This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happened.
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That's all for The Loop!
By Brianna Morris-Grant
That's all for The Loop!
If you're just getting caught up, here's some of what we've covered (tap the link to go straight to the post):
- Rupert Murdoch testifies Fox News hosts endorsed election theft theory
- The White House says there's 'no consensus' on the origins of COVID
- Jurors will visit the Murdaugh house to see the crime scene before making a decision
- The US will crack down on child labour after a 70 per cent increase in violations across the country
- First lady Dr Jill Biden says Joe Biden will seek a second run as president
- Canadabans TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices
- Russian president Vladimir Putin has given actor Steven Seagal a state decoration
- SpaceX has called off its launch to the International Space Station just minutes before takeoff
- Greta Thunberg joins Norway protesters to fight against a wind farm
Murdoch testifies Fox News hosts endorsed idea that Biden stole election
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Fox Corp Chairman Rupert Murdoch acknowledged under oath that some Fox hosts "endorsed" the notion that the 2020 US presidential election was stolen, according to a court filing unsealed today.
Documents in the case show Mr Murdoch and other Fox executives believed Joe Biden fairly beat Donald Trump and that the results were not in doubt.
The acknowledgment is included in a filing from Dominion Voting Systems, as part of the voting technology firm's $US1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News over coverage of the 2020 presidential election.
"Executives at all levels of Fox — both [Fox News Network] and [Fox Corporation] — knowingly opened Fox’s airwaves to false conspiracy theories about Dominion," Dominion wrote in its filing.
A five-week trial is scheduled to begin on April 17.
Elon Musk, Tesla sued over self-driving safety claims
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Tesla and Elon Musk are being sued by shareholders who accuse them of overstating the effectiveness and safety of their autopilot and full self-driving technologies.
They say Tesla defrauded them over four years with false and misleading statements that concealed how its technologies, suspected as a possible cause of multiple fatal crashes, "created a serious risk of accident and injury."
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for Tesla shareholders from February 19, 2019 to February 17, 2023.
'No consensus' on origins of COVID, says White House
By Brianna Morris-Grant
National Security Council’s John Kirby said there is “not a consensus within in the US government” on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Kirby’s remarks follow a Wall Street Journal report last weekend which claimed the US Energy Department believed “with low confidence” that the pandemic arose from a lab leak in China.
Beijing has denied this assessment.
The US National Intelligence Council believes the pandemic occurred naturally through transmission from animal carcasses to people.
“If we have something that we believe can be reported to the Congress and to the American people, that we’re confident in, we will absolutely do that,” he said.
“We really do want to know what happened here, because the president wants to know that we’re postured to prevent any further pandemics.
“There’s just no consensus across the government. The work continues.”
Band cancels Ukrainian concert amid controversy
By Brianna Morris-Grant
A planned concert by Slovenia’s popular band Laibach in Ukraine next month has been cancelled after the group angered Ukrainians by remarks interpreted to suggest that Kyiv was involved in a proxy war on behalf of its Western patrons.
The band, known for using military-style imagery and totalitarian symbols, had been due to perform in Ukraine's capital on March 31.
Organisers said the band's remarks caused “controversy” and discord, forcing the cancellation.
Laibach told news agency STA that they were “categorically asked to declare that all Russians are bad and that all Russian art is worthless, which of course (they) did not agree to do.”
Jurors to visit Murdaugh crime scene
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Jurors in Alex Murdaugh's murder trial in the shooting deaths of his wife and son will get to visit the South Carolina home where the killings took place.
Lawyers for the disgraced South Carolina attorney asked for the trip, so the jury can see the dog kennels near where 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh were killed.
Alex Murdaugh, 54, is charged with murder in the deaths of his wife and son. He faces 30 years to life in prison if convicted.
Youtube down for thousands of users
By Brianna Morris-Grant
No, it's not just you — thousands of Youtube users are reporting outages, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com.
Downdetector, which showed there were more than 8,000 incidents of people reporting issues with YouTube, tracks outages by collating status reports from a number of sources, including user-submitted errors on its platform.
YouTube did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Locals grieve Italy migrant boat crash victims
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Rescuers says most of the migrants on a boat which crashed off Italy's southern coast came from Afghanistan, as well as from Iran, Somalia, Syria and elsewhere.
Many of the victims washed ashore close to where the vessel sank near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria, while some of the bodies were recovered from the sea.
Dozens of coffins have been laid out in a sports hall in the neighbouring town of Crotone ahead of an eventual funeral.
Local people are leaving flowers, candles and a teddy bear on metal railings outside to show their respect.
US to crack down on child labour as violations soar
By Brianna Morris-Grant
The US has announced a crackdown on child labor amid a steep rise in violations and illegal employment of migrant minors in dangerous industries.
Officials say the Labor Department had seen a nearly 70 per cent increase in child labor violations since 2018, including in hazardous occupations.
In the last fiscal year, 835 companies were found to have violated child labor laws.
"This isn't a 19th century problem, this isn't a 20th century problem, this is happening today," said one official.
