Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

Editors
·6 min read
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WHO: Monkeypox is now a global emergency

The World Health Organization chief declared monkeypox a global emergency Saturday, in a rare move that comes as many countries are seeing an increase in cases. A global health emergency is the organization's highest alert level — but it doesn't always mean a disease is highly transmissible or lethal. Symptoms of monkeypox appear seven to 14 days after exposure and include fever, muscle aches, exhaustion and a rash that can appear on the body. The designation may help spur more investment in combatting the disease amid a scramble for scarce vaccines in the United States. The federal government plans to release more than 1.6 million doses of the monkeypox vaccine Jynneos by the end of the year, but demand is so high that the 56,000 doses released in June have almost all been used.

Wildfires rage across the US and Europe

Multiple wildfires raged across the U.S. over the weekend, causing deaths, destruction and thousands of forced evacuations. One of California's biggest wildfires this year exploded to over 14,000 acres on Sunday, forcing thousands to flee as the blaze near Yosemite National Park burned out of control. In Idaho, two pilots in a firefighting helicopter died after crashing during a blaze in a rural area near the Montana border. More than 700 firefighters were battling the blaze as it burned about 21 miles north of Salmon, Idaho on Saturday. Meanwhile, wildfires also burned across Europe. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated in France as firefighters battled wildfires that ripped through over 78 square miles in the country's wine region of Bordeaux.

A hotshot crew marches along a burning forest at the Oak Fire near Midpines, northeast of Mariposa, California, on July 23, 2022.
A hotshot crew marches along a burning forest at the Oak Fire near Midpines, northeast of Mariposa, California, on July 23, 2022.

Real quick

2 Americans die in Donbas; Russia's invasion of Ukraine hits five months

Two U.S. citizens thought to be fighting for Ukraine died in the country's Donbas region, ABC News reported Friday. A State Department spokesperson said they are in touch with the families and have no further information at this time. At least two other American volunteer fighters have been killed in Ukraine since its war with Russia began in February.

Sunday marks five months since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian missiles hit Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa Saturday hours after Moscow and Kyiv signed deals to allow grain exports to resume from there. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry denounced the strike as a “spit in the face” to Turkey and the United Nations, which brokered the agreements. Also on Saturday, a delegation of House members met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv as a show of solidarity to the nation.

US Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., stands at the gutted remains of the Antonov An-225, world's biggest cargo aircraft destroyed during recent fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, at the Antonov airport in Hostomel, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, July 23, 2022.
US Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., stands at the gutted remains of the Antonov An-225, world's biggest cargo aircraft destroyed during recent fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, at the Antonov airport in Hostomel, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, July 23, 2022.

Biden likely has BA.5 subvariant, experiencing sore throat, cough, White House doctor says

President Joe Biden's condition is improving under his current treatment plan for COVID-19, according to an update released by the White House Sunday. The president completed his third full day of Paxlovid, an antiviral treatment for the contagious disease, on Saturday night. Biden has likely been infected with the BA.5 omicron subvariant of COVID-19, which is currently the virus' most dominant strain in the U.S., his physician wrote in a memo Saturday. Biden, 79, tested positive for the virus on Thursday. He will continue to work and isolate at the White House until he tests negative, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. Biden had no public events on his schedule Saturday and Sunday. In a video address posted to social media Thursday afternoon, Biden reassured the nation that he’s doing well and still getting work done.

President Joe Biden gives a thumbs up after being asked by members of the media how he is feeling as he speaks virtually during a meeting with his economic team in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex in Washington, Friday, July 22, 2022.
President Joe Biden gives a thumbs up after being asked by members of the media how he is feeling as he speaks virtually during a meeting with his economic team in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex in Washington, Friday, July 22, 2022.

7 inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2022

The Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2022 features seven members that tie together more than 150 years of baseball history in a celebration of diversity at the game's highest level. On Sunday, these seven were inducted in Cooperstown, New York: Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz; the Brooklyn Dodgers' Gil Hodges; pitcher Jim Kaat; Minnie Miñoso, the first known Black Latino player in the majors; Twins outfielder Tony Oliva; Bud Fowler, the first Black professional player; and Buck O'Neil, the face of Negro League baseball.

David Ortiz has the most home runs by a DH in baseball history.
David Ortiz has the most home runs by a DH in baseball history.

Heat in Northeast turns deadly; cities could see record-breaking temperatures 

More than 85 million Americans faced excessive heat warnings and advisories Sunday from the Southern Plains to the Northeast, according to the National Weather Service. The New York City medical examiner's office confirmed one person died as a result of heat exposure Saturday. The person had heart disease and emphysema, which contributed to the death. In Pennsylvania, a 73-year-old man died from heat-related complications Thursday, amid a stretch of 90-plus degree days for the state. Philadelphia could approach 100 degrees Sunday, which would break the three-digit mark for the first time in a decade. New York City extended its public pool hours to 8 pm Sunday to help residents, and many libraries in Philadelphia are open as cooling centers during the city's heat health emergency.

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This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Monkeypox, wildfires, Ukraine, Baseball Hall of Fame: Weekend's biggest news