World News

Chrissy Teigen and husband John Legend have said they are in "deep pain" after losing their baby during pregnancy. Chrissy Teigen and husband John Legend had been planning on their baby Jack. Photo: AFP "We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we've never felt before," she wrote in a moving Instagram statement. Her post was accompanied by several black and white photos, including one of her crying in her hospital bed. Model Teigen and singer Legend have two children, and in mid-August revealed they were expecting a third. In her latest post, Teigen revealed the Los Angeles-based couple had been planning to call the baby Jack. "We never decide on our babies' names until the last possible moment after they're born, just before we leave the hospital," she wrote. "But we, for some reason, had started to call this little guy in my belly Jack. Jack worked so hard to be a part of our little family, and he will be, forever. "I'm so sorry that the first few moments of your life were met with so many complications, that we couldn't give you the home you needed to survive. We will always love you." Retweeting her, Legend added "We love you, Jack" alongside five black love hearts. Teigen later added: "Driving home from the hospital with no baby. How can this be real." Listen to a five-part podcast by RNZ's Susie Ferguson, which looks at the impact of miscarriages suffered by New Zealand couples Teigen, who is also a TV presenter, had been documenting her pregnancy on social media. She was taken to hospital on Sunday due to excessive bleeding but had reassured fans she and the baby were healthy. In her latest post, however, she revealed that "we were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed". Teigen thanked her followers for their "positive energy, thoughts and prayers" and expressed gratitude for the "amazing" life she enjoyed with her family. "But everyday can't be full of sunshine," she continued. "On this darkest of days, we will grieve, we will cry our eyes out. But we will hug and love each other harder and get through it." Legend, 41, is a multiple Grammy-winning artist whose 2013 track All of Me - a song he dedicated to his wife - spent 92 weeks in the UK singles chart. His parallel careers in film, music and TV work have seen him become an EGOT - one of only 16 people who've won a competitive Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award. 'Big virtual hug of love' The couple were flooded with messages of condolence and support on social media, with many praising their strength for sharing their grief and some recounting their own experiences of loss. "I know many other women like me who also have experienced miscarriage appreciate your sharing your story to help demystify this all too common occurrence," wrote one Twitter user. Another wrote: "We lost twins at 20 weeks and your bravery for sharing this can hopefully show people to know they are not alone. Thank you." Kim Kardashian West was among the celebrities who sent messages, writing: "We're always here for you and love you guys so much." Actress Viola Davis sent a "big virtual hug of love, love, love", while socialite Paris Hilton said she was "so sorry for your loss". Actress Gabrielle Union added: "We love you guys so much and we will be here for whatever yall need. Always." - BBC

The head of Fiji's Port Denarau Marina said early weather predictions showed up to four cyclones could hit the vicinity this season. Port Denarau Marina in Fiji. Photo: Supplied/Port Denarau Marina Cynthia Rasch said the marina was now full with more than 40 foreign yachts, all seeking shelter ahead of the Pacific cyclone season this summer. The yachts would normally head south out of the seasonal storm zone, but it was now wiser to remain where they were because borders were closed in Australia and New Zealand. It was difficult for yachts to sail against prevailing weather in the northern hemisphere, meaning it was not possible for many to backtrack to home ports. Rasch said the warning from weather experts was causing a few challenges for the marina, but they had a good plan. "I've just been sitting with the meteorologists going through the plan for the season. "We'd normally start working on it at this time but we've brought it forward because we're looking at more and more vessels remaining in our waters and in our marina for the cyclone period, given what's happened in New Zealand." Rasch said the weather experts had indicated an "active season". "It's going to get fairly wet and at this moment there's a prediction of about four cyclones within our vicinity, but we'll see how that pans out." She said the marina had a robust cyclone procedures plan, and was now forming contingencies for yachts unable to shelter in the harbour. In the past many had either hauled out their boats to a yard, or found shelter in various mangrove havens. "We've assisted hundreds of yachts over the years. The challenge of course is what type of vessels are remaining because many would need deep-water shelter because of their draft (the depth to which the hull and keel extended into the water)." She said many were anxious. "There is a lot of chatter on social media and at this moment they are anxious and worried about what might happen, but if they're equipped with the right information and where they might shelter, they just have to work this into their decision-making processes." Fijian maritime safety authorities and weather analysts were now working to identify other areas around Fiji where the yachts might seek shelter. Rasch said while the yachts were insured, it was made void once yachts were in cyclone belts. "Many cannot get insurance for cyclone coverage during our active months, but this is a risk that they take. "So far none of the vessels that have sought shelter in the mangroves adjacent to the marina have sustained any damage, but the challenge now was to accommodate everyone." She said it was becoming increasingly common that underwriters were not willing to cover vessels in active cyclone areas, including the Caribbean.

