Wildfires in California and Montana have spiraled overnight, fuelled by hot and windy conditions and threatening neighborhoods and forcing evacuation orders.
In California‘s Klamath National Forest, a largely rural area near the Oregon state line, the fast-moving McKinney fire went from scorching just over one square mile (about 2.5 sq km) on Friday, to tearing across 62 square miles (160 sq km) by Saturday.
The blaze burned down at least a dozen homes, and observers spotted wildlife fleeing the area.
Image:California’s McKinney Fire scorched vehicles and residences
Image: The McKinney Fire burns in Klamath National Forest
Klamath National Forest spokeswoman Caroline Quintanilla warned the blaze was “continuing to grow with erratic winds and thunderstorms in the area and we’re in triple-digit (Fahrenheit) temperatures.”
With lightning forecasted over the next few days, extra resources from elsewhere in the state are being brought in to help fight the region’s fires, according to the US Forest Service.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday as the fire escalated, which granted him more flexibility to make emergency response and recovery effort decisions and access federal aid.
It also allows “firefighting resources from other states to assist California crews in battling the fires”, according to a statement from the governor’s office.
Mrs. Titilope Dada, 30, sobbed a lot for weeks after receiving a hepatitis B diagnosis in February 2021, believing it to be a death sentence.
She had hepatitis B, which was diagnosed during a pre-employment medical screening at a health facility.
She was aware of the illness since she was educated, but she never thought she could be infected.
The trauma
“I was shocked and scared when told my result was positive and went online to read about the disease before going back to the hospital for a confirmatory test.
“Most of what I read online was scary, but the doctors were able to calm me down, and ordered more tests to be able to decide if I will commence treatment immediately. I am now on treatment and can tell you that it is not as bad as I imagined it or as I read on the internet,†she said.
Mrs. Dada claimed that because she was diagnosed a few months (four to five months) before getting married, it was difficult for her to accept the diagnosis and begin treatment.
“I was perplexed, as I have been living a healthy lifestyle and wondered how I contracted it. I started treatment as advised by the doctors after informing my family though it crossed my mind to cancel my wedding. My parents, siblings, and husband have been supportiveâ€, she explained.
Narrating how she has been coping with the treatment, Mrs. Dada, now pregnant with her first baby, lamented that access to hepatitis drugs is tedious as she sometimes orders them from Lagos State and spends over 10,000 Naira per month out-of-pocket on drugs and over 25,000 when she has to conduct tests and hospital fees.
Life during treatmentÂ
After 18 months of knowing her status, Mrs. Dada said the trying times for her were when she had the liver biopsy test to check if she had not developed liver cancer and also having to come to terms with using drugs every day.
“My advice is that people should get tested to know their status. People who test negative should get vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccine as soon as possible. However, if it turns out positive, they should start the treatment early as hepatitis B is treatable.
“I am living a happy life and expecting my first baby, my family is very supportive, and I am moving on in my career. I now know that having hepatitis is not the end of the world, but I wish the government get more involved with providing support for testing and treatment of hepatitis, and they should also create more awareness for it like HIV/AIDSâ€, she said.
Hepatitis control effort
According to the 2018 Nigeria HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS), Nigeria has a prevalence rate of 8.1% and 1.0% for hepatitis B and C.
However, most people infected with the disease are unaware of their status as there is
low awareness about the infection, leading to under-reported, under-diagnosed, and under-treated cases.
Dr. Adegboyega Akere, a Consultant Gastroenterologist at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, said the low awareness level of hepatitis among the populace is one leading cause of liver cancer or liver cirrhosis in the country.
Dr. Akere said patients often present to the hospital at advanced stages of liver cancer or with liver cirrhosis which could have been prevented if detected earlier.
“Nigeria needs to embark on intensive awareness to meet the 2030 target of eliminating the disease, he said.
To curb the menace of hepatitis disease in the country, the minister of health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said the Federal Ministry of Health, with support from its partners, is taking concrete steps to ensure that hepatitis care is brought closer to every Nigerian.
Dr. Ehanire said at a press briefing to mark the 2022 World Hepatitis Day (WHD) that Nigeria has aligned with the new World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Health Sector Strategy for Viral Hepatitis strategy.
“Nigeria has developed its own National Strategic Framework for Viral Hepatitis aimed at achieving the global target of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030, he said.
Furthermore, WHO Country Representative (WR) Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo said WHO has been providing strategic leadership, technical assistance, and implementation support to the government to respond to viral hepatitis.
Dr. Mulombo further added that creating awareness and providing adequate domestic resources is a way to tackle the diseases in Nigeria.
WHO works on the five viral hepatitis strategic pillars – Supporting hepatitis B Birth dose and pentavalent vaccination for children (NPHCDA), prevention of mother-to-child transmission (Family and reproductive health), Blood and injection safety at the National Blood services commission), Harm reduction among People who inject drugs ( Hospital services) and diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B and C (hospital).
Ukraine war: UN and Red Cross invited to investigate deaths of prisoners of war, Russia says.
Russia has invited the United Nations and the Red Cross to investigate the deaths of dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
The prisoners were being held by Moscow-backed separatists at a jail in the town of Olenivka, in eastern Donetsk, when it was hit by rockets early on Friday.
Russia’s defense ministry said 50 prisoners were killed and another 73 were injured, adding that it wanted to act “in the interest of conducting an objective investigation” into the attack.
It claims Ukrainian soldiers had used a US-made high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) to target the prison.
Ministry spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov said “all political, criminal and moral responsibility” rested with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “his criminal regime and Washington who supports them”.
But Ukraine said Russian artillery had been behind the attack, using it to hide the mistreatment of prisoners.
Mr. Zelenskyy said: “It was a deliberate Russian war crime, a deliberate mass murder of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
After 33 hours of surgery, conjoined twins with linked brains have been successfully separated.
Under the supervision of a pediatric surgeon from London’s Great Ormond Street Hospitalwho practices in the UK, Noor ul Owase Jeelani, Bernardo and Arthur Lima had a number of operations in Rio de Janeiro.
The three-year-old boys underwent a total of seven operations, requiring nearly 100 medical professionals and more than 33 hours of operating time in just the final two procedures.
Before starting the actual treatments, surgeons practiced various approaches in virtual reality for months.
Mr. Jeelani and Dr. Gabriel Mufarrej, director of pediatric surgery at the Instituto Estadual do Cerebro Paulo Niemeyer, oversaw their surgery.
Mr. Jeelani described the operation as a “remarkable achievement” by medics but added the charity, Gemini Untwined, relies on public donations to keep its work going.
He said: “The successful separation of Bernardo and Arthur is a remarkable achievement by the team in Rio and a fantastic example of why the work of Gemini Untwined is so valuable.
“Not only have we provided a new future for the boys and their families, but we have also equipped the local team with the capabilities and confidence to undertake such complex work successfully again in the future.
“It is through this process of teamwork and knowledge-sharing globally that we can hope to improve the outcome for all children and families that find themselves in this difficult position.
“This is only possible through generous donations from members of the public.”
Life-changing
Gabriel Mufarrej said the hospital where he works had been caring for the boys for two and a half years, and their surgery will be “life-changing”.
He said: “Since the parents of the boys came from their home in the Roraima region to Rio to seek our help two and a half years ago, they had become part of our family here in the hospital.
“We are delighted that the surgery went so well and the boys and their family have had such a life-changing outcome.”
Great Ormond Street Hospital, which assisted in the procedure, is a world-renowned pediatric center
Their work was supported by Gemini Untwined, a charity founded by Mr. Jaleeni to raise funds for siblings born joined at the head – called craniopagus twins.
Freeing Bernardo and Arthur from one another was one of the most complex separation processes ever completed, and many surgeons did not think it would be possible, according to the charity.
Since the twins are almost four years old, they are also the oldest craniopagus twins with a fused brain to have been separated.
Both twins are recovering well in hospital and will be supported with six months of rehabilitation, the charity has said.
According to Gemini figures, one in 60,000 births results in conjoined twins, and only 5% of these are craniopagus children.
“Best before” dates are designed to show food quality rather than how safe it is to eat. It is hoped the move to scrap the dates will prevent food waste.
Supermarket Waitrose will remove “best before” dates on nearly 500 fresh food products – and instead encourage shoppers to use their own judgment.
The move, which begins in September, is expected to eliminate millions of baskets worth of food waste by preventing people from throwing away products that are still edible, the grocery giant said.
Earlier this month, Marks & Spencer axed “best before” dates from more than 300 of its fruit and vegetable products following a successful trial.
However, Tesco led the way for the high street supermarkets when it got rid of the dates on more than 100 fresh food products in 2018.
Marija Rompani, director of sustainability and ethics at John Lewis Partnership, which owns Waitrose, said: “UK households throw away 4.5 million tonnes of edible food every year, meaning that all the energy and resources used in food production are wasted.
“By removing best before dates from our products, we want our customers to use their own judgment to decide whether a product is good to eat or not, which in turn will increase its chances of being eaten and not becoming waste.
Sniff test
Catherine David, director of collaboration and change at Wrap, said: “Best before dates on fruit and veg are unnecessary and create food waste because they get in the way of people using their judgment when food is still good to eat.
“We are absolutely delighted by this move from Waitrose which will help stop good food ending up in the bin.
“We estimate that removing dates on fresh fruit and veg could save the equivalent of seven million shopping baskets of food from the bin, which is huge.”
Other supermarkets have taken steps to reduce food waste as they face growing pressure from sustainability groups.
In January, Morrisons announced plans to remove “use by” dates on milk and encourage consumers to use a “sniff test” instead to determine if it is okay to consume.
New Zealand‘s borders are fully open for the first time since March 2020, when they shut in an effort to keep out Covid-19.
Immigration authorities will now begin accepting visitors with visas and those on student visas again.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called it an “enormous moment”, adding it was part of a “cautious process”.
Most visitors will still need to be fully vaccinated, but there are no quarantine requirements.
The country’s maritime border has also reopened, with cruise ships and foreign recreational yachts now allowed to dock.
New Zealand first announced a phased reopening plan in February. It allowed vaccinated citizens to return from Australia that month, and those coming from elsewhere to return in March.
In May, it started welcoming tourists from more than 50 countries on a visa-waiver list.
“We, alongside the rest of the world, continue to manage a very live global pandemic, while keeping our people safe,” said Ms. Ardern in a speech at the China Business Summit in Auckland on Monday.
“But keeping people safe extends to incomes and wellbeing too.”
Tourism was one of the industries hardest hit by New Zealand’s tough Covid measures.
In the year ending March 2021, the industry’s contribution to the GDP dropped to 2.9%, from 5.5% the year before.
International tourism took an especially big hit, plunging 91.5% – or NZ$16.2bn ($10.2bn; £8.4bn) – to NZ$1.5bn, according to official data.
The number of people directly employed in tourism also fell by over 72,000 during this period.
The first ship carrying grain has left a Ukrainian port under a landmark deal with Russia.
Turkish and Ukrainian officials say the ship left the southern port of Odesa early on Monday morning.
Russia has been blockading Ukrainian ports since February, but the two sides agreed on a deal to resume shipments.
It is hoped the deal will ease the global food crisis and lower the price of grain.
In a statement issued ahead of the ship’s departure, Turkey said the Sierra Leone-flagged vessel would dock in Lebanon, adding that further shipments were planned over the coming weeks.
The Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul set up under the deal said the ship was carrying some 26,000 tonnes of corn and was expected to arrive in Turkish waters for inspection on Tuesday.
“Today Ukraine, together with partners, takes another step to prevent world hunger,” Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Alexander Kubrakov wrote on Facebook.
“Unlocking ports will provide at least $1 billion in foreign exchange revenue to the economy and an opportunity for the agricultural sector to plan for next year.”
Mr. Kubrakov added that 16 other ships were waiting to depart in the ports of the Odesa Region in the coming weeks.
Last month’s deal – brokered by the UN and Turkey – took two months to reach and is set to last for 120 days. It can be renewed if both parties agree.
The blockade of Ukraine’s grain has caused a global food crisis with wheat-based products like bread and pasta becoming more expensive and cooking oils and fertilizer also increasing in price.
Under the terms of the deal, Russia has agreed not to target ports while shipments are in transit and Ukraine has agreed that its naval vessels will guide cargo ships through waters that have been mined.
Turkey – supported by the United Nations – will inspect ships, to allay Russian fears of weapons smuggling.
Three ports in southern Ukraine – Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdenny – are expected to be the focal point of the exports.
But the deal was thrown into chaos less than 24 hours after it was announced that Russia had launched two missiles at Odesa port.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike showed that Moscow could not be trusted to stick to the deal.
The controversial South African opposition figure, Julius Malema, has warned of an impending uprising similar to the “Arab Spring” that will target white people and “black elites”.
“When the unled revolution comes… the first target is going to be white people,” Mr. Malema told the BBC’s Hardtalk program.
He demanded an “intervention” to boost the quality of life to avoid unrest.
The MP, known for strident views, has twice been convicted of hate speech.
He has also faced fraud and corruption charges, which were later dropped. Mr. Malema said they were politically motivated.
The Arab Spring was a series of pro-democracy uprisings which began at the end of 2010 in Tunisia, where the president was toppled and spread to several other countries in the region.
