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亮见|天水幼儿园事件反思:地方舆情处置到了走火入魔的地步

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1.不符合逻辑的结果

甘肃天水培心幼儿园血铅异常事件,通报结果让人目瞪口呆:

幼儿园园长朱某琳、投资人李某芳同意该园后厨人员通过网络平台购买彩绘颜料,稀释后用于部分食品制作。

彩绘颜料用于食品制作,一时间不知道该说他们蠢还是坏。色素不比颜料便宜?干嘛要往食品里加颜料?只为了好看?基本逻辑在哪里?

我唯一能想到的解释就是,铅中毒后,活蹦乱跳的孩子会变得昏昏欲睡,方便幼儿园管理。

CDT 档案卡
标题:天水幼儿园事件反思:地方舆情处置到了走火入魔的地步
作者:魏春亮
发表日期:2025.7.9
来源:微信公众号“亮见”
主题归类:甘肃天水幼儿园铅中毒事件
CDS收藏:公民馆
版权说明:该作品版权归原作者所有。中国数字时代仅对原作进行存档,以对抗中国的网络审查。详细版权说明

很多人对此结果表示怀疑,微博上今天甚至有一个叫“血铅事件不合逻辑”的话题上了热搜。

彩绘颜料味道那么大,加到糕点里,怎么吃下去的?就算小孩子能吃下去,老师又不傻,怎么吃得下去的?

考虑到当地20年前也发生过铅中毒事件,导致铅中毒的,到底是水污染还是彩绘颜料呢?

但没有证据,咱也不敢下判断,可如果通报中说的就是事实,也就是说,是幼儿园把彩绘颜料用于食品制作,那另一个问题就出来了。

事发之后,孩子们在天水检测正常,但在西安检测却显示血铅超标,例如,一个孩子在天水检测27.48,西安检测528,相差近20倍。

有家长反映,未参与当地检测的儿童,也被通知“结果正常”。

甚至,有当地的官方人员跑到西安,有家长及网络声音指出,试图劝说患者(包括老师和学生)返回天水治疗。

当地官方部门如此行事,就很让人困惑。

幼儿园违规擅自在食品里添加彩绘颜料,是幼儿园自己的问题,对吧?

你天水官方部门,干嘛火急火燎地把这个丑闻,主动接管到自己手上,揽到自己身上?

为什么要把幼儿园的丑闻,变成整个天水的丑闻呢?

一个正常的警察,看到小偷偷东西,肯定是第一时间上去抓住,扭送派出所,对吧?

他肯定不会觉得,我们这里出了一个小偷,是我们辖区没做好治安防范工作,我要是抓了小偷,会不会给我们辖区抹黑?

你很难想象,警察看到小偷偷东西,会为了辖区的“脸面”,而帮助小偷瞒天过海,还威胁旁边的路人不准瞎说。

但类似的事情,却在我们这片神奇的土地上上演了,而且是接连不断上演。

2.系统性舆情处置模式

自从2023年鼠头鸭脖事件,我就发现一种我称之为“最新的系统性舆情处置模式”的东西。

一旦检测到“负面舆情”,这种局部的问题,就被升格为系统性的问题。

这个“系统”很可能是以“市”为单位,而消灭“负面舆情”,就成为“市”的整体任务。

一旦局部的问题被升格成系统的问题,事情的性质就立马发生了变化,具体的问题被抽象成系统的正确性的问题。

于是,这个系统就会临时征用一切可调动的资源,用于维护它自身的正确性。

比如,利用网络实名制系统,第一时间定位到当事人。然后出动家人、村干部、警察等各种人和部门,迫使其删帖、认错、否认或停止行动。

如果热度到此时还没消除,那么还可能出动权威机构来做背书,增加可信度,甚至出动水军来引导和操纵舆论的方向。

所以,不一定是天水幼儿园的背景能强大到能指挥官方部门,也不一定是背后有利益勾兑的驱使,更可能的是,它们都被**更高的意志统一征用了。**

系统性的舆情处置方式,就可能催生出系统性的谎盐。而当这个系统无力处理系统内的问题,更高一级的调查组才会出面。

不是非得靠调查组才能查清楚真相,而是只有调查组才有足够高的权力决定献祭谁,决定如何平息舆情。

调查组不是这种“系统性舆情处置模式”的反面,而是它的重要组成部分。

如果这种“系统性舆情处置模式”不改变,喊再多的“实事求是”,来再多的调查组,都无法阻止类似事件的再次发生。

系统的正确性,成为终极目标和最高意志。一旦陷入到这种“系统性舆情处置模式”中,解决问题本身就不再重要,重要的只是解决舆情。

就比如,天水幼儿园事件中,官方部门隐瞒检测数据,不让家长知道孩子中毒多深,却一心试图在家长身上用各种手段,想要把事情压下去,好像一切都没有发生一样。

那可是几十甚至可能上百个孩子的生命和健康,为了把舆情压下去,而置孩子的健康与生命于不顾,某些地方的舆情处置,简直到了走火入魔的地步。

我不理解。

一个幼儿园的丑闻,被曝光出来了,当地官方部门第一时间处理,该查的查,该抓的抓,该帮助的帮助,该治疗的治疗。因为官方处置得当,坏人得到惩罚,患者得到最及时的止损,家长焦虑的心情得到一定程度的慰藉,而网友为官方部门的处置欢呼鼓掌叫好。

这才是这个世界最正常的样子,对吧?

可为什么,这最正常的样子,如今却成为了一种奢望?

聪明的,谁能告诉我为什么?

西坡原创|我已经没有眼泪为天水的孩子哭泣了

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文|西坡

甘肃天水市麦积区培心幼儿园部分幼儿血铅指标异常,引发社会广泛关注。7月8日,天水市政府官网发布通报,称有233人血铅异常,与该园购买彩绘颜料,稀释后用于部分食品制作有关。包括该幼儿园园长、投资人在内的8人涉嫌犯罪被刑事拘留。

很多朋友在愤怒之余,也有很大的困惑。有毒的彩绘颜料,究竟能比可食用色素便宜多少钱?为这点蝇头小利,就要丧尽天良?

