(Reuters) -Russian prosecutors asked a court on Tuesday to sentence jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to an additional 13 years on fraud and contempt of court charges and to move him to a maximum security prison, Navalny’s spokeswoman said.

Navalny is already serving a two-and-a-half year sentence at a prison camp east of Moscow for parole violations related to charges he says were trumped up to thwart his political ambitions.

In a Twitter post, his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, cited a judge of the Lefortovo court in Moscow as saying the sentence would be announced on March 22.

Navalny used his appearance at the hearing, which was transmitted live from prison to reporters covering the case, to renew his call for an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine but the transmission of his statement was blocked, she added.

“We’ve been saying that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin wants to keep Navalny in prison forever. The upcoming sentence has nothing to do with the law,” Yarmysh wrote.

Navalny himself later struck a typically defiant tone, saying on Instagram: “If the prison term is the price of my human right to say things that need to be said… then they can ask for 113 years. I will not renounce my words or deeds.”

The prosecutors asked for the transfer to a maximum security prison because they said Navalny had committed crimes in the prison camp, thus becoming a repeat offender, Yarmysh said.

Officials at the prosecutor general’s office did not reply to a request for comment.

FIGHTING ‘DESPOTISM’

Navalny, who is able to publish social media posts through his lawyers and allies, renewed his call for protests against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began on Feb. 24.

In Tuesday’s Instagram post, he said the war had become “the direct consequence of corruption and degradation, a bloody cover-up of the failure of Putin’s regime”.

Last week Russian authorities put Yarmysh on a wanted list. She left Russia last year after a court imposed 18 months of restrictions on her freedom of movement for breaching COVID-19 safety rules.

Russian authorities have cracked down hard on the opposition, and many of Navalny’s most prominent allies have left Russia rather than face restrictions or jail at home.

Navalny was jailed last year when he returned to Russia after receiving medical treatment in Germany following a poison attack with a nerve agent during a visit to Siberia in 2020.

Navalny blamed Putin for the attack, a charge the Kremlin denies.

(Reporting by ReutersEditing by Gareth Jones)

David Bailey accidentally called Queen Elizabeth “girl”.

The 95-year-old monarch sat for the legendary photographer in 2014 and he recalled trying to put her at ease by asking if “the jewels” were real and admitted he forgot about the formality that usually surrounds his subject and they “had a laugh” together.

He recalled: “I said, ‘I bet that cost a few bob, girl’.

“It just came out. I call everyone ‘girl’. But she was girlish. Made a real effort. We had a laugh. Beautiful skin, the Queen.”

The 84-year-old photographer also joked about the “terrible hair” Princess Diana sported when he took her picture in 1988.

He told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: “Terrible hair. You know, from the hairspray – solid as a plastic dummy.”

During the shoot, David’s assistant accidentally dropped a light on Diana’s head, and the photographer recalled how “magnanimous” the princess – who died in 1997 in a car accident – was about the mishap, making a point of reassuring the woman afterwards.

He recalled: “I thought, oh f***!

“She said, ‘Don’t think about it; it was a terrible accident’. I told her she had been very magnanimous – that’s right, because she asked me what magnanimous meant.”

According to the photographer, Diana was an easy subject, happy to do what she was directed to, although he made an effort to get her to laugh so the images didn’t look forced.

He said: “This one is probably where I was trying to loosen her up.

“Everything she is doing here is what I told her to do, though if I want to make them laugh, I tell them something funny. I don’t say ‘F****** laugh’.”

David was diagnosed with vascular dementia after a stroke four years ago and he thinks there are advantages and disadvantages to his condition.

He said: “I just get on with it. I’ve always been dyslexic so it didn’t make much difference.

“[My family] joke, ‘Oh, don’t tell Bailey, he’ll forget, hee hee’.

“It has its advantages because I forget the bad times, but sometimes I forget the good times too.”