In the BBC interview, Mr. Malema accused rich black people of committing “class suicide”.
“The violence that is going to happen in South Africa is because the elite is disappearing and the poor are becoming poorer,” he told the BBC’s Stephen Sakur.
“Therefore there’s going to be something that looks like an Arab Spring. That, we are guaranteed.”
Former President Thabo Mbeki issued a similar warning about a possible uprising last week. He criticized his own party, the governing African National Congress (ANC), saying it has no plan to deal with the problems of poverty, unemployment, and inequality.
‘Difficult time for South Africa’
With high levels of joblessness, inflation hitting a 13-year high, complaints about corruption, and a troubled energy sector, South Africa is facing many challenges.
Current President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a recent statement to the nation, acknowledged a “difficult time for our country”. But in a separate speech, he responded to Mr. Mbeki’s criticism, saying the ANC has a plan to fix things.
Mr. Malema, who leads the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), has long courted controversy and has previously been found guilty of using hate speech, in 2010 and 2011 for comments he made about the woman that accused former President Jacob Zuma of rape and then for singing the song “Shoot the Boer (Afrikaner)”.
In the 2019 general election, the EFF won nearly 11% of the vote and has 44 seats in parliament.
Mr. Malema’s message that the ANC is not working for the poor has gained popularity
Mr. Malema is currently facing allegations of hate speech against white people but has denied that he is causing tensions between different races and says the violence in South Africa cannot be pinned on his following.
“I’ve engaged in democratic ways of trying to resolve problems in South Africa, and therefore those who are scared of our ideas try and create an impression of very violent people. We are not.”
The opposition leader used to be a member of the ANC but was kicked out for fomenting divisions and bringing the party into disrepute. He denied the accusations, saying he was being persecuted.
Mr. Malema also wants a national shutdown to protest against the ruling ANC.
“We are going to bring our bodies to the streets and demand that [President] Ramaphosa must resign.
As for his own party, the EFF, Mr. Malema believes they would govern the country much better than the ANC.
“There’s going to be the EFF that is going to take over South Africa and run it for the better.”
The Bank of Canada on Wednesday raised its main interest rate by 100 basis points in a bid to crush inflation, surprising markets, and becoming the first G7 country to make such an aggressive hike in this economic cycle.
The central bank raised its policy rate to 2.5% from 1.5%, its biggest rate increase in 24 years, and said more hikes would be needed. Economists and money markets had been expecting a 75-basis point increase.
“We had indicated we were prepared to be more forceful. Today was more forceful,” Governor Tiff Macklem told a news conference after the decision.
“Yes, it is a very unusual move to increase by 100 basis points at one decision and that really reflects the very unusual, exceptional circumstances that we find ourselves in.”
Earlier, the central bank said excess demand, high inflation felt across sectors and rising consumer expectations of persistent price gains prompted the super-sized hike, which lifted the policy rate to its highest level since 2008.
“If this doesn’t get us back into the idea that the Bank of Canada is serious about bringing inflation down, I don’t know what would,” said Jay Zhao-Murray, a market analyst at Monex Canada.
The Bank of Canada’s move follows a 75 basis point rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve last month.
“The Bank of Canada saw the Fed hike 75 bps and said ‘Hold my beer,’” said Royce Mendes, head of macro strategy at Desjardins Group, noting hawkish language in the statement that accompanied the “colossal move.”
The central bank’s surprise move lifted the Canadian dollar, which was trading up 0.4% at 1.2975 to the greenback by late afternoon. The benchmark Canadian stock index (.GSPTSE)Â slipped to its lowest since March 2021, before recovering to trade flat.
SOFT LANDING
In its July forecasts, also released on Wednesday, the Bank of Canada said it expected inflation to rise further, saying it would remain around 8% in the next few months. Canada’s inflation rate hit 7.7% in May, near a 40-year high.
The central bank now sees inflation averaging 7.2% this year, falling to about 3% by the end of 2023 and then back to the 2% target by the end of 2024.
The Bank of Canada has been playing catch up with hot inflation for months, prompting rare attacks from critics and fueling worries that Canadians could lose faith in its ability to contain prices, leading to price spirals.
“Our forecast is for a soft landing. As I said, the path to that soft landing has narrowed,” said Macklem, who participated in the decision remotely after recovering from COVID-19. “And that is an important reason why we took stronger action today to front-load policy interest rates.”
Still, the 100-bp move coupled with a warning of more hikes to come could spook markets, said, economists.
“I think the market is going to be on edge here about the possibility of more upside surprises on rate hikes,” said Doug Porter, chief economist at BMO Capital Markets.
SLOWER GROWTH
The policy rate is now at the nominal neutral rate – the midpoint between 2% and 3% – where monetary policy is neither stimulative nor restrictive.
The bank also cut its economic growth forecast for this year to 3.5% from a previous estimate of 4.2%. It predicted growth would then slow to 1.8% in 2023 before rising to 2.4% in 2024.
The slower growth is “largely due to the impact of high inflation and tighter financial conditions on consumption and household spending,” the bank said.
The video, which was taken off Twitter after being shared by a Ukrainian MP, shows men in Russiancamouflage outfits pinning a man down before using a box cutter to remove his genitals.
Footage that appears to show Russian soldiers pinning a Ukrainian prisoner of war to the ground before cutting off his genitals has sparked outrage in Ukraine.
Ukrainian MP Inna Sovsun tweeted to say she was banned by Twitter after posting the clip on the social media platform.
Once she had regained access to her account, Ms. Sovsun shared a screenshot of her original post with the video blurred.
Sky News has decided not to show any footage or images.
She had written in her original tweet: “Russian soldier from Chechen battalion Ahmat cut off the genitals of Ukrainian POW (prisoner of war).
“This is what Nazis are doing to Ukrainians.
“Russia has to pay for it!
“Give Ukraine the weapons we need to stop this nightmare once and for all. The world can’t pretend like this isn’t happening!”
Ms. Sovsun wrote in a follow-up tweet on Friday: “Twitter banned my profile today. Because I posted a video where a Russian soldier castrates a Ukrainian POW.
“@Twitter decided it was too cruel. But this is what happens. And deleting the video won’t change that.
“People should know what #Russia is doing!”
The video shows a group of men in Russian camouflage outfits pinning a Ukrainian prisoner of war to the ground.
They are then said to use a box cutter to remove his genitals before showing them to the camera.
‘Brutal war crimes’ must be investigated
In further footage seen by Sky News, the same prisoner is videoed getting tied up and shot in the head at the same location.
It is not clear when or where the video was filmed.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the “brutal war crimes”, calling on the International Criminal Court to investigate.
“Ukraine strongly condemns the brutal war crimes committed by the servicemen of the Russian Federation against Ukrainian prisoners of war, particularly horrible cases of torture, physical abuse, inhuman treatment, wilfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health and wilful killing of Ukrainian prisoners of war,” the department said in a statement.
“Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba calls on the international community to condemn the brutal violation of international law by the Russian Federation and to immediately recognize Russia as a terrorist state
“He emphasized that any delay in this decision will only encourage Russia to commit further crimes and inhumane acts.
War crimes allegations against Russia continue to mount
Since the invasion of Ukraine began in February, Russia has been accused of committing thousands of war crimes.
The International Criminal Court has described Ukraine as a “crime scene”, sending its largest ever team to investigate.
In April, Ukraine’s prosecutor accused 10 Russian soldiers of atrocities in the town of Bucha, where evidence of mass killings was uncovered.
Meanwhile, Russian soldier Vadim Shishimarin, 21, admitted to shooting unarmed Oleksandr Shelipov, 62, dead in the early days of the war.
Shishimarin asked Mr. Shelipov’s widow to forgive him when he faced her in court in May.
London’s High Court has rejected President Nicolas Maduro’s latest efforts to gain control of more than $1 billion of Venezuela’s gold reserves stored in the Bank of England’s underground vaults in London.
The court ruled on Friday that previous decisions by the Maduro-backed Venezuelan Supreme Court aimed at reducing opposition leader Juan Guaido’s say over the gold should be disregarded.
It marked the latest victory for Guaido, who has won a series of legal clashes over the bullion after the British government recognized him rather than Maduro as the Latin American country’s president.
“I have … concluded that the Guaido Board succeeds: that the STJ (Venezuelan supreme court) judgments are not capable of being recognized,” the judge in the case said.
The Maduro and Guaido camps have each appointed a different board to the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) and the two have issued conflicting instructions concerning the gold reserves.
Lawyers for the Maduro-backed BCV board said the central bank was considering an appeal after Friday’s ruling, while Guiado, who has seen some international support falter over the last 18 months, called it an important victory.
Maduro’s legal team has said he would like to sell some of the 31 tonnes of gold to finance Venezuela’s response to the pandemic and bolster a health system gutted by years of economic crisis.
Guaido’s opposition has alleged that Maduro’s cash-strapped administration wants to use the money to pay off his foreign allies, which his lawyers deny.
“This decision represents another step in the process of protecting Venezuela’s international gold reserves and preserving them for the Venezuelan people,” Guaido said in a statement.
“This type of honest and transparent judicial process does not exist in Venezuela.”
In the British government in early 2019 joined dozens of nations in backing Guaido, after he declared an interim presidency and denounced Maduro for rigging the 2018 elections.
Guaido at that time asked the Bank of England to prevent Maduro’s government from accessing the gold. Maduro’s central bank then sued the Bank of England to recover control, saying it was depriving the BCV of funds needed to finance Venezuela’s coronavirus response.
Legal experts have said the latest case has been unprecedented as it has seen one country’s highest courts interpreting the constitution of another.
“This is an unfortunate ruling,” said Sarosh Zaiwalla at Zaiwalla & Co, which represented the Maduro-backed central bank, adding that it would continue to pursue the case despite Friday’s decision.
“The BCV remains concerned that the cumulative effect of the judgments of the English Court appears to accord a simple statement by the UK Government recognizing as a head of state a person with no effective control or power over any part of that state,” Zaiwalla added.
A three-year-old has died and a one-year-old is in hospital after falling five meters from a balcony in the city of Saarbrücken. Police are treating the mother, who is also in hospital after falling, as a murder suspect.
  Police are treating the incident as a possible homicide
Police in Saarbrücken is investigating a mother who allegedly threw her two children off a balcony, one of whom died.
A three-year-old girl perished as a result of the incident, a spokesman for theSaarland state police said Friday.
A one-year-old girl is in hospital from her injuries, incurred in the fall, the spokesman added.
Father, and relatives were also at home when the incident occurred
The 38-year-old mother is being treated as a suspect formurder and attempted murder, according to police. She is currently in hospital after also falling from the balcony, which was around five meters high.
Police also spoke to the father of the children, as well as some relatives, all of whom were in the apartment when the incident occurred on Thursday evening.
A Kenyan court on Thursday ordered vice presidential candidate Rigathi Gachagua to refund about $1.7 million to the state.
 Rigathi Gachagua of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Party, is the running mate of Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto
The court determined that the funds were proceeds of corruption. Gachagua’s lawyers had argued that the funds were payment for the supply of goods and services to the government but High Court Judge Esther Maina ruled that there was no evidence to prove the claim.
Gachagua is deputy president William Ruto’s running mate. He said the judgment was intended to undermine his candidacy in the Aug. 9 election, before calling it a ‘sham trial’.
He vowed to appeal the ruling.
Gachagua’s accounts were frozen in 2020 following a request by the government.
The funds came from the Kenya Informal Settlements Programme, the State Department for Special Planning, the Ministry of Health, and several county governments.
A grand jury in Lake County, Illinois, has returned 117 felony counts against Robert E. Crimo III, the man accused of shooting into a crowd during a July 4th parade in Highland Park, killing seven people and wounding dozens of others.
Crimo, 21, is charged with 21 counts of first-degree murder, three counts for each deceased victim.
He also is charged with 48 counts of attempted murder and 48 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm for each victim who was struck by a bullet, bullet fragment, or shrapnel, a release from the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said.
CNN has reached out to Crimo’s attorney for comment.
“I want to thank law enforcement and the prosecutors who presented evidence to the grand jury today. Our investigation continues, and our victim specialists are working around the clock to support all those affected by this crime that led to 117 felony counts being filed today,” State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said in the release.
What are the chances the parents of the Highland Park shooter will face prosecution?
Crimo is expected to appear in person in court on August 3 for his arraignment, the release said. He has been held without bail since being arrested during a traffic stop hours after the shooting.
Crimo voluntarily admitted to authorities he emptied two 30-round magazines before loading his weapon with a third and firing again, Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Ben Dillon said earlier this month during a virtual bail hearing. If convicted on first-degree murder charges, Crimo faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Authorities have said they have not learned the suspected shooter’s motive.
According to state police, Crimo bought rifles and other guns between June 2020 and September 2021. He passed four background checks, including checks of the federal National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
At least five people died and 130 others were injured after a powerful earthquake struck the northern Philippines on Wednesday, according to authorities in the Southeast Asian country.
The 7.0-magnitude quake hit northern Luzon, the country’s most populous island, at 8:43 a.m. local time (8:43 p.m. ET), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The agency originally designated the quake 7.1-magnitude, before downgrading it to 7.0.