除了便宜,恐怕还有一个作案动机,就是绘画颜料颜色更鲜艳,能吸引小朋友注意力。

但这些动机与孩子们遭受的身心损害,放在天平上是极度不相称的。正因如此,人们更需要弄明白,这残忍的荒诞是怎么发生的。

CDT 档案卡
标题:我已经没有眼泪为天水的孩子哭泣了
作者:西坡
发表日期:2025.7.9
来源:微信公众号“西坡原创”
主题归类:甘肃天水幼儿园铅中毒事件
CDS收藏:公民馆
版权说明:该作品版权归原作者所有。中国数字时代仅对原作进行存档,以对抗中国的网络审查。详细版权说明

据财新报道,有家长对官方通报的中毒原因仍有疑问。我从网上看到一些揣测,但没有证据,就不在这里转述了。所以我们这里姑且把官方通报当作事实。

我要说的是,我看到新闻之后,内心不如很多朋友那么震惊、诧异。我这两天反思了一下我的“麻木”究竟从何而来。

原因大概是,这些年来我见证了新闻是怎样一天一天死去,信息传播链条是怎样一步一步断裂,我的心里过去对于将来会发生什么事情早就有了预期。

所以当它们真的发生的时候,我反而有一种诡异的预言得中的感觉。

当我把内心的感受梳理一遍,只觉有莫大的悲哀,沉沉地压在头顶。

文明与常识,从来都不是天经地义,而是一代又一代的火炬捍卫者,在清醒后痛苦,痛苦后思索,思索后行动,行动后建立起来的。

一种常识一旦确立并开始运转,就会给所有人带来无形的福利,但悖论在于,这个时候遗忘开始了。

常识从无到有的亲历者逐渐隐入尘烟,人们以为那些常识都是自行确立、自动运转的,却不知道它们会磨损,会变形,若遇不到振衰起敝之人,则终将凋零、枯死,无人问津。

“食品安全无小事”“孩子是未来的花朵”,这些口号从实践原则沦为空头标语,只在一念之间。

阳光到不了的地方,霉菌会悄然滋生。

若幼儿园园长、投资人知道会有这一天,他们当初还会这么干吗?恐怕不会。但他们关心的也不是孩子,而是自己。他们只是没想到会付出这么大的代价。

然而问题就在于,假如每个人的脑子里都只有“利益最大化”这个程序在运转,那么这类“不必要的残忍”就必然会发生。

其实,对历史稍有了解的朋友都知道,这种“没有性价比”的残酷,才是最值得恐惧的。

拿这个幼儿园来说,做决定的人只考虑“又要拍照好看,吸引孩子,又要省钱”,而完全不关心食品安全与孩子的身体健康。那么最后有毒的颜料进入食物,有什么好奇怪呢?

从“投毒”到孩子发病,总是有时间间隔的。过程中的每一个人,都有自己的“利益最大化”考量,都有自己的侥幸心理。有今朝没明日,有自己没别人。常识就是这样被逐步分解掉的。

永远不要低估愚昧的生命力和传播性。

文明是需要珍惜需要守护的,愚昧则是一种自然状态。

新闻里有一个情节:

“多名在陕西西安检测显示血铅重度超标的幼儿家长称,此前天水相关部门工作人员口头通知,他们孩子在天水当地进行的血铅检查结果正常,与他们在西安的检测结果悬殊。”

在这件事情中,从天水到西安,就是一条文明的断裂带。这样的断裂带,还有多少呢?还会有多少呢?

假如有机会,看一看十几二十年前的新闻吧。当年人们也惊讶于,为什么会有人往奶粉里放三聚氰胺。

假如时代有记忆,它就应该原谅我,我已经没有眼泪为天水的孩子哭泣了。

巴西和中国计划修建连接大西洋和太平洋的铁路

德才
2025-07-09T10:24:46.489Z
秘鲁钱凯港(Chancay)将是铁路的西端

(德国之声中文网)据巴西报纸Folha de São Paulo报道,两国于本周一(7月7日)签署了合作谅解备忘录。这项协议旨在推进一条约4500公里长的铁路的可行性研究,该铁路将连接秘鲁的钱凯港(Chancay)和巴西的伊利乌斯港(Ilhéus)。这一新线路被认为是全球最大的物流项目之一。

根据相关研究,这条新线路将把巴西到亚洲的货物运输时间从目前平均40天缩短至28天。同时,运输成本预计也将大幅降低。

中国有意通过该项目扩大其在拉丁美洲的影响力。中国尤其对南美的原材料和农产品感兴趣,而巴西是中国最大的贸易伙伴。巴西每年向中国出口价值约3500亿美元的商品,主要包括大豆、铁矿石和肉类。因此,扩建铁路货运网络对巴西具有重要的战略意义。

位于秘鲁首都利马以北约70公里的钱凯港于去年投入运营,该港不仅有望成为南美最大的港口,也是首个由中国全资控股的港口。该港口60%的股份归中国国有企业中远海运港口有限公司所有。

(据福音通讯社)

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© 2025年德国之声版权声明:本文所有内容受到著作权法保护,如无德国之声特别授权,不得擅自使用。任何不当行为都将导致追偿,并受到刑事追究。

媒体:美爱国者导弹库存仅为五角大楼需求的25%


2025-07-09T10:36:14.755Z
美国五角大楼官员上周表示,担心关键武器库存,冻结对乌运送

(德国之声中文网)据英国《卫报》报道,美国目前拥有的爱国者导弹拦截系统仅达到五角大楼军事计划需求的约25%。上月,特朗普政府冻结了对乌克兰最新的一批武器运送。

《卫报》引述知情人士称,特朗普在与乌克兰总统泽连斯基通电话时曾表示,他下令审核美国武器库存情况,但没有下令冻结对乌克兰的武器运送。

知情人士向《卫报》表示,自拜登政府向乌克兰提供军事援助以来,美国一些关键武器库存数年来持续低于美国军事行动计划所需的最低限度。

知情人士向该报表示,特朗普政府于2月开始对爱国者导弹及其它武器消耗状况进行审核。而在上月特朗普对伊朗核设施进行轰炸后,形势更为紧急。

本周一,特朗普表示美国应该运送更多防御装备给乌克兰,隔天称已批准此事。他说,美国必须使乌克兰有能力自我防卫,“他们现在遭受非常严重的攻击”。

特朗普还对普京作出严厉的批评,称:“我们听了一堆普京的废话(bulls**t)……他总是非常和善,但最后都是没有意义的。”

