Houston floods: White House seeks disaster aid from Congress

The White House says it will ask the US Congress for emergency funding to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

President Donald Trump is expected to propose an initial $5.9bn (£4.56bn). Texas authorities say the state might need more than $125bn.

At least 39 people have died in the storm and its aftermath. East of Houston, floodwaters are still rising.

Visiting Texas, Vice-President Mike Pence promised federal help to "rebuild bigger and better than ever before".

The BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in Houston, Texas, says Congress is expected to act quickly on the request for initial funding when it reconvenes next week after its August recess.

But, she adds, that will be only the first tranche of money needed for the recovery.

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Mr Pence said 311,000 people had registered for disaster assistance. It is not yet clear how quickly funds might reach victims.

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Image captionMore than 300,000 people have asked for disaster aid, Mr Pence said

Visiting the battered town of Rockport, Mr Pence paid tribute to the people of Texas: "The resilience of the people of Texas has been inspiring."

He added: "The American people are with you. We are here today, we will be here tomorrow and we will be here every day until this city and this state and this region rebuild bigger and better than ever before."

The White House also said Mr Trump would donate $1m of his own money to the relief effort.

Firefighters in Houston have been carrying out door-to-door searches for survivors and bodies in an operation that could take up to two weeks.

Rescue operations are still continuing further east, where floodwaters are still rising.

Hundreds of thousands of residents who were evacuated or chose to leave are being warned not to return home until they are told it is safe to do so.

Earlier, a senior White House aide said about 100,000 homes, not all of which were fully insured, had been affected by the storm and the flooding that accompanied it.

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) said its teams had rescued more than 3,800 people, and more than 90,000 had already been approved for disaster assistance.

Fema also warned that residents were being targeted by scams. There are reports of criminals impersonating inspectors and immigration officials.

Others were receiving fraudulent calls about flood insurance claiming a premium must be paid or coverage would be lost.

House searches

Energy suppliers in southern Texas were forced to shut down refineries and close off pipelines, sending petrol prices higher across the US. Many have restarted operations, but it could take weeks before production is back to normal.Residents returning to their homes are also facing challenges.

The Environmental Protection Agency is warning residents that floodwater can contain bacteria and other contaminants from overflowing sewers. It said the biggest threat to public health was access to safe drinking water.

Thousands of homes remain without power.

One chemical plant in Crosby, near Houston, caught fire on Thursday, and more fires are expected in the coming days.

Chemicals stored at the flooded Arkema plant are no longer being refrigerated, making them combustible.

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Weight loss: How to lose weight fast by adding THIS food to your diet plan

WEIGHT loss: how to lose weight on the right diet plan could be as simple as eating one particular thing every day, an expert has revealed.

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Weight loss: Lose weight quicker by adding one particular food to your diet every day

Luckily for those hoping to lose weight, it doesn’t have to involve eating a strange diet food.

And there is no denying yourself either - something which is a common complaint of most weight loss meal plans.

Milton Stokes, R.D., author of Flat Belly Diet! For Men, revealed eating breakfast is essential for weight loss.

Explaining why, he told Men’s Fitness: “It's like putting logs on a wood-burning stove. You need that initial input of fuel to get your metabolism going for the day.”

The aim should be to intake around 400-600 calories within an hour of waking up.

Stokes advised focusing on protein, healthy fats and fibre, as these will leave dieters feeling fuller for longer.

There are a few meals to try in the morning that cover all of these ideals.

Jorge Cruise, author of The Belly Fat Cure, advised eggs with avocado/

He said: “Avocados are nature's ideal fruit for weight loss. They replace sugar with appetite-curbing good fat."

If you prefer a quick shake, then choose one with whey protein.

David Grotto, R.D., author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life said: “Whey is rich in branched chain amino acids, which stimulate muscle growth.

“The more muscle you have, the greater the fat-burning capacity of your metabolism.”

Finally, a simple yoghurt topped with fresh fruit to make it interesting and sprinkled with high-fibre cereal is another option.

Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D., author of The Flexitarian Diet, said: “The fat in yogurt contains conjugated linoleic acid, which can help you stay lean.”

She also said study after study shows a direct link between fibre and weight loss.

Losing weight is not all about diet - new research, conducted by the University of Leeds, has shown that adults who get six hours or less sleep a night, or have poor sleep patterns, are more likely to be overweight, obese and have poor metabolic health.

The study, led by Dr Laura Hardie, Reader in Molecular Epidemiology at the University of Leeds involved 1,615 adults who reported how long they slept and kept records of food intake

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Game Of Thrones Season 7 Episode 5 LEAK - Hackers share details on unaired episodes

CYBERCRIMINALS have shared a slew of scripts for unaired episodes of Game Of Thrones season 7 online, believed to have been obtained during the HBO hack earlier this month.

