AP News Digest 7 a.m.
Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All Times EST. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan at https://newsroom.ap.org.
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ONLY ON AP
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MENTAL-HEALTH — The lockdowns that France has used to fight the spread of coronavirus have come at considerable cost to residents’ mental health. Surveys are noting a surge of depression, most acutely among people without work, those facing financial hardship and young adults. Mental health professionals say France’s coronavirus lockdowns and curfews have destabilized people who otherwise might not have ended up in psychiatric treatment wards. By John Leicester. SENT: 1,290 words, photos.
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-EUROPE-VACCINES — The European Medicines Agency said it would convene a meeting later this month to decide if there is enough data about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for it to be approved. The agency also said it could decide as early as Jan. 12 whether to approve an experimental COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. By Frank Jordans, Maria Cheng and Samuel Petrequin. SENT: 720 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-RURAL MISSOURI HOSPITAL — The coronavirus pandemic is devastating rural hospitals, including the tiny 25-bed facility in Memphis, Missouri. The situation is so dire that doctors sometimes have to send infected people home, telling them to come back if their condition worsens. By Jeff Roberson and Jim Salter. SENT: 910 words, photos, video.
IRAN-NUCLEAR — Iran’s parliament advances a bill that would end U.N. inspections of its nuclear facilities and require the government to boost its uranium enrichment if European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal do not provide relief from oil and banking sanctions. The vote to debate the bill, which would need to pass through several other stages before becoming law, was a show of defiance after the killing of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist last month. By Nasser Karimi. SENT: 500 words, photos.
BIDEN-RAHM EMANUEL — President-elect Joe Biden is considering former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a substantial figure in Democratic Party politics, to serve as his transportation secretary. But Emanuel’s reported candidacy for the job is already raising concern from some members of the party’s progressive wing. By Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller. SENT: 990 words, photo.
SENATE-GEORGIA-TRUMP — Some establishment Republicans are sounding alarms that President Donald Trump’s conspiratorial denials of his own defeat could threaten the party’s ability to win a Senate majority and counter Biden’s administration. By Bill Barrow and Alan Fram. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BETHLEHEM CHRISTMAS — The coronavirus has cast a pall over Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, all but shutting down the biblical town revered as Jesus’ birthplace at the height of the normally cheery holiday season. By Jelal Hassan. SENT: 650 words, photos.
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WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
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KASHMIR-ANIMAL-ATTACKS-PHOTO-GALLERY — Animal attacks taking their toll in Kashmir. SENT: 380 words, photos.
F1-VIRUS-OUTBREAK-HAMILTON — Lewis Hamilton tests positive for COVID-19, to miss Bahrain Grand Prix. SENT: 440 words, photos.
MUSIC-SPOTIFY-END OF YEAR — Bad Bunny is Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2020. SENT: 200 words, photo.
INDONESIA-VOLCANOES-ERUPT — Thousands flee as activity in Indonesian volcanoes increases. SENT: 520 words, photos.
TOKYO-RINGS-RETURN — Olympic rings back in Tokyo Bay; a sign of hope in pandemic. SENT: 310 words, photos.
MALL SHOOTING — Teen arrested in deadly California mall shooting. SENT: 230 words.
NEW-ZEALAND-CHINA-GRAPHIC-TWEET — New Zealand joins Australia in denouncing China’s tweet. SENT: 580 words, photos.
CAMBODIA-TOXIC WINE — Tainted rice wine kills seven at Cambodian funeral ceremony. SENT: 210 words.
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VIRUS-OUTBREAK-LEARNING-LOSS — New research shows students have fallen behind in math since the pandemic disrupted school, while most are progressing at a normal pace in reading, findings by the not-for-profit NWEA show. SENT: 640 words, photo.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA — Vietnamese authorities are conducting intensive contact tracing after discovering the country’s first confirmed local transmission of the coronavirus in 89 days. SENT: 500 words, photos. With VIRUS-OUTBREAK-THE-LATEST.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN — Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad says the coronavirus pandemic has increased trafficking of women and gender-based violence, leaving the health and safety of women “on the line.” SENT: 590 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VIRAL-QUESTIONS-SHOPPING — As the holiday season gets underway, health experts say to avoid shopping in stores when possible. SENT: 270 words, graphic.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-BELGIUM — Non-essential shops in Belgium are reopening in the wake of encouraging figures about declining daily coronavirus infection rates and hospital admissions. SENT: 170 words, photos.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-MEXICO-WHO — The head of the World Health Organization says that “Mexico is in bad shape” with the pandemic and urges its leaders be serious about the coronavirus and set examples for its citizens. SENT: 200 words, photo.
