Health officials are calling for people to ensure they are vaccinated against mpox, as there are indications the ‘clade Ib’ strain has spread locally in some European nations.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says it is aware of small numbers of cases of this strain in Portugal, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands, as well as the US.

It says most of the new cases identified have been in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, a population in which clade Ib mpox transmission has not previously been observed.

There are 16 clade Ib cases in the UK to date – all in England and unrelated to transmission within GBMSM (Gay, bisexual and other men-who-have-sex-with-men) community, a spokesperson for the agency said.

“The ways in which we are seeing mpox continue to spread globally is a reminder to come forward for the vaccine, if you are eligible,” said Dr Katy Sinka, head of sexually transmitted infections at UKHSA.

The UK has a routine mpox vaccination programme in place for eligible groups, including those who:

• have multiple sexual partners
• have group sex
• visit sex-on-premises venues

Although there are no studies on vaccine effectiveness against clade Ib mpox, studies show that the vaccine is around 75 to 80% effective in protecting people against clade II.

The UKHSA said that since the last technical assessment on 19 December last year, the “probability of importation into the UK has increased from medium to high”.

The agency said, however, that the risk of onwards transmission in the UK is “likely to be controlled to some degree by the existing GBMSM vaccination programme and remains low to medium at present”.

Mpox is generally a mild infection, and clade Ib and la strains are no longer classified as a high-consequence infectious disease, but it can be severe in some cases, the UKHSA said.

Read more:
Activists who hoped to spray paint Taylor Swift’s jet spared jail
Zelenskyy: Ukraine will work on ceasefire plan within next 10 days

Charities have also called for people to get vaccinated prior to travelling to autumn Winter Pride events in Europe.

Common mpox symptoms include a skin rash or pus-filled lesions, which can last two to four weeks.

The infection can also cause fever, headaches, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.

Ukraine and its allies have agreed to work on a ceasefire plan in the next 10 days, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

The Ukrainian president made the remarks after a proposal from US President Donald Trump to stop the war at its current frontlines.

“Some quick points – like a plan for a ceasefire. We decided we will work on it in the next week or 10 days,” Mr Zelenskyy told Axios.

He said Ukraine – partly in an attempt to pressure Russia into talks – was asking the US administration not only for Tomahawk missiles but for “similar things” that do not require lengthy training before Ukrainian military personnel can use them.

On the ground, Ukraine has moved to strengthen its positions in the strategic eastern city of Pokrovsk, as groups of Russian troops infiltrated the city, Kyiv’s military said.

Ukrainian officials said Russian troops have renewed their attempts to capture the key transport hub in the Donetsk region.

“The occupiers, who have entered the city, are not trying to take hold, but intend to advance further north,” the 7th Rapid Response Unit of Ukraine’s airborne troops said in a Facebook post.

“In doing so, the enemy wants to disperse our defence forces and block land logistics corridors.”

Mr Zelenskyy said Russia has concentrated its main strike force against Pokrovsk.

“There is fierce fighting in the city and on the approaches to the city… Logistics are difficult. But we must continue to destroy the occupiers,” he said.

Citing Ukrainian intelligence in his interview with Axios, Mr Zelenskyy said Russian President Vladimir Putin had privately claimed Moscow would capture the entire Donbas – comprising the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk – by 15 October.

Read more from Sky News:
Sanctions alone won’t force Putin to end Ukraine war
Trump ‘100% open’ to meeting Kim Jong Un

Russia tests ‘Skyfall’ nuclear missile’

It comes after Russia tested a new nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable cruise missile, which Mr Putin said could dodge existing defences.

Development of the Burevestnik missile, codenamed Skyfall by NATO, was first revealed by Mr Putin in 2018, when he claimed it would have an unlimited range, allowing it to circle the globe undetected by missile defence systems.

In 2019, five nuclear engineers and two service members were killed in an explosion when Russian experts reportedly tried to recover a Burevestnik prototype that had crashed into the White Sea during tests.

‘Get the war ended,’ Trump tells Putin

Mr Trump, speaking during an official trip from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo, said Mr Putin’s talk about missiles was not “appropriate”.

“You’ve got to get the war ended. A war that should have taken one week is now in its soon fourth year,” he said. “That’s what you ought to do, instead of testing missiles.”

A Kremlin spokesperson claimed the missile reflects Moscow’s determination to look out for its security interests.

“Russia is consistently working to ensure its own security,” Dmitry Peskov said when asked if the missile announcement was a response to tough new US sanctions imposed on Russia and a signal to the West.

“Ensuring security is a vital issue for Russia, especially against the backdrop of the militaristic sentiment that we are currently hearing, primarily from the Europeans,” he added.

Ten people accused of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron are going on trial in Paris after allegedly making “malicious” comments claiming the French first lady is a man.

Emmanuel Macron‘s wife has long been the subject of conspiracy theories saying she was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux (her brother’s name), and took the name Brigitte as a transgender woman.

Eight men and two women are accused of making posts repeating the claims, as well as others about her sexuality and mentioning the 24-year age gap to her husband as “paedophilia”.

The accused are between 41 and 60 and include a teacher, computer scientist, an elected official, and a woman who presents herself as a medium and advertising executive.

The trial, due to begin Monday, is expected to last two days and comes after the Macrons filed a defamation case in the US this summer over conservative influencer Candace Owens repeating the claims.

The French president has claimed that taking legal action against Ms Owens was about “defending his honour”,

Mrs Macron and her brother won also another French defamation case last year against two women who were initially ordered to pay damages and a fine.

However, the decision was overturned and Mrs Macron and her brother have appealed to France’s highest court.

The Macrons met at a secondary school where Brigitte was teaching when Emmanuel was 15. They married in 2007 and Mr Macron became president in 2017.

Earlier this year, the first lady was caught on camera pushing her husband in the face as he prepared to get off a plane.

Mr Macron later said it was a case of “simply joking with my wife as we often do”.

Read more from Sky News:
24 hours in the kill zone in Ukraine
Hurricane set to slam Jamaica with 140mph winds and floods

The trial also comes as France deals with an ongoing political crisis that saw its prime minister resign only to be reappointed days later, as well as continuing attention over the audacious robbery of jewels from the Louvre.