China Prepares to Sell Cotton From Reserves on Supply Concerns
China is planning to release cotton from state stockpiles to boost supplies, people familiar with the matter said,
1970-01-01 08:00
Strictly’s Amy Dowden gives health update after getting new breast following mastectomy
Amy Dowden has said she showed her reconstructed breast to her former Strictly Come Dancing co-star Sara Davies, after undergoing a mastectomy to treat breast cancer. The professional dancer revealed that Davies was helping to adminiser an injection as she continues to recover from her operation, which took place two weeks ago. Dowden, 32, also spoke about her surgery in more detail via her Instagram Stories and said she had “no choice” but to undergo a full mastectomy because she had “more than one tumour”. In May, the TV star revealed she had been diagnosed with grade three breast cancer, which is the most aggressive grade, but doctors caught it early. She also suffers from Crohn’s disease and has been praised for raising awareness of the condition. She posted an Instagram Story with Davies on Monday (26 June) and explained that she had to give herself a new injection using a syringe rather than a pen, and Davies was there to help her. “I’ve not done it on my own before so guess who’s going to do it with me?” she said, before gesturing towards Davies, who smiled at the camera. “You don’t mind, do you? Also, what did I show you last night?” Davies replied: “I got to see the new boob. It’s a nice boob!” Amy laughed as she said that Davis suggested she should “get the other one done”. “I just said, that is one good-looking boob!” the former Dragon’s Den star clarified. “Marvellous job. Fantastic!” Dowden added: “Other than the nipple, you wouldn’t really know, would you?” In another video, the dancer explained that after her mastectomy, doctors were able to “put the implant in” her breast rather than an “expander” to help stretch the skin for a later surgery. “For me, it’s a better option because [it means] no more surgery. I woke up and they’d managed to put the implant in, so I have had reconstruction,” she told fans. “I believe later on you can have the nipple tattooed – not sure if I’m gonna do that yet.” Dowden’s post-surgery recovery comes as the Duchess of York is recuperating from her own mastectomy, after it was confirmed this week that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Sarah Ferguson’s spokesperson said on Sunday (25 June) that the duchess was “advised she needed to undergo surgery which has taken place successfully” and that she is “now recuperating with her family”. She spoke about her diagnosis in the latest episode of her podcast with businesswoman Sarah Thomson and urged everyone listening to “go and get checked… Don’t wait.” Dowden revealed her diagnosis in an interview with Hello! magazine and said she has “got a really good chance of getting back out on the dance floor as soon as possible”. She added that she hopes to raise awareness around breast cancer alongside her existing work on Crohn’s, which is a lifelong disease where parts of the digestive system become inflamed. In 2020, she released a BBC documentary about living with the disease titled Strictly Amy: Crohn’s and Me. After her surgery, Dowden said she was waiting to find out if she needs to have just radiotherapy or additional chemotherapy. She told The Mirror that Strictly was “leaving the door open” if she can return to the show. “If I only have radiotherapy, I’ll be back on Strictly this season,” she said. “Once radiotherapy is done there’ll be nothing to stop me, there’s no pressure but Strictly is leaving the door open. It’s having something to work towards.” Dowden is married to her long-term partner Benjamin Jones, who is also a professional dancer. The couple wed in 2022, after having to reschedule their wedding due to the Covid pandemic. Read More How dogs became my greatest adversary on the dating scene Influencers called out for visiting and promoting Shein’s factory in China Philosopher sparks outrage with essay about why people shouldn’t travel: ‘Very elitist’ Woman whose baby was diagnosed with rare disease warns of ‘terrifying’ symptoms Man enters beard competitions around the world – and so does his wife Group B Strep: 8 things every parent should know
1970-01-01 08:00
West Ham reject Manchester City bid for Declan Rice
West Ham reject Manchester City's bid worth £90m for club captain Declan Rice. Arsenal have already seen two bids knocked back.
1970-01-01 08:00
Newcastle hold talks with Southampton over Tino Livramento
Newcastle have spoken to Southampton about Tino Livramento and Kyle Walker-Peters as they look to bring in cover at full-back in the summer transfer window.
1970-01-01 08:00
Israel’s Netanyahu in Talks to Meet Xi in China, Report Says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to meet President Xi Jinping in China for the first time in
1970-01-01 08:00
ESG Backlash Sends UK Sustainability Investors Looking for Cover
Investors in the UK are starting to worry that the anti-ESG movement may spread from the US and
1970-01-01 08:00
Sir Elton John's Glastonbury set causes huge rise in Spotify streams
'Rocket Man' legend Sir Elton John has seen a huge spike in Spotify streams since his epic Glastonbury headline set.
