Life

Heatstroke kills 30 in Thailand this year as kingdom bakes

BANGKOK, April 25, 2024 (AFP) – Thailand issued fresh warnings about scorching hot weather on Thursday as the government said heatstroke has already killed at least 30 people this year. City authorities in Bangkok gave an extreme heat warning as the heat index was expected to rise above 52 degrees Celsius (125 degrees Fahrenheit). Temperatures in the concrete sprawl of the Thai capital hit 40.1 C on Wednesday and similar levels were forecast for Thursday. […]

Use of alcohol and e-cigarettes among youth ‘alarming’: WHO

By Camille BAS-WOHLERT COPENHAGEN, April 24, 2024 (AFP) – The widespread use of alcohol and e-cigarettes among adolescents is “alarming”, according to a report released on Thursday by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) European branch, which recommended measures to limit access. Based on survey data from 280,000 young people aged 11, 13 and 15 in Europe, Central Asia and Canada, the WHO said it showed a “concerning picture” of substance use among young people. “The […]

Japan Moon probe survives 3rd lunar night

TOKYO, April 24, 2024 (AFP) – Japan’s Moon lander woke up for a third time after its main functions survived another frigid two-week lunar night, the country’s space agency said Wednesday. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), dubbed the “Moon Sniper” for its landing precision, touched down in January — making Japan only the fifth nation to achieve a soft lunar landing. But the unmanned lightweight spacecraft, carrying a mini-rover that moves like a […]

Danger warning issued for Bangkok as extreme heat bites

BANGKOK, April 24, 2024 (AFP) – Thai authorities issued an extreme heat warning for Bangkok on Wednesday, urging people to stay indoors for their own safety as temperatures soared. The mercury was forecast to hit 39 C in the sprawling Thai capital, while the heat index rose above 52 C, classed as “extremely dangerous” by city authorities. The heat index is a measure of what the temperature feels like, taking humidity, wind speed and other […]

Bird flu viral fragments found in pasteurized milk: US officials

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2024 (AFP) – US health authorities said Tuesday they had discovered fragments of bird flu virus in the nation’s pasteurized cow milk supply during the course of a large study, but the samples likely posed no health risk to humans. An outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has spread among dairy cattle herds throughout the country and infected one human, who had mild symptoms. Though the H5N1 strain of HPAI has […]

A ‘healthy addiction’: sea saunas make waves in Ireland

By Peter MURPHY DUNGARVAN, Ireland (AFP) – For Sharon Fidgeon, a regular visitor to Ireland’s increasingly popular beach saunas, her weekend sessions “have become a healthy addiction” that tap into a centuries-old Irish tradition of toning up by getting sweaty. On sandy Clonea beach on Ireland’s wind-battered Atlantic coast, the 52-year-old artist told AFP that alternating between the sauna and freezing seawater makes her feel “so incredibly alive”. “Once you get down in the sea […]

Bill to ban TikTok in US clears Congress

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2024 (AFP) – The US Senate on Tuesday approved legislation requiring the wildly popular social media app TikTok to be divested from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or be shut out of the American market. The measure was part of a $95 billion foreign aid package, including military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, which has now cleared Congress and heads to President Joe Biden’s desk. US and other Western officials have […]

In world first, Venice to trial day tickets

By Gildas LE ROUX ROME, April 23, 2024 (AFP) – Venice will this week begin charging day trippers for entry, a world first aimed at easing pressure on the Italian city drowning under the weight of mass tourism. On Thursday — a public holiday in Italy — day visitors will for the first time have to buy a five-euro ($5.3) ticket, monitored by inspectors carrying out spot checks at key points in the UNESCO world […]

Secret UK women’s codecracking army gets belated recognition for WWII work

By Caroline TAÏX CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom, April 23, 2024 (AFP) – During World War II, dozens of women Cambridge University students worked around the clock in complete secrecy to crack Nazi codes, but only now are the unsung heroes getting recognition. At least 77 women from the women-only Newnham College were drafted to Bletchley Park, the code-breaking centre north of London, during the conflict. It was there that mathematician Alan Turing decoded messages encrypted by […]

Musk says X will appeal Australia injunction on church stabbing videos

SYDNEY, April 23, 2024 (AFP) – Elon Musk said Tuesday his social media platform X will appeal against an Australian injunction forcing it to take down videos of a church stabbing in Sydney. Australia’s internet watchdog secured an injunction late Monday, forcing X to hide videos that allegedly show a Sydney bishop being slashed in the head during a live-streamed sermon. X ignored earlier Australian pleas to remove the images, and Musk had said the […]

‘Staggering’ number of workers facing climate change-induced health hazards: UN

GENEVA, April 22, 2024 (AFP) – A large majority of workers worldwide are facing a cocktail of health hazards linked to climate change, the UN said Monday, warning that existing regulations were not equipped to offer adequate protection. “A staggering number of workers are already being exposed to climate change-related hazards in the workplace, and these figures are only likely to get worse,” the United Nations’ International Labour Organization said in a report. Agricultural workers […]

In Ecuadoran Amazon, butterflies provide a gauge of climate change

By Paola LÓPEZ CUYABENO, Ecuador, April 22, 2024 (AFP) – Biologists on a trail in the Ecuadoran Amazon hold their breath as they distribute a foul-smelling delicacy to lure butterflies, critical pollinators increasingly threatened by climate change. A team has hung 32 traps made of green nets, each baited with rotting fish and fermented bananas. They are meant to blend in with the forest canopy. Their pungent odor clearly does not. Since last August, a […]