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Month: July 2024

Russian-linked cybercampaigns focus on Olympics, French elections

paris —  Photos of blood-red hands on a Holocaust memorial. Caskets at the Eiffel Tower. A fake French military recruitment drive calling for soldiers in Ukraine, and major French news sites improbably registered in an obscure Pacific territory, population 15,000….

Pongamia trees offer renewable energy, plant-based protein

An ancient tree from India is now thriving in groves where citrus trees once flourished in Florida, and could help provide the nation with renewable energy. As large parts of the Sunshine State’s once-famous citrus industry have all but dried…

‘Ready to come out?’ Scientists emerge after year ‘on Mars’

washington —  The NASA astronaut knocks loudly three times on what appears to be a nondescript door and calls cheerfully: “You ready to come out?” The reply is inaudible, but beneath his mask he appears to be grinning as he…

Putin: No need for nuclear weapons in Ukraine; keeps option open

The message to NATO from President Vladimir Putin was simple and stark: Don’t go too far in providing military support for Ukraine, or you’ll risk a conflict with Russia that could quickly turn nuclear. As the war in Ukraine turns…

Guterres commends Turkmenistan’s ‘policy of neutrality’ amid troubled times

The Secretary-General expressed his appreciation to Turkmenistan for hosting the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia in Ashgabat, and commended Turkmenistan’s generosity in granting citizenship to stateless people. He also thanked the President for providing the UN…

Russian drone attack on Ukraine hits energy facility in Sumy region

KYIV, Ukraine —  Russia launched an overnight drone attack across Ukraine on Saturday, hitting an energy facility in the Sumy region in the northeast of the country, officials said. Ukrainian mobile drone hunter groups and air defense units shot down…

Which states could have abortion on the ballot in 2024?

Voters in five states will decide referendums on abortion rights this year, with potentially more to come. Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada and South Dakota will hold referendums on enshrining protection for abortion rights. The U.S. Supreme Court removed the nationwide…

Anti-doping agency sharpens its tools for Paris Olympics

Lausanne, Switzerland —  In the battle against drug use at the Paris Olympics, the International Testing Agency plans to deploy a more streamlined, high-tech approach to identify and target potential cheats. In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Benjamin Cohen, director…

Flowers fill Ukrainian cities, providing beauty and hope amid war

Kyiv, Ukraine —  On his way to the Kyiv train station to greet his wife and daughter returning from Poland to Ukraine, Oleksander Tryfonov made a stop. He bought two red roses from one of a half-dozen flower shops lining…

Crocodiles cannot outnumber people in Australian territory where girl was killed, leader says

WELLINGTON, New Zealand —  Crocodile numbers in Australia’s Northern Territory must be either maintained or reduced and cannot be allowed to outstrip the human population, the territory’s leader said after a 12-year-old girl was killed while swimming. The crocodile population…