![Robert Kennedy Jr leaves the New York Stock Exchange following a ceremony with President-elect Donald Trump on December 12 [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Outcry-after-RFK-Jr-linked-to-effort-to-nix-US-approval-for-polio-vaccine.jpg)
Backlash has been building in the United States following a news report that links one of President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed cabinet members to an effort to revoke approval for the polio vaccine. On Saturday, The Associated Press news agency published a statement from a spokesperson for Robert F Kennedy Jr, whom Trump has nominated to lead the Health and Human Services Department. In the statement, Kennedy’s camp attempted to distance the nominee from a New York Times report that his lawyer Aaron Siri had petitioned to suspend approval for the life-saving vaccine. “Mr Kennedy believes the Polio Vaccine should be available to the public and thoroughly and properly studied,” Katie Miller, Kennedy’s spokesperson, said. But The New York Times article has raised alarm about Kennedy’s nomination to Health and Human
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Britain officially became the 12th member of a trans-Pacific trade pact which includes Japan, Australia, and Canada on Sunday as it seeks to deepen ties in the region and build its global trade links after leaving the European Union. Britain announced last year it would join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in its biggest trade deal since Brexit. The accession means Britain will be able to apply CPTPP trade rules and lower tariffs with eight of the 11 existing members from Sunday – Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. The agreement enters into force with Australia on December 24, and will apply with the final two members – Canada and Mexico – 60 days after they ratify it. The pact represents Britain’s
Getty Images François Bayrou has long been a centrist ally of President Macron President Emmanuel Macron has named centrist leader François Bayrou as France’s next prime minister, in a bid to end months of political turmoil. A Macron ally, Bayrou is a mayor from the southwest and leads the MoDem party. Ahead of the announcement, the two men spent almost two hours in talks described as tense by French media. The president’s task is now to ensure Bayrou lasts longer than his predecessor. Former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier was ousted by MPs nine days ago. Macron is half-way through his second term as president and Bayrou will be his fourth prime minister this year. French politics has been deadlocked ever since Macron called snap parliamentary elections during the summer. An
![Li Tie, the former coach of China’s male football team, who has been jailed for 20 years on corruption charges, is shown at the Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, in 2021 [Satish Kumar/Reuters]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/China-sentences-ex-Premier-League-footballer-Li-Tie-to-20-years-in-prison.jpg)
Former national team coach is the biggest name to be netted in China’s sweeping crackdown on corruption in sport. Li Tie, former coach of the Chinese national team who once played for the Everton Football Club in the English Premier League, has been jailed in China for 20 years on bribery charges as part of a crackdown on corruption in sport. He was sentenced at a court in the province of Hubei on Friday, after being found guilty of a string of offences relating to giving and receiving bribes. The court said that the 47-year-old, by far the biggest sporting name netted in the sweeping crackdown, had handled bribes totalling 120 million yuan ($16.5m) between 2015 and 2021, a period including his two-year tenure as national coach. Li submitted a
One of the men worked for Combs and alleged he was assaulted at a hotel. December 12, 2024, 1:21 PM Sean “Diddy” Combs is accused of sexually assaulting three men, including one of his former employees, who he allegedly plied with spiked alcoholic drinks, according to new civil lawsuits filed Thursday in New York. One of the men worked for the rap mogul and alleged his former boss raped him at a hotel. The lawsuits, filed by anonymous accusers, alleged a similar pattern of conduct by Combs. “It was a usual thing. Come for a meeting, have a drink, you get woozy, you wake up to Sean Combs raping you, you get ushered out the door. I was struck by the similarity,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Thomas Giuffra. “I was contacted
King joins star Raye on Christmas visit to Battersea Power Station PA Media The King met Apple boss Tim Cook and singer Raye on a visit to Apple HQ King Charles got into the festive spirit with an enthusiastically received visit to a Christmas market in Battersea Power Station in south-west London. A community choir was singing the carol We Three Kings as he arrived – and they had at least one real-life King there in person to listen. “You must be frozen. You’ll need a stiff drink,” the King said to the singers, outside in the December drizzle. The King also met Apple chief Tim Cook at the computer firm’s UK headquarters in the huge former power station building, before singer Raye gave them a seasonal serenade of “Holy
Brazilian president is doing well and should be discharged early next week, his medical team says. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has undergone a second surgical procedure after seeking treatment this week for an intracranial haemorrhage, his medical team said. Lula’s personal doctor, Roberto Kalil, said during a news conference on Thursday that the follow-up procedure to block blood flow to the affected area was a “success”. “The president is awake and speaking,” Kalil told reporters at the Hospital Sirio-Libanes in Sao Paulo where Lula, 79, is being treated. The president was transported to the hospital from the capital Brasilia earlier this week after he experienced headaches that his doctors linked to a recent fall. Lula, who was sworn in as president in early 2023, had curtailed travel