Washington (AFP) – The US Senate advanced a bill Tuesday that would bring an end to the twice-yearly changing of clocks, in favor of a “new, permanent standard time” that would mean brighter winter evenings.

The Sunshine Protection Act, which still needs the backing of the House of Representatives, would mean no more losing an hour in bed every spring and fewer journeys home in the dark for school children and office workers.

It was introduced last year by Republican Marco Rubio — a senator from the “Sunshine State” of Florida — who said studies had shown a permanent daylight saving time (DST) could benefit the economy.

“It’s really straightforward. Cutting back on the sun during the fall and winter is a drain on the American people and does little to nothing to help them,” Rubio said in a statement ahead of the vote. 

“It’s time we retire this tired tradition.”

Rubio told colleagues on the Senate floor the United States sees an increase in heart attacks and road accidents in the week that follow the changing of the clocks.

DST was first adopted by the federal government during World War I but repealed after seven months while tweaks were made. Senators agreed unanimously to do away with the current version, which lasts from March until November. 

The clamor has increased in recent years to make DST permanent, especially among politicians and lobbyists from the Northeast, where frigid conditions are normal in the early winter mornings.

Rubio said he’d sought input from the business community and it was agreed that the change should not take place until November 2023.

“This is a big, sensible step forward,” added Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a co-sponsor of the bill who had earlier appealed on Twitter for fellow legislators to “brighten the coldest months with an extra hour of afternoon sun.”

The legislation won’t affect Hawaii and most of Arizona, the Navajo Nation, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, which do not spring forward in summer.

Christina Aguilera is headlining ‘L.A Pride in the Park’.

The ‘Genie in a Bottle’ hitmaker has been given the top spot at the 2022 edition of the annual multi-stage festival celebrating the LGBT community – which was paused for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic – at its “iconic new” 25,000 capacity venue Los Angeles Historic State Park on 11 June.

Gerald Garth, the vice president of programmes and initiatives at charity St Christopher’s Street said: “The inaugural L.A. Pride in 1970 set the foundation for what would become an annual celebration of the Greater Los Angeles LGBTQIA+ community. Over the course of those 50 years, it has been inspiring to see neighborhoods throughout L.A. organize their own Pride celebrations. As we return to in-person events, L.A. Pride is honored to continue the tradition that we started 50 years ago, this time with the iconic Christina Aguilera in an iconic new location.”

Gerald promised – despite the attacks on LGBT rights and freedoms – they “will continue being loud” at the event, which tickets will go on sale on Tuesday (15.03.22) with more performer announcements to follow.

He continued: “Given the LGBTQIA+ oppression that’s horrifyingly making its way into legal reality, putting our younger community’s visibility and truth at risk, there’s an even bigger reason for us to come together across the country and tell our youths to Love Your Pride. We will continue being loud and say gay. We will continue to come together to support you. To the lawmakers who are pushing this agenda: don’t come for family.”

Private and professional users of Kaspersky’s widely installed antivirus software should find an alternative due to the risk of Russian cyber attacks, Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) warns.

The German IT authority is warning of a “considerable risk of a successful IT attack” in the context of the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Moscow-based cybersecurity company could either itself carry out offensive operations or be forced to attack certain systems against its will, the German authority said on Tuesday.

Russian tech services like Kaspersky could also be spied on without their knowledge or misused as tools for attacks against their own customers, the BSI warned.

The Russia-based multinational is behind one of the world’s most widely used antivirus software suites. Like similar programs from Avast, Norton and Avira, Kaspersky’s software is designed to protect users against trojans, spyware and other cyber threats.

Kaspersky denied its products posed a cybersecurity risk and said the BSI’s decision was not based on a technical evaluation of its products, but made for political reasons.

“Kaspersky is a private global cybersecurity company and, as a private company, does not have any ties to the Russian or any other government.”

The company added that it had also moved its data processing infrastructure to Switzerland.

