UK PM Johnson had a birthday party during coronavirus lockdown, ITV News says
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had a birthday party during the first Covid-19 lockdown in June 2020 when social gatherings indoors were banned, ITV News reported on Monday (Jan 24).
The broadcaster said it was alleged the prime minister's wife, Carrie Johnson, helped organised the party on the afternoon of June 19.
Up to 30 people attended the event in the Cabinet Room of Number 10, his office and residence, ITV said.
US Covid-19 peak may be over but not the pain as deaths rise
Even as Covid-19 cases drop and hospitalisations show signs of plateauing in hard-hit pockets of the United States, the still-rising death toll from the Omicron variant highlights the trail of loss that follows every virus surge.
Coronavirus deaths hit an 11-month high on Sunday (Jan 23), climbing 11 per cent in the past week when compared to the prior week, according to a Reuters analysis.
Covid-19 fatalities are a lagging indicator, meaning their numbers usually rise a few weeks after new cases and hospitalisations.
US suits accuse Google of tracking data without users' permission
A group of top US justice officials accused Google in lawsuits Monday (Jan 24) of tracking and profiting from users' location data, despite leading consumers to think they could protect their privacy on the tech giant's services.
Google builds detailed profiles and sells highly targeted advertising with data collected from its billions of users - with location being a key piece of information, argued the suits that seek to block the alleged practices.
"Google falsely led consumers to believe that changing their account and device settings would allow customers to protect their privacy," said Karl Racine, the attorney general in the nation's capital Washington.
Three Minneapolis ex-police officers were indifferent to George Floyd's pleas, jury hears
Three former Minneapolis officers broke the law by failing to stop Derek Chauvin killing George Floyd during an arrest and were indifferent to his dying pleas, a prosecutor told a jury as opening statements began in the federal trial on Monday (Jan 24).
Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are charged with violating Floyd's civil rights during the arrest of the handcuffed 46-year-old Black man on a road outside a Minneapolis grocery store in May 2020, video of which sparked street protests against racism and police brutality around the world.
Federal prosecutor Samantha Trepel, from the US Department of Justice's civil rights division, said the defendants had broken their oath with a callous indifference to Floyd. She said video captured how Kueng at times seemed more preoccupied with some gravel lodged in the tire of the nearby police car than the man beneath him repeatedly saying: "I can't breathe."
Bob Dylan sold entire recording catalogue to Sony
Bob Dylan sold his entire back catalogue of recorded music along with "the rights to multiple future new releases" to Sony Music Entertainment, the company announced Monday (Jan 24).
Sony did not disclose the financial terms of the deal. In late 2020 the iconic artist, 80, had already sold his songwriting rights - separate from recording rights, which govern reproduction and distribution - to Universal, in a deal estimated to be worth more than US$300 million ($403.90 million).
According to industry reports including from Billboard and Variety, the latest Dylan deal was worth upwards of US$200 million.