五角大楼官员7月1日以担心美国武器库消减为由,宣布冻结对乌克兰提供爱国者防空体系等。

另据《纽约时报》报道,两名知情人士向该报表示,美国向伊朗三座核设施发动袭击前后,特朗普要求军方审核武器库存状况。上月,国防部高级官员决定暂停对乌克兰运送部分防空拦截体系等,理由是担心美国武器库存偏低。

(综合报道)

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More than 100 hurt as efforts to contain Marseille wildfire continue

Getty Images A fire currently burning in the hills north of Marseille, in the area of Les Pennes-Mirabeau, is producing thick smoke visible from the Vieux-Port. A large grey smoke cloud can be seen above orange-roofed buildings by the waterside, with small boats in the foreground.Getty Images
Smoke from the fire in the hills north of Marseille was visible from the city's Vieux-Port

A rapidly spreading wildfire has reached the outer edge of Marseille, France's second largest city.

"The marine firefighter battalion is waging guerrilla warfare, hoses in hand," said the city's Mayor Benoît Payan, referring to Marseille's fire and rescue service.

The prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhône area, Georges-François Leclerc, urged local residents to remain indoors and said firefighters were "defending" the city.

He said that while the situation was not static, it was "under control".

Marseille Provence airport has been closed for the rest of Tuesday.

Some residents have been advised to stay inside, close shutters and doors, and keep roads clear for emergency services.

The fire, which broke out earlier on Tuesday near Pennes-Mirabeau, north of Marseille, is said to have covered about 700 hectares (7 sq km).

Local authorities said the blaze was sparked by a car that caught fire on the motorway, and that it could continue to spread as strong winds are set to blow until late this evening.

"It's very striking - apocalyptic even," Monique Baillard, a resident of the town, told Reuters news agency. She said many of her neighbours had already left.

The local fire service said 168 firefighters had been deployed to fight the blaze, as well as fire engines and helicopters.

Marseille's mayor, Benoit Payan, asked residents to remain "extremely vigilant" and to limit their movements. Locals told French TV of dense traffic jams as people tried to evacuate the city.

Footage posted online showed huge plumes of smoke above Marseille as fire raged in a hilly area to its north.

The Bouches-du-Rhône area has not recorded a single drop of rain since 19 May, according to French broadcaster BFMTV.

Elsewhere in France, another wildfire that started near Narbonne on Monday remains active, fanned by winds of 60km (38mph) per hour. Some 2,000 hectares have burnt, local officials said.

Wildfires were also reported in other parts of Europe, including Spain's Catalonia region, where more than 18,000 people were ordered to stay at home because of a wildfire in the eastern province of Tarragona.

Emergency units were deployed alongside 300 firefighters as high winds overnight fanned the flames, which have spread across nearly 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) of land.

Several other parts of Spain - which experienced its hottest June on record - were on high alert for wildfires.

In Greece, some 41 wildfires broke out across the country on Monday. Of those, 34 were contained early while seven remained active into Monday evening, according to the fire service.

Much of western and southern Europe was hit by a scorching early summer heatwave, sparking fires that saw thousands evacuated from their homes.

'You did it': How doctor realised mushroom cook was a killer

Watch: CCTV and audio shown to court in mushroom trial

Within minutes of Erin Patterson walking into a tiny hospital in rural Victoria, doctor Chris Webster realised she was a cold-blooded killer.

"I knew," he tells the BBC.

"I thought, 'Okay, yep, you did it, you heinous individual. You've poisoned them all'."

Dr Webster had spent the morning frantically treating two of the four people a jury this week found Erin had intentionally fed toxic mushrooms - concealed in a hearty beef Wellington lunch served at her home in July 2023.

She was convicted of the murders of her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, as well as Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. Erin was also found guilty of attempting to murder local pastor Ian Wilkinson – Heather's husband – who recovered after weeks of treatment in hospital.

But initially, when Heather and Ian presented to Leongatha Hospital with intense gastroenteritis-like symptoms, Dr Webster and his team thought they were dealing with a case of mass food poisoning.

The Age/Jason South Dr Chris Webster standing outside, a bare tree in the foreground. A stethoscope is around his neck and he is wearing a blue check shirt.The Age/Jason South
Chris Webster is one of the GPs that runs Leongatha Hospital

Heather had described for him a "lovely" afternoon at Erin's house, the physician told the trial.

"I did ask Heather at one stage what the beef Wellington tasted like and she said it was delicious," Dr Webster said.

His suspicion had fallen on the meat, so the doctor took some blood samples as a precaution and sent them off for analysis in a town with better medical facilities, before hooking the Wilkinsons up with fluids.

But soon he would receive a call from the doctor treating Don and Gail at Dandenong Hospital, about a 90-minute drive away, and his stomach dropped.

It wasn't the meat, it was the mushrooms, she told him. And his patients were on the precipice of irreversible slide towards death.

He immediately changed tack, beginning treatment to try and salvage their failing livers, and preparing to transfer them to a larger hospital where they could receive specialist care.

Supplied Heather and Ian Wilkinson smile at the camera, while sitting in a room. Heather is wearing a yellow patterned shift while Ian is wearing a blue shirt with his phone and glasses each tucked into his shirt pockets.Supplied
Heather and Ian Wilkinson had been treated by Chris Webster

It was at this point that someone rang the bell at the front of the hospital.

Through a Perspex security window was a woman telling him she thought she had gastro.

"I'm like, 'Oh, hang on, what's your name?' And she said, 'Erin Patterson'," Dr Webster says.

"The penny dropped… it's the chef."

He ushered Erin into the hospital and told her he suspected she and her guests were all suffering from life-threatening poisoning from toxic mushrooms. He quizzed her on the source of the fungi included in her home-cooked dish.

"Her answer was a single word: Woolworths," he says.

"And it all just suddenly coalesced in my brain."

There were two things that convinced him of her guilt in that moment, Dr Webster explains.

One, it was a far-fetched answer. Admitting she had foraged wild mushrooms, as many locals in the area do, wouldn't have set off alarm bells. Saying they came from a major grocery chain with stringent food safety standards, on the other hand, was suspicious.

And two, there was no concerned reaction from the mother-of-two – despite being metres from where Ian and Heather, relatives she said she loved, lay on beds desperately sick.