“We will continue to assure our partners and customers in the quality and integrity of our products, and we will be working with the BSI for clarification on its decision and for the means to address its and other regulators’ concerns.”

Kaspersky added that peaceful dialogue is the only possible tool to resolve conflicts. “War isn’t good for anyone.”

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has proposed $644,398 in fines for 922 COVID-19 mask violators since February 2021 on commercial flights, in airports and train stations or on public transit services, the government reported on Monday, a dramatic jump in recent months.

According to the government report https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-104583?utm_campaign=usgao_email&utm_content=topic_transportation&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery, all but 44 of the TSA fines were for failing to wear masks as required on airplanes or, less often, in airports. The rest covered unmasked passengers in surface transportation like transit, rail and bus.

The agency said it has also issued warnings to more than 2,700 travelers after more than 7,000 reported incidents since the transit mask requirements took effect.

In late October, TSA said it had proposed $85,990 in fines for 190 mask violators and issued warnings to more than 2,200. Last week, TSA said it was extending mask requirements at airports and on airplanes through April 18.

Since the start of 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has investigated reports of 6,800 unruly airplane passengers including about 4,800 for not wearing masks. It has opened 450 investigations and proposed more than $5 million in fines.

The TSA fines included $501,388 for 788 onboard air incidents, averaging $636.

The TSA has issued 18 civil penalties for not wearing masks at airport checkpoints totaling $57,065 or $3,170 on average, and 160 others at airports totaling $57,795, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report said. Another 44 have been issued for surface transportation incidents totaling $28,150.

Last year, two U.S. lawmakers in the House of Representatives disclosed TSA had issued just $2,350 in total fines to 10 passengers through mid-September, despite thousands of reports of travelers failing to comply.

TSA in November issued an information circular for aviation

transportation operators detailing type of information “needed for an investigation and best practices for obtaining information, such as from witnesses to incidents,” the GAO said.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio)

By Nancy Lapid

(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review.

One in four kids with COVID develop lingering problems

One in four children with COVID-19 symptoms develop “long COVID,” according to data pooled from 21 earlier studies conducted in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America.

Among the 80,071 children with COVID-19 in the studies, 25% developed symptoms that lasted at least 4-to-12 weeks or new persistent symptoms that appeared within 12 weeks, researchers reported on Sunday on medRxiv ahead of peer review.

The most frequent problems were neuropsychiatric (mood symptoms, fatigue, sleep disorders, headaches, cognitive alterations, dizziness, balance problems), cardiorespiratory (breathing difficulty, congestion, exercise intolerance, chest pain and tightness, cough, irregular heart rhythm), skin-related (excessive sweating, itchiness, hair loss) and gastrointestinal (abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea). Analyses of data pooled from many different studies with different methodologies cannot yield firm conclusions, the researchers acknowledge. What is clear, however, is that “children and adolescents have also physical and mental health consequences derived from COVID-19,” said study coauthor Sonia Villapol of Houston Methodist Research Institute in Texas.

“Identifying the main signs and symptoms of pediatric long COVID can help diagnose, develop better treatments, create multidisciplinary teams for optimal clinical management, and find risk factors for prevention.”

Vaccine protection in mother’s milk strongest after mRNA shots

Women who wish to pass protective antibodies induced by COVID-19 vaccines to their babies via breast milk should opt for the mRNA shots from Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech, according to a study reported on Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.

For the study, 124 lactating women each provided 17 milk samples over a period of 100 days.

The women had received either an mRNA vaccine or a vector-based vaccine from Johnson & Johnson or AstraZeneca. Researchers measured two types of antibodies in the milk samples – IgA antibodies and IgG antibodies, both of which are thought to play important roles in protecting breastfed infants. Nearly all – 96% to 97% – of the women who received both doses of an mRNA vaccine had detectable IgA antibodies in their milk, while only 39% had antibodies in their milk after two doses of the AstraZeneca shot and 48% after the one-dose J&J vaccine. All the women who received both doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna or AstraZeneca vaccines had IgG antibodies, compared to only 28% of women who received J&J’s shot.