CYBERCRIMINALS have shared a slew of scripts for unaired episodes of Game Of Thrones season 7 online, believed to have been obtained during the HBO hack earlier this month.

Hackers have purportedly published more data from the HBO hack earlier this month, including scripts of unaired episodes of Game Of Thrones.

Scripts and other material for future season 7 episodes, including episode 5 Eastwatch, which is set to air on Sunday August 13th.

The latest leak arrives one week after HBO – the US television network behind the likes of Game Of Thrones, Westworld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ballers, and more – confirmed it had been hacked.

Hackers are believed to have published emails an executive at the premium cable company (this is disputed by HBO), as well as documents linked to the latest season of Game of Thrones.

According to Associated Press, the latest “dump includes scripts from five Game of Thrones episodes, including one upcoming episode, and a month’s worth of email from the account of an HBO programming executive.”

Cybercriminals behind the attack had threatened to leak more data ahead of the latest episode, The Spoils Of War, on Sunday night.

Variety was emailed the threat from the group, which claimed the hackers have plans to “release the leak gradually every week”.

In the automated email, the hackers reiterated their previous claim of having stolen of 1.5 terabytes of data from HBO’s computer network.

HBO has acknowledged the hack, but it has not confirmed or commented on the types of files – or the quantity – that was stolen.

“HBO recently experienced a cyber incident, which resulted in the compromise of proprietary information,” the television network confirmed in a written statement.

HBO recently experienced a cyber incident, which resulted in the compromise of proprietary information

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“We immediately began investigating the incident and are working with law enforcement and outside cybersecurity firms.

“Data protection is a top priority at HBO, and we take seriously our responsibility to protect the data we hold.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, it has received a video letter from the hacker. 

In the video message, the hackers purportedly demand money from HBO, and claim the premium television network is their 17th hacking target.

It took six months to gain access to HBO’s internal database, the hackers allege.

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Ayra Stark kills Walder Frey in the season 6 finale

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HBO is co-operating with cybersecurity firms and law enforcement to resolve the incident.

“While it has been reported that a number of emails have been made public, the review to date has not given us a reason to believe that our email system as a whole has been compromised,” a representative from HBO told Variety.

The news comes as the fourth episode of the seventh season – entitled “The Spoils Of War” – was leaked online ahead of its air date, and subsequently shared via a Google Drive link.

The feverishly-anticipated new episode of the hit fantasy series includes a For Internal Viewing Only watermark, as well as the logo of HBO distribution partner, Star India.

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A leaked Game Of Thrones episode – marked For Internal Viewing Only – has already been shared online

According to The Verge, the Game Of Thrones season 7 episode 4 leak was not the result of the HBO hack earlier this month.

The leaked episode – which is fairly low quality – was obtained from Star India’s website.

Star India has been handling distribution of HBO content in India since 2015.

A spokesperson for the company told The Verge: “This confirms the compromise of episode 4 of Game of Thrones Season 7, earlier this afternoon.

“We take this breach very seriously and have immediately initiated forensic investigations at our and the technology partner’s end to swiftly determine the cause.

“This is a grave issue and we are taking appropriate legal remedial action.”

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Breakthrough cancer cure on horizon - first patients due for NEW UK treatment in 2018

CANCER treatment for is set to be revolutionised in the UK next year - with the first patients expected to have treatment in early 2018. This means prostate cancer patients, patients with brain tumours and breast cancer could have a greater chance of survival.

Proton Partners International has announced it has successfully fired the first high energy proton beam in the UK during testing at The Rutherford Cancer Centre in South Wales.

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Treatment at The Rutherford Cancer Centres will be available to medically-insured private patients, self-paying patients and patients referred by the NHS.

Proton beam therapy is a type of radiotherapy used in cancer treatment, delivering heavily charged protons in a more targeted manner to reduce damage to unaffected tissue and organs.

The treatment has delivered significant results for patients, especially in lowering side effects - but the treatment is not yet available in the UK.

The NHS refers patients abroad for treatment, and hundreds of others have sought the treatment abroad - flying to Prague and footing the bill for their own treatment.

The tests were completed this week at the company’s first cancer centre in Newport, South Wales, in preparation for the Proteus ONE system - the first high energy proton beam therapy solution to be delivered in the UK - becoming fully operational.

The Rutherford Cancer Centre has opened recently to accept patient referrals for conventional cancer treatments and it is anticipated that patients will be treated with proton beam therapy early in 2018.

Mike Moran, chief executive officer of Proton Partners International, said: “This is an important milestone in the development of proton beam therapy in the UK. We’re two months ahead of schedule and for the first time in this country we are beginning to see the reality of high energy proton beam therapy taking shape.

