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PACT Act: Biden signs bill expanding health care benefits for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits

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The bill is a major bipartisan victory for Congress and addresses an issue that is personal to the President. Biden has said he believes there may have been a connection between the brain cancer that killed his 46-year-old son, Beau Biden, and the burn pits Beau was exposed to during his military service.

Burn pits were commonly used to burn waste — including trash, munitions, hazardous material and chemical compounds — at military sites throughout Iraq and Afghanistan until about 2010. These massive open-air burn pits, which were often operated at or near military bases, released dangerous toxins into the air that, upon exposure, may have caused short- and long-term health conditions, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

“Toxic smoke, thick with poison spreading through the air and into the lungs of our troops. When they came home many of the fittest and best warriors that we sent to war were not the same. Headaches, numbness, dizziness, cancer. My son Beau was one of them,” Biden said.

Beau Biden was an Iraq war veteran who served as the attorney general of Delaware and died of brain cancer in 2015.

The bill adds conditions related to burn pit and toxic exposure, including hypertension, to the Department of Veterans Affairs list of illnesses that have been incurred or exacerbated during military service, removing the burden for veterans to prove that their toxic exposure resulted in these conditions. It could provide coverage for up to 3.5 million toxic-exposed veterans.

“I was going to get this done come Hell or high water,” Biden said, calling the legislation “the most significant law our nation has ever passed to help millions of veterans who are exposed to toxic substances during their military services.”

The President said, “We have many obligations and only one truly sacred obligation: To equip those we send into harm’s way and to care for them and their families when they come home.”

Biden was introduced on Wednesday by Danielle Robinson, the wife of Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson, whom the legislation is named after. Her daughter, Brielle Robinson, was by her side. Danielle Robinson was first lady Jill Biden’s guest at Biden’s State of the Union address when he called on Congress to pass burn pits legislation.

“To us and to many of you in the room, if not all of you, it’s personal. Personal for so many people like Danielle and Brielle. Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson, just 39 years old. … They held his hand for the last time at age 39,” Biden said.

Biden thanked comedian and political activist Jon Stewart, who has been a lead advocate for veterans on the issue and was at the White House for the bill signing.

“You refused to let anybody forget. You refused to let them forget. And we owe you big, man. We owe you big,” Biden said.

The Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas were scheduled to attend the bill signing at the White House.

The White House is hailing the legislation, known as the PACT Act, as the most significant expansion of benefits and services for veterans exposed to toxins in more than 30 years.

The bipartisan bill passed Congress last week after Republicans, who had previously supported the measure, temporarily blocked the bill from advancing while they sought to add cost-controlling amendments to the package. Republicans’ surprise move sparked swift backlash among veterans and veterans’ groups, and advocates for the measure protested on the US Capitol steps for days.

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Russian warplanes destroyed in Crimea airbase attack, satellite images show | Crimea

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At least eight Russian warplanes appear to have been damaged or destroyed in the recent attack on Saky airbase in Crimea, according to newly released satellite images.

On Wednesday Kyiv said that nine Russian aircraft were destroyed on the ground following Tuesday’s dramatic explosions at the Saky airbase, which Russia said killed one, wounded 14 and damaged dozens of nearby houses.

Kyiv has so far officially denied responsibility for the attack, with an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy suggesting partisans might have been involved.

Russia has also sought to downplay the attack, denying that any aircraft were damaged in the blasts and conceding only that “several aviation munitions detonated” in a storage area at the facility.

However, satellite photos appear to show multiple fighter planes at the military base in Novofedorivka blown up with new evidence suggesting the possibility of a targeted attack.

The images, from the US-based Planet Labs, show large areas of scorched earth and damage to the runway alongside the charred remnants of military aircraft.

Images taken by the private satellite operator at around 8am on 9 August – approximately four hours before the attack – and about 4.40pm on 10 August, show at least eight aircraft parked outside were damaged or destroyed.

Before and after image of the The Saky airbase
Before and after image of the The Saky airbase

The before-and-after images are the first independent confirmation of damage to the base, prompting questions about how a location more than 100 miles (160km) from the frontline could have been attacked.

Eliot Higgins, founder and director of open source investigative website Bellingcat, said he “can’t think of a time Russia has lost this many air assets in one day in recent memory” in a series of tweets on Thursday.

Higgins also noted: “I can make out three craters, at sites that appear to be used for storage, so it could be they were targeted and everything else was destroyed when whatever was stored there went up.”

“One way to interpret those craters is precise strikes from a long range munition,” he said, adding that the craters appeared the measure “about 20-25m wide … which would mean a pretty big munition”.

