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The health secretary has apologised for saying people should no longer “cower from” coronavirus.

Sajid Javid said he had deleted the tweet, which he posted on Saturday to say he had made a “full recovery” a week after testing positive for COVID-19.

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“I was expressing gratitude that the vaccines help us fight back as a society, but it was a poor choice of word and I sincerely apologise,” he said.

“Like many, I have lost loved ones to this awful virus and would never minimise its impact.”

Mr Javid’s initial tweet drew criticism for being insensitive to those who had stayed home during the pandemic due to health conditions or in an effort to protect others.

Jo Goodman, co-founder of COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said the health secretary’s comments were “deeply insensitive on a number of levels”.

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“Not only are they hurtful to bereaved families, implying our loved ones were too cowardly to fight the virus, but they insult all those still doing their best to protect others from the devastation this horrific virus can bring,” she said.

Reacting to the apology, the campaign group said it welcomed Mr Javid’s remarks and repeated an earlier call for him to visit the COVID memorial wall in London with them to “understand the hurt and insult” caused by his “poor choice of word” remains.

Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, said the remarks would be “painful to read for those who were severely ill” and those who lost loved ones to COVID.

“It wasn’t because they were weak, just unnecessarily exposed to a virus,” she said.

In a statement released before Mr Javid’s apology, Labour’s Vicky Foxcroft said his tweet was “offensive and ill-informed”.

“More than 1 in 60 people in the UK are estimated to still be shielding. In the first and second waves more than three million people shielded at the request of the government,” the shadow minister for disabled people said.

“Most have been happy to do this as we know this has kept us safe.”

Mr Javid replaced Matt Hancock as health secretary in June, after Mr Hancock resigned following the publication of CCTV footage that showed him kissing an aide in breach of coronavirus restrictions.

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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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