Three Thai soldiers have been injured by a landmine while patrolling the border with Cambodia, according to the army, days after the two neighbours agreed to a detailed ceasefire following a violent five-day conflict last month.
One soldier lost a foot and two others were injured after one of them stepped on a landmine as they patrolled an area between Thailand’s Sisaket and Cambodia’s Preah Vihear provinces on Saturday morning, the Royal Thai Armed Forces said.
One soldier suffered a severe leg injury, another was wounded in the back and arm, and the third had extreme pressure damage to the ear, it said.
There was no immediate comment from Cambodia’s defence ministry.
It is the third incident in a few weeks in which Thai soldiers have been injured by mines while patrolling along the border.
Two previous similar incidents led to the downgrading of diplomatic relations and triggered five days of fighting.
The Southeast Asian neighbours were engaged in deadly border clashes from July 24-28, in the worst fighting between the two in more than a decade.
The exchanges of artillery fire, infantry battles and jet fighter sorties killed at least 43 people.
The clashes halted with a ceasefire on July 28 after United States President Donald Trump warned both sides that he would not conclude trade deals with them if fighting continued.
A meeting of defence officials in Kuala Lumpur ended on Thursday with a deal to extend the ceasefire, and the two sides also agreed to allow observers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to inspect disputed border areas to ensure hostilities do not resume.
United States Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has announced that the US is to cut funding for mRNA vaccine development – a move that health experts say is “dangerous” and could make the US much more vulnerable to future outbreaks of respiratory viruses like COVID-19.
Kennedy is known for his vaccine scepticism and recently ousted all 17 members of a scientific advisory panel on vaccines at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be replaced with his own selections. However, this latest announcement is just part of a series of moves by President Donald Trump himself that appear to target the vaccine industry and give increasing weight to the arguments of vaccine sceptics in the US.
Trump has previously undermined the efficacy of vaccines and sought to cut funding to vaccine programmes. Public health experts sounded the alarm after his election win in November, warning there would likely be a “war on vaccines” under Trump.
“My main concern is that this is part of an increasingly ideological rather than evidence-based approach to healthcare and vaccination in particular that is being adopted in the US,” David Elliman, associate professor at University College London, told Al Jazeera.
“This is likely to increase vaccine hesitancy … [and] will result in more suffering and death, particularly for children. This would be a tragedy, even more so because it is avoidable.”
What new cuts to vaccine funding have been made?
In a statement posted on Tuesday on X, Kennedy said 22 projects on mRNA vaccine development worth nearly $500m will be cancelled. The main reason, he said, was that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) in his Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had reviewed mRNA vaccines and found them to be “ineffective” in fighting mutating viruses.
“A single mutation can make mRNA vaccines ineffective,” Kennedy said in a video statement. “After reviewing the science and consulting top experts, … HHS has determined that mRNA technology poses more risk than benefits for these respiratory viruses.”
Instead, Kennedy said, the US will shift mRNA funding to other vaccine development technologies that are “safer” and “remain effective”.
Some notable institutions and companies that will be affected by the latest decision, as listed on the HHS website, include:
Emory University and Tiba Biotech (terminated contracts)
Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus (rejected or cancelled proposals)
Luminary Labs, ModeX (“descoped” or weakened contracts)
AstraZeneca and Moderna (“restructured” contracts)
What are mRNA vaccines, and are they really ineffective against virus mutations?
Messenger ribonucleic acid vaccines prompt the body to produce proteins that help it build immunity against certain microbes. They differ from traditional vaccines that introduce weakened or dead microbes into the body to stimulate immunity. Both types of vaccines have their strengths and weaknesses, but mRNA vaccines are notably faster to manufacture although they don’t provide the lifelong coverage that traditional vaccines might.
However, Elliman said virus mutations are a general problem for any vaccines and present a challenge scientists are still contending with.
“As yet, there are no vaccines in use that have solved this problem, so this is not a good reason for abandoning mRNA vaccines,” Elliman said. “The technology has great promise for vaccines and therapeutics, so ceasing research in the field without good evidence is unjustified.”
The move, he added, could discourage investors and scientists, both inside and outside the US, from keeping up research.
Dorit R Reiss, a law professor at the University of California, San Francisco, who focuses on vaccine law, told Al Jazeera that the decision is “troubling and shortsighted”.
“Procedurally, the decision was done in a very flawed manner. At the least, there should be notice and an opportunity for hearing and explanation under our administrative law, and there was instead a short and cursory X video with no references, no real data,” she said.