“One thing that does stand out is there’s no impacts visible that look like they could be misses, so either they used very accurate weapons or they got very lucky.”

The British defence secretary, Ben Wallace, told the BBC the UK was still trying to establish facts on the airbase explosions, but added that he believed it was unlikely western weapons were involved. The airbase, he argued, was a legitimate target for Ukraine’s armed forces.

Political sources in Ukraine have said the country had carried out the attack – but no public claim of responsibility was made by Kyiv.

The Saky airbase is home to Su-30M fighters, Su-24 bombers and the Il-76 transporter, used regularly to launch missile strikes on Ukraine and patrol the Black Sea and surrounding area.

Crimea is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine but was seized by Moscow in 2014. It holds huge strategic and symbolic significance for both sides. The Kremlin’s demand that Ukraine recognise Crimea as part of Russia has been one of its key conditions for ending the fighting, while Ukraine has vowed to drive the Russians from the peninsula and all other occupied territories.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych cryptically said that the blasts were either caused by Ukrainian-made long-range weapons or the work of Ukrainian guerrillas operating in Crimea.

Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said: “Official Kyiv has kept mum about it, but unofficially the military acknowledges that it was a Ukrainian strike.”

Ukraine’s public coyness about the attack is partly designed to preserve some ambiguity about the means used, sources said, prompting broad speculation as to how Kyiv was able to strike so deep behind Russian lines, in one of the first attacks on Crimean soil since the Russian invasion began in February.

Justin Bronk, an aviation analyst with the Rusi thinktank, said that, having studied social media videos of the incident, he could see no evidence of incoming missiles and that he was “almost certain” there were “secondary explosions” of ammunition stores or fuel bunkers which were stored on or near the airstrip.

Explosions at Saky airbase in Crimea send plumes of smoke into sky – video

That led him to conclude that “the most likely current theory for me is that Ukrainian special forces carried out the attack by infiltrating close enough to the base to launch and guide in small UAVs [drones] or loitering munitions, to hit either parked aircraft or fuel trucks/storage”.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said it couldn’t independently determine what caused the explosions but noted that simultaneous blasts in two places at the base probably rule out an accidental fire but not sabotage or a missile attack.

But it added: “The Kremlin has little incentive to accuse Ukraine of conducting strikes that caused the damage since such strikes would demonstrate the ineffectiveness of Russian air defence systems.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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World

American tourist raped in public toilet near Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

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An American woman was raped in a public toilet in the bustling heart of Paris’ tourist district Saturday.

The 27-year-old was walking with a boyfriend on the River Seine across from Notre Dame Cathedral when she stopped to use a public bathroom around 1 a.m., according to The Sun.

“It is well lit, and there were plenty of people around, but the woman’s partner became concerned when she remained inside for a long time,” a source told the paper.

Her boyfriend then approached the toilet, heard her cries and reportedly witnessed the attack.

The victim managed to break free from her attacker, who was detained by her companion and other women in the bathroom before police arrived, according to the outlet.

The 23-year-old suspect denied wrongdoing and claimed he had a “consensual arrangement with the woman,” according to the report.

He was charged with rape and remained in custody while the victim was treated at a hospital before returning to the states.

She remained in touch with French police and prosecutors.

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World

China touts relationship with Russia, accuses US of being ‘main instigator of the Ukrainian crisis’

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Zhang Hanhui, China’s ambassador to Moscow, touted his country’s close relationship with Russia and accused the U.S. of being responsible for the “Ukrainian crisis” in an interview Wednesday with the Russian state-owned news agency Tass. 

“As the architect and main instigator of the Ukrainian crisis, Washington, while imposing unprecedented comprehensive sanctions on Russia, continues to supply arms and military equipment to Ukraine,” Zhang told the Russian news agency. 

“Its ultimate aim is to exhaust and ruin Russia with a long war and a sanction stick.” 

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at the Kremlin in Moscow.
(REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool)

Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, which has resulted in the deaths of at least 5,400 civilians and displaced more than 10 million people, according to the United Nations. 

Five months into the war, fighting has coalesced in the eastern Donbas region as Ukrainian troops try to hold back Russia from gaining any more ground. 

CHINA COULD INVADE TAIWAN BEFORE THE 2024 US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: SOURCES

Putin sought to strengthen relations with China in the lead-up to the invasion, visiting Beijing during the Winter Olympics and declaring in a 5,000-word joint statement with Chinese President Xi Jinping that the two countries’ partnership has “no limits.” 

