New Covid variant may spread more easily than others
A new Omicron subvariant, NB.1.8.1, is spreading in the U.S. after a surge in China, though LP.8.1 remains the dominant strain nationally.
The World Health Organization has designated NB.1.8.1 a variant under monitoring, noting its spread to 22 countries, including the U.S., and a rise in prevalence from late March to April.
The WHO states that current data suggests NB.1.8.1 does not cause more severe illness than other variants, but it may spread more easily due to its ability to bind more tightly to human cells.
Experts believe current Covid vaccines should remain effective against NB.1.8.1 in preventing severe disease.
The Trump administration's plan to limit access to Covid vaccines is raising concerns among experts about potential impacts on vaccine availability and insurance coverage.
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Reuters
7 minutes ago
- Reuters
Hong Kong's last active pro-democracy group says it will disband amid security crackdown
HONG KONG, June 29 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's League of Social Democrats said on Sunday that it would disband amid "immense political pressure" from a five year-long national security crackdown, leaving the China-ruled city with no formal pro-democracy opposition presence. The LSD becomes the third major opposition party to shutter in Hong Kong in the past two years. Co-founded in 2006 by former lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung as a radical wing of the pro-democracy camp, the LSD is the last group in Hong Kong to stage small protests this year. Mass public gatherings and marches spearheaded by political and civil society groups had been common in Hong Kong until 2020, but the threat of prosecution has largely shut down organized protests since. China imposed a national security law on the former British colony in 2020, punishing offences like subversion with possible life imprisonment following mass pro-democracy protests in 2019. A second set of laws, known as Article 23, was passed in 2024 by the city's pro-Beijing legislature covering crimes such as sedition and treason. Current chair Chan Po-ying said the group had been "left with no choice" and after considering the safety of party members had decided to shutdown. Chan declined to specify what pressures they had faced. "We have endured hardships of internal disputes and the near total imprisonment of our leadership while witnessing the erosion of civil society, the fading of grassroots voices, the omnipresence of red lines and the draconian suppression of dissent," Chan told reporters, while flanked by six other core members including Tsang Kin-shing, Dickson Chau, Raphael Wong, Figo Chan and Jimmy Sham. In February, the Democratic Party, the city's largest and most popular opposition party, announced it would disband. Several senior members told Reuters they had been warned by Beijing that a failure to do so would mean serious consequences including possible arrests. Earlier this month, China's top official on Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong, stressed national security work must continue as hostile forces were still interfering in the city. "We must clearly see that the anti-China and Hong Kong chaos elements are still ruthless and are renewing various forms of soft resistance," Xia said in a speech in Hong Kong. The League of Social Democrats is one of Hong Kong's smaller pro-democracy groups known for its more aggressive tactics and street protests in its advocacy of universal suffrage and grassroots causes including a universal pension scheme. In a 2016 incident, Leung threw a round object at former Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying inside the legislature. Three LSD members were fined on June 12 by a magistrate for setting up a street booth where a blank black cloth was displayed and money was collected in public without official permission. Chan told reporters that the party had no assets to divest and no funds left after several of its bank accounts were shut down in 2023. While never as popular as the more moderate Democratic Party and Civic Party, it gained three seats in a 2008 legislative election - its best showing. The LSD's founder Leung, 69, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit subversion in 2021 in the landmark '47 Democrats' case. He is currently serving a sentence of six years and nine months in prison. Another member, Jimmy Sham, was also jailed in the same case and released in May. The security laws have been criticised as a tool of repression by the U.S. and Britain, but China says they have restored stability with 332 people so far arrested under these laws. "I hope that the people of Hong Kong will continue to pay attention to the vulnerable, and they will continue to speak out for injustice," Figo Chan said.
BBC News
37 minutes ago
- BBC News
How dem make anti-venom from man wey snake bite 200 times
Di blood of one US man wey deliberately inject imsef wit snake venom for nearly twenty years don lead to "unparalleled" anti-venom, scientists tok. Antibodies find in Tim Friede blood don shown to protect against deadly doses from one wide range of species in animal tests. Current therapies gatz match di specific species of venomous snake wey bite anyone. But Oga Friede 18-year mission fit lead to ogbonge step of finding universal anti-venom against all snakebites - wey dey kill up to 140,000 pipo evri year and leave three times as many needing amputations or facing permanent disability. In total, Mr Friede don endure more dan 200 bites and more dan 700 injections of venom e prepare from some of di world deadliest snakes, including multiple species of mambas, cobras, taipans and kraits. E bin want build up im immunity to protect imsef wen e dey handle snakes, documenting im exploits on YouTube. But di former truck mechanic tok say e don "completely screw up" early on wen two cobra bites wey happun in quick succession leave am in coma. "I no wan die. I no wan lose one finger. I no wan miss work," e tell BBC. Oga Friede motivation na to develop beta therapies for di rest of di world, explaining: "E just become lifestyle and I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing as hard as I fit push - for di pipo wey dey 8,000 miles away from me wey don die from snakebite". 