"I don't know if she even acknowledged their presence," he says.

Briefly leaving Erin with nurses to undergo some basic health checks, he went to see the Wilkinsons off to Dandenong Hospital. He recalls watching the elderly couple being loaded into an ambulance, Heather calling out to thank him for his care as the vehicle doors were closed.

"And I knew," he says, trailing off.

"It's actually quite difficult to talk about without getting emotional.

"She could have quite easily done the complete opposite and screamed… 'Thanks for nothing'.

That may have been easier to accept than her sincere gratitude, he says. "You know, I didn't catch it [the poisoning] earlier."

ABC/Danielle Bonica The Leongatha Hospital sign beside a road in the townABC/Danielle Bonica
Leongatha is about a two-hour drive from Victoria's capital Melbourne

But he had no time to process the gravity of their last interaction, rushing back to the urgent care room only to find Erin had discharged herself against medical advice.

After desperately trying to call her on her mobile phone, gobsmacked and concerned, Dr Webster decided to call police.

"This is Dr Chris Webster from Leongatha Hospital. I have a concern about a patient who presented here earlier, but has left the building and is potentially exposed to a fatal toxin from mushroom poisoning," he can be heard saying in the call played at the trial.

He spells her name for the operator, and gives them her address.

"She just got up and left?" they ask. "She was only here for five minutes," Dr Webster replies.

At her trial, Erin said she had been caught off guard by the information and had gone home to feed her animals and pack a bag, pausing to have a "lie down" before returning to the hospital.

"After being told by medical staff you had potentially ingested a life-threatening poison, isn't it the last thing you'd do?" the prosecutor asked her in court.

"It might be the last thing you'd do, but it was something I did," Erin defiantly replied from the witness stand.

Getty Images Erin Patterson wearing a grey sweater speaks to media in front of her red car in August 2023Getty Images
Erin Patterson claimed the poisoning was a tragic accident

But before police reached her house, Erin had returned to hospital voluntarily. Dr Webster then tried to convince her to bring in her children – who she claimed had eaten leftovers.

"She was concerned that they were going to be frightened," he said in court.

"I said they can be scared and alive, or dead."

Erin told the jury she wasn't reluctant, rather overwhelmed by the doctor who she believed was "yelling" at her. "I've since learnt this was his inside voice," she added.

Dr Webster clocked off shortly after, but the trial heard medical tests performed on Erin and her children would return no sign of death cap poisoning, and after a precautionary 24 hours in hospital, they were sent home.

Guilty verdicts a 'relief'

Getty Images Ian Wilkinson looks at the camera from behind the shoulders of two people in front of him. He is wearing a black coat and a white checked shirt.Getty Images
Ian Wilkinson recovered after a liver transplant and weeks in an induced coma

Two years later, when news of the jury's verdict flashed on his phone on Monday, Dr Webster began shaking.

He was one of the prosecution's key witnesses, and had struggled with the "weight of expectation".

"If the picture is going to make sense to the jury, if a small puzzle piece is out of place, it could upset the whole outcome of the trial… I really didn't want to crack under the scrutiny."

It's a "relief" to have played his part in holding Erin Patterson – who he calls "the definition of evil" – accountable.

"It does feel like [there's] that reward of justice."

For him though, the biggest sense of closure came from seeing Ian Wilkinson – the only surviving patient – for the first time since sending him and his ailing wife off in an ambulance.

"That memory of Heather being sort of taken away in that fashion, that's now bookended by seeing Ian standing on his feet again."

"That brought some comfort."

Musk's AI firm deletes posts after chatbot praises Hitler

Reuters Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 13 May, 2025. Reuters

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence start-up xAI says it is working to remove "inappropriate" posts on the multi-billionaire's social network X.

The announcement came after the platform's Grok AI chatbot shared multiple comments that were widely criticised by users.

"Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X," the company said in a post.

According to media reports, Grok made multiple positive references to Hitler this week when queried about posts that appeared to celebrate the deaths of children in the recent Texas floods.

In response to a question asking "which 20th century historical figure" would be best suited to deal with such posts, Grok said: "To deal with such vile anti-white hate? Adolf Hitler, no question."

"If calling out radicals cheering dead kids makes me 'literally Hitler,' then pass the mustache," said another Grok response. "Truth hurts more than floods."

The incident came as xAI was due to launch its next-generation language model, Grok 4, on Wednesday.

On Friday, Musk posted on X that Grok had improved "significantly", but gave no details of what changes had been made.

"You should notice a difference when you ask Grok questions," he added.

The chatbot drew criticism earlier this year after it repeatedly referenced "white genocide" in South Africa in response to unrelated questions - an issue that the company said was caused by an "unauthorised modification".

X, which was formerly called Twitter, was merged with xAI earlier this year.

Chatbot developers have faced extensive scrutiny over concerns around political bias, hate speech and accuracy in recent years.

Musk has also previously been criticised over claims that he amplifies conspiracy theories and other controversial content on social media.

At least three dead in New Mexico flash flooding

Watch: Moment house is swept away in New Mexico flash flooding

At least three people are dead in the village of Ruidoso, New Mexico after heavy rain caused flash flooding.

Up to 8.8cm (3.5in) of rain fell, causing the Ruidoso river to rise to an historic level. The floodwaters have now receded.

A man and two children died after being swept downstream, local officials confirmed on Tuesday evening.

Village of Ruidoso spokesperson Kerry Gladden told CBS search and rescue crews were still out in the field, and a hotline has been set up for people looking for missing family members.

Emergency crews in Ruidoso carried out at least 50 swift water rescues in the area, with residents urged to move to higher ground.

Three people had been treated for injuries at the local hospital, Ms Gladden said in a statement.

Social media footage captured by local artist Kaitlyn Carpenter showed at least one house being swept away by floodwaters, with Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford unable to confirm how many homes had been lost.

Speaking on a local radio station, Mr Crawford said: "It got ugly really quick".

Reuters A male first responder dressed in neon yellow PPE surveys debris and mud covering a roadway in Ruidoso, New Mexico.Reuters
The full extent of the damage is Ruidoso is still being assessed

The NWS had warned that two 'burn scars' around Ruidoso were high risk for flash-flooding, as the charred soil left behind by last year's wildfires would be "as water-repellent as a pavement".

