Credit: GBNEWS.UK
Donald Trump has accused President Joe Biden of giving Russia the “green light” to invade Ukraine.
Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, the former president criticized Biden’s remarks during a press conference about the buildup of Russian troops next to the border with Ukraine.
Biden suggested on Wednesday that a “minor incursion” ordered by President Vladimir Putin would result in a softer response from Washington than a full-scale invasion. The comments sparked alarm in Kyiv and were quickly walked back by the White House.
Trump told Fox host Sean Hannity: “Really what he said last night when he said, ‘They may go in, they will go in,’ and he talked about a minor incursion. I said, ‘I don’t believe he said that,’ because that’s like giving them, they use the term ‘green light.’ He was green-lighted.”
He added that the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, “could not believe what he heard. He couldn’t believe what he heard, and I couldn’t believe what — it’s whether you are for strong stoppage or not, you’re really telling them ‘You might as well go in.'”
Zelensky tweeted on Thursday that “there are no minor incursions.”
Biden later clarified his remarks, telling reporters that if any “assembled Russian units move across the Ukrainian border, that is an invasion.”
He added: “It will be met with [a] severe and coordinated economic response that I’ve discussed in detail with our allies as well as laid out very clearly for President Putin. But there is no doubt—let there be no doubt at all—that if Putin makes this choice, Russia will pay a heavy price.”
During the Fox News interview, Trump also suggested that Biden should be doing more to de-escalate tensions as the number of Russian troops massed at the border nears 130,000.
“You also can’t just talk in terms of sanctions. Sanctions don’t mean too much to Russia. If you want to stop somebody, you are not going to just be talking about sanctions,” Trump said.
“But he really told them ‘Go in.’ I think this is a whole different ball game right now.”
The former president added” “If you look at what’s going on with Russia and Ukraine, what they’ve done at the border, they’ve loaded up with soldiers—that would’ve never happened with me. I had a very good relationship with Putin.”
As fears mount over a potential invasion, an opposition politician from Ukraine has suggested how President Zelensky will respond in the event of conflict.
“I know for sure that those in power, who led the country to a situation with the threat of war, will definitely stand aside or the first convenient plane will leave its borders with their families,” Illia Kyva wrote on the encrypted messaging app Telegram.
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to meet Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva for talks on Ukraine.
Self-styled opposition voice and alleged President Buhari tormentor, Reno Omokri has lashed out to President Buhari to rejig Nigeria health system, encourage Nigeria medical practitioners whom he said would perform better than President Buhari Multi-Million Dollar foreign doctors and cut waste that had led to untamed borrowing.
Following a congratulatory message extended to the Super Eagles over their unique performances in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations AFCON tournament by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Reno in response reminded the President that the wonderful performance of the Eagles is the handiwork of a local coach, Augustine Eguavoen and a clear indication that if waste is controlled, Nigeria would borrow less and if Nigeria health system braced, Nigeria wouldn’t lose the much capital flight it loses to foreign medical trips.
“Augustine Eguavoen, is doing better than the multimillion dollar foreign coach, Gernot Rohr.
“Maybe our local doctors would prove to be better than your multimillion London doctors if you give them a chance.
“Maybe our local economy will get better if you stop taking external loans and start cutting internal waste.
“If Augustine Eguavoen can do it with the little he has, believe me, you can do it with the much you have!
Reno used the opportunity to appeal to President Buhari to pay Eguoveon very well like the foreign coaches.
“On a serious note, our government should consider paying Augustine Eguavoen the same mega bucks they paid Gernot Rohr. We cant pay Rohr millions for delivering failure and pay Eguavoen less for delivering success. My people, do I speak well in this? Reno asked.
Slowly but surely several governments are coming around to the idea that Covid may be endemic like the flu and asking people to live with it.
While WHO is against such a conclusion, Spain became the first European country to move towards ending mask mandates.
The idea has gradually been gaining traction and could prompt a re-evaluation of government strategies on dealing with the virus. British Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi Sunday told the BBC that the U.K. is “on a path towards transitioning from pandemic to endemic.”
The omicron variant’s lower hospitalization and death rates despite record infections prompted Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to hold out the tantalizing prospect of Europe moving beyond pandemic-style restrictions on normal life.
“We have to evaluate the evolution of Covid from pandemic to an endemic illness,” Sanchez said in a radio interview Monday, adding that European governments may need to assess the disease with different parameters than ones used so far.