“Under the strategic direction of [China’s] Chairman Xi Jinping and President [of Russia Vladimir] Putin, the Chinese-Russian relations have entered the best period in history, characterized by the highest level of mutual trust, the highest degree of interaction and the greatest strategic significance,” Zhang told Tass. 

While China appears to support Putin’s reasoning for the war, the country has so far declined to provide any direct military assistance or helped the Kremlin dodge sanctions, U.S. officials have said. 

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The statements from China’s envoy to Russia come amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and China over Taiwan. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., visited Taiwan earlier this month, prompting the Chinese military to stage live-fire military drills in the Taiwan Strait after she left. 

Paul Best is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Paul.best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest. 

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World

Like a scene from ‘Parasite’: Floods lay bare social disparity in South Korea

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SEOUL, Aug 10 (Reuters) – Using a plastic bowl, Ha In-sik bailed water out of his lower ground apartment in the low-income housing district of Sillim in southwestern Seoul on Wednesday, where flooding caused by torrential rain forced his family to sleep at a nearby park.

The 50-year-old man, along with his wife and daughter had collected home appliances, furniture, books and even cutlery, and put them outside to see what was salvageable.

The scene bore uncomfortable similarities with the sewage-flooded semi-basement flat depicted in the 2020 Oscar-winning South Korean film “Parasite,” that was a tale of growing social disparity in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.

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The floods have caused inconvenience and monetary losses in the wealthier parts of the capital, like the glitzy Gangnam neighbourhood a few miles away.

But in places like Sillim, the floods have snuffed out what little hope desperate people like Ha had clung to in order just to keep going.

“I’ve got no money, nothing. But I had come here to live in this basement, as it was only option I had to live with my daughter,” Ha told Reuters.

“But I’m hopeless now. Everything is gone, there’s no help and I don’t even have a spoon to eat food with.”

Ha wasn’t alone in his misery. Other residents in Sillim were scooping up water with large bowls or combing through the detritus to see whatever was still usable.

On Monday, three family members living in the neighbourhood, including a woman with developmental disabilities, drowned in their lower ground apartment. President Yoon Suk-yeol visited Sillim a day later.

South Korean soldiers clean up debris from a house that had been submerged by torrential rain in Seoul, South Korea, August 10, 2022. Yonhap/via REUTERS

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On Wednesday, Yoon apologised for the tragedy and called for measures to improve housing safety to protect old, poor or disabled people and families, like Ha’s, whose homes were most vulnerable to flooding.

At least 10 people have perished as a result of the torrential rain that has swept across the northern part of the country since Monday, knocking out power, causing landslides and flooding roads and subways. read more

This week’s deluge brought the heaviest rains in 115 years in Seoul, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.

As of Wednesday, it said, six people were still missing, 570 have at least temporarily lost their homes, while 1,400 have been evacuated, mostly in Seoul, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said.

As the rain clouds moved southwards on Wednesday, the recovery effort kicked into high gear, at least in the better off districts.

While large swathes of Sillim remained flooded, and residents likened conditions to a “mudbath”, in Gangnam most roads had been cleared and traffic was back to normal.

Ha said it would take about 10 days to get his apartment back to the point where he would move back in. He said the only help the government had offered was for temporary shelter at a gymnasium, which he rejected.

An official at the Gwanak district office, which covers Sillim, said that recovery efforts can be slower there due to the concentration of tiny apartments and houses lining the narrow streets, unlike Gangnam, which has wide boulevards and office buildings.

The official said the number of soldiers involved in the recovery would be raised from 210 to 500 on Thursday.

“We’re making all-out efforts to help residents, bringing everyone from our office, troops and volunteers,” the official said.

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Reporting by Hyonhee Shin, Hyeyeon Kim and Daewoung Kim; Additional reporting by Minwoo Park; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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World

Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

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Attacks on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant leave former worker ‘very scared’

A Russian serviceman patrols the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Energodar on May 1, 2022. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, seized by Russian forces in March, is in southeastern Ukraine and is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and among the 10 largest in the world.

Andrey Borodulin | Afp | Getty Images

As Ukraine and Russia trade blame for shelling around Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, one former employee said the consequences could be catastrophic and that she is terrified for her former colleagues at the facility in the town of Enerhodar. 

“The mood there is very sad. It is very scary for them to work,” Alyona, 37, told NBC News on Tuesday from the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is still under Ukrainian control. 

NBC News isn’t revealing her last name because she still has family in parts of the Zaporizhzhia region under Russian rule and she fears repercussions. Also, her husband is in the Ukrainian army. 