Southern New Mexico was hit by wildfires in June 2024. Ruidoso was evacuated as two fires burned approximately 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of land on either side of the village.

Two people were killed and hundreds of homes were destroyed.

Subsequent reports said that the risk of flash floods would be increased for at least two years due to the fires, and the likelihood of significant flooding events in the area was "dramatically increased".

News of the flash flooding in New Mexico came just hours after Texas Governor Greg Abbott gave an update on the aftermath of last Friday's devastating flash floods in the southern state.

He said that the death toll stands at 109 people, with 161 others missing.

Anger after sharp rise in death toll from Kenya's anti-government protests

EPA A close-up of a protester holding two spent bullets in Nairobi EPA
The UN has criticised the use of lethal force during Monday protests

The number of people killed in Monday's anti-government protests in Kenya has risen to 31, the country's human rights commission said, sparking public outage and calls for justice.

The state-run commission previously said that 11 people had died.

More than 100 people were injured and about 532 arrested in the protests which hit the capital Nairobi and other major cities, said the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KHRCR).

The UN said it was deeply troubled by the killings and criticised the Kenyan police for using "lethal ammunition" against protesters.

The Kenya police still says that 11 people died.

There has been rising tension in the country since the death of blogger Albert Ojwang in police custody last month brought people back onto the streets, a year after young protesters stormed parliament angered by a wave of tax rises.

Monday's protests were intended to commemorate Kenya's decades-long struggle for democracy but they quickly escalated into deadly clashes in 17 out of the country's 47 counties, local media reported.

Many of those demonstrating chanted "Ruto must go" and "wantam", meaning "one term", a popular rallying call demanding President William Ruto leave office.

In a statement issued on late Tuesday, the KHRCR said the sharp rise in the death toll was "deeply troubling".

"The KHRCR strongly condemns all human rights violations and urges accountability from all responsible parties, including police, civilians and all other stakeholders," it added.

The commission also documented widespread looting and destruction of both public and private property by unidentified individuals.

Among those killed was a 12-year-old pupil who was hit by a stray bullet while at home in Kiambu, in the outskirts of the capital, local media reported.

"It is very concerning that these latest incidents come barely two weeks after more than 15 protesters were reportedly killed and many more injured in Nairobi and other parts of Kenya on 25 June," said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

"Lethal ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons were used," Shamdasani added.

At least two hospitals were damaged after unidentified attackers raided the facilities and stole medical equipment and harassed staff, Reuters news agency reported.

Religious and rights groups have demanded a prompt and independent investigation into the killings, destruction of property and arbitrary arrests.

However, Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen has praised police officers for containing the protests, which he said were infiltrated by criminals.

Opposition leaders on Tuesday accused the government of deploying unmarked police vehicles to transport armed gangs to perceived opposition strongholds during the protests.

They called for a national boycott of all businesses affiliated with President Ruto's administration, accusing his government of deploying state-sponsored violence and extrajudicial killings on Kenyans.

"This regime is hostile. It cannot be reasoned with. It must be resisted. We will not rest. We will not retreat. We will not surrender," the opposition said in a joint statement.

Kenya's Chief Justice Martha Koome has cautioned the country against the increasingly violent protests, saying they risked the nation's democratic fabric.

Monday's demonstrations were organised primarily by the so-called Gen-Z young people, demanding good governance, greater accountability, and justice for victims of police brutality, continuing the wave of anti-government protests since last year.

On 25 June, at least 19 people were killed and thousands of businesses looted and destroyed in a day of nationwide protests that were being held in honour of those killed in last year's anti-tax protests.

More than 140 people have been killed since 2023 in protests, according to a tally by The Star newspaper.

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'You did it': How doctor realised mushroom cook was a killer

Watch: CCTV and audio shown to court in mushroom trial

Within minutes of Erin Patterson walking into a tiny hospital in rural Victoria, doctor Chris Webster realised she was a cold-blooded killer.

"I knew," he tells the BBC.

"I thought, 'Okay, yep, you did it, you heinous individual. You've poisoned them all'."

Dr Webster had spent the morning frantically treating two of the four people a jury this week found Erin had intentionally fed toxic mushrooms - concealed in a hearty beef Wellington lunch served at her home in July 2023.

She was convicted of the murders of her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, as well as Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. Erin was also found guilty of attempting to murder local pastor Ian Wilkinson – Heather's husband – who recovered after weeks of treatment in hospital.

But initially, when Heather and Ian presented to Leongatha Hospital with intense gastroenteritis-like symptoms, Dr Webster and his team thought they were dealing with a case of mass food poisoning.

The Age/Jason South Dr Chris Webster standing outside, a bare tree in the foreground. A stethoscope is around his neck and he is wearing a blue check shirt.The Age/Jason South
Chris Webster is one of the GPs that runs Leongatha Hospital

Heather had described for him a "lovely" afternoon at Erin's house, the physician told the trial.

"I did ask Heather at one stage what the beef Wellington tasted like and she said it was delicious," Dr Webster said.

His suspicion had fallen on the meat, so the doctor took some blood samples as a precaution and sent them off for analysis in a town with better medical facilities, before hooking the Wilkinsons up with fluids.

But soon he would receive a call from the doctor treating Don and Gail at Dandenong Hospital, about a 90-minute drive away, and his stomach dropped.

It wasn't the meat, it was the mushrooms, she told him. And his patients were on the precipice of irreversible slide towards death.

He immediately changed tack, beginning treatment to try and salvage their failing livers, and preparing to transfer them to a larger hospital where they could receive specialist care.

Supplied Heather and Ian Wilkinson smile at the camera, while sitting in a room. Heather is wearing a yellow patterned shift while Ian is wearing a blue shirt with his phone and glasses each tucked into his shirt pockets.Supplied
Heather and Ian Wilkinson had been treated by Chris Webster

It was at this point that someone rang the bell at the front of the hospital.

Through a Perspex security window was a woman telling him she thought she had gastro.

"I'm like, 'Oh, hang on, what's your name?' And she said, 'Erin Patterson'," Dr Webster says.

"The penny dropped… it's the chef."

He ushered Erin into the hospital and told her he suspected she and her guests were all suffering from life-threatening poisoning from toxic mushrooms. He quizzed her on the source of the fungi included in her home-cooked dish.

"Her answer was a single word: Woolworths," he says.

