Author: Starvision News Desk

Beijing, Sep 5 (IANS) A subtype of avian flu virus, endemic in poultry farms in China, is undergoing mutational changes, which could increase the risk of the disease being passed on to humans, warns a study. Researchers in China and Nottingham, the UK, also said that the findings raise concerns of a potential epidemic or pandemic in the making and that concerted research is necessary to closely monitor such viruses in poultry and humans. The results, published in the journal Cell, report on the characterisation of a human isolate — from a human patient — of the H3N8 avian influenza…

Houston, Sep 5 (IANS) The Texas Senate will on Tuesday begin an impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General (AG) Ken Paxton, a Republican strongman and ally of former US President Donald Trump, over years-long charges including corruption, lawbreaking and power abusing.The trial, no matter what the result could be, has already become a political spectacle drawing attention nationwide and is widely expected to shake Texas politics, especially among the more hard-right leadership of the state’s Republican Party, reports Xinhua news agency.Twelve Democrats and 19 Republicans in the state Senate, including Paxton’s wife, Angela, will serve as the jury, considering opening…

Singapore, Sep 5 (IANS) An Indian-origin rapper was sentenced to six-weeks in jail on Tuesday for attempting to promote feelings of ill will between different racial and religious groups in Singapore. Subhas Govin Prabhakar Nair, 31, was convicted of four charges in July for posting messages on social media between July 2019 and March 2021, which the prosecution described as inflammatory in nature. Nair had responded to an Instagram video on July 25, 2020 in which the subjects had made remarks linking the gay pride movement to Satan, The Straits Times reported. He wrote: “If two Malay Muslims made a…

London, Sep 5 (IANS) As the European Commission prepares to publish a list of designated “gatekeepers” as part of the new Digital Markets Act (DMA) on September 6, Microsoft and Apple are reportedly pushing to keep Bing and iMessage off the list.Once the EU designates its gatekeepers, they will have six months, or until March 2024, to comply with the DMA’s rules.According to The Financial Times, Microsoft and Apple are “privately (and separately) arguing that their services aren’t large or powerful enough to justify earning the restrictions of the Digital Markets Act”.Microsoft is “unlikely” to dispute that its Windows platform…

Moscow, Sep 5 (IANS) General Sergei Surovikin, Russia’s former commander in Ukraine who has not been seen in public since the failed Wagner mutiny in June, has appeared in a photo posted online, the media reported on Tuesday.Surovikin was last seen on June 24 when he released a video pleading for Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the mercenary group who was killed in a plane crash last month, to stop his failed rebellion against the Russian military leadership.Meanwhile, the viral photo shows a man wearing sunglasses walking arm in arm with a red-haired woman who resembles the General’s wife, Anna.”General Sergei…

Canberra, Sep 5 (IANS) Alan Joyce, who was set to step down in November after 15 years as CEO of Qantas, will now depart the airline immediately amid mounting controversies surrounding the Australian flag carrier.Chief Financial Officer Vanessa Hudson will become Qantas’ first female boss when she succeeds Joyce on Wednesday, the BBC reported.In a statement on Tuesday, Joyce said:“In the last few weeks, the focus on Qantas and events of the past make it clear to me that the company needs to move ahead with its renewal as a priority.“The best thing I can do under these circumstances is…

London, Sep 4 (IANS) Many women are unaware that taking higher doses of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may increase the risk of womb cancer, according to a study.While the HRT containing oestrogen is safe when taking the correct, prescribed dosage, women often tend to take very large doses of the drugs to tackle menopause symptoms, Daily Mail reported. Oestrogen is a female sex hormone which decreases with age, causing most of the symptoms of menopause such as hot flushes, mood swings, and brain fog. HRT use is further spiked by social media messages that encourage taking more medication to reduce…

London, Sep 4 (IANS) Boys who smoke in their early teenage years risk damaging the genes of their future children, increasing their chances of developing asthma, obesity and low lung function, a new study has said.Researchers from the UK-based University of Southampton and the University of Bergen in Norway investigated the epigenetic profiles of 875 people, aged 7 to 50, and the smoking behaviours of their fathers.They found epigenetic changes at 19 sites mapped to 14 genes in the children of fathers who smoked before the age of 15.These changes in the way DNA is packaged in cells (methylation) regulate…

Singapore, Sep 4 (IANS) The sales of pineapples and pineapple cakes have shot up in Singapore after Tamil-origin presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam marched to a decisive victory last week with the fruit as his campaign symbol.Business is booming for fruit store owners, with sales of pineapples rising by 10 to 15 per cent in August from the month before, The Straits Times reported.In addition, eateries and bars in the city-state have been rolling out pineapple-related products and offering price discounts to celebrate the former senior minister’s presidential win on Friday.Cafe owner Celine Ng, who would usually sell two or three…

Sydney, Sep 4 (IANS) At least three days of exercise a week is required to stay fit but if you could stretch it to five days a week, it would be optimum for your health, according to a study.The findings showed that having the willpower to put in a couple of extra days of exercise per week will produce better results.The study can help to further improve the understanding of how the human body responds to exercise.”Our previous work has shown regular, shorter exercise is more beneficial than one or two big training sessions in a week,” said study lead…