“An mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine is the optimal choice for lactating women when they want to transfer breast milk antibodies to their infants,” the researchers concluded.

Omicron is infectious on surfaces longer than original virus

Omicron particles remain infectious on surfaces for longer periods than particles of the original SARS-CoV-2, according to laboratory experiments.

Researchers put droplets of infectious virus from the original coronavirus version and the Omicron BA.1 variant on a variety of surfaces at room temperature.

On smooth surfaces (glass, stainless steel and plastic sheet), Omicron was still infectious after seven days, whereas particles of the original SARS-CoV-2 were no longer infectious on stainless steel and plastic sheets by day 4 and on glass by day 7, the researchers reported on Thursday on bioRxiv ahead of peer review.

On tissue paper and printing paper, the original virus was no longer infectious at 30 minutes. Omicron was still infectious at 30 minutes, but no longer after an hour, the researchers said.

For the most part, SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted via respiratory droplets in the air. While infection via contact with contaminated surfaces is less common, the new study “highlights the importance of hand hygiene and cleaning on surfaces that are regularly touched by different persons,” said study coauthor Leo Poon of the University of Hong Kong. “For surfaces and settings contaminated by a COVID-19 patient, proper cleaning should be done.”

(Reporting by Nancy Lapid; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

By Jim Bourg

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A convoy of trucks attempted to bring a weeks-long, cross-country protest against COVID-19 mandates into Washington, D.C., on Monday, but police blocked numerous bridges, highway exits and city streets, preventing many of the vehicles from entering the heart of the nation’s capital.

It was the first time the protesters sought to enter the city since the convoy arrived in the area earlier this month. The procession started out in California in February.

Before Monday, the trucks, which were joined by protesters in cars and recreational vehicles, remained on the Beltway, a 64-mile (103 km) highway that encircles the city, driving slowly to draw attention to their cause.

Officials on Monday warned of traffic delays on three major interstates in the capital region due to the closures.

A traffic camera mounted near the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River showed dozens of big rigs backed up on Interstate 395 near the Pentagon as police denied access. Many of the drivers were blaring their air horns as traffic snarled.

While many trucks were blocked, some apparently made it into the city, according to live streams posted on social media.

Leaders of the convoy, inspired by demonstrations last month that paralyzed Canada’s capital city of Ottawa, are calling for an end to all pandemic-related restrictions. The movement attracted participants from around the country who were angry about vaccination requirements for health, government and military employees.

It has also drawn support from Republicans such as U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

The protest against vaccine requirements and other pandemic restrictions has been undercut in recent weeks, with many U.S. cities rolling back mask mandates and other measures as infections and hospitalizations decline sharply.

Before drivers made the roughly 80-mile trip to Washington on Monday morning, hundreds of vehicles gathered at the Hagerstown Speedway racetrack in Maryland.

The group had planned to stage a protest on Washington’s National Mall but it withdrew its application for a permit when the National Park Service would not grant its requested dates, according to the Washington Post.

A representative of the National Park Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Tyler Clifford in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

Pete Davidson is heading to Space on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket.

The 28-year-old comedian – who is dating Kim Kardashian – is set to follow in the footsteps of Hollywood legend William Shatner and former NFL star Michael Strahan by boarding the 20th flight as part of the New Shepard programme on March 23.

A tweet on the official Blue Origin Twitter page read: “#NewShepard mission #NS20 will include Marty Allen, @NBCSNL’s Pete Davidson, @SharonHagle, Marc Hagle, @JimKitchen, and @DrGeorgeNield. Liftoff on March 23 is targeted for 8:30 am CDT / 13:30 UTC from Launch Site One.”

The ‘SNL’ star and billionaire businessman Jeff – who founded Amazon in the 90s – were recently reported to have held “preliminary” talks about heading off into outer space together.