Alyona said she stopped going to work as an engineer at the nuclear plant after Russian forces seized it in March and escaped to Zaporizhzhia soon after.

She added that she is still able to call and exchange messages with some of her former co-workers at the plant, which was operated by around 11,000 people before the Russian invasion. The number of staff currently working there is unknown. 

Read more of this NBC News report here.

Ukrainian FM Kuleba calls on Western countries to stop issuing visas to Russian citizens

Russian flag flies with the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin in the background in Moscow, Russia, February 27, 2019.

REUTERS | Maxim Shemetov | File Photo

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the European Union and the G-7 countries to stop issuing visas to Russian citizens.

“Russians overwhelmingly support the war on Ukraine. They must be deprived of the right to cross international borders until they learn to respect them,” Kuleba wrote on Twitter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Washington Post that the only way to stop Russia from annexing any more of Ukraine’s territory is for Western countries to ban all Russian citizens.

— Amanda Macias

More than $120K raised to make a Zelenskyy action figure

More than $120,000 has been raised to make a prototype of an action figure of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Brooklyn, N.Y.

A prototype of the Zelenskyy action figure in Brooklyn, NY, August 9, 2022.

Roselle Chen | Reuters

Jason Feinberg, FCTRY CEO & creative director, with a prototype of the Zelenskyy action figure in Brooklyn, NY, August 9, 2022. 

Roselle Chen | Reuters

Alyssa Zeller Feinberg, FCTRY chief design officer, with a prototype of the Zelenskyy action figure in Brooklyn, NY, August 9, 2022. 

Roselle Chen | Reuters

Alyssa Zeller Feinberg, FCTRY chief design officer, with a prototype of the Zelenskiy action figure in Brooklyn, NY, August 9, 2022. 

Roselle Chen | Reuters

Ukrainian agriculture exports could reach 5 million tons a month under grain initiative, UN says

An aerial view of Barbados flagged “Fulmar S” named empty grain ship as Representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkiye and the United Nations (UN) of the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) conduct inspection on vessel in Istanbul, Turkiye on August 05, 2022.

Islam Yakut | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

The U.N. group overseeing the July agreement to reopen Ukraine’s ports for agricultural shipments said it expects export capacity to reach up to 5 million tons a month.

“Crops from Ukraine are sold around the world. Some of the food exported under the Initiative will go to countries experiencing food insecurity,” the U.N. wrote in a fact sheet about the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the U.N., Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.

A caravan of three ships departed Ukraine’s ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said earlier. He added that the vessels are carrying 57,000 tons of Ukrainian corn.

— Amanda Macias

G7 ministers call on Russia to hand Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant back to Ukraine

A serviceman with a Russian flag on his uniform stands guard near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict outside the Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine August 4, 2022.

Alexander Ermochenko | Reuters

The foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., the U.S. and the European Union called on Russia to “immediately hand back full control” of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant to “its rightful sovereign owner, Ukraine.”

“Ukrainian staff operating the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant must be able to carry out their duties without threats or pressure. It is Russia’s continued control of the plant that endangers the region,” the G7 foreign ministers wrote in a statement.

“We remain profoundly concerned by the serious threat that the seizure of Ukrainian nuclear facilities and other actions by Russian armed forces pose to the safety and security of these facilities, significantly raising the risk of a nuclear accident or incident and endangering the population of Ukraine, neighboring states and the international community,” the ministers added.

— Amanda Macias

Nearly two-thirds of Ukraine’s children have been displaced by war, UNICEF official says

People, mainly women and children, make their way through Przemysl railway station after journeying from war-torn Ukraine on March 31, 2022 in Przemysl, Poland.

Jeff J Mitchell | Getty Images

The UN has determined that nearly two-thirds of Ukraine’s children have been displaced since the start of Russia’s war.

“I would say every single child in Ukraine, their lives have been touched by this war. They’ve either lost a family member or they have witnessed trauma themselves,” said Afshan Khan, the regional director for the UN Children’s Fund, or UNICEF.

“With two-thirds of the children in the country on the move, we cannot say that a single child’s life has not been touched,” added Khan, who traveled on a UN mission trip to cities in Ukraine.

— Amanda Macias

Russia is likely expanding ground forces with low-qualified volunteers, UK’s MoD says

The U.K.’s Ministry of Defense believes Russia is building a new ground force formation, the 3rd Army Corps, or “3 AC.” This force is likely drawing heavily on volunteer battalions, which accept conscripts up to 50 years of age and with only middle-school level educations, the ministry said in its daily intelligence briefing posted to Twitter.

