Author: Starvision News Desk

Tolyo, Aug 23 (IANS) Japan’s decision to go forward with the release of the treated radioactively contaminated water is “not surprising, but certainly disappointing,” a marine expert has said.Despite public concerns and raging opposition from both home and abroad, the Japanese government announced Tuesday it has decided to start releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.This decision violates the spirit of the UN Ocean Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) and the recently passed UN High Seas Treaty as well as the rights of indigenous…

Canberra, Aug 23 (IANS) Australia’s Assistant Trade Minister Tim Ayres has identified reviving stalled talks on a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) as his priority at the G20 trade and investment ministerial meeting.Prior to departing for India’s ‘Pink City’ Jaipur on Wednesday, Ayres said EU officials have so far “offered too little and asked too much” in negotiations, Xinhua news agency reported.Talks on the landmark deal broke down in July amid a dispute over Australian farmers’ export access to the vast EU market.Ayres, who will meet with his European counterpart as Australia’s representative at the G20…

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 23 (IANS) A team of researchers at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) here has found that dengue, a recurring tropical disease that witnesses an outbreak in the monsoon, becomes more severe and hostile in animal models when its virus (DENV) while being grown in mosquito-derived cells is exposed to higher environmental temperature. The research, which can phenomenally help in predicting and mitigating the severity and virulence of dengue, has assumed critical importance as it seeks to establish the impact of global warming on the disease, with an estimated global disease burden of 390 million cases per…

Kiev, Aug 23 (IANS) Twelve people were killed in a road accident in Ukraine’s central Vinnytsia region, police said Wednesday.The accident occurred at about 7:28 p.m. local time (1628 GMT) on Tuesday when a passenger car with 12 people onboard collided with a heavy truck on a regional road near the village of Brodetske, Xinhua news agency reported.The driver and all vehicle passengers, including six children aged between 2 years and 12 years, were killed on the spot.The police are investigating the accident and have detained the 42-year-old truck driver, who may face criminal charges for violating traffic safety rules.According…

New Delhi, Aug 23 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday held bilateral discussions with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, where they discussed matters related to trade, defence and investment.The meeting took place on the sidelines of the BRICS summit.”Had an excellent meeting with President @CyrilRamaphosa. We discussed a wide range of issues aimed at deepening India-South Africa relations,” Modi posted on X , formerly called Twitter, after meeting Ramaphosa.”Trade, defence and investment linkages featured prominently in our discussions. We will keep working together to strengthen the voice of theGlobal South as well,” he said further.The prime minister is in South…

Bangkok, Aug 23 (IANS) Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was moved from a Bangkok prison to a hospital in the wee hours on Wednesday after he complained of chest pain and hypertension, according to media reports.Thaksin was transferred to Bangkok’s police hospital as the 74-year-old has several diseases that need to be monitored, and the prison ward is not well equipped to treat his condition, the Corrections department said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.Thaksin was Thailand’s premier from 2001 to 2006.He returned to the country on Tuesday after years of self-exile. He was soon put behind bars…

London, Aug 23 (IANS) A study in more than 15,000 people has found that physical fitness is linked with a lower likelihood of developing atrial fibrillation and stroke.Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder, affecting more than 40 million people worldwide. Patients with the condition have a five-fold higher risk of stroke than their peers.“This was a large study with an objective measurement of fitness and more than 11 years of follow up. The findings indicate that keeping fit may help prevent atrial fibrillation and stroke,” said study author Dr Shih-Hsien Sung of the National Yang Ming Chiao…

Bangkok, Aug 23 (IANS) Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn has given his approval for Srettha Thavisin to assume the office of the country’s prime minister, a spokesperson for the House Speaker said Wednesday.”The President of the National Assembly has sent a letter to inform the King about the outcome of the prime ministerial election, and the King has already granted approval for the 30th prime minister,” Kampee Ditthakorn told a press conference.The Secretariat of the House of Representatives is scheduled to deliver the royal endorsement to the Pheu Thai Party headquarters at 6 p.m. local time, Xinhua news agency quoted the…

Canberra, Aug 23 (IANS) More than 1.7 million Australians were sexually harassed in 2021-22, a national survey has found.The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Wednesday published the results of the 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey, revealing an estimated 1.7 million people — 8.7 per cent of the population — experienced sexual harassment in the survey period from March 2021 to May 2022.Of those victims, 1.3 million were women and 426,800 men, Xinhua news agency reported.According to the ABS data, men were responsible for 97 per cent of all sexual harassment incidents against women, with inappropriate comments about a person’s body…

New York, Aug 23 (IANS) Amid the growing debate over AI and its side effects, researchers now report that in healthcare settings, ChatGPT is nearly 72 per cent accurate across all medical specialties and phases of clinical care, and 77 per cent accurate in making final diagnoses.The study led by investigators from Mass General Brigham highlighted potential for generative AI to increase access and efficiency in healthcare.The large-language model (LLM) artificial intelligence chatbot performed equally well in both primary care and emergency settings across all medical specialties, said the study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.”No real benchmarks…