Friday, November 14

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Medicinal plant Subabul may aid in diabetes control? IASST study reveals more
Health

Medicinal plant Subabul may aid in diabetes control? IASST study reveals more

The traditional medicinal plant Subabul may help manage insulin resistance related to type 2 diabetes, according to research from the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology.  Subabul or Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit is a fast-growing leguminous tree commonly found in tropical and subtropical regions.  The plant`s leaves and immature seeds are eaten in the form of soups or salads, both raw and cooked. It is a rich source of protein and fibre. It has been traditionally used in human and animal food by different ethnic communities. The team examined the therapeutic potential of the seedpods from Subabul in managing insulin resistance, which occurs when cells in the body don`t respond...
South Korean MPs to vote on impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol over martial law – as top official resigns | World News
Business

South Korean MPs to vote on impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol over martial law – as top official resigns | World News

South Korea's opposition party will attempt to impeach Yoon Suk Yeol for declaring marital law this weekend.The news came as the country's defence minister - said to be a key figure in the martial law order - resigned. Days after South Korea was plunged into its biggest political crisis since the 1980s, a spokesperson for the country's main opposition Democratic Party said it planned to hold a vote on impeaching the president at 7pm on Saturday (10am in the UK).Democratic Party MP Kim Seung-won said at a parliament session early on Thursday that the martial law order "caused great confusion and fear"."The people and the aides who protected parliament protected us with their bodies. The people won, and it's now time for us to protect the people," he said. "We need to immediately suspend the...
Why are coffee prices trading near half-century highs?
World News

Why are coffee prices trading near half-century highs?

By Maytaal Angel, Reuters Experts are predicting yet another year of lacklustre coffee output. Photo: Unsplash Global coffee prices have soared to their highest in nearly 50 years due to poor weather in Brazil and Vietnam, forcing roasters such as Nestle to raise prices and consumers to hunt for cheaper brews amid the cost of living crisis. Spiking prices will benefit farmers with the crop this year, but challenge traders who face crippling hedging costs on exchanges and a scramble to receive the beans they pre-bought. What drives prices? Production problems linked to bad weather in Brazil and Vietnam have seen global supplies lagging demand for three years. That has left stocks depleted and driven benchmark ICE exchange prices to a peak of US$3.36 per lb (NZ$5.84 per 454g). Last tim...
South Korea: What was the president thinking? | World News
Business

South Korea: What was the president thinking? | World News

👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈 South Korean MPs have begun impeachment proceedings against President Yoon Suk Yeol after his shock announcement of martial law that sparked a very short-lived political crisis. On the Sky News Daily Niall Paterson asks, what was he thinking?He speaks to Asia correspondent Cordelia Lynch who is in Seoul about the events that have unfolded since the announcement.Plus, John Nilsson-Wright, Head of the University of Cambridge’s Japan and Korea programme discusses president Yoon’s politics and the ramifications for the wider region.Podcast Producer: Rosie GillottEditor: Philly Beaumont Source link
US Supreme Court hears major transgender rights case
World News

US Supreme Court hears major transgender rights case

By Andrew Chung and John Kruzel, Reuters People hold flags outside the US Supreme Court, during oral arguments on whether states can ban certain gender transition medical treatments for young people. Photo: ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP The US Supreme Court tackled a major transgender rights case, and its conservative justices asked tough questions of lawyers challenging the legality of a Republican-backed ban in Tennessee on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. Some of the conservative justices signalled support for Tennessee's position during arguments in the case. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority. The arguments were ongoing. Democratic President Joe Biden's administration appealed a lower court's decision upholding Tennessee's prohibition on medical treatments such...
War has been waged on the bodies of women and girls in Sudan, as rebel forces accused of widespread sexual violence | World News
Business

War has been waged on the bodies of women and girls in Sudan, as rebel forces accused of widespread sexual violence | World News

The horror of sexual violence in Sudan's conflict is ongoing and spreading.A war waged on the bodies of women and girls by a militia hell-bent on conquering the country at every level. Warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault and rape some readers might find disturbingDr Shaza, a 25-year-old medical volunteer, says: "They came and took girls as young as 11 and 12 and rape them."They bring them back completely destroyed and dump them in the yard of the mosque."They were internally bleeding and we could only save some of them."Dr Shaza and her family fled their home in Al Hilaliya in eastern Al Jazira and are now living in tents in an empty plot of land in Shendi, a safe city just 150km northeast of Sudan's besieged capital Khartoum.Her hometown was targeted in a rampage...
Our Changing World: The glass sponges of Antarctica
World News

Our Changing World: The glass sponges of Antarctica

Diver Andreas Schmider Martínez with a glass sponge. Photo: Ian Hawes Follow Our Changing World on Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts It's 10pm at night in one of the labs at Scott Base, New Zealand's Antarctic research station. Elsewhere people are winding down - reading books or watching a movie, getting ready to head to bed. But not Dr Jürgen Laudien. He's too excited about what tomorrow will bring: another chance to dive under the sea ice and unravel some of the mysteries of the giant glass sponges found on the seafloor. A deep dive into the life of a sponge Jürgen explains tomorrow's experiment: they will pump a non-toxic green dye into the sponges' barrel-like opening, so that they can visualise how the sponges move water around. A senior scientis...
Dozens of nations hit by ‘China’ hack – as Americans warned to stop sending texts | World News
Business

Dozens of nations hit by ‘China’ hack – as Americans warned to stop sending texts | World News

Dozens of nations have been hit by a Chinese hacking campaign, a senior White House official has said.Carried out by a group dubbed Salt Typhoon, it is one of the largest intelligence compromises in US history. China hacked at least eight major US telecommunication companies including AT&T, Verizon and Lumen Technologies, resulting in officials in Beijing having access to the private texts and calls of a "large number" of Americans, Washington says.Now US officials have urged Americans to use encrypted messaging apps to minimise the chances of China intercepting their communications.But senior White House official Anne Neuberger said authorities don't believe any classified communications have been compromised. She added: "We do not believe it's every cell phone in the country, but we ...
What the fall of the French government means for New Caledonia
World News

What the fall of the French government means for New Caledonia

France's Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Photo: AFP / Hans Lucas / Amaury Cornu As French Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government has fallen to a motion of no confidence just three months after coming to office, New Caledonia is among the major victims of France's ongoing political instability. New Caledonia's post-riots situation was already difficult, with an economy on its knees and an estimated €2.2 billion in damages because of the burning and looting that erupted on 13 May. Over 600 businesses have been destroyed, making thousands of people jobless, and forcing companies to shut down. Last week, several business leaders groups were complaining that even the packages promised were slow to arrive from Paris and that they needed "visibility" to start re-investing and rebuilding. Th...
Georgia: Crackdown begins on anti-government protesters | World News
Business

Georgia: Crackdown begins on anti-government protesters | World News

Georgia's prime minister had vowed to punish those participating in the anti-government protests that have engulfed the capital Tbilisi. On Wednesday, it seems, the crackdown began.Police launched multiple raids on opposition party offices, with one leader reportedly detained and beaten unconscious. In footage shared by the Coalition for Change party, its leader Nika Gvaramia can be seen arguing with officers. Tensions are high. All of a sudden, things turn violent and the politician disappears under a mass of masked men. Image: Police fire tear gas towards protesters in the Georgian capital Tbilisi. Pic: AP We are unable to independently verify whether he was beaten or not.But he doesn't appear to be moving when his body i...