Migrants arriving in Malta. More than a million people reached Europe through "irregular means" in 2015, says a report. Photo via Wikimedia.
Everything you need to know in the world this morning, curated by VICE.
US News
- NASA Calls Off Mars Mission
The space agency has put its next Mars mission on hold indefinitely because of a leaky instrument. NASA had planned to launch a new Mars lander called InSight in March 2016, but have now been forced to plan for "the next orbital opportunity" in 2018. —NBC News
- Cops Involved in Fatal Shootings Have Done it Before
At least 55 police officers involved in fatal on-duty shootings in 2015 had previously fired their guns in other fatal on-duty shootings. New analysis also shows at least 62 people have been shot and killed by police in the past month alone. —The Washington Post
- Republican Candidate Cull Begins
Only six Republican candidates will appear at the next television debate on Fox, according to new criteria set by the channel. Polling data shows only Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie will likely make the cut. —Politico
- Clinton Attempt To Be Your Abuela Backfires
A Clinton campaign effort to reach out to Hispanic voters has gone down badly on Twitter. A post on her website entitled "7 things Hillary Clinton has in common with your abuela" - the Spanish word for grandmother - inspired the Twitter hashtag #NotMyAbuela. —USA Today
International News
- Russian Bombs 'Killed 200 Civilians'
At least 200 civilians have been killed by Russian air strikes in Syria, Amnesty International has claimed. The Amnesty report quotes more than a dozen witnesses and activists, but Moscow has dismissed the claim as part of "information warfare." —BBC News
- Europe Receives One Million Migrants in One Year
More than a million people have now reached Europe through "irregular means" in 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration. A four-fold increase on 2014, it makes it the continent's biggest wave of migration since World War II. —The Guardian
- Zimbabwe To Adopt China's Currency
Zimbabwe has announced that it will make the Chinese yuan its legal tender, after Beijing confirmed it would cancel debt worth $40 million. The country has tried out a series of currencies in recent years, including the US dollar and South African rand. —Al Jazeera
Man Found Alive Under China Landslide
A man buried in rubble for more than 60 hours after the landslide in Shenzhen has been pulled out alive. The 19-year-old survivor is said to be in "extremely weak" condition. More than 70 other people are still missing after a hill of soil and construction waste collapsed. —CNN
Kim Dotcom, who faces extradition to the US for copyright infringement charges. Photo via Flickr user Sam Churchill.
Everything Else
- Facebook Solves Ancient Relic Mystery
Israel's antiquities experts spent six months trying to identify a strange gold "relic." Within hours of posting a photo on Facebook, people identified the object as a hippie "energy harmonizer," widely available online. —AP
- Kim Dotcom To Be Extradited
A New Zealand court has ruled file-sharing entrepreneur Kim Dotcom eligible to be extradited to the US to face copyright infringement and racketeering charges. Dotcom founded the now-defunct site Megaupload. —CBS News
- Russian Space Debris Causes Brief Panic
A streaking fireball spotted in the skies over Nevada and California caused excited confusion in the early hours of Wednesday morning. It later turned out it was a Russian SL-4 rocket breaking up as re-entered the atmosphere. —BuzzFeed
- Two States Allow Birth Control Pill Over the Counter
Starting in 2016, women in Californian and Oregon will be able to get birth control prescriptions from a pharmacy, without an appointment with a doctor. Healthcare experts have hailed the huge step forward. —Broadly
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