The Pope, who is currently 84, was admitted to a hospital in Rome and has gone through successful surgery in order to treat a problem with the colon, as stated by the Vatican. The condition is known as symptomatic diverticular stenosis of the colon and there was a statement released by the Holy See press stating: “This afternoon his Holiness Pope Francis went to the Gemelli hospital…”
The statement also went on to mention that the surgery was carried out by Professor Sergio Alfieri. There was not much more mentioned on the details of the surgery or for how long the pope would be staying in hospital. This illness usually leads to a difficulty in the large intestine and typically occurs in elderly people. However most people with this condition don’t actually get any symptoms.
The operation was of a three hour duration and Pope Francis is reported to be in good condition as well as being alert and breathing on his own. The surgery specifically involved removing one side of the colon. Since his election in 2013, this is the first time that Pope Francis has undergone surgery of this type.
Furthermore, the Pope is currently staying in a hospital which was also used by Pope John Paul II for his medical needs. The Pope also has previously lost part of his right lung at the age of 21 and he also suffers from hip problems. Mario Draghi, Italy’s prime minister, “expressed affectionate wishes for a rapid convalescence and quick healing.”
The Taliban has recently captured several districts in the north of Afghanistan, this is just days after the U.S. Troops went out of the Bagram Airfield. Furthermore, as the provinces of Badakhshan and Kandahar are captured, Afghan troops are being forced to flee into Tajikistan. Ever since April, when the US president made the announcement to end the war in Afghanistan, the Taliban has made gains in territory.
Most of the major gains have been towards the Northern territories. It is important to note that the Taliban currently controls around one third of all the districts in Afghanistan, of which there are 421. And under the new deal with the Taliban, all troops are agreed to be withdrawn.
However there is a great global concern growing over the future of Kaul, as the Afghan forces have to prepare to take care of the situation alone. Upon speaking to the BBC, the spokesman for the Taliban, Suhail Shaheen, said that no foreign forces should remain in the city after the withdrawal is complete, and this includes all military personnel.
The president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, believes that Afghan’s own security is enough to keep the Taliban at bay. However this is not the view that many take, with some suggesting that there is a risk that the country could fall back into the hands of the Taliban. Boris Johnson is also expected to reveal plans about the Uk’s military withdrawal plans.
Sources: BBC, the guardian
China has continued with it’s relent less clampdowns on internet giants and this includes Didi, which a ride sharing app. Furthermore, China also looked to probe into two more companies which include Full Truck Alliance, and Kanzhun which is the owner of an online recruitment platform. It is important to highlight that these three companies raised a total of capital with Didi raising $4.4 billion in the New York IPO.
China’s Cyberspace Administration took the decision to take Didi off the app store, their reason for doing so was that it collected personal data illegally. They told the company that it had to “ensure the safety of the personal information of users.” Moreover, Didi has nearly 500 million users and around 15 million drivers, however the removal of the domestic tech firm still went ahead.
Interestingly, this move was praised by the Global Times, which commented that Didi was conducting “big data analysis” and this presented a risk to the people using the app. The further went on to say, “We must not allow any internet giant to become a super database of Chinese personal information even more detailed than the state, let alone give them the right to use this data at will.”
Some believe that this removal is just part of the enduring effort by the Chinese authorities to crackdown on what was previously a loose sector of technology. There have been government actions in the previous months on other online marketplaces with the likes of Alibaba and Bytedance, which is the parent company of TikTok. However the government is adamant that it is safeguarding China’s data security and cybersecurity.
Sources: the guardian, wsj
For Canada the question of whether global warming is real no longer a topic of debate as there has been a rapid increase in temperatures. This heat wave was unexpected and there are reports that more than 300 sudden deaths in the territory of British Columbia are to be blamed on a 5 day heat wave. Not only was this a heat wave, but Canada’s highest temperature was also recorded recently in Lytton, with the temperature reaching 49°C.
The chief coroner confirmed that usually only 165 deaths would occur in the province. The country’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau stated, “Our thoughts are with people who have lost loved ones.” He further went on to mention how there is now a greater need to address the issues of climate change. Of the people who died over the period, most were elderly and were living alone in places that were not well ventilated.
In addition, temperatures have also risen sharply in other Canadian provinces in what is called a “heat dome”. This is a weather system which essentially traps hot air and this system has descended on much of the west coast of Canada. Sergeant Steve Addison, of Vancouver police, stated “We’ve never seen anything like this, and it breaks our hearts. If you have an elderly or vulnerable family member, please give them a call or stop by to check on them.”
As time goes on, this heat wave is expected to extend to other parts of the country. For this reason there was a message by Environment Canada which urged people to stay hydrated and to remain indoors. There is also a potential that other high temperature records could be broken in many other states.
Sources: the guardian, yahoo