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Boris Johnson has rejected claims of “moral failure” by the G7 in providing more COVID vaccines for poorer nations – as he dismissed suggestions a Brexit row had overshadowed the world leaders’ Cornwall summit.

At the end of three days of talks at the seaside resort of Carbis Bay, the heads of the world’s leading democracies committed to providing one billion doses of coronavirus jabs over the next year.

However, the World Health Organisation has challenged G7 leaders to help vaccinate at least 70% of the world’s population by the time they meet again next year – a target they have said will need 11 billion doses.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown told Sky News the G7 summit will go down as a “missed opportunity” as he accused leaders of “unforgivable moral failure” over providing vaccines to the rest of the world.

But, speaking at a news conference on Sunday at the end of the Cornwall summit, Mr Johnson rejected that assertion.

He said the G7 were “going flat out and we are producing vaccines as fast as we can, and distributing them as fast as we can”.

And the prime minister added a target to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022 will be done “very largely thanks to the efforts of the countries who have come here today”.

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As well as the G7 leaders’ discussions on COVID recovery, future pandemic preparedness and climate change at the summit, lingering Brexit tensions have also been on display in Cornwall between the UK and EU leaders.

But Mr Johnson denied that a continuing UK-EU row over post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland had left a “sour taste” at the Cornwall gathering.

“I can tell you that the vast, vast majority of the conversations that we have had over the last three or four days have been about other subjects and there has been a fantastic degree of harmony between the leaders of our countries,” he said.

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Three US crypto bills revived after initial failure in House vote

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Three US crypto bills revived after initial failure in House vote

Three US crypto bills revived after initial failure in House vote

Though the House of Representatives may soon be able to consider the three bills, President Donald Trump didn’t get all Republicans to fall in line to support the legislation.

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EU sanctions crypto entities for election interference, disinformation

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EU sanctions crypto entities for election interference, disinformation

EU sanctions crypto entities for election interference, disinformation

The EU has sanctioned multiple entities for using cryptocurrencies to evade restrictions, channel funds, and propagate pro‑Russian disinformation and election interference.

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Starmer says former Tory ministers have ‘serious questions to answer’ over Afghan data breach

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Starmer says former Tory ministers have 'serious questions to answer' over Afghan data breach

Sir Keir Starmer has said former Tory ministers have “serious questions to answer” about how the names of Afghans who worked with UK forces were exposed.

Nearly 7,000 Afghan nationals are being relocated to the UK after their names were accidentally sent in an email in February 2022, when Boris Johnson was prime minister, but the leak was only discovered by the British military in August 2023, when Rishi Sunak was PM.

A super-injunction, preventing the reporting of the mistake, was imposed that year in an attempt to prevent the Taliban from finding out about the leak.

The Conservative government at the time then started transporting thousands of Afghans to the UK in secret as they were in danger.

On Tuesday, the injunction was lifted.

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Victim of Afghan data breach speaks to Sky

Kicking off Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said: “Ministers who served under the party opposite have serious questions to answer about how this was ever allowed to happen.

“The chair of the defence committee has indicated that he intends to hold further inquiries.

“I welcome that and hope that those who are in office at the time will welcome that scrutiny.”

The data breach saw a defence official accidentally release details of almost 19,000 people seeking to flee Afghanistan after the return of the Taliban.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch avoided mentioning the data breach, but Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said it was “shocking” how it had been kept secret for three years.

Sir Ed said the prime minister will have the Lib Dems’ support if he decides to pursue a public inquiry.

Mr Healey’s Tory predecessor, Sir Ben Wallace, said he makes “no apology” for applying for the initial four-month injunction and insisted it was “not a cover-up”.

The scheme, which had been kept under wraps until yesterday, has so far cost hundreds of millions of pounds.

However, the total cost to the taxpayer of existing schemes to assist Afghans who are deemed eligible for British support, as well as the additional cost from the breach, will come to at least £6bn.

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Afghans being relocated after data breach

Earlier, Defence Secretary John Healey told Sky News he is “deeply uncomfortable” with the government using a super-injunction to keep the massive data breach hidden.

He said: “I’m really deeply uncomfortable with the idea that a government applies for a super-injunction.

“If there are any [other] super-injunctions in place, I just have to tell you – I don’t know about them. I haven’t been read into them.

“The important thing here now is that we’ve closed the scheme.”

Mr Healey was informed of the breach while in opposition, and earlier this year he commissioned a review that led to the injunction being lifted.

He said “accountability starts now” and added Labour had to deal with the risks, court papers, intelligence assessments and different schemes when they came to power last summer before they could lift the injunction.

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