Trump warned by US intelligence of Iran assassination threats – campaign
Donald Trump was told of "real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him", his campaign says.
Healthier rice variety could counter rise in diabetes, Philippine scientists say
Researchers develop grain with lower glycaemic index and more protein that ‘could have big impact in Asia and Africa’
Scientists in the Philippines have created a new variety of rice that could help reduce the growing burden of diabetes.
More than 537 million adults worldwide are living with the chronic disease – a number that is expected to grow to 783 million by 2045. Being overweight, genetics and a lack of exercise contribute to type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form. Type 2 occurs when the pancreas fails to produce enough of the insulin hormone, leaving too much glucose in the blood, and cells develop a resistance to insulin.
Continue reading...A grey matter? Nature, nurture and the study of forming political leanings
Researchers find minuscule difference in the amygdala – a region of the brain linked to threat perception
Where does our personal politics come from? Does it trace back to our childhood, the views that surround us, the circumstances we are raised in? Is it all about nurture – or does nature have a say through the subtle levers of DNA? And where, in all of this, is the brain?
Scientists have delved seriously into the roots of political belief for the past 50 years, prompted by the rise of sociobiology, the study of the biological basis of behaviour, and enabled by modern tools such as brain scanners and genome sequencers. The field is making headway, but teasing out the biology of behaviour is never straightforward.
Continue reading...Top Chinese economist disappears after criticising Xi Jinping in private chat – report
Zhu Hengpeng, who worked for an influential government thinktank, has reportedly not been seen in public since making disparaging remarks on WeChat
A leading Chinese economist at a government thinktank has reportedly disappeared after being disciplined for criticising Xi Jinping in a private chat group.
Zhu Hengpeng, 55, is believed to have made disparaging remarks about China’s economy, and potentially about the Chinese leader specifically, in a private WeChat group. Zhu was subsequently detained in April and put under investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal which cited anonymous sources.
Continue reading...Zelenskyy tells UN that Russia must be ‘forced into peace’
Ukrainian president stresses Russia, which invaded in February 2022, has been the 'sole aggressor' of the war.
Thai king signs same-sex marriage bill into law
The law, which was approved by the Senate in June, will come into force on 22 January next year.
New Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon as Hezbollah confirms death of senior commander
Lebanon says only US can end conflict, as Hezbollah confirms death of Ibrahim Qubaisi in Israeli attack on Beirut
Israel began a third day of strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, hours after Hezbollah confirmed the death of a senior commander in an airstrike on Beirut and a Lebanese minister said only Washington could help end the fighting.
Lebanese media reported that Israeli airstrikes had targeted several areas in the country’s south, beginning at around 5am, causing unspecified casualties.
Continue reading...An Isolated Netanyahu Resists Pressure to End Conflicts – The Wall Street Journal
- An Isolated Netanyahu Resists Pressure to End Conflicts The Wall Street Journal
- Netanyahu set to address the UN amid global criticism of war in Gaza, Lebanon The Times of Israel
- Netanyahu to fly tomorrow to UNGA Thursday, returning Saturday night The Jerusalem Post
- Could this be the week Netanyahu goes from pariah to international fugitive? The Guardian
- Netanyahu is set to come to New York City and will be greeted by mass protest Peoples Dispatch
High-speed Paris-to-Berlin rail link to launch in December
Daytime service will take about eight hours and will complement the night route that launched last year
A new high-speed train linking Paris and Berlin is to launch in December, operators have announced.
The daytime service will complement a popular night train route between the two capital cities that relaunched last year to much fanfare but has since been beset by technical problems.
Continue reading...EU moving towards more xenophobic view of ‘Europeanness’, report warns
‘Whiteness’, low youth engagement and lukewarm pro-Europeanism in some states risks eroding bloc’s founding values, expert says
Voting patterns and polling data from the past year suggest the EU is moving towards a more ethnic, closed-minded and xenophobic understanding of “Europeanness” that could ultimately challenge the European project, according to a major report.