The move will not only hurt innovation, she said, but will also leave the country less prepared for emergencies.
Boxes of Pfizer-BioNTech, top, and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines [File: Joe Raedle/Getty Images]
What are RFK’s views on vaccines?
The health secretary has long been considered a vaccine sceptic.
Kennedy formerly chaired Children’s Health Defense – an anti-vaccine advocacy group formed in 2007 – until 2023 when he announced his run for the presidency. The organisation has also campaigned against the fortification of drinking water with fluoride, which prevents tooth decay.
During a 2013 autism conference, Kennedy compared the CDC’s childhood vaccine programme to Nazi-era crimes. “To me, this is like Nazi death camps, what happened to these kids,” he said, referring to an increasing number of children diagnosed with autism. “I can’t tell you why somebody would do something like that. I can’t tell you why ordinary Germans participated in the Holocaust.”
In a 2023 interview with Fox News, Kennedy claimed vaccines cause autism. He cited a widely debunked study by Andrew Wakefield, a discredited British doctor and antivaccine activist whose study on the matter has since been retracted from journals. In another 2023 podcast, Kennedy said, “No vaccine is safe or effective.”
Aside from his vaccine scepticism, Kennedy, also known as RFK Jr, has also made several controversial remarks about other health issues, such as COVID-19. He criticised vaccine mandates and lockdown restrictions during the pandemic under former President Joe Biden. He also claimed in a leaked video in 2022 that COVID-19 “attacked certain races disproportionately” because of their genetic makeup and Ashkenazi Jews were most immune to the virus. Several research studies, however, found that social inequalities were major influences on how COVID-19 affected different ethno-social groups because certain people had reduced access to care.
During a congressional hearing in the lead-up to his appointment in Trump’s administration, Kennedy denied making several of the controversial statements attributed to him in the past. He also promised to maintain existing vaccine standards.
What are Trump’s views on vaccines?
Trump has flip-flopped on this issue.
He has previously downplayed the usefulness of vaccines and, in particular, criticised the schedules under which children receive several vaccine doses within their first two years. In his election campaign last year, Trump promised to dismantle vaccine mandates in schools.
In a 2007 interview with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Trump claimed that an autism “epidemic” had arisen as a result of vaccines, a theory which has since been debunked. “My theory – and I study it because I have young children – my theory is the shots [vaccines]. We’re giving these massive injections at one time, and I really think it does something to the children.”
In subsequent interviews, Trump called childhood vaccines a “monster shot” and in 2015 during a debate among Republican presidential candidates said vaccines were “meant for a horse, not a child”.
In 2015, he told a reporter he had never received a flu shot.
But Trump has also spoken in favour of vaccines at times. During his first term as president, Trump said at a news briefing that children “have to get their shots” after outbreaks of measles emerged across the country. “The vaccinations are so important. This is really going around now,” he said.
Additionally, in his first term during the COVID-19 pandemic, his administration initially downplayed the virus, but it ultimately oversaw the rapid production of COVID-19 vaccines in a project it called Operation Warp Speed.
After Biden became president in 2021, Trump’s camp criticised his vaccine and face mask mandates, which critics said contributed to rising levels of antivaccine sentiment among conservative voters.
Trump also avoided using Operation Warp Speed’s success as a selling point in last year’s presidential campaign. He also did not publicly announce that he had received initial and booster COVID-19 vaccine shots before leaving the White House.
Has the Trump administration targeted vaccines more broadly?
During Trump’s second term, the US introduced vaccine regulations that some critics said undermine the country’s vaccine system.
Furthermore, the Trump administration has cut funding to the US Agency for International Development, which supported hundreds of vaccine development programmes across the world.
In February, Trump halted federal funding for schools that required students to have what his administration called “coercive” COVID-19 vaccines.
In May, Kennedy announced that the federal government would no longer recommend COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women without giving details about the reasons behind the change in policy. That went against the advice of US health officials who had previously urged boosters for young children.
In June, Kennedy fired all 17 members of a CDC panel of vaccine experts, claiming that the board was “rife with conflicts”. The panel, which had been appointed by Biden, was responsible for recommending how vaccines are used and for whom. Kennedy said the move would raise public confidence, stating that the US was “prioritising the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or antivaccine agenda. However, the move drew condemnation from scientists and health bodies.