Its epicenter was about 13 kilometers (8 miles) southeast of the small town of Dolores, Abra province, with a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), according to USGS. Its impact was felt in the capital, Manila, more than 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) away.
More than 21,000 people have been impacted by the quake, which caused about $687 million of infrastructure damage, according to the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center.
Infrastructure was damaged across northern Luzon, including more than 400 homes, dozens of schools, several hospitals and bridges, and the centuries-old Vigan Cathedral and Banta Bell Tower, state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported, citing the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
Boulders fall during an earthquake in Bauko, the Philippines, on July 27.
Abra is a landlocked region known for deep valleys and mountainous terrain. Photos from the province showed buildings damaged by the quake and debris covering the ground. One building is seen with cracks along the walls, while another lies tilted on its side.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. landed in Abra on Thursday to inspect the damage. Power has been restored in the majority of areas, he said, but access to water remains a problem.
A damaged building lies on its side after an earthquake in the Philippines’ Abra province on July 27.
The quake triggered landslides, with photos showing large boulders and rocks tumbling onto a road in the town of Bauko, south of the epicenter.
Other photos showed people working to clear the debris.
Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said in a news conference that 58 landslides had been reported, and more than 200 towns in 15 provinces were affected by the quake.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said citizens should brace for any aftershocks, but added it had not issued a tsunami warning because the quake was detected inland.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated Ching Bernos’ position. She is a congresswoman for Abra province. An earlier version of this story also misstated when the earthquake took place. It was Wednesday in the Philippines.
According to Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister of Russia, Moscow will likely suggest a time for a call with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken.
According to Mr. Blinken, the two will communicate on Wednesday to plan a swap of captives imprisoned in American and Russian prisons.
In an effort to free two Americans who were detained, including basketball player Brittney Griner, the US offered the prisoner swap agreement.
The US Women’s National Basketball Association player was detained on February 17 at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport as she traveled back to Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg.
In February, Brittney Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
Police claimed to have discovered cannabis oil-filled vape cartridges in her luggage.
Ms. Griner, 31, who has been detained ever since pleaded guilty to charges that could result in a decade prison sentence for her.
But she testified at her drug possession trial that an interpreter translated only a fraction of what was being said while she was detained and that officials told her to sign documents, but “no one explained any of it to me”.
Mr. Blinken said he would raise the matter of both her detention and that of Paul Whelan -arrested in Russia in 2018, and accused of spying – in a call with Russia’s foreign minister.
A source said that Washington was willing to exchange convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout, jailed in the US, as part of such a deal.
It was Rebekah Vardy who took Coleen Rooney to court, saying she had suffered “very serious harm to her reputation” as a result of allegations that she had leaked stories to The Sun newspaper. Rooney defended the claim on the basis of truth and that it was in the public interest.
Rebekah Vardy has lost her Wagatha Christie libel trial against Coleen Rooney.
Judge Justice Steyn said she accepted that Rooney’s reveal post was “a matter of public interest” due to “the undesirable practice of information (in the nature of mere gossip) about celebrities’ private lives being disclosed to the press by trusted individuals”.
Vardy had sued Rooney after being publicly accused of leaking “false stories” to the media in 2019, with the high-profile trial taking place at the High Court in London in May.
The wife of former England star Wayne Rooney was dubbed “Wagatha Christie” after claiming that three fake stories posted on her personal Instagram page – which unbeknown to Vardy at the time were shared only with her account – were passed on to The Sun newspaper.
Vardy, who is married to Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, denied leaking the stories and recalled to the court how she thought she might pass out when she first heard about Rooney’s allegations – which came when she was heavily pregnant.
Later in the trial, she became upset several times while answering questions in the witness box about the online trolling she and her family received as a result of the claims.
However, the court also heard details of text messages she exchanged with her agent which appeared to show them discussing leaking stories about other celebrities and footballers to the press.
The government has said it “regrets” the time taken to establish the decision-making process behind a controversial effort to evacuate animal welfare charity staff from Afghanistan.
The Foreign Office has acknowledged that an “error” in internal communication left some staff believing the prime minister has made the decision to call Nowzad’s staff forward for evacuation.
Downing Street has previously denied Boris Johnson played any role in prioritizing their removal.
The Nowzad charity was set up by former Royal Marine Paul “Pen” Farthing, who launched a high-profile campaign to get his staff and animals out of Kabul as the Taliban swept across Afghanistan last year.
In a damning report, the Conservative-led Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) has said the charity’s workers were called for evacuation “at the last minute” despite not meeting the Foreign Office’s prioritization criteria “after a mysterious intervention from elsewhere in government”.
In the end, the workers fled Afghanistan to Pakistan rather than on a plane from Kabul.
The charity’s animals were able to leave on a charter flight with Mr. Farthing, which the MPs said absorbed “significant” resources during the chaotic period.
Addressing the FAC report, in which it was accused of giving “intentionally evasive, and often deliberately misleading” responses to the committee’s investigations, the Foreign Office acknowledged that “more care should have been taken” within the department in how the decision was communicated to staff.
“The government regrets that it took as long as it did to establish what the decision-making process had been in this case, and how the decision was communicated internally to FCDO (Foreign Office) staff,” it said.
The department added: “It agrees that, in this particular case, more care should have been taken within the FCDO in how the decision was communicated to staff.
“It acknowledges again that an error in the way the decision was communicated internally left some FCDO staff believing that the prime minister had made the decision.”
China‘s top leadership has gone quiet on the growth targets it had set for the year, as the world’s second-largest economy continues to battle a largely self-inflicted economic slowdown.
In early March, China’s government had said that the country would target gross domestic product growth of about 5.5% this year.
While that would be China’s lowest official target for economic growth in three decades, economists have said that it is looking increasingly impossible to reach.
Over the last few months, the Chinese economy has been hammered by rigid Covid lockdowns, a crackdown on the private sector, and an intensifying property crisis.
Growth slowed to only 0.4% in the second quarter, while youth unemploymentsoared to an all-time high.
Now, the country’s leadership has fallen silent on growth targets altogether. At a key meeting of top leaders on Thursday, no mention of GDP targets was made, and analysts have said that this is a sign that the government thinks it might not be able to meet its goals after all.
Instead, the country will now “strive to achieve the best possible results,” according to a statement after the Politburo — China’s top decision-making body — convened Thursday to assess the latest status of the economy and set the policy tone for the second half.
The government will also focus on stabilizing employment and prices, the statement added.
The meeting was chaired by President Xi Jinping and attended by other members of the Politburo. The group of 25 top officials oversees the ruling Communist Party.
The tone of this meeting was in sharp contrast to the previous Politburo meeting in April when policymakers vowed to “strive to meet economic and social targets” for this year.
“Given China only grew 2.5% in the first half, the original [annual] target of around 5.5% is too high,” said Larry Hu, chief China economist at Macquarie Capital, in a report late Thursday.
“In today’s meeting, policymakers used the new phrase: ‘strive to achieve the best result.’ It means that they no longer view 5.5%, or even 5% as achievable for this year,” he added.
Betty Wang, a senior China economist at ANZ, also said Friday that policymakers are “prepared to miss the growth target.”
No flexibility on zero Covid
Despite slowing growth, the top leadership didn’t suggest flexibility on the zero-Covid policy at the meeting, which is a major drag on China’s economy.
The policy has a particular “political significance,” the Politburo statement said.
Analysts now think that China will adhere to its rigid Covid strategy till next year.
“The Politburo vowed to stick with the zero-Covid strategy, and for the first time it explicitly mentioned politics is a particularly important factor to consider when handling the relationship between Covid controls and socio-economic development,” said Nomura analysts in a report on Thursday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (bottom) is applauded by members of the government as he arrives for the closing session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People on March 10, 2022, in Beijing, China.
China’s week-long annual political gathering, known as the Two Sessions, convenes the nation’s leaders and lawmakers to set the government’s agenda for domestic economic and social development for the next year.
“This lends support to our view that Beijing will maintain zero-Covid strategy, at least until March 2023, when the current political reshuffle is fully completed,” they added.
Nomura added that it expects China to grow at 3.3% in 2022.
The Communist Party will undergo a leadership reshuffle at its 20th party congress this fall. President Xi Jinping is expected to seek a historic third term in power at the meeting. If successful, he would be re-elected as the president in the parliamentary session in March 2023.
Property crisis and financial risks
However, policymakers on Thursday acknowledged the economy is facing significant challenges and called on greater efforts to tackle a recent mortgage crisis.
In recent weeks, thousands of disgruntled homebuyers have threatened to stop paying mortgages for unfinished homes if construction is not completed in time.
The boycott came as a growing number of projects have been delayed or stalled by a cash crunch among property developers.
“[We] must stabilize the real estate market,” the Politburo statement said.
It emphasized that local governments should take the responsibility to ensure pre-sold homes are completed and delivered to homebuyers.
China scrambles to defuse alarm over mortgage boycotts and banks runs
“In other words, it’s not very likely for the central government to set up a mega fund to buy out the majority of unfinished projects,” Hu from Macquarie Capital said.
The Politburo also discussed efforts to maintain the overall stability of the financial system, resolve risks related to local rural banks, and severely crack down on financial crimes.
In recent weeks, massive protests have erupted across central China, as thousands of depositors couldn’t access their savings at several rural banks in Henan and Anhui provinces.
In the wake of the protests, local authorities have agreed to start refunding some bank customers whose accounts have been frozen for months.
Protesters in London campaign against Iran’s use of the death penalty in 2020
Iranian authorities put three women to death on Wednesday for murdering their husbands, a human rights charity says.
According to the Iran Human Rights Group, they were among 32 people executed in the past week alone.
A former child bride, convicted of later killing the man she had married at the age of 15, was among them.
Authorities are believed to have substantially stepped up their use of the death penalty, executing twice as many people so far this year than last.
Rights groups report that Iran also executes more women than any other country, the majority of whom are thought to have been found guilty of killing their husbands.
On Wednesday, the Iran Human Rights Group says former child bride Soheila Abadi was hanged in prison after being convicted of killing her husband after marrying him 10 years previously when she was 15 years old.
The sentencing court reportedly said the motive for the murder had been “family disputes.”
Two other women executed on Wednesday had also been convicted of murdering their husbands, the group said.
Activists say many of the cases involve accusations of domestic violence but that Iranian courts frequently do not take that into account.
Precise figures on execution numbers are not available as Iranian authorities do not officially announce every case where the death penalty has been carried out.
According to research published in April by two rights groups, only 16.5% of executions believed to have been carried out in Iran last year were announced by officials.
Reports this year suggest the use of the death penalty has spiked even further since.
Human rights group Amnesty International this week accused Iran of having embarked upon a “horrific” execution spree in recent months, reportedly putting more than 250 people to death in the first six months of 2022 – more than double the number executed over the equivalent period in the previous year.
“The state machinery is carrying out killings on a mass scale across the country in an abhorrent assault on the right to life,” said Diana Eltahawy, deputy regional director at Amnesty International.
Some of those convicted have been put to death in mass executions, the rights group reports, including a dozen people in one prison on 15 June and the same number in a separate prison on 6 June.
Ethnic minorities are also overrepresented in the statistics.
Despite making up around 5% of Iran’s general population, members of the Baluchi minority made up more than one in four of those believed by Amnesty International to have been executed so far this year.
President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a lengthy and candid discussion about Taiwan on Thursday as tensions mount between Washington and Beijing, despite Biden’s one-time hope of stabilizing the world’s most important country-to-country relationship.
The two leaders did agree to begin arrangements for a face-to-face summit, their first as Xi resists travel amid the Covid-19 pandemic. And certain areas of cooperation, including climate change, were hashed out.
But the Taiwan issue proved among the most contentious. The issue has emerged as a serious point of conflict, as US officials fear a more imminent Chinese move on the self-governing island and as a potential visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi prompts warnings from Beijing and a concerted effort by the Biden administration to prevent tensions from spiraling out of control.
The matter was discussed at length in the two-hour-and-17-minute phone call Thursday. Xi offered an ominous warning to Biden, according to China’s version of events.
“Public opinion shall not be violated, and if you play with fire you get burned. I hope the US side can see this clearly,” he told Biden, according to China’s state news agency.
The White House’s account of the call was less specific.
“On Taiwan, President Biden underscored that the United States policy has not changed and that the United States strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” a US readout read.
A senior US administration official called the Taiwan discussion “direct and honest” but downplayed Xi’s warning, suggesting it was standard for the Chinese leader to warn about the risks of “playing with fire.”
The phone call was Biden and Xi’s fifth conversation since February 2021. Ahead of time, US officials said a range of topics — from the tensions surrounding Taiwan to economic competition to the war in Ukraine — were likely to arise.
But hopes for substantially improving ties with Beijing were low. Instead, Biden’s aides hope maintaining a personal connection with Xi can, at most, avoid a miscalculation that might lead to confrontation.
“This is the kind of relationship-tending that President Biden believes strongly in doing, even with nations with which you might have significant differences,” communications coordinator for the National Security Council John Kirby said this week.
As Thursday’s call was concluding, the two leaders made note of how much work they had created for their teams, including arranging the possible in-person meeting. They have yet to meet face-to-face as presidential counterparts.