"And it all just suddenly coalesced in my brain."

There were two things that convinced him of her guilt in that moment, Dr Webster explains.

One, it was a far-fetched answer. Admitting she had foraged wild mushrooms, as many locals in the area do, wouldn't have set off alarm bells. Saying they came from a major grocery chain with stringent food safety standards, on the other hand, was suspicious.

And two, there was no concerned reaction from the mother-of-two – despite being metres from where Ian and Heather, relatives she said she loved, lay on beds desperately sick.

"I don't know if she even acknowledged their presence," he says.

Briefly leaving Erin with nurses to undergo some basic health checks, he went to see the Wilkinsons off to Dandenong Hospital. He recalls watching the elderly couple being loaded into an ambulance, Heather calling out to thank him for his care as the vehicle doors were closed.

"And I knew," he says, trailing off.

"It's actually quite difficult to talk about without getting emotional.

"She could have quite easily done the complete opposite and screamed… 'Thanks for nothing'.

That may have been easier to accept than her sincere gratitude, he says. "You know, I didn't catch it [the poisoning] earlier."

ABC/Danielle Bonica The Leongatha Hospital sign beside a road in the townABC/Danielle Bonica
Leongatha is about a two-hour drive from Victoria's capital Melbourne

But he had no time to process the gravity of their last interaction, rushing back to the urgent care room only to find Erin had discharged herself against medical advice.

After desperately trying to call her on her mobile phone, gobsmacked and concerned, Dr Webster decided to call police.

"This is Dr Chris Webster from Leongatha Hospital. I have a concern about a patient who presented here earlier, but has left the building and is potentially exposed to a fatal toxin from mushroom poisoning," he can be heard saying in the call played at the trial.

He spells her name for the operator, and gives them her address.

"She just got up and left?" they ask. "She was only here for five minutes," Dr Webster replies.

At her trial, Erin said she had been caught off guard by the information and had gone home to feed her animals and pack a bag, pausing to have a "lie down" before returning to the hospital.

"After being told by medical staff you had potentially ingested a life-threatening poison, isn't it the last thing you'd do?" the prosecutor asked her in court.

"It might be the last thing you'd do, but it was something I did," Erin defiantly replied from the witness stand.

Getty Images Erin Patterson wearing a grey sweater speaks to media in front of her red car in August 2023Getty Images
Erin Patterson claimed the poisoning was a tragic accident

But before police reached her house, Erin had returned to hospital voluntarily. Dr Webster then tried to convince her to bring in her children – who she claimed had eaten leftovers.

"She was concerned that they were going to be frightened," he said in court.

"I said they can be scared and alive, or dead."

Erin told the jury she wasn't reluctant, rather overwhelmed by the doctor who she believed was "yelling" at her. "I've since learnt this was his inside voice," she added.

Dr Webster clocked off shortly after, but the trial heard medical tests performed on Erin and her children would return no sign of death cap poisoning, and after a precautionary 24 hours in hospital, they were sent home.

Guilty verdicts a 'relief'

Getty Images Ian Wilkinson looks at the camera from behind the shoulders of two people in front of him. He is wearing a black coat and a white checked shirt.Getty Images
Ian Wilkinson recovered after a liver transplant and weeks in an induced coma

Two years later, when news of the jury's verdict flashed on his phone on Monday, Dr Webster began shaking.

He was one of the prosecution's key witnesses, and had struggled with the "weight of expectation".

"If the picture is going to make sense to the jury, if a small puzzle piece is out of place, it could upset the whole outcome of the trial… I really didn't want to crack under the scrutiny."

It's a "relief" to have played his part in holding Erin Patterson – who he calls "the definition of evil" – accountable.

"It does feel like [there's] that reward of justice."

For him though, the biggest sense of closure came from seeing Ian Wilkinson – the only surviving patient – for the first time since sending him and his ailing wife off in an ambulance.

"That memory of Heather being sort of taken away in that fashion, that's now bookended by seeing Ian standing on his feet again."

"That brought some comfort."

Official list of unclaimed estates taken offline after BBC revealed huge fraud

Getty Images A person is filling out a 'Last Will & Testament' form on a dark wooden table. The person's left hand is holding the paper steady while the right hand writes with a silver pen. The form includes sections for 'Name,' 'Address,' 'Beneficiaries,' and other relevant details. The person is wearing a dark green jacket.Getty Images

An official list of people who died without leaving a will has been taken offline, after a BBC investigation found evidence a crime gang was using it to commit fraud worth millions of pounds.

The government list - known as Bona Vacantia - gives the details of unclaimed estates in England or Wales. The BBC heard allegations that criminals were using the information to create fake wills and inherit money and property.

The page's removal has been welcomed by lawyers, but they say more needs to be done to protect the system from fraud.

In a statement, the Ministry of Justice said it was “working with the relevant agencies to support ongoing investigations into alleged fraudulent activity”.

Details of about 6,000 unclaimed estates are listed on Bona Vacantia (Latin for "Vacant Goods") and, until 7 July, anyone could view them on the gov.uk website.

However, the relevant page has been updated and now merely says: "We have temporarily removed the unclaimed estates list from our website. Further details will follow as soon as possible."

The Ministry of Justice has now told the BBC that the list has been removed “in keeping with current investigations” and it could not confirm “when the list will be available online again”.

A BBC News article published on Saturday 5 July recounted several cases in the south of England where a dead person's details had appeared on Bona Vacantia, and then, shortly after, someone had stepped forward claiming to be their sole heir.

These "heirs" produced wills where none had previously been thought to have existed. What's more, the claimants appear to be connected to each other through a network of company directorships, and all had names of Hungarian origin.

Family, friends and neighbours of the deceased told us how they had tried to alert authorities about their suspicions, but say that no action was ever taken.

As a result of our investigation, bank accounts for dozens of companies connected to the suspected fraudsters, have been suspended.

Taking down Bona Vacantia is "absolutely right", according to Ann Stanyer, a leading specialist lawyer in the field, but she says this in itself will not be enough to combat fraud.

Probate (the legal process of administering a dead person's estate) has largely been carried out online since 2017, she says, but the current system demands too few checks on applicants, and "is clearly open to abuse".

Ms Stanyer's misgivings are shared with lawyer and former MP Sir Bob Neill: "If you are going to have an automated system there have to be checks in it, and at the moment, there aren't," he says.

