Other News

Vaccine misinformation spawns ‘pure blood’ movement

by Anuj Chopra and Marisha Goldhamer Agence France-Presse Washington, United States (AFP) — Vaccine skeptics blocking transfusions for life-saving surgeries, Facebook groups inciting violence against doctors and a global search for unvaccinated donors — Covid-19 misinformation has bred a so-called “pure blood” movement. The movement spins anti-vaccine narratives focused on unfounded claims that receiving blood from people inoculated against the coronavirus “contaminates” the body. Some have advocated for blood banks that draw from “pure” unvaccinated […]

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Two missing Dallas Zoo monkeys found: police

HOUSTON, United States (AFP) — Two missing emperor tamarin monkeys turned up alive and well Tuesday, officials said, a day after disappearing from the Dallas Zoo in the latest of a string of bizarre incidents at the attraction. Dallas police had said the two animals, reported missing Monday, may have been intentionally taken out of the zoo and issued a photo of a man in a hoodie who may be linked to the monkeys’ disappearance. […]

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Gaming world finally gets its Grammy due

by Maggy DONALDSON Agence France-Presse Los Angeles, United States (AFP) — From “The Legend of Zelda” theme to the infectious “Super Mario Bros” score, sound and music have long been foundational to the gaming experience. And now, in a move many fans and insiders consider long overdue, the Recording Academy for the first time has created a Grammy category specifically honoring a video game soundtrack, an acknowledgement of the major impact gaming and its music […]

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US Defense Chief Austin arrives in Philippines

(Eagle News) — United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III arrived in the country on Tuesday night. The US Defense chief is expected to meet with the Philippines’ Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. Austin said in a Tweet he would also meet with senior leaders to “build on our strong bilateral relationship, discuss a range of security initiatives, and advance our shared vision of a #freeandopenpacific.” US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, who welcomed […]

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Australian Church mourns cardinal Pell, despite protests

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s Catholic Church held a prayer vigil for late cardinal George Pell who lay in state Wednesday, as sexual abuse survivors tied ribbons to the cathedral gates in protest. Pell, a Vatican powerbroker who rose from humble beginnings in small town Australia, died in Rome in January, aged 81. Once considered Pope Francis’s “right-hand man”, Pell’s final years were marked by sexual abuse allegations and criticism of his hard-line positions on […]

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Ukraine hopes for progress on path to EU at Kyiv summit

by Stanislav DOSHCHITSYN with Arman SOLDIN in Bogoyavlenka Agence France-Presse KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine will hold a summit with the European Union in Kyiv this week, the government announced Tuesday, as it expressed hope the conference will bring the war-battered nation closer to EU membership almost a year after Russia launched its invasion. Kyiv also announced it expects to receive up to 140 modern battle tanks from its Western allies, and the prospect of […]

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Boeing celebrates 747 at final commercial delivery of ‘jumbo jet’

by Jason REDMOND with Juliette MICHEL in New York Agence France-Presse EVERETT, United States (AFP) — Boeing marked its final commercial delivery of the 747, “the Queen of the Skies” on Tuesday at a ceremony commemorating an aircraft that democratized flying and serves US presidents. Thousands of current and former employees, celebrities and aviation industry brass converged on Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington, in the Northwestern part of the United States, a factory built for […]

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Trees could cut urban heatwave mortality by a third: study

by Marlowe HOOD Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Planting more trees in urban areas to lower summertime temperatures could decrease deaths directly linked to hot weather and heatwaves by a third, researchers said Wednesday. Modelling found that increasing tree cover to 30 percent would shave off 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.7 degrees Fahrenheit) locally, on average, during hot summer months, they reported in The Lancet. Of the 6,700 premature deaths attributed to higher temperatures in […]

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Protest artist calls for peace amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (AFP) — An exhibition of anti-war drawings was unveiled in Russia on Tuesday despite government efforts to snuff out any criticism of President Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine. Elena Osipova, a 77-year-old protest artist from Russia’s second city Saint Petersburg, presented 15 of her drawings created between 2014 and 2022. One work shows the face of a little girl with big eyes. “Mom, I am afraid of the war,” read the words […]

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China’s Sichuan to scrap three-child limit as birth rates drop

  Southwest China’s Sichuan province will lift its three-child birth limit and remove restrictions on single parents as the world’s most populous nation faces a looming demographic crisis. China’s population shrank last year for the first time in more than six decades, official data released this month showed, and the nation of 1.4 billion has seen birth rates plunge to record lows as its workforce ages. China ended its strict “one-child policy” — imposed in […]

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Myanmar junta hints may extend state of emergency, delay polls

Myanmar’s junta on Tuesday said the country had “not returned to normalcy” almost two years after its coup, casting doubt over plans for elections and ending a state of emergency. The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since the military toppled democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, alleging massive fraud during elections her party won in 2020. A junta-imposed state of emergency is due to expire at the end of January, after […]

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Russian President Vladimir Putin backs military training centres with Belarus

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday backed a plan to set up joint military training centres with Belarus, with fears mounting that Minsk could enter the Ukraine conflict to fight with Moscow. In a decree published Tuesday, Putin tasked the defence and foreign ministers to conduct talks with Belarus and sign an agreement to establish the facilities. The document did not specify where they would be based. Minsk allowed Moscow to use Belarusian territory as a […]

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