US President-elect Joe Biden has fractured his foot while playing with one of his dogs, his doctor has said. Mr Biden, 78, twisted his ankle on Saturday when he slipped while with Major, one of his two German shepherds. The Democrat visited an orthopaedist in Newark, Delaware, a day later “out of an abundance of caution”.

His personal physician, Kevin O’Connor, said initial x-rays did not show an “obvious fracture”, but ordered a more detailed CT scan. The subsequent scan found that Mr Biden had suffered “hairline fractures” of two small bones in the middle of his right foot, the doctor said. “It is anticipated that he will likely require a walking boot for several weeks,” Mr O’Connor said.(BBC)…[+]

Japan’s Crown Prince Fumihito said he “approves” of his daughter’s long-postponed plans to marry her university boyfriend, media reports say. Princess Mako was originally set to wed non-royal Kei Komuro in 2018, a year after they announced their engagement. The palace later denied the delay was linked to his mother’s rumoured financial problems. However, the prince reiterated the money issues must be dealt with first, according to Kyodo news agency. “In order for many people to be convinced and celebrate (the marriage), I have said it is important for the issue to be dealt with,” said the prince, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito and the first in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne. “From my point of view, I think they are not in a situation where many people are convinced and pleased (about their marriage),” Crown Prince Fumihito, also known as Crown Prince Akishino, added.

The government has asked the regulator to assess the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, bringing the UK a step closer to a possible rollout. The referral to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) marked “a significant first step” in getting the vaccine “approved for deployment”, the government said. It follows news that the jab was “highly effective” in advanced trials. The UK government has pre-ordered 100m doses of the Oxford vaccine. The government’s latest request to the MHRA comes a week after the regulator was asked to assess the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. (BBC)…[+]

In 2020, the billion-dollar blockbuster has been defeated by Covid-19 more convincingly than by any on-screen villain. Most of the year’s proposed blockbusters – films with a budget of more than £100 million – are on hold. The James Bond film No Time To Die has been postponed twice; Disney’s live-action Mulan was released on the studio’s streaming platform; and Top Gun: Maverick is still riding a motorbike to nowhere. Even Marvel films such as Black Widow – reliable stalwarts of the summer event season – have been pushed back indefinitely, as studios wait for a return to normality. But while screen heroes can’t currently save the world, they may still be able to save the big screen experience, says Screen International’s chief film critic, Finn Halligan.(BBC)…[+]

After Donald Trump on Wednesday pardoned his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, lobbyists are now hoping for a blitz of similar moves before the 45th US president leaves the White House on 20 January. “This is one unfettered presidential power the president enjoys using,” one former administration official was quoted as saying by Reuters, amid media reports that lists of people are being finalised.

He might enjoy using such powers but actually Mr Trump has granted clemency sparingly – doing so just 44 times over nearly four years in office. By contrast ex-President Obama pardoned offenders or commuted sentences nearly 2,000 times in eight years, according to the Pew Research Center. Although Mr Trump has not publicly indicated how far he plans to go in his final days in the White House, some experts predict his clemency orders will extend beyond those associates, like Michael Flynn, who were ensnared by the Special Counsel inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.(BBC)…[+]

A repentant American tourist has returned a block of ancient marble stolen during a trip to Rome.

The fragment was delivered to Italy’s National Roman Museum, with “To Sam, love Jess, Rome 2017” inscribed on it.

In an accompanying note, the pilfering traveller begged forgiveness for having been “inconsiderate and  isrespectful”.

“I feel terribly for not only taking this item from its rightful place, but also placing writing on it as well,” they said.

The person, who officials are assuming is a woman called Jess, said they tried unsuccessfully to remove the marker-pen writing on the stone with “many hours of scrubbing and cleaning”. Stéphane Verger, the museum’s director, told Italian newspaper Il Messaggero that the stone had little value, and was likely stolen from a site like the Roman Forum, once the centre of ancient Rome and now home to the ruins of several important buildings.

A court in Turkey has given life sentences to 337 military officers and others, in one of the biggest trials linked to the 2016 coup attempt. Air force pilots and army commanders were among the nearly 500 defendants accused of trying to overthrow President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. They allegedly directed the plot from the Akinci air base near Ankara. Mr Erdogan says US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen masterminded the plot, which led to mass arrests. Mr Gulen has denied any involvement in the attempted coup in July 2016 that killed 251 people and injured more than 2,000. Mr Erdogan was on vacation at the time at a resort. Thousands of civilians rallied in support of Mr Erdogan in a night of turmoil, confronting rogue soldiers and preventing the plotters from seizing power.(BBC)…[+]

Thousands of fans are paying their final respects to Argentine football legend Diego Maradona at the presidential palace in Buenos Aires. Three days of national mourning have begun in Argentina after the national hero died following a heart attack on Wednesday at the age of 60. Some wept, others blew kisses and said prayers as they filed past the coffin being displayed at the Casa Rosada. A million people are expected to visit his casket. Maradona’s coffin – draped in Argentina’s national flag and football shirt, bearing his trademark number 10 on the back – is expected to be on public display until Thursday afternoon. There were tense scenes when the Casa Rosada opened its doors, as some fans pushed and shoved against the barriers, which were lined with security forces. His family and former teammates took part in a private ceremony earlier in the day.(BBC)…[+]

Scotland has become the first country in the world to make period products free for all. MSPs unanimously approved the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill on Tuesday. There is now a legal duty on local authorities to ensure that free items such as tampons and sanitary pads are available to “anyone who needs them”. The bill was introduced by Labour MSP Monica Lennon. She has been campaigning to end period poverty since 2016. She said it was a “practical and progressive” piece of legislation made all the more vital because of the coronavirus pandemic. “Periods don’t stop for pandemics and the work to improve access to essential tampons, pads and reusables has never been more important,” she added. Period poverty is when those on low incomes can’t afford, or access, suitable period products. With average periods lasting about five days, it can cost up to £8 a month for tampons and pads, and some women struggle to afford the cost. (BBC)…[+]

Russia says one of its warships caught and chased off a US Navy destroyer after it entered territorial waters in the Sea of Japan on Tuesday. Moscow accused the USS John S McCain of travelling 2km (1.2 miles) across its maritime border in Peter the Great Gulf and says it threatened to ram the ship. The US warship then left the area, according to Russia. However, the US Navy denied any wrongdoing and said its ship had not been “expelled”. The incident took place on Tuesday in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, a body of water bordered by Japan, Russia and the Koreas. According to the Russian defence ministry, its Pacific Fleet destroyer the Admiral Vinogradov used an international communications channel to warn the US ship about “the possibility of using ramming to get the intruder out of the territorial waters”.(BBC)…[+]