The report, by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the European Cultural Foundation (ECF), identifies three key “blind spots” across the bloc and argues their intersection risks eroding or radically altering EU sentiment.
Continue reading...Lawrence: Biden’s final U.N. speech shows ‘the most hopeful story I know’ – MSNBC
- Lawrence: Biden’s final U.N. speech shows ‘the most hopeful story I know’ MSNBC
- Column | Biden walks off the U.N. stage, leaving behind a world in ‘purgatory’ The Washington Post
- 'Being president has been the honor of my life': Biden makes final UN address CNN
- Biden reflects on leaving 2024 race, mixed foreign policy legacy in final UNGA address ABC News
- Biden defends withdrawing from Afghanistan, dropping re-election bid in last UN address as president Fox News
Climate change supercharged Europe floods – scientists
A new study shows that the record-breaking rainfall was made more likely and intense by climate change.
Global heating ‘doubled’ chance of extreme rain in Europe in September
Researchers find climate crisis aggravated the four days of heavy rainfall and deadly floods
Planet-heating pollution doubled the chance of the extreme levels of rain that hammered central Europe in September, a study has found.
Researchers found global heating aggravated the four days of heavy rainfall that led to deadly floods in countries from Austria to Romania.
Continue reading...Why Samia’s hesitant reforms are fuelling Tanzanian political anger
Tanzania's first female president is accused of reneging on her promise to free up political activity.
Column | Biden walks off the U.N. stage, leaving behind ‘purgatory’ – The Washington Post
- Column | Biden walks off the U.N. stage, leaving behind ‘purgatory’ The Washington Post
- U.N. General Assembly 2024 Live: Biden to Deliver Speech The New York Times
- 'Being president has been the honor of my life': Biden makes final UN address CNN
- Biden defends withdrawing from Afghanistan, dropping re-election bid in last UN address as president Fox News
- Biden Just Gave One of the Most Moving Speeches of His Long Political Career Slate
Missouri executes Marcellus Williams despite prosecutors’ push to overturn conviction
Williams long maintained his innocence and the killing was opposed by victim’s family, jurors and office that tried him
Missouri executed a man on death row on Tuesday, despite objections from prosecutors who sought to have his conviction overturned and have supported his claims of innocence.
Marcellus “Khaliifah” Williams, 55, was killed by lethal injection, ending a legal battle that has sparked widespread outrage as the office that originally tried the case suggested he was wrongfully convicted.
Continue reading...‘The violence is getting out of hand’: Crime grips Cuba’s streets
Fidel Castro once said Cuba was the world's safest nation. Now police can't keep the streets safe.
New ghost shark species with unusually long nose discovered in deep seas off New Zealand
The narrow-nosed spookfish is also found in Australian waters and is distinctive for its elongated snout and whip-like tail
A new species of ghost shark, with an unusually long nose and a whip-like tail, has been discovered in the inky depths of New Zealand waters.
Scientists at New Zealand’s National Institute for Water and Atmospherics (Niwa) initially believed the creature was part of an existing species found around the world, but further investigation revealed it was new, genetically distinct, species.
Continue reading...Meet Pesto, the 49-pound baby penguin going viral online – Fox News
- Meet Pesto, the 49-pound baby penguin going viral online Fox News
- Meet Pesto the Penguin, Australia's nearly 50-pound baby penguin capturing hearts worldwide with its hefty fluff CBS News
- Why Pesto, a massive penguin chick, is vying to be the internet's favorite big baby USA TODAY
- Video. WATCH: Pesto the giant penguin steals hearts at Melbourne Aquarium Euronews
- Pesto the baby penguin is already taller than his parents. Now he’s a social media star CNN
Zelensky looks to Biden to back Ukraine ‘Victory plan’
Kyiv is hoping for a strong show of support from the US leader before he leaves the White House.