‘I heard a meow’: Kentucky man finds his cat unscathed in rubble nine days after tornado

Sonny ‘Hoot’ Gibson thought his mind was playing tricks when the sound emerged from his demolished office building

Nine days after a tornado demolished his three-story office building in downtown Mayfield, Kentucky, Sonny “Hoot” Gibson was standing in the rubble when he thought he heard a faint meow.

It instantly gave him hope that his office cat, Madix, who hadn’t been seen since before the storms hit, was alive. Gibson said he had tried to find the black cat with yellow eyes who liked to greet customers of his rental business, but he had given up after a few days.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/22/kentucky-tornado-cat-survives

Republicans woo Joe Manchin as senator clashes with Democrats

Centrist senator has rejected the idea of joining GOP but has indicated openness to being an independent

For many Democrats, Joe Manchin has become an unshakeable problem. The centrist senator is at odds with other Democrats on everything from filibuster reform to climate policy, and he recently announced his opposition to the Build Back Better Act, the lynchpin of Joe Biden’s legislative agenda.

But Republicans think Manchin now represents an opportunity to boost their numbers.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/22/joe-manchin-democrats-republicans-party

Australia Covid news live: NSW cases soar to 5,715 new infections with one death; Victoria reports 2,005 cases and 10 deaths

NSW resists mask rules but rapid tests may be free and QR codes return; Victoria considers indoor mandate. Follow all the day’s news live

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Covid-19 testing clinics are reducing their openings hours during the Christmas period despite “unprecedented demand” and reports of hours-long wait times in several states.

Guardian Australia analysis shows 77% of the 490 testing sites listed on the NSW Health website on Wednesday will either close or operate on reduced hours through the Christmas and new year period.

Novavax is still going through the approval process. I know they’re getting closer. We’re looking forward to get Novavax into the mix of available vaccines as well. It won’t be until the new year. I don’t know exactly when.

As soon as Novavax is ready to go, we’ll be delighted to get it out there. I know some people have been holding out for Novavax specifically. It will be part of our arsenal and we look forward to helping people access that vaccine if that’s what they want.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2021/dec/23/australia-covid-news-victoria-nsw-sydney-masks-restrictions-perrottet-andrews-morrison-politics-corona-vaccine-mask-omicron-patients-doctors-hospital

Madagascar: minister swims 12 hours to safety after helicopter crash

Police minister Serge Gelle was one of two survivors to make the marathon swim to shore after ejecting from the stricken helicopter

A Madagascan minister was one of two survivors to have swum about 12 hours to shore after their helicopter crashed off the island’s north-east coast, authorities said.

A search was continuing for two other passengers after Monday’s crash, the cause of which was not immediately clear, police and port authorities said.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/22/madagascar-minister-swims-12-hours-to-safety-after-helicopter-crash

‘Miscarriage of justice’: outcry after Colorado trucker given 110 years for fatal accident

Rogel Aguilera-Mederos was convicted of vehicular homicide and received a lengthy sentence that sparked calls for leniency

The case of a young Colorado truck driver sentenced to 110 years in prison over his role in a fatal collision has prompted widespread calls for leniency and fueled criticism of the US justice system.

On Tuesday, the Colorado district attorney whose office prosecuted the case asked the court to reconsider the sentence of Rogel Aguilera-Mederos, 26, following the backlash over a punishment that’s been called unduly harsh.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/21/colorado-trucker-110-years-in-prison-accident

JonBenét Ramsey: DNA testing could be used to solve case, police say

In 2008, newly discovered DNA pointed toward the involvement of an ‘unexplained third party’ in the six-year-old’s murder

Twenty-five years after JonBenét Ramsey was killed, police say DNA hasn’t been ruled out to help solve the case.

The six-year-old was found dead in the basement of her family’s Boulder, Colorado, home on 26 December 1996, bludgeoned and strangled, several hours after her mother called 911 to say her daughter was missing and a ransom note had been left behind. Her death was ruled a homicide, but nobody was ever charged in the case.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/21/jonbenet-ramsey-dna-testing-could-be-used-to-solve-case-police-say

Seconds before a 6.2 earthquake rattled California, phones got a vital warning

Half a million phones received emergency alerts thanks to system offering a few seconds to take cover

In the moments before a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the northern California coast on Monday, roughly half a million phones began to buzz. An early-alert system managed by the US Geological Survey sent warnings out before the ground started to shake, giving residents in the sparsely populated area vital time to take cover.

The earthquake brought significant shaking but minimal damage in Humboldt county, about 210 miles north-west of San Francisco, and officials said it was an excellent test of the alert-system. It was the largest magnitude quake that’s occurred since the system, known as ShakeAlert, was officially rolled out across the west coast.

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source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/dec/21/california-earthquake-early-warning-system