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New York governor signs bill to legally protect doctors who prescribe abortion pills for out-of-state patients into law
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Ukraine’s fields could become deserts and spark global food crisis in wake of dam destruction, officials warn
The destruction of the Nova Khakhovka dam will likely turn Ukraine’s southern fields “into deserts” within the year – sparking a global food security crisis, top Ukrainian officials have warned. Ukraine’s emerency services are carrying out rescue operations across dozens towns and villages in the wake of the dam – which is under Russian occupation – unleashing the waters of one of Europe’s largest reservoirs across the war-torn south. The deluge has destroyed homes, drowned animals, severed clean water supplies and forced thousands of people to evacuate. The sudden emptying of the reservoir has crippled key irrigation systems in three surrounding regions. That has stopped the water supply to nearly 600,000 hectares of agricultural land, and endangered the production of 4 million tonnes of grain and oil crops, Ukraine's agricultural ministry wrote in a statement. “The fields in the south of Ukraine may turn into deserts as early as next year,” the ministry said, adding that the surrounding countryside and water supplies have also been destroyed and fish stock killed. “In total, according to preliminary calculations, the losses from the death of all biological resources will amount to [$285 million dollars],” it concluded. Mykhailo Podolyak, a chief advisor to President Zelenksy, warned this “global ecological disaster” could impact worldwide food supplies, as Ukraine, nicknamed the bread basket of the world, is a major producer of grains and oils. “The instantaneous death of a large number of fish and animals, the waterlogging of drained lands and the change in the climatic regime of the region will later be reflected in the food security of the world,” he told The Independent. Ukraine holds the western bank of the Dnipro River near the dam - where some 16,000 people were affected by the flood. Russia controls the eastern side, which is lower and more vulnerable to flooding and where some 22,000 people are impacted. About 3,000 people have already been evacuated from flooded areas on both sides of the river, officials said. The Ukrainian military has blamed Moscow for the attack, saying Russia wants to prevent an advance by Ukrainian forces. The Kremlin denies the accusations saying Kyiv is seeking to distract from a “failing” counteroffensive, that is ongoing. The Kakhovka hydroelectric dam and reservoir are essential for drinking water and irrigation for a huge area of southern Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It lies in a part of the Kherson region that has been controlled by Moscow's forces for the past year since President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion. On Wednesday the authorities and charities rushed to get drinking water and food supplies to the flooded areas and to help save those who are stranded. In the city, people used boats and rafts to try to find missing inhabitants, while others waded through knee-deep water clutching their belongings. “There were people standing on the street just in their underwear because the water had come in too fast and submerged their homes and belongings,” said Yuliya Konovalova, an aid worker who works for Ukrainian animal charity Hachiko. She had spent the day bringing hot meals and water to the inhabitants of Kherson, and rescuing and feeding stranded pets. "The water was rising so fast we hope those people manage to escape,” she added. She said in the centre of the city trains were leaving every two hours despite the flooding and the shelling to ferry people to the nearby city of Mykolaiv “It is a disaster, it is a catastrophe, it is difficult to understand how it is possible.” “It was a really painful day, on the way back I was crying,” she added breaking down in tears. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian soldiers were shooting from a distance while rescue attempts were in progress. "As soon as our helpers try to save them, they are shot at," he told German newspapers Bild and Die Welt and also Politico. The country’s deputy prime minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, also warned of drifting landmines unearthed by the flooding. "Water is disturbing mines that were laid earlier, causing them to explode," Mr Kubrakov said. “As a result of the flooding, infectious diseases and chemicals were getting into the water,” he added. Mr Zelensky said later said on Telegram he had spoken to French President Emmanuel Macron about the environmental and humanitarian situation in the Kherson region. "I laid out Ukraine's general needs in dealing with the disaster. And we discussed the possibility of involving international mechanisms to investigate its causes," the president said. Meanwhile, in his first public comments on the disaster, President Putin repeated Moscow's line that Ukraine is to blame for destroying the Kakhovka dam. In a call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mr Putin alleged that Kyiv authorities had escalated "war crimes, openly using terrorist methods and staging acts of sabotage on the Russian territory," the Kremlin said in its account of the call. Read More Ukraine-Russia war news – live: Exploding mines float through floodwater after Kherson dam attack ‘Hard to control emotions’ amid Kherson flooding, says Ukrainian aid worker A dam bursts, but this barbaric attack will not halt Kyiv’s ‘big push’ Ukraine’s long-term future to be on agenda at Sunak and Biden meeting The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