An opportunity for a summit could arise in November, when a series of summits will occur in Asia — including the Group of 20 in Bali, Indonesia, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in Bangkok, Thailand. People familiar with the matter said US officials are looking to arrange such a meeting on the margins of one of the summits.
Planning for Biden’s phone call with Xi predated the furor over Pelosi’s proposed visit to Taipei. Neither side revealed whether Pelosi’s plans were discussed specifically.
Biden is also currently weighing whether to lift some Trump-era tariffs on China in a bid to ease inflation, though White House officials said he hadn’t yet made up his mind and suggested ahead of time the topic wouldn’t factor heavily into his conversation with Xi.
Instead, it is China’s escalating aggression in the region — including over Taiwan and the South China Sea — at the center of the current tensions. US officials fear without open lines of communication, misunderstandings could spiral into unintended conflict.
That includes how Beijing responds to Pelosi’s potential visit to Taiwan.
US and China are on a knife’s edge over Taiwan ahead of the Xi-Biden phone call.
Administration officials have been working quietly over the past week to convince the House speaker of the risks inherent in visiting the self-governing island.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday he’d spoken to Pelosi to provide his “assessment of the security situation.”
Pelosi has not made any announcements about her plans for a trip, which haven’t been finalized.
“I never talk about my travel. It’s a danger to me,” she said Wednesday.
Yet even unofficial word that the third-in-line to the US presidency was considering a visit to Taiwan prompted an outsized response from Beijing, which considers visits by top-ranking American officials a sign of diplomatic relations with the island.
“If the US insists on taking its own course, the Chinese military will never sit idly by, and it will definitely take strong actions to thwart any external force’s interference and separatist’s schemes for ‘Taiwan independence,’ and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Ministry of Defense Spokesperson Tan Kefei said Tuesday in response to questions over Pelosi’s reported trip to Taipei.
The White House called those comments “unnecessary” and “unhelpful,” saying the rhetoric only served to escalate tensions “in a completely unnecessary manner.”
They also revealed what US officials have said is a misunderstanding by Chinese officials over the significance of Pelosi’s potential visit. The officials said China may be confusing Pelosi’s visit with an official administration visit since both she and Biden are Democrats. Administration officials are concerned that China doesn’t separate Pelosi from Biden much, if at all.
That adds pressure to Biden’s call with Xi. Officials were circumspect about whether Pelosi’s visit would arise, or how much it would factor into the conversation.
But China’s apparent confusion over the differences between the White House and Congress could inject a level of personal animus into the talks.
Administration officials’ concerns over Pelosi’s trip are rooted partly in its timing. It would come at a particularly tense moment, with the upcoming Chinese Communist Party congress during which Xi is expected to seek an unprecedented third term putting pressure on the leadership in Beijing to show strength.
Chinese party officials are expected to begin laying the groundwork for that conference in the coming weeks.
With China recently reporting its worst economic performance in two years, Xi finds himself in a politically sensitive situation ahead of the important meeting.
Biden and Xi spent many hours in each other’s company when each was his country’s vice president, traveling across China and the United States to form a bond.
Biden last spoke to Xi in March, when he worked to convince the Chinese leader not to support Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine. Officials have been watching closely how Beijing responds to the invasion, hoping the mostly united western response — including a withering set of economic sanctions and billions of dollars in arms shipments — proves to illuminate as China considers its actions toward Taiwan.
US officials believe there’s a small risk China would miscalculate in responding to a potential Pelosi visit.
Biden administration officials are concerned that China could seek to declare a no-fly zone over Taiwan ahead of a possible visit as an effort to upend the trip, potentially raising tensions even further in the region, a US official told CNN.
That remains a remote possibility, officials said. More likely, they say, is the possibility China steps up flights further into Taiwan’s self-declared air defense zone, which could trigger renewed discussions about possible responses from Taiwan and the US, the US official added. They did not detail what those possible responses would entail.
The cost of fraudulent Universal Credit (UC) claims in Northern Ireland almost doubled to £102m last year, a public spending watchdog has said.
The figure has emerged in the auditor general’s annual audit of the Department for Communities accounts.
The department said a significant number of fraudulent claims date to the start of the pandemic.
At that time certain conditions were eased to allow unprecedented numbers of people to get financial help.
In the previous year, the cost of fraudulent UC claims was £51.8m.
The number of households on UC in Northern Ireland almost doubled between February and July 2020 when people lost jobs or had their income reduced as a result of pandemic restrictions.
UC is the main benefit for unemployed or lower-paid working-age people and is claimed by about 130,000 people in Northern Ireland.
In 2021/22, expenditure on UC was £912m, accounting for nearly 13% of overall benefit expenditure.
The department’s analysis of UC fraud cases shows that 28% of the cases concerned an initial claim made during the early days of the pandemic.
A significant proportion relates to self-employed income, which is more difficult to verify than taxed income through HMRC records.
‘Concerned’
Auditor general Kieran Donnelly said: “I note that the situation in Great Britain with respect to UC is similar to Northern Ireland in terms of increasing expenditure and estimated overpayment rates due to customer fraud.
“Nonetheless, I remain concerned that estimated overpayments due to fraud are so high here, given our relative size.”
Mr. Donnelly said the department told him it was taking “a number of initiatives” to address the issue.
Meanwhile, he said that as part of a UK-wide problem nearly 5,000 people in Northern Ireland were underpaid their state pension.
In August 2020 the UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) found there was a significant issue and estimated it had underpaid 134,000 pensioners over £1bn, an average of £8,900 each.
DWP’s review of all possibly affected cases is ongoing and so far 5,000 cases have been reviewed and £4.6m in arrears has been paid out to Northern Ireland claimants.
Sir Christopher Meyer, the UK’s former ambassador to the US and one-time Downing Street press secretary, has died aged 78.
His six years in Washington came during the Clinton and George W Bush eras.
The current ambassador, Dame Karen Pierce, paid tribute, saying: “He was a great diplomat and a great character.”
The Daily Mail reported that Sir Christopher died after suffering a stroke while on holiday in the French Alps with his wife Catherine.
Sir Christopher joined the Foreign Office in 1966 and had early postings to Moscow, Madrid, and Brussels.
In 1993, he was appointed press secretary to then-prime minister John Major.
After three years, Sir Christopher returned to foreign postings, initially as ambassador to Germany before being sent to Washington.
He served as ambassador to the US for six years during Tony Blair‘s time as prime minister, with his tenure covering the end of the Clinton administration and the 9/11 attacks.
Sir Christopher Meyer enjoyed a long career as a diplomat. The high point was his posting, by Tony Blair, to Washington.
It was a turbulent time in American politics, embracing the end of the Clinton administration, the president’s impeachment over the Monica Lewinsky affair, the narrow victory of George W Bush over Al Gore, the attacks on September 11, 2001, and the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan – and the run-up to the war in Iraq.
Sir Christopher played a central role in dealing with the immediate aftermath of 9/11, traveling to New York to support British officials and bereaved relatives – later working with Mr. Blair and the Bush administration on a strategy to tackle international terrorism.
Sir Christopher is seen wearing his signature red socks
Known for his fondness of red – or green – socks, Sir Christopher was quick-witted and an ebullient communicator.
He was engaged in politics, including the Conservative leadership race, to the end – tweeting about it under the handle @SirSocks.
Just two days ago he posted that he’d found the recent debates “quite useful in exposing the candidates’ personalities and policies”.
Between 2003 and 2009, he served as chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, and later became known as an author and broadcaster, appearing frequently in the media as a commentator on current affairs.
He was also active on Twitter, with more than 32,000 people following his account under the name @sirsocks – which was a reference to his penchant for wearing colorful socks during his public life. It led to him being described as a “red-socked fop” by Labour’s former deputy prime minister John Prescott.
His 2005 memoir DC Confidential prompted further spats with politicians of the era. He criticized Tony Blair for failing to use his leverage in Washington to delay the Iraq war to allow better planning for the post-Saddam Hussein era.
And he said that many of Mr. Blair’s ministers who visited the US were political “pygmies” who failed to impress their American counterparts.
In particular, he described Jack Straw as being “mystifyingly tongue-tied” in one key UK/US meeting and labeled him as a B-list politician who was “more to be liked than admired”. In response, Mr. Straw said that Sir Christopher’s book amounted to an “unacceptable” breach of trust.
China has signaled that it may miss its annual economic growth target, as Covid restrictions weigh on the world’s second largest economy.
On Thursday, the Politburo – the ruling Communist Party’s top policy-making body – said it aims to keep growth within “a reasonable range”.
It did not mention the official growth target of 5.5% it had earlier set.
China is continuing to pursue a zero-Covid policy that has put major cities into full or partial lockdowns.
In a statement after its quarterly economic meeting, the 25-member Politburo, which is chaired by President Xi Jinping, said leaders would “strive to achieve the best results possible”.
However, it also called on stronger provinces to work to meet their growth targets.
Analysts said the lack of a GDP mention was notable, though economists had earlier predicted it would be difficult for China to reach its 5.5% target.
“The 5.5% growth target is no longer a must for China,” Iris Pang, chief China economist at ING Bank, had told news outlet the Wall Street Journal.
They also added that China was urging larger provinces to make up for those that were more affected by the lockdown.
“Beijing requested that provinces which are relatively well-positioned should strive to achieve economic and social targets for this year,” Nomura analysts Ting Lu, Jing Wang, and Harrington Zhang said in a note.
“We think Beijing is suggesting that GDP growth targets for provinces with less favorable conditions, especially for those that were hard hit by the Omicron variant and lockdowns, could be more flexible.”
Earlier this month, China said its economy had contracted sharply in the second quarter of this year.
Large Chinese cities, including the major financial and manufacturing hub of Shanghai, were put into full or partial lockdowns during this period.
China’s once-booming property market is also in a deep slump, and home sales have fallen for 11 consecutive months.
Several Chinese developers have halted the construction of homes that had already been sold, because of concerns over cash flow.
In recent weeks, some home buyers have threatened to stop paying their mortgages until the work restarts.
In 2020, China made the rare decision to scrap its GDP targets, in light of the pandemic.
GDP measures the size of an economy. Gauging its expansion or contraction is one of the most important ways of measuring how well or badly an economy is performing and is closely watched by economists and central banks.
It also helps businesses to judge when to expand and recruit more workers or invest less and cut their workforces.
Last week’s record-breaking heatwave in the UK was made at least 10 times more likely by climate change, according to a new study.
Hundreds of people are expected to have died during the scorching weather, though official figures are yet to emerge, the rapid analysis by the World Weather Attribution group (WWA)said.
There have been estimates of more than 840 extra deaths in England and Wales on 18 and 19 July.
The extreme weather caused widespread disruption to transport networks and hundreds of fires, including devastating blazes that destroyed homes.
A new UK record temperature of 40.3C was set in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on 19 July – 1.6C hotter than the previous mark set just three years ago.
The impacts of heatwaves are often “very unequally distributed across demographics”, with poorer neighborhoods frequently lacking green space, shade, and water, said Emmanuel Raju, from the Copenhagen Centre for Disaster Research.
The heatwave swept across much of Europe this month.
But the group chose the UK for their latest analysis because the country is “particularly unaccustomed to very high temperatures as the ones that we have seen last week,” added Friederike Otto, senior climate science lecturer at Imperial College London.
Of the places the group analyzed, temperatures recorded at two of them would have been “statistically impossible” if the world hadn’t warmed by about 1.2C since the late 1800s, the paper said.
The international network is at the forefront of the science of quickly quantifying the role of climate change in recent extreme weather events.
The 21 researchers involved in this study compared the global climate as it is today, after 1.2C of warming, with an analysis of historical weather records.
While the computer simulations suggest climate change had increased temperatures in the heatwave by 2C, analysis of historical records indicated it would be around 4C cooler in pre-industrial times before global warming started to drive up temperatures.
The 10-fold increase in the chances of such extreme heat hitting the UK due to climate change is a “conservative estimate”, because “extreme temperatures” have climbed more than climate models estimate, the authors said.
This also suggests the consequences of the climate crisis for heatwaves could be even worse than previously thought.
“There must be something in the climate system that has a stronger influence here… that is just not captured in the models” for Western Europe yet, Dr. Otto explained.
Two years ago, Met Office scientists found the chance of seeing 40C in the UK was one in 100 in any given year, up from one in 1,000 in an unchanged climate.
“It’s been sobering to see such an event happen so soon after that study, to see the raw data coming back from our weather stations,” said Fraser Lott, attribution scientist at the Met Office Hadley Centre, who also worked on the paper.
Professor Tim Palmer, Royal Society Research Professor at Oxford University, said the group should have included error margins on their estimates, given the challenges of current climate models.
A murder investigation has been launched after a nine-year-old girl died from a suspected stab wound inBoston, Lincolnshire.
Officers were called to the scene at Fountain Lane at about 6.20 pm on Thursday.
Forensic officers were seen working at the scene on Thursday evening, before heading off in the early hours of Friday.
There was also a large object covered up in the middle of an alleyway, marked by small yellow signs and protected by police officers.
The death occurred in a commercial part of Boston with very few residential properties nearby, said Sky correspondent Frazer Maude.