“To support the Ukraine operation, Russia has almost certainly established a major new ground forces formation, 3rd Army Corps (3 AC), based out of Mulino, in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast east of Moscow,” it said. “Russian regional politicians have confirmed that potential 3 AC recruits are being offered lucrative cash bonuses once they deploy to Ukraine.”

The post read: “A Russian army corps typically consists of 15-20,000 troops, but it will probably be difficult for Russia to bring 3 AC up to this strength, given very limited levels of popular enthusiasm for volunteering for combat in Ukraine.”

The ministry added that “3 AC’s effect is unlikely to be decisive to the campaign.”

— Natasha Turak

Russian missiles hit village outside of Zaporizhzhia, killing at least one

The village of Kushuhum just south of the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia was hit by four Russian missiles, killing a woman who was found beneath the rubble of a destroyed building, according to the region’s governor.

“Four private buildings have been totally destroyed,” the governor, Oleksandr Starukh, said in a post on Telegram. “Several dozen houses have been left without windows and roofs.”

He added that gas and electricity for the village had also been disrupted.

— Natasha Turak

Zelenskyy vows to liberate Russian-annexed Crimea

People rest on a beach as smoke and flames rise after explosions at a Russian military airbase, in Novofedorivka, Crimea August 9, 2022. 

Stringer | Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed in his nightly address that Ukraine would liberate its southern peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

“This Russian war against Ukraine and against the entire free Europe began with Crimea and must end with Crimea – with its liberation,” he said.

A Russian airbase on the western coast of Crimea, Novofedorivka, far from the frontline, was hit by large explosions Tuesday that killed at least one person and injured some 13 more, Crimea’s health ministry said.

Ukraine says Russia lost nine planes as a result of the explosions, but Ukrainian officials did not claim responsibility for the attack. Ukraine’s claims have not been independently verified.

— Natasha Turak

Ukraine warns Russian forces are connecting Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to Crimea, causing damage

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, in the Russian-controlled area of Enerhodar, seen from Nikopol in April 27, 2022.

Ed Jones | Afp | Getty Images

Russian forces in charge of southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are reconfiguring its power production to connect it to the annexed territory of Crimea, Ukrainian nuclear operator Energoatom said, warning that this meant causing damage to critical systems.

“To do this, you must first damage the power lines of the plant connected to the Ukrainian energy system. From 7-9 August, the Russians have already damaged three power lines. At the moment, the plant is operating with only one production line, which is an extremely dangerous way of working,” Petro Kotin, president of Energoatom, said on Ukrainian television.

The facility can provide power to four million homes in Ukraine.

Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014. Russian forces have occupied the Zaporizhzhia plant — the largest nuclear power plant in Europe — since early March.

— Natasha Turak

Celebrity chef and humanitarian Jose Andres shares map of food centers in Ukraine

Celebrity chef and humanitarian Jose Andres shared a map showing the footprint of the World Central Kitchen, a humanitarian organization dedicated to feeding vulnerable communities, in Ukraine.

The Spanish chef and restaurateur brought the World Central Kitchen to Ukraine to address the food crisis triggered by Russia’s war.

The two-star Michelin chef said that his organization has thus far served more than 130 million meals since Russia’s war broke out more than five months ago.

— Amanda Macias

At least 366 Ukrainian health-care facilities have been attacked since war started, WHO says

A couple wounded in a shopping mall hit by a Russian missile strike hold hands in a hospital as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kremenchuk, in Poltava region, Ukraine June 27, 2022.

Anna Voitenko | Reuters

Since the Kremlin invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the World Health Organization’s Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care estimates that there have been at least 434 attacks on vital health services in the country.

The organization reports that health care facilities were damaged 366 times, ambulances were targeted in 65 cases and at least 104 attacks affected crucial medical supplies. The group also estimated that attacks on health services led to at least 85 deaths and 101 injuries.

The Kremlin has previously denied that it targets civilian infrastructure like hospitals, schools and apartment buildings.

— Amanda Macias

U.S. probes firm linked with Russian oligarch Abramovich over hedge fund investments

Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich looks on from the stands during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on April 16, 2016 in London, England. Abramovich announced on in March 2022 that he was selling the club due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine. The UK government froze Abramovich’s assets there days later due to his “close ties with (the) Kremlin.”

Paul Gilham | Getty Images

U.S. authorities are investigating investment advisory firm Concord Management, which oversaw hedge fund investments worth billions of dollars for Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

The investigation, being conducted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is partly focused on how Abramovich’s associates used several offshore shell companies to invest $8 billion in hedge funds and private equity firms, the report added, citing people close to the firm.