2023-06-08 03:25
Man diagnosed with brain tumour after putting symptoms down to drinking coffee
A man diagnosed with a brain tumour after seizures he blamed on “drinking too much coffee” has made a full recovery – and is cycling 85 miles in May and 141 miles in June to celebrate the end of his chemotherapy treatment. Steve Biggin, 51, a sales assistant at Morrisons who lives in Sheffield with his wife, Anna, 47, and has three children, Lauren, 28, Mya, 24, and Evan, 21, began having “out of body experiences” at work in September 2021. He said they felt like “looking through someone else’s eyes” but later found out he had been having seizures. After two months of regular seizures, Steve had a severe thunderclap headache and after going to A&E was dealt the “huge shock” of a brain tumour diagnosis. He cycled every single day after he got the diagnosis, which he thinks made him “even stronger” and helped him make a good recovery after having the tumour removed successfully. He is now planning to cycle through the Scottish highlands on May 14 and from Morecambe to Scarborough in June to “prove” he can do it. “Cycling has helped me through the hardest of times and I think it helped me recover from the operation, emotionally and physically, and I want to prove to myself that after all this, I can complete the race,” Steve said. “I think when I cross the finish line, I’ll just have a big smile on my face. I’ll honestly be quite proud of myself.” Steve said the seizures did not leave him “fitting on the floor or anything like that” – though he did feel disconnected from the world. He said: “I couldn’t explain how I felt. They were almost like out of body experiences looking through someone else’s eyes. “I could still communicate and co-ordinate, it just felt so weird. It would happen at work when I was at the checkouts. “I just put it down as drinking too much coffee so I didn’t really think much of it.” Steve continued having seizures up to once a week until, in November 2021, he had a severe and sudden thunderclap headache at home that, little did he know, was another warning sign of cancer. He said: “The headache lasted for about seven minutes. I was being a typical bloke and played it down a bit. “I was sat in the living room with my family and told them and Maya, my daughter, said I needed to go to A&E.” To put his family’s mind at rest, Steve went to hospital, where doctors insisted he should have MRI and CT scans and kept him in the hospital for monitoring. After being in Sheffield’s Northern General Hospital for three days, on November 17 everything seemed normal; his wife went to visit him and they were both under the impression there was nothing serious going on. But then, as soon as Anna left, a doctor went to Steve’s bedside with devastating news. “The doctor came over and threw the curtains around. He said he had some bad news for me and I have a tumour,” he said. It was a huge shock to the system but I’m a very optimistic person Steve Biggin “I asked if it was cancerous and the doctor said it was. “It was a huge shock to the system but I’m a very optimistic person; I don’t know if I took it on board fully. “I remember there was a gentleman opposite me in the ward and he asked if he could pray for me, which I thought was beautiful, but I was definitely in shock.” Steve decided to tell his family his diagnosis the same evening but waited for Anna to get home because he did not want to tell her the news while she was driving, in fear she might crash. He said: “I rang Anna and she was having a glass of wine with the kids. They were all laughing and joking in the background so I decided to tell them the following day. “I didn’t have the heart to tell them when they were so happy. “It was a very lonely, sad night for me. “I told them over the phone and they came to see me the next day. They had tears in their eyes. “I was feeling positive when I saw them, though. “I was determined to beat it.” Steve was discharged from the hospital on November 19 and told Tesco he wanted to continue because he wanted to keep life as normal as possible. A few weeks later, he had a meeting with a consultant, who revealed his tumour was at stage two. Steve felt he was coping well and continued to be optimistic until he had a week off work to celebrate his wife’s birthday. He said: “We woke up on Anna’s birthday and we just both cried, not knowing how serious it was and what I was gonna lose. “I think that was the worst part. “But then, after that day, we got into the roll of things and got a date for the operation.” After Steve had a date for the surgery, he wanted to get as fit as possible and cycled every day, which he said “got (him) through his mental struggles”. On January 17 2022, Steve successfully had the tumour surgically removed. Steve said: “It was mixed emotions, I suppose. I was worried it was going to come back but I was overjoyed because they got rid of 99.9% of the tumour.” I’m strong-willed