A source told E! News: “They’ve been in discussions, several. Nothing is official yet and no date locked in. It’s very preliminary.”

Pete and Kim, 41, visited Jeff’s mansion in January. Though it wasn’t entirely clear what they discussed during their meeting.

However, it was later speculated that a trip into Space was on the cards.

Another source said: “He got on really well with Jeff when they met.”

Pete started dating the reality star – who he recently went Instagram official with – last year after she filed for divorce from Kanye West.

And the ‘King of Staten Island’ star is said to have been wowed by the brunette beauty over recent months.

A source explained: “Pete loves that Kim is such a great, hands-on mom and also a boss. She has created an empire and Pete really respects that she has been able to balance multiple successful businesses and a stressful divorce all at the same time.

“He admires her class and thinks she is a supermom.”

Pete – who has also dated the likes of Ariana Grande, Kate Beckinsale and Kaia Gerber – and Kim are said to have great “chemistry” when they’re together.

The insider added: “Kim and Pete are always laughing together and are constantly in hysterics.

“Pete brings out a side of Kim that she loves. She adores Pete’s sense of humour and their chemistry is on another level. Kim likes that he is so authentically himself. He’s also really sweet and always puts Kim first. They get along wonderfully and share a really special bon

The ‘Full House’ cast are open to another reboot after Bob Saget’s death.

Many of the classic sitcom’s stars – who also returned for the ‘Fuller House’ reboot – have revealed they would be open to returning for a third iteration just two months after the actor’s sad death aged 65.

Speaking to the ‘Today’ show at 90s Con, Dave Coulier quipped: “Like, OK, we’ll do ‘Fullest House’. I think we would in a heartbeat.”

His castmates agreed, and Andrea Barber – who was also appearing alongside Candace Cameron Bure and Scott Weinger – suggested their late friend would approve.

She added: “It would be hard but I think Bob would want that.”

Meanwhile, Coulier admitted while being back together at the convention over the weekend was tough for the actors, it was a cathartic experience.

He explained: “It’s still hard to talk about it because he was such a huge part of our family, and he was the central figure that always brought us together.”

Saget died on January 9, and his family have now been granted a permanent injuction by Ninth Judicial Circuit Judge Vincent Chiu.

In a statement obtained by People, Brian Bieber – the Saget family’s attorney – explained: “The entire Saget family is grateful that the judge granted their request for an injunction to preserve Bob’s dignity, as well as their privacy rights, especially after suffering this unexpected and tragic loss.

“We are pleased this issue has been resolved, and the healing process can continue to move forward. All of the prayers and well wishes continuously extended to the family are beyond appreciated.”

The ‘Full House’ star was found dead in his Florida hotel room in January and his family previously said that he died from head trauma.

Following his death, Kelly Rizzo, the actor’s widow, and their three daughters – Aubrey, Lara and Jennifer Saget – launched legal action against Orange County Sheriff John Mina and the District Nine Medical Examiner’s Office in a bid to stop photographs or videos related to the investigation from being released.

Attorneys representing the family claimed they would “suffer irreparable harm in the form of extreme mental pain, anguish, and emotional distress” if the records were made public.

Kelis’ husband Mike Mora has lost his battle with stomach cancer.

The ‘Milkshake’ hitmaker’s spouse, who was just 37, had revealed he was diagnosed with stage four cancer in October 2021.

Confirming the sad news of his death, Kelis’ management told ‘Entertainment Tonight’: “Sadly, it’s true that Mike Mora has passed away. We would ask all to respect Kelis and her family’s privacy as of right now. Thank you.”

The photographer began suffering the “worst pain” in his belly he’d ever had a year before his devastating diagnosis, as well as a loss of appetite and discomfort in his back, and although he left it “a bit late” to seek medical advice, he was hopeful he did so “just in time”, but a doctor gave him just 18 months to live.