Most of the businesses in the area are closed permanently or would not have been open at the time of the incident, he added.
Lincolnshire Police said: “We have launched a murder investigation. The area has been cordoned off and we will be at the scene for the foreseeable future.”
“The young girl’s parents have been informed and our thoughts are with them at this incredibly difficult time.
“Specialist trained officers will support her family.”
The Conservative MP for Boston and Skegness, Matt Warman, said he had been in contact with the policing minister to ensure national assistance is available to the murder investigation.
“Profoundly shocking news in Boston this evening,” Mr. Warman said.
“I have spoken to senior officers locally and am hugely grateful for all the emergency services work.
“I have also been in contact with policing minister Tom Pursglove to ensure that any national help that might be useful is made available as quickly as possible.”
Mr. Warman also asked people to refrain from speculation while the death is investigated.
Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV).
It can cause both acute and chronic disease and hence has become a major global health problem.
The virus was discovered in 1965 by Dr. Baruch Blumberg.
Originally, the virus was called the “Australia Antigen” because it was named for an
Australian aborigine’s blood sample that reacted with an antibody in the serum of an American hemophilia patient.
It can cause chronic infection and puts people at high risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer.
However, a safe and effective vaccine that offers 98% to 100% protection against hepatitis B.
Worldwide, chronic hepatitis B and C cause 80% of all liver cancer, which is the second most common cause of cancer death.
Therefore, a vaccine that protects against a hepatitis B infection can also help prevent liver cancer.
Working with Dr. Blumberg, microbiologist Irving Millman helped to develop a blood test for the hepatitis B virus.
Blood banks began using the test in 1971 to screen blood donations and the risk of hepatitis B infections from a blood transfusion decreased by 25 percent.
Four years after discovering the hepatitis B virus, Drs. Blumberg and Millman developed the first hepatitis B vaccine, which was initially a heat-treated form of the virus.
Current Recombinant Hepatitis B Vaccines:
In 1986, the research resulted in the second generation of genetically engineered (or DNA recombinant) hepatitis B vaccines.
These newly approved vaccines are synthetically prepared and do not contain blood products – it is impossible to get hepatitis B from the new recombinant vaccines that are currently approved in the United States.
HBV infection is a global public health issue, affecting more people than HIV, and
ranked the 7th leading cause of mortality worldwide in 2013.
Despite the availability of safe and effective vaccines since the 1980s, the availability of successful treatment since 1991, and the implementation of universal vaccination programs [11], HBV is still endemic in sub-Saharan Africa with an estimated seroprevalence of 6.1% [12]. As of 2015, 257 million
people were living with chronic HBV infection.
In Ghana, this situation is not any different, where HBV remains a huge public health issue.
Although there is currently the availability of a safe and effective vaccine, Ghana is considered an endemic zone with a prevalence of 8.36%
For some people, hepatitis B infection becomes chronic, meaning it lasts more than six months.
Having chronic hepatitis B increases your risk of developing liver failure, liver cancer, or cirrhosis — a condition that permanently scars the liver.
Hepatitis B signs and symptoms may include:
1.Abdominal pain
2.Dark urine
3.Fever
4.Joint pain
5.Loss of appetite
6.Nausea and vomiting
7.Weakness and fatigue
8.Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
Caution: If you think you have these signs or symptoms of hepatitis B, contact your doctor.
Preventive treatment may reduce your risk of infection if you receive the treatment within 24 hours of exposure to the virus.
However, signs and symptoms of hepatitis B range from mild to severe.
They usually appear about one to four months after you’ve been infected, although you could see them as early as two weeks post-infection.
Some people, usually young children, may not have any symptoms.
Causes
The hepatitis B infection is caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). The virus is passed from person to person through blood, semen, or other body fluids. It does not spread by sneezing or coughing as many believe so.
Let’s look at some common ways by which HBV is spread.
Hepatitis B spreads through contact with blood, semen, or other body fluids from an infected person. Your risk of hepatitis B infection increases if you:
1.Have unprotected sex with multiple sex partners or with someone who’s infected with HBV
2.Share needles during IV drug use
3.Aman who has sex with other men
4.Live with someone who has a chronic HBV infection
5.Is an infant born to an infected mother
6.Have a job that exposes you to human blood
7.Travel to regions with high infection rates of HBV, such as Asia, the Pacific Islands, Africa, and Eastern Europe
Hepatitis B infection may be either short-lived (acute) or long-lasting (chronic).
Acute hepatitis B infection lasts less than six months.
Your immune system likely can clear acute hepatitis B from your body, and you should recover completely within a few months. Most people who get hepatitis B as adults have an acute infection, but it can lead to chronic infection.
Chronic hepatitis B infection lasts six months or longer.
It lingers because your immune system can’t fight off the infection. Chronic hepatitis B infection may last a lifetime, possibly leading to serious illnesses such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.
The younger you are when you get hepatitis B — particularly newborns or children younger than 5 — the higher your risk of the infection becoming chronic.
Chronic infection may go undetected for decades until a person becomes seriously ill from liver disease.
People with chronic hepatitis B infection have an increased risk of liver cancer. People with chronic hepatitis B may develop kidney disease or inflammation of blood vessels.
Acute liver failure is a condition in which the vital functions of the liver shut down. When that occurs, a liver transplant is necessary to sustain life.
Prevention
The hepatitis B vaccine is typically given in three or four injections over six months. You can’t get hepatitis B from the vaccine.
The hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for:
1. Newborns
2. Children and adolescents not vaccinated at birth
3. Those who work or live in a center for people who are developmentally disabled
4. People who live with someone who has hepatitis B
5. Health care workers, emergency workers, and other people who come into contact with blood
6. Anyone who has a sexually transmitted infection, including HIV
7. Men who have sex with men
8. People who have multiple sexual partners
9. Sexual partners of someone who has hepatitis B
10. People who inject illegal drugs or share needles and syringes
11. People with chronic liver disease
12. People with end-stage kidney disease
13. Travelers planning to go to an area of the world with a high hepatitis B infection rate
According to the Ghana National Hepatitis Elimination profile.
In 2021, the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination (CGHE) 2021 launched the National Hepatitis Elimination Profile (N-HEP) Initiative to accelerate progress toward hepatitis elimination.
The prevalence of chronic HCV was estimated to be at 3.0% nationally in 2016 while the national prevalence of chronic HBV was estimated to be between 8.36% (2020) and 12.30% (2016).
Deaths related to HBV and HCV continue to rise.
From 2015 to 2019, there was a 7% increase in HBV-related deaths and an 8% increase in HCV-related deaths, the opposite direction of the WHO 2020 goal of reducing HBV and HCV-related deaths by 10% from 2015 to 2020.
Ghana has achieved the 2020 Sustainable Development Goal target of HBV prevalence among children under 5 years of age under 1%.
The lack of up-to-date national data on HBV and HCV is a major roadblock to informing national planning in Ghana.
Surveillance and reporting systems are not yet established for tracking incidence, mortality, or the number of persons tested and treated.
The future for hepatitis elimination is bright for Ghana
The Ghana National Hepatitis Elimination Profile highlights the next steps agreed upon by these partners include;
Establishing a national hepatitis elimination strategy and also improving  strategic information by developing an electronic data management system and expanding the surveillance system.
Reduce mother-to-child transmission of HBV and HCV by introducing a Hep B birth dose policy.
A health official is being investigated for vaccinating 30 students with a single syringe in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
The incident took place in a school in the Sagar district where children were being given Covid-19 vaccines.
India‘s health ministry mandates a “one needle, one syringe, only one-time” protocol for Covid-19 vaccines.
India has administered over 2.03bn Covid-19 vaccines so far.
Single-use disposable syringes are widely used in India to avoid the spread of deadly diseases like HIV. However, there have been multiple incidents in the past where a single syringe has been reused in hospitals due to a shortage of equipment.
Jitendra Rai, who was vaccinating the children, told the media that he was only given one syringe by the health department and he was just following orders.
Parents who had accompanied their children spotted the issue and reported it to the school authorities.
When state officials reached the school, Mr. Rai was missing the school and his phone was turned off.
The state’s health department has registered a case of negligence against him. Meanwhile, it has also started an inquiry against the official responsible for dispatching equipment for the vaccination drive.
A spokesperson from the opposition Congress party has demanded that the state’s health minister should resign over the incident.
India is the second country after China to have crossed the two-billion Covid vaccines mark. In July, the government announced a 75-day free Covid booster dose program for all adults to mark India’s 75th independence anniversary.
According to India’s health ministry, 98% of adults have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine, while 90% have been fully vaccinated.
On Wednesday, the country reported 18,313 daily cases for the past 24 hours and 57 Covid-related deaths.
Laura Castle was found guilty in May of killing the toddler at her home in January 2021, five months after he was placed with her family. The “critical information” disclosed by Laura Castle was not shared with her GP and was then not available to the adoption panel that went on to approve her, a review found.
Castle was jailed in May for a minimum of 18 years for killing one-year-old Leiland-James Corkill at her home in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, in January 2021.
The little boy had been placed with her and her husband Scott, 35, less than five months before his death from catastrophic head injuries.
The director of children’s services in Cumbria has admitted there was a failure to share information about Castle
The 38-year-old, who already had a birth child, was having “talking therapy” with NHS-commissioned service First Step when she applied in January 2019 to be an adoptive parent, a child safeguarding practice review into the case has revealed.
Information held by the First Step program showed she had issues with “low mood, anxiety and anger management”.
The review added: “This included her self-report that she was often irritable and short-tempered, including shouting too much at her young child.
“She spoke about feeling judged by other parents and that she avoided company. She also reported drinking six bottles of wine a week which impacted on her motivation and mood, although she denied it had an impact on her parenting.”
The review said Castle failed to mention those details in the adoption application process and no safeguarding concerns were raised by First Step, which was not aware the couple had applied to adopt.
The review added the service told her GP of its involvement with Castle between December 2018 and April 2019 but did not include any details on what was discussed with her.
It has recommended a series of changes to prevent a repeat of his death.
Image:Laura Castle (right) during a police interview
Among the recommendations is for all health information for adopters and children in the family to be updated and reconsidered at key points in the case and to not rely on self-reporting.
Cumbria County Council had been aware of “bonding issues” between Castle and Leiland-James during the adoption process but he died before a planned review could take place.
Castle had assured social workers that there was no “physical chastisement” of the child, even as she detailed hitting him in a text message to her husband.
A report of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review found Castle had deliberately misled social workers but said they should not rely on “self-reported information” and that rigorous checking and challenge of information provided is vitally important.
The police investigation into Leiland-James’s death uncovered information about Castle’s mental health, alcohol use and financial situation that was either not known or shared.
She also hid her “negative views” of the youngster from officials.
The couple had been approved for adoption after an eight-month assessment and no concerns were raised about their suitability.
Leiland-James had been taken into care 48 hours after he was born.
His birth mother Laura Corkill has described Castle as a “monster” and questioned why he was not allowed to remain with his birth family.
Her mother Yvonne called for resignations among those who dealt with his adoption.
She told Sky News: “It would have been better if he had stayed with his mum. He would still be here now. He had his whole life ahead of him. I just hope no other child had to go through this.”
John Readman, Cumbria County Council’s executive director for people, confirmed that “relevant information at Laura Castle was not shared between agencies”.
He said: “Laura Castle did tell social workers she was struggling to bond with Leiland-James. This is not unusual in adoptions.
“The report highlights that more should’ve been put in place to support the family.
“We acknowledge this and have since made changes to how we work.”
The report makes a series of local and national recommendations to improve adoption practices.
When agencies find there are issues with prospective adopters, it says, they need to respond quickly.
Following Leiland-James’s death, the other child who lived in the home had given police a clear account of what had been happening.
Ukrainians held by Russian forces are being sent “en masse” to a network of prisons and filtration camps, according to Poland’s special service.Â
It claims that in these camps, people are “verified” and checked for whether they have combat experience, whether they are officials of the Ukrainian administration, and what their attitudes are towards Russia.
Those who do not raise objections are deported to Russia – and some are then “forcibly conscripted” into the Russian army and sent to the front in Ukraine, the special service said.
People who do not comply are “forced to testify or make statements against Ukraine, or they are brought to court as part of propaganda”, it added.
The Polish special service also said it had geolocated some of the Russian prisons and filtration camps.
Up until 2012, engine ground runs had been carried out following MCD maintenance.
The report noted those post-maintenance engine ground runs were reintroduced following the identification of the cause of the crash.
Image caption,
A discarded helmet at the scene of the crash near St Martin
Air Marshal Steve Shell, director general of the DSA, also said in conclusion, there were “a number of aggravating factors including the route flown and the communication flow between the aircrew and Air Traffic Control that affected the final outcome”.
He said: “These should be considered in context whilst acknowledging the professionalism of the aircrew in what was an undoubtedly stressful and dynamic situation.”
He added that the “immediate actions of the post-crash management team and emergency personnel were commendable”.
Regarding the faults identified he said: “I am assured that the recommendations contained within this report have or will be actioned to reduce the likelihood of the future reoccurrence in the Hawk and other fleets.”
The West risks entering a nuclear war because it is not talking enough to Russia and China, the UK’s national security adviser has said.
