Author: James Martin
Placeholder while article actions loadOnly once has France had a far-right government — in the dark days of Nazi occupation during World War II. That lingering association with a period of national calamity confined extreme conservative groups to the margins of politics for the rest of the 20th century. Now they’re making a comeback, exploiting economic insecurity to peddle a narrative of a proud nation in decline, besieged by alien cultures. In an April presidential election, far-right figures secured the most votes since the founding of the Fifth Republic in 1958, and even mainstream politicians have begun to adopt some…
To maintain durable protection against the virus that causes Covid-19, scientists are working around the clock to develop next-generation vaccines. But some of the nuances around why and how immunity against Covid-19 fades remain a mystery.Since the early days of the pandemic, scientists have known that the coronavirus carries a structure called the spike protein, and it uses this crown of spikes to get into the cells it attacks. Our Covid-19 vaccines create antibodies to these spike proteins that bind to the docking sites on the virus, blocking them from infecting our cells.Yet our safety net against the virus is…
Placeholder while article actions loadFirst the US withdrew in 2017 from a pan-Pacific trade deal known as the TPP, which moved ahead without it under the new moniker CPTPP. Then the US stood on the sidelines as another regional grouping led by China, called the RCEP, entered into force this year. Now China is warily watching the US as it seeks to form its own regional club, dubbed the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. Questions remain as to what the IPEF would actually do and how it and the trade deals will impact American and Chinese efforts to boost their clout –…
Placeholder while article actions loadDemocrats have presumably noticed that their prospects in November’s elections aren’t good — but you wouldn’t know it from the way they’re talking to voters. President Joe Biden and his allies proceed as though everything’s under control. Goals and messaging are much as before, and protests from the middle of the electorate are deflected or ignored.But there is a difference between being resigned to defeat and inviting it. Could Democrats improve their chances, if they decided to try? Maybe, but only if the administration scales back its policy ambitions and aligns them more closely with what…
The recommendation they voted on was: “A single Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine booster dose is recommended for persons ages 5-11 years at least 5 months after the primary series, under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization.”The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices endorsed the booster for children at least five months after they received their two-dose series. This would be a third dose for healthy children and a fourth dose for children who are immunocompromised. The committee voted for the booster after hearing details about Pfizer’s application to the FDA to expand access to the boosters for this age group. Waning antibody…
No 10 admits that Downing Street originally instigated meeting between Sue Gray and PMThis morning Simon Clarke, the chief secretary to the Treasury who was doing the morning interview round on behalf of the government, said he thought Sue Gray had instigated the meeting with Boris Johnson a few weeks ago at which the Partygate report was discussed. (See 9.22am.)But at the lobby briefing today the PM’s spokesperson admitted that Downing Street had instigated the meeting. He said earlier this month there had been contact, at official level, between No 10 and Gray’s team to discuss a meeting. Asked who…
There’s no standard test for prostate cancer, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two of the more commonly used tests are a digital rectal exam and a blood test for prostate specific antigen (PSA), an enzyme that is typically higher in men with prostate cancer. A study published Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine Evidence looked at how successful the blood tests were for all races, and specifically for Black men, by estimating how often these tests led to over overdiagnosis and overtreatment. The researchers looked at three decades of records through 2016, the…
Clearview AI has been fined £7.55 million ($9.5 million) by the UK’s privacy watchdog for illegally scraping the facial images of UK residents from social media and the web. It was also ordered to stop obtaining the data of UK residents and to delete any it has already collected. “The company not only enables identification of those people, but effectively monitors their behavior and offers it as a commercial service. That is unacceptable,” said UK information commissioner John Edwards in a statement. The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) opened a joint investigation with Australia into Clearview AI back in 2020,…
This weekend, Super League and Rugby League Cares have run the tackle the tough stuff campaign, which has a focus on mental wellbeing. A number of current and former rugby league stars have shared their stories and experiences when battling with their mental health. Hull KR prop forward Tom Garratt has opened up on how he has coped with the passing of his mum, who recently lost her battle with cancer. Despite her illness, she rarely missed an opportunity to see Garratt play, and regularly watched him play with Dewsbury Rams in the Championship. Garratt told Super League’s website, “She…
(CNN) — Travelers have been waiting more than two years to get Down Under and now, at last, Australia is open to the world again. With a coastline that unfurls for almost 40,000 kilometers around six states and two territories, there is nowhere on Earth like Australia, with its vast and timeless land, potent as a dream, thriving with life along ancient fault lines. Real connection to the country through exploration, learning, romance and rejuvenation will take time but it’s worth every second. So, if you’re looking for awe and adventure that can take weeks to experience, and lifetimes to…