Sir Bob began an inquiry into the probate system when he was chair of the House of Commons Justice Select Committee, although this was cut short by the 2019 general election. He says the taking down of Bona Vacantia is "a good start [to combat fraud], but there's a lot more they need to do".

Sir Bob Neill stands in front of a building featuring large dark gray doors and beige stone walls. He is dressed in a dark suit jacket over a light blue checkered shirt, open-necked.
Sir Bob Neill: Removing Bona Vacantia is "a good start" to combat fraud

The removal of Bona Vacantia will also have an impact on legitimate heir-hunting companies, who use the list as a starting point to research and then contact the genuine heirs to unclaimed estates.

"It's a bureaucratic kneejerk reaction, unnecessary," says Peter Turvey, who runs one such company, Anglia Research Services.

He says that the problem lies more not with the details revealed in Bona Vacantia, but with government failure to act when presented with clear examples of fraud.

Son of couple held in Iran: 'They aren't spies, they're Mum and Dad'

'They're not criminals – they're just a mum and a dad', Lindsay Foreman's son says

The son of a British couple detained in Iran has said he broke down in tears when he learned of their arrest and has not heard from them in six months.

Craig and Lindsay Foreman were on a "once-in-a-lifetime" motorbike trip around the world when they were arrested in January and later charged with espionage, which the family denies.

Their son Joe Bennett said the Foreign Office must act more urgently to bring them home, adding that he was not "clear" on their strategy to do so.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said they were continuing to assist the family and raise the case directly with Iranian authorities.

Mr and Mrs Foreman, both 52 from East Sussex, were motorbiking from Spain to Australia when they crossed into Iran on 31 December.

Mr Bennett said he last spoke with his parents on 3 January prior to their arrest, before learning they were being held in late January and charged with spying in February.

"I didn't know what to do or where to turn," he recalled.

Mr Bennett said one "generic letter" written by his mother had been shared with friends and family since then, and that updates on their wellbeing had come from three welfare checks by UK embassy officials - the last being in May.

"That's tough when you're used to hearing someone's voice every day," Mr Bennett said.

Family handout Craig Foreman, a man with short grey hair wearing a purple t-shirt, and Lindsay Foreman, a woman with long blonde hair wearing a red top, smile and take a selfie in front of a swimming poolFamily handout
Craig and Lindsay Foreman, a carpenter and life coach, are being held in Iran on spying charges

"She's sleeping on a wafer-thin mattress," he said of his mother, "that causes a lot of upset".

"You always go back to how they must be feeling, that's the one thing that gets the family the most."

Mr Bennett said his parents were very active people who loved doing Parkrun, and were trying to "keep as fit as possible" in their cell.

"In true fashion they're now running figure of eights in their cell," he said, "which just shows their mental fortitude".

He added that the conflict between Iran and Israel which erupted in June was a "terrifying" period, "not knowing if they were okay or safe".

The couple were due to be transferred to Tehran's notorious Evin Prison on 8 June, he continued, which was bombed by Israel on 23 June - while the war also saw the UK pull its embassy staff out of the city.

Mr Bennett recalls thinking: "They are now left alone, we haven't got people who can push for their safety and wellbeing."

The FCDO currently advises against all travel to Iran, saying that British and British-Iranian dual nationals are at "significant risk" of arrest, questioning or detention.

It also now states that UK government support is "extremely limited in Iran".

"No face-to-face consular assistance will be possible in an emergency and the UK government will not be able to help you if you get into difficulty in Iran," the guidance reads.

Mr Bennett said the family did have reservations about their decision to travel to the country and asked, "why would you go there?".

But he stressed that the couple did so "by the proper means" - with the right visas, accompanied by licensed tour guides, and staying in hotels and along main roads.

"They followed every guideline in the book they could… that clearly wasn't enough."

Mr Bennett said he believed they were arrested because "they have UK passports and are being used as leverage by the Iranian regime".

"I want to be crystal clear, my parents aren't spies, they're not political players, they aren't criminals. They're Mum and Dad."

A spokesman for Iran's judiciary said in February that the couple had entered Iran "under the guise of tourists" and "gathered information" in several parts of the country.

They said the couple had been under surveillance by intelligence agencies and were arrested as part of a "coordinated intelligence operation".

In recent years, Iran has arrested dozens of Iranians with dual nationality or foreign permanent residency, mostly on spying and national security charges. At least 15 have had links to the UK.

Human rights groups say they are often held as leverage, released only when Iran receives something in return.

Mr Bennett said the foreign office had been "supportive in terms of words and comfort, but we're past that now," describing the relationship as "functional".

He added that their "quiet diplomacy" approach had been "going on for too long" and that the family was not "clear what the strategy is".

"We know where we stand and what we want, it's over to you to make this happen."

An FCDO spokesperson said: "We continue to raise this case directly with the Iranian authorities, we're providing them with consular assistance and we remain in close contact with the family."

Musk's AI firm deletes posts after chatbot praises Hitler

Reuters Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 13 May, 2025. Reuters

Elon Musk's artificial intelligence start-up xAI says it is working to remove "inappropriate" posts on the multi-billionaire's social network X.

The announcement came after the platform's Grok AI chatbot shared multiple comments that were widely criticised by users.

"Since being made aware of the content, xAI has taken action to ban hate speech before Grok posts on X," the company said in a post.

According to media reports, Grok made multiple positive references to Hitler this week when queried about posts that appeared to celebrate the deaths of children in the recent Texas floods.

In response to a question asking "which 20th century historical figure" would be best suited to deal with such posts, Grok said: "To deal with such vile anti-white hate? Adolf Hitler, no question."

"If calling out radicals cheering dead kids makes me 'literally Hitler,' then pass the mustache," said another Grok response. "Truth hurts more than floods."

The incident came as xAI was due to launch its next-generation language model, Grok 4, on Wednesday.

On Friday, Musk posted on X that Grok had improved "significantly", but gave no details of what changes had been made.

"You should notice a difference when you ask Grok questions," he added.

The chatbot drew criticism earlier this year after it repeatedly referenced "white genocide" in South Africa in response to unrelated questions - an issue that the company said was caused by an "unauthorised modification".

X, which was formerly called Twitter, was merged with xAI earlier this year.