Even an effective coronavirus vaccine will not return life to normal early next year, a group of leading scientists has warned. Photo: AFP A vaccine is often seen as the holy grail that will end the pandemic. But a report, from researchers brought together by the Royal Society, said we needed to be "realistic" about what a vaccine could achieve and when. They said restrictions may need to be "gradually relaxed" because it could take up to a year to roll the vaccine out. More than 200 vaccines to protect against the virus are being developed by scientists around the world in a process that is taking place at unprecedented speed. "A vaccine offers great hope for potentially ending the pandemic, but we do know that the history of vaccine development is littered with lots of failures," said Dr Fiona Culley, from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London. There is optimism, including from the UK government's scientific advisers, that some people may get a vaccine this year and mass vaccination may start early next year. However, the Royal Society report warns it will be a long process. "Even when the vaccine is available it doesn't mean within a month everybody is going to be vaccinated, we're talking about six months, nine months ... a year," said Professor Nilay Shah, head of chemical engineering at Imperial College London. "There's not a question of life suddenly returning to normal in March." The report said there were still be "enormous" challenges ahead. Some of the experimental approaches being taken - such as RNA vaccines - have never been mass produced before. There are questions around raw materials - both for the vaccine and glass vials - and refrigerator capacity, with some vaccines needing storage at minus 80C. Prof Shah estimates vaccinating people would have to take place at a pace 10 times faster than the annual flu campaign, and would be a full-time job for up to 30,000 trained staff. "I do worry, is enough thinking going into the whole system?" he says. Early trial data has suggested that vaccines are triggering an immune response, but studies have not yet shown if this is enough to either offer complete protection or lessen the symptoms of Covid. Unanswered questions Professor Charles Bangham, chair of immunology of Imperial College London, said: "We simply don't know when an effective vaccine will be available, how effective it will be and of course, crucially, how quickly it can be distributed. "Even if it is effective, it is unlikely that we will be able to get back completely to normal, so there's going to be a sliding scale, even after the introduction of a vaccine that we know to be effective. "We will have to gradually relax some of the other interventions." And many questions that will dictate the vaccination strategy remain unanswered, such as: will one shot be enough or will boosters be required? will the vaccine work well enough in older people with aged immune systems? The researchers warn the issue of long-term immunity will still take some time to answer, and we still do not know if people need vaccinating every couple of years or if one shot will do. Commenting on the study, Dr Andrew Preston from the University of Bath, said: "Clearly the vaccine has been portrayed as a silver bullet and ultimately it will be our salvation, but it may not be an immediate process." He said there would need to be discussion of whether "vaccine passports" were needed to ensure people coming into the country were immunised. And Dr Preston warned that vaccine hesitancy seemed to be a growing problem that had become embroiled in anti-mask, anti-lockdown ideologies. "If cohorts of people refuse to have the vaccine, do we leave them to fend for themselves or have mandatory vaccination for children to go to schools, or for staff in care homes? There are lots of difficult questions." - BBC

Mark Brown was sworn in as the 12th Prime Minister of the Cook Islands in a ceremony last night. The new Deputy Prime Minister is Robert Taipatau. Mark Brown is sworn in as the new Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Photo: Office of the Cook Islands PM Brown and his cabinet took the Oath of Allegiance and were issued with their warrants during a formal ceremony at Government House conducted by the Queen's Representative, Sir Tom Marsters. Brown replaces Henry Puna who stood down to contest the Secretary General's role at the Pacific Islands Forum. Brown, who has spent 10 years in parliament, was educated at Gisborne Boys' High School, Massey University and the University of the South Pacific. Before entering parliament he worked in the Cook Islands public service and also had business interests there. In his time as Puna's deputy he was very much the voice of the Cook Islands Party Government.

A Japanese man has pleaded guilty to murdering nine people after contacting them on Twitter, in a high-profile case that has shocked the country. Takahiro Shiraishi (C) covers his face with his hands as he is transported to the prosecutor's office from a police station in Tokyo Photo: AFP Dubbed the "Twitter killer", Takahiro Shiraishi was arrested in 2017 after body parts were found in his flat. He told a court in Tokyo on Wednesday that the allegations against him "are all correct". But his lawyers argue that his charges should be reduced because his victims apparently gave consent to be killed. If convicted of murder, Shiraishi faces the death penalty, which is carried out by hanging in Japan. The court case has attracted wide interest, with more than 600 people lining up for 13 public gallery seats to watch the first hearing on Wednesday, reported public broadcaster NHK. What happened? The prosecution say the accused opened a Twitter account in March 2017 "to contact women contemplating suicide, whom he saw as easy targets", NHK said. Eight of his victims were women, one of them aged 15. The only male victim, aged 20, was killed after confronting Shiraishi about the whereabouts of his girlfriend, Japanese media reported. The 29-year-old is believed to have lured his victims by telling them he could help them die and in some cases claimed he would kill himself alongside them. His Twitter profile contained the words: "I want to help people who are really in pain. Please DM [direct message] me anytime." The serial killings first came to light when police were looking into the disappearance of a young woman, who later turned out to be one of the victims. Officers visited Shiraishi's flat in the Japanese city of Zama, near Tokyo, where they found dismembered body parts. What do his lawyers say? Shiraishi's lawyers argue his victims had agreed to be killed, so the charges should be reduced to "murder with consent". This carries a lower prison sentence of between six months and seven years. But it is reported that Shiraishi disagrees with his lawyers. He told Mainichi Shimbun, a local daily, that he killed without the consent of his victims. "There were bruises on the back of the victims' heads. It means there was no consent and I did it so that they wouldn't resist," he said in comments published on Wednesday. What impact have the killings had? The serial killings have stunned Japan. When they were exposed in 2017 it triggered a new debate about websites on which suicide is discussed. At the time the government indicated it may introduce new regulations. The murders also prompted a change by Twitter, which amended its rules to state users should not "promote or encourage suicide or self-harm". Twitter's chief executive Jack Dorsey said at the time the case was "extremely" sad. Japan has long battled one of the highest suicide rates in the industrialised world although figures have dropped since preventative measures were introduced more than a decade ago. -BBC