Friday, 17th June, 2022

Page 2
North Korea says it
is dealing with an
outbreak of an unidentified
intestinal
sickness, adding to
the strain caused by the spread of
Covid-19.
The country's leader, Kim
Jong-un, has ordered quarantine
measures be implemented,
the official KCNA news agency
reports.
DAILY ANALYST Friday, 17th June, 2022
It said he sent medicine to
Haeju city on Wednesday to
help patients suffering from the
"acute enteric epidemic".
Health experts suspect the illness
could be typhoid or cholera.
North Korea declared a state
of emergency in May after it said
millions of people were experiencing
"fever", believed to be
untested Covid-19 cases.
It has not reported the
number of people affected by
the latest sickness outbreak, or
elaborated on what the disease is,
but enteric refers to the gastrointestinal
tract.
"[Kim] stressed the need
to contain the epidemic at the
earliest date possible by taking a
Global News
North Korea announces
outbreak of intestinal sickness
well-knit measure to quarantine
the suspected cases to thoroughly
curb its spread, confirming
cases through epidemiological
examination and scientific tests",
KCNA said.
An official at South Korea's
Unification Ministry handling
inter-Korean affairs told Reuters
news agency that the government
suspects the outbreak to be
cholera or typhoid.
South Hwanghae province,
where Haeju is located, is North
Korea's main agricultural region,
which could worsen the country's
widespread food shortage.
Pyongyang has been announcing
the number of fever
patients, but the country lacks
Covid testing kits. Many also suspect
the government of underreporting
new cases.
North Korea reported 26,010
more people with fever symptoms
on Thursday, with the total
number of fever patients recorded
across the country since late
April nearing 4.56 million.
The death toll linked to the
outbreak is at 73, the government
says, but the World Health Organization
and others have said
they fear the situation is much
worse.
North Korea has a dire healthcare
system and has turned down
international offers of vaccines
for its population.
Gazprom: Russian gas boss says 'our
product, our rules' in supply row
vaya compressor station, part of
the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that
carries Russian gas to Germany.
Mr Miller blamed sanctions
for hampering the return of
equipment - a claim Germany
dismissed as "unfounded".
Meanwhile, Italian energy
giant Eni said it would receive
only 65% of the gas requested on
Thursday from Gazprom, because
of the problems at Portovaya.
But the Italian government
has all possible counter-measures
in place if gas supply cuts
from Russia continue in the
coming days, the country's ecological
transition minister said
on Thursday.
"The gas situation is under
control, we are monitoring flows
day and night, damages are so far
limited," Roberto Cingolani said.
European energy companies,
including Italy's ENI, Austria's
OMV and Germany's Uniper, have
reported significant falls in supply
of Russian gas on Wednesday
and Thursday.
Gazprom reduced its gas
supply to Italy by about 15% on
Wednesday, ENI said. Italy, like
Germany, is heavily reliant on
Russian gas, which accounts for
40% of its imports.
Poland, Bulgaria, Finland,
Denmark and the Netherlands
have already had their Russian
natural gas deliveries suspended
after they refused a demand for
"unfriendly countries" to pay in
Russian roubles.
Russia's payment demand was
seen as an attempt to boost the
rouble after it was hit by Western
sanctions. Greater foreign
exchange demand for roubles is
likely to increase demand and
push up the currency's value.
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey granted bail
over sexual assault charges
US actor Kevin Spacey
has been given
unconditional bail
after appearing in
a London court on
four charges of sexually assaulting
three men.
The 62-year-old is also facing
a fifth charge of causing a man
to engage in penetrative sexual
activity without consent.
He was not asked to enter
pleas for the alleged offences
from 2005 to 2013.
Mr Spacey's next appearance
will be at Southwark
Crown Court on 14 July for
a plea and trial preparation
hearing.
Ahead of the short preliminary
hearing, the Hollywood
star was steered by his legal
The boss of Russian
state-controlled gas giant
Gazprom has said it
is a case of "our product,
our rules" after the firm
halved its supply to Germany.
The German economy minister
has accused Gazprom of
attempting to push up energy
prices by sharply reducing supplies.
But Gazprom said it was due
to the delayed return of equipment
serviced by Germany's
Siemens Energy in Canada.
Italy and Austria have also
reported big falls in Russian gas
supply. The Kremlin said this was
not premeditated.
Gazprom chief executive Alexei
Miller said Russia would play
by its own rules after limiting
the amount of gas to Germany to
under 70m cubic metres per day -
well under half the current rate.
"Our product, our rules. We
don't play by rules we didn't create,"
Mr Miller said during a panel
discussion at the St Petersburg
International Economic Forum.
He said he saw no solution to
the equipment issue at the Portoteam
and two police officers
through a mass of photographers
and camera crews
towards the court entrance.
Mr Spacey, dressed in a pale
blue suit, dark tie and wearing
glasses, was seated in the dock.
His case was heard by deputy
chief magistrate Tanweer
Ikram.
Patrick Gibbs QC, who is
defending Mr Spacey, said: "Mr
Spacey strenuously denies any
and all criminality in this case."
The charges he is facing are:
• Two counts of sexual
assault on a man in March 2005
• Sexual assault on a
man and causing him to engage
in penetrative sexual activity
without consent in August 2008
• Sexual assault on a
man in April 2013
The most serious charge
of causing a man to engage
in penetrative sexual activity
without consent is an indictable-only
offence, meaning it
can only be tried in a Crown
Court.
Mr Spacey lives in the US
where he has family and a nineyear-old
dog, the court heard.
In his decades-long career
in films and on stage, Mr Spacey
has received Oscars for American
Beauty and Usual Suspects,
and won acclaim for his
appearance in the long-running
Netflix hit, House of Cards.
He was also artistic director
at London's Old Vic theatre.