Abramovich is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s allies and has been sanctioned by nations across the world over his support of Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.

— Reuters

U.N. chief condemns shelling of nuclear plant

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the weekend shelling of the Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Southeastern Ukraine, calling any attack on nuclear plants “a suicidal thing.”

Rockets have reportedly hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in recent days, and three radiation sensors were damaged, CNBC’s Shepard Smith reported Tuesday. Ukrainian and Russian officials traded blame over the attacks.

Russia seized the plant five months ago in the early stages of the war after it invaded Ukraine.

The head of the United Nations watchdog called on both countries to let experts visit and assess the site. Guterres said on Tuesday that conditions there are “completely out of control.”

—Lee Ying Shan

Read CNBC’s previous live coverage here:

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World

Biden Signs Bill to Help Veterans Exposed to Toxic Burn Pits

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WASHINGTON — President Biden on Wednesday signed into law a bill that expands medical benefits for veterans who were exposed to toxins from burning pits of trash on military bases, ending a yearslong quest for support by veterans and their families.

The issue is deeply personal for the president, who has long speculated that his son Beau developed brain cancer because of exposure to burn pits when he served in Iraq as a member of the Delaware National Guard. Before signing the legislation, Mr. Biden described the lingering effects of the exposures.

“Toxic smoke, thick with poisons, spreading through the air and into the lungs of our troops,” he said. “When they came home, many of the fittest and best warriors that we sent to war were not the same. Headaches, numbness, dizziness, cancer. My son, Beau, was one of them.”

In a ceremony packed with veterans and their families in the East Room of the White House, Mr. Biden called the new law progress toward fulfilling “a sacred obligation” to those who defended the nation and their families. The law passed despite a last-minute delay by Republican senators, who blocked its passage but backed down after an intense backlash.

“This is the most significant law our nation has ever passed to help millions of veterans who are exposed to toxic substances during their military services,” Mr. Biden said, adding a few minutes later: “This law is long overdue. We finally got it done, together.”

The legislation addresses the effects that some veterans have suffered after sleeping and working in proximity to large fires on military bases where trash — including tires, jet fuel, chemicals and other equipment — was burned, creating large clouds of smoke. Research suggests that toxins in the smoke may be responsible for a series of ailments suffered by veterans, including cancer, bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, sleep apnea, bronchitis and sinusitis.

The new law, known as the PACT Act, makes it easier for veterans who believe they were exposed to toxins during their service to apply for medical benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The law creates a $280 billion stream of federal funding, making it one of the largest expansions of veterans benefits in American history.

In his remarks, Mr. Biden praised the many years of work by family members and activists, singling out Jon Stewart, the comedian, for his impassioned and sometimes angry demands that politicians pass the bill.

“What you’ve done, Jon, matters, and you know it does,” Mr. Biden said to Mr. Stewart, who was in the room for the signing ceremony. “You should know. It really, really matters. You refused to let anybody forget. Refused to let them forget, and we owe you big, man.”

Mr. Stewart, who has been lobbying for the bill for years, was particularly vocal last month, when Republican senators abruptly refused to support the measure, citing concerns that it was structured in a way that could create a costly new entitlement. The legislation had passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the House, and the Republican senators who objected had voiced their firm support only weeks earlier.

Appearing on CNN after the Republicans blocked the bill, Mr. Stewart was livid, helping to spur an intense reaction that led to the bill’s final passage days later.

“I’m used to lies. I’m used to hypocrisy. I’m used to their cowardice,” Mr. Stewart told Jake Tapper on CNN’s “The Lead” program. “I’m not used to the cruelty, the casual cruelty.”

In his remarks on Wednesday, Mr. Biden did not mention the Republican obstruction. Instead, he focused on the bipartisan nature of the agreement, citing its passage as evidence that he has made good on his promise to bridge ideological divides in the nation’s capital to get things done.

“I don’t want to hear the press tell me Democrats, Republicans can’t work together,” he said. “We got it done, and we got it done together.”

Danielle Robinson, the wife of Sgt. Heath Robinson, who died of lung cancer after serving in Iraq, spent years helping to lead the fight for the new veterans benefits. The legislation was named after her husband.

In her own remarks at the White House, Ms. Robinson described how her husband developed cancer a decade after returning from combat. She thanked Mr. Biden and the other activists for pushing lawmakers to pass legislation that will make it easier to receive medical treatment and benefits after similar exposures.