anyway but cycling made me even stronger Steve Biggin Throughout Steve’s recovery, he continued to cycle and stay as positive as possible. He said: “I think my fitness played a massive part in the recovery and, seven weeks after the operation, I did 35 miles on the bike on the road with my friend. “I’m strong-willed anyway but cycling made me even stronger.” One week later, Steve began having radiotherapy for six weeks, five times a week, followed by chemotherapy, in tablet form, for five days in a row, with 23 days off, for 12 months. He said: “I just got into a routine with it and I was just thankful to be getting over it.” Steve’s chemotherapy ended at the end of March 2023. He said: “I was just massively relieved and so was my family. “My tumour took a bigger toll on them than it did me and Anna, my wife, was my absolute rock.” To celebrate the end of chemotherapy, Steve is taking part in Etape Caledonia on May 14 and hopes to complete it in just five-and-a-half hours. “I’m so excited for it. It’ll be great to celebrate the end of treatment with something I truly love doing – and cycling really got me through the tough times,” he said. Steve is also planning on cycling 141 miles coast to coast, from Morecambe to Scarborough, over three days at the end of June. Looking back on the last few years, Steve said he thinks the experience has changed his perspective on life, saying: “I carry a little bit on my shoulder thinking it could come back. “But, hey, I’m 51, have a fantastic family… I’ve had a fantastic life so far. “Having cancer has brought a more meaningful touch to my life, for sure.” To donate to Steve’s fundraiser, for The Brain Tumour Charity, visit www.justgiving.com/page/stephen-biggin-1679513324479. Read More Four ‘red flag’ bowel cancer symptoms that can show two years before diagnosis Couple go viral after sharing ‘uncomfortable’ age gap romance: ‘That’s some Leo DiCaprio stuff’ Tom Holland reveals he’s been sober for over a year
2023-05-11 15:48
Joe Alwyn attends Celine dinner at Cannes Film Festival
Joe Alwyn has attended a dinner hosted by Celine artistic director Hedi Slimane during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The British actor was photographed at the event at Hotel du Cap-Eden Roc on Monday night (22 May). It marks the 32-year-old’s first appearance at a public event since he and Taylor Swift reportedly split up in April after six years together. Alwyn, who has writing credits for several of Swift’s songs under the pseudonym William Bowery, stepped out in a pale pink satin button-down shirt, a black suit jacket and black trousers. Other celebrities who attended the fashion house’s intimate dinner included model Kaia Gerba, Blackpink member Lisa, and BTS member V. Neither Alwyn nor Swift, 33, have publicly addressed or confirmed their break-up. The pair preferred to keep their relationship private when they were dating and rarely spoke about one another with the press. Entertainment Tonight first reported the split, quoting a source as saying that the “relationship had just run its course” and that the split was “not dramatic”. Another source told People on 10 April that the couple “had rough patches before and always worked things out, so friends thought they would take some time apart but eventually come back together”. However, the couple “ultimately” decided that they “weren’t the right fit for one another”, the source added. The “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” singer is currently on her Eras Tour, which began on 18 March and is set to end on 9 August. Alwyn, who usually attended Swift’s shows in support of the singer, had not been seen at any of her concerts since the tour began. Swift sparked rumours that she has been dating The 1975 frontman Matty Healy after he appeared at several of her shows and joined Phoebe Bridgers on-stage to open the pop star’s show in Nashville. Healy, 34, played the guitar during Bridgers’ song “Motion Sickness”. The two musicians have been spotted multiple times together since she ended things with Alwyn, including at several locations in New York City. This week, Swift told her audience in Foxborough, Massachusetts, that she has “never been this happy in my life in all aspects of my life ever” amid the rumoured romance. A video shared to TikTok showed the singer saying: “It’s not just a tour, I just sort of feel like my life finally feels like it makes sense. So I thought I’d play this song which brings me a lot of happy memories.” Read More Maya Hawke raises eyebrows at Cannes as she pirouettes down red carpet Taylor Swift tells fans she’s ‘never been this happy’ amid rumoured Matty Healy romance Sylvester Stallone’s daughters call Rocky star a ‘savant’ when it comes to their dating lives Taylor Swift tells fans she’s ‘never been this happy’ amid Matty Healy rumours Let’s not judge Taylor and Matty – rebound relationships aren’t always doomed Taylor Swift fans in dismay over new photo ‘confirming’ Matty Healy romance
2023-05-24 15:21
NYT's The Mini crossword answers for October 5
The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While
2023-10-05 18:48
Screentime Wrap: Key Takeaways from Bloomberg’s Media Conference
Media executives from Ted Sarandos to Ari Emanuel and reality TV stars like Kris Jenner told attendees at
2023-10-13 08:20
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