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Provides an overview of South Africa, including key dates and facts about this African country.

A teenager who thought she was pregnant after her stomach unexpectedly became rounder, and who was told it was constipation by her GP, was later diagnosed with ovarian cancer and is now a student nurse after realising “life is too short”. Summer Edwards, 22, a student nurse at the University of the West of England, from Bristol, went from a size six to size 10 “in a matter of weeks” and thought she was pregnant in 2020, but her GP reassured her that it was constipation. After trying strong doses of laxatives and having two catheters fitted, nothing improved, and she was eventually diagnosed with an ovarian cyst which doctors were able to remove successfully. However doctors then found an extremely rare 19cm by 17cm tumour and Summer was diagnosed with stage one ovarian cancer. Summer had keyhole surgery to remove it, which was a success, but she also found out she had a rare gene, DICER1, which meant she was more susceptible to other types of cancer. Six members of her family have since been diagnosed with the gene, including her 16-year-old cousin who now has lung cancer, but Summer says she is a “fighter”. Since Summer was diagnosed with cancer she has been training as a student nurse, which is something she has “always” wanted to do. In May 2020, at the age of 18, while working in a hospital as a healthcare assistant, Summer began to notice her stomach was getting rounder, but put it down to eating a few extra treats at work. She said: “My mum was convinced I was pregnant, and I began to believe it, but I took a pregnancy test and it came back negative. “I went from a size six to size 10 in a matter of weeks, and one day I was in the garden in a bikini and my mum said that she thought something was really wrong because my stomach was really round.” To reassure her mum, Summer went to her GP and was prescribed a strong dose of laxatives, as they thought she was constipated. But after two weeks of taking the medication nothing changed, so Summer was called in to her GP surgery. Summer said: “The doctor felt my stomach and they said something was not right, but I didn’t think much of it.” Summer also had blood tests, and spotted that her blood was being run for a CA-125 test, a tumour marker for ovarian cancer, and a few days later was asked to have an internal ultrasound, where she was told her bladder was “completely full” with more than a litre of urine. Doctors told Summer there was “nothing they could do at that point” so, after asking her doctor friend for advice, she went straight to A&E and had a catheter fitted. She said: “I was devastated, I was only 18 and I really didn’t want to be walking around with a catheter strapped to my leg or be signed off work for 12 weeks.” After a few days of being catheterised, Summer continued urinating as usual, so she returned to the hospital and had another fitted. But the following day she began experiencing a great deal of pain. She said: “It was weird, I went to the toilet and I noticed a lot of blood in the bag, and I was still weeing. “I was taken into hospital – at this point, I was screaming in pain.” Summer then had a CT scan, and it was found that her bladder was never full – instead, she had a large ovarian cyst which was successfully removed with surgery. But two weeks later Summer went for her post-operation check-up and was told she had a 19cm by 17cm tumour. She said: “They told me I had a Sertoli-Leydig cell tumour, which was really rare. “They told me there was only one other person in the UK that had it at that point and my blood tests came back fine on the CA-125 marker because it causes a boost in testosterone so didn’t show as a marker. “It didn’t sink in at all, and the first thing I did was take my sick note to work – I was gutted I couldn’t work. “When I told people there, they cried, so I did too, but it didn’t hit me for a while.” On July 1 2020 Summer had a hospital appointment to find out more about her tumour, and to her devastation she found out she had ovarian cancer. She said: “They explained more about my tumour, and that there have not been any clinical trials for it because it’s so rare. “I put it bluntly and asked them if I had cancer and they said yes. “My mum was upset about it more than me – I think it’s more scary for those around you.” About two weeks later Summer had keyhole surgery to remove the tumour, which was a success. She said: “I was so relieved, and in my post-op review they asked me if I wanted preventive chemotherapy and I said no, as the pros outweigh the cons for me. “I’d rather live my life now and deal with chemotherapy in the future if it ever comes back.” Since then Summer has had internal ultrasounds every three months, which will continue for the next ten years. She has also been genetically tested, and she was diagnosed with DICER1 syndrome – an inherited disorder that increases the risk of cancerous tumours, most commonly in the lungs, kidneys, ovaries and thyroid. Summer said: “I now know that if I have kids, they will probably have the gene, and I’ve looked into IVF and PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) but there is no licence to test for DICER1, I’d have to go and ask for one to be made. “I know that I’m probably more likely to get another type of cancer in the future too.” Summer’s immediate family tested negative for the gene, but when Summer’s aunt came to one of her appointments with her, she believed her daughter, Summer’s 16-year-old cousin, had the gene. Summer said: “After tests, my aunt and five of her children have the gene, and one of them has lung cancer but she’s a fighter.” Now Summer is a student nurse – she has “always wanted” to work in healthcare, and has been doing so since she was 17, but when she received her cancer diagnosis it pushed her to apply for university. She said: “My tutors are amazing and I have had time off for scans and things, but I absolutely love it. “Having the diagnosis made me realise there’s no time to wait and life is too short.” For more information, visit: targetovariancancer.org.uk/ or www.nhs.uk/conditions/ovarian-cancer/. Read More Teenager who thought she was pregnant diagnosed with ovarian cancer Jonnie Irwin details experience with palliative hospice care Carol Vorderman shares warning to sunbathers after skin cancer scare Jonnie Irwin details experience with palliative hospice care Carol Vorderman shares warning to sunbathers after skin cancer scare This is how often you should actually change your razor

