooting says he was the victim of hazing
CNN says a Russian soldier on trial for shooting and killing eight of his fellow service members has said he was the victim of “hazing,” Russian State news agency, TASS reported.
Ramil Shamsutdinov allegedly opened fire on colleagues at a military garrison in Siberia on October 25 2019.
“The Ministry of Defense said that the soldier committed the crime as a result of a nervous breakdown caused by personal circumstances,” TASS reported.
“At the same time, he, as well as other several soldiers are regarded as victims in a criminal case dealing with hazing in the military unit,” the agency added.
Read the full story on CNN
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Trump’s defence secretary admits he ‘didn’t see’ evidence about Soleimani planning attacks against US embassies
RT News reports whilst President Trump warned that Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was planning “imminent” attacks against Americans, his own defence secretary seems unable to back up his claim.
Secretary of Defence Mark Esper said in a Sunday interview with ‘Face the Nation’ on CBS that he “didn’t see” specific evidence that supported Trump’s claim Soleimani was planning attacks on four US embassies.
“The president said that he believed that there probably could have been attacks against additional embassies,” Esper said. “I shared that view. I know other members of the national security team shared that view.”
“‘Probably and could have been,’ that is – that sounds more like an assessment than a specific tangible threat with a decisive piece of intelligence,” the host Margret Brannan replied.
“Well, the president didn’t say there was a tangible — but didn’t cite a specific piece of evidence,” Esper said.
Read the full story on RT News
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Samira Ahmed: TV host who claims BBC underpaid her by £700k wins case
Sky News reports news presenter Samira Ahmed has won her sex discrimination equal pay claim against the BBC.
Ahmed claimed she was underpaid for presenting the Newswatch programme compared with what Jeremy Vine received for hosting Points of View, a similar show.
She told the hearing she was owed almost £700,000 in back pay.
An employment judge and two-panel members ruled unanimously that the BBC had failed to prove the difference in their pay “because of a material factor which did not involve subjecting the claimant to sex discrimination.”
Ahmed was paid £465 per episode for hosting Newswatch, while Jeremy Vine received £3,000 for Points of View.
Read the full story on Sky News
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