The white, powdery substance that prompted a brief evacuation of the White House over the weekend has been confirmed to be cocaine by laboratory testing, The Independent has learned. A spokesperson for the US Secret Service, which by law is responsible for security in and around the 18-acre White House campus, confirmed the laboratory result in an email on Wednesday. The spokesperson, Anthony Gugliemi, previously said the agency was standing up “an investigation into the cause and manner” of how the cocaine came to be in a public waiting area in the West Wing, where it was discovered late Sunday by officers with the Secret Service Uniformed Division. According to DC Fire and EMS Department radio transmissions archived by OpenMHZ, firefighters with the department’s hazardous materials unit who were called to investigate the then-unidentified powder used a field test analyse a small sample, which returned a presumptive result for cocaine hydrochloride. Neither President Joe Biden nor any other members of his family were present at the White House during the incident, as the Biden family spent the holiday weekend at Camp David, the US Navy-operated presidential retreat in Thurmont, Maryland. Mr Biden and several family members departed the White House on Friday and returned late on Monday to participate in several Independence Day events. According to a source familiar with the events surrounding the discovery of the cocaine, it was found in a small bag in a waiting area which is regularly accessed by White House staff and visitors to the West Wing, the part of the White House which contains offices used by Mr Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the president’s senior staff, as well as members of the White House press corps. Although there were no public tours of the White House on Sunday, staff members have long been authorised to bring family and friends into the West Wing for tours of the workspace, and the area where the cocaine was found is heavily trafficked during the week. It is not yet known when the cocaine would have been brought into the building or by whom, but Mr Gugliemi said investigators are working to determine those facts if possible. Read More Mystery white powder suspected to be cocaine is found in White House

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A treatment for acute migraines has been approved for NHS use for the first time, with experts saying the move could be a “step-change” for thousands of people who suffer from the condition. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said its final draft guidance on Rimegepant “addresses the high unmet need for treatment options for acute migraine”. Rimegepant, also known as Vydura and made by Pfizer, will be available to adults who have tried at least two triptans – medication usually given to tackle headaches or migraines – but found they did not work well enough. It can also be administered to those who are not able to take triptans or have an intolerance, or patients who have tried nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and paracetamol. Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said: “Migraine is a condition described in comments to Nice from carers and people with migraine as an invisible disability that affects all aspects of life including work, education, finances, mental health, social activities and family. “Today’s final draft guidance addresses the high unmet need for treatment options for acute migraine, once again demonstrating our ability to ensure clinically and cost-effective medicines are available to those who need them as quickly as possible.” Rimegepant is taken as a wafer, which dissolves under the tongue and works by stopping the release of a protein around the brain called calcitonin gene-related peptide. In July, the medicine was recommended as an option for preventing episodic migraines in adults who have at least four and fewer than 15 attacks per month if “at least” three other treatments have not worked. This is the first and only Nice-recommended medicine that can help alleviate the misery of acute migraines, and may be considered a step-change in treatment Helen Knight, Nice Under the latest guidance, it will also be used to relieve symptoms of a migraine, which can include pain, nausea and sensitivity to light, but also painless symptoms such as temporary visual disturbances known as “aura”, which Nice said “is not well managed with existing treatments”. The recommendation is expected to benefit about 13,000 people. Ms Knight added: “This is the first and only Nice-recommended medicine that can help alleviate the misery of acute migraines, and may be considered a step-change in treatment.” Migraine is an incredibly misunderstood condition that can have a significant impact on all areas of life, including ability to work, maintain relationships and mental health Robert Music, The Migraine Trust Robert Music, chief executive of The Migraine Trust, said the Nice guidance “provides people with migraine valuable options to help reduce the pain and length of a migraine attack”. “It brings new hope,” he added. “It will especially benefit those who have not found a treatment that works, those who get debilitating side effects – including medicine overuse headache – from them, and those with cardiovascular disease who cannot take existing treatments. “Migraine is an incredibly misunderstood condition that can have a significant impact on all areas of life, including ability to work, maintain relationships and mental health.” Read More NHS winter resilience fund announced by Government NHS reliance on paper notes ‘stopping trusts from realising full potential’ Recession fears as UK economy shrinks by more than expected in shock decline Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Edgar Lungu's return to politics means he loses perks such as state protection, cars and a house.