Barbie and Oppenheimer did so well at the box office at their opening weekend that Vue International reported its biggest weekend for UK cinema ticket sales since before the pandemic. On Sunday, the cinema chain said a fifth of its customers had bought tickets to see both films in a double bill. More than 2,000 of Vue’s screenings for Barbie were sold out, according to the company. The company said the comedy drama Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, would exceed ticket sales for Super Mario Bros and expected Oppenheimer to become the biggest film of the year. Tim Richards, chief executive and founder of Vue International, said: “Vue saw its highest weekend admissions since Avengers: Endgame in 2019 with the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer, proving that when the movies are there our customers will come to watch them on the big screen. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “Barbie is tracking to become the biggest film of 2023 and has a good chance of getting into the Top 10 highest grossing films of all time. “It is an incredibly exciting moment for the industry, and we expect this trend to continue for the coming weeks.” In total, the cinema chain had more than 4,000 sell-out sessions across the country for both films. Meanwhile, Odeon reported on Thursday that more than 200,000 advance tickets had been bought and more than 10,000 guests were expected to see both films during the opening weekend. Universal Pictures said Oppenheimer had made £8.05m in the UK and Ireland since Friday. They said the biopic is on track to have a better opening three days than Nolan’s other blockbusters Dunkirk, Interstellar and Inception. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Elon Musk has unveiled a new black and white “X” logo to replace Twitter’s famous blue bird as he follows through with a major rebranding of the the social media platform he bought for $44 billion last year

Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje will clash to crown a new ‘BMF’ champion at UFC 291, in what could be the fight of the year. Five years after Poirier stopped Gaethje in a thrilling bout, the Americans will square off again, with the vacant ‘baddest motherf*****’ belt on the line in Utah. Since their first in-ring meeting, the lightweights have lost two undisputed-title fights each, but both men have crafted impressive resumes nonetheless. And Poirier, 34, and Gaethje, also 34, will look to bolster those resumes here, as they fight for the BMF title, which has only been on the line once before. In 2019, the now-retired Jorge Masvidal beat Nate Diaz to become the inaugural champion. In the co-main event this weekend, former light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz welcomes Alex Pereira to the division, in the latter’s first fight since losing the middleweight belt in April. Elsewhere, there are plenty of great fights on the card. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? UFC 291 takes place at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Saturday 29 July. The early prelims are set to begin at 11.30pm on Saturday (3.30pm PT, 5.30pm CT, 6.30pm ET), with the regular prelims following at 1am BST on Sunday 30 July (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET on Saturday). The main card is then due to begin at 3am BST on Sunday (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET on Saturday). How can I watch it? The card will air live on BT Sport in the UK, with the broadcaster’s app and website also streaming the fights. In the US, ESPN+ will stream the action live, as will the UFC’s Fight Pass. Odds Poirier – 10/13; Gaethje – 11/10 Blachowicz – 10/11; Pereira – 10/11 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje 2 (lightweight – vacant ‘BMF’ title) Jan Blachowicz vs Alex Pereira (light-heavyweight) Stephen Thompson vs Michel Pereira (welterweight) Tony Ferguson vs Bobby Green (lightweight) Michael Chiesa vs Kevin Holland (welterweight) Prelims Trevin Giles vs Gabriel Bonfim (welterweight) Derrick Lewis vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima (heavyweight) Roman Kopylov vs Claudio Ribeiro (middleweight) Jake Matthews vs Miguel Baeza (welterweight) Early prelims CJ Vergara vs Vinicius Salvador (flyweight) Matthew Semelsberger vs Yohan Lainesse (welterweight) Miranda Maverick vs Priscila Cachoeira (women’s flyweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Tom Aspinall finally banishes ghosts of the past with UFC London triumph UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year ‘The Rock’s shoes can go f*** themselves’: UFC fighter hits out at company’s sponsors When is the next UFC event? UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year Tom Aspinall finally banishes ghosts of the past with UFC London triumph