"We are seeing children across the country working in conditions that they should never ever be employed in the first place."
Police still investigating after fatal shooting in Sydney
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Police say a man shot dead by officers inside a Western Sydney police statement had stabbed a stranger just minutes before.
The man was taken to Westmead Hospital but he died a short time later.
A police spokeswoman said they are still investigating the man's motives, including if it was related to his mental health.
The man — whose identity is not yet known — was holding a knife and threatening officers before he was shot, just after midnight, after attending Auburn Police Station.
- You can read more details on this story here:
Joe Biden plans to run for president again, says wife
By Brianna Morris-Grant
President Joe Biden, plans to run for a second four-year term, according to First Lady Jill Biden.
Dr Biden says she expects Mr Biden to announce a campaign, dismissing a question on whether the 80-year-old Democrat might opt out of a run in 2024.
Any re-election bid would likely be influenced strongly by Biden's White House inner circle of advisers.
Polls show concerns about his age among some Americans since Biden would be 86 by the end of a prospective second term.
Friends co-stars reunite for Courtney Cox's Hollywood Walk of Fame star
By Brianna Morris-Grant
After a day of blessed reunions at the SAGs — a moment for all the Friends fans out there.
Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow have joined Courtney Cox for the unveiling of her Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
Also present at the LA unveiling were Laura Dern and Cox's daughter Coco.
Canada bans TikTok from all government mobile devices
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Canadahas announced it is banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it might be a first step to further action.
“I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices."
Putin gives Steven Seagal friendship award
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Russian President Vladimir Putin has bestowed a state decoration on actor Steven Seagal, who also holds Russian citizenship.
The awarding of the Order of Friendship was announced on the Russian government's internet portal.
The order recognizes people who Russia considers to have contributed to bettering international relations.
Seagal was a vocal supporter of Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and was named in 2018 as a Russian Foreign Ministry humanitarian envoy to the United States and Japan.
On this day: M*A*S*H ended, Pope Benedict resigned, and Egypt gained independence
By Brianna Morris-Grant
It's February 28 — the final day of the month, this year at least.
Let's take a look at some other things that happened on this date throughout history.
- 1922: Egypt is declared an independent country when the UK issued Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence.
- 1953: James Watson and Francis Crick announce to friends they have determined the chemical structure of DNA. I'm assuming Rosalind Franklin wasn't among said friends.
- 1983: Almost 106 million people tune in for the final episode of M*A*S*H, setting the current record for highest viewership of a season finale.
- 1993: Federal agents raid David Koresh's Branch Davidian's church in Waco, Texas, sparking a 51-day standoff.
- 2013: Pope Benedict XVI resigns as pope, making him the first to do so since Pope Gregory XII in 1415.
BREAKING: US approves potential missile sales to Australia
By Brianna Morris-Grant
The Pentagon says the US State Department has approved the potential sale of advanced anti-radiation guided missiles-extended range and related equipment to Australia in a deal valued at up to $US506 million ($751 million).
The prime US contractor will be the Javelin Joint Venture between Lockheed Martin in Orlando, Florida, and Raytheon Missiles and Defense in Tucson, Arizona, the Pentagon said.
New earthquake hits Türkiye, collapsing buildings
By Brianna Morris-Grant
A magnitude 5.6 earthquake has shaken southern Türkiye, causing some already damaged buildings to collapse and killing at least one person.
More than 100 people were injured and more than two dozen buildings toppled as a result of the new quake in Malatya province.
Officials have urged people not to enter damaged buildings, saying strong aftershocks continue to pose a risk.
More than 10,000 aftershocks have hit the region since February 6.
SpaceX rocket grounded after last minute problem
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Last-minute technical trouble forced SpaceX to call off its attempt to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA.
The countdown was halted with just two minutes remaining until liftoff from Kennedy Space Center.
With just a split second to blast off, there was no time to deal with the problem, which involved the engine ignition system.
SpaceX delayed the launch until at least Thursday local time.
Greta Thunberg joins Norway protests against wind farm
By Brianna Morris-Grant
Dozens of activists, including Greta Thunberg, have blocked the entrance to Norway’s energy ministry in Oslo to protest a wind farm.
The activists say the farm hinders the rights of the Sami Indigenous people to raise reindeer in Arctic Norway.
In October 2021, Norway’s Supreme Court ruled that the construction of the wind turbines violated the rights of the Sami, who have been using the land to raise reindeer for centuries.
However, the wind farm is still operating.
Let's get you set up for the day
By Brianna Morris-Grant
The death toll in the migrant tragedy off Italy's southern coast has risen to 62, with dozens more still missing.
At least seven of the dead are children. The boat, which set off from Türkiye last week, was believed to be carrying 170 people.
The UK's opposition party will vote in favour of the new post-Brexit Northern Ireland trade deal when it's put forward to a vote.
British PM Rishi Sunak struck a new deal with European Union president Ursula von der Leyen.
And a Romanian court has upheld a third 30-day detention for Andrew Tate, who is being held on suspicion of organised crime and human trafficking.
