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Coronaviruses, influenzas and other potentially dangerous pathogens infect raccoon dogs, mink, and foxes bred for the fur trade

Nearly five years after the event, the world still does not know exactly how the coronavirus pandemic — which killed more than seven million people worldwide and was the most serious global health emergency of the 21st century — began. The clearest clues lead to an unfortunate chain of contacts between wild animals, most likely bats, and intermediate species that ended up for sale in markets in Wuhan, China.

Now, an international team of scientists offers new insights into where and how the next pandemic may be brewing. The researchers analyzed the organs of 461 animals from dozens of species raised on fur farms in China, one of Asia’s leading producers. All the animals had died for unknown reasons.

The results reveal the presence of more than 100 different viruses, many of them unknown. Among them are 39 that the authors of the research define as “high risk,” as they have the ability to jump between species and potentially to humans. The research describes several viruses from wild animals that have spread to domestic species, often raised in their thousands in overcrowded cages and without sanitary controls. Samples were collected between 2021 and 2024 in more than a dozen provinces, mainly the four major fur-producing provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Heilongjiang, and Liaoning, in the northeast of the country. The results were published on September 4 in the journal Nature.

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Iran’s new reformist government has warned Russia against siding with Azerbaijan in a border dispute as concerns in Tehran persist over its relations with Moscow.

The Iranian foreign minister, Sayeed Abbas Araghchi, took the unusual step of upbraiding Russia after Moscow sided with Azerbaijan over its calls for a land corridor along the Armenia-Iran border that Tehran fears could limit its access to Europe and the wider world.

The row has wider geo-political implications if it indicates that the newly elected Iranian government is willing to take a tougher line with Moscow as part of its effort to rebalance its foreign policy.

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There’s chaos in HMP Pentonville.

A piercing alarm alerts us to what prison officers describe as an “incident”. There’s a cacophony of slamming metal doors, keys jangling, and shouts and screams from inmates as officers race to see what’s happened. We run behind as they head to where the trouble is.

Cell doors and chipped painted white bars are just about the only scenery as we move through this chaotic and nerve-jangling environment.

A muffled walkie-talkie tells us it’s a case of self-harm. An inmate who’s been locked up for most of the day has carved “mum and dad” into his arm with a sharp object. A quick glance into the cell and the sight of blood. A prison officer crouches down, stemming the flow.

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Under the scorching sun on Italy’s Adriatic coast, a group of friends from Bangladesh are practising their cricket skills on a small patch of concrete.

They are playing on the outskirts of Monfalcone, close to Trieste airport, because they have in effect been banned by the mayor from playing in the town itself.

The ban on cricket has come to symbolise the deep-seated tensions that are flaring up in Monfalcone.

The town has an ethnic make-up unique in Italy: of a population of just over 30,000, nearly a third are foreigners. Most of them are Bangladeshi Muslims who began to arrive in the late 1990s to build giant cruise-ships.

As a consequence the cultural essence of Monfalcone is in danger, according to mayor Anna Maria Cisint, who belongs to the far-right League party.

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The mayor of Spain's capital said that Lime, Dott and Tier Mobility had failed to implement limits on circulation and control parking. Madrid had imposed new regulations on the vehicles in 2023.

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The Lithuania-bound flight was forced to land in Minsk after controllers claimed a bomb was on the plane. Upon landing, Belarusian authorities arrested opposition blogger Raman Pratasevich, who was a passenger on board.

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Alice Guo, a fugitive former mayor of a town in the Philippines accused of having links to Chinese criminal syndicates, has arrived back in the Philippines after she was deported from Indonesia.

Guo, whose case has gripped the Philippines, was the subject of an arrest warrant after she failed to appear before a Senate inquiry investigating financial scams and human trafficking found to be taking place at a sprawling compound in her town, Bamban, in Tarlac province.

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submitted 2 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

In Catholic Paraguay, which has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in South America, many young mothers explained their teen pregnancies to The Associated Press as the result of growing up in a country where parents avoid the birds and the bees talk at all costs and national sex education is indistinguishable from a hygiene lesson.

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submitted 2 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Thursday that Malaysia will not bow to demands by China to stop its oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea as the activities are within the country’s waters.

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submitted 2 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

A woman who was allegedly drugged by her now ex-husband so that she could be raped while unconscious by other men testified Thursday that her world collapsed when police uncovered the years of alleged abuse. 

Speaking in a calm and clear voice, Gisèle Pélicot detailed to the court in the southern French city of Avignon the horror of discovering that her former spouse systematically filmed the suspected rapes by dozens of men — storing thousands of images that police investigators later found.

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submitted 4 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

The AfD was twice as effective at reaching first-time voters on the app than all other parties combined, according to an analysis of platform data. This may explain why the party performed so well among young voters.

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submitted 4 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

Extreme weather events are increasingly putting girls at risk, say rights groups, pointing to climate-displaced families marrying off young girls in exchange for money.

[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 24 points 7 months ago

Huh? The headline says "eases" not "erased".

