News Headlines - 05 December 2020

▽Covid: First batch of vaccines arrives in the UK - BBC News

The first consignment of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine has arrived in the UK.
It has been taken to a central hub at an undisclosed location, and will now be distributed to hospital vaccination centres around the UK.
The UK has ordered 40 million doses - enough to vaccinate 20 million people.

▽Ex-tax official arrested over pandemic relief fund fraud case : The Asahi Shimbun

A former National Tax Agency official is under arrest over suspicions of his involvement in the fraudulent receipt of more than 100 million yen ($956,900) in government pandemic relief money.

▽Scientists Confirm Entirely New Species of Gelatinous Blob From The Deep, Dark Sea

For the first time, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have formally identified a new species of undersea creature based solely on high-definition video footage captured at the bottom of the ocean.
And what an undersea creature it is. Meet Duobrachium sparksae - a strange, gelatinous species of ctenophore, encountered by the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Deep Discoverer during a dive off the coast of Puerto Rico.
That encounter took place back in 2015, but when you're laying claim to discovering a wholly new species - based solely on video evidence, for that matter, with no physical specimens to help make your case - it helps to do your due diligence.

▽Brazil's Amazon: Deforestation 'surges to 12-year high' - BBC News

Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil has surged to its highest level since 2008, the country's space agency (Inpe) reports.
A total of 11,088 sq km (4,281 sq miles) of rainforest were destroyed from August 2019 to July 2020. This is a 9.5% increase from the previous year... Scientists say it has suffered losses at an accelerated rate since Jair Bolsonaro took office in January 2019.
The Brazilian president has encouraged agriculture and mining activities in the world's largest rainforest.

▽Egypt detains photographer after dancer shoot at pyramid | The Guardian

Egyptian police have detained a photographer for disrespect after he shot images of a dancer in ancient costume at the Pyramid of Djoser outside Cairo, a security source has confirmed.
Rumours had circulated on social media that the model, Salma al-Shimi, had been arrested after Monday’s shoot at the Saqqara necropolis, 20 miles south of Cairo, but the source said police detained the photographer on Monday.