🇬🇧 Truss Favored by Over 60% of Tories in Upcoming Party Leadership Election - Poll

Over 60% of members of the UK's Conservative Party are prepared to vote for Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, while her opponent former Chancellor Rishi Sunak struggles to secure 40% of the votes, according to a YouGov poll published on Thursday.

The poll of Tory members suggests that Truss may receive 62% of votes and Sunak - 38%. The foreign secretary has a 24-point advantage. In a Tuesday poll, which was carried out before the final two candidates were determined, the figures suggested that Truss would beat Sunak in a hypothetical head-to-head by only 19 points. 

On Wednesday, the fifth round of voting by Conservative Party members took place in Parliament to elect the leader of the party, who will also become prime minister of the country. As a result, two candidates reached the final of the election race - Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

Voting will take place by mail from August 4 and the results on September 5.

🏥 Amazon makes $3.9 billion bet on primary care provider One Medical

The deal — one of its largest acquisitions ever — will give Amazon a physical network of health care offices and providers, as well as access to technology the start-up has built to enable virtual doctor visits. It adds to the company’s existing health care portfolio, which includes an online pharmacy and Amazon Care, a virtual urgent care service.

Primary care is often focused on helping patients make improvements to their lives, and Amazon could use the acquisition to point people to buy nutritional food at Whole Foods or get prenoscriptions from Amazon Pharmacy.

Health care is in need of reinvention, said Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services, in the release announcing the deal, and the combo will aim to improve the quality of service for customers. 

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

👮‍♂️ Ex-cop Lane gets 2 1/2 years on Floyd killing federal charge

A federal judge sentenced former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane to 2 1/2 years in prison Thursday for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, calling Lane’s role in the restraint that killed Floyd “a very serious offense in which a life was lost.” However, the judge handed down a sentence well below what prosecutors and Floyd’s family sought.

Judge Paul Magnuson’s sentence was just slightly more than the 27 months that Lane’s attorney had requested, while prosecutors had asked for at least 5 1/4 years in prison — the low end of federal guidelines for the charge Lane was convicted on earlier this year. He said Lane, who faces sentencing in September on state charges in Floyd’s killing, will remain free on bond until he must turn himself in Oct. 4.

Two other officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, were also convicted of violating Floyd’s civil rights and will be sentenced later.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📚 Michelle Obama’s book ‘The Light We Carry’ coming this fall

The former first lady will have a book out this fall, “The Light We Carry,” in which she reflects upon her experiences and shares insights on navigating an increasingly stressful world.

The new book is his first entirely new work since the 2018 release of her acclaimed blockbuster “Becoming,” which has sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, surpassing the sales of any memoir by a previous first lady or modern president, including her husband, former President Barack Obama. Penguin Random House will publish the 336-page book Nov. 15 and has announced a first printing of 2.75 million copies for the US and Canada.

On Thursday, Penguin Random House announced an annual writing prize in her honor, the $10,000 Michelle Obama Award for Memoir, part of an awards program for public high school students the company launched in 1993.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️ Japanese Cabinet Schedules State Funeral of Former Prime Minister Abe for Sept 27 - Reports

The Japanese government has scheduled the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for September 27, media reported on Friday.

According to the Kyodo news agency, the ceremony will take place at the Nippon Budokan arena in the Kitanomaru National Garden in Tokyo.

Abe was attacked July 8 in the Japanese city of Nara during his campaign speech. Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, approached the politician from behind and fired two shots from a distance of about 10 meters (33 feet). The attacker reportedly plotted the assassination of the 67-year-old former head of government for nearly a year.

💵 DeSantis issues a $450-per-child check to 'offset the costs of rising inflation' for Florida families

Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration on Thursday announced he's reallocating some COVID-19 relief funds and sending $450 check directly to struggling families in the state.

To fund the checks, the governor has set aside $35.5 million from the $1 billion the state received from the American Rescue Plan Act, according to an announcement from Casey DeSantis, Florida's first lady.

The Florida Department of Children and Families said it expected about 59,000 families to receive at least one check, and, like other COVID-19 relief funds, there's no application.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🏘 The chance of a US recession in the next 12 months is a 'coin flip,' says Mortgage Bankers Association

The Mortgage Bankers Association revised its US economy outlook lower and puts the chances of a recession over the next 12 months at 50%, with the most likely timing being in the first half of 2023," MBA economists said in a news release following its July 2022 Economic Forecast. 

The MBA lowered its growth rate for 2022 to 0.6%, compared to last month's forecast of 1.6%. "We expect inflation to end the year at around 6% before declining to a 2% to 2.5% range in 2023 and 2024," the MBA noted.

Home sales, meanwhile, will see a decline of about 8%, the MBA forecasted. In the economists' words: "Higher mortgage rates have reduced the pace of home sales, and now with the prospect of a weaker economy and an elevated risk of recession, potential homebuyers have pulled back even more."

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚖️ A former Coinbase executive is among 3 charged in the first-ever crypto insider trading scheme

The US Attorney's Office in Manhattan alleged that the former Coinbase employee tipped off his brother and a friend on assets before they were going to be listed on Coinbase, which isn't implicated in any wrongdoing.

Ishan Wahi, the former Coinbase executive, as well as Nikhil Wahi and Sameer Ramani now face charges of wire fraud and insider trading. The Securities and Exchange Commission also filed a separate insider trading complaint against them.

The Justice Department alleged Ishan Wahi tipped off his brother and Ramani at least 14 times on asset listings before they appeared publicly, allowing them to make at least $1.5 million in total on at least 25 crypto assets due to insider information.

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Republican New York gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin was assaulted during a speech at a campaign event in Perinton, Monroe County in New York. An as yet unidentified man got up on the stage with a knife and lunged at Zeldin. However, the candidate grabbed the assailant by the wrist thereby preventing him from attacking. The suspect is in custody now and the investigation of the attack continues

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️ Iran's withdrawal from nuclear commitments does not mean Tehran is developing nuclear weapons, IAEA says

⚡️ The Russian government has expanded its list of "unfriendly" foreign countries, adding Greece, Denmark, Slovenia, Croatia and Slovakia

⚡️ The list applies to people who stay on Russian soil with whom diplomatic missions of unfriendly countries, and their consular offices, can conclude their employment contract.

Slovenia and Croatia will not be able to hire staff for their diplomatic missions

📹 Russia's Ministry of Defense has published footage showing combat work of the TOS-1 heavy flamethrower system

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Watch: Footage of Russian fighter jets during the special operation in Ukraine

Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📌 Here are the key points of the article by Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov about the prospects for Russian-African relations as he prepares for his visit to African countries:

▪️Russia stands for strengthening Africa's position in a multipolar world, "welcoming the development of such structures as the African Union, the East African Community" and others;

▪️The relations between Africa and Russia don't depend on the political situation;

▪️Russia has always supported African countries "in their struggle for liberation from colonial oppression", has respected "the inalienable right of African countries to determine their own development paths";

▪️Russia appreciates the "balanced position of Africans" regarding the situation in Ukraine and respects the different countries' independent foreign policy on the issue;

▪️Russia will fulfill its obligations under international contracts that it has assumed regarding the export of food, fertilizers, energy, and other vital goods to Africa against the background of "Russia's hunger export" which is groundless propaganda from the West and Ukraine

Subscribe to @SputnikInt