Despite having some of the highest Covid rates in Europe, Ireland will maintain a system of voluntary vaccination, according to Prime Minister Micheal Martin. The Belgian government wants to give people a “free choice,” Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said.
Travel restrictions have also shown their limits. The U.K. was the first country to ban flights from southern Africa, where omicron was first identified. Yet it was the first place in Europe to suffer an omicron wave. Similarly, France overtook the U.K.’s case rate despite slapping limits on travel from Britain.
The Spanish government has been working on a new monitoring approach in the last weeks, and Health Minister Carolina Darias has brought the matter up with her European counterparts, Sanchez said.
The effort came as Spain reported almost 692,000 new cases in the last seven days, with 13.4% of hospital beds used for Covid patients, according to Health Ministry data. That compares with 13.8% a year earlier, when the number of recorded weekly cases was just above 115,000.
If European countries manage to relax restrictions in the coming weeks, last year’s experiences will remain a cautionary tale. Denmark removed all Covid restrictions last fall, while the Netherlands dropped all masking requirements.
The news comes as Boris Johnson continues to fight for his political life as fury rages over lockdown parties in Downing Street and a member of his own cabinet demands an end to the drinking culture in his Government.
The end of restrictions means mandatory mask wearing at schools, on public transport and at indoor events, controversial covid passports, and demands that people work from home will finish on January 26.
All that will remain will be a requirement to isolate for five days with a positive covid test and the need to take lateral flow tests for international travel.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid was last night said to be “sure” that the restrictions will not be needed after the January deadline.
The Sunday Express learnt that the Prime Minister had already been handed an ultimatum before Christmas by senior Conservative backbenchers that he would face a leadership vote of confidence if he tried to bring in more restrictions.
The threat came after 101 Conservative MPs opposed the current restrictions in a Commons rebellion on December 14.
Conservative MPs have made it clear to Mr. Johnson that restrictions needed to end as soon as possible.
In recent days amid the revelations about parties, some have stressed that Mr Johnson’s resistance to scientists pushing for greater restrictions and “getting the policy right” was what prevented them from submitting a letter to 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady calling for a vote of confidence in his leadership.
But even close allies of the Prime Minister last night warned Mr Johnson that there needed to be a change of culture.
Writing for the Sunday Express, Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg urged people to stand by the Prime Minister for delivering on Brexit and getting the country through the pandemic.
But he added: “It is clear that there is a drinking culture in Downing Street that would be questionable in ordinary time let alone during a period of restriction.”
Meanwhile, former Conservative minister Tobias Ellwood said the Prime Minister must “lead or step aside”, saying: “We need leadership.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “We’ve got a Prime Minister who is absent – he is literally in hiding at the moment and unable to lead, so that’s why I’ve concluded that he has got to go.
“And of course there is a party vantage in him going, but actually it is now in the national interest that he goes, so it is very important now that the Tory party does what it needs to do and gets rid of him.”
Health Secretary Sajid Javid is expected to formally announce in the coming days that he will not renew the restrictions when their sunset clause ends on January 26.
A source said he “feels confident about the decision” because of the falling number of cases and evidence that Omicron is not as dangerous as other variants.
The source added: “Sajid [Javid] is sure now that the restrictions will not go beyond the sunset clause date.”
The Health Secretary had already reduced isolation times for positive tests down to five days from 10.
It is understood that Downing Street had wanted to make an official announcement this weekend but high figures in the North West which is behind London in seeing cases fall meant that they felt it was too early.
Professor Robert Dingwall, a former pandemic government advisor and expert in social science at Nottingham Trent University, said of the propsed lifting of the rules: “This would be very welcome news.
“However, the experience of ‘Freedom Day’ last summer means we should wait to see the small print. Does this mean an end to lateral flow tests for asymptomatic people or for access to community events?
“Will the Department for Education remove all interventions in schools? Will there be a positive campaign to reverse two years of stimulating fear and anxiety?”
Leading scientists said they were more “optimistic” about the trajectory of coronavirus cases as a Government health advisor said cases appeared to be “plateauing” in the south of England.
Dr Susan Hopkins, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) chief medical adviser, said London, the South East and East of England were seeing the number of infections flatten, cases rising much slower in the north and there was a slowdown in hospital admissions.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme cases were still relatively high, with one in 15 people in England infected and one in 20 elsewhere in the UK.
She said: “We see that infections are plateauing in the community, which is good, in London and the south east and the east of England.
