Washington, United States | AFP | US regulators have approved the first pill that contains a digital tracking sensor to alert doctors and caregivers as to whether a patient is taking a medication as scheduled. The pill, called Abilify MyCite (aripiprazole tablets with sensor), is designed for patients with schizophrenia, …
Read More »Malaria breath test promising
Washington, US | MICHELLE ROBERTS | People with malaria give off a distinctive “breath-print” that could be used as a test for the disease, according to American scientists. They had already tried out a crude prototype breathalyser in Africa, a tropical medicine conference heard. The test was reasonably good at detecting …
Read More »US state allows children younger than 10 to hunt with guns
Chicago, United States | AFP | One of America’s most permissive hunting laws takes effect Saturday, allowing children younger than 10 years old to carry their own guns in Wisconsin’s forests. The new law was signed last weekend by the midwestern state’s Republican governor Scott Walker, and goes into effect almost …
Read More »Sessions vows quick decision on possible Clinton prosecutor
Washington, United States | AFP | US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday that the Justice Department would work quickly to decide whether to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton, President Donald Trump’s election rival. Sessions’ comments indicated that Republicans were seeking to mount a counter-offensive to the probe …
Read More »Bill Gates giving $50 million for Alzheimer’s research
Washington, United States | AFP | Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates announced Monday that he is investing $50 million to fund research into treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Gates, in an entry on his blog, said he was making the investment from his personal fortune and not with his charitable Bill & Melinda …
Read More »Amazon to launch ‘Lord of the Rings’ TV show
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Amazon said Monday it had acquired the global television rights to “The Lord of the Rings,” based on the celebrated fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, with a multi-season commitment. Set in Middle Earth, the adaptation will explore new storylines preceding Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of …
Read More »FIFA bribery trial kicks off in New York
New York, United States | AFP | Three South American former soccer officials were blinded by greed and accepted millions of dollars in bribes, US prosecutors told the FIFA corruption trial Monday as defense lawyers insisted their wealthy clients were innocent. Forty-two officials and marketing executives, and three companies were indicted …
Read More »US hate crimes rose during fierce 2016 election, FBI stats show
Washington, United States | AFP | Hate crimes across the United States accelerated in 2016 as the divisive election battle that saw Donald Trump elected president progressed, FBI statistics showed Monday. Hate crimes — acts motivated by bias toward race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender — rose overall for the …
Read More »New UNESCO chief brushes off US pullout
Paris, France | AFP | UNESCO’s new chief on Monday brushed aside the United States’ decision to walk out of the UN cultural body, saying the organisation had survived long periods without Washington before. Former French culture minister Audrey Azoulay, elected on Friday to head UNESCO, said the US was “not …
Read More »Hundreds join #MeToo march in Hollywood against sexual abuse
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Hundreds of people marched Sunday in Hollywood, joining a growing movement against sexual harassment and abuse that emerged after movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and later a string of film personalities faced accusations of misconduct. Demonstrators gathered at the iconic Dolby Theatre in Hollywood — …
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