He wrote on Instagram: “I was told people with my disease, in this phase, didn’t make it past 18 months. It’s been exactly 12.”

Mike told how after a week of undergoing tests and seeing various specialists, he was finally told he had gastric adenocarcinoma, stomach cancer, not long after he and Kelis welcomed their daughter Galilee into the world in September 2020.

He continued: “I thought the whole time that I just had an ulcer. With no idea what was about to come my way. Here I was, in a hospital bed, during the middle of the pandemic. All alone.”

Mike – who also had six-year-old son Shepherd with Kelis and is stepfather to her and Nas’ 12-year-old son Knight – hoped to inspire others in similar situations not to give up hope and to cherish the time they have with their loved ones.

He wrote in a separate post: “I am posting this, after so much thought. not because I want people to feel bad or sorry for me and my family. I am posting this because life is full of the most unexpected situations.

“I never thought this could happen to me. At just 36, with 3 kiddos, and a wife that loves me. I want to be able to help those that might experience something, maybe, hopefully. By showing that it’s possible to make it through.

“I want to be able to help those that might be experiencing something like this- a life-altering disease full of questions and doubt- maybe, hopefully. By showing that it’s possible to make it through.

“You always see people post about how life is too short. How you should reach out to those you love no matter where life has taken you. It is the truth. Don’t take your time here, your time with friends, family, for granted. S*** can be over just like that!(sic)”

He has also thanked those who had sent him messages of support, admitting the posts were “overwhelming” and vowed to keep people updated on his battle.

He wrote: “Dear friends, it has been incredibly overwhelming. Receiving all the love and words of encouragement. I am so grateful.

“But overall, I think it’s making me stronger. I have tried to respond to all the messages. If I have not, please forgive me. I have never had so many messages in my life. [Love] to all. The story will continue.”

Spending more than a week in bed with Covid may be linked to an increase in the risk of long term damage to mental health, new research suggests.

The study found that people with coronavirus who were not admitted to hospital were more likely to experience symptoms of depression up to 16 months after diagnosis, compared to those never infected.

Those who were bedridden for seven days or more had higher rates of depression and anxiety, compared to people who were diagnosed with the virus but never bedridden.

Although most symptoms eased within two months after diagnosis, patients who spent a week or more in bed were more likely to experience depression and anxiety over the 16-month study period. Patients with severe Covid often experience inflammation which has previously been linked to chronic mental health effects, particularly depression.

Researchers suggest why patients who spent longer in bed had depression or anxiety rates could be due to a combination of worrying about long-term health effects as well as Covid symptoms persisting.

Study author Professor Unnur Anna Valdimarsdottir, of the University of Iceland, said: “Our research is among the first to explore mental health symptoms after a serious Covid-19 illness in the general population up to 16 months after diagnosis.

“It suggests that mental health effects aren’t equal for all Covid-19 patients and that time spent bedridden is a key factor in determining the severity of the impacts on mental health.

“As we enter the third year of the pandemic, increased clinical vigilance of adverse mental health among the proportion of patients with a severe acute disease of Covid-19 and follow-up studies beyond the first year after infections are critical to ensure timely access to care.”

Until now most studies have looked only at adverse mental health impacts for up to six months after a Covid diagnosis.

Much less is known about the long-term mental health impacts beyond that, particularly for patients not admitted to hospital with varying degrees of Covid severity.

In the study researchers looked at the prevalence of depression, anxiety, Covid-19 related distress and poor sleep quality among people with and without a diagnosis of the disease from 0-16 months. They drew upon data from seven groups of people across Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the UK.

Of the 247,249 people included, 9,979 (4%) were diagnosed with the virus between February 2020 and August 2021. Overall, people diagnosed with Covid-19 had a higher prevalence of depression and poorer sleep quality compared to individuals who were never diagnosed – 20.2% versus 11.3% experienced symptoms of depression, and 29.4% versus 23.8% experienced poor sleep quality.

