Anne Heche ‘stable’ after horror car crash and 4 more essential things you need to know
Anne Heche attends the 74th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards at The Beverly Hilton on March 12, 2022. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
Anne Heche is recovering after her car burst into flames following a horror car crash in Los Angeles.
The Biden administration is promising to ensure LGBTQ+ people are “respected and heard” in its monkeypox response.
Elsewhere, Israel and Palestine agreed a ceasefire after violence broke out once again, resulting in the deaths of at least 44 people.
There’s a lot going on in the world and we’ve got you covered.
Here are five essential stories to know about this week.
1. The UK is bracing for another heatwave
Visitors on Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare (James D. Morgan/Getty)
It might feel like just five minutes since the last heatwave, but it looks as though another is on the way.
Water providers are beng urged to implement hosepipe bans by environment secretary George Eustice as fears build on the potential for drought.
Some parts of the UK will see temperatures hitting the mid-30s over the next week.
The heatwave is the latest in a series of recent irregular weather patterns in Europe as the effects of climate change become apparent.
2. Israel and Palestine agree to a ceasefire
A Palestinian man in Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip salvages belongings from the rubble of his house, destroyed during the latest three days of conflict (SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty)
A ceasefire brokered by Egypt halted the latest surge of violence between Israel and Palestine.
According to BBC News, at least 44 people have been killed and more than 300 wounded in the violence. Palestine’s health ministry said 15 of those killed were children.
Violence erupted when Israel launched attacks on the Gaza Strip, claiming its actions were in response to threats from a “militant group”.
The attacks represent the most serious escalation of violence in the region since May 2021.
3. Anne Heche ‘expected to pull through’ after horror car crash
Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche at the 1998 Golden Globes. (Getty Images/Bob Riha, Jr.)
Actor Anne Heche is in a “stable” condition after her car burst into flames following a horror car crash in Los Angeles.
The actor’s former partner, Thomas Jane, says she is “expected to pull through”.
The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed the crash caused a “heavy fire”. It added its crews attended the scene to put it out.
The actor’s publicist confirmed she’s in a stable condition and asked for “thoughts and prayers”.
Heche was a tabloid sensation in the 1990s over her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres.
4. LGBTQ+ community ‘respected and heard’ in US response to monkeypox outbreak
The Biden administration’s monkeypox response deputy coordinator Dr Demetre Daskalakis (LightRocket via Getty/ Pacific Press/ Lev Radin)
US president Joe Biden’s newly appointed response deputy coordinator Dr Demetre Daskalakis has promised the government will avoid stigma in its handling of the monkeypox outbreak.
The virus, most commonly detected in parts of central and west Africa, has been spreading rapidly across the world in recent months, with gay and bisexual men the worst affected.
That has led to “homophobic” media coverage, with many seeking to blame the spread of the virus on the gay community.
Speaking to PinkNews, Daskalakis said: “This is my third day on the job, and one of the things that I found the most remarkable in my very first interaction with the president was the importance of the LGBTQ+ community and our need to make sure that they’re feeling respected and heard.”
The virus continues to cause worry and panic across the world. Numerous governments are struggling – and failing – to get vaccines to protect those at highest risk.
5. Ukraine nuclear plant controversy prompts UN intervention
UN Secretary General António Guterres (KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty)
UN secretary general António Guterres has called for inspectors to be granted access to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant after Ukraine accused Russia of damaging radiation sensors and injuring a worker in an attack on the site.
Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “nuclear terror”. The Ukraine president added: “There is no such nation in the world that could feel safe when a terrorist state fires at a nuclear plant.”
Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ people showed support for the Ukrainian people at Stockholm Pride on Saturday (6 August). Many attendees waved the flag of the war-torn nation.
A sea of blue and yellow at @stockholmpride yesterday! Swedes #StandWithUkraine and with @kharkivpride and @kyivpride! pic.twitter.com/9fB20kwpCH
— EuroPride • EPOA (@EuroPride) August 7, 2022
Kalush Orchestra, the band that won Eurovision for Ukraine in May, performed at the Pride celebration in the Swedish capital.