At the same time, the Food and Drug Administration, which also comes under the remit of the HHS, has approved at least one COVID-19 vaccine. In May, the FDA approved Novavax’s non-mRNA, protein-based COVID-19 vaccine although only for older adults and those over the age of 12 who also have underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk from the virus. That was unusual for the US, where vaccines are usually approved without such limitations.
The 2026 budget proposal to Congress does not include funding for the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), a public-private entity formed in 2002 to support vaccine distribution to low and middle-income countries. GAVI was instrumental in securing vaccines for several countries in Africa and other regions during the COVID-19 pandemic when it was feared that richer countries could stockpile the available doses. The US currently provides more than 10 percent of GAVI’s funding. In 2024, that amounted to $300m.
Did Trump seek to undermine vaccine research and development during his first term as well?
Yes.
Trump’s health budget proposals in 2018 and subsequently proposed budget cuts to the National Institute of Health and the CDC would have impacted immunisation programmes and a wide range of life-saving research on vaccines. However, the proposals were rejected by Congress.
In May 2018, the Trump administration disbanded the Global Health and Biodefense Unit of the National Security Council. The team, which was set up to help prepare the US for pandemics and vaccine deployments, was formed in 2015 under President Barack Obama’s administration during an Ebola epidemic. Later, when the COVID-19 pandemic reached the US, scientists blamed the country’s vulnerability on Trump’s decision.
Manchester United have signed Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko from Germany’s RB Leipzig on a contract until 2030, the Premier League club have announced.
The transfer fee is 76.5 million euros ($89m) with 8.5 million euros ($9.9m) in bonuses.
The 22-year-old, who joined Leipzig from the Austrian club RB Salzburg in 2023, scored 39 goals in 87 appearances across all competitions for the German side.
“The history of Manchester United is obviously very special, but what really excites me is the future,” Sesko said, upon completing the deal on Saturday.
“When we discussed the project, it was clear that everything is in place for this team to continue to grow and compete for the biggest trophies again soon.
“From the moment that I arrived, I could feel the positive energy and family environment that the club has created. It is clearly the perfect place to reach my maximum level and fulfil all of my ambitions.
“I cannot wait to start learning from [manager] Ruben [Amorim] and connecting with my teammates to achieve the success that we all know we are capable of together.”
Manchester United, who finished 15th in the Premier League last season, have also signed forwards Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo for the new campaign, which starts at home against Arsenal on August 17.
It was only ever United. pic.twitter.com/JpzKueYSIc
Sesko had also been a target for Newcastle United, who are actively seeking replacements for wantaway striker Alexander Isak.
“Benjamin possesses a rare combination of electrifying pace and the ability to physically dominate defenders, making him one of the most exceptional young talents in world football,” Jason Wilcox, Man United’s director of football, said in the club’s announcement.
“We have followed Benjamin’s career closely; all of our data analysis and research concluded that he has the required qualities and personality to thrive at Manchester United.
“Working under the guidance of Ruben and our excellent performance team, Benjamin is joining the perfect environment to support him to reach his world-class potential.
“The desire that all of our new signings have shown to join the club this summer highlights the appeal and stature of Manchester United, as we continue to build and develop a team capable of challenging for the biggest honours.”
Current United strikers Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee scored just 18 goals between them in all competitions last term as United fell to a club-record 18 losses in the Premier League era and its lowest points total of 42.
Only four teams scored fewer goals than United in the top flight last term – including the three relegated clubs – as the 20-time English champion recorded its lowest finish in the modern era when it placed 15th, just three places above the relegation zone.
Sesko has been compared with former Paris Saint-Germain and United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic because of his height – both are 1.95 metres (6 feet, 5 inches) tall – and flashes of technical skill.
Tudor Lakatos challenges Roma discrimination through Elvis Presley’s musical legacy.
Sporting a rhinestone shirt, oversized sunglasses and a classic 1950s quiff, Lakatos captivates audiences across Romania with his distinctive renditions of songs like Blue Suede Shoes.
Rather than being an impersonator, Lakatos harnesses Elvis’s universal appeal to dismantle stereotypes about Roma people and inspire Roma youth.
“I never wanted to get on stage, I did not think about it”, Lakatos, 58, said after a recent gig at a restaurant in the capital, Bucharest. “I only wanted one thing – to make friends with Romanians, to stop being called a Gypsy”, he added, using an often derided term for people belonging to the Roma ethnic group.
The Roma, with South Asian origins, have endured centuries of persecution throughout Eastern Europe and continue to face poverty, unemployment and prejudice. In Romania, they represent approximately seven percent of the population, with one-fifth reporting discrimination experiences in the past year, according to European Union data.