Sir Stephen Lovegrove said rival powers understood each other better during the Cold War, and that a lack of dialogue today made miscalculations more likely.
“In the obligatory Churchill quotation, we want jaw-jaw, not war-war,” he said.
He added that we were in a “new age of proliferation” in which dangerous weapons were more widely available.
It came ahead of a phone call between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the first call between the two leaders since March.
They are expected to discuss ongoing tensions over Taiwan and Trump-era tariffs on Chinese imports.
Sir Stephen was delivering a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC, focusing on the implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and what he called a “much broader contest unfolding over the successor to the post-Cold War international order”.
He said that, throughout the decades of the Cold War, the Western powers benefitted from negotiations that “improved our understanding of Soviet doctrine and capabilities – and vice versa”.
“This gave us both a higher level of confidence that we would not miscalculate our way into nuclear war,” he said.
“Today, we do not have the same foundations as others who may threaten us in the future – particularly China.
“Trust and transparency built through dialogue should also mean that we can be more active in calling out non-compliance and misbehaviors where we see them.”
Sir Stephen continued that the risk of an “uncontrolled conflict” was being heightened by Russia’s repeated violations of its treaty commitments as well as the pace of China’s expansion of its nuclear arsenal and its apparent “disdain” for arms control agreements.
He also spoke of the danger associated with the rapid advance of technology and the number of states now developing arms such as land-attack cruise missiles.
He said there was “no immediate prospect of all of the major powers coming together to establish new agreements”, so the Nato powers could focus on “work of strategic risk reduction”.
“We should take early action to renew and strengthen confidence-building measures to… reduce, or even eliminate the causes of mistrust, fear, tensions and hostilities,” he said.
“[Such measures] help one side interpret correctly the actions of the other in a pre-crisis situation through an exchange of reliable and uninterrupted information on each other’s intentions.
“Confidence and trust grow when states are open about their military capacities and plans.”
The threat of nuclear war hung over the Cold War. At times in the early 1960s and early 1980s there were risks it might flare hot.
But overall, structures were put in place – like arms control negotiations and hotlines – for the two sides to talk.
But many of those same guard-rails are not around now, as tensions grow between the West, Russia and China.
New technologies like cyber-attacks could quickly escalate a conflict in unpredictable ways, while new types of delivery systems may tempt countries to use nuclear weapons in different ways.
And hanging over all of this is the concern that more countries are seeking to develop their own weapons.
Altogether, that leads to the fear that this emerging and unstable world could be more dangerous than that of the past.
The German city of Hanover has turned off the heating and switched to cold showers in all public buildings because of the Russian gas crisis.
It’s the first big city to turn off the hot water after Russia dramatically reduced Germany‘s gas supply.
Germans have been told to expect sweeping gas reduction measures and extra charges on their energy bills.
And the EU has agreed to lower the demand for Russian gas this winter by 15%.
In a bid to save energy, Germany’s northern city of Hanover has decided hot water will no longer be available for hand washing in public buildings, or in showers at swimming pools, sports halls, and gyms.
Public fountains are also being switched off to save energy, and there will be no night-time lights on major buildings such as the town hall and museums.
Mayor Belit Onay said the goal was to reduce the city’s energy consumption by 15% in reaction to an “imminent gas shortage” which posed a significant challenge for big cities.
The rules apply to heating, too. Public buildings will not have any heating from April to the end of September each year, with room temperatures limited to a maximum of 20C for the rest of the year – with some exemptions.
The city is also banning portable air conditioners, heaters, and radiators.
The policy is in line with announcements from Berlin last week, as Germany races to build up its reserves ahead of the winter. Other cities - such as Augsburg in Bavaria – have already introduced their own measures such as turning off public fountains.
The 15% reduction target in Hanover matches the EU-wide goal to reduce reliance on Russian gas.
And on Thursday, Germany confirmed that a planned gas surcharge on customers could be much higher than previously expected, to try to ensure energy companies do not go bankrupt in the coming months. “We can’t say yet how much gas will cost in November, but the bitter news is it’s definitely a few hundred euros per household,” said Economy Minister Robert Habeck.
Some reports said the levy could cost families an extra €500 (£420) a year.
Germany has long relied on Russian gas for its energy needs but has recently accused Russia of restricting the flow in retaliation for EU sanctions over the war in Ukraine – something Russia denies.
Russian gas supplies now account for about a quarter of the nation’s needs, compared with more than half before the war.
Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska has told the BBC that the whole of the country is “under constant stress”.
Her comments come hours after a number of rocket attacks were reported in the country, including in the Kyiv region.
“We have been under constant stress from 24 February and that does not relent,” she said.
Ms. Zelenska says the government is implementing support to help Ukrainians get help for their mental health and is being assisted by the WHO.
“We need expert help and that’s why we’ve approached the WHO who are helping us with psychological help.”
Ms. Zelenska, who is known for being quite private, also discussed her recent appearance in Vogue. She said it was a massive opportunity to speak about Ukraine.
“Millions read Vogue and speaking to them directly was my duty. And that was an interesting experience,” she said.
“In peaceful life, I’m not used to the attention. Everyone is fighting on a front line and it’s work and I have to do that work,” she added.
Last week Ms. Zelenska hosted a First Lady summit, attended by the spouses of a number of world leaders. During the meeting, they discussed the Ukraine war and the assistance needed.
“First ladies have no opportunities to influence politics but we have an emotional influence. We understand each other, we feel each other,” she said.
Ms. Zelenska also said that the need for the country to keep working and for people to keep going is very important.
“The country has to survive, the country has to preserve some form of normality. Even soldiers are saying to their friends to go and have a coffee, see a film, enjoy the peace that you have. We are here on the front line to give that peace for you.
“It’s a very delicate balance. So if someone might say Kyiv is a completely peaceful city, that would be an illusion. We had several rocket attacks but the country has to keep working. Businesses have to keep working. The country is working and it shouldn’t stop. There is no life without development – we have to keep developing.”
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorrieshas said Boris Johnson was “removed by a coup” and that his ousting by Tory MPs was a “huge mistake”.
Ms. Dorries told Sky News’s Kay Burley: “It is not a secret that things happened that shouldn’t have happened, that Boris Johnson was removed via a coup.”
She added that she was “very disappointed” and thought it was a “huge mistake” for Mr. Johnson to be ousted as prime minister.
Ms. Dorries , who is supporting Liz Truss, told BBCRadio 4 that leadership contestant Rishi Sunak led the “ruthless coup”.
But other Conservative MPs disagreed with her use of the word “coup”, with Victoria Atkins telling Sky News: “I wouldn’t use language like that.
“I know Nadine has an exuberant range of language.”
And veteran Tory Sir Roger Gale tweeted: “Loyalty is a fine thing Nadine Dorries but Mr. Johnson was not removed by ‘a coup’.
“He was forced to resign when too many of his ministers and backbenchers like myself made it plain that we were no longer prepared to tolerate his casual relationship with the truth.”
North Dorset MP Simon Hoare said he thinks “coup” should be “reserved for the actions of military juntas, dictators, and the like”.
He added: “The democratic workings of a party and parliament are not coups, and it’s plain stupid to even hint otherwise. As I’ve said before: it was, unfortunately, suicide, not homicide.”
Ms. Dorries also said Mr. Johnson is not supporting a campaign to get his name put on the leadership ballot going out to Tory members.
She said Mr. Johnson told her “tell them to stop, it’s not right”.
The culture secretary added that she is supporting Ms. Truss because she has “both integrity and loyalty and is able to pick up the baton” and “hit the ground running” as PM.
Ms. Truss and Mr. Sunak are going head-to-head in front of Tory members for the first time today as an intense summer of hustings begins.
A new YouGov poll of swing voters suggests Mr. Sunak has a significant edge over his rival, although both candidates suffer from “considerable” unpopularity with the public as a whole.
Tax and spending are likely to be key points of contention, with identity politics, immigration, Brexit, climate change, the NHS, and defense highly likely to be up for debate.
Mr. Sunak will seek to regain his footing after he was accused of U-turning after he pledged to temporarily slash VAT on energy bills despite accusing Ms. Truss’s tax-cutting plans of being “comforting fairy tales”.
Ms. Truss told members in Leeds, ahead of the hustings, that the taxes she is cutting “are affordable within our budget”.
“What I believe is we need to keep taxes low to attract investment into industries,” she said.
“We need to turbocharge investment into the North of England, bringing more businesses and opportunities.
“The best way to do that is to keep taxes low and attract that investment into our great towns and cities, and that’s what I’m focused on.”
She also said she is “completely committed” to her plan for Northern Powerhouse Rail and would fix the Treasury’s funding formula to make sure the north of England gets a “fairer share” of resources.
Mr. Sunak released a video clip showing him campaigning in Hertfordshire, Cambridge shire, and Suffolk on Wednesday.
He told his followers: “We have been talking about everything on people’s minds, tackling the cost of living, how we realize the benefits of Brexit.”
The former chancellor last night announced plans to make “downblousing” a criminal offence as part of a major crackdown on sex offenders.
And Ms. Truss also promised to introduce a standalone offence to criminalize street harassment and a national domestic abuse register.
UK’s largest container port set to come to a ‘standstill’ due to strikes after Unite backs action
The prospect of disruption at the port responsible for handling almost half of the country’s container traffic will send shivers down the supply chain, risking a repeat of the damaging cargo backlogs witnessed last year.
A union has revealed plans for a strike next month that it says will bring operations at the UK‘s largest container port to a “standstill”.
Unite made the threat while revealing the results of a ballot among its members at Felixstowe, ultimately employed by international port operator CK Hutchison.
The union said workers backed industrial action over pay by 92% on an 81% turnout.
“The dispute is a result of the Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company offering a pay increase of just 5% to its workers,” Unite said.
“This is an effective pay cut, with the real (RPI) rate of inflation currently standing at 11.9%.
“Last year, the workforce received a below inflation pay increase of 1.4%”.
The proposed action, which Unite expected would begin next month without substantial progress in resolving the dispute, is part of a wider union campaign for wage settlements to protect their members from the cost of living crisis.
It has already included rail and Tube strikes – with the prospect of more travel disruption to come
Rail strikes go ahead
Felixstowe was yet to comment, but the prospect of halts to operations would have devastating effects for the UK supply chain, as it handles almost half the country’s container traffic.
It is also no stranger to disruption, as backlogs set in ahead of Christmas last year because of a shortage of HGV drivers.
Hong-Kong-based CK Hutchison is one of the world’s leading container terminal and port service operators.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The bottom line is this is an extremely wealthy company that can fully afford to give its workers a pay rise.
“Instead, it chose to give bonanza pay-outs to shareholders touching £100m.
“Unite is focused on defending the jobs, pay, and conditions of its members, and we will be giving 100% support to our members at Felixstowe.
“Workers should not be paying the price for the pandemic with a pay cut.
“Unite has undertaken 360 disputes in a matter of months, and we will do all in our power to defend workers.”
No specific dates for the proposed action have been announced.
A USDemocratic senator who has proved a political thorn in the White House’s side has stunned Washington by announcing sudden support for President Joe Biden’s top agenda item.
Joe Manchin says he now backs a bill to raise corporate taxes, fight climate change, and lower medical costs.
The West Virginians previously objected to the proposal, citing fears more spending could worsen inflation.
Passage of the bill would be a major legislative victory for Mr. Biden.
Salvaging a key plank of his domestic agenda could also grant a much-needed electoral boost for his fellow Democrats, who are battling to retain control of Congress as midterm elections loom in November.
“If enacted, this legislation will be historic,” said the president.
It is not clear what prompted the senator’s dramatic reversal to support the new bill. He is something of a political anomaly, representing a conservative state that voted overwhelmingly for former President Donald Trump.
Earlier this week, the 74-year-old tested positive for Covid. He is fully vaccinated and wrote on Twitter that he was experiencing mild symptoms.
In a joint statement on Wednesday evening with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, Mr. Manchin provided a few specifics about his change in position on the bill which:
Is said to be much more modest than the $3.5tn (£2.9tn) version Democrats originally put forward
Would arguably help the US lower its carbon emissions by about 40% by the year 2030
Would devote $369bn to climate policies such as tax credits for solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles, and to tackling the impact of pollution on low-income communities.
“By a wide margin, this legislation will be the greatest pro-climate legislation that has ever been passed by Congress,” Mr. Schumer said.
Mr. Manchin and Mr. Schumer also maintained the measure would pay for itself by raising $739bn (£608bn) over the decade through hiking the corporate minimum tax on big companies to 15%, beefing up Internal Revenue Service tax enforcement, and allowing the government to negotiate prescription drug prices.
President Biden needs the support of all 50 Democratic senators, along with Vice President Kamala Harris’s tiebreaking vote, to get the bill through the Senate and send it to the House of Representatives – where Democrats hold a razor-thin majority.
If passed, the legislation would mark a major breakthrough for the president, enshrining a number of his major policy goals into law and offering to salvage a domestic economic agenda that has in recent months stalled under failed negotiations.
The bill still amounts to significantly less than what the White House had hoped to achieve in its original $1.9tn Build Back Better agenda – an ambitious plan to comprehensively rewrite the US’s health, education, climate, and tax laws.