“So many veterans are still battling burn pit illnesses today,” she said. “Too many have succumbed to those illnesses as well. And I’m honored to be with the father of another military family that understands the ultimate sacrifice like we do — our commander in chief, President Joe Biden.”

Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015.

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Hotter nights could lead to a 60 percent rise in global mortality: study – The Hill

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Story at a glance

  • Numerous studies have detailed the deleterious health effects posed by rising day-time temperatures resulting from climate change.
  • Now, new research underscores the extreme toll rising night-time heat could have on human health.
  • According to models, by the year 2100, the world could see an up to 60 percent spike in mortality thanks to climbing temperatures at night. 

As the United States continues to trudge through a sweltering summer and with a warm fall on the way, new research underscores the potentially deadly ramifications of rising heat at night.

Published in The Lancet Planetary Health, data from Japan, South Korea and China show hotter night-time temperatures could lead to a 60 percent spike in mortality rates around the world by the end of the century. 

Previous research on the deadly effects of rising heat has typically focused on excessive day-time temperatures, while “the risks of increasing temperature at night were frequently neglected,” explained study co-author Yuqiang Zhang of the University of North Carolina in a statement.

Night-time ambient heat can interrupt the normal physiology of sleep and subsequently lead to a host of complications including immune system damage, chronic illness, and systemic inflammation, authors said. In urban areas, these outcomes might be exacerbated due to the urban heat island effect.

Furthermore, data show that by the 2100s, “total populations exposed to night-time heat are projected to increase four to eight times compared with the 2010s across the northern hemisphere.” 

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Researchers measured hot night excess (HNE) in the three regions between 1980 and 2015 and modeled projections for the years 2016 through 2100. Different climate change scenarios were employed and measurements were controlled for the effects of daily mean temperatures. 

A total of 28 cities with varying climates were included in the models along with daily death records from local health agencies. 

By 2090, the average intensity of hot nights in these cities will nearly double from around 69 degrees fahrenheit to 103.5 degrees fahrenheit. Severity of night-time heat worsened even under a scenario where the goals of the Paris Agreement were met. Under the models, regions with the lowest average temperatures had the largest potential for warming.

“The occurrences of HNE are projected to occur more rapidly than the daily mean temperature changes,” Zhang continued. “The frequency and mean intensity of hot nights would increase more than 30% and 60% by the 2100s, respectively, compared with less than 20% increase for the daily mean temperature.”

Co-author Haidong Kan of Fudan University in China added that governments and local policymakers should take the findings into account to better prepare for the impending consequences of climate change.

However, because the data were collected from three countries, researchers urged caution when generalizing findings to wider populations. They are currently working to develop a more broad, global dataset. 

In the meantime, “Locally, heat during the night should be taken into account when designing the future heatwave warning system, especially for vulnerable populations and low-income communities who may not be able to afford the additional expense of air conditioning,”  Zhang said. “Stronger mitigation strategies, including global collaborations, should be considered to reduce future impacts of warming.”

Published on Aug. 10, 2022



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Wildfires rage in France, thousands evacuated from homes

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HOSTENS, France, Aug 10 (Reuters) – Wildfires tore through the Gironde region of southwestern France on Wednesday, destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of 10,000 residents, some of whom had clambered onto rooftops as the flames got closer.

Black-and-orange skies, darkened by the smoke billowing from forests and lit up by the flames, were seen across the area as the fires continued to burn out of control despite the efforts of firefighters backed by water-bombing aircraft.

Fires, which have razed about 6,200 hectares (15,320), have now crossed in the neighbouring Landes region.

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France, like the rest of Europe, has been struggling this summer with successive heatwaves and its worst drought on record. Dozens of wildfires are ablaze across the country, including at least eight major ones.

“Prepare your papers, the animals you can take with you, some belongings,” the Gironde municipality of Belin-Beliet said on Facebook before evacuating parts of the town.

In the nearby village of Hostens, police had earlier been door to door telling residents to leave as the fire advanced. Camille Delay fled with her partner and her son, grabbing their two cats, chickens and house insurance papers.

“Everyone in the village climbed onto their rooftops to see what was happening – within ten minutes a little twist of smoke became enormous,” the 30-year-old told Reuters by telephone.

Firefighters said more evacuations were likely. Even so, some Hostens residents were reluctant to abandon their homes.

“It’s complicated to go with the dogs and we cannot leave them here,” said Allisson Horan, 18, who stayed behind with her father.

“I’m getting worried because the fire is in a plot of land behind ours and the wind is starting to change direction.”