[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

You can buy BYD cars outside of China. For example:

The company says it plans to launch three new models in Europe within the coming year in addition to the five models it is already selling that include sedans, hatchbacks and SUVs. BYD has 230 outlets in 19 European countries, it says.

https://apnews.com/article/china-byd-hungary-autos-evs-72587976c85d3f9b56d990a6296c73b4

No BYD cars in the US (yet), except trucks and buses:

BYD has been making electric buses in the United States for years and supplies cities such as Los Angeles and Long Beach from a factory in Lancaster, California, built a decade ago.

https://www.reuters.com/technology/chinas-byd-takes-cautious-approach-us-global-ev-push-2023-01-18/

[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 22 points 8 months ago

Thanks for the recognition, @flooppoolf@lemmy.world 😊

[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I can see that. When California announced earlier this year that it would begin to make its own insulin and sell it for $30, companies suddenly began dropping their prices to $35 to match.

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/19/1164572757/california-contract-cheap-insulin-calrx

[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

Hah! Just like Forrest Gump and his box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.

[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

The Philippines generally has a positive view of the US. But from 2016 to 2022, the relationship deteriorated because the Filipino president at the time (Rodrigo Duterte) tried courting China, but it didn’t pan out. A quote from the article:

Manila-based political analyst Julio Amador III described the U.S. outreach as “unprecedented love-bombing” aimed at resetting the U.S.-Philippines relationship. Marcos’ predecessor, the populist firebrand Rodrigo Duterte, was openly hostile to the United States and attempted to bring his country closer to communist China during his six-year term.

[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

From the article:

Marcos’ father, the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr, was a steadfast U.S. ally who was deposed in 1986 after Filipinos revolted against his regime. The elder Marcos was accused of orchestrating the detention and killing of thousands of political enemies and illegally siphoning billions of dollars from public coffers. He died in exile in Hawaii in 1989 without facing trial. After his death, family members returned to the Philippines, where they have remained a force in politics.

Araneta, Marcos' brother-in-law, told Reuters that the president and his family had long felt “betrayed” by Washington for the U.S. role in supporting the change of government that pushed the elder Marcos from power. Still, Araneta said, Marcos Jr is a pragmatist who spent a lot of time thinking before his election about “how to get the Americans back” for the sake of the Philippines’ economy and security.

The Biden administration lost no time in trying to reset relations. After Biden’s congratulatory call, the U.S. president sent Marcos an invitation to the White House. In September 2022, the two met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 103 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Looks like it does from another article:

Heman’s mentor, 3M product engineering specialist Deborah Isabelle, said she could see the teen’s energy and passion for the project from their first meeting. She described Heman as “focused on making the world a better place for people he hasn’t necessarily even met yet.”

The soap, called Skin Cancer Treating Soap (SCTS), works by using a compound that helps revive dendritic cells, which are killed by cancer cells. Once the dendritic cells are revived, they are able to then fight against the cancer cells. In essence, it reactivates the body’s healing power, Isabelle said.

Similar creams and ointments exist, Heman said, but he doesn’t believe soap has ever been used to fight against skin cancers in their early stages.

He has a five-year plan, which includes seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Isabelle has already connected him with other scientists who specialize in medical products to help him move forward with his plans.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/10/25/heman-bekele-skin-cancer-soap/

[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 89 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Palestine strikes Israel: 22 dead (huge outcry) Israel strikes Palestine: 200 dead (nobody bats an eye)

Source for only 22 dead? Associated Press is reporting at least 250 people were killed and 1,500 wounded in Israel

https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2

[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

My comment is more to you talking about trains in general, as there are already regular trains in place. This is more about where high-speed rail fits in. AP News also has an article on it:

“I’m so happy and very excited that finally we can ride a bullet train in Indonesia,” said Christianto Nusatya, a Jakarta resident who joined a public test ride last week. “But still, I would prefer to choose a regular train or car, because Jakarta-Bandung is too short and not worth it to be reached by high-speed train.”

Deddy Herlambang, executive director of the Jakarta-based NGO Institute for Transportation Studies, said the public does not really need a high-speed train on the Jakarta-Bandung route because there were already many other ways of traveling between the two cities.

He said the bullet train would have a significant economic impact if it connected Jakarta and Surabaya. However, he was pessimistic that the railway project would make a profit in less than 30 years of operation.

“The high-speed train cannot replace the old transportation that previously existed,” Herlambang said, “People, of course, will prefer to use far cheaper modes of transportation for short distance trips.”

https://apnews.com/article/indonesia-southeast-asia-highspeed-railway-e7a53ecbcb077b4403d9232e7b93bcf3

[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

The article literally tells you why:

While ticket prices for the train have not been finalised, the company behind the train estimates that a one-way ticket could cost between 250,000 Indonesian rupiah and 350,000 Indonesian rupiah ($16 to $22.60).

In comparison, a shuttle bus fare can cost as low as $5, which is approximately 77,685 Indonesian rupiah. And that difference can mean a lot for the average citizen.

Aninda Dewayanti, who lives in Bandung, is sceptical about how practical the train would be for ordinary Indonesians.

"It's so expensive," she told the BBC. "There are other transport options with comparable prices. I'd rather take a normal train or a bus."

[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

Thanks. I’ve updated the title.

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MicroWave

joined 1 year ago