China’s government has appealed to Japan not to disrupt the semiconductor industry after Japanese curbs on exports of chip-making technology took effect, adding to technology restrictions Washington and its allies on security grounds have imposed on Beijing on security grounds

By Milounee Purohit BENGALURU India's economy will grow at a solid pace for the rest of this fiscal

Fulham are close to an agreement with Al Hilal to sell striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

England defender Lucy Bronze is drawing on the experience of her first World Cup eight years ago to allay fears that the Lionesses did not play like favourites in their 1-0 opening victory against Haiti in Brisbane. That win, sealed by Georgia Stanway’s twice-taken penalty against a side 49 places below England in the FIFA rankings, extended the Lionesses’ streak without a goal from open play to three games, including their 0-0 behind-closed-doors pre-tournament training match with Canada. Bronze made her World Cup debut at the 2015 tournament, where England fell to France in their opener but ultimately finished up with the third-place medal for their best-ever finish in a global showpiece. She said: “Well, in my first World Cup we lost the first game and ended finishing third. There’s only so much you can take from the game. The most important thing is it gives us momentum but it’s better than having to chase points and we get to focus on the next two games. “We’re playing against players we’ve never played before. It takes a little while to get into those games. Once we got going you saw England coming back to life again. We need to do that more for longer.” Bronze had no doubt Stanway would step up to the spot twice on Saturday, after her initial penalty was saved by Haiti’s 5ft 4in goalkeeper Kerly Theus. That would have left Stanway with a career record of six penalties scored and two missed, but she was given another chance after the referee ruled Theus had come off her line. Bronze had full faith in Stanway to put the ball in the back of the net with her second opportunity, which the Bayern Munich midfielder did handily. She said: “I don’t think anyone doubted that Georgia would take it. We just picked it up and gave it to her. She doesn’t need any encouragement to do that. Georgia is not the type of player that needs telling what to do or is lacking confidence. We all knew that a second chance was enough for her to bury it.” England, who have now checked into their World Cup base on the New South Wales’ Central Coast, next face world number 13 Denmark on Friday in Sydney before taking on 14th-placed China in Adelaide to conclude the group stage, with the top two teams advancing to the last 16. Bronze’s team-mate Alessia Russo, who on Saturday was favoured for the centre-forward role by Sarina Wiegman over Women’s Super League Golden Boot winner Rachel Daly, was one of the only England players to admit their first half against Haiti looked a bit rusty. She said: “Yeah, I think so. Us as players are the first to recognise that. We’ll be back to training this week and training hard to push on now but tournaments are always about winning and that’s the most important thing. “I don’t think I ever worry about goals and winning with this team. I think we’ve got a very special talented squad and I know that people show up at the right times. “The first game, we’ve been building up to it for a long time. It’s done now, three points under the belt. Now we really push on. Moments were good and we’ll reflect on it, we’ll analyse and we’ll be ready for Denmark.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Spurs forward Son Heung-min says transfer speculation ‘not easy’ for Harry Kane Carlo Ancelotti hails Jude Bellingham as ‘complete midfielder’ after Real debut Football rumours: Tottenham owner tells chairman to sell Harry Kane

By Sruthi Shankar European equities touched five-week highs on Monday as upbeat earnings and hopes that the European

By Fedja Grulovic RHODES, Greece (Reuters) -Tour operators began flying home holidaymakers as wildfires raged on the Greek island of

Cathy Holloway, who lives on the island, says she does not know whether she still has a home.