Numerous small roads and a highway were closed.

Flames engulf trees during a fire in Hostens, as wildfires continue to spread in the Gironde region of southwestern France, in this screen grab taken from a handout video August 9, 2022. Sdis33 via Facebook/ Handout via REUTERS

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More than 57,200 hectares have gone up in flames so far in France this year, nearly six times the full-year average for 2006-2021, data from the European Forest Fire Information System shows.

“The fire is creating its own wind,” senior local official Martin Guespereau told reporters, adding that efforts to fight it were made more difficult by how unpredictable it was.

Sweden and Italy are among countries preparing to send help to France, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.

He repeated calls for everyone to be responsible – nine out of 10 fires are either voluntarily or involuntarily caused by people, he said.

The Gironde wildfire is one of many that have broken out across Europe this summer, triggered by heatwaves that have baked the continent and brought record temperatures.

In Portugal, nearly 1,200 firefighters backed by eight aircraft have battled a blaze in the mountainous Covilha area some 280 km (174 miles) northeast of Lisbon that has burned more than 3,000 hectares of forest since Saturday.

Spain and Greece have also had to tackle multiple fires over the past few weeks.

The Gironde was hit by major wildfires in July which destroyed more than 20,000 hectares of forest and temporarily forced almost 40,000 people from their homes.

Authorities believe the latest inferno was a result of the previous fires still smouldering in the area’s peaty soil.

Fires were also raging in the southern departments of Lozere and Aveyron. In the Maine et Loire department in western France, more than 1,200 hectares have been scorched by another fire.

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Reporting by Stephane Mahe in Hostens and Layli Foroudi in Paris; Additional reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Writing by Richard Lough, Ingrid Melander; Editing by Jane Merriman, Alexandra Hudson and Mark Heinrich

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Beluga whale stuck in France’s Seine euthanized during rescue mission

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Dozens of rescuers watched a whale suspended in a net in the air, in what French officials described as “an unprecedented operation” to save the 13-foot mammal.

After hours of delicate lifting, a crane had pulled the whale out of the Seine river before dawn, in the first phase of a mission to save the beluga trapped in the river northwest of Paris. The next step was moving him back toward the coast in a refrigerated truck.

But despite a massive operation that mobilized 80 people — divers, scientists, police and firefighters — the local prefecture said early Wednesday it was sad to announce the death of the beluga.

After realizing he was too weak to survive, authorities decided to euthanize the suffering animal, they said. It was not clear how the whale, which weighed over 1,700 lbs., had strayed so far from the Arctic waters that make up its natural habitat.

Vets had waited on land to examine the mammal that captivated onlookers after getting stuck for days in France’s northwest. Crowds formed on the banks of the river in Normandy to watch the operation.

On the coast near the English Channel, a command center was monitoring the rescue operation. Rescuers planned to treat the unwell animal before releasing him back into the waters.

But, far from the cold waters his protected species is used to, the cetacean’s health worsened on the truck.

A beluga whale was first spotted in France’s River Seine on Aug. 2, far from the cold Arctic waters it is more suited. (Video: Reuters)

“During the trip, veterinarians noticed a deterioration in his condition, particularly in respiratory functions,” veterinarian Ollivet Courtois said. She said the beluga had spent days in an unsuitable environment, with the river’s temperatures, pollution and boats.

“The operation was launched because it was the last chance. If we had left him, he was doomed to a certain death,” she told a news conference. “So, we tried to save him. Unfortunately, we did not succeed.”

Members of the marine conservation group and rescuers tried earlier this week to feed the whale fish to help it make the return along the river out to the English Channel. They had voiced fears the weakened animal could starve in the waterway.

However, shortly after the crane hoisted him out of the Seine, Sea Shepherd France said the male beluga did not have infectious diseases but was not able to digest food for reasons that were unclear.

Sea Shepherd thanked local authorities for attempting the tricky operation.

“It is with a heavy heart that we announce that the beluga did not survive the transfer, which was risky but indispensable to give a chance to an animal that was otherwise condemned,” it said.

Sightings of belugas in rivers are rare — but in 2018 a whale nicknamed Benny in Britain’s River Thames sparked a similar rescue mission.

Other Arctic animals have also been spotted in Europe in recent years, according to the Natural History Museum, including a walrus nicknamed Wally.

“While it’s too soon to say if the increase in Arctic wildlife in Europe’s waters is part of a growing trend, an increase in melting ice, the movement of prey and stormy weather have all been linked to changes in the distribution of these animals,” the museum said.

Rick Noack contributed to this report.



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