India's top general dies in a helicopter accident

India's top military commander has died in a helicopter crash, the country's Air Force has confirmed.

The accident took place in Southern India and 12 other people on board have also died in the crash.

The sole survivor of the crash is currently being treated for severe burn injuries.

Sreoshi Mukherjee has more from New Delhi.

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VIDEO SHOWS DOWNING STREET AIDES JOKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS PARTY

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative government have come under fire over an alleged Christmas party that is supposed to have taken place In Downing Street last year whilst social gatherings were banned.

Footage obtained by British broadcaster ITV News appears to show No10 officials joking in a mock press briefing about a party that they refuse to say happened.

Laura Makin-Isherwood has more.

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Chopper carrying India's Chief of Defence Staff crashes

An Army chopper carrying India's Chief of Defence Staff has crashed.

Officials have confirmed that four people have died in the crash but no other details are available.

General Bipin Rawat is the head of all three Indian defence services - the Air Force, Navy and Army.

Neha Poonia has more.

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PRESSURE GROWS ON UK PM OVER 'CHRISTMAS PARTY'

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's under intensifying pressure over an alleged Christmas party in Downing Street last year.

Video's emerged of senior Number 10 staff last year, appearing to joke about a party that officials have this week been denying ever took place.

Opposition parties are demanding an apology, or even Boris Johnson's resignation as Prime Minister, over an event last December that would appear to have broken lockdown rules.

Former media advisor to former PM Theresa May, Joey Jones, says Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday is fraught with danger.

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Saudi Arabia condemns arrest of suspected killer of Jamal Khashoggi in Paris

Saudi Arabia says the man arrested in Paris on Tuesday wanted in connection with the murder of the Saudi reporter Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 has "nothing to do with the case".

The 33-year-old Saudi national was detained at France's biggest airport as he tried to board a flight to Riyadh.

Ross Cullen has more from FSN's bureau in Paris.

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India among most unequal nations; top 1% hold 96 times the wealth held by the bottom 50%

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India's top 1% hold 96 times more wealth than the bottom 50% according to the World Inequality Report 2022.

This means that the South Asian nation is among the most unequal countries in the world.

While the national income has grown since the 1980s – very few have benefited from the economic progress as Ishan Garg reports from New Delhi.

 

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Australia Declares Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Olympics

Australia has announced it'll join the United States in a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympic games.

Other allies, including Britain and Japan, are still considering whether to follow suit.

Patrick Fok reports.

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Hong Kong restaurants call for support over vaccine passport scheme

Hong Kong's catering industry is urging the government to lift all social-distancing restrictions on restaurants, if it rolls out a controversial COVID-19 vaccine passport plan.

The government says it may ban unvaccinated residents from entering many public venues, in a bid to encourage more people to get inoculated. 

Richard Kimber reports from Hong Kong.

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Japanese billionaire to become first ISS space tourist in more than a decade

A Japanese billionaire is to become the first tourist to visit the International Space Station in more than a decade. Yusaku Maezawa will depart on Wednesday aboard a Russian spacecraft on a 12-day trip.

Tokyo Correspondent Phoebe Amoroso reports.

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US markets rally for second day

US stocks have rallied for a second day as investors become less
fearful of the impact of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Tech stocks also saw a resurgence.

Sarah Walton reports

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Google Sues Alleged Russian Cyber Criminals

Google is suing hackers it says are behind a massive network of infected computers. 

Google says they're part of a Russian cybercrime gang that has stolen user information from across the globe. 

Tech Correspondent Rachel Silverman has details. 

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Biden threatens sanctions over Ukraine in call to Putin

US President Joe Biden has voiced his deep concerns over Russia's escalation of forces surrounding Ukraine to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a video call.

The White House says he told President Putin that the U.S. and her Allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation.

Kate Fisher reports for Washington

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Instagram announces new parental controls ahead of congressional hearings

Instagram has announced new features it says will help protect teenage users.

The move comes a day before the head of the photo sharing app is due to appear before the US congress to address the danger to children on its platform.

Silicon Valley Correspondent Ira Spitzer has more.

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US nears 50 million Coronavirus cases

The number of coronavirus infections in the United States is nearing 50 million.

It comes as the country tightens travel restrictions to control the spread of the Omicron variant.

Jagruti Dave reports from Washington.

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One of suspected killers of Jamal Khashoggi arrested in Paris

One of the suspected killers of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been arrested at France's biggest airport, outside Paris.

The individual was on a list provided by Turkey to Interpol wanted in connection with the murder of the reporter in Istanbul in 2018.

Ross Cullen has more from FSN's bureau in Paris.

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UGANDA CONFIRMS SEVEN OMICRON VARIANT CASES

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Uganda has confirmed seven cases of omicron variant of COVID-19 in the country.

The new cases of the Omicron variant were detected among travelers from South Africa and Nigeria.

Hillary Ayesiga reporting...

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US billionaire surrenders $70m in smuggled antiquities

A US billionaire has surrendered $70 million worth of illegally
smuggled antiquities.

Michael Steinhardt has also been banned from buying any more.

Sarah Walton reports.

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China: US will "pay a price" for Olympics boycott

China says the United States will "pay a price" for its diplomatic
boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

The White House announced the decision not to send a diplomatic team
due to China's human rights "atrocities".

Nick Harper reports from Washington.

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Wales expects 'significant wave' of Omicron coronavirus cases before end of January

The Welsh Health Minister says the country is expecting a 'significant wave' of the Omicron coronavirus variant over the coming months.

So far only a very small number of cases have been identified in the country, but its government is urging people to remain cautious over Christmas

UK correspondent Chris Jones has more.

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U.K. Prime Minister tells cabinet that Omicron appears to be "more transmissible"

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told his cabinet that Omicron appears to be "more transmissible" than the previous Delta variant of the coronavirus.

However, Downing Street says there have not been any discussions about introducing tougher COVID restrictions, known as 'Plan B' in the U.K.

Giles Gibson is in London and has more.

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