Life

Up to 160 pilot whales stranded on Australian beach

SYDNEY, Australia, April 25, 2024 (AFP) – Marine biologists raced Thursday to save more than 100 pilot whales after a mass stranding on an Australian beach, with officials fearing many will have to be euthanised. Western Australia’s Parks and Wildlife Service said 26 of the beached pilot whales had already died. As many as 160 pilot whales became stranded Thursday morning at Toby’s Inlet, officials said, located about three hours’ drive south of state capital […]

Philippine court blocks GMO ‘golden rice’ production over safety fears

MANILA, April 25, 2024 (AFP) – A Philippine court has blocked the commercial propagation of genetically modified golden rice because it said conflicting scientific views gave rise to “severe” health and environmental safety concerns. The Philippines was the first country in the world to approve golden rice, which is enriched with the Vitamin A precursor beta-carotene and has a bright yellow colour, in a bid to combat childhood blindness. However, the Court of Appeals in […]

Blades of Paris landmark Moulin Rouge windmill collapse

PARIS, April 25, 2024 (AFP) – The blades of the Moulin Rouge windmill, one of the most famous landmarks in Paris, collapsed during the night, firefighters said on Thursday, just months before the French capital hosts the Olympics. There was no risk of further collapse, Paris firefighters said. The reason for the accident was not yet known. “Fortunately this happened after closing,” a Moulin Rouge official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “Every week, the […]

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 […]