That earlier plan, which for months has floundered in the Senate with an uncertain future, is now “dead”, Mr. Manchin said on Wednesday.
Barely a fortnight ago, the senator exasperated the White Houseby saying he could only back the portions of the proposal relating to pharmaceutical prices and healthcare subsidies.
“I have worked diligently to get input from all sides,” Mr. Manchin said on Wednesday evening.
He had previously expressed concern that policies boosting the development of clean energy without also increasing fossil fuel production could hurt the US by making it more dependent on foreign imports.
Oil and gas companies employ tens of thousands of people in West Virginia and Mr. Manchin received $875,000 (£718,000) in campaign donations from the industry over the past five years.
Mr. Schumer hopes to pass the bill with 51 votes through a budgetary maneuver that would allow him to circumvent rules requiring support from 60 out of 100 senators. If every Democrat backs the measure in the evenly split chamber, it would go through.
Mr. Schumer said the Senate would take the bill up next week. The House of Representatives could then take it up later in August.
However, Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a moderate Arizona Democrat who has in the past acted as a roadblock to President Biden’s agenda, could still scupper the plan. She declined to comment on news of the agreement on Wednesday night.
In April, US media reported that Ms. Sinema had told Arizona business leaders she remained “opposed to raising the corporate minimum tax rate”.
Republicans, who have previously tried to woo Mr. Manchin to join their party, slammed him.
“I can’t believe that Senator Manchin is agreeing to a massive tax increase in the name of climate change when our economy is in a recession,” Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said.
Ahead of the Glasgow climate conference last year, Mr. Biden promised the US would provide $11.4 billion (£9.35 billion) a year in climate finance by 2024 – to help developing countries tackle and prepare for climate change.
But in March he managed to secure just $1 billion of that from Congress – only a third more than the Trump-era spending.
This rare pink diamond, weighing 34 grams, is thought to be the largest discovered in the last 300 years.
The 170-carat stone has been named the “Lulo Rose”, after the mine in Angola where it was found.
It is believed to be the largest pink diamond mined since the 185-carat Daria-i-Noor, which was cut from a larger stone and is now among the Iranian national jewels.
The Lulo Rose is a type 2a diamond, meaning it has few or no impurities.
“This record and spectacular pink diamond recovered from Lulo continues to showcase Angola as an important player on the world stage,” said Diamantino Azevedo, Angola’s minister of mineral resources.
It is the fifth largest diamond recovered from the Lulo mine – a joint venture between Australia’s Lucapa Diamond Company and the Angolan government.
Similar diamonds have been bought for tens of millions of dollars in the past, with one – known as Pink Star – selling at a Hong Kong auction for $71.2m (£59m) in 2017.
But it’s impossible to speculate on how much the Lulo Rose will fetch until it’s cut, said Joanna Hardy, an independent fine jewelry specialist
Pink diamonds are extremely rare – but the same physical attributes that make the stones scarce also make them very tough, and not easy to work into shapes.
Hardy said the stone is unlikely to end up in public view – or even brought to auction – as retailers have clients waiting to snap up such a rare find.
The largest known pink diamond is the Daria-i-Noor, discovered in India, which experts believe was cut from an even larger stone.
The largest rough diamond of any color ever recorded is the Cullinan diamond, found in South Africa in 1905.
Weighing 3,107 carats – more than half a kilogram – it was cut into 105 different stones.
The largest of these – the Cullinan I – is the biggest clear-cut diamond in the world and forms part of the UKCrown Jewels.
In our previous episode of the GhanaWeb Features dedicated to the wives and girlfriends of Ghanaian footballers, we profiled Marie-Claire Rupio, the wife of Christian Atsu who hails from Germany.
Today we put the spotlight on Mrs. Naa Shika Addy Amartey, the wife of Black Stars and Leicester City defender Daniel Amartey known to the media as ‘Efia Trimud3’.
Daniel Amartey born on December 21, 1994, is a Leicester City defender who has been at the King Power Stadium for the past six years and was part of the team that won the 2016-17 English Premier League.
The Black Stars defender is married to Naa Shika Addy and according to multiple reports, they have been together as husband and wife for the past six years.
Anyone can get monkeypox, but in the latest outbreak, the virus is predominantly spreading among gay and bisexual men. Officials noted Monday that most of the people affected reported some level of sexual activity.
That doesn’t mean the virus is sexually transmitted, but officials say it shows that prolonged skin-to-skin contact is one of the major ways monkeypox is now spreading.
As of now, the risk of monkeypox is low, according to the CDC, but public health experts say there are still things you can do to protect yourself, especially if you’re in the pool of higher-risk people.
That pool includes men who have sex with men, particularly those who have had multiple sexual partners in the past two weeks in an area with known monkeypox cases.
Symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure to the monkeypox virus and last two to four weeks.
The virus typically triggers a rash with lesions that can be extremely painful. The pain may even be enough to push some people to go to the hospital, but that seems to be rare.
The rash often starts on the face and spreads to other parts of the body, the CDC says. Some people will also have a fever at first.
A person with monkeypox can give the virus to others at any point until their rash has healed, the scabs have fallen off and they have a fresh layer of skin on the affected area.
The virus transmits primarily through close, skin-on-skin physical contact, but it can also spread when you touch objects like sheets or towels that may have been used by somebody with monkeypox, as well as through close face-to-face interactions like kissing.
The latest outbreak looks a little different, according to Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention.
Monkeypox isn’t considered a sexually transmitted disease, but most people who have gotten it in the US recently report some level of sexual activity, he said Monday.
That can include penetrative encounters as well as oral sex.
“Some people have had the rash all over their body or different parts of their body, but there are many who are presenting with the genital and anal lesions as their first indication of illness,” Daskalakis said. “That sort of speaks for that close prolonged contact.”
The virus may theoretically be transmitted through respiratory droplets, he said, but the CDC is not seeing that happen in this outbreak.
“I can’t prove how efficient it is. It doesn’t seem to be very efficient. So it’s more contact with skin to skin, more than face-to-face contact”.
“But in the harm reduction discussion, it’s really important to say what we know and don’t know,” Daskalakis said. “It’s just important for folks to know that it’s not impossible to transmit monkeypox that way so they can really adjust behavior as needed.”
Parties vs. bars
Scientists are still studying how monkeypox is spreading in this outbreak, but they say people don’t seem to be getting sick after, say, walking past someone or giving them a hug and brushing past a lesion on their skin.
“If it’s a hug that doesn’t necessarily include a shirt, there’s a theoretical risk of transmission there, but that’s not what we’re hearing in terms of what’s happening with our cases, so it’s lower risk. I can’t say zero risk,” Daskalakis said.
Rather, it’s longer contact that seems to be responsible for most cases now. “If you were to ask me how long ‘long’ is, I can’t answer that question, but it seems as if it’s possible that this is not being transmitted by a light brush,” Daskalaskis said.
A circuit party, a large dance party that can attract thousands of men and lasts through a night or weekend, could be one way the virus spreads.
Dancing shirtless at a party that has good ventilation, without interacting with someone who has visible lesions, is probably low-risk. If there’s an after-party that leads to sex, that’s much riskier.
In enclosed spaces such as back rooms, saunas, sex clubs, or at sex parties where there’s often anonymous contact with multiple partners, there may be a higher likelihood of spreading monkeypox, the CDC says.
A typical gay bar where people go to hang out is different.
“Socializing is a part of what [LGBTQ people] do. So I don’t think that it’s something that we stop. It’s just sort of important to have awareness of how monkeypox transmits and you’re aware of your own risk and how to mitigate that risk,” Daskalakis said.
How to protect yourself
Researchers are also investigating whether the virus can be spread by someone who has no symptoms, or through semen, vaginal fluids and fecal matter, according to the CDC.
The CDC says that wearing a condom may help, but alone, it probably will not protect against the spread of monkeypox.
However, the agency still emphasizes that condoms can prevent other sexually transmitted infections.
There is a vaccine to protect against monkeypox, but demand for it far outstrips supply.
One thing people can do to protect themselves until the supply improves is to avoid contact with those who are clearly infected, especially close face-to-face contact like kissing.
“In line with our harm reduction guidance, thinking about reducing your number of partners, potentially trying to avoid anonymous contacts ends up being smart from the perspective of decreasing the risk of exposure,” Daskalakis said.
The CDC says people might want to reduce skin contact as much as possible by having sex with clothes on or after covering areas where the rash is present.
If you choose to have sex with someone who has monkeypox or who might have been exposed to it, talk about the virus ahead of time.
Officials also say to keep in mind that their advice could change as scientists learn more.
It may change if monkeypox starts to spread through other contacts, such as when people live closely together in places like homeless shelters or when people play full-contact sports.
“I think the most important thing is that it’s good to have awareness and some level of worry about some of these things, but it’s not paralysis,” Daskalakis said. “Realistically speaking, skin-on-skin contact of any variety theoretically can transmit monkeypox, but what we’re seeing is, you kind of have to work at it a bit.”
Two months after the United States’ first monkeypox case was confirmed, the total has risen to about 2,900. But details about those cases and other epidemiological data aren’t spreading nearly as quickly as the virus itself, leaving holes in the response.
“It’s a new and really fast-moving outbreak, and I think there have been some challenges around having a smooth and efficient way for the data to be sent from jurisdictions” to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Janet Hamilton, executive director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.
The CDC only recently shared a first public look at monkeypox case demographics, which showed that the vast majority of cases have been among men who have sex with men, with a median age of 36.
But the agency has detailed information on only about half of the reported cases, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said.
Monkeypox is now a reportable disease, which means public health departments work with local health care providers to collect information about people who are diagnosed and how they became ill.
But it is still completely voluntary for states to share data on monkeypox with the CDC.
CNN reached out to the health departments of all 50 states; 29 responded, and they all said they are committed to sharing case data with the CDC.
Some, however, said that they are collecting more information than they share.
As the US battles another public health challenge amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Walensky said she is “struck” by “how little authority we at CDC have to receive the data.”
“We very much want to get as much information and informed decisions out to the American public as possible. And yet again, like we were for Covid, we are again really challenged by the fact that we at the agency have no authority to receive those data. We’re working on that right now,” she said in a conversation with The Washington Post on Friday.
National security officials are quietly working to convince House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the risks her potential trip to Taiwan could pose during a highly sensitive moment between the self-governing island and China.
Sources familiar with the speaker’s plans say she is planning to visit in the coming weeks as part of a broader trip to Asia and has invited both Democrats and Republicans to accompany her. If she goes, she would be the first House speaker to visit in a quarter century.
The possible trip is highlighting the concerns within President Joe Biden’s administration over China’s designs on Taiwan as Beijing has stepped up its rhetoric and aggressive actions toward the island in recent months, including sending warplanes into Taiwan’s self-declared air defense identification zone several times.
US officials have expressed concern that those moves could be precursors to even more aggressive steps by China in the coming months meant to assert its authority over the island.
The war in Ukraine has only intensified those worries, as Biden and other top officials nervously watch to see what lessons China may be taking from the Western response to Russia’s aggression.
Meanwhile, China’s President Xi Jinping — with whom Biden expects to speak this week — is believed to be laying the groundwork for an unprecedented third term as president in the fall, contributing to the tense geopolitics in the region. Biden’s call with Xi was in the works before Pelosi’s potential visit to Taiwan became public, officials noted.
Administration officials have shared their concerns not only about Pelosi’s security during the trip, but also worries about how China may respond to such a high-profile visit.
With Chinarecently reporting its worst economic performance in two years, Xi finds himself in a politically sensitive place ahead of an important meeting regarding extending his reign and could use a political win, multiple officials told CNN.
Two Saudi sisters found dead in their Sydney apartment in “unusual” circumstances last month have been identified by police, as authorities appealed for more information.
Police discovered the bodies of Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, on June 7, following a concern for welfare report, according to a statement on Wednesday from New South Wales Police.
“Despite extensive inquiries, detectives have been unable to ascertain how the women died,” the statement said. “However, it is believed the women had been deceased for some time prior to being located.”
The sisters arrived in Australia from Saudi Arabia in 2017, NSW Police confirmed to CNN. “The circumstances of their death were unusual because they have no signs of injury,” police said.
NSW Police detective inspector Claudia Allcroft said any information from the public could hold the key to solving the investigation.
“Detectives are interested in speaking with anyone who may have seen or who may have information about the women’s movements in the days and weeks prior to their deaths — which we believe occurred in early May,” Allcroft said in the NSW Police statement.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the Saudi Consulate in Sydney said it was in contact with Australian authorities about the case. “The Consulate also expresses its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased,” it said.
CNN has reached out to the Saudi Embassy in Canberra for comment.
Former acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller told the House select committee investigating the Capitol Hill insurrection that former President Donald Trump never gave him a formal order to have 10,000 troops ready to be deployed to the Capitol on January 6, 2021, according to a new video of Miller’s deposition was released by the committee.
“I was never given any direction or order or knew of any plans of that nature,” Miller said in the video.
Miller later said in the video definitively, “There was no direct, there was no order from the President.”
“We obviously had plans for activating more folks, but that was not anything more than contingency planning,” Miller added. “There was no official message traffic or anything of that nature.”