“There are still risings, but much slower in the northern parts of the country.”
She added hospitals had been able to discharge patients “faster” due to Omicron being milder than previous coronavirus variants but that, with around 15,500 people in hospital last week, the NHS remains under “a lot of pressure”, with some trusts “unable to do much of their elective care”, a situation exacerbated by staff absences.
Her comments came as other experts said they were hopeful about the coronavirus situation, while the Welsh Government began to ease restrictions.
There were 81,713 cases and 287 deaths recorded on Saturday, compared to 146,390 cases and 313 deaths last week.
Consultant virologist and Cambridge University lecturer Dr Chris Smith said current coronavirus data gives him “great cause for optimism”.
He explained there could still be an uptick Omicron or “it may be that we are following the trajectory of South Africa, which we seem to be so far, which is they saw a much fewer translation of hospital cases into intensive care beds cases.
“So let’s hope that carries on.
“This gives me great cause for optimism because I think we are getting to a point now where thanks to vaccination, where 96 percent of the country we’re told now have antibodies against the coronavirus, thanks to vaccinations thanks to infection rate reinforcing our immunity we are getting to a point where the population have sufficient immunity that we can fend off the infection when we get it much better than we could previously.
“So we don’t see that strong connection of cases turning into consequences.”
Chief social policy adviser to the Scottish government Professor Linda Bauld added Omicron cases appear to be “stabilising”.
While the world is already struggling with the Omicron variant, scientists have warned that this will not be the last variant of the deadly coronavirus to worry the world. As per the scientists, every variant gives the virus a chance to mutate, and Omicron has an edge over all the previous variants because it spreads way faster.
Leonardo Martinez, an infectious disease epidemiologist at Boston University, while speaking to the Associated Press said, “The faster omicron spreads, the more opportunities there are for mutation, potentially leading to more variants.”
Omicron is more likely than Delta to reinfect individuals who have already been infected with Covid. Also, it is more likely to cause “breakthrough infections” in vaccinated people while also attacking the unvaccinated.
Dr Stuart Campbell Ray, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University said, “It’s the longer, persistent infections that seem to be the most likely breeding grounds for new variants. It’s only when you have very widespread infection that you’re going to provide the opportunity for that to occur.”
According to federal health officials in the US, the Omicron variant is so contagious that most people in the country will be infected, and the pandemic has been compared to a “natural disaster.”
Authorities said they are hopeful that the surge will lessen rapidly, even as Omicron sets new records for new cases.
The Omicron variant, which has numerous key mutations, has spread swiftly over the world and shattered records for new daily cases in the US. According to the CDC, the variant is currently responsible for more than 98 per cent of Covid cases in the US. Also, it has now replaced Delta in less than a month.
(With inputs from agencies)
Omicron was found in Nova Scotia wastewater weeks before it was discovered by the province — and even before the novel COVID-19 strain was reported by South Africa, according to new research from Dalhousie University in Canada.
Explaining the situation, Professor Graham Gagnon, director of the Dalhousie University Centre for Water Resource Studies, said that “Our team detected Omicron , retrospectively, in Nova Scotia wastewater in mid-November and will be able to provide further information in the future.”
In late November, the first Omicron case was reported in South Africa.
On December 13, the first cases in Nova Scotia were confirmed, and they were related to a COVID-19 epidemic at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish.
According to the university, the virus survives longer in the gastrointestinal tract than in the respiratory tract, which means genetic material can be identified in human waste despite the fact that COVID-19 is a respiratory sickness.
Since December 2020, the Dalhousie team has been monitoring wastewater for COVID-19 indicators at the Halifax region’s four main wastewater treatment plants: Halifax, Dartmouth, Mill Cove, and Eastern Passage, as well as the Dalhousie campus’s five student dormitories.
“For us, it’s been a successful project,” said Gagnon. “It’s a tool that can be used to help make decisions.”
Other sections of Canada are undergoing similar tests.
Since Omicron was discovered in the province in December, the levels of the COVID-19 virus reported in wastewater have surged by nearly 88 percent in Saskatchewan.
According to Gagnon, a similar surge occurred in Nova Scotia, but he declined to be more precise until the data was double-checked.
(With inputs from agencies)
In what can be called a first-of-its-kind surgery, a man in the US has got a genetically modified pig heart in transplant.
The 57-year-old man is doing well three days after the operation, University of Maryland Medicine said in a news release on Monday.