1970-01-01 08:00
Group B Strep: 8 things every parent should know
Group B streptococcus (GBS) is the most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies, and it can kill within hours – yet the UK doesn’t routinely test pregnant women for it. The charity Group B Strep Support (GBSS) says an average of two babies develop a GBS infection every day in the UK, and while most recover, one baby dies as a result of the infection each week, and one baby a week survives with life-changing disabilities. GBSS says around two to four out of every 10 women in the UK will carry group B strep in their rectum, vagina, or intestines, although most of them won’t experience any symptoms. However, if a woman’s pregnant, group B Strep can affect her baby around the time of birth. Speaking to mark July’s Group B Strep Awareness Month, GBSS chief executive Jane Plumb, who set up the charity in 1996 with her husband Robert after their son, Theo, died from GBS infection aged 17 hours, stresses that raising awareness of Group B Strep can save babies’ lives and minimise the heartache the illness often causes. “Group B strep is the most common cause of severe infection, including sepsis and meningitis, in newborn babies, yet people are not routinely told about it during pregnancy. This isn’t good enough,” she says. Here’s what all parents-to-be and new parents should know about GBS… 1. It can cause meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia As the most common cause of infection in newborns, Plumb says GBS, which affects around 800 babies in the UK every year, can lead to serious conditions including meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia. As a result, around 50 babies will die every year, and 75 will survive with a long-term disability. “Group B strep awareness is a matter of life and death,” says Plumb. “By shining a spotlight on this silent infection, we can save precious lives and spare families from unnecessary heartache.” 2. GBS infections can be prevented in babies Most GBS infections in newborn babies can be prevented, says Plumb, by identifying women with risk factors. “One of the risk factors is carrying the bacteria during pregnancy,” she says, “and then intravenous antibiotics can be offered during labour to minimise the risk of the baby developing a group B strep infection.” 3. A mother carrying GBS doesn’t necessarily mean her baby will be infected GBSS says around 20-25% of women carry GBS in their vagina and/or lower intestines, but if a woman is carrying GBS when she gives birth, the risk of her baby developing early-onset GBS infection is about one in 400 if antibiotics aren’t given in labour, or around one in 4,000 if antibiotics are given. 4. It’s not just newborn babies that get GBS infections Although most GBS infections develop in the first two days of life, they can develop later, though they are rare after the age of three months, says Plumb. “Knowing the key signs is vital – every family needs to know about GBS,” she stresses. 5. Most women who carry GBS don’t have symptoms GBS carriage isn’t associated with symptoms, says Plumb, so most people who carry the bacteria won’t show any signs of it. 6. Antibiotics may be given to some women during labour The Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists recommends that if GBS is detected in a woman during pregnancy, or if she’s previously had a baby affected by GBS, she should be offered antibiotics in labour to reduce the risk of the baby being infected. 7. There’s no routine GBS testing in the UK The NHS doesn’t currently provide routine testing for GBS, although other high-income countries do. Plumb says UK National Screening, which sets screening policy in the UK, says there isn’t enough evidence to introduce antenatal GBS screening for all pregnant women in the UK, although a randomised control trial is due to report in 2025, and the evidence is then expected to be reviewed. Plumb says: “The evidence shows clearly that antenatal testing is better than a risk-factor strategy for preventing GBS infection in newborn babies, and GBSS think the UK should catch up its peers around the world by introducing this. Most high-income countries do so, including the USA, Canada, Hong Kong and most of Europe – why are we last on the list?” 8. Pregnant women can be tested privately GBSS says pregnant women can be tested privately for GBS, usually at between 35-37 weeks of pregnancy, at some clinics, or by doing a DIY test with a kit, which costs about £40. GBSS helpline 0330 120 0796. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Princess Diana’s ‘black sheep’ jumper predicted to sell at auction for up to £70,000 The best onstage fashion at Glastonbury Sarah, Duchess of York has operation for breast cancer: What to know about mammograms
1970-01-01 08:00
Big Tech Companies Want AI Regulation — But On Their Own Terms
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman surprised everyone last month when he warned Congress of the dangers posed
1970-01-01 08:00
US cautious on Russian rebellion to avoid creating an opening for Putin
On the surface, the turmoil in Russia would seem like something for the U.S. to celebrate: a powerful mercenary group engaging in a short-lived clash with Russia’s military at the very moment that Ukraine is trying to gain momentum in a critical counteroffensive. But the public response by Washington has been decidedly cautious. Officials say the U.S. had no role in the conflict, insist this was an internal matter for Russia and decline to comment on whether it could affect the war in Ukraine. The reason: to avoid creating an opening for Russian President Vladimir Putin to seize on the rhetoric of American officials and rally Russians by blaming his Western adversaries. Even President Joe Biden, known for straying from talking points, has stayed on script. Biden told reporters Monday that the United States and NATO weren’t involved. Biden said he held a video call with allies over the weekend and they are all in sync in working to ensure that they give Putin “no excuse to blame this on the West” or NATO. “We made clear that we were not involved. We had nothing to do with it,” Biden said. “This was part of a struggle within the Russian system.” Biden and administration officials declined to give an immediate assessment of what the 22-hour uprising by the Wagner Group might mean for Russia’s war in Ukraine, for mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin or for Russia itself. “We’re going to keep assessing the fallout of this weekend’s events and the implications from Russia and Ukraine,” Biden said. “But it’s still too early to reach a definitive conclusion about where this is going.” Putin, in his first public comments since the rebellion, said “Russia’s enemies” had hoped the mutiny would succeed in dividing and weakening Russia, “but they miscalculated.” He identified the enemies as “the neo-Nazis in Kyiv, their Western patrons and other national traitors.” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia was investigating whether Western intelligence services were involved in Prigozhin’s rebellion. Over the course of a tumultuous weekend in Russia, U.S. diplomats were in contact with their counterparts in Moscow to underscore that the American government regarded the matter as a domestic affair for Russia, with the U.S. only a bystander, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. Michael McFaul, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, said that Putin in the past has alleged clandestine U.S. involvement in events — including democratic uprisings in former Soviet countries, and campaigns by democracy activists inside and outside Russia — as a way to diminish public support among Russians for those challenges to the Russian system. The U.S. and NATO “don’t want to be blamed for the appearance of trying to destabilize Putin,” McFaul said. A feud between the Wagner Group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and Russia’s military brass that has festered throughout the war erupted into the mutiny that saw the mercenaries leave Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in a southern Russian city. They rolled for hundreds of kilometers toward Moscow, before turning around on Saturday, in a deal whose terms remain uncertain. Biden’s national security team briefed him hourly as Prigozhin’s forces were on the move, the president said. He said he had directed them to “prepare for a range of scenarios” as Russia’s crisis unfolded. Biden did not elaborate on the scenarios. But national security spokesman John Kirby addressed one concern raised frequently as the world watched the cracks opening in Putin’s hold on power — worries that the Russian leader might take extreme action to reassert his command. Putin and his lieutenants have made repeated references to Russia’s nuclear weapons since invading Ukraine 16 months ago, aiming to discourage NATO countries from increasing their support to Ukraine. “One thing that we have always talked about, unabashedly so, is that it’s in nobody’s interest for this war to escalate beyond the level of violence that is already visited upon the Ukrainian people,” Kirby said at a White House news briefing. “It’s not good for, certainly, Ukraine and not good for our allies and partners in Europe. Quite frankly, it’s not good for the Russian people.” Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the weekend, telling him, ”’No matter what happened in Russia, let me say again, no matter what happened in Russia, we in the United States would continue to support Ukraine’s defense and sovereignty and its territorial integrity.” Biden said. The Pentagon is expected to announce Tuesday that it is sending up to $500 million in additional military aid to Ukraine, including more than 50 heavily armored vehicles and an infusion of missiles for air defense systems, U.S. officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid had not yet been publicly announced. Biden, in the first weeks after Putin sent tens of thousands of Russian forces into Ukraine in February 2022, had issued a passionate statement against the Russian leader’s continuing in command. “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” he said then, as reports emerged of Russian atrocities against civilians in Ukraine. On Monday, U.S. officials were careful not to be seen as backing either Putin or his former longtime protege, Prigozhin, in public comments. “We believe it’s up to the Russian people to determine who their leadership is,” Kirby said. White House officials were also trying to understand how Beijing was digesting the Wagner revolt and what it might mean for the China-Russia relationship going forward. China and Russia are each other’s closest major partner. The White House says Beijing has considered — but not followed through on — sending Russia weaponry for use in Ukraine. “I think it’d be fair to say that recent developments in Russia had been unsettling to the Chinese leadership,” said Kurt Campbell, coordinator for the Indo-Pacific at the White House National Security Council, speaking at a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “I think I’ll just leave it at that.” China values Russia as a friend in part to keep from standing alone against the U.S. and its allies in disputes. With Russia’s invasion and resulting international sanctions sapping Russian resources and now sparking a rebellion, McFaul said, Ukraine and its allies could make the case: ”’Xi Jinping, you know, if you want your buddy to stay in power, maybe this is the time to put some pressure on him to wrap up this war.‴ ___ AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Putin issues desperate message to Russian public after Wagner mutiny US to send $500 million in weapons, military aid to Ukraine, officials say What the papers say – June 27
1970-01-01 08:00
NBA Rumors: Damian Lillard’s future with Trail Blazers looks more clear
Damian Lillard and his agent met with Trail Blazers management to talk about the future of the franchise with the team still committed to their star.According to Chris Haynes, Damian Lillard and his agent met with the Trail Blazers to discuss their future plans on Monday.This is the latest d...
1970-01-01 08:00
Europe’s Banking Champion Has €7.6 Billion to Spend
The man who runs the bank widely seen as the European champion-in-waiting has all he needs to take
1970-01-01 08:00