'I go love to get my hands on some of your blood' Currently dem dey make anti-venom by injecting small doses of snake venom into animals, such as horses. Dia immune system dey fight di venom by producing antibodies and dem go harvest am to use as therapy. But venom and anti-venom gatz dey closely matched becos di toxins for venomous bite no be di same from one species to anoda. Dem even get wide variety within di same species – anti-venom wey dem make from snakes from India dey less effective against di same species for Sri Lanka. One team of researchers begin dey search for one type of immune defence wey dem dey call broadly neutralising antibodies. Instead of targeting di part of toxin wey make am unique, dem dey target di part wey make am common to entire classes of toxin. Dat na wen Dr Jacob Glanville, chief executive of biotech company Centivax, come across Tim Friede. "Immediately I look say 'if anybody in di world don develop dis broadly neutralising antibodies, e go be am' and so I reach out," e tok. "Di first call, I be like 'dis fit dey awkward, but I go love get my hands on some of your blood'." Oga Friede agree and di work dey ethically approved becos di study go only take blood, rather dan give am more venom. Di research focus on elapids – one of di two families of venomous snakes – such as coral snakes, mambas, cobras, taipans and kraits. Elapids primarily use neurotoxins in dia venom, wey dey paralyse dia victim and e dey fatal wen dem stop di muscles e need to breathe. Researchers don pick 19 elapids identify by di World Health Organization as being among di deadliest snakes on di planet. Dem don begin to source for Oga Friede blood for protective defences. Dia work, dey detailed in di journal Cell, identify two broadly neutralising antibodies wey fit target two classes of neurotoxin. For experiments on mice, di cocktail mean say di animals bin survive deadly doses from 13 of di 19 species of venomous snake. Dem bin get partial protection against di remaining six. Dis na "unparalleled" breadth of protection, according to Dr Glanville, wey say e "likely cover a whole bunch of elapids for wey no get current anti-venom". Di team dey try to refine di antibodies further and see if adding fourth component fit lead to total protection against elapid snake venom. Di oda class of snake – di vipers – dey rely more on haemotoxins, wey dey attack di blood, rather dan neurotoxins. In total around one dozen broad classes of toxin in snake venom, wey also include cytotoxins dey directly kill cells. "I think in di next 10 or 15 years we go get somtin effective against each one of dis toxin classes," Prof Peter Kwong, one of di researchers for Columbia University, tok. And di hunt continue inside Oga Friede blood samples. "Tim antibodies dey really quite extraordinary - e bin teach im immune system to get dis veri, veri broad recognition," Prof Kwong tok. Di ultimate hope na to get either single anti-venom wey fit do evritin, or one injection for elapids and one for vipers. Prof Nick Casewell, na di head of di centre for snakebite research and interventions for di Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine - e tok say di breadth of protection report bin dey unusual and provide "strong piece of evidence" wey get feasible approach. "No doubt say dis work move di field forward in exciting direction." But e caution say "plenti work still dey to do" and di anti-venom still go need extensive testing bifor dem fit use am in pipo. But for Oga Friede, reaching dis stage "make me feel good". "I dey do somtin good for humanity and e bin dey veri important to me. I dey proud of am. E dey pretty cool."
The Independent
37 minutes ago
- The Independent
Taiwan VP says won't be intimidated after Czech officials claim Chinese diplomats planned car crash
Taiwan 's vice president Hsiao Bi Khim says she will not be intimidated by China after Czech military intelligence claimed Chinese diplomats and secret service followed her and planned to intimidate her physically when she visited Prague last year. Ms Hsiao visited the Czech Republic in early 2024. Prague does not have official diplomatic ties with Taiwan but has fostered warm relations with the island, which China views as its own territory. Czech media reported last year that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light when following Ms Hsiao's car. Czech public radio news website said on Thursday that the Chinese had also planned to stage a demonstrative car crash. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety. The CCP's unlawful activities will not intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," Ms Hsiao said, in a social media post on Saturday, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. The post was linked to a Reuters report about the incident. In another X post, Ms Hsiao thanked global parliamentarians who had expressed solidarity against "violence and coercion'. "Taiwan will not be isolated by intimidation," Ms Hsiao said. Czech military intelligence spokesperson said Chinese diplomats in Prague had taken actions that violated diplomatic rules. 'This consisted of physically following the vice president, gathering information on her schedule and attempts to document her meetings with important representatives of the Czech political and public scene," spokesperson Jan Pejsek told Reuters. 'We even recorded an attempt by the Chinese civil secret service to create conditions to perform a demonstrative kinetic action against a protected person, which however did not go beyond the phase of preparation." A spokesperson for China's foreign ministry denied any wrongdoing by Chinese diplomats and claimed the Czech Republic had interfered in the country's internal affairs by allowing Ms Hsiao's visit to go ahead. The Czech foreign ministry said it had summoned the Chinese envoy over the incident at the time but didn't comment further on Friday. 'This is the CCP's criminality on display for the whole world to see. This isn't diplomacy, it's coercion," the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee wrote on X. Taiwan protests Taiwan claimed the alleged Chinese actions "seriously threatened the personal safety of Ms Hsiao and her entourage". "The Mainland Affairs Council today protested and strongly condemned the Chinese communist's bad behaviour and demanded that the Chinese side should immediately explain and publicly apologise," it said. A senior Taiwan security official briefed on the matter told Reuters that the incident was an example of "transnational repression" by China that the European Union was currently paying close attention to. "This is a problem that everyone should pay attention to," the official, requesting anonymity, said, adding many government officials around the world were threatened by China upon visits made by Taiwanese officials or politicians to their countries. In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun maintained that "Chinese diplomats have always abided by the laws and regulations of the countries in which they are stationed'. "China urges the parties concerned not to be provoked and exploited by separatist forces for Taiwan independence, and to not make a fuss over nothing, engage in malicious speculation and interfere with and undermine the relations between the two countries." Ms Hsiao assumed office along with president Lai Ching Te on May 20 last year. Czech relations with China have cooled in recent years. The Czechs accused China in May of being behind a cyberattack on the foreign ministry. Tsai Ing Wen visited Prague last October. China views separately governed Taiwan as its own territory and has ramped up its military and political pressure in recent years. Taiwan says only its people can decide their future and vows to defend its freedom and democracy.