VIRUS-OUTBREAK-VACCINE `FAKE NEWS’ — The head of the world’s largest humanitarian network is urging governments and institutions to combat “fake news” about COVID-19 vaccines which has become “a second pandemic” and start building trust in communities around the world about the critical importance of vaccinating people. SENT: 560 words, photo.
Find more coverage on the Virus Outbreak on the featured topic page in AP Newsroom.
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BIDEN-ECONOMIC TEAM — With unemployment still high and the pandemic threatening yet another economic slump, Biden is assembling a team of liberal advisers who have long focused on the nation’s workers and government efforts to address economic inequality. SENT: 960 words, photos. UPCOMING: 1,100 words after 12:30 p.m. event. With ELECTION 2020-THINGS TO KNOW.
BIDEN-INTELLIGENCE — Biden gets his first look as president-elect at the President’s Daily Brief, a top secret summary of U.S. intelligence and world events — a document former first lady Michelle Obama has called “The Death, Destruction, and Horrible Things Book.” SENT: 850 words, photos.
ELECTION-2020-HOUSE-GEORGIA — Georgia voters are choosing the short-term replacement for civil rights legend John Lewis. SENT: 360 words, photos.
ELECTION-2020-HOUSE-CALIFORNIA — Democrat Christy Smith conceded in a knife-edged loss to Republican rival Mike Garcia, who retained his Congressional seat in the 25th District north of Los Angeles. SENT: 360 words, photos.
BIDEN-PRESIDENTIAL PETS — Major Biden gets an early start in the spotlight as a presidential dog after a play date ended with his owner suffering a broken foot. SENT: 590 words, photos.
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BREXIT — The British government tells businesses to make sure they are ready for big changes when the U.K. makes its final Brexit break from the European Union in exactly a month. SENT: 530 words, photos.
SOUTH-AFRICA-WORLD-AIDS-DAY — Health officials are hoping that new, long-acting drugs to help prevent HIV infection will be a turning point for the fight against a global health threat that’s been eclipsed by the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 670 words, photos.
CHINA-METOO-LAWSUIT — A high profile case of sexual harassment in China’s #MeToo movement involving a well-known Chinese state TV host will be tried in court in Beijing after pending for more than two years. SENT: 520 words, photo.
AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA — Azerbaijan completed reclaiming territory ceded by Armenia under a Russia-brokered peace deal that ended six weeks of fierce fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh. SENT: 320 words, photos.
LEBANON-ECONOMY — Lebanon’s economy faces an “arduous and prolonged depression,” with real GPD projected to plunge by nearly 20% because its politicians refuse to implement reforms that would speed up the country’s recovery, the World Bank says. SENT: 500 words, photos.
UNITED-NATIONS-HUMANITARIAN-NEEDS — The U.N. humanitarian office says needs for assistance have ballooned to unprecedented levels this year because of COVID-19, projecting that a staggering 235 million people will require help in 2021. SENT: 630 words.
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FINANCIAL MARKETS — Global stocks and U.S. futures rose after Chinese manufacturing improved, South Korea reported stronger exports and Australia’s central bank left its benchmark lending rate at a record low. By Business Writer Joe McDonald. SENT: 620 words, photos.
GLOBAL-ECONOMY — The world economy will bounce back to its pre-pandemic levels by the end of next year, a global watchdog predicts, though that recovery will be uneven across the countries and big risks remain. SENT: 210 words, photos.
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SEAHAWKS-EAGLES — DK Metcalf caught 10 passes for 177 yards, Russell Wilson threw for 230 yards and a touchdown and the Seattle Seahawks beat the Philadelphia Eagles 23-17. By Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi. SENT: 860 words, photos.
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HOW TO REACH US
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