People diagnosed with coronavirus but never bedridden due to their illness were less likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety than those not diagnosed with it.

The researchers suggest one explanation for this is that the return to normal lives is a relief for these individuals while those still not infected are still anxious about getting infected.

However, over 16 months, patients who were bedridden for seven days or more were 50-60% more likely to experience higher depression and anxiety compared to people never infected during the study period, the researchers found.

Co-author Ingibjorg Magnusdottir, of the University of Iceland, said: “The higher occurrence of depression and anxiety among patients with Covid-19 who spent seven days or longer bedridden could be due to a combination of worrying about long-term health effects as well as the persistence of physical long Covid symptoms well beyond the illness that limit social contact and may result in a sense of helplessness.

“Equally, inflammatory responses among patients with a severe diagnosis may contribute to more persistent mental health symptoms.

“In contrast, the fact that individuals with a mild Covid-19 infection can return to normal lives sooner and only experience a benign infection likely contributes to the lower risk of negative mental health effects we observed.” The findings are published in The Lancet Public Health journal.

LONDON (Reuters) -Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been denied permission to appeal at the Supreme Court against a decision to extradite him to the United States, the court said on Monday.

While Assange’s extradition must still be approved by the government, Monday’s decision deals a serious blow to Assange’s effort to fight his deportation in the courts.

U.S. authorities want Australian-born Assange, 50, to face trial on 18 counts relating to WikiLeaks’ release of vast troves of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables which they said had put lives in danger.

In December, the High Court in London overturned a lower court’s ruling that he should not be extradited because his mental health problems meant he would be at risk of suicide, and on Monday the Supreme Court itself said it would not hear a challenge to that ruling.

“The application has been refused by the Supreme Court and the reason given is that application did not raise an arguable point of law,” a Supreme Court spokesperson said.

The extradition decision will now need to be ratified by interior minister Priti Patel, after which Assange can try to challenge the decision by judicial review. A judicial review involves a judge examining the legitimacy of a public body’s decision.

The High Court had accepted a package of assurances given by the United States, including that Assange would not be held in a so-called “ADX” maximum security prison in Colorado and that he could be transferred to Australia to serve his sentence if convicted. Assange’s lawyers said the decision to extradite Assange based on those pledges was “highly disturbing.”

“We regret that the opportunity has not been taken to consider the troubling circumstances in which Requesting States can provide caveated guarantees after the conclusion of a full evidential hearing,” Assange’s lawyers said in a statement on Monday.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout and Michael Holden; editing by William James and Mark Porter)

Prince George’s godmother says her role in his life is a “lovely way of loving” the late Princess Diana.

Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, chose Julia Samuel to look after the spiritual welfare of their eight-year-old son and she is thankful the role provides her with a connection to her beloved friend, who died in a car accident in 1997.

She told the Observer magazine: “Well, I feel lucky I was such a good friend of Princess Diana. And I really love my godson, George. And it’s a lovely way of loving her.”

The grief counsellor recalled how “angry” she was in the aftermath of Diana’s death, when so many people around the world were publicly mourning her friend, but now she better understands how the tragedy impacted on people the princess had never met.

She said: “I felt angry. I was angry that she died, and shocked and I couldn’t really understand it all. I mean, I understand it better now.

“I understand that people felt they really knew and loved her. But I still feel sad today.”

Julia praised William and his brother, Prince Harry, for speaking openly about grief and mental health, but she insisted she had no influence on their decisions to do so.

She said: “I think both the princes have really turned the dial on talking about grief so honestly and also about mental health. But that was all theirs – completely off their own bats.”

The ‘Every Family Has a Story’ author understands she will always be asked about her private friendships with the royal family.

She said: “I feel that in some ways, my professional life is completely separate from my friendships and private life. But, of course, nothing is separate. Who I am and who I know is also part of my professional self. And so… That’s me.”