Prosecutors at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office have begun presenting evidence to a grand jury as they work to secure an indictment against Luigi Mangione for the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, sources told ABC News. The DA’s office declined to comment due to the secrecy surrounding grand jury matters. An indictment could strengthen the case for extradition, which Mangione is fighting. The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate remains in custody at a Pennsylvania state prison after a judge denied bail on Tuesday. “He has constitutional rights and that’s what he’s doing” in challenging the interstate transfer, defense attorney Thomas Dickey told reporters on Tuesday. Luigi Mangione is led into the Blair County Courthouse for an extradition hearing Dec. 10, 2024, in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images Mangione was apprehended
A hot day is expected in most parts of the country. (Gallo Images/ER Lombard) Brace yourself for extremely hot conditions on Friday and into the weekend. Extremely hot and uncomfortable conditions are expected over parts of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, according to the South African Weather Service. A Yellow Level 1 warning has also been issued for damaging winds leading to difficulty in navigation at sea, while small vessels at risk of capsizing in locality is expected between Table Bay and Plettenberg Bay. Impact-based warnings Yellow Level 1 warning: Damaging winds leading to difficulty in navigation at sea and small vessels at risk of capsizing in locality are expected between Table Bay and Plettenberg Bay. READ | Wind, waves and soaring temperatures: South Africans face a range of severe weather
A long-serving ANC leader Bethuel Mthethwa has quit the party to join former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party. Mthethwa is the former mayor of Jozini local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). He is reportedly leaving while facing corruption allegations. He was subjected to the step-aside rule after an accusation of crime drawing back from when he was still the mayor. As reported by Scrolla, Mthethwa left because he believed the ANC no longer stands up for poor black people. According to Mthethwa, the ANC has turned into a newer version of the National Party (NP) because the party’s top leadership was doing what the NP did to black people in the past. “This is what they do whenever the organisation is heading to its elective conferences. “They make sure
![A Chinese coastguard ship, centre, is seen past Taiwan coastguard vessels in waters east of Taiwan on December 8, 2024 [Handout/Taiwan Coast Guard via AFP]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Taiwan-blames-‘troublemaker-China-for-huge-naval-drills-near-shores.jpg)
Defence Ministry says it tracked 53 Chinese military aircraft and 11 navy ships in 24 hours. Taiwan’s presidency has called on China to halt its “provocative acts” after the self-ruled island’s officials accused Chinese forces of ramping up military drills on its doorstep. The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense said on Wednesday it had tracked 53 military aircraft, 11 navy ships and eight civilian vessels near the island in the past 24 hours. “These actions inject uncertainty and risk into the region, creating disruptions for neighbouring countries, and it confirms China’s a troublemaker that undermines peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When asked about the increase in military activity, a Chinese government spokesperson did not directly confirm new exercises but stated that Beijing
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s former defense minister was arrested. December 11, 2024, 4:13 AM SEOUL — South Korean police raided South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office as a part of the ongoing investigation into the martial law declaration on Dec. 3, Yonhap, South Korean state media, reported Wednesday. The South Korean National Police Agency’s National Investigation Headquarters Emergency Martial Special Consecution Team entered “the seizure and search,” of the President’s office Wednesday morning local time, Yonhap reported. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol answers a reporter’s question during a press conference at the Presidential Office in Seoul, Nov. 7, 2024. Kim Hong-ji/Reuters South Korean Police on Wednesday morning also arrested the South Korean National Police Commissioner Cho Ji Ho and the Seoul Police Chief Kim Bong Sik
“We believe that the entire matter of establishing a commission of inquiry should be addressed after the war ends,” the government representative’s said. By URI SELLA DECEMBER 11, 2024 12:45 The Nova Massacre Scene (photo credit: Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90) The High Court of Justice discussed a petition on Wednesday calling for the establishment of a National Commission of Inquiry into the events of October 7. Relatives of October 7 victims and hostages held in Gaza captivity were present at the discussion. Among them were Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, and Ilana Gritzewesky, his partner. They were joined by Eyal Eshel, the father of Roni Eshel, an IDF observer who was killed on October 7, and Chagit Chen, the mother of Itay Chen, whose body is held in
Two people wearing face coverings and dark clothing were spotted near the area when the car caught fire in the eastern suburb of Woollahra. By REUTERS DECEMBER 11, 2024 09:30 View of the torched car in Sydney, Australia. December 11, 2024. (photo credit: Via Maariv) A car was set alight, and two properties spray painted with anti-Israel messages in Sydney just days after an arson attack at a synagogue in Melbourne, which is being investigated as terrorism, Australian authorities said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the latest attack, the second targeting the Jewish community in the Sydney suburb in three weeks, was an “outrage,” and he would be briefed on it soon by a new antisemitism task force. “This isn’t an attack on a government; this is an
Reuters A Conservative former minister has called for first-cousin marriage to be banned in the UK. Introducing the proposals in Parliament, Richard Holden said the children of first cousins were at greater risk of birth defects and the practice should be prohibited to protect public health. However, independent MP Iqbal Mohamed argued a ban would be ineffective and said these issues would be better addressed through education programmes to raise awareness of the risks. Downing Street said the expert advice on the risks of first-cousin marriage was clear but indicated that the government had no plans to change the law. “In terms of legislation, the government has set out its priorities,” a No 10 spokesman said. Holden introduced his proposals using the 10-minute rule process, which allows a backbench MP