UK food and drink exports rose 8.5% to £10.2bn, helped by the fall in the pound after last year's Brexit vote.

Whisky remained the top export, while salmon was second and beer rose to third after it overtook chocolate.

The pound has fallen sharply against the dollar and euro since the UK voted to leave the EU in June last year, giving a boost to UK exports as they have become relatively cheaper.

The number of admitted patients represents a 42-per cent increase over the same period last year along with seven more deaths, the Ministry of Health said Friday. A total of 90,626 people have been infected, of whom 76,848 are hospitalized and 24 have died.

The ministry attributed the rise of dengue outbreaks to higher temperature, more rains and rapid urbanization that promote the breeding of virus-carrying mosquitoes.

Dr. Vu Minh Dien of the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, where the most severe cases were being treated, said that 800-1,000 people have been checking in daily complaining of fever. That compares to only several cases that reported to the hospital in June and July last year, he said.
http://globalnews.ca/news/3679597/vietnam-dengue-fever-outbreak/

Waters have reached as high as second-story homes as the deluge from storm Harvey dumps tens of inches of rain on the state

Areas south of Houston appear most at risk after they received around four inches (10cm) of rain an hour.

Canakinumab, an anti-inflammatory, was used in a trial involving more than 10,000 patients, all of whom have had a heart attack but had not been diagnosed with cancer. They were treated with the drug once every three months and monitored for up to four years.The study showed a 15% reduction in the risk of heart attacks and strokes and the number of cancer deaths cut by half.

http://news.sky.com/story/heart-attack-and-cancer-deaths-could-be-cut-by-new-drug-11009750

The Central American nation has been rattled by uncertainty since Morales on Sunday tried to eject Ivan Velasquez, head of Guatemala’s International Commission against Impunity (CICIG), in the face of resistance from Western powers.

The Friday before, Velasquez and the attorney general’s office requested Morales be stripped of presidential immunity so he could be investigated for suspected campaign finance irregularities during his successful 2015 tilt at the top job.

Morales, a former comedian, was elected on the back of popular discontent with his predecessor Otto Perez, who was toppled in 2015 over a multi-million dollar graft scandal uncovered by the CICIG and attorney general Thelma Aldana.

Saying the economy grew 4.1 percent in 2015, Recinos added that the Perez scandal did not immediately hit the economy.

“But in 2016 there was a slowdown (to 3.1 percent) and the (Perez) crisis must have had an effect,” he added.

The central bank now expects the Guatemalan economy to grow by between 3.0 and 3.4 percent this year.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-guatemala-corruption-growth/guatemala-political-crisis-may-affect-growth-central-bank-idUSKCN1BC3JA?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=59a8dff204d3011d6d37fefb&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

Julio Emiliano Castillo Pantoja
A01411636

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis says any threat will be met with a "massive military response". President Donald Trump has previously promised "fire and fury".

One certainly hopes not. It is hard to imagine any conflict breaking out since the risk of escalation to all-out war would be very likely in these highly-charged times. The US is signalling strongly that the North Koreans should do nothing that might risk a conflict.

All-out war would be catastrophic in terms of lives lost. It might potentially involve the use of nuclear weapons - the first time since the closing stages of the Second World War - which could set a terrifying new precedent in international affairs.

At its close, after terrible destruction, North Korea would no longer exist. That is a given, hence the hope that the Pyongyang regime is rational and understands the risks involved.

Recently, the jihadis have suffered severe territorial losses to military campaigns orchestrated by Moscow and Washington.

source: https://en.as.com/en/2017/10/17/football/1508276863_458223.html

The 51-year-old is already a senator and is standing for the Congress for Democratic Change party. Despite some reports saying he has already won, the official result is due later on Thursday.

Weah is one of the frontrunners and told voters in his final campaign message before they went to the polls: 'We are one and together we must succeed in writing a new chapter in our country's glorious history. 

Aid workers have said it may take years before they can return to their homes.

A US-backed alliance of Syrian fighters says it has full control of the city.

Operations were under way to uncover jihadist sleeper cells and remove landmines from the last areas of Raqqa, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spokesman Mustefa Bali said.

The four-month assault against IS destroyed Raqqa's civilian infrastructure and homes, humanitarian agencies say.

source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-41663617