Lakatos began his mission in the early 1980s as an art student during Nicolae Ceausescu’s communist regime. When anti-Roma sentiment was widespread, he discovered that Elvis’s music created connections with ethnic Romanian students while simultaneously symbolising resistance against government oppression.
Now, 40 years later, his audience has expanded. As a teacher for 25 years, Lakatos uses music to show his students they can aspire beyond the limited opportunities of their northwestern Romanian village.
“The adjective Gypsy is used everywhere as a substitute for insult”, Lakatos said. “We older people have gotten used to it, we can swallow it, we grew up with it. I have said many times, ‘ Call us what you want, dinosaur and brontosaurus, but at least join hands with us to educate the next generation. ‘”
Despite his teaching career, Lakatos continues performing throughout Romania at various venues.
The eclectic mix of languages can sometimes lead to surprises because there is not always a literal translation for Elvis’s 1950s American English.
For example, “Don’t step on my blue suede shoes” does not make sense to many of the children he teaches because they are so poor, Lakatos said.
In his version, the lyric Elvis made famous becomes simply “Don’t step on my bare feet”.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out Ukraine ceding land to Russia and demanded his country take part in negotiations in comments made before planned talks between the leaders of Russia and the United States.
In a video shared on social media on Saturday, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready for “real decisions” that could bring a “dignified peace” but stressed there could be no violation of the constitution on territorial issues.
“Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,” he said, warning that “decisions without Ukraine” would not bring peace.
“They will not achieve anything. These are stillborn decisions. They are unworkable decisions. And we all need real and genuine peace. Peace that people will respect,” added Zelenskyy, whose country has been fighting off a full-scale Russian invasion since February 2022.
His comments came hours after US President Donald Trump said a peace deal would involve “some swapping of territories” as he announced a meeting on Friday with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the US state of Alaska to discuss the war in Ukraine.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, which also forced millions of people to flee their homes.
Three rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine this year have failed to bear fruit, and it remains unclear whether a summit would bring peace any closer.
On Thursday, Putin said he considers a meeting with Zelenskyy possible but the conditions for such negotiations must be right and the prerequisites for this are still far from being met.
The Russian president did not outline his conditions, but previously, the Kremlin has insisted that Ukraine give up the territories Russia occupies, Western nations stop supplying Ukraine with weapons and they exclude Ukraine from membership in the NATO military alliance.
“There has been a lot of speculation over what a ceasefire agreement could look like in which the lines of contact between Russia and Ukraine could be frozen for a number of years,” Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javad, reporting from Moscow, said.
“It is also not clear whether the Russian demand that NATO’s ambitions in Ukraine should be forever quashed is actually going to be met.”
‘A challenging process’
Ukraine and its European allies have long opposed any agreement that involves ceding occupied territory, but Putin has repeatedly said any deal must require Ukraine to relinquish some of the territories Russia has seized.
Russia declared four Ukrainian regions that it does not fully control – Kherson, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Luhansk – its territory in 2022 and also claims the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.
Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks between the presidents of Russia and the US next week will “focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian crisis”.
“This will evidently be a challenging process, but we will engage in it actively and energetically,” Ushakov said.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, a close ally of Ukraine, said on Friday that a pause in the conflict could be close.
“There are certain signals, and we also have an intuition that perhaps a freeze in the conflict – I don’t want to say the end, but a freeze in the conflict – is closer than it is further away,” Tusk said at a news conference after talks with Zelenskyy. “There are hopes for this.”
The Alaska summit would be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021.
Midfielder Rodri is recovering from a “big injury” sustained during the Club World Cup, likely limiting the Ballon d’Or winner’s playing time in the early stages of the new Premier League season, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says.
Guardiola did not disclose the details of the injury but said the 29-year-old Spain international picked up the problem during City’s 4-3 loss against the Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup in July.
British media reported Rodri has suffered a groin injury.
Rodri only made his return to competitive action in May after eight months out of action due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
“Rodri is getting better, but he had a big injury in the last game against Al Hilal,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday before Saturday’s friendly match against the Italian side Palermo.
“He has trained better in the last few days. Hopefully after the international break [in September], he will be really fit.
“Hopefully in these [first three Premier League] games, he can play some minutes, but what is important is that he doesn’t have pain because we don’t want Rodri coming back injured. We will try desperately to avoid that.
“He has been training the last two sessions with us, and that’s good.”