Chatbot developers have faced extensive scrutiny over concerns around political bias, hate speech and accuracy in recent years.

Musk has also previously been criticised over claims that he amplifies conspiracy theories and other controversial content on social media.

England's Beth Mead on facing her girlfriend at Euro 2025

'For once we will not be friends' - Miedema on facing Mead at Euro 2025

Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead huggingImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Vivianne Miedema (left) and Beth Mead are former Arsenal team-mates

  • Published

England v Netherlands at Euro 2025

Venue: Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich Date: Wednesday 9 July, 17:00 BST

Coverage: Watch on BBC One, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

"For once we will not be friends," Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema said before a crunch match against England at Euro 2025 on Wednesday - and her girlfriend Beth Mead.

Defending champions England will be out of the tournament if they lose to the Netherlands and France avoid defeat to Wales in the second round of group D games in Switzerland.

So what will happen if Miedema sends her partner packing in Zurich?

"I don't think she'll speak to me for a bit," she said. "But it's tough. I know I'm with Beth, but I also have some of my best friends in that team.

"It's part of football. It's part of the game."

Miedema said the couple had played against each other many times, with Mead on the winning side more often than not.

"I've probably been on the other end of it [more]. I'll be happy for us if we get through," the 28-year-old said.

"We both know what we're going through. It's a very important tournament. I don't know if she will start or be a substitute. As a Dutch player, I will do everything possible to win the game."

Mead had said it was "inevitable" the couple would have been drawn against each other at the Euros.

"We're both very, very competitive and professional. We're both excited for the tournament and to be able to play in it again," Arsenal forward Mead said.

Manchester City striker Miedema celebrated scoring her 100th international goal as the Netherlands beat Wales 3-0 in their opening fixture, but Mead's England lost to France to put pressure on the Lionesses when the couple come face to face.

They have been in a relationship since 2022, have each enjoyed Euros success, with Miedema winning it in 2017 and Mead five years later.

They both missed the 2023 World Cup after suffering anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries within a month of each other at the end of 2022.

Both have battled back to full fitness for Euro 2025. They regularly communicate with one another but football chat is strictly limited.

"We keep in contact but when it gets closer to our games, we don't talk football whatsoever," Mead added.

"Obviously we want each other to do well but not against each other!"

One subject they do talk a lot about is their dog Myle, whom they welcomed into their family when they were recovering from their ACL injuries.

Mead was fortunate as Myle (pronounced My-lee) was allowed to stay with her during England's pre-Euros preparations at St George's Park.

"She's like our little mini-mascot," Mead said of Myle, a working cocker spaniel.

"The girls and staff love her. It's been great to have her here."

Split picture of Beth Mead arriving at St Georges Park with her dog and having her photo taken with him at a photo shootImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Beth Mead's dog Myle has taken centre stage since arriving at St George's Park

Myle had no shortage of offers for cuddles and walks and became the unintended star of a Lionesses photoshoot and also made an appearance on a podcast.

But she did not make her way to Euro 2025 and is instead being looked after by a dog sitter while her owners are away.

They are not the only couple who had the potential to face each other in the group stages in Switzerland.

Denmark captain Pernille Harder played against her wife-to-be Magdalena Eriksson's Sweden in the opening group C match.

Harder played the full match, but Eriksson was an unused substitute as Sweden won 1-0.

Trump delays tariffs as the rest of the world plays hardball

Getty Images US President Donald Trump wearing a blue suit and a white cap with USA on itGetty Images

Donald Trump's White House had grandly promised "90 deals in 90 days" after partially pausing the process of levying what the US president called "reciprocal" tariffs.

In reality, there won't even be nine deals done by the time we reach Trump's first cut-off date on 9 July.

The revealing thing here, the poker "tell" if you like, is the extension of the deadline from Wednesday until 1 August, with a possibility of further extensions - or delays - to come.

From the US perspective, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says all focus has been on the 18 countries that are responsible for 95% of America's trade deficit.

The jaunty letters being sent from the US to its trading partners this week are simply a reincarnation of that infamous White House "Liberation Day" blue board.

The rates are basically the same as were first revealed on 2 April. The infamous equation, which turned out to use a measure of the size of the deficit as a proxy for "the sum of all trade cheating" lives on, in a form.

This is all being announced without the market turmoil seen earlier this year because of this additional delay.

Financial markets believe in rolling delays, in the idea of TACO, that Trump Always Chickens Out - although they may embolden foot-dragging on all sides that lead to a renewed crisis.

However, the real takeaway here has been the Trump administration's inability to strike deals. The letters are an admission of failure.

The White House may be playing hardball, but so are most other nations.

Japan and South Korea were singled out for the first two letters, which effectively further blow up their trade deals with the US.

The Japanese have done little to hide their fury at the US approach.

Its finance minister even hinted at using its ownership of the world's biggest stockpile of US government debt - basically the biggest banker of America's debts - as a source of potential leverage.

The dynamic from April has not really changed.

The rest of the world sees that markets punish the US when a trade war looks real, when American retailers warn the White House of higher prices and empty shelves.

And there is still a plausible court case working its way through the system that could render the tariffs illegal.

But the world is now also starting to see the numerical impact of an upended global trade system.

The value of the dollar has declined 10% this year against a number of currencies.

At Bessent's confirmation hearing, he said that the likely increase in the value of the dollar would help mitigate any inflationary impact of tariffs.

The opposite has happened.

Trade numbers are starting to shift too. There was massive stockpiling before tariffs, there have been more recent significant falls.

Meanwhile, Chinese exports to the US have fallen by 9.7% so far this year.

But China's shipments to the rest of the world are up 6%. This includes a 7.4% rise in exports to the UK, a 12.2% increase to the 10 members of the ASEAN alliance and 18.9% rise to Africa.

The numbers are volatile, but consistent with what might be predicted.

Revenues from tariffs are starting to pour into the US Treasury coffers, with record receipts in May.

As the US builds a tariff wall around itself, the rest of the world is likely to trade more with each other - just look the recent economic deals between the UK and India, and the EU and Canada.

It is worth nothing that the effective tariff rate being imposed by the US on the rest of the world is now about 15%, having been between 2% and 4% for the past 40 years. This is before the further changes in these letters.

The market reaction is calm for now. It might not stay that way.

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