The man, who belongs to Maryland, had terminal heart disease. According to release, the pig heart was “the only currently available option” for the patient, David Bennett.
On review of medical records, he was deemed ineligible for an artificial heart pump or a conventional heart transplant.
Before the surgery, Bennett said, “It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice.”
UMMC performs first-of-its-kind surgery successfully transplanting a genetically-modified pig heart to terminal heart disease patient. Learn more: https://t.co/2LfCe9Nc4k pic.twitter.com/ycgKYSYtWm— Univ. of Maryland Medical Center (@UMMC) January 10, 2022
On December 31, the US Food and Drug Administration had granted emergency authorisation for the operation.
To make it work, three genes, which are responsible for rejection of pig organs by human immune systems, were removed from the pig.
To avert excessive pig heart tissue growth, another gene was taken out. Not just this, six human genes responsible for acceptance of immune system were added.
The doctors will monitor him for some time to see if the transplant works.
(With inputs from agencies)
Tennis star Novak Djokovic has been detained in a hotel after he failed to produce required papers for entry into Australia. He is being hauled up at a Melbourne immigration detention facility.
The world’s no-1 tennis player was denied entry by authorities as wasn’t vaccinated. Djokovic was set to take part in the Australian Open as he landed at Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport on Wednesday.
Djokovic is reportedly being held at Park Hotel in Melbourne. Djokovic’s mother Dijana alleged that his “accommodation is terrible” and he is being put in a “small, immigration hotel with bugs”
“It’s all dirty, the food is terrible,” Dijana said as even as Djokovic’s wife thanked supporters amid the vaccine row.
Djokovic’s father alleged his son was a victim of a “political witch hunt” and “corona fascism”.
Djokovic’s mother said the tennis ace is having trouble sleeping and he is not been given a chance to move to a “better hotel” or a “rented house”.
Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic declared that the whole country was backing the tennis star as he added that “authorities are undertaking all measures in order that maltreatment of the world’s best tennis player ends as soon as possible.”
The Serbian government said, “Djokovic is not a criminal, terrorist or illegal migrant” amid an escalating diplomatic row with Australia.
There were also protests outside the hotel where Djokovic is being detained as police moved to clear the area.
Djokovic appealed his deportation and which is set to last until Monday when his case will be heard in court.
The Australian Open begins on January 17.
(With inputs from Agencies)
Super Eagles, Nigeria’s senior male football team have landed in Garoua town in Cameroon, the venue of their Group D matches of the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which kicks off on Sunday.
Super Eagles, three-time AFCON champions, will have their first training session in Cameroon on Thursday evening at the Stade Roumdé Adjia, venue of their Group D games, including Tuesday’s explosive group opener against Egypt, seven-time champions.
Nigeria will also confront Sudan on 15th January and Guinea-Bissau on 19th January.
Italy –based Tyrone Ebuehi and fellow wing-back Jamilu Collins, who plays in Germany, are both expected to team up with the team in Garoua. Forward Odion Ighalo is ruled out as a result of issues with his Saudi Arabian club.
Ahmed Musa, Super Eagles captain who was part of the squad that won the trophy in South Africa 9 years ago, said he is confident that the Super Eagles will return to Nigeria with the trophy on 6th February.
While addressing the players just before they flew out of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Wednesday evening, General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, reiterated his conviction that the 27 players Nigeria would be fielding at the championship are good enough to lift the trophy and earn a fourth triumph for the country.
“I wish you good luck at the tournament on behalf of the Government and people of Nigeria. We know how professional you are and we know you will take the same temperament to the AFCON. We pray against injuries and Covid-related health issues,” said Sanusi.
“The NFF is ready to give you all the support that you need, on behalf of the Government of Nigeria. The NFF President, Amaju Pinnick who is also a member of the AFCON Organizing Committee will join you in Cameroon in two days. Some of us will also be coming to give you the necessary support and encouragement.”
The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development held a send-forth dinner for the team at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on Tuesday night.
Nigeria’s 15 podium appearances in 18 participations in the AFCON is the highest tally in Africa’s flagship football championship. The only times they ended without winning a medal were in their debut in 1963, in Libya 40 years ago, and in Ghana 14 years ago. They have won the trophy three times (1980, 1994, and 2013), finished as runners-up four times (1984, 1988, 1990, and 2000), and picked up the bronze medals eight times (1976, 1978, 1992, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2019).