While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Jan 13

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President Joe Biden speaks during a White House event to mark the second anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, in Washington, Jan. 6, 2023. The classified documents that were discovered in President BidenÕs former office at a Washington think tank included briefing materials on foreign countries from his time as vice president, two people familiar with the situation said Tuesday, Jan. 10. (Pete Marovich/The New York Times)

A small number of documents with classified markings were found in the garage of President Joe Biden’s house in Wilmington, Delaware.

PHOTO: NYTIMES

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Special counsel to probe Biden’s handling of documents

US Attorney-General Merrick Garland on Thursday named a special counsel to investigate whether President Joe Biden improperly handled sensitive government documents, setting up a parallel inquiry to an ongoing probe of former president Donald Trump.

The inquiry, to be led by Robert Hur, that could cast a shadow over the Democratic president’s expected run for re-election in 2024.

Mr Garland said Mr Hur, who served as the top federal prosecutor in Maryland under Mr Trump, would act as a quasi-independent prosecutor to head an effort to determine whether classified records stemming from Mr Biden’s time as vice-president had been improperly stored at his residence in Delaware and a think-tank in Washington.

The news means that the two likely 2024 election rivals now face inquiries from special prosecutors, who are typically appointed to politically sensitive cases to ensure a degree of independence from Justice Department leadership.

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Putin signals impatience over Ukraine war in commander switch

AFP

President Vladimir Putin’s move to replace his top commander in Ukraine is a sign of military disarray and his growing impatience in a war Russia is not winning, analysts said.

The defence ministry in Moscow said on Wednesday it had, again, replaced its top commander in Ukraine, putting army chief of staff Valery Gerasimov in charge.

Russian and Western observers said the move was a sign of Mr Putin becoming exasperated by Ukrainian resistance, but also by fault lines in the Russian army command as it faces difficult demands which could include launching a possible major offensive within weeks.

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Prince Harry tell-all book sells record 1.4m copies on day one

EPA-EFE

Prince Harry’s memoir sold a “record” 1.4 million copies in just 24 hours, its publisher said on Thursday, as his father and brother kept calm and carried on with public visits.

Sales of Spare hit 1.4 million English-language copies on its first day in the UK, United States and Canada, smashing Penguin Random House’s sales record, the publisher said.

The figures come as the first opinion poll since publication showed Prince Harry’s popularity in the UK continuing to nosedive.

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Lisa Marie Presley rushed to hospital after cardiac arrest

AFP

Lisa Marie Presley was rushed to a California hospital on Thursday, following cardiac arrest, according to entertainment outlet TMZ.

Elvis’ daughter regained her pulse following CPR from paramedics, the outlet said, citing unnamed sources close to Presley.

Just days ago, Presley attended the Golden Globes ceremony with her mother Priscilla, where they saw actor Austin Butler win the prize for best actor in a drama, for his portrayal of late rock and roll icon Elvis Presley, in director Baz Luhrmann’s biopic, Elvis.

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Football: Potter’s misery mounts as Fulham beat Chelsea

Action Images via Reuters

Graham Potter pleaded with his Chelsea players to “stay together” after a shock 2-1 defeat at Fulham that saw Blues forward Joao Felix sent off on his debut before a decisive blunder from Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Potter’s troubled side crashed to a seventh defeat in their last 10 games in all competitions after another spluttering display.

Chelsea fell behind to a goal from their former winger Willian in the first half at Craven Cottage on Thursday.

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