“We look forward to completing the test programming in preparation of treating patients in our first cancer centre.We’re delighted that the most important day of all, when we are able to treat patients with high energy proton beam therapy, is coming into view.”

Professor Karol Sikora, chief medical officer of Proton Partners International, said: “The availability of proton beam therapy treatment in the UK will have a significant impact on cancer treatment.

“We believe around 10 per cent of all cancer patients could benefit from a very precise form of treatment.

“Furthermore, it will mean that patients who need this type of treatment will not have to travel abroad in future to receive it."

The Rutherford Cancer Centres will be able to provide conventional and proton beam therapy treatment to self-paying patients and patients referred by the NHS.

Tumours are targeted with Cone Beam CT, a volumetric visualisation of the tumour and the body.

To meet growing demand, Proton Partners International is building a series of oncology centres across the UK named The Rutherford Cancer Centres which will offer an all-encompassing cancer service, including high energy proton beam therapy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, imaging and wellbeing services.

Each centre will install the same proton beam therapy system at its other centres which are under development in Northumberland, Reading and Liverpool. 
Locations for a clinic in central London are also being considered.

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Kenya election 2017: Odinga disputes 'fake' results

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionMr Odinga said the results were the work of a computer

Kenya opposition presidential candidate Raila Odinga has rejected early results indicating a strong lead for his rival, President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Mr Odinga told journalists the details were "fake", because the authorities had failed to present documents verifying the results.

Electoral officials say that with 91% of results in Mr Kenyatta is leading with about 54.5%, to Mr Odinga's 44.6%.

Many fear a repeat of the violence after a disputed election 10 years ago.

More than 1,100 Kenyans died and 600,000 were displaced following the 2007 vote.

Mr Kenyatta's lead could mean that he is elected outright. There were eight candidates in all, but apart from Mr Kenyatta and Mr Odinga none polled more than 0.3% of the vote.

What is Mr Odinga's complaint about the vote?

The opposition has described the results being released online as a "fraud" because they were not accompanied by original result forms 34A and 34B from the polling stations.

"They are fictitious, they are fake," said Mr Odinga.

Image copyrightEPA

Image captionElection officials have been busy through the night counting the votes

He said that the results were "the work of a computer" and did not reflect the will of voters.

"We have our projections from our agents which show we are ahead by far," he added.

Opposition officials have said that, despite assurances from the electoral commission, they still have not received the result forms.

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What does the electoral commission say?

The electoral commission has been urging people to wait calmly for the full results of Tuesday's vote.

"During this critical phase, we urge all Kenyans to exercise restraint as we await official results from the polling stations and indeed as they start trickling in," the commission said.However, it admitted that a lack of mobile data coverage had delayed the delivery of the supporting documents, forms 34A and 34B.

There had been reports on election day of the failure of some voter-identification equipment. Also, one in four polling stations were apparently without mobile phone coverage, meaning that officials were asked to drive to the nearest town to send results.

The presidential candidates' agents would have "special access" to the forms, though, the electoral commission said.

The Daily Nation newspaper quoted commission head Ezra Chiloba as saying only results supported by the forms had been published.

How did the voting go?

Voting passed off largely peacefully and some polling stations remained open after the scheduled 17:00 (14:00 GMT) closing time.

People started queuing early to ensure they could cast their vote. Long queues could be seen, and video footage at one polling station showed people injured after an apparent stampede.

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionPeople began queuing early in the morning and even overnight to cast their votes

There were reports that one man had been killed in clashes in the Kilifi area.

But there was one heartening moment when a woman gave birth to a baby girl as she queued in West Pokot to cast her ballot. New mother Pauline Chemanang called the circumstances of the birth a "blessing" and called her baby Kura, Swahili for "ballot", according to local radio.

However, in the run-up to election day, a top election official was murdered, there were claims of vote-rigging and hate speech flyers and rhetorical text messages began circulating.

Some nervous Kenyans stockpiled food and water, while police prepared emergency first aid kits in the event of violence.

What is at stake?

Mr Kenyatta is hoping for a second term in office.

To win outright, a candidate needs more than 50% of the vote, and at least 25% in 24 of Kenya's 47 counties. If that threshold is not met, a run-off vote between the top two candidates will be triggered.

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionMr Kenyatta called on Kenyans to pull the country together

Voting for the national and local assemblies has also been taking place.

Mr Odinga, 72, has run for president three times and lost each time. President Kenyatta, the 55-year-old son of Kenya's founding president, beat him in the last election in 2013, but their rivalry is generations old - their fathers were political opponents in the 1960s.

Mr Kenyatta and his running-mate William Ruto were indicted by the International Criminal Court for their alleged roles in the bloodshed a decade ago. The case ultimately collapsed due to lack of evidence, and after key witnesses died or disappeared.

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