Trump has previously said that he requested National Guard troops be ready for January 6. He released a statement on June 9 that he “suggested & offered” up to 20,000 National Guard troops be deployed to Washington, DC, ahead of January 6 claiming it was because he felt “that the crowd was going to be very large.”
The committee released Miller’s testimony after already revealing that Trump did not make calls to military personnel or law enforcement to intervene as the Capitol attack was unfolding. General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the committee that he never received a call from Trump as the attack was unfolding.
Gas prices have soared after Russia cut gas supplies to Germany and other central European countries after threatening to earlier this week. Further
European gas prices rose 9%, trading close to their earlier all-time high after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Critics accuse the Russian government of using gas as a political weapon.
Russia has been cutting flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany, with it now operating at less than a fifth of its normal capacity.
Germany imports 55% of its gas from Russia and most of it comes through Nord Stream 1 – with the rest coming from land-based pipelines.
Russian energy firm Gazprom has sought to justify the latest cut by saying it was needed to allow maintenance work on a turbine.
The German government, however, said there was no technical reason for it to limit the supply.
Ukraine has accused Moscow of waging a “gas war” against Europe and cutting supplies to inflict “terror” on people.
The latest reduction in flows puts pressure on EU countries to reduce their dependence on Russian gaseven further, and will likely make it more difficult for them to replenish their gas supplies ahead of winter.
Since the invasion of Ukraine European leaders has held talks over how to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
On Tuesday, theEuropean Unionagreed to cut gas use in case Russia halts supplies but some countries will have exemptions to avoid rationing.
EU members have now agreed to voluntarily reduce 15% of gas use between August and March.
However, the deal was watered down after previously not having exemptions.
The EU has said its aim of the deal is to make savings and store gas ahead of winter, warning that Russia is “continuously using energy supplies as a weapon”.
The voluntary agreement would become mandatory if supplies reach crisis levels.
The EU agreed in May to ban all Russian oil imports which come in by sea by the end of this year, but a deal over gas bans has taken longer.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February the price of wholesale gas has already soared, with a knock-on impact on consumer energy bills across the globe.
The Kremlin blames the price hike on Western sanctions, insisting it is a reliable energy partner and not responsible for the recent disruption to gas supplies.
While the UK would not be directly impacted by gas supply disruption, as it imports less than 5% of its gas from Russia, it would be affected by prices rising in the global markets as demand in Europe increases.
UK gas prices rose 7% on Wednesday, almost six times higher than a year ago, but still 20% below the peak seen in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
UK energy bills increased by an unprecedented £700 in April, and are expected to rise again to £3,244 a year for a typical household in October.
Gas prices have soared after Russia further cut gas supplies to Germany and other central European countries after threatening to earlier this week.
European gas prices rose 9%, trading close to their earlier all-time high after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Critics accuse the Russian government of using gas as a political weapon.
Russia has been cutting flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany, with it now operating at less than a fifth of its normal capacity.
Germany imports 55% of its gas from Russia and most of it comes through Nord Stream 1Â – with the rest coming from land-based pipelines.
Russian energy firm Gazprom has sought to justify the latest cut by saying it was needed to allow maintenance work on a turbine.
The German government, however, said there was no technical reason for it to limit the supply.
Ukraine has accused Moscow of waging a “gas war” against Europe and cutting supplies to inflict “terror” on people.
The latest reduction in flows puts pressure on EU countries to reduce their dependence on Russian gas even further, and will likely make it more difficult for them to replenish their gas supplies ahead of winter.
Since the invasion of Ukraine European leaders has held talks over how to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels
On Tuesday, the European Union agreed to cut gas use in case Russia halts supplies but some countries will have exemptions to avoid rationing.
EU members have now agreed to voluntarily reduce 15% of gas use between August and March.
However, the deal was watered down after previously not having exemptions.
The EU has said its aim of the deal is to make savings and store gas ahead of winter, warning that Russia is “continuously using energy supplies as a weapon”.
The voluntary agreement would become mandatory if supplies reach crisis levels.
The EU agreed in May to ban all Russian oil imports which come in by sea by the end of this year, but a deal over gas bans has taken longer.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February the price of wholesale gas has already soared, with a knock-on impact on consumer energy bills across the globe.
The Kremlin blames the price hike on Western sanctions, insisting it is a reliable energy partner and not responsible for the recent disruption to gas supplies.
While the UK would not be directly impacted by gas supply disruption, as it imports less than 5% of its gas from Russia, it would be affected by prices rising in the global markets as demand in Europe increases.
UK gas prices rose 7% on Wednesday, almost six times higher than a year ago, but still 20% below the peak seen in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
UK energy bills increased by an unprecedented £700 in April, and are expected to rise again to £3,244 a year for a typical household in October.
In June, the World Health Organizationrecommended that scientists continue to research all possible origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, including a lab leak. Two newly published studies take totally different approaches but arrive at the same conclusion: The Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, was most likely the epicenter for the coronavirus.
The studies were posted online as preprints in February but have now undergone peer review and were published Tuesday in the journal Science.
In one, scientists from around the world used mapping tools and social media reports to do spatial and environmental analysis. They suggest that although the “exact circumstances remain obscure,” the virus was probably present in live animals sold at the market in late 2019. The animals were held close together and could easily have exchanged germs. However, the study does not determine which animals may have been sick.
The researchers determined that the earliest Covid-19 cases were centered at the market among vendors who sold these live animals or people who shopped there. They believe that there were two separate viruses circulating in the animals that spilled over into people.
“All eight COVID-19 cases detected prior to 20 December were from the western side of the market, where mammal species were also sold,” the study says. The proximity to five stalls that sold life or recently butchered animals were predictive of human cases.
“The clustering is very, very specific,” study co-author Kristian Andersen, a professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research, said Tuesday.
The “extraordinary” pattern that emerged from mapping these cases was very clear, said another co-author, Michael Worobey, department head of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona.
The researchers mapped the earliest cases that had no connection to the market, Worobey noted, and those people lived or worked in close proximity to the market.
“This is an indication that the virus started spreading in people who worked at the market but then started that spread … into the surrounding local community as vendors went into local shops, infected people who worked in those shops,” Worobey said.
The other study takes a molecular approach and seems to determine when the first coronavirus infections crossed from animals to humans.
The earliest version of the coronavirus, this research shows, probably came in different forms that the scientists call A and B. The lineages were the result of at least two cross-species transmission events into humans.
The researchers suggest that the first animal-to-human transmission probably happened around November 18, 2019, and it came from lineage B. They found the lineage B type only in people who had a direct connection to the Huanan market.
The authors believe that lineage A was introduced into humans from an animal within weeks or even days of the infection from lineage B. Lineage A was found in samples from humans who lived or stayed close to the market.
“These findings indicate that it is unlikely that SARS-CoV-2 circulated widely in humans prior to November 2019 and define the narrow window between when SARS-CoV-2 first jumped into humans and when the first cases of COVID-19 were reported,” the study says. “As with other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 emergence likely resulted from multiple zoonotic events.”
The likelihood that such a virus would emerge from two different events is low, acknowledged co-author Joel Wertheim, an associate adjunct professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego.
“Now, I realize it sounds like I just said that a once-in-a-generation event happened twice in short succession, and pandemics are indeed rare, but once all the conditions are in place — that is a zoonotic virus capable of both human infection and human transmission that is in close proximity to humans — the barriers to spillover have been lowered such that multiple introductions, we believe, should actually be expected,” Wertheim said.
Andersen said the studies don’t definitively disprove the lab leak theory but are extremely persuasive, so much so that he changed his mind about the virus’ origins.
“I was quite convinced of the lab leak myself until we dove into this very carefully and looked at it much closer,” Andersen said. “Based on data and analysis I’ve done over the last decade on many other viruses, I’ve convinced myself that actually, the data points to this particular market.”
Worobey said he too thought the lab leak was possible, but the epidemiological preponderance of cases linked to the market is “not a mirage.”
“It’s a real thing,” he said. “It’s just not plausible that this virus was introduced any other way than through the wildlife trade.”
To reduce the chances of future pandemics, the researchers hope they can determine exactly what animal may have first become infected and how.
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“The raw ingredients for a zoonotic virus with pandemic potential are still lurking in the wild,” Wertheim said.
He believes the world needs to do a much better job doing surveillance and monitoring animals and other potential threats to human health.
Andersen said that although we can’t prevent outbreaks, a collaboration between the world’s scientists could be key to the difference between a disease with a small impact and one that kills millions.
“The big question we need to ask ourselves is — the next time this happens because it will happen — how do we go from detecting that outbreak early and preventing that outbreak so it doesn’t become a pandemic?”
Membersof India’s main opposition party have been detained during protests in the capital, Delhi.
MP Manish Tewariis among those who were detained on Wednesday.
They were protesting Congress party president Sonia Gandhi’s questioning by a government agency that investigates financial crimes.
Her son and party leader Rahul Gandhi was detained by the police while participating in the protests on Tuesday. He was later released.
Mrs. Gandhi and her son have been accused of misusing party funds to acquire valuable real estate through a convoluted financial deal.
The Gandhis deny the allegations.
They have accused the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using federal law enforcement agencies for political vendetta.
This was the third time Mrs. Gandhi was questioned in connection with the case.
Before he was detained on Tuesday, Mr. Gandhi and other party members sat on a road in Delhi, surrounded by dozens of policemen, protesting against issues ranging from inflation to the alleged targeting of opposition leaders.
After about an hour, he and several others were taken on a bus to a detention center.
Sonia Gandhi is being questioned in connection with a corruption case
In June, Rahul Gandhi was questioned for around 50 hours over five days by the ED in the same case. Mrs. Gandhi was initially called for questioning at the same time, but her summons had to be deferred after she tested positive for Covid-19.
The 75-year-old leader was admitted to the hospital and was discharged later in June.
This is the first time that Mrs. Gandhi is being questioned by a federal law enforcement agency. BJP leaders have denied accusations by Congress party leaders that they are misusing federal institutions to settle political scores.
The case against the Gandhis has been brought by Subramanian Swamy, a BJP politician who accuses them of misappropriating party funds to buy a firm that published the now-defunct National Herald newspaper.
What is the National Herald case about?
The National Herald newspaper was started in 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, and Rahul Gandhi’s great grandfather.
The newspaper was published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL) which was founded in 1937 with 5,000 other freedom fighters as its shareholders.
In 1947, when India won independence, Nehru resigned as chairman of the board of the newspaper after taking over his role as PM.
But the Congress party continued to play a huge role in shaping the newspaper’s ideology. Some of India’s best-known journalists have worked at daily, which continued to be funded by the Congress party.
The newspaper ceased operations in 2008 for financial reasons. In 2016, it was relaunched as a digital publication and is now widely seen as a Congress mouthpiece.
Mr. Swamy has alleged that the Gandhis used Congress party funds and took over AJL to try to acquire real estate assets in several cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, which are worth more than 20bn rupees ($250 million; £208 million).
The party has denied this, describing it as “a strange case of alleged money laundering without any money”.
The prospect of a 99p McDonald’scheeseburger is no more as the fast food giant increases the price of several items on its menu amid the cost of living crisis.
The company is raising the price of its signature cheeseburger for the first time in over 14 years, taking it to £1.19.
It will also add between 10 and 20p to the several menu items it says are impacted the most by inflation.
The chain is one of many companies passing the effect of soaring costs of fuel and ingredients on to its customers, including the consumer goods giant behind the likes of Marmite and Magnums.
Breakfast meals, main meals, large coffees, and McNuggetshare boxes are among the menu items which could become up to 20p more expensive, a spokesperson for McDonald’s told Sky News.
A study of 39,000 video gamers has found “little to no evidence” time spent playing effects their well-being.
The average player would have to play for 10 hours more than usual per day to notice anydifference, it found. And the reasons for playing were far more likely to have an impact.
Well-being was measured by asking about life satisfaction and levels of emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, and frustration.
The results contradict a 2020 study.
Conducted by the same department at the Oxford Internet Institute – but with a much smaller group of players – the 2020 study suggested that those who played for longer were happier.
“Common sense says if you have more free time to play video games, you’re probably a happier person,” said Prof Andrew Przybylski, who worked on both studies.
“But contrary to what we might think about games being good or bad for us, we found [in this latest study] pretty conclusive evidence that how much you play doesn’t really have any bearing whatsoever on changes in well-being.
“If players were playing because they wanted to, rather than because they felt compelled to, they had to, they tended to feel better.”
This time, technology companies, including Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, provided six weeks’ data – with the players’ consent – from:
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Apex Legends
Eve Online
Forza Horizon 4
Gran Turismo Sport
The Crew 2
During that time, only one player dropped out of the study – published in the Royal Society Open Science journal.
Mental health
In China, children are allowed to play for only one hour per day, on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
But many gamers around the world say that their playing helps their mental health.
Mike Dailly, who created Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto, said the benefits were varied.
“I’m not sure it’s something that’s measurable with a single ‘well-being’ state,” he said.
“As is everything in life, it’s a balance.
“Spend 24 hours a day playing, that’s not good – but spend 24 hours a day eating or working out, that is also not good.”
In February, Brittney Griner was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
