Life

India bans many single-use plastics to tackle waste

by Bhuvan BAGGA Agence France Presse NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — India imposed a ban on many single-use plastics on Friday in a bid to tackle waste choking rivers and poisoning wildlife, but experts say it faces severe headwinds from unprepared manufacturers and consumers unwilling to pay more. The country generates around four million tonnes of plastic waste per year, about a third of which is not recycled and ends up in waterways and landfills […]

Singer R. Kelly gets 30 years in jail over sex crimes

by Ana FERNÁNDEZ and Peter HUTCHISON Agence France Presse Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years behind bars on Wednesday for leading a decades-long effort to recruit and trap teenagers and women for sex. The sentence, stiffer than the 25 years in prison that prosecutors had sought, caps a long downfall for the 55-year-old former superstar. “I’m grateful that Robert Sylvester Kelly is away and will stay away and will not be […]

Sony launches PC gaming gear, expanding beyond PlayStation

Tokyo, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Sony is launching a new brand that will offer PC gaming gear, the company announced Wednesday, as it tries to compete for a share of the lucrative gaming peripherals market. Sony is looking to expand beyond its flagship PlayStation console and boost revenue from other sectors, including PC and mobile gaming. The gaming peripherals market of items used by players was valued at $3.88 billion globally in 2019 according to […]

Webb telescope: NASA to reveal deepest image ever taken of Universe

By Issam AHMED Agence France-Presse Washington, United States (AFP) — NASA administrator Bill Nelson said Wednesday the agency will reveal the “deepest image of our Universe that has ever been taken” on July 12, thanks to the newly operational James Webb Space Telescope. “If you think about that, this is farther than humanity has ever looked before,” Nelson said during a press briefing at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, the operations center for […]

Oceans key to global warming fight: US climate envoy

by Marlowe Hood Agence France-Presse LISBON, Portugal (AFP) — Safeguarding the world’s oceans will be fundamental to tackling global warming, US climate envoy John Kerry told AFP on Tuesday, warning that war in Ukraine and its economic fallout meant efforts to curb dangerous carbon pollution were facing “powerful headwinds”. The interview, on the margins of the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, has been edited for length. Q. This meeting has no negotiating agenda. How will […]

Nike profits dip on lower sales in North America, China

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Lower sales in North America and China dented Nike’s quarterly results as the sports giant on Monday projected modest revenue growth amid the strong dollar, rising inflation and other headwinds. The Oregon company — which has enjoyed strong pricing at times during the pandemic but also faced Covid-19 factory lockdowns in Asia that have crimped its inventories — reported lower profits for its fiscal fourth quarter. For the quarter […]

Pollution linked to 10% of cancer cases in Europe: report

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AFP) — Pollution is linked to more than 10 percent of cancer cases in Europe, a report by the European Environment Agency said Tuesday. Most of these cases are preventable, it said. “Exposure to air pollution, carcinogenic chemicals, radon, UV (ultraviolet) radiation and second-hand smoke together may contribute over 10 percent of the cancer burden in Europe,” the agency said in a statement. But EEA expert Gerardo Sanchez said “all environmental and occupational […]

Friends at first sniff: People drawn to others who smell like them

  by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — It’s often said that people who click right away share “chemistry.” This expression could be true in the literal sense, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances on Friday, which finds people with similar body odors are more likely to hit it off as friends. “Nonhuman terrestrial mammals constantly sniff themselves and each other and, based on this, decide […]

TikTok releases first album of viral hits

  PARIS, France (AFP) — Some of the biggest viral hits on TikTok have been given the full orchestral treatment and will get a traditional release on CD and vinyl this summer, the platform announced Friday. The tie-up with Warner Classics is the first time TikTok has ventured into the traditional music market and will see the 18 songs released on streaming platforms as well as in record stores. Anyone who has spent any significant […]

Artistic swimmer Alvarez finds peace and beauty in images of her rescue

  BUDAPEST, Hungary (AFP) — American artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez said she was “shocked” when she saw the “beautiful” AFP photographs showing her sinking unconscious to the bottom of the pool and being rescued by her coach at the World Swimming Championships. Alvarez fainted and dropped to the bottom at the end of her individual routine and was saved by her quick-thinking coach. AFP’s underwater robot camera captured astonishing images as the drama unfolded. Alvarez, […]

WHO emergency committee decides on monkeypox outbreak: Over 3,200 confirmed cases reported worldwide

  by Robin MILLARD Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — A World Health Organization committee of experts met Thursday to decide whether the monkeypox outbreak constitutes a global health emergency. The outcome of the in-private meeting will be issued on Friday at the earliest, the WHO said. A surge of monkeypox cases has been detected since May outside of the West and Central African countries where the disease has long been endemic. Most of […]

Covid vaccines saved 20 million lives in first year: study

PARIS, France (AFP) — Covid vaccines prevented nearly 20 million deaths in the first year after they were introduced, according to the first large modelling study on the topic released Friday. The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, is based on data from 185 countries and territories collected from December 8, 2020 to December 8, 2021. It is the first attempt to estimate the number of deaths prevented directly and indirectly as a result […]